Health News and Information

Cause

Bronchitis is a common infection in children as well as adults. The bronchi, or major air passages adjoining the windpipe, become inflamed, usually due to infection with a virus, but sometimes due to a germ.

Clinical features

Your child may develop a runny nose, sore throat and a mild fever. Soon afterwards a cough will start, which may be either dry or moist (productive of mucus). Your child may be slightly short of breath, and may wheeze. Bronchitis is often seen in association with asthma.

Investigations

None are usually necessary, but if the coughing persists your doctor may advise a sputum test, or even a chest X-ray.

Treatment

Bronchitis usually passes within a week, without any complications. If symptoms such as a cough and wheezing persist your doctor may advise short-term use of anti-asthma medication. If a bacterial infection is suspected, antibiotics may be prescribed. However, it is important to remember that these symptoms are far more readily caused by asthma than by bronchitis.

When to see your doctor

• if your child is an asthmatic;

• if your child has a cough that does not clear up after several days;

• if your child has a wheeze or is short of breath;

• if your child is having difficulty breathing.

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Eight years ago, couples started corning to me for help with fertility problems. They were referred by doctors who were working on the mechanical and metabolic aspects of fertility, working with drugs and timing and, in some cases, surgery. These doctors knew that emotions played a major role in fertility, but they did not know, and none of us know, how. They did know that the couples were becoming stressed by the constant vigilance, the repeated disappointments, the blaming and self-blame, the anger, the jealousy of those who seemed to get pregnant so easily. “Why is it,” asked one of the wives,’ that the only people who seem to get a child so easily are those who don’t seem to want them or need them as much as we do?”

I cannot discuss the complexities of the fertility issues here. I can tell you, however, that I have now treated thirty-six couples in the last eight years. Three of these couples were in my couples sample. Thirty couples have succeeded in having a baby—sometimes more than one! I don’t know, and I am sure that their doctors don’t really know, why they succeeded. Was it the drugs, the hope, the timing, chance? I have found that mutual emotional support and reduction of stress can help relationships. I don’t really know if it helps cause pregnancy, but I would guess that it does some good, perhaps again by enhancing the immune system, which has much to do with pregnancy.

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Men feel valued for what they do, not who they are. They feel like success objects rather than sex objects. As a result, their sexual behavior is characterized by emphasis on skills, foreplay, technique, timing, and love-making prowess. Accused of being selfish, men are not really selfish enough, for they are too busy trying to do instead of be and experience. Love becomes a product they try to “make.” They feel they have to “get it on” and “get off.” They feel a burden of culminating the sexual interaction with expulsion of fluid. “You know if a man comes, but you can’t tell if a woman comes,” was the report of one husband. This is not true. The presence of ejaculate tells only that there was a contractive reflex similar to the vaginal contractions of the woman. Contractions are not the only criterion of orgasm. If they were, other animals would have orgasm. They don’t. With the possible exception of some higher primates, orgasm and its subjective dimension is uniquely human.

Men have learned to release muscle tension, to achieve a pelvic settledness, but they have failed to achieve a settledness of the spirit. Men may have orgasm if by that term we mean organ reflex to sexual stimulation, but they fail to have psychasms. Psychasms require an alteration of consciousness, but men are seldom aware of what they are experiencing at the time of ejaculation. As long as this reflex orientation continues, men will go on trying to “get some” but fail to give or take anything.

The husbands completing the super marital sex program in my clinic report being stunned at the difference between orgasm and psychasm. They discover after forty or more years of “coming” what it is like to experience “being.” “I never imagined it could be like this,” commented one husband. “I thought you were nuts when you talked about this psychasm thing. It’s a whole other thing. There is no language to describe it.”

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The information supported by honest clinical observations, indicates without any doubt the ultimate reason for all diseases : poisoning of the body beyond its capacity of poison neutralisation.

Everything else, no matter how complicated, involving other living creatures (bacteria, parasites etc.) or not, is just a consequence.

We have also found, that the poisoning of our body is largely our own doing, caused by our ignorance or misinformation.

This is the first and necessary step to true healing.

Before discussing available natural strategie detoxification, I would like to turn your attention second, very important condition of true healing purification of your mind.

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It usually starts as a mild respiratory infection, similar to any one of a number of viral respiratory infections but, within 48 hours, the condition worsens, the temperature rises considerably, a dry cough develops and there may be confusion if the brain is affected.

Many other organs throughout the body are involved.

The diagnosis is difficult to make, and the germ is hard to isolate.

It may be that the true diagnosis is not established for several weeks after the onset of the infection, by which time the patient has usually recovered.

A high degree of suspicion is more likely to lead to early diagnosis or certainly to the correct treatment being instituted while proof of the diagnosis is being pursued.

This germ does not respond to penicillin, and is also poorly controlled by many antibiotics. Erythromycin appears to be the preferred drug but this may need to be continued over at least two weeks.

Any of a number of types of pneumonia can mimic Legionnaires’ disease.

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How does the law stand with regard to a person refusing permission for a blood transfusion?

Such a problem usually arises when the patient is a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose beliefs do not allow the acceptance of a transfusion of blood or its derivatives even when it may be necessary to save life.

In recent years the Medical Journal of Australia published an editorial written by a barrister on how the law regarded the question.

Any adult has the right to make a decision about what treatment he will or will not have, and the doctor treating him must accept this. If the doctor cannot offer proper treatment under those terms, then he can refuse to continue with the case and ask the patient to consult another practitioner.

The patient and the doctor have rights and obligations and, given goodwill on both sides, no conflict should arise.

The doctor is required by law, usually common law rather than any set statute, to use due care and skill in dealing with his patients.

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What can I do to prevent endometriosis? Although endometriosis is rarely life-threatening, it affects life on two very critical levels—well-being and fertility. Women are often surprised by the differences they can make in ending the misery of endometriosis.

Taking charge of the disease involves change. There is no getting away from it. it requires a real willingness to invest in yourself and alter some daily routines and ways of thinking about the disease, as follows.

• Build a support system. This begins with finding a doctor who understands endometriosis and how it has affected you in particular. There is no use in convincing skeptical practitioners that you are suffering from a real condition if they persist in believing that your symptoms are psychosomatic.

Discuss your condition with family members and friends in a calm and tactual manner. Explain what you have learned about the disease and why you are feeling the way you do. Severe menstrual camping attributed to prostaglandin levels, painful intercourse, and mood swings due to hormone fluctuations are real factors ha die disease. Now that your loved ones know it’s not “in your head,” ask for their help in getting you through any especially difficult time. If you feel you need pyschological counseling either alone or in ramify therapy to help sort out your feelings shout the impact of the condition on you and on others, seek help now.

The “career woman’s disease” touches the lives of millions of women who must deal with their condition and continue to work efficiently. This can be a problem. Many employers are not interested in hearing that employees suffer from chronic disorders such as endometriosis. As with sufferers of PMS, women with endometriosis may be assumed to be overly self-indulgent during menstruation. It has been estimated that 140 million work hours are lost each year to the symptoms of endometriosis, a fact that the business world cannot ignore.

Yet, they do. Now it is up to you. Your wisest strategy is to be consistently reasonable at work and prudent about whom you inform of your condition. Although your impulse may be to educate your employers and coworkers, many of whom may have the disease or know others who might, not everyone may be sympathetic to you. They are two schools of thought about discussing this disease and its effect on women, and doing so on the job. Some avoid public disclosure, feeling it is best to be discreet. They are concerned that knowledge of their condition may he used against them, that is, used as a reason to bold them hack from greater responsibility and promotions.

Other women fed that having endometriosis is not a stigmatizing factor and that a calm, honest, and educational approach will not hinder their career advancement. These women are bolder about their approach to the disease. They may disseminate information about endometriosis, or post notices of discussion groups to alert women to what they can do for themselves and for others, too. Knowing they do not have to keep silent about their condition and finding even one other woman at work who shares their problem gives them a psychological boost and an important sense of supportiveness. The action you do or do not take at work will depend entirely on the kind of job you have and the general tone of your workplace. You will know best what to do in this case.

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Both hair and nails are derived from the epidermis, and both consist of the same dead tissue—the protein, keratin. Because of their derivation from the epidermis it is not surprising that diseases affecting the skin may affect the hair and nails as well. In addition, there are a number of disorders which are peculiar to the hair (including the scalp) and nails.

Dandruff is the commonest condition of the scalp for which treatment is sought. It is not however a disease. It is simply a physiological state which has been elevated to the status of a ‘disease’ solely on cosmetic grounds. Basically dandruff consists of normal, dead skin cells which have been shed only to become trapped among the hairs of the scalp or in the oily sebum film. It is most common after puberty and is absent on the bald scalp. If it occurs in excess, it may appear in other hair-bearing areas and is then called seborrhoeic dermatitis. Occasionally psoriasis is mistaken for severe dandruff, and so if what appears to be dandruff does not respond to simple measures, a doctor should be consulted. Dandruff is not an infection, nor has it any relationship with hair loss. Usually dandruff may be satisfactorily controlled by the use of shampoos containing tar, selenium disulphide, or zinc pyrithione, all of which act by reducing the rate of normal skin shedding (turnover rate). Sometimes salicylic acid or corticosteroid creams are required intermittently to control the condition. From the plethora of proprietary preparations sold over the counter it is obvious that dandruff concerns people, and that there is no one preparation which suits all sufferers.

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The modem focus of eating plans for sustainable fat loss is a decrease in total dietary fat and an increase in the proportion of complex carbohydrates, followed in importance by a decrease in total energy intake. When assessing diet plans, these basic criteria need to be kept in mind. It is also important for health professionals providing advice to those seeking fat loss to know just how this is best achieved and to have an understanding of how popular diet plans manipulate the facts. The following is a review of some general diet plans.

Very low-energy diets. These are often available through clinics, where the diet supervisor (usually someone untrained in nutrition) provides some monitoring designed by a medical practitioner. These diets usually provide a formula feed of less than 800kcal/day, which is less than the usual range needed for the resting metabolic rates of most adults. The physiological effects of these diets are less than for fasting, but still carry risks and require medical supervision. The low-carbohydrate content of the formula stimulates the production of ketones which are thought to be responsible for the appetite suppression experienced. The hunger is intense upon reinstating carbohydrate in the diet. These diets should only be administered to morbidly obese people fulfilling strict selection criteria and within the context of a long term management plan.

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If you picture the uterus as an organ that is essentially static in the abdomen, think again. The combination of elastic tissue and muscle in the supporting ligaments of the uterus is organised to enable rapid adjustment to the altered position and size of its neighbouring organs, the bladder, bowel and vagina. When the bladder or rectum is full, the uterus moves accordingly. In addition, the uterus lifts out of the way with the entry of the penis into the vagina during sexual intercourse. In this position, the uterus may contract during orgasm. When a woman lies on her back, the uterus hugs the rear of the pelvis; if she rolls onto her stomach, it moves towards her belly button; and when she stands, the uterus drops down a centimetre or two, a movement that is accentuated if she has a prolapse and the ligaments do not provide strong support for the uterus.

Displacement of the uterus also occurs if there is a lump or growth in a neighbouring organ. For example, a lump in the vagina pushes the uterus upwards. On the other hand, if there is a growth in the bowel the uterus is pushed forwards, and in the bladder, backwards. The uterus is also able to rotate around the point where the cervix meets the rest of the body. A forwards rotation is called anteversion, and a backwards rotation, retroversion. Some women find these movements uncomfortable if they occur during sexual activity or when a doctor is examining their uterus to see if its ability to move is restricted in any way. In most cases women are largely unaware of these movements, although they may account for some of the pelvic ‘twinges’ or abdominal pain that is sometimes experienced.

For the uterus to contract successfully—which occurs during menstrual bleeds, childbirth and, in perhaps a third of women, during orgasm — the muscle tissue of the uterus and of the surrounding ligaments must work harmoniously. Women do not have conscious control over these contractions; this is exercised by nerves and hormones. Some aspects of uterine function are under dual control of both hormones and nerves, while others are influenced mainly by one or the other.

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