Most infections of the urinary tract in women are located in the bladder and urethra and, although they cause great discomfort, they are not serious, infection is more dangerous when it involves the kidney. Infection in the kidney has usually spread upwards from the bladder.

Although little girls and elderly women do suffer from bladder infection it is usually a problem of sexually active women.

Symptoms come on suddenly and involve discomfort in the lower abdomen, frequency in passing urine, and burning or scalding usually at the end of the stream. There may be precipitancy, the feeling that the urine is going to come away, and the desire to pass water again straight after the bladder is emptied. Occasionally there is incontinence, when control is lost, or there may be blood in the urine.

Fortunately, these symptoms may settle down without any treatment, or the old-fashioned trick of drinking barley water works, as does any treatment to make the urine alkaline in reaction.

*107/71/1*

---

Posted by admin on May 15th, 2009 :: Filed under General health

---

Prior to the early 1960s, chemotherapy was in its infancy and the drugs were used one at a time. A few types of cancer were found to be very sensitive to particular drugs. Some cancers were even cured—for example, the rare cancer of women called choriocarcinoma could be completely cured by the drug methotrexate. As there was previously no effective treatment for these cancers, it was very obvious that the new treatment was a major improvement!

In the early 1960s, a group of doctors from the United States reported using a revolutionary new technique. They combined high doses of four different chemotherapy drugs (mustine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisone) to produce a treatment that produced remissions in the majority of patients with Hodgkin’s disease. Prior to this, extensive Hodgkin’s disease was fatal within a few months. Now patients were living for years and, in fact, many of them later proved to be completely cured. The improvement in results was so great and significant that no special research techniques were needed to prove it.

*138/40/1*

---

Posted by admin on May 15th, 2009 :: Filed under Cancer

---

What sort of variation do we see from day-to-day and between people?

G.I. values show a certain degree of variability, both from day to day and between people. In non-diabetic subjects, the average day-to-day variation is 22 per cent (ie the G.L value varies by an average of 22 per cent). In people with type 2 diabetes, it is 16 per cent, but in individuals with type 1 diabetes, it is as high as 30 per cent. This means we should not expect to see precisely the same blood sugar levels after one particular food from one day to the next.

As is the case with any biological response there is quite wide variation between subjects ie the G.I. in one person may be double that in another. However, it is dear that subjects tend to ‘track’ well, giving high or low or intermediate responses on a consistent basis. In practice, therefore, foods will show the same ranking in terms of G.I. factor in different subjects.

Why are there different G.I. values for the same food in different publications?

In some instances, there is a difference between two results but it is small and not statistically or biologically important. For example, G.I. factors of 70 and 80 for white bread are not considered very different. The difference is within the error of the methodology. A difference of 20 units, say 60 and 80, is considered important in a clinical sense and is usually statistically significant as well.

There may also be differences due to variations in the food itself. Rice is a good example of this. Genetically determined differences in the amylose content of rice means that different varieties of rice have very different G.I. factors. Basmati rice has a low G.I. factor and Calrose rice has a high G.I. factor. In the early days of G.I. research, the variety of rice was not specified.

Again, the same food processed in different ways can produce very different G.I. factors. Breads containing a lot of intact whole grains will have a lower G.I. factor than normal soft white sandwich bread. Packaged breakfast cereals, on the other hand, are processed in similar ways all over the world and their G.I. factors are very similar in Canada, Australia and elsewhere.

A third reason for the differences is the use of two reference foods, bread or glucose. However, it is easy to convert from one scale to the other using the factor 1.4 (equals 100/70). For example, if the G.I. factor of a food is 80 when bread is the reference food, its G.I. factor on a scale where glucose equals 100, is 80 divided by 1.4 (equals 57).

*88\42\4*

---

Posted by admin on May 8th, 2009 :: Filed under Diabetes

---

Age. Age differences are most obvious at four different stages—childhood, adolescence, middle age and elderly—but age also interacts with gender and other variables in influencing the effects of exercise for fat loss. There are big differences between childhood and early adolescence and early and late adulthood in a range of factors which have relevance for fat loss. Metabolic rate, for example, is much higher in childhood and is known to decrease at the rate of around 2 per cent per decade after age 20. This means that by age 70, the body is burning about 10 per cent less energy at rest than it was at age 20, largely due to changes in the fatilean mass ratio. When this is coupled with a decrease in ’spontaneous physical activity’ (SPA), a decrease in the sensitivity of ? receptors on the fat cell surface modifying substrate utilisation, changes in body fat distribution and muscle content, and changes in thermogenesis, all favouring a higher fat metabolism in the young, the extra difficulty older people have in maintaining a low level of body fat is more understandable.

Decreases in aerobic capacity and muscle strength suggest that if fat losses are to be gained through physical activity in the older age groups, attention will need to be paid to the total amount of exercise (at a low-moderate intensity) and the level of incidental and spontaneous activity. Maintenance of muscle mass through resistance training may also be important in maintaining metabolic rate which is thought to be reduced due to the atrophy of type II muscle fibres with ageing.

*152\186\4*

---

Posted by admin on May 8th, 2009 :: Filed under Weight Loss

---

Summary of main points.

• Fat has a variety of functions, but the most important is as an energy reserve. A minimum level of body fat is essential for this purpose.

• Excessive body fat can have disease implications.

• The health implications of obesity are determined by total fat and fat distribution.

• Visceral fat, or fat stored around the organs of the trunk, is the most dangerous to health.

• Abdominal fat, or a ‘pot belly’, is the most visible indication of visceral fat.

• Diabetes, heart disease, gallstones and some cancers are the main diseases associated with excessive abdominal fatness.

Functions of fat in the body.

• Energy reserve (i.e. 1g of fat = 9kcal of energy).

• Protection of the vital organs (e.g. stomach, kidneys, liver etc).

• Heat insulation.

• Transport medium for fat-soluble vitamins and minerals (e.g. vitamins D, E and K).

• Formation of hormones (e.g. cholesterol).

• Structure of cell membranes (cholesterol and phospholipids).

*12\186\4*

---

Posted by admin on May 8th, 2009 :: Filed under Weight Loss

---

The well-known Russian physiologist Tarkhanov wrote: “The time will come when it will be a disgrace for a man to die less than 100 years old.”

There is extensive research going on in Russia on the prolongation of life. Russia is concentrating heavily on the preventive aspect of medicine. Russian medical scientists consider the prevention of disease and prolongation of life as their ultimate goals.

One of the Soviet scientists engaged in research on longevity is I Dr. Olga Lepeshinskaya. In her book Life, Age and Longevity, she states that the normal life span of the human beings should be not : less than 150 years, if they would observe the elementary laws of I health. Everyone who feels old before he reaches 100, she says, is j suffering from premature old age. And she claims that premature old age, like other diseases, can be prevented; it also can be successfully treated after it appears. How? Her recipe is simple enough:

sound, simple, natural nutrition;

plenty of physical work, recreation and rest;

a cheerful, optimistic outlook on life.

Here are some Russian longevity secrets, nutritionally speaking:

Food processing and refining is not as advanced in Russia as it is here; Russians still eat largely natural, unprocessed, unrefined I foods.

There are very few additives allowed in food processing or manufacturing; all artificial colorings and flavorings are totally prohibited.

Russians eat very little meat compared to Americans. Only 25 percent of their protein intake is acquired from animal sources j (in the United States it is 71 percent).

There are fewer devitalized foods and condiments available: no chewing gum, no Coca-Cola, no TV dinners.

Add to this less polluted water, virtually unpolluted air, no lead allowed in gasolines, more fertile soils, considerably less use of patented nonprescription drugs, and the great popularity of outdoor sports, hikes, bicycle tours, swimming, etc., and you can see why Russians are achieving better health and longer life. Their mortality rate is 7.6 per thousand against 9.4 in the United States and they have seven times more people reaching 100 years of age than has our country.

Here are a few other longevity points based on Russian medical discoveries and the experience of 21,000 Russian centenarians:

Russian scientists believe that vitamin C is the long-sought Fountain of Youth. They encourage Russians to collect wild rose hips and cultivate hip-bearing “vitamin roses” in their backyards for a plentiful supply of Vitamin C.

Russian scientists believe that vitamin E plays a vital role in staying younger longer and preventing premature aging. They prescribe vitamin E for the youthful function of sex glands and the healthy function of the reproductive system. At the Institute of Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Science, experiments with vitamin E have shown that it has an emormously beneficial effect on the diseases of old age, specifically in combination with vitamin A. The rejuvenating property of these vitamins, aside from their direct effect on sex glands, is explained by the fact that they strengthen the ability of the tissues to absorb oxygen, restore impaired circulation in blood vessels, especially in the small capillaries, and help to restore the normal permeability of the blood vessels.

Studies of Russian centenarians show that almost all of them use lots of honey in their diet. Russian doctors encourage people to eat honey; they also prescribe honey as medicine and use it in hospitals, at bedtime, to induce a deep, restful sleep.

Russians eat enormous quantities of sunflower seeds and use unrefined cold-pressed sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, the deficiency of which is definitely linked with premature aging. Sunflower seeds are also an excellent source of complete protein, B-vitamins, and minerals, especially zinc, which has been recently found to play an important role in the growth and maturity of the gonads, the sex glands, and is also directly linked with the health of the prostate gland. Zinc has been pointed out as an active agent in most so-called virility foods, such as oysters, raw nuts, sea foods, onions, etc. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are very rich in this mineral.

Russians eat great amounts of raw onions and garlic, both considered by many nutritionists to be important life-prolongers.

Russian people eat lots of fermented foods; sour bread, sour pickles, sauerkraut, sour milk, kefir, yogurt. It has been demonstrated that fermented lactic-acid foods have an extremely cleansing and revitalizing effect on the digestive and assimilative tracts, and also have a direct curative effect, especially on the degenerative diseases. It could be, therefore, said that these foods have a rejuvenating effect.

*127\58\2*

---

Posted by admin on May 8th, 2009 :: Filed under General health

---

The successful biological program for bringing blood pressure down and keeping it low must include the following proven measures:

Repeated 7- to 14-day fasts on fruit and vegetable juices, plus vegetable broth.

Lacto-vegetarian diet, high in natural raw fruits and vegetables and low in animal protein.

Continuous practice of undereating and keeping slim.

Exclusion of salt, coffee, and alcohol.

Exclusion of white sugar, white bread and all refined and

denatured foods.

Inclusion of special food supplements:

Vitamin E—take one to two tablespoons of wheat germ 0ji each day. Add raw wheat germ to your diet. Take vitamin E capsules, 300 to 600 International Units a day. Note: because vitamin E increases the strength of the heart beat, it may sometimes elevate the blood pressure temporarily. In case of severe hypertension, start with 100 I.U. and gradually increase to 600 I.U. a day.”

Vitamin C—take rose hips in powder or tablet form, or other natural vitamin C supplements, amounting to 1,000 to 1,500 mg. of C a day, and 20 to 100 mg. of rutin or mixed bioflavonoids.

Choline—take 2 tbsp. of lecithin each day. Supplement your diet with brewer’s yeast, rich in B-vitamin complex.

Potassium—eat lots of green leafy vegetables, potatoes (boiled or baked in their jackets), and other vegetables. Avoid salt. You may also wish to discuss with your doctor the advisibility of supplementing your diet with potassium salts in tablet form.

Garlic—take odor-free garlic and parsley tablets before each meal.

Regular walking and deep breathing exercises.

Dry brush massage morning and evening.

Elimination of possible emotional causes of disease.

The biological clinics in Europe and in the United States have records of thousands of cases of high blood pressure completely cured by the application of the treatments as outlined in this chapter. These treatments are safe and harmless and can be applied by yourself in your own home, if your blood pressure is not too high. In cases of severe hypertension it may be wise to show this chapter t0 your doctor and ask him about the advisability of undertaking this program of treatment under his supervision.

*101\58\2*

---

Posted by admin on May 8th, 2009 :: Filed under General health

---

Iris signs, from which a disease state can be diagnosed, are differentiated

(a) By their colour

(b) By their shape

The shape of iris-signs varies considerably, and in the early stages of study easily produces difficulties of interpretation. I will here attempt to write fully and exhaustively on the description of each type.

1. Lines: One has to differentiate white and dark lines; short, long and zigzag lines. Short white lines are usually found lying in contiguity one with another, and are signs of inflammation affecting the organs concerned. Long white lines are those which are not limited to one organ area, but run over several areas. They are indications of neuritis with pain, or of neuralgia. They begin in the iris-wreath, or even at the pupillary margin, and run towards the outer border. If these lines run in zigzag fashion, the patient will be found to complain of cramp-like pains. Such a zigzag line in the heart area is the sign of a cardiac neurosis (or irritable heart = D.A.H.). The patient will complain of the occurrence at times of severe palpitations. If one finds in the point of a zigzag line small black dots, then a danger of paralysis of the affected organ is indicated. (Nerve paralysis.)

Dark lines in an organ area are indications of nervous weakness.

2. Flakes and Clouds: These are always white to yellow-white. They appear as signs of an acute or chronic inflammation of the mucuous membranes (catarrh). The signs are usually seen in the form of small flakes directly around the pupil (inflammation of the gastric mucous membranes), or in the form of larger flakes or clouds in the mucous membrane zone (Minor zone 5), in the sectors for lungs, thorax, peritoneum, frontal sinus, etc.

3. Wisps: can be white, yellowish or dark. They are larger than clouds and flakes, and not so intensely indicated. They take in the entire organ area (e.g. as in uterine catarrh), or an entire zone (e.g. the muscle zone in general muscular rheumatism). White wisps are signs of an extensive tissue-inflammation.

Dark wisps appear when the indicated organ has become weak in reaction (often observed in the area for uterus). White wisps become yellowish in the transition to the chronic state, and in the course of time even brown. They appear as brownish or brown depositions in the superficial iris layer, and largely conceal the true basic colour of the iris. There are irides which are almost completely covered with this brownish deposit, and patients with such irides are persons who incline to stiffness and gout. In such cases the predisposition is hereditary, but these brown deposits are also to be seen as such in acquired conditions.

4. Lacunae: signs of weakness. Lacunae appear wherever the iris fibres diverge in small or large arcs and thus expose the second darker iris layer. They are indications of organic weakness. One must differentiate:

(a) Open lacunae—when the iris fibres do not again converge towards the outer iris rim and join up. These signs signify that the defect is still in the early stages, not yet closed, and that therapeutics have yet to influence it.

(b) Closed lacunae, when the iris fibres reunite towards the outer rim of the iris, thus forming an oval sign. A closed lacuna is the sign of a completed disease process. Closed lacunae may be acquired, as well as inherited.

There are many variously shaped lacunae, which all have a special meaning. Angerer and Schnabel have written on them in great detail.

5. Honeycomb signs: are lacunae in which small white lines provide a honeycomb appearance by running lengthwise and across within the lacunae. These indications suggest contraction of the organ (atrophy), with hardening and scar-tissue formation.

6. Black dots: and also oblong or jagged small black lines, suggest tissue-disintegration, loss of substance, ulcers. Where ulcers are healed, a fine white line surrounds the black sign—the

so-called healing ring.

7. Transverse signs: or ‘adhesion’ signs, are very fine white lines which run obliquely across the iris structures. They are also referred to as ‘cobweb’ signs. They are indications of adhesions and agglutinations, and are often found in the pleural area and in the caecal area. If the transverse signs are covered with a small white cloud, then an acute inflammation is indicated, and the patient complains of pain.

8. Radii Solaris: are radiating furrows in the iris tissues which are wider at the base and taper towards the outer rim. They can commence either at the pupillary margin or at the iris-wreath, and radiate towards the scurf rim. If one is seen in the brain area, then as pointed out by Angerer, a cerebral weakness is indicated. If appearing somewhere in the remaining iris area, it indicates that the organ in which sector it appears is affected by nerve weakness.

9. Wedge signs: are small black signs which are directed with their bases towards the

iris-wreath. If such a sign is seen in the heart area, then the possibility of sudden death occurring must be considered. If appearing in the kidney areas, then a condition of contracted kidneys is indicated.

10. Contraction rings (Nerve rings)—earlier called ‘Cramp-rings’—are concentric interruptions of the iris fibres which are especially seen in the second and third major zones. Three or four of these rings are often to be seen lying next to one another. They indicate circulatory disturbances in the tissue, and disturbance of lime metabolism. Interruptions in the continuity of the nerve ring indicate cramp-like pains in the organ sector concerned (gall-bladder, uterus, heart, legs, etc.).

With these contraction rings one must also consider the zone in which they appear. If they lie in the blood zone, then there will be disturbances in the large blood and lymph vessels. If they lie in the bone and skin zones, then one must expect to find disturbances in these organ systems.

11. Local dilatations and contractions of the iris-wreath and the intestinal zone. Contraction of the iris-wreath towards the pupil signifies a pressure or compression from outside affecting the intestine, e.g. from a tumour or swollen or displaced organ. Dilatation of the iris-wreath in round arcs, suggests a flabby state of the intestines. Pointed and jagged dilatations suggest colicky pains.

12. Dark skin zone: indicates a suppressed excretion. A milky-white scurf rim (arcus senilis) is a sign of arteriosclerosis.

13. Signs of death: imminent:

(a) A black wedge-sign in the heart area

(b) Completely solid black scurf rim

(c) A perpendicular-oval pupil

14. Besides the iris signs described, one must also consider whether the iris rim displays a normal circular form. In severe organic diseases the iris rim is flattened in the appropriate organ area. Pupillary deformations are also of great diagnostic importance. I would here refer to the very informative work of Schnabel: Ophthalmo-Symptomatology.

*11\78\2*

---

Posted by admin on April 29th, 2009 :: Filed under General health

---

MAKE USE OF YOUR SAFETY OFFICER

Fortunately, women at work now have a possible ally, created by the recent Health and Safety At Work Act. By now, most work places should have Safety Officers, and they are the people to approach if you think your job is particularly hazardous or you can see ways of cutting down the accident rate. The Act means the general public have become more aware of the need to prevent accidents rather than patching up the results afterwards.

The Safety Officer could be the person to arrange for’ adequate rest rooms for women who suffer from the cramps and need somewhere quiet to relax until they have recovered, particularly if you can help him or her to see how much the rest would improve efficiency and production. Some firms have already given an excellent lead. I know one merchant bank in the City which provides model accommodation, with showers and a bidet in the cloakrooms and upholstered benches where any girl who needs to can relax in comfort. And although I’d agree that merchant banks are in a happy financial position, where they lead others can follow — eventually. Your Safety Officer may also be the person to approach about rearranging the work you do, so that you don’t have to tackle the most dangerous jobs at your most vulnerable time. Some firms may be able to fix this for you; others just won’t be big enough to be so flexible. But there’s no harm in talking it over. Often just being aware of the hazards helps you and those around you to avoid them.

Many women find that shift work is a considerable burden at period time. Some firms have already discovered for themselves that their women employees work better on an afternoon shift than they do on a morning one. But night shifts are a particular problem. It’s hard enough at the best of times for your body to adjust to the strain of being awake and working when it would much rather be resting and asleep. At period time it’s even more difficult. So if you can arrange your own shifts, try to fix it so that you are on days rather than nights before your period is due. You need more rest than usual at this time — not less. If the worst comes to the worst and you have to work nights during your period, then at least try to sit down whenever you can and put your feet up during your rest breaks. If there’s somewhere where you can slip away and lie down and relax during your rest break, that’s even better. But I know it isn’t possible everywhere and in every job.

Another serious cause of stress at work is the need for speed. Before a period many women slow down. There are already firms who recognize this and take it into account. But others have not yet learnt to cope with it. If you are your own boss, or you work on your own, at least you can slow down when you need to, but if you are a member of a team your variation of speed could upset a lot of people. Once again, it’s something that needs facing and talking about and once again your Safety Officer is probably the person to approach. Too much speed can cause stress which can cause accidents. You never know; a slower speed might turn out to be safer for a lot of people, not just you.

*55\177\2*

---

Posted by admin on April 29th, 2009 :: Filed under Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers

---

How long. A mistake that is all too easy to make is to assume that because a child acts well, he or she is well. Taking a child off medication too soon can cause relapses and complications. The symptoms of an illness can subside long before the illness itself is over. The child’s earache goes away, the fever drops, the appetite returns to normal, and the parent thinks the child is well again. In fact, the healing process may barely have begun. Strep infections, for example, require ten straight days of antibiotic treatment. Some infections – urinary tract and ear infections, for instance – often take even longer, even though the symptoms may disappear in a day.

Therefore, instructions such as “Give for ten full days,” “Continue for two weeks,” “Give until finished,” are not just so many words. They are precise and necessary directions to you from the doctor. Consider such an instruction not as a request, but as an order.

How to. It’s best to let your child find out early that taking medication is just one of those things children have to do now and then. It is one of those situations in which you are the boss and the child doesn’t have a choice in the matter.

Every parent needs to know how to give a child medicine, and the parent who reports to the doctor that “my child just won’t take your medication” is forcing the doctor to resort to another method of treatment which may be less effective. In extreme cases, a child who cannot be medicated at home must be hospitalized so that the appropriate medications can be given by professionals.

A young child, approached in a reassuring and matter-of-fact manner, will usually accept medication without any trouble. There are ways in which you can make it easy for both you and the child.

Liquid medicine can be given directly from the spoon (after carefully measuring) – in fact, many medications designed for children are specially flavored so that they are not unpleasant to taste. An alternative method is to use a non-glass medicine dropper to squirt the liquid slowly into the child’s cheek. If you use this method you must be very careful not to direct the stream of liquid forcefully against the back of the throat and down the windpipe.

If the medicine doesn’t taste good, give the child a sweet treat afterwards to take away the bad taste (or disguise the medicine in a little stewed apple, ice cream, or juice). If you do this, however, make sure the child takes the entire portion.

Some infants and toddlers will accept medicine in the form of chewable tablets, or even regular tablets or capsules that can be swallowed whole. However, do not give pills and capsules to even a cooperative child under the age of five. Small children can easily choke to death on a bulky pill. If the medication for the young child is not available in liquid form, mash tablets or empty the contents of capsules into a small quantity of juice or food before giving them to the child. Again, you must watch to see the child gets the whole dose.

After the age of five or six your child can probably swallow tablets or capsules whole. You can help the child learn how to do this by taking advantage of occasions when he or she needs a nonprescription remedy – aspirin for a slight headache, perhaps. If the child is willing, show him or her how to put the pill on the back of the tongue and swallow it with a drink or with a half-teaspoonful of ice cream, stewed apple, or jelly. Whenever a child is taking a pill, watch to be sure the medication goes down smoothly and the child is in no danger of choking.

A final word: don’t ever try to fool a child into taking medication by saying it’s “a sweet” or “just like sweets.” Very many cases of drug poisoning have occurred in children who helped themselves to medications that looked or tasted like sweets. Many doctors even discourage the use of children’s vitamin pills that are sweet-flavoured, brightly coloured, or shaped like cartoon characters. Such products blur the distinction in the child’s mind between sweets and drugs and the child may make a tragic mistake.

*257/84/5*

---

Posted by admin on April 28th, 2009 :: Filed under General health

---