Medsarticles. Medical Weblog

Scientific studies have rather consistently demonstrated that companionship contributes to good health. The quality of relationships also is a factor, found Xinhua Steve Ren, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Boston University School of Public Health and research health scientist with the Center for Health Quality, Outcome, and Economic Research of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bedford, Massachusetts. Here are some of his other findings.

•     Separation and divorce can actually improve health – but only in cases where there were serious ongoing marital problems. Separation and divorce are most detrimental to health when the marriage had no prior serious problems and the crisis arose with the sudden discovery of infidelity.

•     Being separated is more injurious to health than divorce. The separated were more than 2 times as likely to consider themselves in poor health than were married folks, while divorced people were about 1.3 times more likely to think themselves in ill health.

•     The quality of a relationship-whether marriage or cohabitation-affects the participants’ health. Those in unhappy relationships are at higher health risk than those who are in happy relationships and, surprisingly, even than those who are divorced.

•     Compared to married people, the unmarried tend to have higher death rates from all causes, have higher levels of stress, and use more health services.

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Tonometry

This is a simple, painless method of measuring the pressure of the fluid in the eyeball. It is valuable to be aware of this pressure because an early rise, if caught, can be treated and can save the person’s sight. It is a test worth doing every two to five years after the age of 40.

Sigmoidoscopy (Looking inside the rectum or back passage)

Most cancers of the bowel lie within the view of a special instrument, called a sigmoidoscope. It is generally considered sensible to have a sigmoidoscopy every three to five years following two negative examinations a year apart at age 50. Other experts recommend one examination at age 56 because this is the peak age for this cancer, which is the second commonest.

Testing the stools for blood

Because microscopic amounts of blood can be lost in the stools in people who have bowel cancers this can be a very good way of detecting such cancers early and certainly long before they start to produce symptoms. It is probably sensible to have such a test done every year after the age of 50.

Testing for anaemia

Recommendations for the screening of adults for anaemia range from, every two to every five years. Women are particularly at risk because of having periods and childbearing. Many millions of people, women especially, are walking around sub-clinically unwell with anaemia yet remain unscreened. This is an easy and cheap test to do and the treatment is straightforward and inexpensive.

Blood sugar tests

Whether or not it is worth screening populations for their blood sugar levels to see if they are undiagnosed diabetics is controversial-mainly because there is no evidence yet that the early detection of diabetics without symptoms does anything to alter the long-term outlook. Some experts think that as the test is relatively cheap it is worth doing every five years until 65 and then every two years. Others feel that looking for sugar in the urine (another sign of diabetes) every five years is quite sufficient.

Screening for sickle cell trait

Certain high-risk populations (mainly black) should be screened prior to childbearing so that they can receive genetic counseling about the likelihood of having an affected baby. Some experts recommend that the test be done at the age of 10 years.

Checking for German measles (rubella) immunity

This disease, whilst not serious during normal life, can produce terrible handicaps in the baby of a pregnant woman who catches it. It is estimated that even with rubella vaccinations being widely available, about 15 per cent of women get to childbearing with no immunity to the disease. The most logical time for screening is just before childbearing age. Pregnancy should not be allowed to occur for three months after the immunization. A girl who is not immune can be vaccinated in her early teens. Many authorities think that every pregnant woman should be routinely tested for antibodies to rubella.

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Pregnancy and child birth is a special part of a woman’s life. This joyous event is the creation of a new life and the start of years of joy, worry, happiness, and anxiety.

Having a healthy pregnancy is the first and most important step in your new baby’s life. It is a great responsibility on both the expectant mother and the father. Their lifestyle and the nutrition of the mother will play the most important part in the development of the unborn baby.

Many studies have shown that a lack of some vitamins and minerals in the diet could be associated with some types of birth defects and that supplements may prevent these defects occurring. The birth defects that may be prevented by taking a multivitamin supplement before and during the pregnancy include spina bifida and harelip.

Correct eating habits, a balanced diet, and supplements of a multivitamin mineral formula could help prevent many of the problems that may be associated with pregnancy and birth defects.

SUPPLEMENTS

folic acid 0.8 mg daily during pregnancy (folic acid requirement doubles during pregnancy)

calcium 1000 mg to 1500 mg daily, 2000 mg daily during lactation (calcium requirements double during pregnancy)

magnesium 500 mg daily

iron phosphate 15 mg 3 times daily

Naturetime

Multivitamin Mineral

(sustained release) 1 tablet daily

evening primrose oil 500 mg 1 capsule morning and night

(supplement may be beneficial during pregnancy induced hypertension)

For morning sickness

Travel Calm Ginger 1 tablet 3 times daily

peppermint tea 1 cup in morning before getting out of bed and then 1 cup 3 times daily

red raspberry leaf tea Drink 3 cups a day during the third trimester. Red raspberry leaf tea has been

traditionally used as a uterine tonic and to help relieve the pain of childbirth

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Did you know 26.3% of Australians died in 1988 of coronary heart disease and another 10.4% died from strokes? (National Heart Foundation 1988 Heart Facts).

When you consider that heart disease is largely preventable, we really must be doing something wrong.

The heart is not the fragile organ most of us are led to believe. It is a very strong muscle about the size of a man’s fist which sits in the middle of the chest. Without our heart the blood would not circulate around our bodies. This fantastic organ, beating at more than 100,000 beats per day, pumping about half a cup of blood per beat, pumps around 200,000,000 litres of blood in the average lifetime.

If you car worked as hard as your heart, then it probably would not last the distance, so those of us who just cannot afford to keep buying new cars do something about this problem. We keep up regular services, make sure the correct petrol and oil are used, warm our engines up slowly and do not over-rev them.

Do we give our hearts the same attention and loving care, taking into account the above figures? The average answer would be no, we do not. v

A number of my patients come in to see me with this standard question: ‘My father died from a heart attack when he was only 48 years of age and now my brother has developed angina. Does this mean that I am next and if so, if there anything I can do?

The answer is that family history only plays a small part in heart disease and a change in other risk factors can make all the difference. You are in a high risk group if you have high blood pressure, smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day, have high cholesterol, are overweight, live a stressful lifestyle or have diabetes. You must seek you practitioners advice and have a full medical check-up.

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The care of the lower bowel or colon is very important but unfortunately many of us neglect the inside. We need to drink plenty of water and eat foods high in roughage. Fresh fruits and vegetables and whole-grain foods are excellent and should be eaten every day in our diet.

We need to give our bodies a cleanout so that everything is functioning properly so we don’t have any of the morbid wastes left behind that can quite often cause side effects such as headaches, or lethargy, or just not feeling up to par. Even cancer can result from not looking after our colon properly, and eating foods high in fibre.

To do this, we need to look after our colon with a Colon Care preparation, containing gentle laxative herbs and agents providing bulk. This will allow us to eliminate the toxins from our body and we should look at doing this periodically to make sure that we are keeping our colons healthy and flushed. It is very important to get rid of these toxins as they can cause many problems.

SUPPLEMENTS

High fibre diet

Water 6-8 glasses a day

Colon Care contains once every two weeks

cassia

buckhorn bark

psyllium seed

aniseed

fennel seed

liquorice root

uva-ursi

Irish moss

agar agar

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Australia has many venomous snakes. The taipan, tiger and brown snake are all very poisonous. Others such as the carpet snake and green tree snake are non-venomous.

It is important to leave snakes alone. Many are not aggressive, unless disturbed, and will not usually bite.

If you are bitten and are not absolutely sure that the snake is non-venomous then the following steps need to be taken.

1 The victim must rest. Reassure the person. Don’t panic as there is an anti-venom available for all Australian snakes.

2 Apply an elastic bandage starting at the bitten area and around the whole limb. If a person is bitten on the foot then start the bandage around the foot and then continue until the whole leg is covered.

3 Take the casualty to hospital or ring or send for medical aid. Funnel-web Spider

The Australian funnel-web spider is very poisonous. It is a large black or reddish-brown spider and is found in rock crevices and under logs and rocks along the New South Wales coast and south-east Queensland. The bite is very painful. The treatment is the same as for snake bite.

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A LARGE GLASS OF FRESH WATER FIRST THING EACH MORNING

BREAKFAST

Glass orange or pineapple juice (unsweetened)

Poached eggs with 1 slice of kibble bread, lightly spread with butter (3 times per week only).

and/or

1 serve of natural muesli, wheat cereal. Add natural fruit to sweeten, some unprocessed bran or oat bran, skim milk or soy milk, no sugar. A little honey may be used now and then.

1 cup of herbal tea.

MORNING TEA

1 medium-sized apple

LUNCH

Salad. (If you are not able to take this type of lunch with you to work and you can buy your lunch, then order salad sandwiches)

Include in your salad: lettuce leaves, cucumber slices, stick celery, tomato, grated carrot and cottage cheese, slices beetroot, pineapple, natural yoghurt; 1 cup herbal tea;

AFTERNOON TEA

1 glass vegetable juice; or 1 glass fruit juice;

DINNER

Glass of water, nut meat or lentils with salad or vegetables. Don’t overcook vegetables, stir-fry with a little olive oil or steamed is best. Use herbs to enhance the flavour, or grilled chicken (no skin) or steamed or grilled fish with lemon or grilled veal and side salad. Add a little cold pressed oil to apple cider vinegar, garlic and some herbs to taste.

Alternate this with steamed vegetables including at least 4 to 5 different vegetables both green and yellow

DESSERT.

Use natural fruit and yoghurt.

Your water intake should be between 6 to 8 glasses per day. This may include herbal tea.

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