Health News

The goal of treatment is to allow the child to lead as close to a perfectly normal lifestyle as is possible. This means no, or very few, absences from school, normal exercise tolerance, uninterrupted sleep at night, and a general feeling of well-being. If a child continues to have frequent attacks, and/or regular symptoms, it may be that he is not being treated appropriately, and medical advice should be sought.

In treating asthma, the first principle is to prevent attacks from occuring. If acute attacks do occur, the aim of treatment is to minimise their severity and duration.

From a treatment point of view, children with asthma can be grouped into one of three clinical categories:

Episodic asthma The majority of children with asthma fall into this group. These are children who have symptoms several times a year, almost always in association with a cold or viral infection. They may wheeze or cough for a few days, and respond quite rapidly to treatment. In between attacks, they are in good health, with no symptoms of asthma at all and enjoying an unrestricted lifestyle. These children usually only need to be treated for their acute attacks — in between attacks they normally do not need to take any asthma medications.

Persistent asthma These youngsters will also have a number of acute attacks each year, usually more frequent than those in the first group, but may also have symptoms in between attacks. They may have an intermittent cough, or else a wheeze triggered by exercise. Children in this group are usually given medication on a regular daily basis, in order to prevent acute attacks from occurring. Some children in this group will need to measure their lung function every day with a peak flow meter to make sure that their asthma is optimally controlled.

Chronic asthma This is the smallest group of children with asthma. Their symptoms are often ongoing, and they need to take several medications on a daily basis. These are youngsters who are usually under the care of a specialist. If they are old enough, they will almost invariably be measuring their lung function at least twice a day using a peak flow meter, and their doctor may want to order more complex lung function tests from time to time.

*246\90\8*

I just hate the thought that there is a hole right in me. I leave my T-shirt on during sex now. I could never stand the thought of my wife actually seeing the stoma [surgically created opening into abdomen].”

HUSBAND WITH COLOSTOMY

An ostomy is a surgical procedure by which an artificial opening is created in the abdomen so that the urine or intestinal contents flow into a collection sac attached at the sight of the opening (the stoma). There are three basic types of this surgery. A colostomy is most often performed because of cell disease (cancer) of the rectum or colon and in some cases of inflammatory bowel disease and diverticular disease. An ileostomy is most typically done in the case of inflammatory bowel disease. An ileal conduit is constructed to divert urine to a sac because of impaired bladder function, removal of the bladder, or neurological damage in this area.

The effect of the above surgeries is varied, but in general the sexual-response system as viewed from the fourth perspective is left intact. Depending on degree of damage to nerves in the area of surgery, some men may experience erective problems, ejaculatory problems, or retrograde ejaculation. The ileal conduit procedure seems to have the most effect on erection, but even then more than one fifth of the men I interviewed (of a total of 122, including men not in the couples sample) reported no effect on erection. More than half of the men interviewed who had a colostomy (total 38) reported no erective or ejaculatory problems.

Women with ostomies may experience painful intercourse or some change in vaginal sensations. I found that postural adjustments helped greatly in many of the cases of coital pain, as some of the women were unintentionally compensating for the stoma and surgery by moving their bodies in ways that stressed different muscle groups. Of the forty women ostomy patients I interviewed, eight reported painful coitus that they attributed to the surgery. Thirteen, including these eight women, reported a change in vaginal sensations. As with the men, primary concerns were with appearance, partner acceptance, and odor that may come from the stoma.

I have found that the most effective counseling in these cases comes from partners of the patient talking to partners of other patients who have had an ostomy and resumed sexual functioning. This type of surgery requires some time before full physical stamina returns, so again the bywords are to take time, communicate, and move beyond the intercourse and mutual-orgasm orientation. I tell my patients that it is stamina more than stoma that will slow sex down at first.

*282\97\8*

This term refers to the emotional and cognitive reaction to the readiness. The changes of readiness are pronounced, as you will learn in Chapters Six and Seven. But the system does not stop there. We can react to our body as much as our body reacts to our mind and emotions. Again, we are talking about a miraculous intimacy system, not a hedonistic hydraulic system.

“I just get so aroused when I see what happens to my body when I am ready to do it,” reported the husband. “I get red-like, full, eager-looking, like a real hunk, you might say. I never look better than at that time. I wish she could see me, but she never looks.”

“I’m not sure what you mean by how do I feel or think when my body gets ready. It just is ready to do it, to receive him. Do you think I should jump up, run to the mirror, turn on the light and look?” asked the wife.

“Sure, just as long as you run to the mirror with your spouse. Better yet, have a mirror and soft light nearby. See what it looks

like when the two of you happen with each other,” was the way I answered her.

The terms desire, interest, arousal, readiness, and excitement have been used so interchangeably that most of the couples found it useful to discuss their definitions. Try it in your own relationship; your communication will become not only wider, but deeper and more connected.

*109\97\8*

For orthodox scientists, the most controversial are all spiritual methods, in which some external healer (or even the “patient” himself) controls the healing of the body by influencing the state of mind of the patient, and showing his (usually severely inhibited) “subconscious” mind how to perform the required repair job in the most efficient way.

I do not like to use the term “subconscious” here. In my experience, such a state of mind is in many ways superior to our normal conscious state we are used to in our everyday lives. In my opinion, a better description of it would be a “state of higher consciousness” or a “state of connection to a higher intelligence” or perhaps a “super-conscious” state. No words can adequately describe such a state, which in itself has many levels, some quite close to our physical body and some very far from it. Some initial states of higher consciousness are quite easy to learn, while access to advanced super-conscious states may require many years of or even a lifetime of practice with expert guidance.

Spiritual healing can be the most spectacular of all healing methods, but only when the healer is very gifted, that is, he has access as well as a command of higher states of consciousness. Examples of such healing experiences are so memorable, that many of them have been described in the most important documents of human civilisation such as the Bible and other scriptures, attracting generations of people over many centuries to create and support various religions.

In more recent times, the reader can find many cases of such healing from books written by professional spiritual healers, like Betty Shine for example.

Researchers and scientists hate, deny and ignore such healing, because they cannot “see” the healing mechanism using their instruments, and they cannot create such healing in their laboratories so they can study it. If only they could attain the “super-conscious” state themselves – they would not only understand the process of spiritual healing, but perhaps they would also change their job.

The last statement requires some explanation. Those scientists who negate the existence and consequences of the state of higher consciousness do so simply because they do not have access to it. On the other hand, those who are fully enlightened – never become scientists, because they see very little purpose in developing the physical sciences as we know them today.

To explain this, consider for example why the same scientists, representing the elite of human knowledge

Most of the healing techniques listed above, require visits to highly skilled and informed practitioners. This severely limits access of potential patients to them, especially when the medical education system favours certain doctrines and the legal system creates a tight monopoly for practitioners of such doctrines by making all other practices illegal.

For example, the newly amended Australian health legislation, effective from 1 July 1994, threatens to severely penalise doctors incorporating into their practice techniques of natural health such as nutrition, herbal medicine, homoeopathy, ayurvedic medicine and relaxation as well as meditation-therapy.

In many countries it is illegal to practice medicine without a licence issued by the system, supporting the prevailing medical doctrine.

In view of this, the best choice for all people is learn to heal themselves as well as learn how to avoid diseases in the first place.

*8\96\8*

Laetrile is a substance made from apricot kernels and containing a substantial amount of cyanide. For many years now it has been widely promoted as a treatment for cancer.

Repeated studies in the U.S. have failed to show that laetrile is of any value in cancer treatment, and in some states it is banned.

Yet many cancer victims and their families go to a great deal of trouble and expense to cross the border into Mexico where medical clinics exist to fulfil this need.

Few of us are prepared to accept the diagnosis of an incurable disease and many people will be prepared to try almost anything in an effort to seek a cure.

Despite the previously negative response of laetrile in being effective in cancer, public demand made the National Cancer Institute in the U.S. set up controlled trials at four leading cancer centres.

The British Journal, the Lancet, recently reported that the results were now available and showed laetrile to be totally ineffective.

*476/71/1*

What sort of lovers can we expect beer-drinkers to be?

Chronic alcohol abuse damages the liver. This can lead to a number of signs and symptoms which help the doctor arrive at the diagnosis when the patient is less than honest about the amount of alcohol consumed. The liver is usually enlarged and easily felt.

Men produce the female hormone oestrogen just as women produce a small amount of the male hormone, testosterone.

The oestrogen is normally broken down by the liver but, when damaged by alcohol, this function is impaired and men may suffer from a build up of oestrogen. This can cause hot flushes similar to those experienced by women at the time of the menopause.

The oestrogen may cause small blood vessels in the skin to dilate and to have small branching vessels coming out from a central larger vein.

These are common on the face and account for the red blotchy visage of the chronic alcohol abuser.

The excess oestrogen may cause shrinkage of the testes with underproduction of testosterone, resulting in lack of interest in sex and poor sexual performance. The breasts may enlarge and body fat be deposited in areas similar to the female.

Of course, liver damage due to other conditions may result in the same problems but, in this community, alcohol abuse is the commonest cause of liver damage and eventual cirrhosis.

*220/71/1*

Sharon’s story: “Looking back on a five-year problem that had me hospitalized tour times for laparoscopics, I find it shocking that my now-diagnosed endometriosis could have been overlooked by a count of ten out of twelve doctors! What is amazing is that the first laparoscopy showed endometriosis, and some of the adhesions were cauterized at that time. Unfortunately, the doctor who said it was endometriosis attributed the adhesions to an infection, even though a blood test showed no such thing.

“Four months later, the pain started again and the doctor did a second laparoscopy. His words were ‘no findings,’ meaning that he couldn’t see the endometriosis, not necessarily that it wasn’t there. J went to another doctor, this time traveling to a big medical center in the Midwest, and he had vague explanations about my pain after giving me a third laparoscopy. For about five months, I started to improve by some miracle. I was taking pain pills until last summer and then the crash came. The pain was so intense I couldn’t stand up I was put on antibiotics again. The doctor said my case was ‘too peculiar’ and he increased the dosage of painkillers.

‘A cousin sent me to her doctor. He actually listened to all of my symptoms (no one else really heard them when I recounted them) and he diagnosed endometriosis, but sent me to another doctor to have a fourth laparoscopy to be sure. It showed endometriosis, with one big implant near my left tube and another two implants on my right ovary.

“What is really disturbing to me is mat all these doctors were highly recommended. The third doctor even told me that if the second doctor found nothing after a laparoscopy, then nothing was there! The doctor who gave me the fourth laparoscopy put me on Danocrine for four days, but I had such bad reactions to the drug that he decided birth control pills would be better. I was still in pain after taking these pills, so be changed the brand. Now he wants to do a fifth laparoscopy ‘to get an objective view of the pain/ and if mat’s not enough, he wants to perform a laparotomy!”

Sharon’s chance for treatment and possible cure was sabotaged by her first doctor’s misdiagnosis. Sadly, it set her on an unwitting course that would be repeated again and again with other doctors. As it happened, the first laparoscopy revealed adhesions—fibrous bands that can bind organs. Adhesions arc unrelated to pelvic infections, but they do signal the possible presence of endometriosis.

Endometriosis can sometimes be detected during a pelvic examination if the masses are large enough to be felt. In Sharon’s case, the ‘hidden disease” had infiltrated pelvic tissue and was detectable with the aid of a laparoscope. Since its nature is also to implant itself on organs and go unseen endometriosis can be missed by doctors who are not familiar with identifying and treating the disease. This happened to her three times.

*45\43\4*

Moles, better known as pigmented naevi, are benign tumours of the skin. They arise as a localized abnormality of the pigment cells in the skin. Moles are uncommon at birth, and their incidence increases throughout childhood, reaching a peak at about puberty, and gradually declining with increasing age. Moles are common in all races and in both sexes. The average number per person in adolescence is about 20. They frequently increase in number during pregnancy. By the age of 70, however, very few moles remain.

The natural history or evolution of moles is both interesting and important. The earliest, or youngest type of mole, is the junctional naevus. This is situated completely within the epidermis, at the junction of the epidermis with the dermis. It appears as a flat, brown-black mark without any substance to it. The border is usually irregular, but normal skin markings are visible through it. By a process of maturation termed ‘dropping off, cells begin to appear within the dermis.

The mole is then termed a compound naevus. It appears as a raised, brown-black lump with, on occasions, a coarse hair projecting from it. As the mole ages, more and more cells appear in the dermis and eventually, as seen in older people, there is no cell activity in the epidermis. The mole has now developed into an intra-epidermal naevus. These naevi appear more regular in outline, frequently raised, but much less pigmented than compound naevi. The maturation process continues and eventually, in old age, there is disintegration of the mole which is replaced by fibrous tissue forming a skin tag; this may simply drop off.

However, if a mole is subjected to certain stimuli-as yet unknown-it may not undergo this usual ageing process; instead, at any level of maturation, it may develop into a malignant melanoma. It must be stressed, however, that only ;about one mole in every 500000 becomes malignant. Only about 25 per cent of malignant melanomas arise from a preceding mole.

*72\44\4*

1. Be aware of the physiological causes of hunger and cravings. This may reduce guilt in clients and increase motivation to combat difficult periods.

2. Tease out factors enhancing appetite such as social custom, food availability and restrained eating, and encourage an awareness of these for modifying eating behaviour.

3. Encourage slow eating to give the body a chance to recognise that feeding is taking place.

4. Graze rather than gorge so as not to risk periods of intense hunger. Snacking every 3-4 hours (using low-fat, sweet foods such as fruit) can promote satiety and reduce possible dietary compensation that may occur at a 5-6 hour time period.

5. Differentiate between biological and emotional hunger and rate levels of hunger to reduce unnecessary over-eating.

6. Wait 15 minutes before eating to see if a craving is physiological or emotional.

7. Reduce availability of high-fat foods. Sensory properties may influence susceptible individuals.

8. Choose high SI foods where possible to maximise satiety, e.g. All Bran, porridge, untoasted muesli, pasta, fruits, beans, lentils, spaghetti and potatoes.

9. Where possible, include high-fibre foods at each meal to help maximize satiety throughout the day.

10. if alcohol is consumed, there should be an awareness of the possible increase in food consumption due to reduced inhibition and possible higher intake of fatty foods .

11. The use of artificial sweeteners or fat substitutes may provide benefits to some individuals but requires individual monitoring.

12. Be aware of the nutritional limitations on fat loss and advise clients to avoid food restriction beyond their individual threshold of hunger.

*125\186\4*

Private

Legally, a private health practitioner’s files are her or his own property. A woman has no legal right to see or get copies unless they are subpoenaed by a court.

X-rays and test results are paid for by you so you have the right to request them. In private practice, you may have to use powers of persuasion to get the information you need. If you wish to have your X-rays and test results then discuss this issue at the outset of the relationship. Make it clear you want copies of records, specialists’ reports, etc. and explain why you think it is in your best interests to obtain copies of your records. For example, you may want to get a second opinion or you may plan to move interstate and would need to see another doctor. Your doctor has every right to refuse your request.

Public

The Freedom of Information Act (Vic. 1982; NSW 1989; ACT 1989) gives everybody the right to obtain any of their medical records held by public hospitals. A fee is usually levied for access and copies.

Access to your medical records varies in other Australian states so if you want access to them contact the hospital concerned. If this proves unsuccessful then contact the health department in your state to find out what your rights are.

*114\83\2*