Archive for May, 2009
There are two considerations that are very important in choosing toys for children:
1. The safety of toys should be uppermost. Make sure that the toy is sturdy, and will not break in the hands of energetic youngsters. Toys should be free of sharp edges or protruding parts, should be made from materials that are not toxic (remember that young children like to explore toys with their mouths) and they should not have small parts that can be swallowed or inhaled. If in doubt about a toy, advice can be obtained from the local child safety centre (see p. 29).
2. Buy toys that stimulate the child’s learning and creativity, not those that encourage aggressive and violent behaviour. There is increasing community concern about ‘anti-social toys’. These include victim dolls or figures (which have often grotesque malformations or injuries), war toys, or violent toys such as guns or knives. There is increasing evidence that such toys can adversely influence children’s attitudes, values and behaviour. For example, a child’s language and play when using war toys is often very aggressive. Research shows that aggression established in childhood tends to be carried through into adolescence and adult life. Unfortunately, these toys are often promoted heavily during children’s television shows, so that children may ask parents to buy them. This should be resisted.
The careful choice of toys can have beneficial effects on a child’s behaviour and development, and also minimise the chances of potentially serious injury.
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The Catastrophizer: This person pulls away from sexuality and most of life. The health problem becomes overwhelming, distracting him or her from any personal or marital strength that could save intimacy and contribute to healing. “When I lost my breast, I lost everything,” reported the wife. “The cancer took more than my breast, it took my marriage.” The husband offered help. “But, honey, your cancer was cured. There are no signs of it at all. You licked it. It’s gone.” She stared angrily at him. “You’ll never know what it’s like to sit on a time bomb like this. It could come back. If you want sex, go somewhere else. If that is all I am to you, even at a time like this, then leave me.” The husband offered her his handkerchief for her tears and she threw it to the floor.
Unlike the Accepter, this person is defeated and asks repeatedly, “Why me?” While such concerns are a natural phase of illness, the Catastrophizer remains stuck at this phase, mistaking diagnosis for verdict. He or she may withdraw from sex as a form of self- or partner punishment in a misguided attempt to strike back at the terrible injustice he or she has suffered. The Catastrophizer is the innocent prisoner of their health problem, while the Accepter is more the overwilling victim.
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DIRECTED?
Psychologists refer to the concept of “locus of control.” Some of us are strongly influenced by our inner feelings and sensations. Others are more reactive to outside cues. Which seems to be your style?
“He doesn’t spend much time with feelings,” reported the wife. “He’s a realist. See it, do it, and that’s it.”
“Yes,” agreed the husband. “And she is all feelings. There is not a bone of practicality in her.”
This “locus of control” issue becomes important in sexual interaction. Some partners respond to sexual stimulation coming from within, from feelings and sensations that seem to originate from the psyche. Others react to visual or touch stimulation almost exclusively, are more haptic, sensation-oriented. How would you characterize yourself and your partner on this branch of the love map, reactive to the outside or active from the inside?
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VENEREAL DISEASE – TESTS
Author: admin
Sometimes the infection spreads through the blood and may cause an acute arthritis, usually involving only one joint.
Blood tests are unreliable and the diagnosis can be made on smear or culture from the affected area.
Most cases respond to a short course of injected penicillin. The long-acting penicillins, sometimes used in treating syphilis, are ineffective and so are penicillin tablets taken by mouth.
Penicillin derivatives such as amoxycillin are effective when given by mouth.
Some strains of gonococci, mainly from South-East Asia, are resistant to penicillin and so other drugs are necessary. Spectinomycin may be given as a single injection or the other tetracycline antibiotics given by mouth.
Non-specific or non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU or NSU) is essentially a male disorder. Following exposure some two to three weeks later a man may develop a discharge and pain on passing urine. As a rule, the symptoms are not as marked as with gonorrhoea.
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EPILEPTIC FIT – GENERAL INFORMATION
Author: admin
Following the attack, the person will recover, usually in a matter of minutes. There is no need to summon an ambulance or a doctor unless one fit follows on top of another or the person does not regain consciousness within 10 minutes.
If you remain calm and protect the epileptic from danger during the fit, on recovery he will usually be able to tell you who he is and whether he has had these before.
If so, once he has recovered, he is usually able to go about his business. If the fit is the first one, medical help should be sought.
A few who have epilepsy may suffer severe and persistent convulsions and may be mentally retarded. These may require institutional care and be unemployable. These cases are difficult to manage but they are in the minority.
Epilepsy in itself is not an inherited disorder, although a low threshold to attacks may run in families. The children of epileptics have one chance in 40 of developing the disorder, whereas generally the risk is one in 200.
It is important for all of us to remember that the great majority of those with epilepsy can have this controlled by drugs and lead normal lives.
If you suffer from this disorder or have a relative or friend who does, or if you are an employer and reluctant to employ an epileptic, contact the Epilepsy Association or Foundation in your State.
What they offer the epileptic is hope, what they offer the community is knowledge, what they ask in return is understanding.
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There is one type of cancer where screening almost certainly does make a difference to the outcome and that is cancer of the cervix (neck of the womb). Why is this so when it isn’t for our previous example of lung cancer? One reason is that most of the cervix can be easily seen with a speculum (internal examination). Cells can be gently scraped from the outer part of the cervix and from the part that we can’t see on internal examination—the small inner canal leading to the womb. This is the Pap smear which, when correctly taken, contains samples from all parts of the cervix to be examined under the microscope. What we cough up does not contain cells from every part of our lungs. The cells in the lung samples are only those that have fallen off by themselves, with the Pap smear they are gently scraped off. Next, the cells of the cervix go through a recognisable pre-cancer stage. This means that cells which are very likely to develop into cancer if left untreated can be identified under the microscope in the Pap smear. It takes quite a few years for pre-cancer to develop into actual easier Which can spread.
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As a rule, tests to check the central nervous system are only recommended if there is good reason to suspect a problem there. One exception is in certain types of leukaemia and lymphoma, which have a high chance of spreading to the meninges. With these, it is advisable to check for meningeal involvement right from the start. If the tests are clear, preventative treatment may be recommended as part of a treatment plan aimed at curing the cancer altogether.
Normal X-rays do not show up the brain or spinal cord at all, because they are completely enclosed in bone. A radio-isotope scan is one way of ‘seeing’ the brain. Unlike for liver and bone, the substance that is injected is not concentrated in the brain cells. What it actually shows up are the areas that have more than the usual amount of blood flowing through them. Cancer deposits show up because they nearly always have a greater blood flow than the normal parts of the brain. The CT scan is another way of showing cancer deposits in the central nervous system. The deposits usually let through less X-rays than the normal brain and spinal cord.
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STRAWBERRY MARKS; WAKING TIMES FOR BABIES
Author: admin
The strawberry naevus is a common childhood problem and causes anxiety.
The lesion is a new growth of immature blood vessels. It is not present at birth, but appears some time in the first three weeks. It is red and raised and, if pressure is applied, the blood empties out and loses its color, to regain it immediately the pressure is removed.
From the age of three months to a year, it grows with the child. Then growth ceases and it slowly regresses, the dilated blood vessels shrivel up, white patches appear in the centre and it eventually disappears.
This eventual disappearance is the natural history of these marks and so treatment is not indicated. If they are removed or interfered with, scarring may result and be present for life.
About a third of babies wake frequently or, on most nights, cry. This causes parents a great deal of distress, lost sleep and anxiety and guilt that their baby is abnormal.
Even if you’re thick-skinned and put it down to sheer bloody-mindedness on the baby’s part, persistent crying is hard to ignore and you eventually have to get up.
As you pace the floor, be comforted that you are not alone. As I said, about a third of babies have this sleeping pattern.
Don’t be frightened to get up to the baby, fearing you may spoil him if you do. There is some evidence that early attention — so the crying is not prolonged — may result, over a few months, in less crying.
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FAT LOSS: ETHICAL ISSUES IN OBESITY TREATMENT
Author: admin
Summary of main points.
• Ethical issues need to be understood and carefully assessed by professionals dealing with fat loss.
• A common principle of ethical decision-making is do no harm’.
Research revealing the side effects of dieting and the poor long term effectiveness of fat loss programs has altered the way we think about dealing with obesity as a health problem. We now know that fat loss programs carry some real risks and some authors have suggested that the treatment of obesity may be unethical. Certainly the ethical issues need to be understood and carefully assessed by professionals dealing with fat loss.
Is obesity treatment safe and effective?
High rates of fat loss are achievable in the short term but are rarely maintained. Consequently, many obese people find that their treatment creates fat fluctuations that may entrench their obesity.
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Most of the world’s population eat a high carbohydrate diet based on staples such as rice, maize (corn), millet and wheat-based foods like pasta or bread. In developing countries, carbohydrate may form 70 to 80 per cent of a person’s kilojoule intake. In developed countries the intake may be half this. In the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, carbohydrate typically contributes only 40 to 45 per cent of kilojoule intake. In these countries, carbohydrate, the body’s vital energy source, tends to be crowded out by fat.
Current recommendations suggest that we take at least 50 to 60 per cent of our total kilojoules as carbohydrate. To do this we need to consume 150 grams of carbohydrate for every 4200 kilojoules (1000 Calories). For a low kilojoule diet (5000 kilojoules/1200 Calories) it means eating about 175 grams of carbohydrate per day (equivalent to about 12 slices of bread). A young, active person with higher energy requirements, say in the order of 8400 kilojoules (2000 Calories) would require 300 grams of carbohydrate (equivalent to about 20 slices of bread). As an example of what this looks like we have calculated a sample carbohydrate intake for small eaters and bigger eaters.
The number of kilojoules and hence the amount of carbohydrate needed varies greatly between people. Your kilojoule requirements depend on your age, sex, activity level and body size. It is not possible to publish standard figures that will apply to every reader. If you want more information on your own specific kilojoule and carbohydrate needs, we suggest that you consult a dietitian. Dietitians can help you assess your kilojoule requirements and calculate exactly how much carbohydrate you need. Most of us don’t need to keep count of the number of grams of carbohydrate we eat every day. But for some people, like athletes, it may be necessary to keep a watch to make sure that they are eating enough carbohydrate.
However, if you are looking at ways to improve your own diet there are two important things to remember:
1. Identify the sources of fat and look at ways you can reduce it. Don’t go overboard-the body needs some fat in the diet
2. Check whether you need to add more carbohydrate to your diet and eat more. Most people don’t eat enough.
Note: A low-fat diet is not appropriate for children under five years of age. They need the extra energy provided by fat for normal growth and development.
How to find a dietitian. If you want to consult a dietitian about your kilojoule requirements and how much carbohydrate you need, look in the Yellow Pages under Dietitians. Make sure that the person you choose has the letters APD after their name (Accredited Practising Dietitian).
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