Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog - information on herbal medicine

IS SUCCESSFUL COITUS A TEAM WORK?

admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:19:36 +0000

With synchronised team work orgasm can be achieved with in a few minutes. Active loving and deep caring need time, thought and growth. It gives, shares, participates and searches for understanding and appreciation of wife. Passive loving demands, takes and absorbs her husband. Without mutual cooperation pleasure of coitus is a mechanical process, a ritual only.

Can deep love and pleasure lead to perversion?

Many well married couples who deeply enjoy each other sexually, wish sooner or later to introduce variations in the procedures of intercourse. Their healthy impulse is to explore together new sources of erotic pleasure.

What is deviant sex? Who practice it?

Deviants cannot achieve orgasmic pleasure through the usual routes of coitus by male or female. Male deviant when aroused does not seek orgasm in the vagina. Female deviant does not crave for penetration.

Deviants have got mixed signals. They seek sexual activity either with the same sex, by themselves or with opposite sex but with unusual methods of satisfaction.

What is the psychology of lesbians?

Female homosexual derives pleasure with another female. She is averse to heterosexual act and is fearful of the penis and it’s pleasures. Female homosexuals are less promiscuous and are few in number. They rarely advance with adolescents as male homosexuals do.

Who are more deviant men or women?

Definitely men are more deviant but women are beginning to feel that some modest sexual deviations can really be pleasurable. Due to their inherent nature of shyness they are not able to initiate or request for deviations.

How often creative people have sex?

If their health permits and they desire wife should cooperate to have intercourse every night to its full pleasure of orgasm so that they can better concentrate on intellectual pursuits during the day time.

Do change of position is helpful?

Yes, a new position produces new erotic effects. Whether this is physiological or psychological is not clear. Novelty breaks the monotony and gives a zeal for successful marriage.

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REDUCING YOUR RISK OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHOLESTEROL – THE NUMEROUS OF STUDIES

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 10:08:28 +0000

In other instances, in groups whose cholesterol levels are less markedly elevated, the link still exists, although it is not as dramatic. In Framingham, Massachusetts, a careful, large-scale study of heart disease and risk factors in the general population has been ongoing for 40 years. By measuring cholesterol in a large group of towns-people (2,282 men and 2,845 women), and then waiting to determine how many of them would have coronary problems during the next 14 years, the investigators found a very straightforward trend. They observed that the higher a person’s cholesterol was at the outset, the greater the chance that he or she would show signs of coronary disease during the study. In fact, among people with a total cholesterol of 300 mg/dl, coronary problems developed more than twice as often as among people with a total cholesterol of 1 50 mg/dl. People with cholesterol levels between these extremes had risks of coronary disease which were also in between.

Other studies have shown that the risk of dying from coronary artery disease is increased as your cholesterol level increases. One large study, called the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (its acronym, MRFIT, is pronounced ”Mr. Fit”), examined what happened to more than 360,000 men whose cholesterol levels were measured. Six years later the results were clear: the likelihood of dying from coronary disease was practically four times higher in people with total cholesterol levels above 300 mg/dl compared with those whose levels were below 180 mg/dl. Numerous other studies support these conclusions.

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SIDE EFFECTS OF HRT: MOOD SWINGS

admin — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:13:11 +0000

Progestogens can cause profound side effects similar to those associated with pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), such as breast tenderness, abdominal cramps, fluid retention, weight gain, headaches, depression, irritability and tiredness. So not only are women experiencing these side effects, but they are also having a withdrawal bleed when the progestogen is finished for each cycle. Many women arc so relieved to have finished with monthly bleeding (it’s one of the benefits of the menopause!) that they do not like the idea of having it again. These are some of the reasons women stop using HRT. Doctors have also found that when women realize that it is the progestogens causing the negative aspects of HRT, they may omit those tablets altogether, taking only the oestrogen, and so leaving themselves with an increased risk of womb cancer. Only a sixth of the women who start taking Hormone Replacement Therapy continue to take it for a year.

Chris, forty-eight, came to see me with severe depression, constantly crying, not wanting to get out of bed and even feeling suicidal. She had no history of psychological problems, was socially active and helped her husband run a successful business. She mentioned that she was taking HRT and had noticed herself that after she had finished taking the progestogen tablets for that cycle she started to feel slightly better and then went downhill again once she had to start taking them. A visit to her GP had resulted in her being given sleeping tablets plus an anti-depressant, as it was obviously ‘her age’. She came off the HRT with medical guidance, has been looking after herself with a recommended programme of vitamins and minerals and is now actively back at work and feeling ‘interested in life again’.

What is extraordinary about this case, and many others like it, is that many members of the medical profession seem unwilling to entertain the notion that it is HRT that may be the problem. Typically the women will be dosed up with something else in addition. This puts them on a treadmill of medication. Your body and mind are so interrelated that any chemicals taken (such as HRT) can have a profound effect on how you look at life. If you took LSD, you would not be surprised to ‘sec’ reality differently. In my experience, our physical health is much easier to change than our mental health. When the women I have seen become physically well and hormonally balanced, they feel in control and able to enjoy their lives.

*16/101/5*

BACH FLOWER REMEDIES: THE NEGATIVE STATE THE CHESTNUT BUD

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:01:33 +0000

In the negative state the Chestnut Bud type forget their past experiences, take no lesson from it, and worse of it develop an escapist mentality. To avoid doing home work, the child feigns colic, although he would feel alright for eating icecream in that state. A typist would loosen some screw of the machine to avoid typing office letters and an office clerk would misplace some file in order not to deal with it.

Because of their inattention and lack of observation, these people are prone to road accidents. You can easily spot out a Chestnut type in everyday life – a batsman always getting out on a particular type of ball; a hurdle-racer always striking a particular part of a hurdle in the race are a few examples in the sports field.

When Chestnut Bud is given regularly to the negative type, it changes his constitution to positive state.

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DRUGS FOR ABSENCE AND OTHER GENERALIZED SEIZURES: ETHOSUXIMIDE (ZARONTIN) AND VALPROIC ACID (DEPAKENE, DEPAKOTE)

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:51:18 +0000

Ethosuximide (Zarontin)

Ethosuximide is very effective in simple absence seizures, but has no effect on partial seizures or on generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Allergic side effects to ethosuximide include rashes, blood problems, and liver disease, but such complications are very infrequent. Dose-related toxicity is also uncommon, and the drug dose may be increased even when the blood level is well beyond the usual “therapeutic range.” Occasionally, hyperactivity and effects on learning have been noted at high blood levels, but the data is, so far, inadequate.

In general, ethosuximide seems to be well-tolerated, safe, and effective, and is our drug of choice for simple absence seizures.

Valproic Acid (Depakene, Depakote)

Valproic acid, the newest of our major anticonvulsant medications, and with a uniquely broad range of actions, is effective in tonic-clonic seizures as well as in absence seizures, complex partial seizures, and myoclonic seizures.

There is no universal agreement about how this drug should be used. Some experts note that valproic acid has a very short half-life and, therefore, recommend using it three or four times a day. These same experts recommend keeping the blood level above 90-100 micro-grams/ml. We, and other experts, find this drug very different from the other anticonvulsants and that its effectiveness has little to do with the blood level. We find that it works better after the child has taken it for several weeks, and that it continues to work for several weeks after the drug is stopped. If necessary for seizure control, we recommend increasing the dose up to a fixed amount based on the child’s weight (30— 60 mg/kg), virtually ignoring the blood level but watching for toxicity. Which of these two groups of experts is correct remains to be determined.

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MEDICATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH TYPE II DIABETES: ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC AGENTS

admin — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:35:08 +0000

A number of medications are available, by prescription only, to people who have Type II diabetes. Each has special characteristics and specific value for some but not all persons with Type II diabetes.

First of all, if you have followed the recommendations of your doctor you may never need to take an oral hypoglycemic medication. If you can stay on a diabetes meal plan, particularly one that helps you lose weight, and exercise regularly, you may be able to normalize your blood glucose levels and keep them in control for many years. Some people with Type II diabetes NEVER need to do anything other than follow a meal and exercise programme.

However, some people just can’t bring their blood glucose levels down with diet and exercise alone. It may be they can’t stick with the diet, can’t lose weight, or can’t exercise regularly. Or it may be that no matter what they do with diet and exercise, their blood pressure levels won’t stay in the normal range. For these people, an oral hypoglycemic agent may be needed.

These oral agents help the body use the insulin it produces. Remember in Type II diabetes the body continues to produce insulin but it doesn’t seem able to use that insulin effectively and glucose doesn’t enter the cells as it should. Some oral agents stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin at a faster rate, while others work to overcome insulin resistance at the cellular level.

Some oral agents must be taken more than once a day; others can be taken only once daily. See the chart above for specific information on the oral agents presently available. If you need an oral agent, that doesn’t mean you can forget about your meal plan, your exercise programme, or your blood glucose monitoring schedule. The oral agent works to help each of the other facets of diabetes management. By itself the oral agent can’t control your diabetes. You need to watch what and how much you eat. You need to exercise. And you need to monitor how everything you do affects your blood glucose levels.

When you start taking an oral agent, you should measure your blood glucose every day, in the morning when you wake up and then again one hour after you eat a meal. Once you have brought your blood glucose into the normal range, you may be able to use an every-other-day schedule for blood glucose measurements.

Your doctor may start you off on a specific oral agent at a recommended dosage and ask you to provide blood glucose monitoring results from your diary at the next scheduled visit. If the dosage prescribed has not effectively brought your blood glucose under control, it can be increased, assuming your eating and exercise has stayed constant.

Once you reach an effective dosage level, you may be able to stay at that dosage for a number of years. However, for some people the dosage must be increased to maintain blood glucose control over time.

There is a limit to the safe dosage for each oral agent – or for any medication, for that matter. When you reach that limit, your doctor has the option of switching you to another oral agent that may work for a while or to insulin injections or a combination of insulin injections and oral agents.

For some people with Type II diabetes, the doctor may start them on insulin injections immediately after diagnosis to bring blood glucose under tight control and then switch to oral agents later. And for some other people, particularly those for whom taking a daily or twice daily pill is not convenient or practical, insulin injections may be the first and only treatment.

*28/210/5*

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HYPERTENSION

admin — Sun, 22 May 2011 15:25:11 +0000

Although hypertension is extremely common, it is painless and usually symptom-free.

Hypertension does occasionally give subtle warning signs. You might, for example, experience troublesome headaches. These are usually located in the back of the head and upper neck and are most acute in the morning, when blood pressure is relatively low. Vision problems, dizziness, fatigue, abnormal sweating, insomnia, shortness of breathe, and excessive flushing of the face are other symptoms you might experience. Any one or a combination of these might signal hypertension. Although these symptoms could also stem from other conditions, if you are experiencing any of them I urge you to consult your physician immediately and have your blood pressure monitored.

Many people with hypertension are completely unaware that they have this insidious condition: of the 50 million Americans with hypertension, only 68.4 percent are aware that their blood pressure is high. This is why I recommend that everyone over age 35 have their blood pressure checked regularly. Although hypertension can strike at any age, blood pressure tends to increase steadily with age, so regular checkups become even more important as you get older.

*3/313/5*

CANCER: EPIDEMIOLOGY – HOW CONCLUSIVE

admin — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:02:53 +0000

The central difficulty in interpreting the results of epidemiological studies lies in distinguishing whether a link that appears to exist between a risk factor and a cancer is truly a causal one. For everybody except epidemiologists, this problem requires Quite a lot of explanation. The studies may show that a particular group within the population is more likely to get a particular kind of cancer. Let us say, for example, that the members of a particular occupation are more likely to get stomach cancer. Some particular feature of that occupation attracts attention. Let us suppose that the occupation is associated with extensive foreign travel. We know that the members of that occupation are more likely to have stomach cancer than the general population, so we might look for a link between the number of miles flown in an aeroplane and the incidence of stomach cancer. We will find that there is an association. These people travel abroad much more than people whose jobs keep them at home. Does air travel cause stomach cancer? The link is there from this epidemiological study but it may not mean that air travel causes cancer. There may be something else about this population which explains that high incidence of stomach cancer. Could it be that their foreign travel takes them to parts of the world where the diet is very unusual?

Perhaps they are eating something abroad which is associated with stomach cancer. Perhaps, on the other hand, these highflying foreign travellers are very well paid and are therefore living lavish lifestyles, eating lots of rich food and drinking lots of alcohol. Is it this that is the causative factor for their stomach cancer? The point we are making is simply that the establishment of a link between a cancer and a particular feature of someone’s life can never prove in itself that that link is responsible. If the link is a very strong one and if it seems to be sensible in biological terms (perhaps diet is more likely than air travel to be a factor in stomach cancer), then it can be an important due, but it doesn’t demonstrate proof of the cause, and much more work is necessary before we can assert with confidence that there is a causative link.

We should emphasize that we have used the example of air travel and stomach cancer simply as an illustration of the need to be careful in interpreting epidemiological evidence. There is no need for members of the travel industry to go rushing off to sec their doctors!

Some of the problems which we encounter in trying to prove causal links loom very large at the present time. The best example is the possible link between dietary fat and breast cancer. We will discuss this topic in detail in a later chapter but one point can be made here. Breast cancer is much commoner in countries where women eat a lot of animal fat. This might mean that animal fat causes breast cancer. However, the countries in which we eat a lot of animal fat are also the wealthy countries of the world and they have many other distinctive features. Work patterns are different and leisure activities are different. In wealthy countries women are much more likely to own a television set. It follows therefore that those countries where television ownership is high have a high incidence of breast cancer. Television doesn’t cause breast cancer. The link exists because of the association with high standards of living. A high intake of animal fat may or may not rum out to be a cause of breast cancer; unravelling this factor from other factors which might contribute to the development of breast cancer is a major target of epidemiological studies at present.

*20\194\4*

CANCER: EPIDEMIOLOGY – HOW CONCLUSIVE (part 2)The central difficulty in interpreting the results of epidemiological studies lies in distinguishing whether a link that appears to exist between a risk factor and a cancer is truly a causal one. For everybody except epidemiologists, this problem requires Quite a lot of explanation. The studies may show that a particular group within the population is more likely to get a particular kind of cancer. Let us say, for example, that the members of a particular occupation are more likely to get stomach cancer. Some particular feature of that occupation attracts attention. Let us suppose that the occupation is associated with extensive foreign travel. We know that the members of that occupation are more likely to have stomach cancer than the general population, so we might look for a link between the number of miles flown in an aeroplane and the incidence of stomach cancer. We will find that there is an association. These people travel abroad much more than people whose jobs keep them at home. Does air travel cause stomach cancer? The link is there from this epidemiological study but it may not mean that air travel causes cancer. There may be something else about this population which explains that high incidence of stomach cancer. Could it be that their foreign travel takes them to parts of the world where the diet is very unusual?Perhaps they are eating something abroad which is associated with stomach cancer. Perhaps, on the other hand, these highflying foreign travellers are very well paid and are therefore living lavish lifestyles, eating lots of rich food and drinking lots of alcohol. Is it this that is the causative factor for their stomach cancer? The point we are making is simply that the establishment of a link between a cancer and a particular feature of someone’s life can never prove in itself that that link is responsible. If the link is a very strong one and if it seems to be sensible in biological terms (perhaps diet is more likely than air travel to be a factor in stomach cancer), then it can be an important due, but it doesn’t demonstrate proof of the cause, and much more work is necessary before we can assert with confidence that there is a causative link.We should emphasize that we have used the example of air travel and stomach cancer simply as an illustration of the need to be careful in interpreting epidemiological evidence. There is no need for members of the travel industry to go rushing off to sec their doctors!Some of the problems which we encounter in trying to prove causal links loom very large at the present time. The best example is the possible link between dietary fat and breast cancer. We will discuss this topic in detail in a later chapter but one point can be made here. Breast cancer is much commoner in countries where women eat a lot of animal fat. This might mean that animal fat causes breast cancer. However, the countries in which we eat a lot of animal fat are also the wealthy countries of the world and they have many other distinctive features. Work patterns are different and leisure activities are different. In wealthy countries women are much more likely to own a television set. It follows therefore that those countries where television ownership is high have a high incidence of breast cancer. Television doesn’t cause breast cancer. The link exists because of the association with high standards of living. A high intake of animal fat may or may not rum out to be a cause of breast cancer; unravelling this factor from other factors which might contribute to the development of breast cancer is a major target of epidemiological studies at present.*20\194\4*

BILIARY INFECTIONS: DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE CALCULOUS CHOLECYSTITIS

admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 14:52:52 +0000

The differential diagnosis of acute calculous cholecystitis is quite broad, but the condition should be suspected on the basis of clinical history and examination findings. Laboratory data may further suggest the diagnosis but are nonspecific. Leukocytosis with bandemia is typically present. The serum bilirubin level is elevated in 45% of patients, and 25% to 40% have a mild transaminitis. A plain radiograph of the abdomen may show radiopaque stones in up to 15% of cases, but this is not helpful in obtaining a diagnosis.

Abdominal ultrasonography is the test of choice. Acute calculous cholecystitis is suggested by a thickened (>5 mm) and edematous gallbladder wall, a positive Murphy sign induced by the ultrasound probe, and pericholecystic fluid in the presence of stones. Biliary scintigraphy with a HIDA (hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid) scan may also be useful in detecting acute calculous cholecystitis. The radionuclide material is injected intravenously into the patient, concentrated in the liver, and then excreted into the bile, resulting in visualization of the hepatobiliary system. Since the cystic duct is occluded in cases of acute calculous cholecystitis, the gallbladder is not visualized, but the common bile duct and duodenum can be identified. The main drawbacks of this test include the necessity for injection of a radiopharmaceutical and the time required for the test. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan may demonstrate findings consistent with acute calculous cholecystitis, but this should not be the initial test used for diagnosis. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a relatively new noninvasive technique for evaluating the intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary ducts, but its role in the diagnosis of acute calculous cholecystitis is currently under investigation.

*102/348/5*

HOW BDD AFFECTS LIVES – SOCIAL AVOIDANCE, PROBLEMS AT WORK, AND SUICIDE: IAN’S EXPERIENCE: “I PULL MYSELF TOGETHER”

admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:40:48 +0000

While people with more severe BDD may, like Ian, be unable to function because of their symptoms, others, like Carl, function well despite their emotional pain. Carl was an intelligent man in his late thirties with a good sense of humor. He worked as a partner in a law firm, where he’d been very successful over the years. “I’ve been a fairly happy person, and I had a good life,” he told me. “But a year ago that all changed dramatically.

“I was looking in the mirror one morning, and out of the clear blue sky I noticed unusual thinning of my hair, and I panicked. I feared I was starting to go bald. I looked hideous. 1 panicked because I thought that within a year or two the whole front would be lost.”

Carl started reading about hair loss in dermatology textbooks and seeing dermatologists. “I even talked one of them into giving me minoxidil to make my hair grow, which didn’t do me any good. The other dermatologists I saw didn’t understand why I was using it. I think about my hair 24 hours a day—it’s on my mind all the time. It’s like a feeling of hunger that’s always there. When I comb my hair or look in the mirror, my focus on it becomes intense, and sometimes I have panic attacks.”

In reality, Carl had a full head of thick, curly blond hair. He realized his view was distorted. “I realize I look worse to myself than do to other people,” he acknowledged. “I know I’m distorting how I’ll look if I lose more hair. I’ll look worse to myself than to others. I’m distorting my perception, but I also believe it. I can’t help worrying about it. I’m very tuned in to other people’s hair and to changes in my own hair.

“I never really liked how I looked when I was younger. I always thought I was the ugly one in my family,” he told me. “Sometimes other kids called me ‘curly head.’ But I gradually got to like my looks, especially my hair. Now I feel I’ve lost the best part of my appearance.” Because of his concern, Carl felt depressed, and it was hard for him to concentrate at work. “It’s affected every aspect of my life;” he said. “I don’t have enthusiasm for things, and I’m depressed. It’s totally due to my hair.”

Nonetheless, Carl managed to function well. “I do my best to pull myself together for work,” he said. “In the morning I purposely comb my hair without my contacts in so I can’t see myself. I try not to look at my hair in my rearview mirror while I’m driving to work.” The distraction of work helped him think a little less about his hair. He had to put in some extra hours at the law firm to make up for decreased efficiency, but he performed his job adequately. “But,” he said, “I’m afraid that if I continue to lose my hair, I’ll be too embarrassed to be around clients.

“Socially, it’s caused me some problems,” he added. “It affects my relationships because I’m so wrapped up in my hair. It’s hard for me to empathize with other people’s problems. I feel unappealing because I assume people are looking at me the way I do, which I realize they’re not. I feel very self-conscious around women, but I force myself to go out. Even though I look terrible, I’m still asking women out on dates. I worry, though, that this will be an issue if I get into a serious relationship.”

*118\204\8*