Weight Loss » General health

DEMENTIA: GENETIC AS ONE OF THE THEORIES

admin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:54:56 +0000

There have always been some cases of Alzheimer’s disease that have appeared to run in families. The most well researched ones have been found where the condition has occurred in younger people (like the original cases Alzheimer described). We know however that this type of dementia in younger people is very rare (0.1 per cent of total cases of dementia). There are in fact only 12 families world wide currently being studied with this rare and obviously directly inherited form of the disease. In studying these families it did seem that the condition was passed on to the next generation but not in a very straightforward pattern – one could not predict which offspring if any would develop dementia. We now know that Alzheimer’s disease becomes much more common as we get older (as high as 20 per cent of the over-80 age group is affected). Being quite common, it then becomes hard to know if the dementia is passed on in a family or whether or not the dementia has occurred in the next generation by chance; one has to wait for the children to grow old, and they have a 20 per cent chance of developing dementia anyway.

Someone then noticed that all cases of Down’s syndrome developed a condition identical to Alzheimer’s disease before they died young. It had been recognized for a long time that people suffering from Down’s syndrome ‘aged’ very quickly, but it was not until this observation about their dementia was made that its importance was realized. Studies on the brains of people dying with Down’s syndrome show all the changes seen in those dying with Alzheimer’s disease. Now, we don’t know what causes Alzheimer’s disease but we do know the cause of Down’s syndrome; in the majority of cases it is due to a fault in the chromosomes, the tiny bits of genetic material that are found in each cell and that originally come from each parent.

Each of us has 23 pairs of chromosomes, 46 chromosomes in all, in each cell. The only exceptions are sperm cells in men and ova (the egg cells) in women – they have 23 single chromosomes, half the usual number. When a baby is conceived by the fusion of a sperm and an ovum, the full complement of 23 pairs of chromosomes is achieved, the baby’s cells containing a mixture of the mother’s and father’s chromosomes. In a Down’s syndrome baby something goes wrong with this process and chromosome pair number 21 ends up with an extra bit of genetic material. This tiny excess produces all the abnormalities associated with the condition, including the development of changes exactly like Alzheimer’s disease. Each chromosome is made up of hundreds of genes (small sequences of genetic information controlling a bit of the workings of the body). It seems likely therefore that as chromosome 21 has the gene that produces Alzheimer’s disease in Down’s syndrome, the same chromosome should have a gene for Alzheimer’s disease in non-Down’s-syndrome people with, or who will develop, Alzheimer’s disease.

The topic is made more complicated by the finding that chromosome 21 may not be the only genetic source of the problem. Researchers have found families with early onset dementia where chromosome 14 is abnormal and some where chromosome 19 is probably at fault. Many researchers now feel that these genetic changes are more important than the original lead with chromosome 21 and Down’s syndrome, which may have given the impetus but will not be the answer. In addition medical interest is now focusing upon the role of a protein in the body called amyloid – more specifically beta-amyloid. The amyloid is governed by the amyloid APP gene and this abnormality also appears to run in families, making it another familial form. It appears that some cases of dementia are caused by a gene for the precursor stage of beta-amyloid being in the wrong place causing this protein to be abnormally deposited all over the brain. What is unknown is the relative significance of these findings and how important to the general population are the findings of an abnormal chromosome 21, chromosome 14 and the misplaced gene for beta-amyloid (and even if the beta-amyloid gene is related to the other chromosomal abnormalities and in what way).

Finding a gene on a chromosome may sound easy but in fact it is extremely difficult. Researchers in both the UK and the USA are currently working on this project and they expect to be able to identify the gene soon. This will then open up many more research possibilities. Once identified it can be looked for in people currently suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Is it present in every case? If not, do those who appear to have Alzheimer’s disease but who do not have the gene really have Alzheimer’s disease, and not some other similar condition? Is the gene passed from generation to generation? If present in normal healthy people, will they go on to develop the disease? As you can see it is exciting research but it throws up many difficult questions. Should you look for and tell someone they are carrying a gene that may mean that they develop dementia, a condition for which there is currently no cure?

Most of the experts working in this field think it is unlikely that carrying the gene alone will automatically mean that the person will develop dementia, unless they are in one of those families where the disease presents very early. It is felt that the gene being present means that you are more at risk than someone without the gene, but that you still need a trigger to set the whole thing off. More and more attention is being paid to environmental triggers – abnormalities in the environment which can act as general hazards – the theory being that such triggers, when put together with a genetically predisposed individual, result in dementia developing.

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TALKING ABOUT MARRIAGE

admin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:52:13 +0000

Marriage is noteworthy from the point of view of health because it protects couples from disease. Married couples with children suffer less illness than married couples without children. Who in turn suffer less illness than divorced couples. Who in turn suffer less illness than singles. Belonging to a family delivers the goods – as far as the propensity to good health is concerned. From evolutionary point of view this phenomena makes good sense. Debilitated parents would soon have their offspring and any claim to immortality swiftly removed from the gene pool.

Home Remedies

The divorce rate in western societies is approaching 50 per cent. Most people who divorce – remarry. The institution of marriage does not seem to be at fault. It appears more likely to be people’s expectations of marriage that are the problem. The first marriage may involve a process of reality testing. These lessons may be better utilized in the next marriage; although some researches say they are not. As far as the medical practitioner is concerned marriage guidance counseling involves two elements. The first relates to helping couples resolve their difficulties when both partners want the marriage to be saved. The second relates to keeping married couples apart when either one or both of the partners believe that the marriage is completely irretrievable.

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CHILD’S HEALTH: NOSEBLEEDS (EPISTAXIS) AND OBJECT IN EAR

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:13:15 +0000

Nosebleeds are a relatively common occurrence at any age, and are rarely cause for concern.

Cause

In small children the commonest cause of nosebleed is picking crusts from the inside of the nose, and in so doing scratching the delicate lining and damaging a small blood vessel. Blowing the nose vigorously, or any form of trauma can cause a nosebleed. Frequent nosebleeds may be a sign of a blood disorder but this is rare. The amount of blood lost due to a nosebleed will usually not harm your child.

Treatment

The most effective treatment for a nosebleed is to apply firm pressure with your fingers on the sides of the nostrils. Continue for 5 minutes, keeping the head still. If bleeding does not stop completely, continue for another 10 minutes. If after 15 minutes you still cannot control the bleeding, see your doctor, or go to a hospital casualty department. If your child suffers from recurrent nosebleeds, your doctor may recommend cautery, a simple procedure in which the vein which has been bleeding is sealed off.

When to see your doctor

• if bleeding has not stopped after 15 minutes despite the application of firm pressure on the nose;

• if your child has recurrent nosebleeds;

• if in addition to having nosebleeds, your child is generally unwell, looks pale or has unexplained bruises on his body.

Object in the ear

Cause

Young children in particular like to explore their own bodies, and may insert small objects into their ear.

Clinical features

This can cause itching, swelling and pain, or the child may complain of a blocked ear. An offensive discharge may be present sometimes if the object has been there for several or more.

Treatment

If you suspect that your child has an object lodged in his ear it is safest to let your doctor see him. Your doctor will probably syringe the ear with warm water to remove the object, or use a special ear probe. Trying to remove the object at home with a cotton bud may only push the object in further and this can cause damage to the delicate ear drum or canal. If the ear is infected your doctor may prescribe antibiotic ear drops or medicine.

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NEWBORN’S BEHAVIOUR AND COMMUNICATION

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:32:56 +0000

Babies call up considerable emotion in us — that is their survival skill. The earliest communication between baby and parent takes place through emotional cues which may even start before birth. It is through the sharing and understanding of that emotion that a parent is able to identify what is going on with a baby, and respond instinctively. Parent and child become emotionally attuned.

A baby has the ability, through his behaviour, to elicit the care of others. Parents are soon able to distinguish the nuances between a ‘pooey nappy cry’ and a ‘feed me’ cry. Facial expressions and gurgling often make parents melt with coos or giggles of love. Your baby may be small, but he is a powerful communicator and knows how to make his needs known.

Many parents feel ambivalent about having a child. This is a normal part of all parenting. If the parents are unable to acknowledge their true feelings, they run the risk of not being able to tune into the child appropriately. We all want to produce a beautiful child as a product of love. If, for example, a couple have a deformed baby, it may be very difficult for them to verbalise that their child is not physically beautiful. Yet this is often exactly what needs to be done.

The parent-infant relationship is important in the continuing development of the child. Parents provide emotional nourishment for the child, and studies have shown that without consistent parenting children may become withdrawn and may not develop normally.

A child’s sense of self is thought to develop at around 7-9 months. He begins to recognise that there is a shared world and also begins to learn to abstract, realising that pointing leads to something beyond the finger. From early infancy, an enormous amount of learning takes place in the relationship with the parents, through the ‘mirroring’ of facial expressions and voice. This is more than just mimicking; it is a tuning-in to each other’s emotional experience. Emotion is how we all began to communicate. It can provide a special intimacy beyond the limitations of words. In many ways emotion is still the most powerful language that we have.

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SUPER MARITAL SEX: A SEXUAL HEALTH EXAM

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:01:12 +0000

I’ve worried about this for almost ten years, and now you tell me it is absolutely normal that my left testicle is a little larger and hangs lower than the right? I always thought it meant that I was a little less fertile or that maybe I hurt it that one time I fell off the seat on my bike and cracked my nuts on the crossbar. I always sort of hide it whenever I shower at the club. I really don’t think my wife even knows.

HUSBAND

He has always acted funny about his genitals. He never lets me really see them or touch them. I touched his testicles one time and he pulled away like I had killed him. Why didn’t he ask the doctor?

WIFE

I did. He just laughed and said maybe I had pulled on one for too long. I never mentioned it again.

HUSBAND

Several of the husbands and wives reported similar instances of worries and misunderstandings that were never clarified, even made worse, by the lack of comfort and sexual knowledge of the medical field. As with all of the tests in this book, taking the sexual health’ exam together is the best way to learn about each other and yourself Dr. June Reinisch, director of the Institute for Research in Sex Gender, and Reproduction, reports that questions to her nationally syndicated column often contain misinformation and a refusal by physicians and other health professionals to respond openly, comfortably, and directly to sexual questions from their patients. Any doctors who don’t hear such questions in their practice can be sure that they have stopped them through their own discomfort with the topic.

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THE JOY OF PERFECT HEALTH: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:27:21 +0000

I make no claim, that I developed anything new. All the techniques listed in this book are known and proven for thousands of years.

Modern scientific evidence, summarised in this book to convince its readers is taken directly from books and articles published by many talented, dedicated, honest medical practitioners and scientists, who are not afraid of telling the TRUTH.

In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to Hulda Regehr Clark, Arthur Baker, Deepak Chopra and Sheldon Saul Hendler for their wonderful books.

I am grateful to Dr Vagif Sultanov, for his inspiring public lecture about fasting.

I am also grateful to Ed McCabe, a reporter, for bringing to the attention of the general public (mine included) oxygen therapies, against considerable opposition of the medical establishment and the media.

It would be impossible for me to collect quickly the scientific evidence I needed without access to the Australian NEXUS magazine, which has published great articles as well as summaries and reviews of many interesting and original books. I salute all those people associated with NEXUS. You are doing a great job.

I would like to express my gratitude to Nick Haritos, who corrected the manuscript.

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IRITIS – TREATMENT

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:35:32 +0000

These adhesions may become permanent and bind the iris down so that it can no longer dilate or constrict the pupil.

The most important part of treatment is to prevent these adhesions. So drops of atropine and homatropine are used to dilate the pupil, pulling the iris away from the lens.

Homatropine has the advantage of being short acting, and so the dilation can be quickly reversed once the inflammation has subsided.

But this drug works poorly in children and in some adults, and so atropine is required.

This unfortunately, has a much longer action, and it may take up to a week before the pupil returns to its normal size once the drug is stopped.

If the pupil is dilated, this interferes with clear vision and makes the eye over-sensitive to light.

The other drug of importance is cortisone in the form of drops, instilled into the eye to reduce inflammation.

Iritis may be mild or severe, it may persist for weeks or months, or may rapidly subside within a few days.

Unfortunately, it is prone to recur.

Assessment of any underlying condition is necessary so that this condition can also be treated.

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ASTHMA – DIAGNOSIS OF ASTHMA

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:48:14 +0000

Some children are labelled as having wheezy bronchitis or asthmatic bronchitis rather than asthma. This is because the wheeze is usually present only during a respiratory infection. Most experts believe that these are all mild asthma.

It doesn’t really matter what the condition is called, as long as the child gets proper treatment and the parents are not frightened by having their children labelled as asthmatic.

Usually the diagnosis of asthma can be made on clinical grounds, but some tests may be necessary to confirm it, assess its severity or check for associated factors.

Testing lung function by having the patient blow into a special machine is accurate and gives a lot of information. It may be necessary to provoke an attack, do the test and then reverse the breathing difficulty by giving drugs that dilate the bronchial tubes.

In allergic individuals, skin tests to find to what substances the person is allergic are also of use.

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SKIN PROBLEMS: DRY SKIN

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:30:23 +0000

Troublesome dryness of the skin can occur as the result of daily bathing or showering, especially in older people. The skin, particularly that over the lower legs, feels itchy and appears white, rough, scaly, even cracked, so that it may bleed and become red and infected.

The best way to deal with this common problem, the U.S. Pharmacist (13#12:24) advises, is to first soak the skin in warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes. After this, the skin must be thoroughly dried with a towel and then, and only then, it should be immediately covered with a film of ointment or cream. The soaking gives time for the water to penetrate into the deepest layers of dry skin and the thin layer of ointment or cream then acts as a barrier to prevent the water from evaporating away. However, since water and oil don’t mix, the surface must be completely dried before ointment or cream can be properly applied. Without the soaking, a cream or ointment cannot do much good.

Since ointments are more oily than creams, they form a more lasting water-retaining barrier. However, because ointments are stickier and less easily washed off, creams are more popular, especially during the day. With creams, though, one must be prepared to soak the skin more often.

Containing still less oil, or even none at all, lotions, although soothing, are almost useless for treating skin that is already excessively dry. They may provide some help, of course, in preventing normal skin from becoming dried out. Gels, which usually contain some alcohol, may actually dry the skin.

Cutis (37:384) recommends that we add Alpha Keri oil to our bath water. Those who preferred showering to sitting in the tub got the same benefit from Alpha Keri oil by rubbing it on the skin immediately after drying. Other bath oils probably have the same effect.

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CHILDREN’S HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: SYMPTOMS, HOME CARE, ETC

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:35:58 +0000

Signs and symptoms

High blood pressure has been called the “silent disease,” because it often has no symptoms. Symptoms, if they occur, can include headaches, pounding heartbeat, shortness of breath during exercise, and flushing of the face. Accurate diagnosis can be made only by taking careful blood pressure measurements with instruments that are the correct size for your child’s size. If the blood pressure is high on the first reading, the doctor will check it several times at return visits to make sure that the first reading was accurate.

Home care

There is no home treatment for high blood pressure. The condition must be diagnosed and treated by a doctor. All children should have an annual physical examination. High blood pressure in child-hood is curable, but it can be dangerous if it is not treated.

Precaution

• Be sure the doctor checks your child’s blood pressure during each annual checkup.

Medical treatment

Your doctor will give the child a complete physical examination, including measuring the blood pressure, palpating the arteries in the groin, and examining the eye for changes in the blood vessels in the back of the eyes (where effects of high blood pressure may be recognized early). The doctor will also examine the child’s heart, abdomen, and genitals.

It takes complicated laboratory investigation to check for all of the many possible causes of high blood pressure. Except for rare cases, all the causes of high, blood pressure can be successfully treated or cured by medications, changes in diet, or surgery. However, the condition frequently requires the child to be hospitalized for tests and determination of treatment.

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