Health News. Lots of resources and information

While on the subject of testosterone, how are things for your husband or partner at this time? As men don’t menstruate, they can’t technically be said to have a menopause, but from about their mid-forties, the level of testosterone in a man starts to fall gradually. Unlike women’s oestrogen, it doesn’t drop dramatically in their middle years, and sperm and testosterone production continue in men indefinitely, albeit at reducing levels. This is why men can father children right into old age. It seems rather unfair, doesn’t it, that if a man in his fifties leaves his wife to have a new relationship with a younger woman, he can start a second family: the wife in her fifties can start a new relationship with a younger or an older man, but there will be no children of that union.

Falling levels of testosterone can decrease a man’s sexual desire, and this in itself may make him irritable and depressed. He may find he can’t get an erection so quickly, or sustain it for so long, and his wife may interpret this as a loss of interest in her, or that she is no longer attractive to

him. If his falling hormone levels reduce his ability to perform as well sexually as he used to, his self-esteem may suffer. Add to this the fact that he may now be putting on weight, losing his youthful vitality, stuck in his job just for the pension, and feeling that it is now too late to make changes, and he may well try to revive his flagging self-esteem by playing energetic games of squash, starting a body-building course, or having an affair with a younger woman.

Perhaps he doesn’t realise that both he and his wife are suffering from falling levels of their sex hormones, and it is having much the same effect on both of them. If his wife no longer wants sexual intercourse because a dry vagina makes it painful, and if her body no longer responds to the stimulation they have both enjoyed in the past, then he might feel rejected by her. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love him, just that her hormones are affecting the way she feels, just as his are affecting him. Impotence in middle-aged men often happens as their wives reach the menopause: her lack of arousal and his inability to sustain an erection may make him feel frustrated, inadequate and even angry, and he needs her love and consideration at this time just as much as she needs his.

Many a wife gets into bed at night with her beer-bellied husband who is unshaven, slightly drunk, smelling of stale cigarettes, and who then complains that his wife ‘doesn’t want sex any more’. Well, can you blame her? The typical Englishman shaves when he gets out of bed in the morning, not when he gets into bed at night – what does that say about his efforts to make himself attractive to his wife?

Once you and your partner get out of the habit of sharing sex together, you may find it very difficult to start again. If you find sexual arousal is taking longer, try allowing yourself more time; or perhaps it might be more satisfying to have sex in the morning or afternoon when you are not tired or have not had too much food or drink to dull the senses. Try sharing a warm bath with pleasant additives, or using sensual massage on each other.

When he finds an erection difficult to sustain, and she has a less well lubricated vagina, it’s all too easy to give up a form of sharing that is unlike any other. But don’t feel you have to go along with society’s view that ‘people don`t do it when they get older’. They can and they do, and if that’s what feels right for you, so can you.

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A yellow and unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge can occur if the wound at the top of the vagina (produced during an abdominal or laparoscopically assisted hysterectomy) becomes infected. This wound generally takes longer to heal than an abdominal scar and the moisture of the vagina can encourage bacterial growth. It is quite normal to have a red- or brown-staining discharge for anything from two to eight weeks after a hysterectomy. But if it becomes smelly and yellow, or persists beyond this time, it should be checked by a doctor. Sometimes a small amount of flesh forms along the edge of the wound and this can be removed painlessly by diathermy.

Time spent in hospital and recovering. Most women having an abdominal hysterectomy will spend about seven to ten days in hospital, with a somewhat shorter stay (one to four days) if they have a laparoscopically assisted hysterectomy. Two out of three women having an abdominal hysterectomy resume pre-hysterectomy activities in about three months, with the remainder needing longer, perhaps up to a year.

Vaginal hysterectomy avoids the pelvic incision of abdominal hysterectomy and consequently postoperative pain may be reduced. The hospital stay (about seven days) and recovery period (four to six weeks) also tend to be shorter. Laparoscopically assisted hysterectomy requires an even shorter hospital stay (usually less than four days) and usually ensures a more rapid return to full function.

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There are many reasons why benzodiazepine is so well received. The drug is significantly more safe than barbiturates. There are fewer cases of death from overdose, and the withdrawal symptoms are less dramatic than with barbiturates. It has both hypnotic and sedative properties, so, if you cannot sleep, take a pill; if you are under stress, take a pill; if you are tense, take a pill; and so on. Benzodiazepine became the solution to a lot of psychological problems. For a while it seemed that there was no need for psychologists or psychiatrists. Patients who normally saw an analyst daily felt that benzodiazepine had helped them. Benzodiazepine became the magic answer for us members of an increasingly busy and stressful world. The days of working on the farm, milking a few cows, and having an afternoon nap are disappearing fast. Society is becoming more and more competitive, and we are not well equipped to deal with this. Most doctors are not trained to sort out or help patients with problems of stress or insomnia, and their patients are too impatient to see doctors for lengthy counselling anyway. They want instead instant answers to their very complicated problems. Benzodiazepine seemed to be the answer.

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Anxiety and nervous tension often make us restricted. We are tense, and we hold ourselves in check. We cannot let ourselves go. As a result of this we lose our normal freedom and ease of manner. It comes to affect us in all that we do, in our work, in our leisure, in our intimate life. We hold ourselves back, and try as we may, we cannot let ourselves go with the normal sense of freedom that we once enjoyed.

Relaxed.

I feel the relaxation.

Feel the muscles let go.

They let go all through me.

It is in my mind.

I let go.

The Feeling of Inner Strength-The effects of anxiety tend to destroy our morale. We may have had the condition a long time, and had treatment that has not helped us. We feel like giving in. But remember you can be promised at least some help from the practice of our relaxing mental exercises. So do not give up. When you are thoroughly relaxed, think along these lines:

Relaxed.

All my muscles relaxed.

The calm of it all through me.

I feel the calm and the ease.

The calm that gives me strength.

The inner strength.

I feel the inner strength.

Remember the importance of the prior relaxation and regression. This is the key which opens the door of our mind to such ideas.

The Development of Self-Discipline-The way back to health from nervous illness always demands a fair degree of self-discipline. Some conditions require more, some less; and some of us find self-discipline easier than others. But we all need it for the struggle ahead, and we can help ourselves like this:

Relaxed.

Relaxed and calm.

The calm that gives us the strength.

The inner strength.

The strength to do what we have to do.

We can proceed further along these lines:

The inner strength.

It is calm strength.

Easy strength.

Easier and easier to be strong.

This of course is absolutely true. At first self-discipline is difficult, very difficult; but as we practise it more and more, it becomes easier and easier.

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Here, briefly, are a few more actual cases of arthritis having been healed, as follows:

Mrs. E. L., 47, Algaras, Sweden

Mrs. E. L. noticed the first symptoms of arthritis in 1956. She felt a dull pain and stiffness in her hands. The pain spread to the other joints: elbows, shoulders, legs, and feet. Eventually the whole body was affected and the pain became more and more intense.

She was referred by her doctor to the Lidkoping Hospital. There she received x-ray treatments plus some drugs. In 1957 her doctor prescribed cortisone. In 1958 she was treated with gold injections at the Mariestad Hospital which resulted in slight improvement in her knees. In 1961 she was again treated with gold injections and other drugs in Nynashamn Hospital but without any improvement. She stayed at the hospital for two months.

During all these years of conventional treatments with drugs, x-rays, cortisone, and gold injections her condition was gradually getting worse. Her joints were badly deformed and the pain became more and more unbearable.

Finally, in 1962, Mrs. E. L. came to the Bjorkagarden Institute. She stayed there six weeks and fasted five days on juices. She felt great improvement; pain and stiffness disappeared. In 1963 she returned for six more weeks and this time she fasted ten days.

After a second visit to Bjorkagarden her arthritis was all but gone. Pain disappeared and joints became flexible and mobile. She continued with the lactovegetarian diet in her home, and reported to me in August, 1966 that she felt great and had no recurrence.

Mrs. I. B., 39, Borlange, Sweden

Mrs. I. B. was stricken with arthritis at the age of 22. First, she noticed a swelling in the joints and then later stiffness and pain. She was treated with various drugs. Her condition was steadily getting worse until 1958 when she had to go to a hospital in Halmstad. She made several hospital visits during 1958-63. In spite of these treatments and several drugs she didn’t notice any improvement in her condition.

In 1964 she came to Bjorkagarden Institute. She stayed there three weeks and fasted three times. After three weeks of intensive biological treatments and fasts her arthritis was completely gone. In answer to my inquiry as to the results of her treatments in Bjorkagarden and the permanency of her cure, Mrs. I. B. wrote, in September, 1966:

“Results were fantastic. No arthritis left… No relapses!”

Mr. S. K., 40, Stockholm

The first symptoms of arthritis appeared in 1952. The contributing cause: a stubborn case of chronic tonsilitis. The pain in his joints continued on and off for several years. A visit to a doctor resulted in the removal of his tonsils. But the pain and the stiffness in the joints didn’t disappear. With the passing years it only seemed to become worse.

Finally, he was referred to the Sodersjukhuset in Stockholm. There he was treated with gold injections.

In 1957 he started with cortisone. At first he felt great improvement. Then the pain and the stiffness returned. In 1959 he was sent to the Karolinska Institute and stayed there three months—no improvement.

During 1961 and 1962 he was trying to keep going with the help of cortisone—16 milligrams a day, a very heavy dose. In addition to cortisone he was taking various other drugs, including sulfa drugs and salicylates. He estimates that during a period of six years he had consumed 25,000 aspirin tablets! All these drugs didn’t help his condition at all. His arthritis was getting progressively worse with aggravated and intensified pain and stiffness.

In 1963 Mr. S. K. went to Brandals Clinic. Treatments at Brandal started with the traditional fast. He fasted for 20 days and felt better and better with each day of fasting. After the first week all pain and stiffness disappeared. For the first time in many years he could clench his hands together. After 20 days of fasting, consequent special diet, and other biological treatments his long battle with arthritis was finally won.

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Most children with epilepsy attend normal mainstream schools and can participate fully in the schools’ curricular and extra-curricular activities. This is the case even in children in whom the epilepsy is not fully controlled. It is important for the teachers and for the school doctor and nurse to know that a child has epilepsy—even if the child’s seizures are at the current time controlled. Teachers will then know what to expect and what to do if the child has a seizure. The teacher may also involve children in the class in the care of the child after a seizure; this is important for two reasons. First, it teaches children how to help someone in a seizure, and secondly—and perhaps more importantly—it shows children that there is no need to be scared or upset when someone has a fit. Hopefully, such activities may reduce, in future generations, some of the misunderstanding and social prejudice which surround epilepsy.

About one fifth of children with epilepsy are not able to attend a normal school. This may simply be because of different and frequent seizure types which are not fully controlled. However, the more common reason for these children not being able to attend a normal school is that they have additional problems, such as moderate or severe learning difficulties or physical handicaps (or both), as well as their epilepsy. Most of these children will attend special schools, usually within the local neighbourhood. In this situation in the UK, under the terms of the Education Act, the child will have an assessment or ‘statement’ made of his or her educational needs so that the most appropriate school can be found. This statement is based on reports from doctors (including the hospital doctor), teachers, clinical psychologists, therapists, and any other specialist who may have been involved with the child. The ultimate decision as to which school the child should attend rests with the parent.

Perhaps 1-2 per cent of all children with epilepsy may need to attend a school specifically established for children with epilepsy. These schools are usually residential or boarding schools, and the staff have special expertise in teaching children with epilepsy, in coping with their seizures, and in generally supporting them. One of the additional benefits provided by these schools is that they allow separation from the family. The benefit of this lies in the

over-protective attitude of many parents who do not allow their child the opportunity to participate in normal social activities. This clearly may not be in the child’s best interest with regard to either control of seizures or enabling the child to ‘grow’ into adulthood and to develop a degree of independence. The environment provided by these schools encourages self-reliance.

Occasionally, a child with epilepsy, although not having frequent seizures, may be doing badly in school. Rarely this is due to the fact that the child is experiencing many more absences or complex partial seizures. These may actually be first picked up by the child’s teachers. In these situations, an EEG may help to confirm that the child is experiencing frequent seizures. Another rare possibility—but one that is often put forward—is that the child’s poor school work is due to the effect of the anti-epileptic drugs. However, if the child is not excessively sleepy or drowsy, then it is most unlikely that the drugs are interfering significantly with school work. Exceptions include phenobarbitone and phenytoin, which may affect a child’s concentration and therefore their learning potential. In these situations the amount of drug in the blood may need to be checked. The most common reason for learning problems in a child with epilepsy is that the intellectual difficulty and the epilepsy share a common cause due to abnormal development of the brain or brain damage (for example, after meningitis or a head injury). In these situations, an educational psychologist will assess the child’s strengths and weaknesses and advice on the most appropriate school. Sometimes the cause of the child’s learning difficulties may be familial—that is, other family members show similar educational problems which has nothing at all to do with the epilepsy.

Children up until the age of 16 years are well cared for by society, educationally and medically. The difficult time comes after the age of 16 years—the ‘adolescent’ period which, brings changes in social, family, and educational life. This is often a difficult time of life, even for those who do not have epilepsy.

Many changes occur at adolescence which need to be coped with.

• The seizures may change in type, particularly if the epilepsy started at a young age. These changes may include more complex partial and generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and a reduction in absence and myoclonic (jerk) seizures.

• The anti-epileptic medication may have to change in order to maintain control of the epileptic seizures. This may mean a change in dose or even the introduction of different drugs.

• Young people may find it difficult to take their anti-epileptic drug regularly, or they may deliberately decide not to do so. This is more likely to occur in teenagers who have recently been diagnosed and who may find it difficult to come to terms with the diagnosis and need for regular treatment. This may be just one part of a general rebelliousness—against the condition, the treatment, the doctor, family and friends, even life itself. The best way of dealing with these understandable reactions is for the young person to talk about their epilepsy and all its associated problems. Friends may or may not be the easiest to talk to, but hopefully the young person will discuss his or her feelings with the rest of the family and with an understanding doctor.

• There are a number of educational possibilities beyond the normal school leaving age. Many young people with epilepsy will obtain higher qualifications at school and then obtain a place at college or university. It is important that college or university tutors and examiners are told about students who have epilepsy as this promotes and encourages increased awareness and understanding. Those students who live away from home in halls of residence or in rented accommodation should tell friends and college or university tutors.

• Most paediatricians would not think it sensible to continue seeing patients over the age of 16 years. Teenagers of 17 or 18 years have questions and needs that reflect his transition to adult life. All too often transfer from paediatric to adult services in poorly planned. The family doctor will continue his or her support, but consideration of course should be given to transferring care to a neurologist who has a special interest in epilepsy. A special clinic for teenagers with epilepsy has been established in Liverpool to ensure that there is a smooth handover of care from a children’s epilepsy clinic to an adult clinic, and in which the specific issues and problems of teenagers can be dealt with satisfactorily.

• There are many changes in life style at adolescence, with different interests and activities and different sleeping patterns, and it is known that deprivation of sleep and alcohol may precipitate seizures. These activities are important in developing independence and self reliance. There are few activities which young people with epilepsy cannot undertake.

An occasional drink containing alcohol is unlikely to be harmful. However, alcohol can make anti-epileptic medication less effective and may, in excess, bring on a seizure. It is important to get the balance right—and this applies to the correct amount of sleep and appropriate diet, as well as the amount of alcohol that is drunk. Medical research suggests that drinking more than two units of alcohol in less than 12-15 hours may significantly increase the risk of seizures in patients who have epilepsy (2 units = one pint of beer, lager, or cider, or 2 glasses of wine, or two measures (‘shorts’) of spirits such as whisky, rum, vodka, or gin).

• Contraception will also begin to emerge as an important issue during this time. The most effective form of contraception is the pill. The oral contraceptive pill does not make epileptic seizures more or less likely to happen and there is no reason why women with epilepsy cannot take the pill. Certain anti-epileptic drugs (except sodium valproate and the newer ones including vigabatrin and gabapertin) may reduce the contraceptive efficacy of the pill, resulting in an unwanted pregnancy. A contraceptive pill with a high oestrogen content may need to be prescribed, but other forms of contraception (condom or cap plus spermicide) should be considered.

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There are no studies currently under way. Any such study would be an enormous project and would have to involve large numbers of subjects before any significant statistics could be evaluated.

It would be most difficult to interpret the results and would require decades to complete. And just how could it be determined if test subjects would have developed arthritis if they had not taken CMO? There are virtually no standard statistics available for comparison.

So what about the question, “If taken before any signs or symptoms of arthritis actually appear, could CMO act as a preventive?”

Theoretically, yes, absolutely! It would be better for athletes to take CMO a couple times a year to deal with the mis-programmed T-cells immediately and never let the joint trauma develop into severe arthritis. Ditto for anyone regularly playing sport, subject to joint trauma or for anyone with repetitive motion occupations, like jackhammer operators and typists.

In theory, yes, it would be better for anyone with joint pain from the flu or with a family history of chronic or degenerative diseases to take CMO once or twice a year as a preventive.

In practice, we don’t yet know. It won’t be until a couple dozen years have passed with several hundred people having tried it that way before we know for certain. A few concerned and vulnerable people have already begun. If you do, too, we’d like to hear from you.

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Symptoms

Severe itching

Small red dots or black/gray lines on skin

Home care

Give nonprescription antihistamines to relieve itching.

Follow the doctor’s instructions for treating the scabies, and make sure that all family members are treated at the same time.

Launder the infected child’s undergarments, bedding, and towels to destroy the mites.

Precautions

-    If mites attack the skin around a nursing mother’s nipples, scabies can occur on the baby’s face.

-    Secondary infection can occur when the child scratches.

-    Consult a doctor before using any medications for scabies.

-    Consult a doctor before applying any medication to the face of a baby with scabies.

-    Lindane ointment, which is sometimes prescribed to treat scabies, is poisonous and should be kept out of the reach of children.

-    If treatment does not clear up scabies, the person may be re-infested; consult the doctor.

-    Scabies is easily transferred from one person to another, and all family members should be treated at the same time.

Scabies is a skin infection caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabei, a crawling insect barely visible to the eye. These mites burrow under the skin to lay eggs. The eggs hatch quickly and continue to tunnel for two weeks until they mature. Mature mites congregate around hair follicles, mate, and begin the cycle all over again. Scabies is easily transmitted to others and can be spread by direct human contact. It is rarely spread by animals.

The infestation of the mites typically occurs in between the fingers and- toes, on the palms of the hands and undersides of the wrists, in the armpits, at the waistline, and, in males, on the penis. Because mites may also attack the skin around a woman’s nipples, scabies sometimes occurs on the face of a breast-fed infant.

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1. The tendency toward allergy is lessened in a child with one non-allergic parent.

2. Allergy to a particular food item can be prevented. The following are some examples.

a.    Cow’s milk: A baby must be breast fed (and not fed a formula based on cow’s milk).

b.     Cereal grains: Cereals should be introduced into baby’s diet one at a time (and not in a mixed form) to see which ones the baby tolerates well.

ñ     Fresh juices (orange, etc.): These should be started at four months of age and one at a time.

d.     Egg: A tiny piece of hard-boiled yolk should be tried at the age of seven months, and, if this is tolerated well, it is to be followed by egg white.

e.     Shellfish, nuts, chocolate, and strawberries: These foods are not to be given to the allergic baby at all.

f.     Additives: Snacks in cellophane bags should not be used as part of a baby’s diet.

The food of an atopic baby who has diarrhea should be made very simple because sensitivity to food is more likely to develop if the bowels are inflamed.

Although a baby may outgrow his food allergies, it is not wise to wait for him to do so. Food allergy in a baby should be considered seriously and steps should be taken to avoid it. Otherwise, the allergy persists and opens the door to further food allergies in childhood.

3. At the age of three or four years, foods lose their importance as allergens, and inhalants (light substances which float in the air) become the chief cause of allergies. The following preventive measures against these have to be carried out in the bedroom of the allergic child:

a.     Filtering devices, air conditioners, and electronic precipitators have to be installed (for brand names see the Appendix).

b.     The bedding should be made of allergy-free material. The pillows should be made of sponge rubber and should not contain feathers.

    c.     The house must not have a damp or moldy basement.

d.     The temperature of the house and that of the bedroom should always be kept at about 70°F.

e.     Strong odors in general are to be avoided (in the whole house and especially in the bedroom). The odors of fresh paint, perfumes, scented flowers, mothballs, cleaning fluids, or cigarette smoke are especially dangerous.

f.     Pets should not be introduced into the bedroom and preferably the house (sensitivity to feathers and to animal hair is easily acquired).

4. Besides eliminating inhalants inside the bedroom, an allergic child should avoid them outdoors.

Although it would be impossible to entirely avoid outdoor allergens short of staying at home all the time, some suggestions help to considerably reduce the chances of exposure:

a.     Vacations should be planned around the child’s allergies, making sure not to leave certain allergens at home while running into others in the vacation area.

b.     While outdoors, the child should avoid bees and other stinging insects, grass being mowed (as this can churn up mold spores and grass pollen), ragweed shrubs (because pollen concentration rises sharply the nearer one gets to its source), the poison ivy plant, and outdoor pets (as these can be multiple allergy carriers).

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Up to 40 per cent of infertility problems can be on the man’s side and yet the focus, particularly in the early stages of investigation, is usually on the woman. Until recently, the only investigation available for a partner was a basic analysis of a semen sample.

Infertility consultations should include both partners. But most infertility clinics are run by gynecologists who are specialists in the female reproductive system and regard the man as a bit of an afterthought. I find women often come to me on their own because their partners say ‘it’s not my problem’. Men emotionally connect virility with fertility and feel somehow ‘less of a man’ if they are not able to give their partner a child. Women seem to be able to distance their emotions a little better from problems with their reproductive system. But ‘it takes two to tango’, as the saying goes, and your partner needs to remember that he is contributing 50 per cent not only to the health of the baby but also to you getting pregnant in the first place.

Your partner should therefore be involved in investigations from the beginning. You may, for example, have a situation where you are both sub-fertile and it is this combination that is causing the problem. If you both had different partners, whose fertility was optimum, you could probably conceive fairly easily. By boosting both your levels of fertility you will have a much better chance of conceiving.

The traditional approach – concentrating on investigating your fertility and ignoring your partner – has some unfortunate consequences. If your partner’s semen analysis is poor, for instance, you may be advised to go straight for fertility treatments without any further investigations, even if you yourself may not actually have trouble conceiving. Both IVF and ICSI treatments require you to take large quantities of drugs, while your partner just provides the sperm sample. So, in effect, you would end up being treated when you do not need to be, because there is a problem on your partner’s side. This is obviously not very desirable and your partner should have more investigations before you decide to embark on what can be long and stressful fertility treatments.

Some enlightened doctors will refer the man to an urologist who specializes in diseases of the urinary system, including the bladder and kidneys. Urologists treat both men and women. And there are a few andrologists who specialize in problems with the male reproductive system.

Even if the problem initially seems to be on your side it could just mask the real cause. Many women who suffer miscarriages, for instance, assume there is a problem with their own reproductive system. But it is logical that, if there is something wrong with the sperm that fertilises the egg, nature will cause a miscarriage. Studies have shown that there is an increased risk of miscarriage when there are sperm abnormalities. This is why it is so important for both of you to get yourselves into optimum health before conception.

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