Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog

Your doctor’s diagnosis depends on the color of the discharge, along with a recent history of your health practices, though in the women and men who get galactotrrhea with no cleat cause, the condition will usually clear up on its own without treatment. However, your doctor may want to order a test that will check the levels of thyroid hormones and prolactin in your blood. She may also want to conduct an MRI or CAT scan of your brain to check for a pituitary tumor.

If you’ve given birth in the past year, your discharge is white, and your doctor can find no reason for the galactorrhea, it’s probably not serious. If, however, you’ve never had children and you have a whitish discharge from your nipples, your doctor will look for medication to be the culprit; the discharge might also be a sign of an underlying endocrine disorder. To see if this is the case, she will run blood tests and perhaps a CAT scan to see if your hypothalamus—a gland that regulates your endocrine system—or your pituitary gland is damaged in some way. If the cause of your galactorrhea is found to be hypothyroidism, she will prescribe a thyroxine replacement medication such as Synthroid. The dosage of this medication depends on the results of blood tests that are taken over the course of several weeks or months and will be adjusted slowly when your doctor determines how your body is tolerating the medication.

If the condition is determined to be a side effect of a medication you’re taking, your doctor will recommend you stop taking the drug and may switch you to another type of medication.

If the discharge is greenish or brown—indicating a bloody tinge— you should see your doctor immediately. Your galactorrhea may be caused by cancer or another kind of tumor in the breasts.

If your doctor decides that a pituitary tumor is causing the galactorrhea, she may suggest you take a drug called bromocriptine, which will attack the tumor and reduce the gland’s production of prolactin. If the tumor has grown too large to treat with bromocriptine, he will probably want to remove it surgically. To ensure that the pituitary gland stays tumor free after surgery, your doctor will probably recommend that you take bromocriptine for several months after the operation.

Bromocriptine is typically prescribed to treat some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease; however, it also serves to suppress the production of prolactin.

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It’s easy to prevent back problems from occurring—and recurring—if you just start to pay attention to how you move your body. All that’s needed is a little common sense.

Sitting: When you sit in a chair, always sit all the way back and

keep your back erect. Adjust the chair so your feet reach the floor and rest flat.

Standing: When you must stand for a period of time, place one foot on a stool or small bench. Keep an erect posture; avoid sway-back. Tuck your pelvis forward to straighten your back. Try to walk and move around as much as possible.

Driving: In a car, keep your car seat back upright so that your body is erect. Adjust your seat position so that your legs reach the pedals comfortably without either having to stretch or getting cramped. Adjust the steering wheel, if possible, so your arms and shoulders are relaxed. On long trips, stop every hour or so and walk around to relieve tension and relax your muscles.

Lifting: When lifting any object from the floor, you should always bend your legs and keep your back straight. Don’t bend over at the waist to lift something; instead, let your leg muscles do the lifting work.

Sleeping: Sleep on a firm mattress or put a ? -inch plywood board under your mattress if it’s a soft one. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees, not under your head. If you sleep on your side, keep your knees bent. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.

Get regular exercise and take some time to relax every day. If your back starts giving you problems, don’t delay. See your doctor immediately.

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During an acute allergy attack, you’ll need to see your physician immediately. She will give you an injection of epinephrine as well as oral antihistamines to relieve your symptoms. She may also decide to give you cortisone. After your symptoms subside somewhat and you’re able to breathe and swallow freely again, your doctor will instruct you about the substances you should avoid and how to keep them to a minimum. If, for instance, you’re allergic to dust, an air purifier can help remove dust from the air. It may also help to remove pieces of upholstered furniture, which tend to harbor dust. Some people are also increasingly sensitive to fumes in carpets and dry-cleaned clothes, as well as processed wood that produces toxic fumes.

If you know you are allergic to one or more common substances, it’s imperative that you wear an ID bracelet or dog tag or carry a card that identifies the substances you are allergic to in case of future allergic attacks.

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Hair Loss

An otherwise fit young lady went to see her doctor because she had developed a band of baldness, extending from ear to ear all the way over the top of her head. From the history and examination, the physician concluded that her alopecia (the medical term for baldness) most likely resulted from the friction and pressure exerted by a pair of heavy earphones through which she listened to music while jogging. Anything that fits tightly on the head while, at the same time rubbing against it, may cause hair to be worn away at the site of frictional contact, a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (252:3367) reports. Hair re-grew quickly on this young lady’s head after she switched to lighter earphones.

Baldness and Beta-BIockers

Although beta-blocker drugs are used for high blood pressure and for the prevention of angina pectoris (chest pain originating in the heart) and, as a group, are now one of the most widely prescribed types of medication, it is not yet generally known that they are sometimes responsible for a considerable loss of hair.

The journal Cutis (35:148) reports a 62-year-old man who had always had a healthy head of hair but who, over a period of six weeks, gradually lost most of it. Shortly before this occurred, he had started taking nadolol, also known as Cor-gard, the new long-acting beta-blocker medicine. The cause-and-effect relationship between his use of this drug and the hair loss was not immediately recognized because he also had a scaly itching scalp. Since he had assumed that the itching, scaling scalp was caused by dandruff, he had treated the symptoms with a tar-containing shampoo.

Both the hair loss and this dermatitis cleared up soon after he stopped taking nadolol, so that his scalp slowly regained its normal appearance over the next three months. Hair loss, both j on the scalp and body, although uncommon, has occurred with most beta-blocker drugs.

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Many factors may contribute to constipation, the American Family Physician (27#1:179) suggests, including lack of exercise, decreased appetite and thirst, and too great a reliance upon commercially prepared low bulk foods. When not disease-related, constipation should respond readily to taking extra fluid and bulk with every meal and, if necessary, a stool softener medication such as Colace, Doxidan, or Surfak.

These drugs are not effective alone and must always be taken with bran, or a lubricant (such as mineral oil), or both. When bran is added to the diet, calcium, phosphorus, and iron are trapped in the gut by the undigested cellulose. This could be a factor in the bone thinning in some of the elderly, who already have difficulty in maintaining a positive calcium balance. Calcium and iron supplements are therefore essential if one is taking bran. Also, since mineral oil traps fat-soluble vitamins, one should try to compensate for this by taking mineral oil and vitamins at different times of day.

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Those who become permanently short of breath because of chronic bronchitis and lung damage after decades of heavy smoking have what it called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ultimately, they become blue in the face (when the lungs no longer allow the blood to obtain all of the body’s oxygen needs) and develop heart failure. Fatigue and weakness then develop in the overworked muscles of the chest making matters even worse.

In searching for ways to strengthen breathing and counteract the respiratory muscle fatigue, physicians have discovered that theophylline, the time-honored medication for asthma, has a consistently useful effect, the New England Journal of Medicine (311:349) reports.

Taken twice daily in doses of 500 mg for one week, theophylline improves the strength of the diaphragm and the efficiency of respiration. This effect is enough to cause marked improvement in COPD patients and is maintained for at least three weeks, even after the drug is discontinued.

How often theophylline courses need to be repeated remains to be established. Theophylline, incidentally, is an ingredient of coffee and tea, which also contain the closely related chemical, caffeine. It, too, improves the efficiency of respiration and the strength of the muscles, including the diaphragm.

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Although gout is known to result from uric acid crystallizing out of the blood into the joints, no one knows why only certain joints are involved, or why the disease varies in intensity from time to time regardless of how carefully one avoids foods that raise the uric acid blood level. Experts have suggested, therefore, that other unknown factors may trigger attacks of gout as well.

A rheumatologist from one of the major university medical centers recently wrote to the editor of Lancet (1:1181) suggesting that vitamin A and alcohol may be additional factors that, working together with uric acid, could bring on gouty arthritis in certain joints. Just a slight excess of vitamin A in the diet makes the blood uric acid rise much higher than it otherwise would, the rheumatologist reports. Furthermore, he states, quite normal doses of vitamin A can act like overdoses if, in addition, one takes several alcoholic drinks regularly every day.

Even by itself, when regularly taken in excess, vitamin A can cause pain in the feet, ankles, wrists, or shoulders. This is due to swelling and thickening of the bones, especially at their surfaces, along with calcium deposition in the ligaments and muscles attached to them. Since these changes can mimic gout, the rheumatologist suggests, many people who have been told that they have gouty arthritis may really be suffering from the effects of moderate but regularly taken doses of vitamin A and alcohol.

Rather than just taking gout medication, therefore, such persons might do better if they also reduced their vitamin A intake to avoid overdosage and took fewer alcoholic drinks as well.

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During hot weather, heat stroke fatalities occur 12-15 times more often in the elderly than in younger people, the U.S. Pharmacist (9#6:23) reports. The elderly are more prone to heat stroke because they cannot very easily get rid of their excess body heat by sweating.

For body heat to evaporate, enough blood must circulate through the skin to support extra sweating. If the heart cannot easily pump that much blood, or if the blood volume has become depleted by dehydration, insufficient blood reaches the sweat glands. As pointed out in the previous section, dehydration is commonly caused by a diuretic (“water pill”) drug that is being taken by people with heart failure or hypertension to increase the urine output. Several other drugs, including some stomach medicines and antihistamines, have a skin-drying effect that may also interfere with sweating.

So, in very hot weather, even if they are feeling well, older people should spend more time in air-conditioned places and avoid sitting in direct sunlight, particularly if they are taking any medication. If exposure to heat is unavoidable, they should try to compensate by drinking more, and (since exertion generates heat) by becoming much less physically active. Geriatrics (41 #5:108) recommends that when older people begin an exercise program in warm weather or after traveling to a warmer climate, they should limit the intensity and duration of the exercise at first and only gradually increase it over a period of 10 to 14 days.

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The word ‘epilepsy’ means ‘seizure.’ Epileptics are characterized by a loss of consciousness, momentary or prolonged, and involuntary, convulsive movements. Some people call this a fit. An epileptic seizure is the result of a temporary disturbance of the brain impulses.

In minor seizures, or petit mal, the loss of consciousness is momentary. Although there is often a twitching about the eyes or mouth, there is no change of posture, and the person appears to have had no more than a moment of absent-mindedness.

In major seizures, or grand mal, the victim falls to the floor unconscious, often foaming at the mouth, biting, and shaking his limbs violently. Involuntary bowel movements or the passage of urine may occur. The person may hurt himself during such a seizure. Fortunately, people with epilepsy frequently experience a warning, called the aura, before a major attack occurs, and this enables them to lie down and avoid falls.

Ordinary epilepsy is also called genuine epilepsy or idiopathic epilepsy, which means the cause is unknown. This is the most common type, and it is what most people have in mind when they speak of epilepsy. It usually begins early in life. This type of epilepsy is not directly inherited, although a predisposition, or tendency, to it may run in families. While the cause is still unknown, a great deal is known about it, especially in regard to treatment.

Individuals with epilepsy can hold responsible positions and lead practically normal lives, with few restrictions beyond those imposed by having to take medicine and consult their doctors.

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During the middle years, one can reasonably expect a transition from relatively good health to a certain amount of medical trouble. Some of the more common ailments are mentioned below.

Diabetes mellitus

The form of diabetes that begins in middle life is often characterized only by high blood sugar and urine sugar. It is usually treated adequately by diet and medicines taken by mouth, and does not carry the risk of coma that the juvenile form of diabetes does.

Diabetics are, in general, in greater risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and blood-vessel problems. They should, therefore, be under constant medical supervision.

Cancer

Cancer is a dread disease of the late-middle and older years. Good preventive health practices, such as regular physical examinations, decrease its dangers because the earlier the disease is discovered, the better is the prospect of cure.

Glaucoma

Increased pressure in the eyeball (glaucoma) may eventually lead to blindness. Through regular eye examinations, glaucoma can be detected early, and treatment and cure effected.

Presbyopia

Almost all middle-aged persons become more long-sighted. This results from the lens of the eye becoming more fixed and less able to change its focusing characteristics. Corrective glasses are the only remedy.

Presbycusis

The ageing process in the ear leads to a variable degree of hearing loss, particularly for higher and lower tones.

Emphysema and bronchitis

These are diseases of middle-aged persons with histories of smoking, for the most part. Shortness of breath, due to destruction of lung tissue, and frequent colds and pneumonia characterize these ailments.

Coronary heart disease

The arteries supplying the heart with blood become narrowed because of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) as we grow into middle age, and this may lead to angina pectoris (severe chest pain on exertion) and heart attack. The risk of heart attack may be lessened by low-fat diet, exercise, relaxation, and cutting out smoking.

Rheumatic heart disease

Rheumatic fever in childhood frequently does not show its destructive effects on the heart until adulthood. In rheumatic heart disease, the valves of the heart become misshapen and the heart is unable to function efficiently. Medicines and surgery are helpful for most of those who suffer from this ailment.

Hypertension

High blood pressure (hypertension) imposes an extra strain on the heart, in particular. It is frequently associated with diabetes. Hypertension, if not treated adequately, can severely damage the heart, brain (as in a stroke), kidneys, and blood vessels. Treatment of hypertension has been one of the great advances in modern medicine.

Congestive heart failure

Heart failure is a sign that the heart is working inefficiently. This may be due to coronary heart disease, valvular damage from rheumatic fever, or other disorders. Heart failure is characterized by fluid accumulation in the body—usually first exhibited in the ankles —and shortness of breath.

Ulcers

Peptic ulcers (those of the stomach and duodenum) cause abdominal pain and discomfort. Diagnosis is most frequently made by X-ray (gastro-intestinal series). Familial tendency and stressful situations are two important factors in the development of ulcers. They can usually be treated by diet and medicines, but in some cases surgery may be necessary.

Hernias

As the body tissues age, they become weaker. A particularly weak part of the body wall and one frequently subjected to stress is the groin area. The bulging of the underlying intestines through an opening in this wall is called a hernia. Treatment is usually by surgery.

Gall bladder disease

Stones and chronic inflammation irritate the gall bladder and prevent it from functioning properly. Since the bile that the gall bladder stores is needed for digestion, particularly of fatty foods, indigestion is a frequent symptom of gall bladder trouble. Emotional upsets as well as excess fatty foods may cause an acute inflammation of the gall bladder, characterized by abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting. Recurrent attacks are an indication for surgical removal of the diseased gall bladder as soon as possible.

Varicose veins

Distended, tortuous veins in the legs are a rather frequent problem of middle age, particularly in women. Varicose veins may be a site for blood clots. In the more extreme types, because blood is not adequately drained from the lower extremities, the overlying skin may get swollen and irritated and break down, forming an ulcer. People with varicose veins frequently complain of pain and fatigue of the legs. Treatment varies from support stockings to surgical removal of the veins.

Disease of blood vessels in the legs

Arteriosclerosis tends to narrow blood vessels in the brain, heart, and extremities. When the vessels conducting blood to the legs become narrowed sufficiently, such symptoms as inability to walk several blocks without severe calf pain become manifest. Sudden occlusion (blocking) of the vessels to the leg by a blood clot may occur. This is a surgical emergency that has to be treated by removing the clot.

Arthritis

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints. The causes of arthritis vary and the joints affected differ, also. Osteoarthritis is due to wear and tear of the joint tissues with age and use. It is usually not severe or disabling, and develops after 40. Rheumatoid arthritis is a more serious form, for it may produce deformities and serious disabilities.

Prostate gland

In many men over 50, the prostate gland becomes so enlarged that it interferes with the normal passage of urine. Symptoms of this enlargement are frequent urination, decreased stream, difficulty in beginning to urinate, and the need to urinate almost immediately following urination. If symptoms become severe enough, the gland has to be removed surgically, a major but relatively safe operation.

Menopause

The menopause occurs sometime in the forties or fifties. The menstrual flow may stop suddenly; taper off gradually; or stop temporarily, restart, and then taper off. Menopausal symptoms vary from none to discomforting hot flashes and flushes. Symptoms are treated successfully with oestrogens (female sex hormones). Bodily changes may take place after the menopause, such as redistribution of fat, sagging breasts, coarsening of the skin, and weakening of the bones. These changes also respond to oestrogen therapy.

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