At the age of fourteen a boy became increasingly fussy about things. He developed a number of fads, particularly about having proper exercise and special foods. If anything should happen to interfere with these matters he would fly into a terrible temper. He would become quite beside himself in rage. On many occasions he threw food on the floor, smashed crockery and did wilful damage to furniture and household articles. He frequently hit his mother. However, both parents were extraordinarily tolerant of these outbursts which continued with increasing severity. In spite of this grossly disturbed behaviour he did remarkably well at university entrance examinations, and obtained honours at the end of his first year. Nevertheless, the violence of his outbursts increased with greater damage to property and further assaults to his mother. So much so, that at the age of twenty he was certified to a mental asylum. After nine months in the asylum his parents were told by the authorities that nothing more could be done for him, and that he would probably spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum.

At this stage it was arranged that he should be transferred to a private hospital under my care. However, he had grown to rely on the security of the mental asylum, and he steadfastly refused to leave, and the authorities would not compel him to do so. This strange state of affairs

continued for several weeks. Then he suddenly decided to go to the private hospital.

It was all very difficult. He was edgy and unco-operative and for the most part refused any medication. His knowledge that at any time he could return to the mental asylum where he had felt secure did not help matters.

I eventually brought him to do the relaxing mental exercises. His tension was gradually reduced and he became more co-operative. In a couple of months he was well enough to leave the hospital and live in a flat of his own. A few months later he was able to resume at the university. The present indications are that he will finish his course with quite a brilliant scholastic record.

This has happened to a lad whose parents were told that he would have to remain in a mental asylum for the rest of his life. It became possible solely by the reduction of his general level of anxiety by the practice of the mental exercises.

*97\57\2*

Patients afflicted with arthritis are usually in a condition of exhaustion and chronic fatigue. Studies also reveal that most persons with arthritis have been under severe stress for prolonged periods before onset of the disease.

In order to give an intelligent answer to the question: “Can injuries and stress cause arthritis?”, we must first agree on the definition of the word “stress.”

In a way, all diseases are caused by stress. That is, if we give the word “stress” a meaning which modern medical thinking has given to it in recent years. According to the greatest authority on stress, famous Dr. Hans Selye, of the University of Montreal, Canada, stress could be defined as anything that harms or damages the body. Stress is not only what the general public means when it talks about the “stresses of modern living.” Included also are such things as bacterial and viral infections, insufficient or unbalanced diet, inadequate sleep, lack of exercise, and nutritional deficiencies. Of course, anxiety, mental exhaustion, and constant worries and fears are more commonly understood forms of stress. But such things as x-ray, most drugs, constipation, polluted air, toxic residues in foods, fever, tissue damage (by sprain, blows, or cuts), pain, poor appetite, bad digestion, sweating, vomiting, etc. are all forms of stress

Now, when man is in perfect health, enjoys adequate nutrition, has a strong, healthy body and mind, possesses a clean bloodstream, and has all the vital organs and glands in tip-top working condition—most, if not all, injuries and stresses can be easily overcome, needed repairs can be made quickly, and no. serious deleterious aftereffects are left. In other words, if you are healthy you don’t get sick! But how many of us can qualify for the above description of perfect health?

Injuries and undue physical strains to the joints or other parts of the body can contribute to the development of arthritis if the body is already in a debilitated state, suffers from serious nutritional deficiencies, and/or is overloaded with accumulated toxins. In such a case, the damaged joints or muscle can become the focal point of the disease.

Thus, injuries and stresses, per se, do not cause arthritis, but they may contribute to its development when the body’s resistance is lowered.

Dr. Hans Selye refers to arthritis as one of the “stress diseases.” Adrenal exhaustion from prolonged stress is one of the major causes leading to the development of arthritis. The pituitary and/or adrenal glands, due to prolonged stress and consequent impaired metabolism, are no longer able to function normally and produce cortisone, desoxycortisone, aldosterone, and other hormones. Severe hormonal imbalance will be the result which leads to a further metabolic derangement and severely lowered resistance to further stress from infections, drugs, toxic substances in foods, etc.

To make sure that injuries and stresses do not cause permanent damage and lead to the development of serious chronic conditions, such as arthritis, you must see that your general health condition and resistance to disease is always at the optimal level.

“Meeting the demands of stress,” as famed nutritionist Adele Davis calls it, should be your first consideration. This could be best done by adopting a new way of life as outlined in this book. The well-balanced diet, which will supply the pituitary and adrenal glands with all the nutrients necessary for adequate hormone production, is an absolute necessity. A diet rich in unprocessed fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, seeds, milk, and milk products will supply your glands with all the needed nutritional elements and keep your body well prepared to meet the “demands of stress.”

Let me remind you again that vitamin C is known as an antistress vitamin. Vitamin C stimulates the adrenal glands and increases the production of cortisone. Be sure that you get ample amounts of this vitamin, perhaps the most important one of all. Take up to 1,000-1,500 milligrams a day or even more when under an unusual stress or subject to injuries. Fresh and/or desiccated liver, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, and wheat germ oil are other foods with antistress factors. They are rich in vitamin B-complex, including pantothenic acid, which is known to be an important antistress vitamin, especially in correcting the condition of adrenal exhaustion. Adele Davis recommends supplementing the diet with 400-500 milligrams of pantothenic acid daily, taken 100 mg. at a time, with three to four hour intervals, in times of stress.

Of course, many other vitamins and minerals could be considered as vital antistress factors, especially vitamins E, D, and A. Be sure that your diet is well supplied with all the necessary nutritional elements to keep you well prepared for the “stresses of life.”

*56\176\2*

In the past, many new drugs were tested on their ability to stop experimental seizures in animals. This is what happened with drugs such as phenobarbitone, phenytoin, carbamazepine, and sodium valproate. Because such a drug’s action is not just on stopping seizures, other effects, some adverse, are common. More recently through biochemical and neurological research, a number of chemicals, have been identified which appear to have a crucial role in epilepsy. One of these, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), acts by inhibiting or stopping seizures. One new drug, vigabatrin, has been developed to increase the concentration of this substance within the brain, and so prevent seizures from happening. Other neurotransmitters called glutamate and aspartate can stimulate a seizure, or make a seizure more likely to happen. Lamotrigine is a new drug designed specifically to reduce the concentration of these substances in the brain and therefore prevent seizures. There are other drugs which are being assessed in a similar way, and which may become generally available in the next few years. Examples include gabapentin, oxcarbazepine, topirimate, remacemide, and zonisamide. It is to be hoped that such drugs

‘tailor-made’ to interfere with specific chemical processes will be associated with fewer

side-effects, and will therefore be safer, and more acceptable to patients.

Surgery-It is likely that the surgical treatment of epilepsy will increase over the next decade. This is because scanning and EEG techniques will become more advanced, and more widely available, thereby enabling the identification of subtle abnormalities within the brain responsible for seizures, some of which will be capable of being removed surgically. It is likely that more specialist centres will become established to perform such surgery, and the operations will be undertaken at a younger age.

*91\188\2*

Periodontal disease, manifested by gum shrinkage, is the main cause of tooth loss after the age of 40 and is principally due to accumulation of plaque on the roots of the teeth, the U.S. Pharmacist fl0#9:23) reports. Plaque is a sticky, soft material composed of bacteria trapped within a gel-like mixture of mucus, broken-down cells, and debris from food. Left undisturbed, it gradually builds up and hardens, irritating and displacing the gums so that they shrink back from the teeth. Ultimately, this results in cavities, loosening and loss of teeth.

Apart from brushing after meals and using dental floss, procedures that cannot reach all of the bacteria that form plaque, most of us do nothing more to prevent plaque buildup than visiting our dentists for a tooth cleaning session about once a year.

Plaque formation can be much more effectively prevented if, in addition to doing all of the above, one uses a mouthwash containing chemicals such as cetylpyridinium and alcohol that inhibit growth of plaque-producing bacteria. One should rinse the mouth with about two tablespoonfuls of the liquid twice a day for about 30 seconds, swishing it around between the teeth before spitting it out. After rinsing, do not eat or drink for 30 minutes. Mouthwash is most effective when used immediately after brushing and, if used regularly, reduces plaque formation by about 70 percent.

*206\143\2*

Symptoms: pain; swollen neck glands; difficulty in swallowing

Home care:

Have the child gargle with salt water and drink extra fluids.

Give aspirin or paracetamol to relieve pain.

Keep the child isolated until the cause of the sore throat is diagnosed.

Precautions

-    A child with a sore throat accompanied by any of the following symptoms should be seen by a doctor:

    swollen or tender neck glands

    persistent difficulty swallowing

    pus-like discharge from eyes or nose

    earache

    sinus pain

    breathing difficulty

    chest pain

    rash

    stiff neck

    weakness or exhaustion

    confusion

    prolonged vomiting

-    Any child with a sore throat and fever that are still getting worse after 24 to 36 hours should be seen by a doctor.

-    A child with a sore throat should be kept away from other children, particularly infants, until a diagnosis has been made.

In theory, and in the medical school classroom, a sore throat is one of the simplest childhood problems to diagnose and to treat. Medical textbooks state that a sore throat is usually caused by a virus and, therefore, does not require treatment with antibiotics because viruses do not respond to medication. A sore throat that is not caused by a virus is generally due to streptococcus bacteria. These organisms can be identified by culturing throat secretions, and a strep throat can be treated with penicillin or, if the child is allergic to penicillin, with erythromycin.

In practice, however, the diagnosis and treatment of a sore throat is not so straightforward. Viral infections sometimes are complicated by streptococcal infections. A throat culture may isolate streptococci organisms even though the illness is not being caused by these organisms, and about 5 percent of throat cultures will not show streptococci even when they are present and are, in fact, the cause of the sore throat. Some bacterial illnesses that cause a sore throat will respond to antibiotics, but the infecting bacteria cannot be identified through an ordinary throat culture.

*193/84/5*

The Diagnosis of Mold Allergy

Diagnosis of mold allergy rests on an allergic history followed by intracutaneous testing.

Scratch tests are not to be used for molds because they are not reliable. The reading of the test is usually done fifteen minutes after performing it; however, molds are known to cause delayed reactions which show up one or two days after the test. The number of tests necessary to diagnose a mold allergy varies with the training and experience of the allergist who is performing them.

The Treatment of Mold Allergy

Treatment consists of weekly injections of a weak solution of mixed mold extract, to be increased in potency until a maximum tolerated dosage is reached after four to five months. Once that dosage is reached, the period between injections is prolonged until only one injection per month is given for a period of two to three years. These injections provide relief from allergy symptoms in about 80 percent of the mold-sensitive children thus treated. Even in institutes which specialize in mold allergy, the results are not superior.

The list below contains commercial products useful in preventing mold growth in a basement or in other damp areas.

Bye-Mold: Sold by Allergy-Free Products for the Home, Springfield, Missouri. Impregon: Made by Fleming Company, St. Louis. Ammonium compounds: Zephiran Chloride, Roccal, and other chlorine solutions, found in drugstores all over the country. Paraformaldehyde crystals: Two ounces left in an open jar for several days in a room that is well ventilated prior to reuse.

Formalin (37 percent formaldehyde): The liquid is to be poured into a wide-mouth container until about one-half inch deep. The number of containers used varies with the size of the basement, and it is most important that the basement be thoroughly aired out before use.

Lysol solution: To use in cleaning the walls and floor of the room.

Electrostatic air purifiers.

Dehumidifiers and desiccants: For example a cloth sack containing two to three pounds of calcium chloride suspended above a pail to collect the drippings.

*19/99/5*

This involves a single sperm being injected directly into the egg to fertilise it. The embryo is then implanted in the womb.

ICSI developed out of a technique called SUZI (Sub-zonal insemination), where five to ten sperm were injected just underneath the layer of cells, the zona pellucida, that surrounds the egg.

Who Should Have It?

ICSI can be used if your partner’s sperm count is so low that IVF is not possible, if he cannot ejaculate, or if he has an obstruction stopping his sperm being released.

What Happens?

You will have to undergo the same preparations with drug treatment and procedures as for IVF.

The human egg is invisible to the naked eye and sperm are minute in comparison to an egg, so ICSI is a very delicate procedure.

For men who can’t ejaculate or whose sperm are obstructed, the sperm samples can be drawn off directly from the testes or epididymis. If this does not work then a biopsy is performed, in which fingernail-size pieces are taken from the testes through a tiny incision. The sperm retrieved in this way are not fully developed and may not move.

Success Rate

The success rate for ICSI, 20-25 per cent, is slightly higher than for IVF. This is probably due to the fact that the sperm is injected directly into the egg so the technique is not dependent on how well fertilisation takes place.

Risks

In IVF a number of sperm are put in with the egg, which seems to be able to favour healthy sperm over those that may be defective. In ICSI the egg has no ‘choice’ because only one sperm is used and inserted directly. Because of this, and the fact that often immature sperm or even sperm cells are used, there have been concerns that ICSI could result in babies being born with chromosome defects or having genetic problems later in life.

Researchers have found that babies born after ICSI are twice as likely to have a major birth defect and 50 per cent more likely to have a minor defect.

It has been suggested that men go for karyotyping (chromosome evaluation) before they embark on ICSI so that any genetic causes of their infertility can be ruled out. If there is a genetic cause for the man’s infertility, the man and his partner should be counseled as to whether it is right for ICSI to proceed because of the possibility of passing on problems to the baby. Boys born following ICSI might, for instance, be infertile and need ICSI themselves in order to conceive.

It is important to know why the man is infertile, especially if he is producing no sperm. If there are chromosome problems in the man then it is also likely that the miscarriage rate could be high after ICSI.

Sometimes we can’t conceive because nature has a fail-safe mechanism to protect the survival of the fittest. Even though we now have the technology to override this, there are some situations where the consequences for the baby should be thought through carefully.

*95/73/5*

What are they?

At one end of the spectrum there is complete blindness-a condition affecting some 16 million people around the world. There are several causes, including detachment of the retina, amblyopia, glaucoma, congenital blindness, trauma to the eye, diabetic retinopathy and various infections. The common conditions affecting the eyes (and sometimes leading to blindness) in western countries are considered under the headings glaucoma, diabetes and cataract.

Short sight, long sight and presbyopia (old sight) affect most of us to some degree, with more than half of all North Americans and British between the ages of 6 and 74 wearing glasses or contact lenses all or some of the time. Unfortunately, the problem seems to get worse with age. Fewer than 12 per cent of 6-11-year-olds need correction yet about 95 per cent of those aged 65-74 do. Whether or not such deterioration in vision is inevitable is open to debate. Research over recent years suggests that much could be prevented.

What causes them?

• Poor nutrition.

• Poor lighting.

• Mental strain.

• Wearing spectacles.

• Too little exercise of the eyes.

Prevention

The eye is an extremely sensitive barometer of diet. When the eye’s diameter changes by even as little as a millimeter it makes a big difference to vision. At one end of the poor-nutrition scale, a quarter of a million Asian children go blind each year from malnutrition. Xerophthalmia, the main cause of such blindness, is a result of generally poor nutrition and in particular of a lack of vitamin A. Few westerners, however, are at risk of losing their sight due to a faulty diet. Many, though, have far worse sight than they should have.

An early sign of vitamin A deficiency is poor vision in dim light. One study of 100 people taken at random found that twenty-six of them had at least some degree of night blindness. The prevention for this is to eat foods rich in vitamin A. Liver is the best source but fruits and green leafy vegetables are good sources. Zinc too has been found to be vital for night vision. Studies of people with the condition who did not respond to vitamin A supplements have found that adding zinc made the difference. Zinc is now known to play a vital role in the conversion of vitamin A to its active form, retinol-dehyde, in the retina. Vitamin  and folate in particular are now being studied in the context of healthy vision.

It appears that green and yellow vegetables are vital if one is to maintain healthy vision. Some food additives, particularly monosodium glutamate (MSG), have a particularly bad effect on the eyes, according to one US researcher. When added to commercial foods in large amounts it damages the nerves. He feels that MSG should not be given to children, though he is less cautious about adults as they have a natural barrier to the toxic effects of the substance.

Although short-sightedness is not mainly caused by diet certain research seems to show that a poor diet worsens it. One study found that myopic people, who ate too much sugar and protein, were deficient in chromium and didn’t metabolize calcium properly. There are now numerous studies linking poor nutrition to eye problems and vitamin E is an exciting area of research. Highly vitamin E-deficient animals go blind in time. The human retina, it appears, is susceptible to oxidation-unless protected by an anti-oxidant such as vitamin E. Research in rats has found that a diet poor in vitamins E and A results in permanent damage to nearly half the animal’s visual cells in eight months. There is little doubt that a whole food, unrefined diet is the best starting point to improving poor sight.

*213/72/5*

Guilt

Many women complain about feeling guilty or that they are made to feel guilty about why they developed the disease. Some may even feel that it is a type of punishment that they alone must endure.

For years endometriosis was tagged the ‘career woman’s disease’. This was based on the unfounded idea that women who delay having children are more at risk of developing endometriosis. Women are made to feel guilty that delaying marriage and having children until after they have established a career has been the cause. You ask yourself if you had started your family earlier would you have developed the disease. Would infertility have been a problem?

What must be remembered is that it is not known if delaying childbirth has any connection with the development of endometriosis. Also remember that many women actually get endometriosis after they have had children.

Other women complain that they feel guilty because they may not have been assertive enough in getting a diagnosis. Having been told by one doctor that nothing was wrong they simply suffered in silence and put up with their pain and symptoms.

Sometimes the assumption is made that stress causes the disease. This may make some women think that if they did not have such a stressful job, did not work so hard or didn’t have a difficult family life, they may not have developed the disease.

It does appear that the symptoms of endometriosis may be aggravated when a person is suffering from stress, but it does not mean that it actually develops because of stress.

Women may feel guilty because they cannot cope in certain situations whereas others cope well.

For those who have had an abortion, used contraception such as the Pill or an IUD, used tampons or had sexual intercourse at an early age, there can be the mistaken belief that this has contributed to them getting the disease.

Depression

Most endometriosis sufferers have felt depressed at some stage for one reason or another. Suddenly you have to come to terms with having a chronic illness. There is the constant tiredness and the frustration of feeling lethargic. Sexual relations are put under enormous stress if you suffer pain during intercourse. Pain may also interrupt your lifestyle.

Treatment may not be effective and you worry about what alternatives you may be faced with. So many of your questions seem to go unanswered and at times you really feel as though you are unable to get on with your life.

For those who have fertility problems there is the concern that perhaps you may never have a child. And if you are lucky enough to get pregnant will you miscarry? Will the disease hinder a normal delivery?

Many of us become depressed thinking about the future management of the disease. Will you be faced with more hormone treatment? Will you require more surgery?

*85/41/5*

Shed, garage and workshop

• Use the right tool – don’t make do.

• Use ramps for cars, not piles of bricks.

• Keep garden tools hanging safely on walls.

• Keep weed killer and other chemicals high up and out of reach. Never use domestic

containers (e.g. lemonade bottles) for weed killer etc.

• Check children’s bikes for safety at least twice a year.

• Wear safety goggles or glasses when sanding or grinding.

• Wear a mask when spraying and ventilate the area.

• Work in a good light.

• Petrol must be kept in metal cans only (plastic degenerates and leaks). No more than 4

gallons may be stored at home.

• Keep children away when you are doing something dangerous-in one third of DIY accidents

it is the watching child who is hurt.

• Never run an engine in a closed garage.

Gardens

• Make sure ladders have a firm footing.

• Don’t be overprotective to older children.

• Supervise small children all the time on swings.

• Keep ponds fenced or covered if you have young children.

• Make water butts safe.

• Make sure paths and steps are even, especially for the elderly.

• Teach children to recognize poisonous trees and shrubs.

• Teach everybody to respect swimming pools.

• Put out fires before going to bed.

• Never throw inflammable liquids or aerosol cans on to fires.

• Wear stout shoes or boots when mowing.

• Clear lawns of stones and toys before mowing.

• Never leave a mower unattended when the engine is running or, in the case of an electric

mower, still plugged in.

• When using power hedge clippers, keep the flex over your shoulder out of your way.

• Don’t leave garden tools lying around-they are a danger to everyone.

• Keep septic tanks properly covered.

• Check deckchairs and garden furniture for safety after the winter.

• Never adjust your mower or hedge trimmer while it is running.

*74/72/5*