Medsarticles. Medical Weblog

Cause

A stye is a small pimple which forms at the base of an eyelash due to infection from a germ.

Clinical features

A stye looks like a small, red lump, at the base of an eyelash, usually on the lower lid. It can cause swelling of the surrounding lid and be quite painful.

Treatment

Bathing the eye for 10 minutes several times a day, with cotton wool soaked in warm water, may help the stye to come to a head, and the pus to discharge. Do not try to squeeze a stye as it usually drains by itself. If it does not disappear within a few days, see your doctor.

Antibiotic ointments are rarely prescribed for treatment of a stye, unless it is a recurrent problem. Make sure that your child (and everyone else in the family) washes hands frequently to avoid spreading the infection. Use a separate towel for your child.

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This is impossible. You want me to just talk about sex and tell my

parents about this. Are you crazy? They are from another world.

They would die if I really told them what is going on out there.

FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD BOY

What makes them upset is not being told or not feeling able to talk with you about these things. You know what? Your parents have had more sex than you have. Yes. I know you may find that hard to believe, but your parents have had and do have sex. They love each other. There is nothing absolutely nothing, you cannot tell your Parents. It is very, very sad that young people are out there in large numbers fumbling around trying to learn sex on their own, or pre-tending they’ve already learned it, when they have parents to talk to and from whom they could learn. And one more thing. You don’t have to start out by telling them anything. Ask them things. Ask about their feelings, about their sexuality. Fair is fair. They’ll tell you theirs if you’ll tell them yours. You don’t have to talk about what you do or they do, but talk about feelings and values and beliefs and specifics about what can, cannot, and sometimes should not be done. Go ahead. Make their day. Ask them a good, strong question you think they can’t handle.

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Based on my interviews with the thousand men, their wives, and thousands of other interviews by myself and my staff, I offer twelve types of sexual husband. Remember, we all have elements of all these types, because they are not types at all but really behaviors, ways of being sexual sometimes. There is no need for more labels in the field of sexuality, so place the emphasis on the “fun” of these categories.

1. The Helper

Nobody gives her what I give her. I make her a princess.

HUSBAND

This is the husband who feels that he must assist his wife to sexual fulfillment. His daily activities, gifts he provides, things he does for his wife, and his behavior in bed are “help” rather than “share”-oriented. This husband attempts to live up to his perceptions of his wife’s expectations, which perceptions, by the way, are usually not accurate.

2. The Hounder

If I keep it on her mind, focused, bring it to her attention, we will have sex. I have to keep the ball rolling.

HUSBAND

This is a husband who oversexualizes everything. He comments about sex on television, in books, in the newspaper, purchases every source of erotica he can find. He has an extensive collection of pornography and may bring home X-rated videotapes or films to “turn her on.” There may be a secret pornography collection that the wife knows little about. Wives might want to look in the tool area of the basement under the wrenches. They may be surprised at what they find.

3.    The Heel

She’s not passionate. She tries, but she is of the fifties and I am of the eighties. That’s why I have to have a little modern sex on the side.

HUSBAND

This is a male who criticizes his wife sexually, while at the same time seeking his sexual fulfillment outside his marriage. He may defend his extramarital sex by blaming the wife for failing him sexually, when actually he has neglected the intimate dimension of his marriage for some time. Men and women who look outside the marriage have usually not looked long or deep enough inside the marriage or themselves.

4.    The Hermit

I just don’t think much about it. I run every day in the morning and sometimes at night. I am in training for the marathon. Sex isn’t everything. We’re partners. She doesn’t mind. She keeps me in carbohydrates and Coke. You know how running is. It takes your full attention.

HUSBAND

This husband has withdrawn from sex with his wife completely. While the wife may blame herself for this, actually the husband has neglected intimacy in the marriage and may be having an affair, not with another woman but with work, golf, or the television. Sex is very low on this man’s priority list, and so is the marriage. The wife may feel that she is just living in the same house with this man, not sharing a life with him.

5.    The Hero

I give her anything she wants. I really set her up. She wants for nothing. I kill all bugs, paint all ceilings, and am able to leap all of her problems in a single bound.

HUSBAND

p. Scott Fitzgerald once stated, “Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.” This is the man who seeks to establish sexual IOUs by contributing a house, child care, money, status, a car, or anything else he feels will earn him his sexual due.

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Oxygen therapies use oxygen in various forms (ozone for example) to assist the body in the healing process. Their indisputable effectiveness comes from the fact, that oxygen is a key substance used by our body in the detoxification process. The rate of detoxification can be greatly increased, if the body has an excess of oxygen available to it. Selected safe and very effective techniques of oxygen therapy are listed below. Note, that breathing pure oxygen is NOT listed as the effective therapy. It is not the quantity of oxygen, which is the most important. Most effective healing techniques use minute quantities of active atomic oxygen, in concentrations occurring naturally in spring water and the air in the mountains.

Enema. This was described in detail in a separate section earlier on- in this book. Adding minute quantities of hydrogen peroxide to the pure water used for an enema, delivers small quantities of oxygen directly to excreting organs, helping them to work better. Never exceed the concentration of 1 drop of (30%) hydrogen peroxide per 2 litres of water for your enema. Your safety and comfort are most important. If in doubt, use much less. Do not use hydrogen peroxide sold in pharmacies for external use only. It contains so called “stabilisers” which may be toxic. Use only “analytical” or “food” grade hydrogen peroxide.

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The incubation period varies from two to 10 days, usually depending on the virus. The onset is sudden with aches and pains, a temperature and headache. Photophobia or dislike of light is a common symptom.

The diagnosis is suspected because of the presence of a stiff neck or back. The doctor finds that when he moves the patient the head cannot be bent forward for the chin to rest on the chest.

This sign may be present as a result of irritation of the meninges from some other infection without direct involvement of the brain coverings themselves.

If the diagnosis is suspected then it can be confirmed by carrying out a procedure known as a lumbar puncture. A needle is inserted into the lower back penetrating between the spines or projections of the vertebrae to enter the spinal canal.

The cerebrospinal fluid is withdrawn and examined under the microscope. This enables the doctor to tell the difference between a bacterial or viral infection.

Bacterial infections must be treated with ahtibiotics but for a viral infection there is no treatment.

Fortunately most cases subside within a week and all the patient requires is aspirin or paracetamol to relieve the temperature.

Often the headache is severe and unresponsive to strong analgesics. Occasionally some muscle weakness or paralysis may occur during the course of the illness. Fortunately most cases recover.

Occasionally the infection may spread beyond the coverings to involve the brain itself. This is an encephalitis. If this happens the person is sicker and more likely to develop a complication.

There is no vaccine available for prevention and its development is unlikely because of the generally benign nature of the disorder and the many different viruses which are likely to cause it.

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The situation has changed and there is now adequate scientific information to indicate that cannabis use can be dangerous and can lead to problems the same as alcohol and tobacco.

I know of no reputable medical association which supports the legalisation of this drug or which advocates its wider use.

The community has a vested interest in the health of its members and therefore has a right to consider the benefits and abuses to society as well as to the individual when considering both drug use and abuse.

Wise men have been advocating moderation in the use of alcohol for at least 3000 years, perhaps longer. Yet the level of alcohol abuse is increasing in Australia.

Can we afford another problem?

Because, like alcohol, it releases inhibitions, cannabis is often said to enhance sexual pleasure. It may do so in the early stages but regular use leads to apathy in this field of human activity as in the other areas and sexual desire and activity decline with regular use.

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Symptoms: runny nose, red eyes, cough, fever, rash.

Home care:

Give aspirin for fever and a cough medication for severe cough.

Give the child extra liquids.

Bright light bothers (but does not injure) the eyes; keep the child out of brightly lit areas.

Precautions:

-    A vaccine is available to prevent measles. Be sure that your child receives the proper vaccination.

-    If your child has not been vaccinated, is under the age of three, and has been exposed to the measles virus, call the doctor.

-    When a child has measles, the fever and cough should subside as the rash peaks. If they do not, watch for signs of complications.

-    Earache during measles may indicate a middle ear infection. Consult the doctor.

Measles, which is also known as rubeola, is a highly contagious disease caused by a specific virus. It affects mainly the respiratory system, the eyes, and the skin, and is spread from person to person in airborne droplets of moisture from an infected person’s respiratory system. The incubation period-the time it takes for symptoms to develop once the child has been exposed to the virus – is ten to 12 days. Measles can be passed to other people between the fifth day of the incubation period and the sixth day after the appearance of the rash that is characteristic of this disease.

Measles used to be one of the more dangerous of the childhood diseases, but it is relatively uncommon today because a vaccine is now available to protect against it. Most children are now vaccinated against measles by an injection given at around the age of 15 months. If a mother is immune to measles (because she has either had it or been vaccinated against it), her baby before birth will receive temporary protection against the disease. This protection lasts only three to six months after birth. The reason that vaccination is delayed until the baby is 15 months old (and not given as soon as the temporary immunity acquired from the mother wears off) is that the vaccination is not fully effective in a baby under 15 months. It’s also fairly unlikely that a child under that age will be exposed to measles. It’s important to note, however, that measles is dangerous in a child under three years old, and if an unvaccinated young child is exposed to the virus you should consult the doctor at once. Measles is also likely to be serious in children who have chronic (long-term) diseases.

Measles is considered dangerous mainly because of the complications it can cause, among them pneumonia (infection of the lungs), middle ear infection, and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Encephalitis occurs in only one or two out of every 1,000 cases of measles, and today death from measles or its complications is very rare.

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What are they?

A heart attack occurs when the muscle of the heart cannot get sufficient oxygen-containing blood for it to function. Angina pectoris (a tight chest pain that comes on exertion am goes) is often the earliest sign that something is wrong. In this condition there is insufficient blood getting to the heart muscles, especially on exertion, and the person complains of tightness in the chest as the heart muscle goes into cramp.

A heart attack is like a very severe bout of angina. Sometimes the loss of blood supply is sufficiently severe to kill off a part of the heart’s muscle, and less commonly the damage from a shortage of blood is so severe that it causes almost instant death.

The heart finds itself in this lethal condition as a result of a lifetime’s abuse which causes a progressive narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) that supply the heart with oxygen. Blood clots may obstruct the arteries further.

Heart disease is now the prime killer in the western world; although in the US death rates have fallen by a quarter over the last fifteen years. Given that much of this improvement is caused by lifestyle changes it makes sense to look at heart attacks as substantially preventable. Historic evidence and evidence from populations who migrate from one country to another also strongly suggest that mankind doesn’t have to suffer from coronary artery disease and heart attacks.

There are compelling reasons for rejecting a fatalistic view that heart attacks cannot be prevented. We still have a lot to learn about heart disease, but it does seem clear that it is affected by lifestyle. We have seen that the coronary-artery death rates in the US and Australia have fallen dramatically over the last fifteen years. This improvement pre-dates the widespread use of coronary care units and coronary bypass surgery and even the widespread use of drugs for combating high blood pressure. The fall in heart disease has, however, coincided with a considerable reduction in both cigarette consumption and consumption of saturated fats. However, things are not quite as simple as this suggests, because heart-attack rates are still high in Sweden despite their wealth of medical technology and falling cigarette and fat consumption, and rates in American women are falling despite their rise in cigarette consumption.

What causes them?

No one knows exactly what ultimately causes heart attacks but several fairly clear-cut ‘risk factors’ have been established after vast and complicated studies worldwide.

• Smoking. Several studies have shown the link between smoking and heart disease. A study of particular interest looked at British doctors who stopped smoking between 34 and 55 years of age. It found that their coronary death rate fell by half over five years compared with doctors who continued to smoke. Stopping after 55 appeared to make much less difference. The degree of risk with smoking is related to the number of cigarettes smoked. Filter cigarettes are probably not protective. Cigarettes act along with the contraceptive pill to increase the risk of heart disease in young women twenty fold.

• High blood pressure. Many studies have found that reducing raised blood pressure, provided the treatment is begun in middle age, reduces mortality from strokes, heart failure and kidney failure. There is some evidence that anti-hypertensive drugs reduce mortality from heart attacks.

• High blood fats. The fats in the blood are many and take different forms. They all come originally from the digestion of dietary fat. The fractions of fats that seem to be of greatest significance in heart disease are the lipoproteins. High density lipoproteins (HDLs) appear to protect against heart disease, whereas low density lipoproteins (LDLs) seem to be harmful in this respect. The balance of these two types of lipoproteins can be altered by what we eat.

• Exercise. Studies show that those who take regular, vigorous exercise tend to have fewer heart attacks, though the evidence is not so clear-cut as is that on smoking, high blood pressure and dietary fats.

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In the summer television season in Britain in 1995, a series of weekly programs about women’s health was shown. Called The Ladykillers, it concentrated on the diseases that the producers felt were killing women in the last decade of the twentieth century. It highlighted cervical, ovarian, and breast cancer, post-partum depression, rheumatoid arthritis, ectopic pregnancy, and pregnancy toxemia. These are all very worthwhile disorders to show, but they fade into insignificance when compared with the deaths in women as a result of heart disease.

Coronary artery disease is now the most common cause of death in women in most developed countries, including the United States and Britain. This is mainly because the coronary death rate rises steeply after menopause: by the age of sixty-five, as many women as men are dying from heart attacks, and over the age of eighty, heart attacks are much more common in women, proportionately, than in men.

However, heart attacks do occur in younger women. Of the deaths caused by heart attacks in women aged under sixty-five, one in four is in a woman aged under forty-five. Therefore it is clear that women and their doctors must know the risks and try to avoid them.

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If you have diabetes as well as angina, then keeping your blood pressure under excellent control is even more important. Diabetes and hypertension go hand in hand; more people with diabetes than without it have hypertension. In people with both diseases, many have angina, and they are at much higher risk of a heart attack than everyone else. Treatment to lower their blood pressures is very much more effective at reducing their risks of heart attack and kidney failure than even the most rigorous control of their diabetes itself.

Your Blood Pressure Target

One of the first large studies of the results of blood-pressure lowering, the United Kingdom Medical Research Council Trial, concluded that in high-risk subjects (defined as those with mildly raised diastolic and a high systolic blood pressure, male, smokers, and people with a high blood cholesterol), treating the blood pressure would prevent one stroke per four patients over five years. In a low-risk person, with only a mildly raised diastolic pressure and no other risk factors, the saving would be one stroke per 242 patients in the same time period.

That trial used a combination of antihypertensive drugs that is now outdated, and has been superseded by newer drugs, so that treatment for hypertension is even more effective now, and with better chances of saving lives.

How far do you need to bring your blood pressure down? Studies show that lowering the average blood pressure by 6 to 8 mm Hg could reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease in the U.S. by 25 percent. This is true whether the initial blood pressure is extremely high or just moderately raised.

This finding was surprising to the researchers, who expected the benefit to be less in patients with less severe hypertension. It has meant that the target figures for a satisfactory blood pressure have been changed. The old target was a diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg. Then it became 85 mm Hg. The current blood pressure target is 80 mm Hg or less, and the savings in illness and deaths continue to increase. It appears, for diastolic pressure, that the lower it is, the better.

You can lower your blood pressure to some extent by changing to the healthier lifestyle of good eating and exercise described earlier, but this is not enough for many people with angina and hypertension. These people also need blood pressure-lowering (antihypertensive) drugs.

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