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BEATING THE BLOOD PRESSURE BLUES FOR A HEALTHY HEART: STRESS REDUCTION AND RELAXATION

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:08:09 +0000

Some people are able to control their blood pressure completely by non-drug methods. As noted earlier, diet and exercise can play important roles. Another factor in the equation is the ability to control stress and to relax. You can’t lose with this winning combination. In addition to the blood pressure control achieved, you’ll simply feel better.

The relaxation response can elicit a fall of four to five systolic points and two to three points of diastolic pressure. That’s good, but it’s not clinically significant. Certainly one feels better when using the relaxation response, and I try to work it into my own life regularly.

But for really effective hypertension benefits, we need something more potent. One such method appears to be biofeedback. Dr Keith Sedlacek discusses this fully in his book The Sedlacek Technique: Finding the Calm Within You (1989). In research at St Luke’s Hospital in New York, he worked with hypertensive patients who practised biofeedback techniques for as little as 10 weeks. They averaged a reduction of 14 points systolic and 12 points diastolic.

The patients in Dr Sedlacek’s study suffered from hypertension for more than two years, and 27 out of 30 were on medication. Pressures fell from an average of 144/95 to 130/83. Many patients were able to significantly reduce their need for antihypertensive drugs.

Biofeedback may or may not be the answer for you. It does take a degree of effort and commitment, and skills get better as one practises on a regular basis. It’s not quite as simple as doing a breathing exercise or utilising the relaxation response. For the most thorough and intensive biofeedback experience you may wish to consider working with a professional counsellor. He or she can train and coach you in techniques whereby you control your body’s response to the environment. All practitioners utilise some manner of “feeding back” information as to how well you’re responding.

In the most elaborate set-ups, patients are literally “wired” to detect their body temperature, heart rate, breathing and palm sweatiness. It is, in effect, the apparatus used in lie detection. On a lesser, much simpler, level one may use an ordinary fever thermometer held in the grip of the hand to monitor temperature changes. Some utilise specially designed strips or rings which remind one of the mood ring fad of some years ago but which are more accurate today.

The first step is to relax the body and mind. The procedure typically is deep breathing and/or variations on the relaxation technique. Once the person is fairly relaxed and receptive to further calming, he or she will concentrate on increasing the body’s temperature. He or she breathes in and out regularly and in a controlled manner. The concentration on the body’s temperature and breathing, as well as on heart rate in some cases, enables one to remove oneself from surrounding stresses and pressures of life. To aid the concentration, one looks at the thermometer, ring, strip or other device now and then to gauge progress.

As I’ve said, practice makes perfect. At each session, one attempts greater and greater control over the heat-generating capability and the speed at which improvement in calming is “fed back”. Does it work? Indeed it does for many thousands who have given it a real trial.

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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol

BEATING THE BLOOD PRESSURE BLUES FOR A HEALTHY HEART: THE ROLE OF OTHER MINERALS

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:06:49 +0000

While we’ve heard a lot about cutting down on sodium, the research on other minerals hasn’t received as much publicity. Reduced potassium intake may be associated with high blood pressure. By increasing your potassium intake, you might be able to decrease your hypertension. That means consuming more foods such as bananas, oranges and potatoes. Talk about this with your doctor. And ask whether the drugs he may have prescribed for you will, in and of themselves, affect potassium levels in your blood.

The other mineral in the blood pressure equation is calcium. When Dr David McCarron of Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland first suggested that calcium deficiencies in the diet might be correlated with hypertension, many were sceptical. Today additional studies appear to corroborate his initial beliefs.

One cardiovascular benefit derived from calcium is a lessening of high blood pressure. Another study demonstrated a 23 per cent decrease in hypertension in women getting an 800-milligram calcium supplement.

Dr McCarron does not advocate unlimited sodium intake to be negated by calcium supplements or extra glasses of milk. Rather, he says, there appears to be a threshold at which if one has a very low dietary calcium intake there is more likely to be an incidence of hypertension. Rather than limiting sodium in such patients, the better approach may be to increase calcium.

How much calcium do you need? The recommendation here is the same as for all healthy adults, 800 milligrams per day. That’s about what you’d get from two 225 ml glasses of milk and 30 g of cheese or a cup of yoghurt. Of course you’ll want to make those the low-fat or non-fat types. Other foods including salmon and sardines with bones intact, leafy green vegetables, and sesame seeds are also calcium sources. For those not getting enough in the diet, calcium supplements should be considered.

While magnesium has been mentioned as another mineral to be considered in hypertension control, data do not appear to bear out the hypothesis. In one study at Wayne State University, patients with mild hypertension received 480 milligrams of magnesium for three months. At Harvard, subjects got 360 milligrams for two months. At the conclusion of the studies, blood pressure was no lower for those getting the magnesium than for those getting a placebo.

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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol

COMMON INFECTIONS OF CHILDHOOD: INHALED FOREIGN BODY

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:11:15 +0000

Sometimes an inhaled foreign body will cause stridor in children. The child will develop a cough, stridor or will have difficulty breathing after playing with a toy that has small removable parts, or after eating nuts or a piece of carrot. The diagnosis is made, often after a long delay, by special X-rays. The child usually has to be hospitalised and the inhaled foreign body removed under general anaesthetic.

Young children tend to place everything in their mouths as part of their exploration, and small objects can then very easily be inhaled. Do not allow toddlers or young children to eat nuts, and make sure that the toys they play with do not have small removable parts that can be easily inhaled.

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BIRTH — COMMON PROBLEMS: RESUSCITATION IN THE DELIVERY ROOM

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:29:42 +0000

If a baby is thought to be at any risk during delivery, a paediatric resuscitation team will be on hand with special equipment to aid the baby in his transition from life in the womb to the outside world. Dramatic physiological changes enabling him to breathe must be achieved by the newborn in the first few minutes after birth. Most babies will do this successfully themselves, but sometimes they require the skilled assistance of a resuscitation team. This is a major advantage of having your baby in hospital, because if anything does go wrong, skilled staff are on hand to ensure your baby’s well-being, as well as your own.

The aim of resuscitation when required is firstly to clear the newborn baby’s airway. This often involves sucking out mucus or meconium (the baby’s waste products) which block the windpipe. Your baby may require additional oxygen for a short period of time. This is provided through a special mask which allows maximal concentration of oxygen to reach his lungs.

Attention is then given to the baby’s heart and circulation and he is kept warm in order to reduce heat loss. Your baby is given a score out of 10 at 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth, called the Apgar score. This is a measure of five objective signs in the newborn — heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflexes and colour. A score of 10 indicates a baby in a perfect condition, but this is quite unusual. Most babies reach a score of around 7, which means that they are in a satisfactory condition and do not require resuscitation.

Resuscitation procedures are only used when necessary, and every chance is given for your baby to make it into the world as much on his own steam as is possible. Gentle support is always available, and only becomes more vigorous if there is any imminent danger.

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YOUR MARITAL HEALTH/THE MOST OFTEN ASKED QUESTION: DO YOU THINK HE COULD BE A HOMOSEXUAL?

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:58:35 +0000

“DO YOU THINK HE COULD BE A HOMOSEXUAL? HE DOESN’T WANT TO DO IT AS MUCH WITH ME ANYMORE.”

ANSWER: No. Absolutely not. If your feelings about this are based on sexual interest or desire, then the issue of gender is irrelevant. Male or female homosexuals have the same range of feelings and desires as anyone, may or may not want a lot or a little sexual relationship with the same or the opposite sex, and have as much healthy and unhealthy sex, as many problems and sexual joys, as anyone else. We must learn to stop labeling people or ourselves by what we do sexually. This is a basic super marital sex rule. The homosexual couples I have treated sometimes report the reverse concern, that diminishing interest on the part of one partner may mean that he or she is a “latent heterosexual.” It is one’s feelings, general hot or cold lifestyle, overall health, values, morals, fears, hopes, and relationship status that affects interest, desire, and arousal, not gender identity.

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WHY CANT WE CURE ALL CANCER WITH RADIATION? – THE REACTION OF NORMAL TISSUE LIMITS THE SAFE DOSE (EXAMPLES)

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:04:55 +0000

As an example, let’s take the situation with secondary deposits from cancer of the mouth in lymph nodes in the neck. When the lymph nodes are 4-6cm in diameter, the dose needed to eradicate the cancer is about half as much again as when the secondary deposits are so small that the nodes are normal in size. In spite of the higher dose, the enlarged nodes are also much less likely to be cleared. Nodes bigger than 6cm cannot be cleared of cancer with a safe dose of radiation. The dose that would be needed would completely destroy some of the surrounding normal tissues. The alternative of surgical removal of such big glands is likely to be a better option than radiation. This is not the same as saying that a safe dose of radiation would be useless. It could shrink such big nodes temporarily but would be very unlikely to cure the cancer altogether. In fact, it is generally true that the dose needed to temporarily control symptoms is much less than the dose needed to completely destroy a cancer deposit. Therefore it is often possible to safely control symptoms by radiation when it would not be possible to cure the cancer by it.

Just as the average dose that is safe for each normal tissue is known, so the average dose that will destroy each type of cancer is known. Some types of cancer are more sensitive than others. For example, one type of cancer of the testis—seminoma—is much more likely to be cured by radiation than other types of testicular cancer. On average, lymphoma in lymph nodes is more sensitive to radiation than secondary cancer in lymph nodes. Ewing’s sarcoma of bone is much more sensitive to radiation than other primary bone cancers. Thus the type of cancer is important in predicting whether it is likely to be cured by radiation and what dose will probably be necessary.

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HYSTERIA – CONCLUSION

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:27:40 +0000

But there may be a Catch 22 to make us re-examine our lack of sympathy. Those who have to feign sickness, consciously or unconsciously, must indeed be sick to resort to such behavior.

It has been suggested that hysterical behavior is not a manifestation of disease, but a means of communication. It is part of our culture that sickness is not seen to be the fault of the sufferer and that when a person is ill he is entitled to our care and concern. He is excused from the normal demands of work and is not expected to accept the consequences of his actions until he has recovered.

Hysterical behavior may be a way for the person to communicate that he is unable to cope with the stresses of life and has a need for care and concern. It may be a way of avoiding the consequences of his actions or of escaping from an — to him — intolerable situation, such as war.

Most psychiatrists regard hysteria as notoriously difficult to treat. Perhaps if it is regarded not as an illness, but as an individual’s attempt to communicate, then we may react differently.

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ANAL FISSURE – DESCRIPTION

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:44:11 +0000

An anal fissure is a split or tear in the skin and muscle layers around the anal opening, usually at the back.

The cause is unknown but is thought to be due to forceful stretching of the opening by passage of a large, hard stool. This certainly seems to be the cause in infants and children.

The condition is extremely painful, usually only on emptying the bowel. This pain in small children may cause them to hold on to the motion and become increasingly constipated.

It may be recognised in the infant too young to complain by the fact that he screams when passing a bowel motion and the stool maybe streaked with blood.

Treatment is successful. Mild cases may be managed by the topical application of local anaesthetic and then stretching the anus with a special dilator.

A short-acting but deep general anaesthetic and then forcibly stretching the anal margins by inserting eight fingers will be followed by rapid relief of symptoms and cure within days.

Chronic fissures with the development of thickened scar tissue may require operation.

In children, local anaesthetic and an agent to soften the stool may be sufficient.

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ENDOMETRIOSIS AND CANCER: HOW THEY DIFFER

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:50:05 +0000

Simpson s theory brought up suggestions that other similarities existed between endometriosis and cancer besides the manner of transport of cells through the body. Yet both conditions differ significantly in manner and influence of growth, and in their effect on the host organs. The confusion begins, then, with the actual attributes of the two conditions.

When cancer Cells find a host organ, the disease can consume the organ to which it has attached itself Endometriosis on the other hand, is most often symbiotic. It exists on its own terms while using the host organ as a nesting place. Endometriotic cells will not devour host organs. Rather, endometriosis recalls the properties of a high-density glue: organs can literally become stuck together. “Kissing ovaries” is a picturesque description of an extreme case of endometriosis. The ovaries adhere to each other and also fix themselves to the posterior cui-de-sac.

Endometriosis apparently depends on the process of menstruation and implicates prostaglandin levels and ovarian function. Estrogen, viruses, and numerous other variable factors have been identified in the onset of cancers of the female reproductive tract.

The growth pattern of each disease contributes the third key difference between them. Endometriosis, in most cases, spreads rapidly, and will lead to a buildup of cysts or masses in the pelvis. Because it grows rapidly, it is often associated with extreme pain. The size of an endometriotic lesion does not determine how much pain a woman will feel; as we observed, microscopic endometrial implants on or near nerve endings can cause greater pain than much larger growths. In contrast, most uterine cancers, or cancers of the female reproductive tract, will grow slowly and therefore cause little or no pain. This is often why cancer is difficult to diagnose. Cancer, obviously, can be life-threatening, but endometriosis, on the Other hand, is rarely fatal.

Sampson’s theory and the laboratory experiments with rhesus monkeys introduced a second important hypothesis on the cause of endometriosis: its link with immune system function, or dysfunction. More specifically, scientists asked, how different are the immune systems of women with endometriosis as compared with those of women who are tree of the disease?

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SKIN CARE: ACNE- TREATMENT

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:21:25 +0000

Acne surgery is a term commonly used in the United States to describe various surgical approaches to the treatment of certain acne complications. The simplest form is the application of liquid nitrogen via a roller or swab to the affected areas. This is a very cold liquid which effects a mild burn and peeling results. If there are large, single blocked pores, these may be expressed with a special comedone extractor. If there should be large cysts or scars, these may be injected with steroid preparations which promote shrinkage and healing. If there is residual disturbing scarring after the condition has become quiescent, then dermabrasion may be useful.

Dermabrasion involves planing the skin to a smooth consistency, using a diamond chip disc rotating extremely fast. This is attached to a hand-held electric apparatus like a dental drill. It can be done in a dermatologist’s office, using an appropriate local anaesthetic spray which also freezes the skin to make it firm to work with. This procedure is limited to severe and well-localized scarring, but should not be performed during the active stage of the condition. It does not require hospitalization, and the patient is usually able to return to normal activities within ten to fourteen days.

Superficial X-ray therapy used to be a form of treatment but is not generally recommended nowadays.

Squeezing or picking the ubiquitous pimple is certainly in advisable. Injudicious interference will possibly result in expressing most of the infective material, but some will invariably be pushed deeper, causing continuing problems. Furthermore, as a result, healing is prolonged and scarring a common consequence.

The place of diet in the management of acne is still controversial. This is due mainly to the difficulty of running a well controlled, matched, double-blind trial. However, in practice, many patients derive considerable improvement from avoiding certain derivatives of the cocoa bean, including chocolate, cocoa, cola and also coffee. Similarly, iodized salt and bromides frequently aggravate the condition. Yet there seems to be no evidence to implicate high fat, sugar-containing or milk-based foods.

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