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7 WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM MEDICAL FAKES

General health No Comments

According to a nationwide poll, as many as 1 out of every 4 Americans has tried a “quack” or “miracle” treatment. In 1990, the House Committee on Health and Long-Term Care estimated that fake medicines and cures bilk consumers out of as much as 10 billion dollars each year.

Another report, issued by the American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs in 1990, estimated that 4 to 5 billion dollars a year is spent on unapproved and questionable cancer tests and treatment. The report also estimated that as many as 30 percent of all cancer patients paid for and underwent “worthless” treatments. Experts say that if people seek “traditional” treatment as soon as possible after being diagnosed, they stand a good chance of recovery in many cases. But, if you succumb to a promise of a “miracle cure” before you get conventional treatment, you may be risking your life.

Here are several things you can do to protect yourself from medical charlatans and worthless products.

1) If you need a specialist, get a referral from your family doctor or some other physician you trust. You can also get reliable referrals from hospitals that are affiliated with medical schools. 2) Discuss any treatment you are considering with your family doctor before you make any decisions.

3) Contact your state medical board if you have any questions about a specific doctor. The medical board will be able to tell you if any charges have been made against the doctor in question.

4) Don’t buy any unconventional products before you check them out thoroughly with the nearest FDA office, local consumer agency, or Better Business Bureau.

5) Be suspicious of advertising and phrases such as “miracle cure”, “secret formula”, and “amazing health care breakthrough”.

6) Stay away from any doctor who prescribes expensive vitamins and supplements, or who sells them in his office.

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For the purposes of the study, people were considered Type A if they: try to achieve several poorly defined goals; thrive on competition; crave recognition and advancement; are usually in a hurry; have intense concentration and alertness; and/or become angry easily.

AGGRESSIVE PEOPLE MAY LACK “GOOD” CHOLESTEROL

General health No Comments

For well over 30 years, scientists have suspected that people with aggressive or “Type A” personalities are more vulnerable to serious heart problems, such as heart attacks, than are people who are more “laid back”. But until now, the scientists had little scientific evidence to explain why this might occur. With the release of the results of a new study, medical experts say that low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called “good” cholesterol, in Type A people may be responsible for the increased risk.

The study, directed by Dr. Joann Manson of Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston revealed that the HDL levels in Type As were about 10 points lower than the level in Type B’s. Lowering HDL by a mere one point is believed to increase the risk of heart attacks by about 3 percent.

While the study does not prove cause and effect, researchers indicate that the stress which is common among Type As causes their bodies to produce a surplus of hormones that lower the HDL level.

Scientists agree that more research is necessary to know for certain whether low HDL actually causes the heart attacks experienced by aggressive personalities. However, if further research confirms the link between low HDL levels and heart attacks, it will provide more evidence to support the theory that stress reduction is good for the heart.

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Ticks can spread bacterial infection, Lyme disease and certain types of viral encephalitis.

BASIC EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: BITES AND STINGS

General health No Comments

Many different insects, snakes, and other animals are capable of inflicting injury through biting or stinging. Each type of injury requires slightly different treatment.

A) Insect stings— the most common stinging insects are honeybees, hornets, wasps, and fire ants. If such an insect “nails” you or a member of your household, look for a stinger. If you find one, remove it by scraping the skin carefully with a clean knife, a plastic card or a fingernail. Wash the area with soap and water and apply a cold pack to reduce swelling. Applying calamine lotion or a water and baking soda paste may help relieve discomfort.

Once you have removed the stinger and have cleaned the sting area, watch for signs of an allergic reaction- If you are going to have a reaction, it should happen within 30 minutes or so. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, wheezing, tightness of the throat or chest, nausea and dizziness, severe itching, and swelling of the tongue or mouth. If any of these symptoms occur, call the EMS or take the victim to a hospital or some other medical facility.

B) Scorpion stings and spider bites— keep the area of the sting lower than the victim’s heart. Wash the area of the sting or bite, cover it, and apply a cold pack. Also maintain an open airway and restore breathing and circulation if necessary.

Try to capture and/or identify the spider and call the poison control center or your doctor.

C) Ticks— using tweezers, remove the tick by grasping at its head and pulling steadily and slowly. Do not try to pull the tick out with your fingers. Clean the area with rubbing alcohol or an antiseptic and apply a cold pack to reduce swelling. If the tick head remains embedded in the skin, see your doctor immediately. Otherwise, watch for flu-like symptoms to develop. Such symptoms usually develop within two weeks. If the symptoms develop see your doctor.

D) Snake bites— clean the bite area with soap and water and immobilize the part of the body that was bitten. Try to keep the wound lower than the victim’s heart. Do not apply cold water or ice to the wound. In most cases, it is not recommended that you apply a tourniquet, or suck or cut the wound.

Try to identify the snake and its size. Call for an ambulance or take the victim to a medical facility immediately.

Animal bites

Bites by domestic pets and wild animals can become infected. They also carry the risk of tetanus and rabies.

Clean minor wounds with soap and water. Do not clean major wounds as they should be cleaned at a hospital or medical facility. Control any bleeding by applying direct pressure. If the bite is serious, or there is any possibility that the animal had rabies, call for an ambulance or transport the victim to the nearest medical facility.

Report the incident to your local health department or animal control service.

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DON’T FALL FOR THESE UNNEEDED MEDICAL TESTS. THEY MAY BE A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY

General health No Comments

While medical testing is a valuable tool in diagnosis and in monitoring health, test results can be misinterpreted or misused. In some cases, the tests may even be unnecessary, resulting in a waste of time and money. The more you know about testing programs, the better you will be able to make informed decisions about what tests to take and which ones to avoid.

You should check with your doctor to make sure a test or retest is necessary. Find out why the test needs to be done, and get a second opinion before you give the go-ahead. Here are some tests you probably should avoid:

1) If you need to be retested again and again, you might want to put a stop to the procedure. This is especially true if the testing involves repeated exposure to radiation, or nuclear medicine. Before you allow the testing to continue, find out why it must be done over and over. Consult with your doctor and find out if such tests are still required. In some cases, repeated testing is the result of an incompetent or “overworked” technician.

2) The American College of Radiology (ACR) recommends that you should avoid chest X-rays as a routine part of hospital admissions, and as part of a pre- employment physical. According to the ACR, most such chest X-rays do not turn up anything of significance and are not really worth the expense or potential risk.

The ACR does recommend chest X-rays if a person’s health or medical history warrant them, or if a person is exposed (on a regular basis) to chemicals or other health hazards which could affect the lungs.

3) In the hospital, don’t undergo routine presurgical screening tests which have already been done within the previous year.

4) Tests that involve intrusion into your body are known as “invasive” tests. Such tests are complicated and are designed to obtain a sample of tissue or to get an image which cannot be obtained from outside the body. These tests are potentially painful and dangerous and are only justified if the required results cannot be obtained by a simpler, safer method. Before you agree to an invasive test, you should get a second medical opinion, and be certain that the potential benefit from the procedure is worth the money and the potential risk.

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DO-IT YOURSELF MONITORING EQUIPMENT

Herbal No Comments

Biofeedback clinics have hi-tech equipment that can monitor your pulse rate and blood pressure, muscle tension, skin temperature and brainwave frequency. Seeing these physical functions magnified and displayed on a screen provides a degree of feedback which you cannot hope to match on your own.

Nonetheless, two pieces of monitoring equipment are readily affordable for home use. They are:

1. An electronic digital-readout thermometer that displays the temperature of hands or feet in tenths of a degree.

2. A hand-held GSR (galvanic skin response) device that monitors resistance and displays it as a variable audible tone. Slightly faster than a thermometer, it helps you to learn to relax swiftly.

(We prefer either of these to the adhesive plastic liquid crystal temperature and mood indicators that, though seemingly cheap, have a very short life and a low sensitivity.)

Although not absolutely essential, these inexpensive devices help you recognize the existence of subtle bodily clues by which you can tell whether you are tensed or relaxed. They are often advertised in health or New Age magazines, or can be found in medical equipment stores.

Gradually, as you learn to recognize feedback from your body’s signals, these monitoring devices will become unnecessary.

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Tags: Herbal

ANTI-HEADACHE TECHNIQUE #9: BREATHE AWAY MIGRAINES

Herbal No Comments

If begun at the first hint of an impending aura, bag breathing can squelch classic migraine attacks within 10 to 20 minutes. It has also proved quite effective against common migraine.

This simple technique is based on the principle that carbon dioxide is a blood vessel dilator with ability to release constricted arteries in Stage 2 of the migraine sequence.

We can easily direct carbon dioxide into the lungs and the bloodstream by breathing into and out of a brown paper bag. The oxygen in the bag is quickly used up and carbon dioxide takes its place.

To accomplish this, you simply squeeze the mouth of a medium-sized brown paper bag into a reasonably round hole shape, place your mouth over it, and start to breathe into and out of the paper bag. Remove your mouth from the bag only when the air becomes too stale to continue breathing. Allow some fresh air to enter your lungs, then continue to breathe into the bag.

Breathe deeply and slowly into the bag. The average migraineur should experience relief within 10 to 20 minutes.

Bag breathing works by releasing the constricted arteries of Stage 2. However, actual headache pain is not felt until the arteries suddenly dilate and Stage 3 begins. To be effective, bag breathing must be practiced during Stage 2; once Stage 3 commences, it’s too late. Bag breathing then may intensify rather than relieve the headache.

This can be tricky, because no pain is experienced during Stage 2. In classic migraine, aura effects occur for 20 or 30 minutes during Stage 2. By commencing bag breathing at the first hint of an aura, the majority of classic migraines can be aborted while still in Stage 2.

Many sufferers from common migraine also learn to recognize the advance warnings of an impending headache. These, too, are often experienced early in Stage 2. If you are very quick, and begin to bag breathe at the very first hint of a common migraine, there’s a good chance you can abort this type of headache also. Once the constricted arteries are released back to their normal size, they will not overdilate and the migraine sequence is broken.

Once ypu fell actual headache pain, bag breathing must be stopped immediately. Otherwise, it could intensify Stage 3 dilation. And never use a plastic bag. Stop immediately if you experience any pain or discomfort. We recommend that you consult your physician before trying bag breathing and that you have him show you exactly how it is done.

These caveats aside, bag breathing has recently become such a popular therapy with classic migraineurs in Britain that thousands now carry a brown paper bag with them wherever they go.

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Tags: Herbal

IMPLEMENTING THE ELIMINATION DIET STEP 3: IDENTIFYING YOUR PERSONAL MIGRAINE TRIGGER FOODS

Herbal No Comments

Let’s assume that after following the anti-migraine diet for up to ten days, your headaches have ceased. At this point, beginning with breakfast, you should begin to test the suspect food at the top of your list; we’ll use yellow cheese as an example.

You do this by continuing to eat your anti-migraine diet. But at each meal, reduce your usual serving by about 15 per cent. In its place, add a fairly generous serving of yellow cheese. The later in the day, the larger you can make the helping of suspect food. However, do not eat more of the suspect food than you would in your normal everyday diet. Eating unusually large amounts of a suspect food can unbalance the test.

Test only a single suspect food at a time. And continue the test for a full 48 hours.

Keep a diary of foods eaten and of headache reactions. If the yellow cheese does not set off a headache, begin testing the next food on your list—say ice cream. Test it over the next 48 hours. Start with the food you suspect most and work down the list of suspect foods.

But what if the yellow cheese triggers a headache? In this case, you would stop eating it and return to your regular anti-migraine diet for the next four days. You would then commence to test the next suspect food on your list, ice cream. If after 48 hours, the ice cream did not precipitate a headache, you would return to testing the yellow cheese for a second time. You would test it for the next 48 hours. If the yellow cheese gave you another headache, this would confirm that yellow cheese is very likely a migraine trigger food for you. So you would eliminate it once more and return to testing, one by one, the remaining foods on your list.

Test not more than four foods in any one test period. After testing for a period of eight days, return to your regular anti-migraine diet for a four-day rest period. You may immediately add to your diet each and every food or beverage that has successfully passed your test. After resting for four days, you may then resume testing for another eight days.

If and when a headache occurs, which will often be late in the evening or early the next day, the probability is that it was set off by your most recent test food. If a certain food continually provokes a headache, this is almost certain proof that it is a migraine trigger.

After testing all the suspect foods on your list, you can begin to add back other foods by testing them, one at a time, for a 48-hour period. Eventually, you will have restored to your diet every food and beverage that is safe for you.

There’s more good news. After eliminating a proven migraine trigger food for four months, you can reintroduce it into your diet on a rotational basis, that is, once every four days. Naturally, if it sets off a headache again, you would eliminate it permanently.

In some cases, chronic tension headaches have also been traced to food addiction. The possibility that headaches other than migraine may be related to food was emphasized by James M. Breneman M.D., when recently chairman of the Allergy Committee of the American College of Allergists. Dr. Breneman suggested that as many as 70 percent of all headaches might be traced to food sensitivities.

Once more, we emphasize that before making any dietary changes, you should consult your physician.

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Tags: Herbal

CLASSIC MIGRAINE

Herbal No Comments

Roughly one-fifth of all migraine headaches are me classic type, meaning that they are preceded by a series of prodromal sensations, commonly known as an aura. Appearing before the eyes as a dazzling display of star bursts, zigzag lines and patches of blackness, these visual disturbances are dreaded by most migraine sufferers. After 10 to 30 minutes, the aura activity ends and the migraine pain hits.

Besides visual disturbances, aura symptoms may include numbness in an arm or leg; a slurring of words or similar speech impediment; acute sensitivity to glaring, flashing or flickering light; bizarre changes in smell, taste, or touch; cold hands; weakness or numbness in one side of the body; tingling in legs, arms, hands or face; nasal congestions watery eyes and difficulty in focusing eyes; distorted perception; and restlessness or confusion.

Some migraine sufferers worry that prodromal visual disturbances may be due to a detached retina. Very rarely is this so. Moreover, some people experience aura symptoms without ever experiencing any migraine pain. This is known as a migraine equivalent. Here again, the symptoms are often confused with those of a transient ischemic attack which may herald a stroke. However, a true migraine equivalent is not associated with a stroke.

Aura symptoms are purely neurological in origin and are set off by a “nerve storm” that slowly moves across the brain from front to back. This phenomenon, discovered in the 1980s by Jes Oleson and Martin Lauritzen, two University of Copenhagen researchers, explains the aura effect in terms of a partial shut-down of cerebral blood circulation.

As the aura commences, the Danish researchers discovered, there is a 25 percent drop in blood flow at the back of the brain. In a wavelike motion, this depression moves from the back of the brain to the front. As it moves, it activates the visual cortex and sets off neurological mechanisms that produce the aura effect in front of the eyes.

Although the wave motion is neurological and emanates from the central nervous system, the reduced blood flow is actually created by the opening of blood vessels called shunts. These carotid shunts bypass incoming blood from the carotid arteries and carry it directly back into the veins.

Normally, blood from the carotid arteries flows into smaller vessels, arterioles, where it oxygenates cells in the brain, scalp and face. After unloading its oxygen, the blood returns through tiny venules into the veins. However, when the shunts open, they create a significant reduction in blood flow to scalp and brain.

At the same time, norepinephrine, released by the fight-or-flight-response, affects receptors on blood vessel walls in the brain and scalp, causing artery constriction. This artery constriction and the shunts seriously deplete blood flow to brain and scalp.

This sets the stage for a rebound effect. In a sudden response to the shortage of oxygen, the blood vessels overdilate. The aura ends and conditions are ready for the migraine to begin.

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Tags: Herbal