Herbal Health

Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is a disorder characterized by chronic diarrhoea or constipation, or a mixture of the two. (Chronic in medical parlance means ‘long-term’.) In most patients, there is also abdominal pain.

A major trial of IBS patients was carried out at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge, by Dr John Hunter and Dr Virginia Alun-Jones. Twenty-one patients were involved, and they were placed on a diet of nothing but lamb, pears and water for the first week. Other foods were then reintroduced one at a time. Fourteen of the patients – 66 per cent – improved considerably on the diet and were then able to identify culprit foods. Eleven of these patients were later tested double-blind to check that the effects were not purely psychological. Normal-sized portions of the food were eaten, disguised in a strong-tasting lentil puree that effectively concealed the identity of the food. All the patients responded in much the same way as they had done when they could taste the food being tested.

One obvious criticism of this trial is that the numbers involved were small. However, Dr Hunter and Dr Alun-Jones followed it up with another trial involving 122 patients. The percentage who responded to the diet was slightly higher – about 70 per cent. When a follow-up questionnaire was sent out, two to three years later, 86 per cent of patients replied, and 87 per cent of those who replied were still following the diet and benefiting from it.

In another trial of IBS, although there was a response to an elimination diet, the percentage who benefited was much smaller. This study was carried out by Dr David Pearson and Dr Stephen Bentley of the University Hospital of South Manchester, and Dr Keith Rix, a psychiatrist at the University of Manchester. The patients had all been referred to an allergy clinic at the hospital, because they suspected that their bowel symptoms were caused by food.

Nineteen patients completed the diet, and 14 of these showed an improvement in their symptoms. When tested with foods, ten produced consistent reactions to foods, while four did not.

At this stage, two patients with consistent reactions dropped out of the study, so only eight were left. They were tested double-blind with food in capsules, and five of them failed to react to foods that they had previously identified as causing problems when they could taste the food. This left just three whose bowel symptoms could definitely be related to food – only 15 per cent of the number who took part. Some of the patients were diagnosed as having mild psychiatric disorders, and this led the doctors involved to conclude that psychosomatic problems were an important factor in causing the symptoms for the remaining 85 per cent.

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Filed under: Allergies Tags: Tags: Allergies by admin Date 20 April, 2009
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Anyone who decides to have bypass surgery can increase the chance of a successful operation by doing the following…

• Find a good surgeon. He should be board-certified in car-diothoracic surgery. In addition, he should perform at least 150 bypass operations each year. Fewer than that, and he may lack the necessary expertise.

Some patients are uncomfortable asking a surgeon about these details. But good surgeons are happy to share this information—and you want only the best.

• Check out the hospital. It should perform at least 200 bypass operations a year, with a death rate of less than 1.5%.

The hospital should be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Stop smoking. Smoking in the 10 days before surgery increases the risk of pneumonia and other surgical complications.

Avoid aspirin. If you take aspirin on a regular basis (to prevent heart attack, for instance), ask your cardiologist about stopping temporarily. Doing so will reduce the risk of excessive bleeding during and after surgery.

Rethink diet and exercise habits. Doctors once thought that bypass surgery would allow patients to carry on their high-fat, low-exercise lives as before. That’s simply untrue. To keep your newly grafted vessels healthy, you must keep fat intake low and get regular exercise.

if you have diabetes: Ask your doctor about “tight control” of your blood sugar before surgery. The better you manage your diabetes, the lower your risk of postoperative infection.

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Filed under: General health Tags: Tags: General health by admin Date 9 April, 2009
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To provide top-notch medical care, doctors need complete access to the most sensitive matters—drug use, sexual habits, etc. We need our patients to trust that their secrets will remain secret. If a young man doesn’t feel comfortable telling a doctor he’s gay, for example, then the doctor may misjudge the significance of a symptom, order the wrong tests, miss diagnoses and the opportunity to treat.

Until legal loopholes that allow unauthorized dissemination of medical information are closed, how can you minimize your risk? I recommend several strategies:

Never sign a blanket disclosure form. Before agreeing to the release of your medical records, make sure you know who will be allowed to see them, which information they’ll be given access to and what they need the information for.

Remind your doctor that your information must not be shared with anyone without your consent.

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Filed under: General health Tags: Tags: General health by admin Date 9 April, 2009
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A recent study of more than 1,100 people found that those who drank tea at least once a week for more than 10 years had 20% less total body fat and 2% less abdominal fat than those who drank none. The study took into account lifestyle factors, including age, physical activity and food intake. Results applied to black, green and oolong tea.

theory: Tea may increase metabolic rate while lowering absorption of sugars and fat-producing molecules.

The new USDA dietary guidelines recommend that most Americans get six ounces of grains daily, and that half of that—at least three one-ounce servings (one slice of bread equals about one ounce)—should be from whole-grain sources. Of course, eating only whole grains to meet the quota is even better.

Breads can be a source of whole grains, but knowing which ones are most healthful is difficult, the following advice

can be helpful.

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Filed under: General health Tags: Tags: General health by admin Date 9 April, 2009
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This condition is caused by bacteria that thrive on moist, sweaty skin. It can also be caused by eating spices, which can cause sweat glands to become overactive.

self-defense: Cut back on spicy foods, and keep feet dry. Change shoes at least once a day. Air them out after each wearing.

also helpful: Dr. Scholl’s Deodorant Foot Powder and Odor-Eaters®.

Most people who are allergic to dogs or cats react to the animal’s dander—the dried, flaky material that typically comes off when a dog or cat sheds. There are no allergen-free cats or dogs, but some breeds produce less dander than others, and, in general, female pets cause fewer allergic reactions than male ones.

best doc breeds: Small Basenji…Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier…Bichon Frise…Poodle…Portuguese Water Dog…Chinese Crested…or mixed breeds, such as the Labradoodle or other Poodle mixes.

best cat breeds: Cornish Rex…Devon Rex…Siberian…or Sphynx (a mostly hairless breed). Dark cats cause allergic reactions more frequently than lighter-coated cats. To lessen your chance of allergy, bathe your pet once a week with a quality pet shampoo and feed your pet a premium diet, as recommended by a veterinarian.

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Filed under: General health Tags: Tags: General health by admin Date 9 April, 2009
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The study included 349 people who experienced chronic low back pain, defined as pain lasting more than a year.

patients were divided into two croups: 176 underwent spinal fusion surgery and 173 were enrolled in an intensive rehabilitation program that included daily exercises and cognitive (mental) behavior therapy.

During the two years of the study, 38 of the patients assigned to the rehabilitation group had received surgery as well, compared with seven surgery patients who had received both treatments.

This finding seems to indicate that surgery has a slight advantage over rehabilitation. However, the study authors believe the benefit is still too small, considering the potential risk and financial expense of surgery.

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Filed under: General health Tags: Tags: General health by admin Date 9 April, 2009
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Just as contraceptive advice at six weeks may be too late to prevent pregnancy in some women, for others it will be too early to find a method of contraception that will suit. Particularly when intercourse has not been resumed, the woman’s change in feelings about her sexuality may not be apparent. As always, unless her feelings are understood her contraceptive needs are unlikely to be met.

For some women who have found the experience of childbirth intolerable, and the experience of looking after a small baby almost beyond their capacities, the fear of further pregnancy may not only dampen any sexual drive but make contraceptive choice extremely difficult. No method is ever considered safe enough, and for some even the use of several methods at the same time does not give them a feeling of security.

Tobert has also described those women for whom all the physical and emotional functions of femininity are intolerable. Painful menstruation, premenstrual tension and frigidity are succeeded by difficult pregnancy and delivery. Later there may be a demand for sterilization, hysterectomy or relief from the unbearable symptoms of the menopause. Often referring to their mother or grandmother as having suffered in the same way, their femininity is seen as an unhappy heirloom handed down through the generations.

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Filed under: Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction Tags: Tags: Erectile Dysfunction, Men’s Health by admin Date 7 April, 2009
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Condom use is traditionally the man’s decision. It is seen as good manners, caring and safe. It protects both parties, but particularly the woman from something noxious. The guidelines seem clear for the promiscuous and those in stable partnerships, but these are artificial distinctions. A man may not want to use a condom for what it implies. He may have had very few partners and not perceive himself as any threat. He may be keen to show how he respects his girlfriend and not want to view her as source of disease. In those circumstances he may well step away from condoms for what they imply and risk coitus interruptus or nothing. As she says, ‘I don’t want the sort of man who needs condoms.’

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Filed under: Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction Tags: Tags: Erectile Dysfunction, Men’s Health by admin Date 7 April, 2009
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It is wise to offer a post-abortion appointment to check physical and emotional wellbeing and confirm the contraceptive method. Most women will have adjusted well, but about 3% may have emotional problems sufficient to interfere with their lives (Dagg, 1991). These may manifest themselves as depression, anxiety, lack of sleep or psychosexual difficulties: they can be immediate or harboured for years (Conway, Bolt, Cooper et al., 1989). Sometimes the emotional pain can manifest itself as physical pain, resulting in numerous investigations. The fact that some women experience post-abortion difficulties is sometimes used by anti-abortionists as fuel against a liberal abortion law, but the possible emotional trauma of having an unwanted child must be borne in mind (Kaltreider et al., 1979). Sometimes the patient may find it difficult to discuss her feelings after an abortion. She may feel that as she was responsible for this course of action, she should expect no better. Friends and relatives may feel it is something over and done with and therefore not to be discussed. The patient may find her postabortion check-up a valuable time to discuss her grief and sense of loss.

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Filed under: Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction Tags: Tags: Erectile Dysfunction, Men’s Health by admin Date 7 April, 2009
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Miss R. was 17 when she first attended the clinic and 21 months later had a thick file, having attended 18 times. In retrospect, the professionals should not have been surprised that she wore them down. The counsellor was the first contact and noted that she had been brought/referred by her boyfriend who stayed in the waiting area. The counsellor wrote, ‘Has not yet had full intercourse, would like to discuss COC, has steady boyfriend. Will probably have arranged marriage when older and so ambivalent about starting to have sex, will not want future husband to know that she has been sexually active.’ A nurse took a history, a doctor saw Miss R. and prescribed the COC.

Two months later Dr A. saw Miss R. for the first time. Small, dumpy and childlike, she poured forth an amazing torrent of naive and sometimes bizarre questions. ‘Was this right, was that right, should he ask her to do this, should it last so long?’ Foolishly, Dr A. did not read the counselling notes and tried to deal with these questions as they came, feeling overwhelmed, but unable to interpret to the girl that she, too, was probably feeling overwhelmed by the demands of her boyfriend. Dr A. wrote, ‘Examine next time’, and fled from the patient feeling exhausted. Interestingly, the girl had also complained of being exhausted.

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Filed under: Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction Tags: Tags: Erectile Dysfunction, Men’s Health by admin Date 7 April, 2009
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