The Health Blog

Technological developments in the area have led to a number of different machines now being available for directly or indirectly measuring body fatness. Some of these are extremely expensive and would not be used in the normal day-to-day counseling situation. Others are now becoming more portable and more accessible and provide at least an opportunity for adding to other measures. The current range of machines include: underwater weighing, bio-impedance analysis, etc.

Underwater, hydrostatic weighing, or densiometry as it is sometimes called, has been the ‘gold standard’ of fat measurement for many years. This is carried out by immersing the subject totally in water and corrrecting for air trapped in the lungs. The person’s weight in air and their weight underwater are then calculated to determine body density, body volume and body fat percentage. The fatter a person is, the heavier he or she weighs in air and the lighter he or she weighs in water. Because it requires a lot of equipment and delicate measuring techniques, underwater weighing is generally reserved for research purposes or for measuring body fat changes in elite athletes. Validity is high, as is the reliability and sensitivity of the measure. The practicality of this measure, however, limits it to research and teaching facilities, with little prospect for use in the practical counselling situation.

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Unlike hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism is usually a condition of older children and is more probable in girls in the 12-14 age group, but it may affect any age.

Symptoms may develop rapidly. Entire body functions are speeded up, and the child tends to be nervous and irritable, fidgets and cannot sit still for long. The skin tends to be warm and clammy, the skin flushed, and in some cases the eyes appear prominent. Often the heart seems to race. The child may often feel weak and look thin, despite a good appetite. There may be a substantial rate of growth, probably above average. In adolescent girls, menstrual periods may start late or may be absent. Any symptoms of this nature need medical attention. The doctor will arrange suitable tests to help diagnosis.

Treatment

Treatment will depend on the extent of the disorder and the age of the child. In some cases, medical treatment with the use of tablets aimed at reducing thyroid activity will be adequate. In other instances, surgery may be necessary. It is a case of a special form of treatment being worked out for each patient. With proper care, the outcome is usually good.

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The other name for mumps is epidemic parotitis. (Don’t you enjoy these gobbledegook names that doctors use? It makes even the simplest problem seem difficult. That’s probably why they use them!)

Mumps is a common infectious disease, rarely seen in persons under the age of three, but rife after that. It can occur at virtually any age, from young to old, but children are the usual victims. It is caused by a virus, and usually attacks the parotid gland. This is a large organ that sits in front of and below the ears. It produces saliva, and for some unknown reason the virus simply loves having an affair with it. Also, various other glands under the jaw (the submaxilliary salivary gland) may also become involved.

It is not as highly infectious as some of the other childhood disorders, such as measles and chicken pox, and is usually spread via contamination of toys and articles shared with others. A person may infect another from two days before the appearance of the glandular swelling, until it has subsided completely. The glands are not always affected. It takes 12-24 days for the germ to incubate and produce symptoms.

During the prodromal period (the days immediately before the glands are noticeably involved), there is usually a fever, a feeling of being unwell, and probably pains about the ear when eating and swallowing. The skin may feel sensitive and tingly.

Suddenly the salivary glands become affected. They swell, become tender to touch, and this is aggravated by any movement of the jaw, such as eating, talking, swallowing food or fluid. The fever may reach 40°C (104°F) or it may be only mild. There may be headaches, aches and pains and a general feeling of misery and being off-colour.

The most serious complication is the onset of a severe headache, stiffness of the neck or back muscles, vomiting, lethargy, and a further increase in temperature which may reach 41.1°C (106°F).

This may indicate meningeal irritation—meaning the virus has attacked the lining of the brain.

Another important and fairly serious complication is when the virus moves to the testes in males or the ovaries in females. This may cause swelling and pain in the scrotum or lower pelvic regions. In fact, it may prolong the illness and cause a great deal of discomfort. The main hazard is that this may reduce fertility in later life; and cases of subsequent sterility, whilst not common, have often been reported. Occasionally the pancreas (a gland in the abdomen which produces insulin), the kidneys and the ears may be attacked and can produce serious symptoms. But these complications, in the total picture, are not common.

Treatment

There is no specific antibiotic—as with most other viral infections—that will cut short the attack. Ideally, the treatment is bed for a few days, until the temperature has fallen and the child feels improved. Once again, most children are good barometers and will want to get up and start moving about as soon as they feel a little better. Isolation is often suggested until swelling of the salivary glands has subsided, for the virus is transmissible to others.

Plenty of fluids are advised, for they require little effort apart from swallowing and do not unduly exercise the jaws. Water, water-based drinks and fruit juices are all good. Any food may be served, but those requiring little chewing are best. Softly boiled and poached eggs, mashed vegetables, stewed fruit, broth and soup, custards, ice-cream, jellies and soft toast are all suitable. There is no restriction on food to be served to the patient.

Pain and fever may be reduced by giving analgesics and antipyretics. Paracetamol elixir for children aged under six is suitable; and for those over six years, paracetamol or aspirin tablets may be given. Dosage is usually written on the label.

Warm applications such as compresses may give relief if the swollen areas of the face are sore. Warm, salty-water mouth rinses may give a feeling of freshness, and improve the outlook.

Most patients recover with few, if any, problems. Even those with gonadal involvement usually recover. If there are any symptoms that appear odd, or that are not responding to simple home remedies fairly promptly, call the doctor for further advice on management. This is especially important if any of the symptoms indicating complications develop, particularly high fevers, headaches, neck stiffness, lower abdominal pain or testicular pain. These are the main problem areas.

A vaccine is available for children to prevent mumps. This may be given at the age of 12 months, and consists of one single injection. In time, it may be available as a combined mumps-measles vaccine. Its use is not widespread at present, for some doctors do not think mumps is serious enough to warrant routine immunization, but this attitude is now rapidly altering. In 1981 the National Health and Medical Research Council recommended routine immunization of children against mumps.

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Wilhelm Reich was a Viennese psychiatrist who was a follower of Sigmund Freud but later broke away to establish his own therapy. Like Freud, Reich believed that frightening and painful experiences and feelings could be repressed by the conscious mind. Reich based his therapy on his belief that repressed feelings could cause physical as well as psychological problems and that these could be released by certain movements. He divided the body into seven zones in which tightening of certain groups of muscles created ‘body armour’. Rigid patterns of behaviour he termed ‘character armour’. He believed that the blockages created by these armours impeded energy flow in the body and could lead to deteriorating health.

Reichian therapy is a form of bodywork in which the therapist helps the patient to become aware of the ways in which posture, muscular tension and breathing patterns reflect emotion. Physical manipulation of the body aims to relax the body armouring.

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There has been a resurgence in the use of stimulant medications, such as Ritalin and Dexedrine, with the increased awareness and recognition of the problem of adult attention deficit disorder (ADD). Since it is not uncommon to find both depression and

ADD in the same person, the question will arise as to the safety of combining stimulants with St John’s Wort. There is no reason not to do so under a doctor’s supervision, using the usual rules of starting low and going slow, as the following two case studies will indicate.

Dick, an economist in his early fifties, was referred to a sleep clinic by his wife, who suspected him of having sleep apnoea because of his snoring. After sleep studies were performed, sleep apnoea was ruled out and instead, he was diagnosed as suffering from narcolepsy, a condition characterized by waking during the night and severe drowsiness during the day. The drowsiness can reach dangerous levels as patients may doze off at the wheel or fall asleep at other inopportune times. Other curious features of this disorder are a tendency to have hallucinations just as one is falling asleep and to collapse while awake, often as part of an emotional response such as laughing. It has been suggested that the dormouse in Alice in Wonderland might have been suffering from narcolepsy, as he was always falling asleep and collapsing into the teapot!

Dick’s symptoms of narcolepsy were effectively treated with the stimulant Ritalin, but after his drowsiness cleared he realized that he was left with aspects of his personality that he was not happy with, particularly shyness and excessive cautiousness. He would hesitate to initiate conversations, to offer his opinions in group meetings or to assert himself in the workplace. In addition, he continued to overeat and gain weight and his sleep disturbances persisted to some degree. Even though he was not actually depressed and was able to experience pleasure in aspects of his life, his psychiatrist thought he might be suffering from a type of depression and prescribed St John’s Wort.

The very day after starting the herb, Dick felt buoyant, which was very surprising to him as he had read that it takes weeks for the herb to exert its effects. He knew that something unusual was going on because he had bicycled into work every day for months and had never before initiated a conversation with one of his fellow bikers. That day he did – and he has been less shy ever since, as well as less self-effacing and more inclined to speak up. Even confrontations which he would have assiduously avoided in the past now no longer seem so daunting. He is contributing more in meetings, feels more engaged and others have noted these changes even more than he has and have pointed them out to him. His psychiatrist has pushed the dosage of St John’s Wort higher in an attempt to get the maximum benefit from it. Best of all, Dick has not noticed any side-effects of the herb whatsoever.

I had occasion to combine St John’s Wort and stimulants in treating Zack, a 17-year-old boy with a long-standing history of both depression and ADD. When he first came to see me he was on one of the older anti-depressants, nortriptyline. Even though he was on a relatively low dosage of the anti-depressant, he noted a distinct decrease in his interest in girls after starting the medication. “I am still interested in them up here,’ he remarked, pointing in the vicinity of his brain, ‘but it doesn’t seem to be connected with down there.’ This was clearly a case for St John’s Wort. In my usual fashion, I gradually added in the herbal anti-depressant while tapering the conventional anti-depressant. On St John’s Wort alone, Zack felt too giddy, impulsive and unconstrained, so I reduced the dosage of St John’s Wort and reintroduced the nortriptyline at an even lower dosage than before. He declared the mix to be perfect. He no longer felt depressed, was no longer impulsive and experienced a welcome return of his interest in girls both emotionally and physically.

Now it was time for Zack to go off to university, and concentration and focus became major problems, as they invariably are for people with ADD. I introduced Dexedrine 5 mg twice a day to the mix, which helped him with his attention and his studies. He reported no problematic side-effects of the combination and is now enjoying university both socially and intellectually.

While this chapter has portrayed the value of St John’s Wort in a variety of conditions that are severe enough to warrant medical attention, the herbal remedy is also being used by countless numbers of people for less major, yet quite disruptive problems of everyday life.

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Edward Rideout had had headaches for many years. In his childhood, these were fairly infrequent. In his youth, the attacks were accompanied by other symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. After an hour or two of sleep, he would feel better. Like Joan Kowan, Rideout constantly resorted to pain-killers and became addicted to these drugs. Eventually, he became addicted to a morphine-derived medication.

Each of Rideout’s headaches followed a characteristic pattern. His headache would come on suddenly, he would become nauseated, and would begin to vomit. This attack would be accompanied by nervousness, restlessness, hyperactivity, and sensitivity to light.

Midway through one of these terrible attacks, he would rush to the nearest emergency room for an injection of his morphine medication. Eventually, in desperation, he, too, consented to a brain operation designed to ease the pain. Again, this accomplished nothing.

Treatment with comprehensive environmental control brought dramatic changes in his condition. During the withdrawal period of the water fast, he had to be given some morphine medication to relieve the unbearable pain. By the third or fourth day of the fast, however, the pain subsided, and the medication was discontinued. On the fifth day of withdrawal, Rideout became violently angry at the world. That evening he felt as if he were about to get a headache, but it never came. On the morning of his sixth day of fasting, he woke without a sign of a headache. There was only a slight tenderness in his mid-forehead. During the next ten days, Rideout tested a variety of foods and waters according to the procedures of the Ecology Unit. The results of these tests finally exposed the root causes of this man’s lifelong headache problem.

He turned out to be susceptible to the following substances:

One form of tap water: bad headache

Cantaloupe: slight headache, which lasted half an hour

Corn and corn sugar: headache on first test; “thick feeling across forehead”

on second test, with some depression Banana: bad headache

Fish (catfish): severe headache, lasting two days Rabbit: intense pressure across forehead

Other foods gave no reaction, nor did chemically contaminated meals or other forms of common chemicals. A suitable diet, containing only those items which were tolerated, was devised for him. Leaving the hospital, Rideout was headache-free for the first time in decades. He has continued to make progress, following his diet and adding new items to it whenever possible.

Headaches do not always occur alone, but often accompany other symptoms. These can either be localized symptoms (minus-one), other minus-two reactions, or even more severe minus-three symptoms. Sandra Casey was one of these polysymptomatic patients.

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It may seem surprising to include the automobile as a source of indoor air pollution. Yet, not only does ambient (outdoor) air pollution enter the home, but the automobile itself has become part of the home in parts of the United States. Many houses have been built with the garage incorporated into their structures. This is particularly true in the case of ranch houses. Not uncommonly, the master bedroom is located directly above the garage and is saturated by fumes rising from it.

For the chemically susceptible, this development in modern living can be disastrous. Simply stated, garages should not be incorporated into the basements of homes unless elaborate precautions are taken to prevent fumes and odors from rising and fouling the air of the living quarters. To do this, however, is extremely difficult—in fact, nearly impossible. Even a passageway between a garage and home may allow sufficient fumes to enter the house to cause or perpetuate symptoms. Careless home construction often contributes to this problem.

A similar situation prevails in many apartment houses, where garage fumes get into the elevator shafts and contaminate the living quarters of the buildings. One partial solution to this problem is to let a car cool off completely before putting it into the garage. In this way, engine fumes will be less apt to accumulate and pollute the house.

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Eye allergies are allergic reactions of the eyes. They may affect the conjunctiva (the transparent covering over the whites of the eyes and the insides of the eyelids). They may also affect the skin on the eyelids and around the eyes.

Eye allergies are caused by a wide variety of substances carried to the eyes by the air or by the hands. Seasonal, airborne materials are pollens from trees, grass, weeds and other plants. Non-seasonal airborne materials include house dust, feathers, molds, and animal dander (tiny scales from the skin of an animal). Many irritants may be carried to the eyes by the hands, including nail polish, household cleaning products, materials from stuffed toys, and finger paints.

Signs and symptoms

The whites of the eyes become red and itchy. The eyes water, but no pus is formed. Occasionally, the whites become visibly swollen with clear jelly-like material. The eyelids become swollen and red. The skin of the eyelids may be smooth or rough and scaly. Pouches beneath the eyes may become swollen and bluish and resemble “shiners”.

Certain clues can distinguish eye allergies from several other conditions that also cause reddened eyes (conditions such as conjunctivitis, viruses, foreign bodies in the eyes, sties, glaucoma). Eye allergies cause itching and tearing but never cause pain or pus. Swelling of the whites of the eyes is a key sign of an eye allergy.

Home care

Oral antihistamines usually help. With your doctor’s permission, use of eye drops containing phenylephrine or ephedrine brings temporary relief. Applying cold compresses to the eyes may also ease the discomfort. Whenever possible, identifying and avoiding the irritating substance is clearly the best solution.

Precautions

• If there is pus or pain in the eyes, the condition is probably not an allergy.

• If the pupils of the eyes are dilated (enlarged) and slow to respond to light, see your doctor.

• If home treatment is not effective in 24 hours, see your doctor.

• If vision is affected, see your doctor.

Medical treatment

Your doctor will examine the outsides and insides of your child’s eyes. Medicated eye drops are effective but are safe only after a doctor’s examination. Skin tests may be suggested to help identify the substances causing the allergic reaction. Desensitization shots over an extended period are rarely recommended.

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Polyunsaturated fatty acids are more unstable than monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. This means that they become rancid (oxidized) more easily when exposed to oxygen, light and heat, and have the ability to form trans fatty acids. We are continually told by health authorities that polyunsaturated fats are healthy, and saturated fats are bad for us.

Vegetable oils that have become oxidized act as free radicals in the body. Free radicals can cause damage to our cells and DNA; they age us more quickly and have been linked to the development of heart disease and cancer. Importantly, new research has shown that cholesterol itself is not the problem, but oxidized cholesterol is a bigger risk factor for heart disease. The more free radicals we have in our body, the greater the chance that our cholesterol will become oxidized. This form of cholesterol behaves differently and is more likely to attach itself to our artery walls.

Trans fats have been well researched in recent years, and their effects on our heart are becoming clearer. Some researchers believe they are responsible for the epidemic of heart disease in the 20th Century. Trans fats have an adverse effect on our blood fats because they increase the levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol, and reduce levels of HDL “good” cholesterol. This is a double whammy; their effects on cholesterol levels are considered to be twice as bad as saturated fats. This is very unfortunate because many consumers buy foods that are labeled to be “low fat” or “cholesterol free”, and these are the types of foods that are often highest in trans fats! Trans fats are also known to raise triglyceride levels, and interfere with the metabolism of essential fatty acids in the body.

In the Nurse’s Health Study, women who had the greatest amount of trans fats in their diet had a 50% higher risk of heart attack compared to women who consumed the least amount of trans fats.

Because trans fats become incorporated into our cell membranes, they interfere with the action of insulin. They promote insulin resistance and in this way they make you fat, and increase your chances of developing Syndrome X and diabetes. Trans fats also promote the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, contributing to inflammation in the body.

If you do nothing else for your heart, make sure you avoid eating partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and processed vegetable oil that does not state it is “extra virgin” or “cold pressed”. In the USA the trans fat content of all packaged foods will need to be stated on the label by January 2006. There are no such plans in place for Australia yet, so you will have to identify trans fats yourself by looking for the words “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated vegetable oil”, “vegetable oil” or “vegetable fat”. Check food labels carefully to make sure you avoid these types of fats. Healthier alternatives to use would be extra virgin olive oil, butter, ghee and virgin coconut fat. Healthy spreads for bread include avocado, hummus, tahini, tomato paste or natural nut butter/paste.

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What is it?

A condition in which a woman becomes miserable or frankly depressed after having a baby. It is extremely common, with some surveys showing that eight out of ten women feel low, weepy and depressed, and are easily upset, in the first week or two after a birth. These emotions may or may not be accompanied by a feeling of anxiety around the time of taking the baby home from the hospital-a condition seen more commonly in first-time mothers.

Usually post-natal depression is not sufficiently serious to prevent the sufferer from functioning normally, but is very unpleasant for her. Such a woman typically cries at the slightest provocation, perhaps for no reason at all, feels she can’t cope with the baby, is critical or openly aggressive towards her partner, feels guilty about not loving her baby enough, goes off sex, loses her appetite, can’t sleep, has nightmares, and may have panic attacks.

A1975 study found that of sixty-six women having their first babies 84 per cent experienced post-natal depression of some kind and 77 per cent were anxious. Twenty-four per cent were frankly depressed.

Post-natal depression starts at any time after the birth but the common ‘baby blues’ is experienced in the first few days and lasts only for a couple of days. More severe forms of depression start from 2-3 weeks post-natally, but can first appear as much as six months later.

What causes it?

No one knows for sure but there are several theories:

• Hormonal theories have always been popular because the levels of progesterone rise during pregnancy and then fall very suddenly immediately after the birth. Superficially this appears to be a plausible explanation but it is difficult to see how this sudden fall in hormone level could cause depression weeks or months later. Also, these very same hormones are deemed to be the cause of pregnancy depression in which progesterone levels are high-not low.

It was noticed many years ago that there were certain similarities between premenstrual symptoms and post-natal depression. Dr Katherina Dalton, a pioneer in this field, wondered whether there might not be a connection-possibly a shortage of one of the circulating hormones. Unfortunately, it is not easy to measure hormones post-natally because the levels swing wildly until the menstrual cycle re-establishes itself. Whilst we still have a lot to learn about hormonal abnormalities, several researchers have meanwhile found other abnormalities. One of these is:

Inadequate vitamin B6. This vitamin now has a proven place in the management of premenstrual tension and it has also been tested in the post-natal situation. One researcher gave 100 mg of the vitamin for twenty-eight days to more than 100 women who had already had one baby (thus ruling out first-timers). The results showed that the B6 group had much less depression than did those given a placebo and that the effects were particularly marked in those women who had premenstrual symptoms. Depression has been linked to a shortage of a neurotransmitter called serotonin and vitamin B6 shortage can cause too little of this to be produced in the body. Research in Birmingham (England) has found that the substance from which serotonin is made fails to rise after birth in some women who later become depressed.

Tiredness and sheer exhaustion are often cited as causes of postnatal blues but there is almost certainly more going on than this. Undoubtedly, physical and mental exhaustion are a part of the baby blues in some women but they are unlikely to be a major factor in true post-natal depression.

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