Medical Articles, Medicine Information.

Behaviors can be thought of as intentional acts. Defined in this way, the term behavior means more than a motor response to a sensory stimulus; it implies the existence of a goal to which the activity is directed. This purposeful characteristic of behaviors can be seen in the phenomenon of eating.
Human beings engage in many coordinated movements of hand, eye, and mouth, among them actions that have as their goal the consumption of food, This goal gives the behavior a consistent identity, despite variations in appearance due to factors ranging from the physiological state of the individual to social customs about what, when, and how to eat. Although the activities associated with eating may change from occasion to occasion, it is clear that they are all components of the same behavior.
Suicide is a behavior whose goal is death. This end differentiates it from self-injurious acts with other goals, such as changing a relationship, moving from a prison cell to a hospital ward, or performing a culturally sanctioned ritual. Although self-injury for purposes other than suicide can have a fatal outcome, death is unintended. The reverse can also be true—someone bent on suicide may barely harm himself.
*45\172\2*

Impetigo is a highly contagious bacterial infection that frequently occurs around the mouth and nose, and is most common among children. It is characterized by itchy red sores on the face, legs or arms. The sores are first red and blistering, then ooze for several days forming a sticky, honey-colored crust. Ecthyma is a form of impetigo that causes deeper sores.
Impetigo often follows fungal infections, scabies, lice or other conditions that cause dermatitis. Sometimes insect bites cause impetigo (see index for these topics).
Most often, appropriate treatment leads to complete and rapid healing.
Prevention
The fluid inside the blisters contains the bacteria responsible for the condition. That means ruptured blisters can spread the infection. Excessive scratching can also spread the infection to other parts of the body or to other people. Do not share towels, clothing or razors with anyone until the infection is completely gone. Keep fingernails short to minimize scratching. Minimize personal contact with others until the infection clears.
What you can do
Soak off crusts with warm water and washcloth.
Wash the affected area gently several times a day with antibacterial soap or cleanser.
Use an over-the-counter (OTC) topical antibiotic ointment.
Final notes
The most serious side effect of impetigo is a rare kidney condition called glomerulonephritis. It causes urine to turn dark brown and is often accompanied by headaches and elevated blood pressure. If you have these symptoms, see your doctor. Most people make a complete recovery.
*43\303\2*

In summary, a genetically based predisposition to worry and obsess—or to BDD specifically—probably provides a necessary cornerstone for BDD’s development. This inherited, biologically based tendency may in turn alter the functioning of serotonin and other brain neurotransmitters. It may also cause certain brain areas or circuits to function abnormally. These circuits may involve the orbitofrontal-striatal-thalamic-orbitofrontal “worry loop” and the amygdala, the brain’s fear center. Hyperactivity of these brain circuits, combined with neurotransmitter abnormalities, could create obsessions, compulsive behaviors, excessive anxiety, and a tendency to overfocus on minor aspects of appearance. They could also cause normal, adaptive, evolutionarily based preferences and behaviors, such as grooming or a desire for symmetry, to become excessive and go into overdrive. Taken together, these factors may provide the necessary foundation for BDD to develop.
*179\204\8*

We have now seen that to prevent and to treat asthma one must give special consideration to one’s personal environment. In order of importance this means first the bedroom and then the workplace, because that is where people spend the majority of their time. The bedroom is particularly important for children for some obvious and some not-so-obvious reasons.
Children, especially babies, spend much more time sleeping than adults do, and resistance is usually lower during sleep. That is one of the reasons why babies and children are more likely to catch colds at night. You can understand why it does not make much sense to put a baby in a freshly painted room with a new carpet and a stack of furry toys. One would be exposing the baby to a concentrated number of pollutants and allergens for the longest time possible at the worst possible time.
The workplace is also important for the workers’ children because workers may bring home contaminants in their clothes and hair, or even in presents.
General considerations for the prevention and treatment of asthma and other allergies
Never have carpet or curtains in your bedroom and never bring dry-cleaned garments into the bedroom.
Avoid exposure to mould or dust and dust mites. A simple way to kill dust mites is to spray a special solution such as Allersearch Dust Mite Solution, available from most chemists, on all bedding and fabrics in the bedroom. If the problem is severe, we usually arrange for a team of professional cleaners who are experts in mould and dust control to clean the patient’s home.
Allergic people, especially asthmatics, should never use vacuum cleaners and any allergic person should stay out of the house while anyone else does.
Avoid unflued gas heaters and wood heating. Even gas stoves should be switched off when not in use, especially at night. If they are older than a few years, either switch them off at the mains or change to electricity.
The worst possible fluids to drink in large quantities are tank or rain water, and remember never to boil any water if you suspect it contains chemicals. Boiling kills some bacteria but it will also cause some of the water to evaporate, thus concentrating the remaining chemicals. One exception is chlorine, which will disperse quickly if you bring a pot of water to the boil then quickly take it off the stove and place it on a cool surface. The pall of steam you see rising from the pot will contain much of the chlorine that was in the water.
Do not drink, cook or wash with unfiltered tap water. Use a good quality, reverse osmosis water filter, if possible, as well as a shower-head chlorine filter. Have baths instead of showers whenever possible, and only brief, cool showers. It is also helpful to avoid chlorinated pools.
Avoid perfumes and air conditioning as much as possible.
No sufferers of environmental illnesses, especially pregnant women and young children, should remain in homes while they are being painted or otherwise renovated. Use natural paints or floor polishes whenever possible. Natural, non-chemical paints and other materials can be obtained by calling the Natural Paint Company.
Avoid pest control operations as far as possible and, if unavoidable, use only non-chemical methods.
The home, and especially the bedroom, of any allergic individual should be free of dust, dust mites and moulds. Remember that moulds are actually called ‘mycotoxins’ because they are toxic. Do not attempt to clean dust or mould yourself! Get someone else to do it or arrange for a special allergy cleaning group to take care of your home.
One way to check if you have a fungi/mould problem at home is to place mould plates in the bedroom and have them checked. (We supply mould plates to our patients free of charge.) Individuals can then be tested for their allergies and later densensitised with appropriate vaccines or allergy drops.
People who are affected by chemicals should avoid spending too much time in shopping malls and supermarkets since, as we have seen, many products outgas chemicals — especially new clothes, soaps, toiletries and detergents.
Some occupations do expose people to chemicals. Amongst the most at risk are pest control operators, workers in the chemical industry, batteries workers, electricians, potters, interior decorators, theatre and other nurses exposed to anaesthetics and other chemicals such as glutaraldehyde, furniture makers, upholsterers, wall paperers, painters and spray painters, printers, hairdressers, petrol station attendants and dentists. If your partner has such an occupation, you might need to investigate whether he/she is contaminating you.
If you have many old amalgam fillings, containing mercury, it is quite possible that these are a cause or at least a contributing factor to many of your health problems, especially to poor immunity and multiple allergies. It is imperative, however, that you do not just remove the fillings or teeth involved because if the procedure is not carried out with certain precautions it can actually make you very much worse. The material used to replace amalgam needs to be tested for bio-compatibility, too, or you may simply change one problem for another. In some cases, the haphazard removal of wisdom teeth, root canal surgery and bone conditions (osteitis) may have caused problems and may need to be investigated. If you have had replacement of old fillings carried out or had amalgam removed without special precautions and antioxidant therapy, you need to see a specialist in the field of mercury-amalgam removal. No single one of these factors is more important than any other. The aim is to lighten the total load.
Use a negative ion generator. They are extremely useful in reducing pollution and producing nitric oxide which helps to dilate airways naturally.
*37\145\2*

There can be an immense value in working in groups. One antenatal clinic, which is part of a pioneering general practice in South London, has taken this idea one step further. The clinic itself is run as a group. This has been found to have enormous benefits for both pregnant women and staff.
The women who attend get a lot of support from each other, and any sense that their worries are unique tends to disappear quickly. At one clinic session, discussion centred on how to prevent backache which was plaguing the life of one woman. Everyone pooled their ideas, and even the professionals learned something. The whole atmosphere in this clinic is more than just friendly; it has resulted in very real shared support. A notice pinned in the waiting-room asking for names of women prepared to be approached by newly pregnant woman seeking advice resulted in over twenty women signing their names. The care that this clinic provides for women is particularly good. The relaxed atmosphere and the mutual respect engendered mean that the midwife says she never feels she has to ‘dig out’ necessary information from the women. Instead she finds she learns far more from them than from women at the conventional clinics she attends. She much prefers doing examinations on women who fully understand what’s going on, and she never feels in this clinic that women are accepting things without fully informed consent. She said:
We can really get to know the women here, which makes it so much easier, and safer, when finally delivering the baby. In turn, the women approach labour with much more confidence. In the group clinic, I can tell immediately if a woman is feeling bad whereas in other clinics I can miss something, or it can take ages to get to the bottom of it.
*42\343\2*

The treatment of burns, both mild and severe, with ascorbic acid has proved very successful, given in small frequent doses of 1000 mg every few hours by mouth, to the stage of loose motions, and then decreased. In severe cases sodium ascorbate is given intravenously in 10-15 mg or even larger doses in distilled water or saline containing calcium gluco­nate 1 gram daily.

This has been found to maintain circulation of the blood and prevent its ‘sludging’ or tendency to aggluturate round burned areas, and during the shocked state of the burned patient.

.No dressings are applied and a spray of 3 per cent ascorbic acid in water every two to four hours has been found to allay pain, prevent infection by bacteria and has­ten healing without the necessity of skin grafts for small areas—and the increased acceptance of grafts when they are necessary.

Klenner suggests alternate application of dressings of A & D ointment with the ascorbic acid spray as the acute stages pass.

The publication of Linus Pauling’s book Vitamin C and the Common Cold burst like a bomb on the medical establish­ment. It could not believe that such a ridiculous treatise recommending such far-fetched treatment could come from such a prestigious pen.

Had it not been proved over and over again in many studies and trials over the last 30 odd years that Vitamin C even in such large doses as 200 mg to 300 mg a day made no difference to the incidence of the common cold? The re­sults from much larger doses and intravenous ascorbates were ignored and never followed up, until Dr Irwin Stone drew Dr Linus Pauling’s attention to the remarkable results achieved by a regime of unheard of large doses of the vitamin in preventing and curing the multi-infection, the common cold.

As Linus Pauling himself, admits, it was Irwin Stone’s work that inspired him to produce the book. It has been a best seller ever since, and has changed the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in many countries — including Australia.

Despite conservative medical opinion, thousands and thousands of people now follow Pauling’s and Stone’s re­gime for preventing colds and have not suffered a severe cold since starting it.

Sceptical of its efficacy several double blind trials were set up. Professor T. R. Anderson of Toronto found to his surprise that there was a definite decrease in the incidence and severity of colds in those who were taking the Vitamin C during the winter months (1000 mg a day as a routine increasing to 4000 mg at the first onset of a cold) in com­parison with those taking dummy C tabets; and there were also 30 per cent less days off work among the real C takers.

Linus Pauling’s advice on ‘How to amerliorate a cold’ is as follows:— The regular use of Vitamin C daily in the amount that suits you best (say 1000 mg a day for most people) may suffice to keep you from catching a cold or influenza or other infection under most circumstances. But if there is an epidemic or you are with people who cough and sneeze all around you, a cold may begin to develop. It is still possible to ameliorate it by the use of Vitamin C.

‘It is wise to carry some 500 mg tablets of ascorbic acid with you at all times,’ Pauling writes. ‘At the first sign that a cold is developing, the first feeling of scratchiness of the throat; or presence of mucus in the nose or muscle pain or general malaise, begin the treatment by swallowing one or two 500 mg tablets. Continue the treatment for several hours by taking an additional tablet or two every hour.

‘If the symptoms disappear quickly after the first or second dose of ascorbic acid you may feel safe in returning to your usual regimen. If, however, the symptoms are pre­sent on the second day, the regimen should be continued with the ingestion of 4 grams to 10 grams of ascorbic acid a day’.

As the virus may be only suppressed, not eliminated, by the first large doses of ascorbic acid, it is wise to keep the vitamin regime going at least 4 grams a day in divided doses 3 or 4 days, then 3 grams a day for several days then 2 grams a day before returning to your habitual dose.

‘It is not unreasonable’, adds Pauling, ‘that because of individual variability, the suppression of the disagreeable manifestations of the common cold could be suppressed for some people by a regimen involving the daily ingestion for a few days of a smaller amount of ascorbic acid, 1 gram to 2 grams per day, and that the larger amount, 10 grams to 15 grams per day would be necessary for others’.

All in all, as Vitamin C is inexpensive and harmless it is better to over-estimate the amount needed to control the cold than to under-estimate it.

Irwin Stone, in his letters and book, sets down a regime with higher routine and treatment doses. ‘When used as directed’, he says, ‘it has been practically 100 per cent effec­tive’.

I cannot do better than give his original regime of treatment in his own words.

‘An individual continuously on the “full correction” regimen of 3 to 5 grams of ascorbic acid daily for an unstres­sed adult will have a high resistance to infectious respiratory diseases. Should the exposure to the infectious agent be unduly heavy or some other uncorrected biochemical stres­ses be imposed, the infecting virus may gain a foothold and start developing. Treatment is instituted at the very first indication of the cold starting, because it is much easier to abort an incipient cold than to try to treat an advanced case. If a known heavy exposure to the infectious agent is experi­enced, such as close contacts with a coughing and sneezing cold sufferer, then extra prophylactic doses of several grams of ascorbic acid, several times a day, may be taken, without waiting for cold symptoms to develop.

‘At the first symptoms of a developing cold I take about 1.5 to 2.0 grams of ascorbic acid, dissolved in a couple of ounces of water, unsweetened or sweetened to taste. Within twenty minutes to half an hour another dose is ingested and this is repeated at twenty-minute to half-hour intervals. Usually by the third dose the virus has been effectively inactivated, and usually no further cold symptoms will ap­pear. I watch for any delayed symptoms and, if any become evident, I take further doses. If the start of this regimen is delayed and it is instituted only after the virus has spread throughout the body, the results may not be so dramatic, but ascorbic acid will nevertheless be of great benefit. Con­tinued dosages at one to two hour intervals will shorten the duration of the attack, often to a day. The great advantage of this common cold therapy is that it utilizes a normal body constituent rather than some foreign toxic material. This regime should be the subject of large-scale, long-reach clin­ical studies in order to establish its efficacy and safety, and to provide the data required by medicine for any new suggested therapy’.

A hundred per cent freedom from the cold should be our aim.
*21/21/7*
Online Pharmacy – Generic Pills

I have never seen Vitamin C used to combat and neutralize the poisons of snake bite, spider bite or stings from, hornets or other poisonous insects, but numbers of suggestive re­ports on the use of ascorbic acid for treating snake bites have appeared over the years.

As early as 1938 Nitzensco of Roumania showed that ascorbic acid, when mixed with cobra venom and injected into guinea pigs rendered it harmless.

Other workers in 1943 and 1947 have experimented with various doses of ascorbic acid in the treatment of snake bite. They have shown that small doses have small effect, whereas large doses will completely prevent symptoms of snake venom and the victims suffer no ill effects from the ascorbic acid itself, either at the time or when observed a week later.

Drs S. K. Sutherland and A. R. Coulter commenting in the Medical Journal of Australia (11/2/78) are greatly con­cerned that despite numerous articles and statements on the subject, there is widespread misunderstanding about the correct management of snake bite in this country, even among medical practitioners; yet Australia has the distinc­tion of having the most varied assortment of venemous creatures of almost any country in the world.

In 1963 G. F. Tranea could find records of 45 fatal cases of snake bite during the previous decade, and in 1975 Dr Sutherland recorded 45 deaths from snake bite in the 1960s — in spite of the fact that a polyvalent antivenom (against any type of snake) was available from 1962 on­wards. More recently still, during the 6 weeks before Christmas, 1977, five people died from the effects of snake bite in Australia. Previous to 1962, when the polyvalent antivenom was made, it was necessary to identify the snake before the suitable antivenom could be used with any anti­toxic effect

The dosage of the new antivenom is indicated in the instructions contained in the pack, but if after the first dose signs of the poison persist or recur, the injection should be repeated. As the amount is large, put up in 40 ml ampoules, it is best given intravenously. ^

There is, however, always a risk of anaphylactic shock or serum sickness after the antivenom, owing to the large amounts of horse serum in the injection. Doctors experi­enced in treatment of snake bite, therefore, advise the attendants to make certain there is a venomous snake bite after all, but not to be deceived by delayed symptoms, to keep the patient under observation for 24 hours and to always have ready anri-histamines and anti-shock treatment in case the serum causes severe reaction.

Their other statement is that ‘it is never too late to administer anti-venom, except when the patient is dead’, as many unconscious cases have been revived with large doses after 23 hours. However they said, ‘Never treat suspected snake bite lightly’.

The value of ascorbic acid now becomes evident. It is an effective antivenom, no matter what type of snake, or what type of poisonous bite or sting is involved. This is because it is anon-specific anti-toxin, and is essential in enabling the liver to detoxify or annul the effects of any introduced foreign substance or poison that threatens survival.’

In 1953 Dr Frederick Klenner of Reidsille, North Carolina, reported the life saving properties of Vitamin C in a number of cases if given intravenously in at least 10 gram doses — and given quickly.

In snake bite, funnel-web spider bite, stone fish or sea-wasp stings there is usually no time to find out the type of bite and nature of the toxin. Ampoules of 15 grams of sodium ascorbate powder (sterilised) are now available to be dissolved in 25 to 50 ml of distilled water or sterile normal saline — also available in ampoules. Such an anti-toxin treatment given intravenously by a doctor or skilled nurse, or intramuscularly by an ambulance attendant, could well save a life.

I predict that such a Vitamin C anti-toxin kit will soon be a necessary part of the equipment not only in doctor’s bags and the casualty departments of hospitals — especially in country areas — but also in ambulance and first aid stations as well as Surf Life Saving Clubs.

The application of ice to the site of intramuscular in­jections both before and for a while after the injection will allay the discomfort of the large amount of injected mat­erial. Bruising

A deficiency of Vitamin C results in easy bruising as the collagen joining together the cells lining the capillary walls becomes soft and permeable, allowing blood to seep out between them.

Such a deficiency can occur with severe infections, causing little blood marks or peteechine under the skin. Patches of bruising under the skin are common in the elderly, whose diet is only too often deficient in the vitamin.

Drs Woodhill and Nobile carried out many studies on the food in institutions and hospitals for the elderly, even that purveyed by ‘Meals on Wheels’. They found that how­ever good it may have been when delivered, it contained practically no Vitamin C by the time it reached their plates.

‘I bruise so easily’, they complain. ‘The lightest knock on my arm or hand, and a bruise comes up’.

Tablets of 500 mg Vitamin C sucked or chewed after meals will quickly dispel these bruises, though they often leave a brown mark behind due to destroyed red cells.

The bruises caused by much harder knocks on the football field were shown to disperse more rapidly than usual when the footballers took at least 1000 mg of Vitamin C daily throughout the football season. Dr Glen Dettman tried out this experiment with the Essendon Football Team several years ago — 1000 mg of the vitamin was then con­sidered a terrific dose.

Not only was bruising quickly alleviated in the team, but other injuries healed quicker than usual and the players felt a great sense of energy and well being, and an endurance which was reflected in their play.
*20/21/7*
Pharmacy information – compare prescription drugs prices

Man is the only animal that likes to take medicine but he brings the average very high. Arguments about this fact are usually of the all or none type. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes is frequently credited with saying, “If the whole materia medica could be sunk to the bottom of the sea it would be all the better for mankind – and all the worse for the fishes.” Dr. Holmes liked to give out smart sayings, but he was a clear thinker and an able physician and actually he carefully modified his statement. Before sinking the drugs he excluded opium and anesthetics and specifics: such things as quinine for malaria and mercury for syphilis and iodine for lack of thyroid secretion. Then he was willing to drop overboard most of the other things which could be useful but more often were harmful. At the present time he would not so dispose of antibiotics, although there is more and more evidence that as they are now they cause much trouble. Unfortunately a large proportion of the populace are not like Dr. Samuel Johnson, who said that he could be abstemious, but resemble him closely in their inability to be temperate.

One cardinal rule in taking drugs is that any, active enough to help out the body, are powerful enough to injure it. A poison is usually a comparatively large dose of a substance which in proper doses is helpful. Few things in nature have been more of a blessing to man than opium. Yet you all know that the normal person can be killed by it or ruined if he habituates himself to taking it in large doses. In some states cyanide gas is used to execute criminals. In small amounts cyanides are pleasing and harmless flavorings; almond, for instance.

A drug may have varying effects on different people. De Quincey said that opium stimulated him and I have seen that he was right. Barbiturates, which are delightfully quieting for most people, may at times cause a delirium, especial in the elderly.   This change may develop fairly quickly in one who over a period of years has taken them infrequently but always with soothing effect. We get fairly well acquainted with the idiosyncrasies of the drugs which we have lived with for some time, but we never can be perfectly sure of the idiosyncrasies of the patients on whom they are used.  The allergic reactions are examples of this. With the present-day enthusiasm for treatment and the extravagant publicity which every new drug and treatment gets as soon as it is announced, it is more and more necessary to counsel caution.

Fortunately some useful drugs cause, with large or long continued doses, such unpleasant symptoms that they have to be discontinued before they do serious harm. Digitalis, so valuable in certain heart conditions, irritates the stomach at times, causing nausea and vomiting, so that the patient cannot continue taking it any longer. Ipecac’s value is dependent on the nausea and vomiting it produces and must have been used much in the days when puking and purging were standard procedures. Many of you have doubtless experienced an excessive flow of saliva when you were nauseated. This increase of fluid is what makes ipecac in small amounts valuable as a cough medicine. The fluid increase occurs in the lungs, diluting the sticky secretions there and making them easier to cough up. I have a physician friend who has long had the foolish habit of tasting medicines. He sat at his desk one day advising mothers and occasionally sampling a bottle of syrup of ipecac. Later as he drove across the city he noticed that he was taking deep yawns. At his first place of call he leaned over to listen to a baby’s chest and suddenly all went black. You see, ipecac causes not only nausea, salivation, bronchial secretions, but also anemia of the brain. As many medicines are made up of a combination of drugs it ought to be evident to you that there are possibilities of many unpleasant effects when you dose yourselves.

*97/276/5*

GENERAL HEALTH

Dylan Abraham, 40, of Madison, Wisconsin, was diagnosed at age 18 as having schizophrenia. “My symptoms began when I was 16,” Mr. Abraham recalls. “They started with a sense of anxiety and unease. By 18, I was having hallucinations: I saw a gold rim of light around people. I heard voices. God and Satan were talking to me, telling me that I was godlike. I thought the CIA, the FBI, and the Communists were after me. I had totally lost it. I was arrested for disorderly conduct. My mother came to get me at the jail. She hospitalized me. That was in 1974.”

The voices he heard did not exist in reality, of course. But to Mr. Abraham, those voices were quite real.

“I was totally psychotic,” he says. “It was very frightening – the most frightening thing I had ever experienced.”

With all that going on inside his skull, Mr. Abraham could not work, study, make friends, or simply sit still. The disease crashed over him in waves.

“When I went to get Dylan from the police that time back in 1974,” recalled his mother, Nancy Abraham, “had I not known that it was Dylan, I would not have recognized him. He was so ill. I had lost the son I knew.”

Those terrible times are now part of the past for Mr. Abraham, and they probably will stay there, so long as he takes his medication. In 1990, he was given Clozaril, then a new drug.

“In the last 5 years,” he says, “Clozaril has wiped out the schizophrenia in me. I study tai chi, play volleyball, go to the gym. I’m dating.”

*97/266/5*

GENERAL HEALTH

Blisters look like small bubbles on the skin, which usually contain clear fluid, but can sometimes be filled with pus or blood.

Cause

The commonest cause of a water blister is friction, for example new shoes rubbing against the back of the heel. Blisters also characteristically appear with chickenpox. Burns, including sunburn, can also cause blistering of the skin, as can insect bites. Impetigo can be a more serious cause of blisters.

Treatment

Avoid bursting the blister as this can lead to infection. The liquid inside a blister is usually sterile, as long as the thin covering of skin is still intact. If the blister does burst, apply a small pad of foam with a hole cut in the centre, to prevent further pressure on the area, which can be quite painful. Dab with antiseptic solution twice a day, and keep the wound as clean as possible. It should dry up in a few days, and the skin will then peel. Make sure your child wears open shoes, or shoes which do not press on the blister.

When to see your doctor

• if the blister is filled with greenish fluid, or the surrounding skin is reddish as this may mean that the blister is infected;

• if your child has multiple blisters and a fever or is unwell.

Prevention

Make sure that your child wears well-fitting shoes, that are neither too tight nor too loose. If your child has new shoes, put sticking plaster such as Bandaids on the back of the heels for the first week until he ‘breaks in’ the shoes.

*298\90\8*