• 21May

    YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH: EYE DISORDERS

    General health No Comments

    COLOUR BLINDNESS

    Colour blindness occurs more commonly in boys than in girls. It is estimated that up to 5% of males have some degree of colour blindness. People with colour blindness perceive colours in a different way to normal. The colours most involved are green and red. Otherwise, vision is normal. If you suspect that your child is colour blind, see your doctor who will organise special tests. There is no cure for colour blindness. It is not a serious condition, as children learn colours by association. It is dangerous for people who are colour blind to undertake certain occupations.

    DISCHARGE FROM THE EYES

    We all wake up in the morning with a little discharge in the corner of our eyes, which we call ‘sleep’. When present in small amounts, this is normal. If your child wakes with his eyes stuck together, or the discharge is sticky and green, he may have an eye infection. An eye swab is advisable to determine the cause of the infection.

    DOUBLE VISION

    If your child complains persistently of seeing double, it may be due to a squint. Very occasionally it may be a sign of a neurological condition. It is always wise to consult your doctor.

    EYE PATCH

    Certain visual problems may require your child to wear an eye patch for a period of time.

    *264\90\8*

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  • 18May

    LEAVING YOUR CHILDREN SOMETHING TO LOVE BY/SOME ANSWERS TO THESE MISASSUMPTIONS REGARDING SEXUALITY: TWO TYPES OF GIRLS IN SCHOOL

    General health No Comments

    There are two types of girls in school. Some have a lot of sex and talk about it and everything. The other girls are nice, and they don’t do it or talk about it much. If you get to be like a bad one, the boys know it and flock around you like flies, but the good girls will stay away from you and you won’t have nice friends.

    SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL

    If there are a thousand girls at your school, then there are a thousand types of girls, because everyone is different. During our school years, and even when you are an adult, it seems easier to classify or put people into categories, especially if someone else is seen as less or worse than we are. That seems to keep us safe from being on the wrong side of things, looking bad ourselves. We are all insecure. Some girls and boys use sex to be popular, to get friends, or to get noticed, even if it is bad notice. Good girls will never draw boys like flies, but you won’t want to. You will want to have a lot of friends and sooner or later just one boy. Remember, boys and girls make up a lot of stories about sex because they don’t get to talk with their parents. A lot of that is wishful thinking or even fear coming out. And you know what? I have never met a really bad girl or a bad boy, just sometimes troubled, angry, frightened boys and girls who make up stories because they are confused. The more confused they are, the more they have to make things up.

    *300\97\8*

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  • 18May

    YOUR MARITAL HEALTH/WHY HUSBANDS DON’T HAVE ORGASM: MR. MYTH – THE PENIS-IS-THE-THING MYTH

    General health No Comments

    Every time I try to touch my husband anywhere else than his penis when we are having sex, he directs me back to his penis. It’s like a magnetic rod.

    WIFE

    The penis is not the most sensitive part of the body for psychasm. It is the most important part of the body for ejaculation, and you have already learned the difference.

    One of my paraplegic patients reported, “I know now that I never really came, not like this. I have a neckasm now. She licks the side of my neck and it’s rocket city!”

    This patient’s report is on videoptape, and when I show it during my lectures to medical students, I notice some of the males moving their hands to their necks in disbelief. The women nod in agreement. Usually, a physician will say, “This is impossible.” When I ask in turn if it is not true that orgasm is neurologically different from ejaculation, they agree, but the psychological factors of sex are not taught in most medical schools’ curricula.

    I receive hundreds of letters following my lectures. While most are positive, some husbands write with anger. One man wrote, “You have ruined everything. I had a good thing going. Now she asks how I feel, what is happening, all kinds of questions. She wants me to have a fingergasm or something. Let me tell you something, Dr. Pearsall, I was in the navy and ten thousand sailors can’t be wrong.” The point is that ten thousand sailors can be wrong, very wrong. It was not long ago that army and navy training films taught that sexually transmissible disease was carried by immoral women to victimized men. It seems that men are either victims of women, totally responsible for sex with them, miserable failures when compared to female response capacity, or generally oversexed. We fail to be real benefactors in mutual intimacy when we embrace the phallocentrism of the early perspectives of human sexuality.

    Men still go to massage parlors for “local massage.” One man

    reported, “I couldn’t believe I could get taken like that. I went in to get a massage, you know, and that is what I got. A damned massage. She didn’t touch my cock once. All I got was this hour-long touching all over me. She didn’t even speak English. I asked her once if she touched genitals. She said yes, but she had been massaging mostly Jews lately. What a rip-off.” Men rip themselves off when they believe that sexual feelings focus or even originate in vascular and muscular genital response.

    *127\97\8*

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  • 18May

    TRUE HEALING – PRACTICAL ADVICE: FASTING

    General health No Comments

    Fasting is the extreme form of diet, in which you do not eat at all and you drink only pure water. Of course, fasting can only be observed only for a very limited time. Most effective fasting programs range from 1 to 6 weeks.

    Fasting greatly accelerates purification and the healing processes in our body, simply because we do not input anything to the body at all, thereby freeing and unifying all body resources for the sole purpose of cleansing and healing. Note, that by taking even small quantities of food we have to use significant amount of our body resources to process and excrete it.

    Never attempt fasting, without understanding and observing the method as well as precautions described below.

    Note, that every ancient civilisation in the past had a tradition of fasting, at least twice a year. Our wise ancestors many thousands of years ago knew very well about the dangers of a poisoned body and incorporated this simple purification technique into their way of life. Every known religion has originated from the teachings of enlightened people, who tried to show others how to live. Of course fasting was also included in their teachings. Unfortunately, with time, fasting has become less and less strict, gradually loosing its original effectiveness and purpose.

    *26\96\8*

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  • 15May

    LIPOMA AND MALARIA – GENERAL INFORMATION

    General health No Comments

    A lipoma is a slowly growing benign tumor of fat.

    They rarely grow beyond 3 or 4 cm in diameter and are often multiple, occurring anywhere on the body where there is a fat layer under the skin.

    When first noticed, the owner is often frightened because of the presence of a lump and suspects cancer. Examination by the doctor is usually sufficient to allay this fear.

    Treatment is not usually necessary unless the lump is painful or cosmetically unacceptable because of its size or position.

    Australians who now travel abroad in increasing numbers need to be aware of the possibility of malaria and to take drugs to prevent it.

    We should, at a Government and business level, consider making available men, money, materials and knowledge to help in programs designed to eradicate what is still a scourge for mankind.

    *495/71/1*

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  • 15May

    CAUSES OF CANCER – INTRODUCTION

    General health No Comments

    Cancer is not one disease but many. They behave in different ways, respond differently to treatment and may have many different causes.

    A cancer cell differs from a normal body cell in that it appears to have undergone a mutation or change in its genetic material. It seems to be not only different but also to have escaped the normal controlling forces which govern all body cells.

    Some cancer cells closely resemble the cells of the tissue from which they originate; others are so different it may be impossible to tell from where they come.

    Cancer cells go on reproducing and so the cancer enlarges. They also tend to spread beyond the original tissue. They may spread locally or may travel to distant parts of the body through the lymph channels or through the veins.

    What triggers off the mutation or change in a normal cell making it into a cancer is unknown. Some believe that these mutations are happening all the time, but the body normally mounts a good defence and destroys “rogue” cells and so a cancer doesn’t develop. It may be that there is a change in the body’s defences which allows the cancer cells to escape this normal control.

    *238/71/1*

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  • 08May

    ENDOMETRIOSIS: YOGA: A WAY TO RELAXATION

    Women's Health No Comments

    One first associates this ancient Indian discipline with its most famous symbol—the lotus position, a sitting posture with legs folded in a pretzel shape. Yoga is far more than just a series of such very specific postures. It is also, like acupuncture, based on a philosophical system that encompasses cosmic ideologies, theories about life forces and one’s control over them, and healing. Yoga, for one, teaches its practitioners to concentrate on deep and rhythmic breathing, which is instrumental for inducing relaxation and an overall sense of well-being. This concentration on taking in prana, or the purported vital force that is assimilated into the body through breath control, serves to quiet the mind by diminishing awareness of the external environment. Those who are very practiced at the breathing art, a Yogi or any devotee of the discipline, can learn to drastically slow down their breathing rate as well as alter consciousness to the point of a trance state. For most of us, yoga breathing techniques offer a means to a pleasant sense of tranquillity.

    Breathing technique is an essential part of doing yoga exercises, too. These asanas, or postures, are designed to strengthen the back, tone muscles, increase flexibility, stimulate nerves and glands, change the direction of blood flow, help in the elimination of waste products, and oxygenate the body through slow breathing. These exercises do not “go for the burn,” in the way that energetic calisthenics and aerobics can. Rather, nearly all the postures are static, held for a period of time while breathing rhythmically, and are usually not done in sets of repetitions.

    The following two simple yoga exercises can relax and gently stretch the back and pelvic muscles, especially aiding in the relief of menstrual cramps. They are best done along with slow, rhythmic breathing, so do not hold your breath as you ease into the postures.

    To begin, sit on a low-pile rug or towel; wear an exercise leotard or loose-fitting clothes. Keeping your back straight, cross your legs and clasp your hands behind your head, as shown in the illustration below. Point your elbows out, keep shoulders relaxed and down (not hunched), and keep your chest raised (do not collapse in). Breathe in slowly for two counts, then pull in your stomach and begin to round your back slightly. Breathe out, dropping your chin to your chest. Your elbows will be drawn together. Now breathe in again for two counts and return to the starting straight-back posture. Repeat four more rimes to relax.

    As you begin the sixth repeat, breathe in and continue rounding down, bringing your forehead as close to the floor as you can, as shown below. Keep your elbows out to the side. Do not strain, bounce, or pull your head down with your clasped hands. Keep your stomach tucked in: Breathe slowly and rhythmically.

    Extend your arms in front of you, as shown in the fourth illustration. Breathe slowly for the count of five, then roll up to the original sitting pose. Repeat the entire set three times.

    For the next exercise, lie flat on your back. Bend both knees, lightly clasping each knee, as shown below. Relax your feet, take a breath, and then let it out slowly. Lightly pull your knees dose to your chest (see illustration). Breathe in and out slowly for a count of five, then release

    knees to starring position. Now point your toes and route your feet from the ankle, circling outwardly five times. Now flex your foot five tames, as shown. Repeat the exercise, circling your feet inwardly five rimes and flexing your feet five times. This exercise helps increase circulation and relieves menstrual cramps, so you may repeat it fully five tunes. Then stretch oat and breathe quietly for a few minutes. If your cramps are severe, do another set.

    Yoga is best learned at first with a teacher’s guidance, rather than through a book. Yoga looks easy and sounds simple, but you will get more out of it with the help of an expert. He or she can give you tips about body alignment and show you how to get in and out of the postures properly and safely. Yoga classes are frequently offered at Y’s, through adult education programs, and at dance studios, and are taught by individuals who have studied the system and have mastered it. There is also yoga instruction on videotape for home use including one led by Raquel Welch.

    *64\43\4*

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  • 08May

    SKIN CARE: TREATMENT OF ITCHING

    Skin Care No Comments

    The treatment of an itch will take two general forms. Firstly, it is essential to treat the cause, whether it is curable or only controllable. Secondly, the itch itself should be relieved so that further skin damage does not occur, and the individual may remain sane.

    Specific measures of treatment include adequate explanation of what is wrong and what is proposed to be done, 80 that the patient is involved with, and understands the aim of, the treatment.

    Physical restraints, particularly with children, are most helpful as a means of preventing scratching and further skin damage. This may involve, for example, splinting of the arms; thick wrapping of the worst affected areas, or the wearing of boxing gloves to bed.

    Cooling of the worst affected areas or of the whole body has a fairly specific anti-itch effect. This may be achieved by cold compresses, tar baths, and the avoidance of hot showers, electric blankets and excessive clothing. Simple applications such as calamine lotion, with menthol or phenol, also give relief due to their chilling action. The avoidance of hot drinks and alcohol can be most helpful.

    Various common proprietary preparations may have a nonspecific soothing action on an itch. These include calamine lotion, zinc cream, tar creams and antihistamine creams. The latter should be completely avoided, as should local anaesthetic creams, because of their strong capacity to sensitize the skin and cause a contact dermatitis. Similarly, provocative influences such as friction from rough clothing should be avoided.

    Topical corticosteroids (cortisone creams or ointments) These are very effective in diminishing the itch associated with certain conditions. This is probably due to their non-specific anti-inflammatory action. Some conditions, however, such as hives or drug allergies, are unresponsive. On the other hand, if they are used for treating an itch—condition which is itself responsive to corticosteroids, then both the primary disorder and the associated itch will settle. On rare occasions oral corticosteroids may be required, not for the itch itself, but to suppress the underlying disorder causing an itch.

    Anti-histomines. These specifically antagonize histamine, one of the known chemical causes of itching. Unfortunately they also have a sedative affect, which is enhanced by alcohol. There are currently about 20 antihistamines available, and there is unfortunately very little evidence from which to make a rational choice between them. They do, however, fall into several different structural or chemical groups. This is useful to know, as individuals will vary in the way they respond to various anti-histamines.

    *91\44\4*

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  • 08May

    THE MENOPAUSE

    Hormonal No Comments

    Small children notice fairly quickly that girls are not like boys, and women are not like men. They are different shapes, have different bits, later on they have different types of voices and hair in different places. During the late teens and early twenties, the superficial differences may become blurred – one person with a pony tail and earrings may be male, another with cropped hair and jeans may be female -but as long as they themselves know which is which, who are we to criticise?

    From the moment of conception, the foetus is programmed to develop the type of hormones that will give him or her male or female characteristics. A hormone is a substance produced by glands in one part of the body, which causes changes to occur in other parts of the body. The male child produces more of the male hormone, testosterone, and the female child more of the female hormones, the oestrogens (pronounced ‘eestrojens’). In fact, we all produce some quantities of both male and female hormones, but from puberty onwards ‘our own’ particular hormone starts to predominate and we develop the outward visible signs of one gender or the other.

    At puberty, a boy’s level of testosterone starts to rise. As a result, his voice gets deeper, he develops facial hair, and his bones and muscles become bigger and stronger. At puberty, a girl’s level of oestrogen (in a form called oestradiol) starts to rise and, among other things, her periods start, her breasts develop and her body takes on a rounder shape. During the years of menstruation we tend to regard the monthly bleed as the only sign of hormonal changes occurring, but the levels of our various hormones go up and down throughout the menstrual cycle, and what we know as the menstrual period is the body’s visible response to these many changes.

    *2\42\4*

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  • 08May

    HYSTERECTOMY: CANCER OF THE ENDOMETRIUM

    Women's Health No Comments

    This form of cancer arises in the lining of the uterus and is diagnosed in approximately 1000 Australian women each year. Most are aged between fifty and sixty-five, and those affected are more likely than average to have diabetes or high blood pressure, to be overweight, to have polycystic ovarian syndrome or to have continued menstruating beyond the age of fifty. Women who have never had children and those who are on oestrogen after menopause without also using a progestogen are also at higher risk. This is why many doctors are reluctant to prescribe oestrogen on its own in pill, patch or implant form to women with a uterus, preferring to add progestogen hormone to protect the endometrium. (They may, however, safely prescribe forms of oestrogen that are made for absorption through the vagina such as creams and pessaries, as long as these are limited to two or three applications a week.)

    As only about half the women who develop endometrial cancer are in identified high risk groups, it is vital that all women are aware of tell-tale symptoms of the disease. The most common sign of endometrial cancer is unusual bleeding. This means any sort of bleeding — including just a few spots of blood — for women who have gone through menopause. For women who are still menstruating, it means unusually heavy bleeding during, or between, periods.

    Diagnosis usually involves one of two techniques, aspiration curettage or D and C. Aspiration curettage is a simple procedure that can be performed in a doctor’s office. A thin tube is inserted through the cervix into the uterus and a small sample of endometrial tissue is obtained under suction. This can then be sent to a laboratory for examination. If a D and C is performed, a general anaesthetic is usually required. The cervix is stretched, or dilated, and a small instrument inserted into the uterus. Cells from the endometrium are scraped off and this sample is sent for laboratory examination.

    If early pre-cancerous changes are detected, the situation is usually watched carefully to make sure that they do not develop. More serious pre-cancerous changes may warrant an endometrial resection or the triggering of a period using a medical therapy. A woman with a uterus who is using oestrogen on its own either needs to add progesterone to her hormone intake (for at least part of the cycle) or she should be prepared to have endometrial biopsies on a regular basis.

    If cancerous changes are evident in the endometrium an abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy is usually performed, with or without radiotherapy, chemotherapy and progestogen hormone therapy. Endometrial cancer detected in its early stages can be treated successfully about 75% of the time. The outlook is poor if the cancer has spread beyond the uterus.

    *17\198\4*

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