Please can anybody in lautech who is a students of lautech tell me the course contents of GNS(the use of english) course we did in 100 and 100 level . I will so much appreciate effort in doing so....I am not in school any longer and i don't have any reference as to the course again,but i do really need this now...Thanks and God bless

LIKELY you have heard of someone who has suffered with kidney stones. In the United States, some 300,000 kidney stone sufferers are admitted to hospitals each year. The pain can be excruciating, comparable to childbirth.
Some think of kidney stones as a relatively recent health problem, possibly having something to do with modern diet or life-style. Actually, though, stones in the urinary tract have plagued mankind for centuries. They have even been found in Egyptian mummies thousands of years old.

The stones develop when minerals in the urine clump together and grow, instead of being diluted and passed out of the body. They assume various shapes and are composed of many substances. Clinical Symposia says: “In the United States, approximately 75% of all [kidney] stones are composed primarily of calcium oxalate, and an additional 5% are composed of pure calcium phosphate.”

Prevalence and Causes
According to one report, about 10 percent of men and 5 percent of women in North America will develop a kidney stone in their lifetime. And the recurrence rate is high. One in 5 persons who have a kidney stone will develop another stone within five years.

Why some people get kidney stones and others do not has perplexed doctors for many years. The formation of stones may occur for many reasons. These include disorders of the body’s metabolism, infection, inherited disorders, chronic dehydration, and diet.

About 80 percent of kidney stones are eliminated spontaneously during urination. In order to help pass them, patients are encouraged to drink large volumes of water. Although such stones are relatively small, often barely visible, the pain may be great. If blockage of the urinary tract occurs or a stone is too large to pass (they may become as big as a golf ball), medical treatment is needed to preserve the health of the patient.

New Treatments
Until about 1980, major surgery was required to remove kidney stones that would not pass by themselves. In order to reach the stone stuck in the kidney or in the urinary tract, a painful incision, some 12 inches long [30 cm], was made in the flank. The operation was usually followed by a two-week recovery period in a hospital and approximately two months of recuperation at home. But “with recent technological advances,” the medical textbook Conn’s Current Therapy (1989) notes, “the need for open surgical removal is rare.”

Now, difficult stones may be removed by a technique that uses only minimal surgery. Another technique more commonly used today, called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), requires no surgery at all. Citing these new medical innovations, Conn’s Current Therapy says that major surgery “is probably responsible today for removal of only 1 per cent of all [kidney stones].”

A Minimal-Surgery Technique
A technique that employs only minimal surgery is sometimes called percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy. “Percutaneous” means “via the skin,” and “lithotripsy” literally means “crushing.” The only surgery required is a half-inch [1 cm] incision in the flank. Through this opening a cystoscopelike instrument called a nephroscope is inserted. The interior of the kidney and the offending stone may be seen through the scope.

If the stone is too large to extract through the nephroscope, an ultrasonic probe is passed through a channel in the scope and thus into the kidney. Then, to fragment the stone or stones, the hollow probe is connected to an ultrasound generator that causes the probe to vibrate at approximately 23,000 to 25,000 times a second. The ultrasonic waves make the probe act like a jackhammer, shattering all but the hardest stones it contacts.

Continuous suction through the probe literally vacuums the interior of the kidney, thus ridding it of small stone fragments. The fragmenting and suctioning process continues until careful inspection reveals that all stone debris has been removed through the probe.
At times, however, there are still stone fragments that refuse to budge. In that case, the doctor can insert through the nephroscope a thin tube that has a tiny forceps device attached to it. The doctor can then open the forceps, grab the stone, and pull it out.

As percutaneous surgery developed, many methods were tried. A few years ago, Urologic Clinics of North America said: “New methods of percutaneous stone removal seem to appear with each month’s new issues of the medical journals.” The probability of success of the procedure, the journal observed, “varies with the size and position of the stone.” But the most important factor, the journal explained, is “the skill and experience of the operator.”

Even though sufficient power is generated to smash the stones, the procedure is relatively safe. “Hemorrhage has not been a significant problem,” says Clinical Symposia. One report does say, however, that there has been major bleeding in about 4 percent of patients.

Advantages of this procedure include minimal discomfort and a shortened recovery period. In most cases only five or six days are spent in the hospital, with some patients going home after just three days. This advantage is especially significant to wage earners, who may be ready to return to work as soon as they leave the hospital.

Treatment Without Surgery
A remarkable new treatment introduced in Munich, Germany, in 1980, is called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. It employs high-energy shock waves to fragment stones without making any incisions whatsoever.

The patient is lowered into a stainless-steel tank that is half filled with warm water. He is carefully positioned so that the kidney being treated is at the focal point of shock waves generated by an underwater spark discharge. The waves easily pass through the soft human tissue and reach the stone without losing any of their energy. They continue to bombard the stone until it disintegrates. Most patients then pass the stone debris with ease.

By 1990, ESWL was being used in about 80 percent of all stone removals. The Australian Family Physician reported last year that since the introduction of this technique, “over 3 million patients worldwide have been treated on more than 1100 machines, using a variety of shock-wave generators to disintegrate kidney stones.”

Although ESWL produces some trauma to the kidney area, the Australian Family Physician explains: “It rarely damages adjacent organs such as spleen, liver, pancreas and bowel. The short term trauma effect is easily tolerated with minimal harm to the patients and most patients complain only of mild [muscle and skeletal pain] in the abdominal wall and some slight [blood in the urine] for 24 to 48 hours after therapy.” Even children have been treated successfully. This Australian journal concluded: “After 10 years of evaluation ESWL seems to be an extremely safe treatment.”

Indeed, the treatment is so effective that last year’s Conn’s Current Therapy explained: “(ESWL) has allowed symptomatic stones to be removed so easily and with such minimal morbidity that patients and physicians have become less rigorous in the medical management of urinary stone disease.”

Kidney-Stone Breakthrough!
A new technique for destroying kidney stones by laser has just been tried by two British scientists. According to the French weekly magazine L’Express, a laser beam can break up stones already in the ureter, a duct leading from the kidney to the bladder. Stones cannot be crushed at this stage by the use of ultrasonic waves. However, by means of an endoscope “the laser device—a long flexible tube with a quartz fiber head of a quarter of a millimeter [0.01 in.] in diameter—is introduced into the ureter. At the rate of five shots a second, it takes 2,000 pulses to destroy an average sized stone. The stones are progressively broken up as if by a pneumatic drill. Reduced to tiny particles like tiny grains of sand, they are . . . eliminated simply and painlessly when urine is passed.”

Laser Surgery
♦ “The medical department of Tohoku University has succeeded in crushing bladder stones in five patients by using laser rays and removing the broken stones without causing pain or producing adverse effects,” reports Japan’s Daily Yomiuri. The bladder stones treated were about two centimeters (3/4 inch) in diameter, but, according to the department, stones two to three times as large can also be eliminated by this new technique. After the stones are crushed by the laser beams, a pump is used to suck up and remove the fragments. All of this is done without conventional surgery. The report calls the new method “a boon to patients.”

Yet, kidney stones are a painful malady that you surely do not want. What can you do to prevent them?
Prevention
Since kidney stones often recur, if you have had one, you will wisely heed the admonition to drink plenty of water. A urinary output of more than two quarts [2 L] per day is recommended, and that means drinking a lot of water!

In addition, it is wise to adjust your diet. Doctors suggest limiting your consumption of red meat, salt, and foods high in oxalate, which are believed to help form stones. These foods include nuts, chocolate, black pepper, and leafy green vegetables, such as spinach. Doctors also once recommended reducing calcium intake, but recent research indicates instead that an increase of dietary calcium tends to decrease the tendency to form stones.

Yet, in spite of your taking all precautions, if you should have another kidney stone, it may be somewhat comforting to know that there are improved methods for treating them.

[Credit Line]
S.I.U./Science Source/PR

http://health-field.com

ACCORDING to the United Nations Population Fund, each year more than half a million women die of pregnancy-related causes. In addition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) notes that annually more than 60 million women suffer acute complications from pregnancy and that nearly a third of these sustain lifelong injuries or infections. In developing countries many women are trapped in a cycle of pregnancies, deliveries, and self-neglect, leaving them worn out and ill. Yes, pregnancy can be harmful—even dangerous. Is there anything a woman can do to make her pregnancy safer?

Health Care Before Pregnancy

Planning. Husbands and wives may need to discuss how many children to have. In developing countries it is common to see women with small children nursing a baby and, at the same time, expecting another. Careful planning and consideration might allow time to elapse between the birth of one child and the next, resulting in relief for the woman, who would then be able to recuperate after giving birth.

Nutrition. According to the Coalition for Positive Outcomes in Pregnancy, before becoming pregnant a woman needs at least four months to recover from exposure to harmful substances and to build a good nutritional supply. For example, the risk of spina bifida, caused by a defective closing of the neural tube, is greatly reduced when the expectant mother has an ample supply of folic acid. Since the embryo’s neural tube closes between the 24th and 28th day after conception—long before many women realize that they are pregnant—some women who are planning to become pregnant take folic acid.

Another crucial nutrient is iron. Indeed, a woman’s iron requirement doubles during pregnancy. If her reserve is low—which is true of many women in developing countries—she can come to have iron-deficiency anemia. This condition can be worsened by repeated pregnancies, as the woman may not have time between them to replenish her iron reserve.

Age. Risk of death in pregnant girls under 16 is 60 percent greater than in those in their 20’s. On the other hand, women over 35 are more likely to give birth to babies with congenital abnormalities, such as Down’s syndrome. Mothers who are very young or are in their later childbearing years are more prone to preeclampsia. This disorder, characterized by high blood pressure after the 20th week of gestation along with the presence of edema and an increased amount of protein in the urine, increases the risk of mortality in both baby and mother.

Infections. Urinary, cervicovaginal, and gastrointestinal infections can worsen during pregnancy and can increase the risk of premature birth and preeclampsia. Any infection is best treated before pregnancy.

Health Care During Pregnancy
Prenatal care. Regular visits to a doctor throughout pregnancy lower the risk of maternal death. Even in countries where regular access to clinics and hospitals is limited, properly trained midwives may be available.

Prenatal care can alert trained personnel to situations that could make special care necessary. These include multiple gestation, hypertension, heart and kidney problems, and diabetes. In some countries a pregnant woman can receive tetanus toxoid vaccine to prevent neonatal tetanus. She may also be tested for group B streptococcus between the 26th and the 28th week of gestation. These bacteria, if present in the lower intestinal tract, can infect the baby during delivery.

The mother-to-be should be prepared to provide health professionals with all the information she can, including her medical history. She should also freely ask questions. Immediate medical assistance should be sought if there is vaginal bleeding, sudden inflammation of the face, strong or continuous headaches or pain in the fingers, sudden impaired or blurred vision, strong abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, chills or fever, changes in frequency or intensity of fetal movements, loss of liquid through the vagina, pain while urinating, or abnormal lack of urine.

Alcohol and drugs. A mother’s use of alcohol and drugs (including tobacco) increases her child’s risk of mental retardation, physical abnormalities, and even behavioral disorders. Babies of drug-addicted mothers have even been known to show signs of withdrawal. Although some people believe that an occasional glass of wine is not harmful, experts usually recommend total abstinence during pregnancy. Expectant mothers should also beware of second-hand smoke.

Medicines. No medicine should be taken unless specifically prescribed by a doctor who is aware of the pregnancy and who has carefully weighed the risks. Some vitamin supplements can also be harmful. An excess of vitamin A, for instance, can cause fetal deformities.

Weight gain. A pregnant woman should avoid extremes. According to Krause’s Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy, a low-birth-weight baby’s risk of death is 40 times greater than that of a normal-weight newborn. On the other hand, eating for two only promotes obesity. Proper weight gain—more evident from the second trimester on—indicates that the expectant mother is eating the right amount for her increased demands.

Hygiene and other considerations. Baths and showers can be taken normally, but vaginal douches should not be used. A pregnant woman should avoid contact with anyone who suffers from a viral infection, such as rubella, also called German measles. Furthermore, in order to prevent toxoplasmosis, undercooked meat and contact with the feces of cats must be carefully avoided. Basic hygiene procedures, such as the washing of hands and of raw foods, are essential. Sexual relations do not usually pose a risk, except during the last weeks of pregnancy or in the case of hemorrhage, cramps, or previous miscarriage.

A Successful Delivery
A woman who takes care of herself during pregnancy will be less prone to complications upon delivery. Naturally, she will have planned whether she prefers to deliver at home or in a hospital. She will also know, to a good degree, what to expect and how to cooperate with the skilled midwife or physician. This person, in turn, will know the woman’s informed preferences—where a choice is possible—on such issues as delivery position, episiotomy, and the use of forceps, analgesics, and electronic fetal monitoring. There must also be agreement on other issues: To what hospital or clinic will they go if the home delivery becomes complicated? What exactly will be done in case of excess blood loss? Since hemorrhage causes many maternal deaths, blood substitutes must be readily available for patients who do not accept transfusions.

Also, forethought should be given as to what will be done if a cesarean section is required.
The Mankind’s Oldest Modern book says that children are a blessing from God, an “inheritance.” (Psalm 127:3) The more a woman knows about her pregnancy, the better off she will be. By taking care of herself before and during pregnancy and by giving adequate forethought to the various aspects of delivery, a woman will be doing all she can to ensure a safer pregnancy.

[Footnotes]
Some sources of folic acid and iron are liver, legumes, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and fortified cereals. For absorbing iron-rich foods, it may help to combine them with sources of vitamin C, such as fresh fruits.

The recommended gain for a woman who begins pregnancy with a healthy weight is between 20 and 25 pounds [9 and 12 kg] by the end of gestation. Nevertheless, adolescents or undernourished women should gain between 25 and 30 pounds [12 and 15 kg], while those who are overweight should gain only between 15 and 20 pounds [7 and 9 kg].

TIPS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

● Normally a pregnant woman’s daily diet should include fruits, vegetables (especially dark-green, orange, and red ones), legumes (such as beans, soybeans, lentils, and chick-peas), cereals (including wheat, corn, oats, and barley—preferably whole grain or fortified), food from animal sources (fish, chicken, beef, eggs, cheese, and milk, preferably skimmed milk). Fats, refined sugars, and salt are best consumed in moderation. Drink plenty of water. Avoid caffeinated beverages, as well as foods containing preservatives and additives (such as artificial colorings and flavorings). Starch, clay, and other nonedible substances can cause malnutrition and toxicity.

● Beware of possible environmental hazards, such as overexposure to X-rays and harmful chemicals. Limit use of sprays and other household substances. Do not become overheated because of exposure to excessive temperatures or overexercise. Avoid prolonged standing and overexertion. Use proper seat belt positioning

http://health-field.com

The guy that smokes has been told all the warnings on earth that it is going to kill you, and I think the same thing. I think it is going to kill you. I think any fool that takes smoke down in his belly is going to suffer. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. I have made a fortune on it. . . . The only way that we built this country is by selling the rest of the fools in the world tobacco.”—James Sharp, longtime tobacco grower in Kentucky, in Merchants of Death—The American Tobacco Industry, by Larry C. White.
THAT candid remark speaks volumes but leaves several questions unanswered. Why do more than a billion people around the world smoke? What induces them to continue with a habit that is known to be death-dealing? After all, the tobacco story is basically the same as the drug story—supply and demand. If there is no profitable market, then the supply dries up. So why do people smoke?
Addiction is the key word. Once nicotine establishes a foothold in the body, there is a daily need for regular fixes of nicotine. Combined with the addiction is habit. Certain situations, established by habit, trigger the desire for a cigarette. It might be as soon as a person gets up or with the first cup of morning coffee, the after-lunch drink, the pressure and social interchange at work, or in recreation. Dozens of apparently insignificant habits can be the “on” switch for a smoke.

Why Did They Smoke?
Awake! interviewed several ex-smokers to try to understand the motivation behind smoking. For example, there is Ray, in his 50’s, a former quartermaster in the U.S. Navy. He explained: “I was about 9 years old when I first started smoking, but I got serious about it when I was 12. I recall that I was kicked out of the Boy Scouts for smoking.”

Awake!: “What got you interested in smoking?”
Ray: “It was the macho thing to do. You know, it was manly to smoke. I remember that the ads in those days showed firemen and policemen smoking. Then later in the Navy, I had a high-pressure job in navigation, and I felt that smoking helped me ride through the stress.

“I used to smoke about a pack and a half a day [30 cigarettes] and would not start a day without my cigarette. Of course, I inhaled. There’s no point in smoking if you don’t inhale.”
Bill, a professional artist from New York, also in his 50’s, tells a similar story:

“I started as a kid of 13. I wanted to be like the grown-ups. Once I was in its grip, I couldn’t stop. Having a cigarette was like having a friend. In fact, if I was going to bed and realized I had no cigarettes in the house, I would get dressed again and, regardless of the weather, go out and buy a pack for the next day. I was smoking from one to two packs a day. I admit that I was addicted. And I was a heavy drinker at the same time. The two just seemed to go together, especially in the bars where I spent a lot of my time.”

Amy, young and outgoing, started to smoke when she was 12 years old. “It was peer pressure at first. Then, my dad died when I was 15, and the stress of that pushed me further. But as I got older, the ads influenced me, especially that one, ‘You’ve come a long way, baby.’ I was a career girl, studying to be a surgical nurse. I was soon smoking three packs a day. My favorite time to smoke was after dinner and whenever I was on the phone, which was often.” Did she notice any ill effects? “I had morning cough and headaches, and I was no longer physically fit. Just climbing the stairs to my apartment left me breathless. And I was only 19!”

Harley, a former Navy flyer, now in his 60’s, started smoking during the Depression at the age of 5! Why did he do it? “All the kids smoked in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where I came from. If you smoked, you were tough.”
Harley minces no words about why he smoked. “It was pure pleasure for me. I would inhale the smoke deep down into my lungs and hold it there. Then I used to love to puff out smoke rings. I got where I could not live without my cigarette. I started and ended the day with a cigarette. In the Navy, I was smoking two to three packs a day and a box of cigars each month.”

Bill, Ray, Amy, and Harley gave up smoking. So have millions of others—over 43 million in the United States alone. But the tobacco salesmen have not given up. They are targeting new markets all the time.

Are YOU a Target?
With many male smokers giving up smoking in the industrialized nations, plus the loss of customers through natural and smoking-induced death, the tobacco companies have had to look for new markets. In some cases they have changed their advertising strategies in an effort to bolster their sales. Sponsorship of sports events, such as tennis and golf tournaments, is an effective way of giving a supposedly clean image to smoking. Another strategy adjustment is the markets to be targeted. Are you one of their potential customers?

Target number one: Women. A minority of women have smoked for decades, aided and abetted by the example of film actresses such as Gloria Swanson, who back in 1917 was smoking as an 18-year-old. In fact, she got one of her first film roles because, as the director explained: “Your hair, your face, the way you sit, the way you smoke a cigarette . . . You’re exactly what I want.”
In the 1940’s Lauren Bacall, who featured in films with her husband, heavy smoker Humphrey Bogart, also set a glamorous lead in smoking. But the female side of the cigarette market was always lagging way behind the male market. And so were the cancer statistics for women. Now they are catching up fast—in smoking and in lung cancer.

In recent years a new trend in advertising has developed, in part due to the more competitive role of women in society together with the subtle influence of tobacco advertising. What is the message being sent to women? The Philip Morris company, which manufactures a variety of cigarette brands, produces “Virginia Slims,” aimed at the modern woman. Their slogan is the one that attracted Amy: “You’ve come a long way, baby.” The ad portrays a sophisticated, modern woman with a cigarette between her fingers. But some women must be asking themselves now how far they have come. Over the last two years, lung cancer has exceeded breast cancer in the mortality rate for women.

Another cigarette brand offers women a bargain: “5 free per pack!” “50 free per carton!” Some women’s magazines even include coupons for free packs!
Sex is another easy way to make cigarettes seem attractive. One brand invites: “Find More Pleasure.” The message includes a want ad, stating: “WANTED—Tall, dark stranger for long lasting relationship. Good looks, great taste a must. Signed, Eagerly Seeking Smoking Satisfaction.” The cigarette being presented comes “tall” and in dark paper. A subtle connection?

Links with fashion are another hook used for women. One brand is hailed as “A celebration of style and taste by YVES SAINT LAURENT.” Another bait is used for weight-conscious women. The advertisement features a photo of a slim model, and the cigarettes are defined as “Ultra Lights—The lightest style.”

Why are the cigarette manufacturers targeting the women of the world? The World Health Organization gives an obvious clue with its estimate that “more than 50 per cent of men but only five per cent of women smoke in developing countries compared to about 30 per cent of both sexes in the industrialised world.” There is a huge untapped market out there for tobacco profits, regardless of the ultimate price in health that may have to be paid. And the tobacco salesmen are having success. According to The New York Times, the U.S. surgeon general’s report, released in January 1989, stated that ‘children, especially girls, are smoking at younger ages’ and that includes elementary-school children.

Another source says that in recent years the number of female teenage smokers in the United States has increased by 40 percent. But women are not the only target for the salesmen of death and disease.

The Racial Target
In his book Merchants of Death—The American Tobacco Industry, Larry C. White states: “Blacks are a good market for the cigarette makers. The National Center for Health Statistics showed that as of 1986, a higher percentage of blacks smoked than whites [in the United States] . . . It’s not surprising that blacks smoke in higher proportions than whites, because they are special targets of cigarette promotion.” Why are they special targets? According to The Wall Street Journal, they are “a group that lags behind the general population in kicking the habit.” Therefore, a black client is often a “loyal” client, ‘until death do us part.’

How do the tobacco companies concentrate on the black population? Author White states: “Cigarettes are heavily advertised in black-oriented magazines such as Ebony, Jet, and Essence. In 1985 cigarette companies spent $3.3 million on advertisements in Ebony alone.” One tobacco company also promotes a yearly fashion show directed to the black women’s market. Free cigarettes are handed out. Another company at one time regularly sponsored a jazz festival and continues to support music festivals popular with blacks. How special a target is the black population? A spokesman for Philip Morris stated: “The black market is very important. It’s a very powerful one.”
But there is an even more important market for the tobacco giants—not just races or groups but whole nations!

“Having a cigarette was like having a friend”

SMOKING and Buerger’s Disease
A recent case in Canada, reported by Maclean’s, highlights yet another disease attributed to smoking. Roger Perron started smoking at the age of 13. By the age of 27, he was suffering from Buerger’s disease and had to have one leg amputated below the knee. He was warned that if he continued smoking, the disease could attack again. Maclean’s reports: “But Perron ignored the warning, and in 1983 doctors had to amputate his other leg. After that, Perron . . . finally quit smoking.” Now he is suing a tobacco company for damages.

What is Buerger’s disease? It “occurs most often in men who smoke. The disease is characterized by an inflammatory response in the arteries, veins, and nerves, which leads to a thickening of the blood vessel walls caused by infiltration of white cells. The first symptoms are usually a bluish cast to a toe or finger and a feeling of coldness in the affected limb. Since the nerves are also inflamed, there may be severe pain and constriction of the small blood vessels controlled by them. Overactive sympathetic nerves also may cause the feet to sweat excessively, even though they feel cold. . . . Ischemic ulcers and gangrene are common complications of progressive Buerger’s disease.

“The cause of Buerger’s disease is unknown, but since it occurs mostly in young men who smoke, it is thought to be a reaction to something in cigarettes. The most important treatment is to stop smoking.” (Italics ours.)—The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide.

SMOKING and Heart Attacks
“Although most people are well aware of the association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer and other pulmonary diseases, many still do not realize that smoking is also a major risk factor in heart attacks. In fact, the . . . Surgeon General’s report on Smoking and Health estimates that 225,000 of the American [U.S.] deaths from cardiovascular disease each year are directly related to smoking—many more than the total number of cancer and pulmonary disease deaths attributed to smoking.

“Smokers often ask whether low-tar, low nicotine cigarettes reduce the cardiovascular risk. The answer appears to be ‘no.’ In fact, some of the filter cigarettes increase the amount of carbon monoxide that is inhaled, making them even worse for the heart than unfiltered brands.” (Italics ours.)—The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide.

Can the Smoking of Others Hurt You?
Millions of persons suffer serious, and often fatal, harm because someone else smoked. For example, if a mother smokes, her unborn baby is often damaged. In fact, it may be killed even before it can be born.
“How can that be?” you may ask. “How can the smoke hurt the child in the protected environment inside its mother?”

HOW THE UNBORN ARE HURT
Almost immediately after inhaling, nicotine from the smoke enters the smoking mother’s bloodstream. This powerful drug constricts the blood vessels and arteries in her uterus, thus depriving the baby of oxygen and nutrients. At the same time, carbon monoxide easily passes through the placenta to the baby. It replaces some of the vital oxygen in the baby’s blood that is needed for normal growth and development.
Of interest in this regard is a study made by English doctors at Oxford University. They said that when its mother smokes, the baby can “be seen to gasp in the womb, . . . almost certainly suffering a temporary oxygen shortage.”

The sad results are well documented. “Smoking during pregnancy can cause congenital malformations so severe that either the fetus dies, or the infant does shortly after birth,” Family Health magazine observes. Babies born of smoking mothers face a third higher risk of dying soon after birth. And they are twice as likely to be smaller than normal at birth.

In addition, the likelihood of “crib death” (sudden infant death syndrome) is increased when mothers smoke—by 52 percent researchers say. Apparently babies born to mothers who smoke have subtle abnormalities in their brain stem, and this may interfere with breathing and lead to sudden death.
If smoking by its mother can hurt an unborn baby, how is a child affected by the smoke after it is born?

EFFECT ON YOUNG CHILDREN
Actually, parents who smoke are indirectly forcing their children to smoke. “The effect on young children of parental smoking is estimated at about the same as if the child smoked three to five cigarettes a day,” explained lung specialist Dr. Alfred Munzer. And for the sensitive lungs of a young child, that is a lot of poison! Surely, as a parent, you would be very unhappy to learn that someone was making your child smoke five cigarettes a day!

But are children really hurt by the smoke of smoking parents? The Journal of the American Medical Association summarized the medical research on this question, saying:
“Infants whose mothers smoke are more likely to be admitted to hospitals with bronchitis or pneumonia than are infants whose mothers do not smoke. Another study showed that the chances of pneumonia or bronchitis developing in an infant are almost doubled if both parents smoke. . . . Other studies showed that the frequency of respiratory symptoms in children is directly proportional to the amount of tobacco smoke in the child’s environment. Also, children exposed to tobacco smoke have increases in heart rate and blood pressure that are similar to those changes that occur in smokers.”

A smoker may, for the pleasure he feels he derives from smoking, choose to damage his own health. But do you consider it morally right that he also damages the health of his children?

EFFECT ON ADULTS
What if you are a nonsmoking adult? Are you harmed by the smoke of others?
When you sit near a person who is smoking, the effect can be almost the same as though you were smoking. “Studies have shown,” noted Today’s Health, “that since the average smoker actively smokes his cigarette for only a small portion of the time it is lit, a nonsmoker may actually be forced against his will to breathe almost as much carbon monoxide, tar and nicotine as the active smoker sitting next to him.”

Dr. John L. Pool commented regarding the effect of only a slight increase of carbon monoxide in the air. He said that when carbon monoxide levels are “above eight parts per million (clean air has one to four), there is a definite decrease in oxygen reaching heart and lungs.” How much carbon monoxide may there be in the air of a smoke-filled room?

Philip Abelson, as editor of Science, wrote in an editorial of that magazine: “In a poorly ventilated, smoke-filled room, concentrations of carbon monoxide can easily reach several hundred parts per million, thus exposing smokers and nonsmokers present to a toxic hazard.” Such levels of carbon monoxide are far above the legal limits permitted.

Yet can this smoke really harm you? Indeed it can! Perhaps breathing the smoke makes you feel sick. Smokers should not be surprised by this, since, when smoking for the first time, many of them became sick, even vomiting.
The fact is, for persons with heart disease, breathing the air in a smoke-filled room can be dangerous. “It is a definite health hazard.” That was the conclusion reached from a federal study directed by Dr. Wilbert S. Aronow in California.

A more recent study of 2,100 middle-aged men and women reveals that even healthy adults are harmed when they are forced regularly to breathe the smoke of others. These nonsmokers were found to suffer the same kind of damage to small airways deep inside the lungs as do smokers. “This is permanent damage occurring in people who have chosen not to smoke,” explained physiologist James R. White.
Further emphasizing the danger of being forced to breathe tobacco smoke is a study in Erie County, Pennsylvania. According to the New York Times, this study “revealed that the nonsmoking wives of men who smoke die on the average four years younger than women whose husbands are also nonsmokers.”

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOWS
The evidence is conclusive: If you are a nonsmoker who must breathe the smoke of others, it can hurt you. As time goes on, this is becoming a generally recognized fact. Thus most states in the United States and hundreds of cities have some kind of ban on smoking in public facilities. Also, some companies restrict smoking to designated areas. And due to losses in productivity from smoking, a number of employers have offered employees bonuses of hundreds of dollars if they will quit.

Many lawsuits have been filed by nonsmokers in an effort to seek relief from the pollution caused by smokers. In one case, the judge noted that smoking had been banned in a certain company’s computer room because the equipment malfunctioned when exposed to cigarette smoke. So he ruled that, if smoking could be curtailed for a machine, it could be also for the sake of humans.

Some smokers now feel harassed because of such legislation against their habit. They consider it unjustified. As one said: “Smoking, after all, is not a sin.” Yet is this really true?

PLS VISIT http://health-field.com for more on smoking...

You are welcome!

OBESITY among children has reached epidemic proportions in many countries. The World Health Organization says that worldwide an estimated 22 million children under the age of five are overweight.

A national survey in Spain revealed that 1 out of every 3 children is either overweight or obese. In just ten years (1985-1995), childhood obesity tripled in Australia. In the last three decades, obesity in children aged 6 to 11 has more than tripled in the United States.

Childhood obesity is also extending to developing countries. According to the International Obesity Task Force, in some parts of Africa, more children are affected by obesity than by malnutrition. In 2007, Mexico occupied second place in the world, behind the United States, for childhood obesity. It is said that in Mexico City alone, 70 percent of the children and adolescents are either overweight or obese. Pediatric surgeon Dr. Francisco González warns that this may be “the first generation to die before their parents from the complications of obesity.”

What are the complications? Three are diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. These are health problems formerly considered characteristic mostly of adults. According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine, 30 percent of the boys and 40 percent of the girls born in the United States in the year 2000 have a lifetime risk of being diagnosed with obesity-related type 2 diabetes.

Surveys show an alarming trend among children. Climbing rates of obesity are leading to climbing rates of high blood pressure. “Unless this upward trend in high blood pressure is reversed, we could be facing an explosion of new cardiovascular disease cases in young adults and adults,” warns Dr. Rebecca Din-Dzietham of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

Contributing Factors
What is behind this global epidemic of childhood obesity? While genetics can be a predisposing factor, the alarming increase in obesity in recent decades appears to indicate that genes are not the only cause. Stephen O’Rahilly, professor of clinical biochemistry and medicine at Cambridge University in England, declares: “Nothing genetic explains the rise in obesity. We can’t change our genes over 30 years.”

Commenting on the causes, the Mayo Clinic, in the United States, says: “Although there are some genetic and hormonal causes of childhood obesity, most excess weight is caused by kids eating too much and exercising too little.” Two examples illustrate the changing trend in eating habits today.

First, as working parents have less time and energy to prepare meals, fast food has increasingly become the norm. Fast-food restaurants have sprung up all over the world. One study reported that nearly a third of all children in the United States aged 4 to 19 eat fast food every day. Such foods are typically high in sugar and fats and are offered in temptingly large sizes.

Second, soft drinks have replaced milk and water as the beverage of choice. For example, Mexicans spend more each year on soft drinks, particularly colas, than on the ten most basic foods put together. According to the book Overcoming Childhood Obesity, just one 20-ounce [600 ml] soft drink a day can result in a gain of 25 pounds in a year!

As to the lack of physical activity, a study carried out by the University of Glasgow in Scotland found that the average three-year-old engages in “moderate to vigorous activity” for only 20 minutes a day. Commenting on that study, Dr. James Hill, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado, said: “The increasingly sedentary nature of U.K. [United Kingdom] children is not unique and is being seen in most countries around the world.”

What Is the Solution?
Nutritionists do not recommend putting children on a restrictive diet, as this may compromise their growth and health. Rather, the Mayo Clinic states: “One of the best strategies to combat excess weight in your children is to improve the diet and exercise levels of your entire family.”
Make healthful habits a family commitment. If you do, they will become a way of life for your children, carrying over into adulthood.


WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
1 Buy and serve more fruits and vegetables than convenience foods.
2 Limit soft drinks, sweetened beverages, and high-fat sugary snack foods. Instead, offer water or low-fat milk and healthful snacks.
3 Use cooking methods that are lower in fat, such as baking, broiling, and steaming, instead of frying.
4 Serve smaller portions.
5 Avoid using food as a reward or as a bribe.
6 Do not allow children to skip breakfast. Skipping it may lead to overeating later.
7 Sit at the table to eat. Eating in front of a TV or a computer screen promotes consumption and lessens awareness of feeling full.
8 Encourage physical activity, such as bike riding, playing ball, and jumping rope.
9 Limit time spent on watching television, using the computer, and playing video games.
10 Plan active family outings, such as visiting the zoo, going swimming, or playing in the park.
11 Assign active chores to your children.
12 Set the example in healthful eating and exercise.

[Credit Line]
Sources: The National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic

FOR MORE INFO http://health-field.com is a place to visit

SHE is a bright, active woman in her early 60’s. She has worked happily in her kitchen for more than 20 years and knows every inch of it well.
But this day, as she works at the counter, she turns and bumps her head on an open cabinet door. She mutters to herself about the dangers of absentmindedness. Minutes later she trips over a pair of shoes left near the back door.
This is neither absentmindedness nor a sudden lack of coordination. It is an insidious thief—glaucoma—slowly stealing this woman’s sight! Left untreated, it will steal it all. But glaucoma can be stopped and even prevented. How?

Your Remarkable Eyes
To begin with, you need to understand something of the design of your eyes. Your eye is a ball of fibrous tissue filled with a clear fluid. The opaque white part of this ball is the sclera. Through the clear part, the cornea, you can see the delicate-looking tissue that gives your eyes their color—the iris. Light enters your eye through the pupil, that dark opening in the center of the iris.
Just behind your pupil is a clear lens. Tiny muscles change its shape to focus what you see onto a screen of light-sensitive cells at the back of your eye—the retina. To function, your eyes must be clear inside and inflated to hold their roundness.

Your eyes are not empty. The Creator has provided them with clear substances that are constantly self-replacing. Most of the eye—the rear part behind the lens—is filled with vitreous (glassy) humor, a clear, jellylike fluid. The front part of your eye, between the vitreous humor and the cornea, contains aqueous humor—a watery fluid, as its name suggests. Your iris divides this watery part of your eye into two compartments: the front, or anterior, chamber and the rear, or posterior, chamber.
Behind the iris, the ciliary body is constantly producing this watery fluid. The fluid stays under a slight pressure, which varies somewhat with the normal changes in your body. The fluid flows gradually through your pupil into the anterior chamber, then to the edge of your iris. From there it flows through a meshwork of tissue into a drainage canal.

But what if some condition blocks the pupil, the meshwork, or the canal? When inflow exceeds outflow, pressure begins to build. The aqueous humor presses against the vitreous humor. The vitreous humor, in turn, presses with increasing force on the blood vessels and photoreceptor cells of the retina.
Nerve fibers from these cells come together at the back of the eye to form the cup-shaped optic nerve head, usually referred to as the optic disk. Since there are no vision cells within this disk, you have a tiny blind spot there. As pressure builds, blood flow is restricted. This smooth, pink optic disk becomes pale and irregular. Its cupped center deepens and grows wider. Deprived of blood, vision cells lose their sensitivity and die. The blind spot grows, and the visual field shrinks. For years this irreversible damage slowly progresses.

Widespread—And Unnoticed
Chronic open-angle glaucoma, caused by deteriorating fluid drainage, accounts for 70 to 95 percent of all glaucomas. Victims can still see and read well because the cells at the centers of their eyes are the last to be attacked. There are usually no symptoms at all in the early stages.
As chronic glaucoma stealthily progresses, some persons may complain vaguely of tired or watery eyes or feel that they need new glasses. Later on, they may notice a halo around lights and feel pain around their eyes. But for many, there is no warning until the loss of peripheral vision causes an unexplained “clumsiness.” Finally, even central vision becomes noticeably poorer. By then, glaucoma has stolen most of the victim’s sight.

Acute, or closed-angle, glaucoma accounts for about 10 percent of the cases reported in the United States. This is primarily an ailment of the elderly because our lenses enlarge with age, especially when cataracts are present. In eyes that have a shallow anterior chamber and a narrow angle between the cornea and the iris, the enlarged lenses gradually move forward to block the aqueous flow through the pupil. Pressure builds behind the iris. It bulges forward, squeezing shut the drainage meshwork that lies at the point of the angle and the canal.

Closed-angle glaucoma is usually not chronic but acute. Instead of a slow buildup of pressure, there is a sudden onset of increasing pain, sometimes accompanied by blurred vision, nausea, and vomiting. This is a true medical emergency! If the pressure is not relieved within 48 to 72 hours, there may be permanent damage to the trabecular (drainage) meshwork, and that will lead to irreparable damage to the optic nerve.
In other kinds of glaucoma, the trabecular meshwork may be blocked by inflammation, disease, or loose pigment from the iris. Trauma, such as a blow to the eye, can trigger glaucoma. Some children are born with congenital glaucoma and must be treated in infancy. Because they cannot see or read as well as others, they may even erroneously be thought to have learning disabilities.

Most Important—An Early Diagnosis
The good news about glaucoma is that most cases can be treated if they are diagnosed early. Regular eye examinations, especially for anyone over 40, are vital.
In one method for checking eye pressures, the doctor anesthetizes your eyes with drops, then gently presses an instrument called a tonometer against your cornea. The tonometer measures the pressure inside your eye by applying a gentle force to the cornea. This is the basic test for glaucoma. But it is not always enough to make sure that glaucoma is not present.

“I thought I had something in my eye,” said one middle-aged woman. “I was pulling out eyelashes because I thought they were irritating my eye. Then I began to feel tingling sensations in my scalp, and my eyes began to hurt.” She was examined by her family doctor, by an ophthalmologist who checked her eye pressure, and by a neurologist. They attributed the symptoms to a nervous condition.
She and her husband sought a second opinion from another ophthalmologist, who gave her a battery of tests. A provocative test—drinking a quart [1 L] of water at one sitting—forced her eye pressure high enough to reproduce her symptoms. She was diagnosed as having chronic closed-angle glaucoma. Her sight was saved.
Why did the first ophthalmologist fail to diagnose glaucoma? For one thing, eye pressure can vary throughout the day and the month. For another, some people can be suffering the effects of glaucoma even at normal pressures. Only a series of tests can definitely establish that glaucoma is not at work.
“There are three areas of major concern in diagnosing glaucoma,” says one eye surgeon. “They are eye pressure, the appearance of the optic nerve, and the visual field. If all three are abnormal, we then begin to ask, ‘What kind of glaucoma is it?’”

If glaucoma is diagnosed, the eye doctor may examine the rim of your iris and measure the depth of your anterior chambers. He will also ask questions about your general health, which greatly affects your eyes. High blood pressure is an example. “Anyone with a family history of glaucoma should have their eyes checked before treatment to lower their blood pressure,” says one doctor. The reason: High blood pressure raises eye pressures. The irritation of the eyes upsets the sufferer, and blood pressure and eye pressure race in a continuous cycle.

“One lady I know of was admitted to the hospital with a hypertensive [high blood pressure] crisis,” continues the doctor. “Her eyes were hurting, so an ophthalmologist was called. He treated her glaucoma quickly with laser surgery. Her eye pressure dropped immediately—and so did her blood pressure.” If the doctors had reduced her blood pressure first, she might have gone blind. The high fluid pressure in her eyes might have prevented the blood supply from reaching her optic nerves.

Advances in Treatment
All treatment for glaucoma aims at reducing the pressure inside the eyeball to halt damage to the optic nerve. Great strides in such treatment have been made in recent years. For open-angle glaucoma, the treatment is often the daily use of eye drops. Oral drugs may also be prescribed to reduce the production of aqueous fluid or to increase its outflow. Surgery is sometimes called for. A type of laser treatment, an outpatient procedure, improves drainage dramatically, reducing pressure by up to 25 percent in most cases.

For closed-angle glaucoma, medication provides temporary relief. The pressure can usually be relieved permanently by iridotomies—openings in the iris. Today, they can be made in just a few minutes. The eye surgeon anesthetizes each eye with drops, then makes small but visible perforations in the iris with a laser. Often the surgeon can observe the fluid rushing through the first opening he makes.
Special surgical techniques have been developed to treat rarer forms of glaucoma. In neovascular glaucoma, an excess of blood vessels blocks the drainage meshwork. The eye surgeon may use a laser to destroy part of the fluid-producing tissue or may implant tiny tubes that let fluid bypass the meshwork. He can also use ultrasound, cryosurgery (freezing), or laser methods to disturb the edge of the retina. Blood flow to that area will increase, so that the blocking blood vessels will shrink. Only a small percentage of glaucoma cases remain untreatable.

How You Can Protect Your Sight
Preventive care is vital. Have your eyes examined every two years. If you are over 40 and have any risk factor in your background, including diabetes, cataracts, eye inflammation, extreme nearsightedness, coronary artery disease, or a family history of glaucoma, have an examination at least once a year.

Do not treat symptoms lightly. See an eye doctor immediately.
Seek a second opinion if you are in doubt. Ask friends about eye doctors they know and whether these doctors have a variety of up-to-date equipment. Were their examinations thorough?
Have you been diagnosed as having glaucoma? Follow your doctor’s recommendations closely. One medical journal states that lack of compliance by the patient is the number one cause of failure to control glaucoma.

Never miss an appointment. Most doctors schedule checkups for glaucoma patients every three to six months because their eyes can undergo major changes in that time. Also, most people develop a tolerance to their eye drops after a year or so and often need a new prescription.
Be faithful about taking your medication. Do not use it past the expiry date. Be sure to let other doctors treating you know about your medication, especially if you have heart problems. Carry a card that states you have glaucoma and that gives your eye doctor’s name, the name of your medication, and the dosage.

Remember: Glaucoma can almost always be defeated—if we know what to do about it and are diligent about protecting ourselves.

http://health-field.com

David, 72 years old, moves with difficulty. Deformed elbows and wrists reflect the crippling effects of a disease all too common among the aged.
Peggie, in her late 60’s, walks with difficulty. She too suffers, as her deformed hands show. Yet, she manages to do a little housework and enjoys crocheting.

Isa, who had been confined to her wheelchair for 37 years, could do little for herself. However, her infectious smile conveyed a remarkable vitality.
DAVID, Peggie, and Isa—three among some six million Britons who have suffered from arthritis. According to The Times of London, every year this disease “accounts for the loss of 88 million working days . . . , far more than the losses caused by strikes.” Arthritis is Britain’s “largest single cause of disability.”

Wherever you live, arthritis can attack. No area of the world is immune. Of this malady, medical doctor Vernon Coleman writes: “Few diseases affect as many people . . . Few cause as much pain and disablement, and few are the subject of so many myths and so much misunderstanding.”—
It is not surprising that many arthritics, like David, find life depressing. On the other hand, Peggie, Isa, and others came to grips with their disabilities, even being optimistic. How can this be? What about you? If you are arthritic, or think you are, what steps can you take that can help you to cope successfully with the disease?
If You Are a Victim
First, obtain an early diagnosis. “It cannot be stressed too strongly,” says The Arthritis Book, “that early diagnosis can help to minimize later pain and disability.” Yes, treatment of arthritis is indeed “a fight for time.” Dr. Coleman concurs: “If . . . treatment is initiated early and with enthusiasm the outlook is greatly improved.”
So do not procrastinate. Find out the details of your health problem. Then, if it is arthritis, make arrangements to start treatment without delay.

Coping With Pain
For arthritis sufferers, the minimizing of pain is of high priority. Yet, in some cases of osteoarthritis, certain doctors give this advice: ‘Keep taking the pain.’ Why? Because pain-numbing drugs suppress the body’s natural alarm signals. Ignoring these signals may lead to irreparable joint damage.

The possible side effects of such pain-killing medication should also be considered. The Lancet warned that the “risk of [hospital] admission with bleeding peptic ulcer . . . substantially increased in takers of NANSAID [nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs].” Thus, many prefer to keep their use of drugs to a minimum. Some find pain relief by concentrating on matters that capture their interest. Nursing Mirror notes: “Distraction can be used as a sensory shield by diverting attention and focusing on something unrelated to the pain.”

This is not to say that avoidance of all pain suppressants is advisable. In some cases failure to suppress pain may discourage the use of painful joints, leading to stiffness, atrophy, and eventual loss of joint function. NANSAID and aspirin are widely used for pain relief. They are also prescribed to reduce swelling and inflammation. Both are considered effective by many arthritis sufferers and their doctors.
In view of the potential dangers, however, know as much as possible about a treatment before embarking on it. Find out what the risks are. Speak to your doctor about this.

Though extreme cold and dampness do not cause arthritis, climatic factors do appear to influence the degree of pain felt by sufferers. Thus, for some, moving to a warm, dry climate has brought relief. But if such a change is impractical, there are some alternatives.
Dr. Frederic McDuffie, a leader in research on rheumatoid arthritis, notes that direct “application of cold and heat can also be useful.” In one study, patients applied an ice pack for 20 minutes to knee joints afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis. They did this three times a day for four weeks, and they reported more pain-free movement and increased muscle strength. They showed greater agility and slept better. Why? McDuffie explains that “cold reduces the nerve transmission of pain impulses.”

Unfortunately, what works well for one person may prove ineffective for another. Many arthritis sufferers find a gentle massage helpful. Isa related: “When my pain troubles me, I get my husband to rub the area really hard. This hurts, but sometimes it relieves the pain.”
Heat therapy is also considered beneficial. Some doctors recommend the use of a hot-water bottle or a heating pad for pain relief. Rheumatologist Dr. F. Dudley Hart explains: “Heat relaxes the muscles, lessens stiffness and eases pains.”

‘Use or Lose!’
“One of the most important things . . . to help your arthritis is . . . exercise,” states The Arthritis Helpbook. ‘Yes,’ you say, ‘but that is so painful.’ True, but aim for balance.
Walking, swimming, and cycling are the favorite forms of general exercise. However, for your exercise to be really effective, you will need a program tailored to your type of arthritis. Discuss this with your doctor or physiotherapist to ascertain which movements will best help you.
When you experience pain during periods of exercise, take a brief rest. If your affected joints are hot and inflamed, you should discontinue the exercise at that time—it may be too strenuous. Remember, your goal should be mobility rather than strength. Moving the joints through as full a range of motion as possible at least twice daily can be a help in continued free movement.

A Cure in Sight?
“Cure for arthritis ‘very close,’” announced Liverpool’s Daily Post back on May 28, 1980. The report that followed noted, however, that “no definite time scale has been set.”
Over 12 years later, research continues. For rheumatoid arthritis, attention now focuses on designing drugs to manipulate the “faulty” genes believed to be its cause. Professor Ravinder Maini of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council hopes that these will become available “in five to 10 years.”
In the meantime, to restore mobility and relieve suffering, some arthritis victims have opted for surgical joint replacement. Others find that certain diets help. Acupuncture, homeopathy, and osteopathy all have their champions in this field.
Opinions about the proper treatment vary greatly. Some types have been labeled “quackery” by medical professionals solely because such treatments are considered unorthodox, not because they lack effectiveness. Nevertheless, a host of so-called cures of questionable worth are offered to arthritis sufferers.

At present, the medical profession has not found a cure for this crippling disease. It is, therefore, wise to weigh carefully all factors when selecting a particular form of treatment. Once this has been done, stick with what works best for you.

How Others Can Help
If you have an arthritic relative or friend, there is much you can do to help that one cope with the limitations experienced. How?
Though living alone, Peggie finds her children very supportive. They keep in close touch by letter and telephone. Whenever her daughters, who live abroad, visit, they gladly help with decorating and other household chores that she now finds too difficult. Her teenage granddaughter stops by every
week to care for the heavy housecleaning.

David’s wife now takes a more active interest in caring for him. With instruction from a community nurse, she has learned how to help him with his personal hygiene. David now feels happier, and the two of them are able to do more things together.
“Most things other people do,” Isa said before her death, “I cannot do for myself.” How welcome, then, the loving care of her husband, who washed her, dressed her, and even did her hair!

Arthritis sufferers usually treasure any independence their disease still allows. Relatives and friends should avoid undermining this. What is needed most, according to Dr. Hart, is “practical sympathy and reassurance.” Do something for the sufferer, then, that he cannot do for himself. Brief visits, encouraging words, and help with chores and shopping elicit the greatest appreciation.

Develop an Optimistic Outlook
‘With a disease like arthritis, that is easier said than done,’ you may say. True, but much depends on what you, your relatives, and your friends envisage for the future.
Consider Peggie and Isa. Isa said: “I’ve stopped worrying about my disability.” Instead, she and Peggie sought out opportunities to help others. Peggie spends time making encouraging visits on her neighbors. Isa, with the help of her children and grandchildren, shared full-time in telling others of the promises foretold in the Bible.

Rheumatism or Arthritis?
All of us experience aches and pains from time to time. We may dismiss them as “a touch of rheumatism.” Medically, rheumatism is a general description of 200 or more painful conditions, though only about half fall into the category of arthritis. Four common kinds of arthritis are:
Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis or osteoarthrosis) occurs mainly in older persons and is characterized by degeneration of joint cartilage, enlargement of bone at the margins of the joint, and changes in the synovial, or fluid-producing, membrane of a joint. “By the time we are 65 years old, 80 per cent of us can expect to have osteoarthritic changes in one or more joints; a quarter of us will suffer more or less pain and disability from them.”—New Scientist.

Rheumatoid arthritis is usually indicated by the inflammation of numerous joints and their fluid-producing membranes and by atrophy, or wasting, of the muscles and bone that surround a joint. At times, this can result from an injury. “May start at any age but is more common in women than men in a ratio of about 3:1.”—Nursing Mirror.

Ankylosing spondylitis (or spinal arthritis) “affects the spine chiefly leading to a stiff or ‘poker’ back. . . . more common in males.”—101 Questions and Answers About Arthritis.

Gout is a hereditary form of arthritis characterized by an excess of uric acid (hyperuricemia) in the blood that results in attacks of acute arthritis usually involving a single joint, followed by complete remission. “Men are affected about 20 times as frequently as women.”—Nursing Mirror.

A DIET FOR ARTHRITIS?
The following excerpts from books and news reports reveal the wide disagreement among experts. Individual appraisal and decision is therefore necessary.
“It’s what you don’t eat that counts. . . . Do not eat: Meat in any form, including broth; fruit of any kind; dairy products . . . ; egg yolks; vinegar, or any other acid; pepper . . . of any variety; hot spices; chocolate; dry roasted nuts; alcoholic beverages, particularly wine; soft drinks
. . . ; all additives, preservatives, chemicals, most especially monosodium glutamate.”—New Hope for the Arthritic, 1976.

“The best possible diet for an arthritic condition is wholesome food that includes essential nutrients—proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals—eaten at regular, well-spaced intervals. Raw fruit, leafy vegetables, and whole-grain cereals should be included if you are not allergic to them.”—Arthritis—Relief Beyond Drugs, 1981.

“True allergic arthritis is rare but does occur occasionally with sensitivity to wheat flour (gluten) or milk products (cheese) or other substances. If in doubt it may be desirable to keep a food diary to note what has been eaten on the days arthritis flares up or worsens.”—101 Questions and Answers About Arthritis, 1983.

“The Special Arthritis Diet. Forget it. There isn’t any. There is no scientific evidence that arthritis can be helped or made worse by any vitamin, mineral, protein, fat, or carbohydrate. If patients decide to embark on a diet of yoghurt, organic foods, vegetable juice, alkaline foods, or acid foods, it probably won’t hurt them.”—The Arthritis Book, 1984.

“Researchers have discovered that a diet of fish and lean meat, with fish-oil supplements, reduces stiffness and pain in the joints caused by rheumatoid arthritis.”—The Sunday Times, London, 1985.
On one matter authorities do agree: Avoid being overweight, which only exacerbates joint problems, especially in the hips, knees, and ankles.

For more Info on Arthritis and other health related issues pls visit http://health-field.com ...

If this disorder affects you or a loved one, you will be comforted to know that you are not alone and that it can be treated

“IT RUINED my adolescence!” ‘Endless washing of soiled bedding and pajamas!’ A “stigma” and an “embarrassment!”

These are the heartrending cries from parents and children alike who are victims of the distressing problem of bed-wetting. It is a perplexing affliction that, for those involved, is not an easy one to discuss openly.
Yet, bed-wetting is widespread. It affects an estimated five million children in the United States alone, so it is a subject of much attention and investigation. What causes it?
“Nocturnal enuresis” is the medical label tagged to bed-wetting. It means an involuntary loss of urine occurring at night at an age when, normally, nighttime control of urination would be expected. At what age do most children develop this control? There is some cultural variation, but 1 child in 5 wets more than once a week at age 3, 1 in 10 at age 5, but only 1 in 35 at age 14.
These figures illustrate that the problem of bed-wetting is eventually mastered over a period of time. In fact, one researcher found that 75 percent of those in one study were cured over a five-year period. Boys are affected more frequently than girls, and it seems the disorder runs in the family, with a parent, a brother, or a sister also having been affected.

Possible Causes
Sometimes, though rarely, enuresis is caused by a disease, such as urinary infection, diabetes, food allergies, or a physical abnormality of the bladder, kidneys, or nervous system. A disease is likely the cause if daytime control is also lacking. When bed-wetting persists past age five or six, a medical evaluation may be called for to see if a disease exists if daytime wetting also occurs and if bed-wetting recurs after a period of dryness.

While in the past some viewed enuresis as the manifestation of a neurotic disorder, medical experts are now in agreement that it is not intentional and is not a symptom of psychological disturbance. The cause of bed-wetting is otherwise unknown, although many theories have been proposed, such as a small bladder capacity, slow maturation of bladder control, familial tendency, and disorders of sleep patterns. More than one of these conditions may exist in a particular child.
If a child has had nighttime control of urination for six months or more and then resumes bed-wetting, a physical disease or an emotional upset is more likely to be the cause. Such things as the arrival of a new baby, a new stepparent, a move to a new home, or other family disruption can initiate bed-wetting again. More frequently, however, emotional disturbances such as guilt feelings, inadequacy, loss of self-esteem, and anxiety arise because of the bed-wetting.

How to Deal With It
“The worst thing you can do is threaten them. It gets worse if you threaten; it doesn’t get better,” says Lorraine, who was a bed wetter until age 19. “There is no point in getting angry with the child,” explains a mother whose eight-year-old son, Julien, is affected.
Punishment, shaming, and degradation are ineffective treatments because the child is unable to control the bed-wetting. These reactions serve only to increase guilt and embarrassment but have no beneficial effect on the problem. Parents should, rather, attempt to reduce the emotional impact on the child. “Try to minimize the embarrassment and be understanding,” cautions Lorraine. “Try not to attach any stigma to it—the child already feels guilty.”

Many therapeutic approaches exist, but none are predictably of value in a given child. Therefore, the family may be faced with trying different approaches in sequence. The age of the child involved may also determine the treatment used. Since enuresis tends to stop spontaneously, some parents prefer to wait. In the absence of any physical problem or emotional disturbance in the child, it may be best to wait. The fact is, the child may be distressed by testing and treatment procedures.
Bed-wetting does, though, cause increased work, emotional stress, and embarrassment for all concerned. Activities such as overnight visits to friends and relatives may be curtailed. “You’re having so many social problems,” Lorraine noted, “that it leaves its mark on you.”
Putting off treatment indefinitely, therefore, is unwise. Lorraine urges: “Don’t let it go. In the meantime, you can be traumatized by it. You set a pattern.” “It becomes a habit,” says Julien’s mother.

What Can Help
Before beginning on a course of treatment, care should be taken to ensure that the treatment does not cause more harm than the initial problem. Some authorities feel treatment should not be started until the child is six to eight years of age. Bed-wetting is not usually distressing to the child prior to this age. Besides, older children show a better response to treatment.

Some strategies to help the parent cope include the use of a plastic mattress cover or absorbent pads to protect the mattress and having the child help with the cleanup. Wearing extra-thick underwear in addition to pajamas will prevent much of the urine from getting through to bed sheets. Older children may set an alarm so that they will get up and go to the bathroom before bed-wetting occurs. Counseling and reassurance alone may result in improvement. Helping the child understand the problem and involving him in the treatment process increase the likelihood of success.

Simple measures such as restriction of fluids after supper (especially of caffeine-containing beverages, including colas), making sure the child uses the toilet at bedtime, and waking him during the night to urinate, as well as praise for dry nights, may reduce or eliminate bed-wetting. If the child keeps a record of dry nights, this in itself can be an encouragement and may result in improvement. Also, training the child to hold progressively larger volumes of urine during the day has helped.

A more elaborate approach is the use of a urine alarm system. A few drops of urine on a urine-sensitive pad placed under the child at night will activate the alarm to awaken the child. Success in eliminating enuresis by this means is reported to be as high as 60 to 90 percent, though relapses are reported in 10 to 45 percent of those treated. Retreatment may result in cure.
A combination of these measures, termed “Dry Bed Training,” has resulted in cessation of bed-wetting in almost all children treated. Unfortunately, 20 to 30 percent of children suffer relapse once the treatment is stopped, but a repeat treatment of these children may result in permanent success.

A drug called imipramine has been shown to reduce bed-wetting, but side effects are common and the relapse rate is high. Accidental overdose and death caused by imipramine have been reported, so caution is advised when using this approach. Continued medical supervision is recommended while this drug is being used.

Some have used other forms of treatment. “I’d suggest going to a chiropractor. I can see the improvement in my son in just a matter of two and a half months,” claims the mother of Julien. Studies of acupuncture treatment for enuresis show a 40-percent success rate. And herbalists outline various plants and herbs that purportedly alleviate bed-wetting. In some areas, there are clinics that specialize in the problem.
For most, the problem just disappears, or it is resolved after treatment. And as Lorraine observes: “People are immensely relieved to find out there is someone else who has experienced the same thing.” This reassurance coupled with some of the available treatments may be the key to helping your child overcome the problem of bed-wetting.—Contributed by a medical doctor.

http://health-field.com/

UNLIKE rice or flour, health cannot be dished out by a relief worker. It does not come in a bag because it is not a commodity but a condition. “Health,” defines WHO (World Health Organization), “is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” What, though, determines the degree of that well-being?
A modest house may be built using boards, nails, and corrugated iron, but the different parts are often supported by four corner posts. Similarly, our health is shaped by numerous influences, but all are related to four “corner” influences. They are (1) behavior, (2) environment, (3) medical care, and (4) biological makeup. Just as you can strengthen your house by upgrading the quality of the posts, so you can better your health by improving the quality of these influential factors. The question is, How can that be done with limited means?

Your Behavior and Your Health
Of the four factors, your behavior is the one most within your control. Changing it for the better can help. Granted, poverty limits the changes you can make in your diet and habits, but by utilizing the choices that are available, you can make a substantial difference. Note the following example.
A mother usually has a choice between breast-feeding and bottle-feeding her baby. Breast-feeding, says the United Nations Children’s Fund, is “the superior choice, both physically and economically.” Mother’s milk, say experts, is “the ultimate health food,” giving the baby “precisely the right concentrations of protein, fat, lactose, vitamins, minerals and trace elements that are needed for harmonious growth.” Breast milk also transports disease-fighting proteins, or antibodies, from the mother to the baby, giving the infant a head start in combating diseases.

Especially in tropical lands with poor sanitary conditions, breast-feeding is best. Unlike bottle milk, breast milk cannot be overdiluted to save money, mistakes cannot be made during its preparation, and it is always served from a clean container. In contrast, “a bottle-fed baby in a poor community,” notes Synergy, a newsletter from the Canadian Society for International Health, “is approximately 15 times more likely to die from diarrheal disease and four times more likely to die from pneumonia than a baby who is exclusively breastfed.”

Then there is the economic advantage. In the developing world, powdered milk is costly. In Brazil, for example, bottle-feeding a baby may take one fifth of a poor family’s monthly income. The money saved by breast-feeding can provide healthier meals for the whole family—including mother.
With all these advantages, you would expect breast-feeding to be booming. Yet, health workers in the Philippines report that breast-feeding there is “gravely threatened with extinction,” and a study in Brazil showed that one of the main factors associated with infants dying from respiratory infection is “lack of breastfeeding.” Your infant, however, may escape that fate. You have a choice.
Mother’s efforts to protect baby’s health are often undermined, though, by the unhealthy behavior of other family members. Take as an example one mother in Nepal. She shares a damp room with her husband and three-year-old daughter. The tiny room, writes Panoscope magazine, is filled with kitchen and tobacco smoke. The child suffers from a respiratory infection. “I cannot stop my husband from smoking,” sighs the mother. “I now buy cigarettes for my husband and medicine for my child.”

Sadly, her dilemma is becoming increasingly common as ever more people in the developing countries waste much-needed income by taking up smoking. In fact, for every smoker who stops smoking in Europe or the United States, two people start smoking in Latin America or Africa. Misleading advertisements, notes the Dutch book Roken Welbeschouwd, are much to blame. Slogans such as “Varsity: for that fine clear-headed feeling” and “Gold Leaf: very important cigarettes for very important people” convince the poor that smoking is linked to progress and prosperity. But the opposite is true. It burns up your money and ruins your health.

Consider this. Every time a person smokes a cigarette, he shortens his life expectancy by ten minutes and increases his risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as lung, throat, and mouth cancers and other diseases. Says UN Chronicle magazine: “Tobacco consumption is the single greatest preventable cause of premature death and disability in the world.” Please note that it says “preventable cause.” You can snuff out your last cigarette.

Of course, there are many more behavioral choices that influence your health. The box on page 11 of this article lists some material that you can read in the library of a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. True, informing yourself takes effort. Nevertheless, a WHO official says: “You cannot have health without the involvement of enlightened people who have been informed and educated about their health situation.” So take this free health-promoting step: Educate yourself.

Health and the Home Environment
The environment that influences your health the most, states the book The Poor Die Young, is your home and your neighborhood. Your environment can be a health hazard because of the water. Infections, skin diseases, diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and other afflictions are caused by insufficient and unsafe water.

If washing your hands requires nothing more than opening a faucet, it may be hard for you to appreciate how much time people who lack running water in their homes spend getting water each day. Often more than 500 persons use one tap. That requires waiting. But low-income people work long hours, and waiting, notes the book Environmental Problems in Third World Cities, “takes away from time which could be used in earning an income.” No wonder that to save time a family of six will often carry home less than the 30 buckets of water needed each day for a family that size. But then there is too little water for washing food, dishes, and clothes and for personal hygiene. This leads to conditions that, in turn, attract lice and flies, which endanger the family’s health.

Think of this situation. If you depend on a bicycle to reach your faraway job, would you consider it a loss to spend some time each week to oil the chain, adjust the brakes, or replace a spoke? No, since you realize that even if you gain a few hours now by neglecting maintenance, you may lose a whole day of work later when your bicycle breaks down. Similarly, you may gain some hours and a little money each week if you stop short of hauling enough water to maintain your health, but later you may lose a lot of days and money when, because of poor maintenance, your health breaks down.

Fetching enough water can be made a family project. Though local culture may dictate that mother and children serve as water bearers, a caring father will not shun lending his muscle to haul water himself.
After the water reaches home, however, a second problem arises—how to keep it clean. Health experts advise: Do not store drinking water and water used for other purposes in the same place. Always cover the storage container with a close-fitting lid. Allow the water to stand for a while so that impurities sink to the bottom. Do not touch the water with your fingers when scooping it out, but use a clean cup with a long handle. Clean the water containers regularly with a bleach solution, and after that rinse them out with safe water. And rainwater? It surely is a bargain (provided it rains!), and it can be safe if no dirt washes into the storage tank with the rainwater and if the tank is protected from insects and rodents and other animals.

When you are in doubt about whether the water is safe, WHO suggests that you add a chlorine-releasing substance to it, such as sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite. It works, and it is cheap. In Peru, for instance, this method costs an average family less than two dollars a year.

Health and Health Care
Often the poor only see two forms of health care: (1) available but not affordable and (2) affordable but not available. Donna Maria, one of São Paulo’s nearly 650,000 slum dwellers, explains package one: “For us, good health care is like an item in a window display in a luxurious shopping mall. We can look at it, but it is beyond our reach.” (Vandaar magazine) Indeed, Donna Maria lives in a city where hospitals offer heart-bypass operations, transplants, CAT scans, and other high-tech medicine. For her, though, these things are not affordable.

If unaffordable health care is like a luxury item in a mall, then affordable health care is more like a low-cost item for which hundreds of elbowing customers are reaching at the same time. Noted a recent news report in a South American country: ‘The sick are standing in line for two days to get a consultation. There are no vacancies. Public hospitals lack money, medicine, and food. The health-care system is sick.’
To improve such ailing health care for the masses, WHO has gradually shifted its work from disease control to health promotion by educating people in prevention and control of diseases. Programs promoting primary health care, such as proper nutrition, safe water, and basic sanitation, writes UN Chronicle, have resulted in “a substantial improvement in global health.” Do these programs benefit you? One of them may have. Which one? EPI (Expanded Program on Immunization).

“The vaccinator has replaced the postman as the most familiar visitor to home and hamlet,” notes a report on EPI. During the last decade, vaccination needles were felt from the Amazon to the Himalayas, and by 1990, WHO reported, 80 percent of the world’s infants had been inoculated against six killer diseases. Yearly, EPI is saving the lives of over three million children. Another 450,000 who might have been crippled can walk, run, and play. Thus, to prevent diseases, many parents make the personal decision to have their children inoculated.

At times you cannot prevent a sickness, but you may still be able to control it. “It has been estimated that well over half of all health care,” says World Health magazine, “is self-care or care provided by the family.” One form of such self-care is a simple, inexpensive mixture of salt, sugar, and clean water called oral rehydration solution (ORS).

Many health professionals regard oral rehydration therapy, including use of ORS, as the most effective treatment for dehydration because of diarrhea. If used worldwide to control the 1.5 billion diarrhea episodes that occur yearly in developing countries, a tiny packet of ORS salts costing only ten cents could save the lives of many of the 3.2 million children who die from diarrheic diseases each year.
It could, but the use of antidiarrheic drugs in some countries, states the Essential Drugs Monitor, a WHO newsletter, is still “far more common than the use of ORS.” In some developing countries, for instance, drugs are used three times more often to treat diarrhea than is ORS. “This unnecessary use of drugs is extremely costly,” notes the newsletter. Poor families may even have to sell food for this purpose. Moreover, it warns, antidiarrheic drugs have no proved practical value, and some are dangerous. “Doctors should not prescribe such drugs, . . . and families should not buy them.”

Instead of suggesting drugs, WHO offers the following for treating diarrhea. (1) Prevent dehydration by giving the child more fluids, such as rice water or tea. (2) If the child still becomes dehydrated, see a health worker for assessment, and treat the child with ORS. (3) Feed the child normally during and after the diarrheic episode. (4) If the child is severely dehydrated, he should be rehydrated intravenously.
If you cannot obtain prepackaged ORS, follow this simple recipe carefully: Mix one level teaspoon of table salt, eight level teaspoonfuls of sugar, and one liter (five cupfuls at 200 milliliters each) of clean water. Give one cupful for each loose stool passed, half that for small children. See the box on page 10 for more information on this matter.

[Footnotes]
The six are diphtheria, measles, poliomyelitis, tetanus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough. WHO recommends that hepatitis B, which kills many more people than AIDS now kills, also be included in immunization programs.
Pinch the child’s abdominal skin. If the skin takes longer than two seconds to go back to a normal state, the child may be severely dehydrated.

PRIMARY HEALTH CARE—HOW DOES IT WORK?
To find the answer to this question, Awake! talked with Dr. Michael O’Carroll, a WHO representative in South America. Some excerpts follow.
‘WE INHERITED a health-care system based on a medical approach to health. If you are sick, you go to a doctor. Forget about the fact that you drank two bottles of whiskey. Forget that you never exercise. You see the doctor and say: “Doctor, cure me.” Then the doctor puts something in your mouth, puts something in your arm, cuts something off, or puts something on. Now, I am speaking grossly here, as you will understand, just to get the point across, but this kind of medical approach has prevailed. We have wrongfully medicalized society’s problems. Suicide, malnutrition, and drug abuse have become medical problems. But they are not. They are not even health problems. They are social problems with health and medical consequences.

‘Then, over the last 20 years, people said, “Hey, slow down. We’re doing things the wrong way. We need to redefine what health is all about.” Some principles underlying the primary-health-care approach developed, such as:
‘It is more humane and more cost-effective in the long run to prevent disease than to treat it. It is, for example, against this principle to build a clinic to deal with open-heart surgery when you do nothing about the causes. That does not mean that you do not treat diseases if they occur. Of course you do. If you have a hole in the street that is causing accidents every day of the week, you will treat the poor fellow who falls and breaks his legs, but the more humane and cost-effective thing to do is: Fill the hole.

‘Another principle is to use your health resources efficiently. It is against this principle to send someone to a clinic for a problem that can be handled at home. Or to send someone to a sophisticated hospital to deal with a problem that could have been taken care of in a clinic. Or to send a doctor, who has been trained for ten years at a university, to go out and give vaccinations while someone who has been trained for six months can do the same job. When that doctor needs to perform the job that he is trained for, he should be available. This is what primary health care is telling us: Educate the people, prevent diseases, and use your health resources wisely.’

ANOTHER ORS FOR CHOLERA
WHO now recommends that rice-based ORS (oral rehydration solution), instead of the standard glucose-based ORS, be used for treating cholera patients. Studies show that cholera patients treated with rice-based ORS had 33 percent less stool output and shorter episodes of diarrhea than cholera patients given standard ORS. One liter of rice-based ORS is made by replacing the ounce [20 g] of sugar with two to three ounces [50-80 g] of cooked rice-powder.—Essential Drugs Monitor.

http://health-field.com/

Is Any Form of Life Really Simple?
Your body is one of the most complex structures in the universe. It is made up of some 100 trillion tiny cells—bone cells, blood cells, brain cells, to name a few.7 In fact, there are more than 200 different types of cells in your body.

Despite their amazing diversity in shape and function, your cells form an intricate, integrated network. The Internet, with its millions of computers and high-speed data cables, is clumsy in comparison. No human invention can compete with the technical brilliance evident in even the most basic of cells. How did the cells that make up the human body come into existence?
What do many scientists claim? All living cells fall into two major categories—those with a nucleus and those without. Human, animal, and plant cells have a nucleus. Bacterial cells do not. Cells with a nucleus are called eukaryotic. Those without a nucleus are known as prokaryotic. Since prokaryotic cells are relatively less complex than eukaryotic cells, many believe that animal and plant cells must have evolved from bacterial cells.

In fact, many teach that for millions of years, some “simple” prokaryotic cells swallowed other cells but did not digest them. Instead, the theory goes, unintelligent “nature” figured out a way not only to make radical changes in the function of the ingested cells but also to keep the adapted cells inside of the “host” cell when it replicated.9
What does the Bible say? The Bible states that life on earth is the product of an intelligent mind. Note the Bible’s clear logic: “Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God.” (Hebrews 3:4) Another Bible passage says: “How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made. The earth is full of your productions. . . . There are moving things without number, living creatures, small as well as great.”—Psalm 104:24, 25.

What does the evidence reveal? Advances in microbiology have made it possible to peer into the awe-inspiring interior of the simplest living prokaryotic cells known. Evolutionary scientists theorize that the first living cells must have looked something like these cells.
If the theory of evolution is true, it should offer a plausible explanation of how the first “simple” cell formed by chance. On the other hand, if life was created, there should be evidence of ingenious design even in the smallest of creatures. Why not take a tour of a prokaryotic cell? As you do so, ask yourself whether such a cell could arise by chance.

THE CELL’S PROTECTIVE WALL
To tour a prokaryotic cell, you would have to shrink to a size that is hundreds of times smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. Keeping you out of the cell is a tough, flexible membrane that acts like a brick and mortar wall surrounding a factory. It would take some 10,000 layers of this membrane to equal the thickness of a sheet of paper. But the membrane of a cell is much more sophisticated than the brick wall. In what ways?

Like the wall surrounding a factory, the membrane of a cell shields the contents from a potentially hostile environment. However, the membrane is not solid; it allows the cell to “breathe,” permitting small molecules, such as oxygen, to pass in or out. But the membrane blocks more complex, potentially damaging molecules from entering without the cell’s permission. The membrane also prevents useful molecules from leaving the cell. How does the membrane manage such feats?

Think again of a factory. It might have security guards who monitor the products that enter and leave through the doorways in the factory wall. Similarly, the cell membrane has special protein molecules embedded in it that act like the doors and the security guards.
Some of these proteins (1) have a hole through the middle of them that allows only specific types of molecules in and out of the cell. Other proteins are open on one side of the cell membrane (2) and closed on the other. They have a docking site (3) shaped to fit a specific substance. When that substance docks, the other end of the protein opens and releases the cargo through the membrane (4). All this activity is happening on the surface of even the simplest of cells.

INSIDE THE FACTORY
Imagine that you have been allowed past the “security guard” and are now inside the cell. The interior of a prokaryotic cell is filled with a watery fluid that is rich in nutrients, salts, and other substances. The cell uses these raw ingredients to manufacture the products it needs. But the process is not haphazard. Like an efficiently run factory, the cell organizes thousands of chemical reactions so that they take place in a specific order and according to a set timetable.

A cell spends a lot of its time making proteins. How does it do so? First, you would see the cell make about 20 different basic building blocks called amino acids. These building blocks are delivered to the ribosomes (5), which may be likened to automated machines that link the amino acids in a precise order to form a specific protein. Just as the operations of a factory might be governed by a central computer program, many of the functions of a cell are governed by a “computer program,” or code, known as DNA (6). From the DNA, the ribosome receives a copy of detailed instructions that tell it which protein to build and how to build it (7).

What happens as the protein is made is nothing short of amazing! Each one folds into a unique three-dimensional shape (. It is this shape that determines the specialized job that the protein will do. Picture a production line where engine parts are being assembled. Each part needs to be precisely constructed if the engine is to work. Similarly, if a protein is not precisely constructed and folded to exactly the right shape, it will not be able to do its work properly and may even damage the cell.
How does the protein find its way from where it was made to where it is needed? Each protein the cell makes has a built-in “address tag” that ensures that the protein will be delivered to where it is needed. Although thousands of proteins are built and delivered each minute, each one arrives at the correct destination.

Why do these facts matter? The complex molecules in the simplest living thing cannot reproduce alone. Outside the cell, they break down. Inside the cell, they cannot reproduce without the help of other complex molecules. For example, enzymes are needed to produce a special energy molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), but energy from ATP is needed to produce enzymes. Similarly, DNA (section 3 discusses this molecule) is required to make enzymes, but enzymes are required to make DNA. Also, other proteins can be made only by a cell, but a cell can be made only with proteins.

Microbiologist Radu Popa does not agree with the Bible’s account of creation. Yet, in 2004 he asked: “How can nature make life if we failed with all the experimental conditions controlled?”13 He also stated: “The complexity of the mechanisms required for the functioning of a living cell is so large that a simultaneous emergence by chance seems impossible.”14

What do you think?
The theory of evolution tries to account for the origin of life on earth without the necessity of divine intervention. However, the more that scientists discover about life, the less likely it appears that it could arise by chance. To sidestep this dilemma, some evolutionary scientists would like to make a distinction between the theory of evolution and the question of the origin of life. But does that sound reasonable to you?
T
he theory of evolution rests on the notion that a long series of fortunate accidents produced life to start with. It then proposes that another series of undirected accidents produced the astonishing diversity and complexity of all living things. However, if the foundation of the theory is missing, what happens to the other theories that are built on this assumption? Just as a skyscraper built without a foundation would collapse, a theory of evolution that cannot explain the origin of life will crumble.
After briefly considering the structure and function of a “simple” cell, what do you see—evidence of many accidents or proof of brilliant design? If you are still unsure, take a closer look at the “master program” that controls the functions of all cells.

[Footnotes]
No experimental evidence exists to show that such an event is possible.
Enzymes are one example of proteins made by cells. Each enzyme is folded in a special way to accelerate a particular chemical reaction. Hundreds of enzymes cooperate to regulate the cell’s activities.
Some of the cells in the human body are made up of about 10,000,000,000 protein molecules11 of several hundred thousand different kinds.

HOW FAST CAN A CELL REPRODUCE?
Some bacteria can make replicas of themselves within 20 minutes. Each cell copies all the controlling “computer programs.” Then it divides. If it had unlimited access to fuel, just one cell could increase in number exponentially. At that rate, it would take only two days to produce a clump of cells with a weight more than 2,500 times greater than that of the earth.15 Cells that are more complex can also replicate quickly. For example, when you were developing in your mother’s womb, new brain cells formed at the astounding rate of 250,000 per minute!16
Human manufacturers often have to sacrifice quality to produce an item at a fast pace. How is it possible, then, that cells can reproduce so fast and so accurately if they are the product of undirected accidents?

FACTS AND QUESTIONS
▪ Fact: The extraordinarily complex molecules that make up a cell—DNA, RNA, proteins—seem designed to work together.
Question: What seems more likely to you? Did unintelligent evolution construct any intricate machines, or were those machines the product of an intelligent mind?

▪ Fact: Some respected scientists say that even a “simple” cell is far too complex to have arisen by chance on earth.
Question: If some scientists are willing to speculate that life came from an extraterrestrial source, what is the basis for ruling out God as that Source?


for more on evolution theories and scientist dilemma on the theories ...http://health-field.com/

NEARLY everybody at some time in life knows what it means to have a headache. Think back to that last influenza attack or to that cold in the head when your sinuses and your air passages were full of catarrh. That dull ache or throbbing pain that you felt inside your head was just one of those depressing symptoms that made you aware of your illness. Every cough or sneeze seemed to make the headache worse. How glad you were to rest your head on the pillow, and what a relief when you woke up to find your headache gone! If that is the only kind of headache that you have experienced, then you should be thankful.

Many people today—and some nearly every day—suffer from headaches that are not accompanied by obvious underlying illness. Such headaches may be severe and disabling and are not always easily relieved. Perhaps this is the kind of headache that is more familiar to you and no doubt one that you would be thankful to get rid of.
But why do people suffer from headaches? What really aches when your head aches? Are there different kinds of headaches? What factors precipitate headaches? The answers to these questions may help you to appreciate better what you can do about your headaches.

A Protective Mechanism
People experience pain because of an inbuilt protective mechanism. It may be likened to a warning system that tells us that some pain-sensitive tissue is being stimulated and that action is required to remove the body from contact with the damaging stimuli.
So it is with headache. It informs you that not all is well. For your physical and mental comfort and well-being, action needs to be taken. It is only natural therefore that you should be interested in knowing what to do about your headaches.

But what actually aches when you are suffering from a headache? What pain-sensitive tissues are involved? Surprisingly, the brain itself is not a pain-sensitive tissue. Although the pain perception mechanism is an important function of the brain, surgeons and physiologists have shown that when headache arises within the skull, it is due, not to irritation of the brain, but to pulling or stretching of the blood vessels or coverings of the brain. Likewise, when headache arises outside the skull, the sensation of pain is, in most cases, due to stimulation of the fine nerve fibers in the walls of the arteries or within the powerful muscles of the head and neck.

It is understandable therefore that the site of origin of the painful stimuli may determine the characteristics of the headache. Thus, if the arteries are involved, the headache may be throbbing in nature because of the pulsation of the vessel wall with each heartbeat. In contrast, if the muscles are involved, the headache is more constant and aching in type.
From what has been considered so far, it is evident that not all headaches are alike. Accordingly, what you can do about your headache will depend on the particular kind of headache you suffer from and what causes it.

Different Kinds of Headaches
As a warning symptom, headache may be triggered by a variety of conditions, some serious and endangering life, others much more benign in their nature. The different kinds of headaches fall into two main categories: first, those associated with underlying disease and referred to as “organic” headaches, and, second, “functional” headaches, which are due to some disturbance of function.

Organic headaches include those due to infection or allergic conditions affecting the nose and air sinuses, disorders of the teeth and jaw, disease of the eyes and ears, degenerative changes in the spinal vertebrae in the neck, inflammation of the arteries of the forehead, as well as more serious conditions such as tumor of the brain, and inflammation of the meninges or covering of the brain. In these conditions, headache is often only one of several symptoms and signs that characterize the illness and that may demand urgent medical attention.

You may be relieved to know that the vast majority of headaches, perhaps about 90 percent, are of the functional kind and not due to disease of structures either outside or inside the skull. Generally regarded as benign in nature, they are nonetheless a warning of disturbed function in relation to some of life’s activities. Likely this is the common everyday kind of headache that you may have experienced.
Even so, if you have started to develop a persistent headache with or without other symptoms, or if in the last few weeks or months there has been a change in the type or nature of your headache, then you may find it wise to consult a doctor. If there is some serious underlying disorder, then appropriate treatment can be started without unnecessary delay.

Everyday Headaches
If you have been subject to headaches off and on for many years, it is more than likely that your headache is either the so-called “tension” type or the less common “migraine.” You may be wondering just how you can tell the difference.

If you suffer from tension headache, the pain is constant or steady in type. It is felt in the muscles at the back of the head or on both sides of the head; less often it is felt above the eyes. It may feel as if your head is gripped in a vise or constricted by a tight band; alternatively, you may experience only a sensation of weight or pressure on your head. Tension headaches are due to excessive or sustained contraction of the muscles of the scalp and the powerful muscles of the neck that support the head. For this reason they are also known as muscle-contraction headaches.

Migraine is rather different. The word “migraine” is derived from a French word meaning “half a head” and is appropriate because, in most cases, the ache affects only one side of the head. In contrast to tension headache, the pain soon becomes throbbing or pulsating in kind due to its origin mainly in overdistended arteries outside the skull. There is often a feeling of nausea or other digestive disturbance, and the pain may be so intense as to interfere with work and compel the individual to lie down. There may be more than one in the family who suffer from this kind of headache, because the tendency to develop migraine is inherited. In cases of “classical” migraine as opposed to common migraine an attack may be heralded by a preheadache warning or “aura,” such as spots or flashes of light before the eyes.

These characteristic features may be of some help to you in differentiating “tension” and “migraine” type headaches. The distinction between the two, however, may not always be easy; indeed, you could be subject to both. Whether you suffer from tension headaches or recurrent attacks of migraine, there is much that you can do to lessen the severity of your headache, reduce their frequency, and perhaps even prevent their recurrence.

Treating Your Headache
In the immediate treatment of your headache, the simplest remedy that circumstances may permit is self-medication with an analgesic or pain-relieving drug. Many preparations are widely advertised and readily available in the form of powders and tablets containing mixtures of drugs. Preparations that contain amidopyrine or phenacetin may be harmful and are best avoided. It is safer to use a simple drug, for example aspirin in its soluble form, or if aspirin gives you indigestion, then paracetamol is an effective alternative. The recommended dose can usually be repeated after three or four hours if necessary. With this simple measure, your tension headache may disappear, or your migraine attack may be cut short.

When circumstances permit, however, alternative procedures may bring relief with or even without the use of analgesic drugs. Your tension or muscle-contraction headache may respond to just a brief period of rest and relaxation. If you can interrupt your routine activities and can lie down for half an hour or so in a quiet, semidarkened room, you will undoubtedly feel the benefit. Heat applied locally to the head and neck by means of hot towels or radiant heat, or even a warm bath, is also beneficial. Additionally, if you have a friend who can apply gentle massage or traction to the muscles of the neck for just ten or fifteen minutes, this will greatly assist in relaxing the muscles that are responsible for your tension headache.

Similar general measures may be effective in the immediate treatment of your migraine attack. Instead of locally applied heat, you may get much more relief from cold compresses or even ice packs applied to the head. Such compresses help to reduce the overdistension of the arteries that give rise to this type of headache. Repeated cups of strong tea or coffee may also bring relief by a similar effect on the blood vessels due to the action of caffeine. Your migraine headache, however, may be so severe as to compel you to lie down, and all you may want to do is “sleep it off.” Under such circumstances it is wise to submit to the body’s demands.
If your headache cannot be relieved by the above measures, then it may be advisable to seek the advice of a doctor.

Bearing in mind, however, that your headache is part of an inbuilt protective mechanism, it would be unwise continually to treat only the effect and fail to cope with the cause. So what can you do to reduce the frequency of your headaches or, better still, prevent their recurrence? The answer depends to a large extent on how you can avoid or eliminate some of the predisposing factors.

Predisposing Factors
Well-recognized predisposing factors, even among those not prone to headache, are overindulgence in food or alcohol, or exposure to stuffy, poorly ventilated atmospheres.
Tension headache frequently occurs after fatigue and stress, or may be related to episodes of anxiety or conflict at work or at home. Migraine headaches can also be induced by fatigue, stress, anxiety and overexcitement. In fact, excitement and emotions rank high on the list of predisposing factors. Commenting on this, Dr. Oliver W. Sacks, in his book Migraine: The Evolution of a Common Disorder (1970), writes: “Violent emotions exceed all other acute circumstances to provoke migraine reactions, and in many patients—especially sufferers from classical migraine—are responsible for the vast majority of all attacks experienced . . . we find, in practice, that sudden rage is the commonest precipitant, although fright (panic) may be equally potent in younger patients. Sudden elation (as at a moment of triumph or unexpected good fortune) may have the same effect.” As well as emotional stress, there may be other contributory factors such as exposure to bright lights, excessive noise, hunger, alcohol, eating certain foods such as cheese, chocolate, cucumbers, tomatoes, fatty foods, wheat, onions and even oranges.
If, as is likely, one or more of these predisposing factors are applicable to your case, then there is every possibility that by avoiding or eliminating these factors you can reduce the frequency of your headaches, or even prevent them.

Preventing Your Headache
Since the factors predisposing to headache affect nearly every aspect of living, some readjustment in your life’s activities may be called for. You may need to give attention, not only to your diet and eating habits, but to conditions at work and at home, to your rest, relaxation, recreational activities, and perhaps, even more importantly, to your mental outlook or attitude toward life.

A well-balanced diet taken regularly and in moderation will help prevent the headaches of overindulgence and indigestion, or the migraine that may be induced by hunger. It is easy to exclude any particular food or alcoholic beverage that in your case may seem to be associated with your headache.
If conditions at work or the nature of your work leads to undue stress and fatigue, it may be that a change is called for, or if this is impractical, then an improved work schedule may be necessary. Certainly it would be unwise to work overtime to the detriment of your health. If you are a housewife and work at home, a practical schedule for your daily routine will be a great help in avoiding undue stress and fatigue. Whether at work or at home, it is important to ensure adequate ventilation and proper lighting.

It is advisable to obtain not only sufficient sleep, but also restful sleep. For this purpose you may need a softer or firmer pillow, an extra pillow or one less, or even a new mattress if you are to avoid bad posture and muscle tension that may be contributory to some headaches.
The readjustment of your activities may call for a short period of relaxation each day, perhaps just ten to fifteen minutes after meals. If you can learn to let all your muscles go limp, especially your face muscles, you can do much to relieve muscle tension.

It will be beneficial as well as pleasurable to allow for recreational activity in moderation, preferably one that can be enjoyed with others in the family, one that is not overtaxing in energy and that will make a pleasant change from your daily routine; for example, a visit to the zoo, a trip to the seaside, or just a walk in the country with the opportunity of studying creation in all its variety.

Perhaps the most difficult alteration that may be required and the one most likely to be successful in counteracting tension, stress and fatigue is the mental readjustment of your outlook or attitude toward life and its problems. If you can cultivate the “quiet and mild spirit,” learning to remain unruffled when people or circumstances tend to irritate, if you can come to appreciate the value of contentment in contrast to the demanding and never-ending quest for material possessions and pleasures, and if you can develop an unselfish concern over the welfare of others and not be overly concerned about yourself, you will indeed have gone a long way toward eliminating those emotional stresses and strains that so often result in tension or migraine headaches.

Please fro more on malaria and other related topics visit...http://health-field.com

THE liver is the largest organ within the human body and at the same time does the greatest number of different jobs—upward of five hundred. It therefore should not be surprising that at times it gets inflamed when invaded by certain poisons, bacterial or viral organisms. Inflammation of the liver is known as hepatitis. In the United States, from 30,000 to 70,000 cases of hepatitis are reported each year. The actual total may be very much greater.

There are several kinds of hepatitis. Infectious hepatitis is caused by contamination of one’s water or food supply by the stool or fecal matter of someone who is a carrier of hepatitis. A person can carry the hepatitis virus without himself being disabled or made sick by it. This kind of hepatitis has an “incubation” period of between fifteen and forty days. That is, it takes that long after the virus has invaded one’s body before its symptoms manifest themselves, and they do this rather abruptly. Infectious hepatitis may run its course without one’s being aware of it, which is one reason why there may be many times as many cases of it as are reported. Only two tenths of one percent, or one in five hundred reported cases of infectious hepatitis, results in death.

Quite similar to infectious hepatitis is toxic hepatitis. This generally is caused by certain drugs or chemicals that might be taken through the mouth, inhaled, absorbed by the skin or received through injections. An important function of the liver is to detoxify poisons that enter the body. But certain poisons may be too strong for the liver to handle and so may either harm the liver or interfere with its eliminating other poisons from the circulation.

The most serious liver inflammation is called serum hepatitis. It generally is caused by a transfusion of contaminated blood, although drug addicts also transmit it from one to another by means of hypodermic needles. Its incubation period is from 60 to 160 days, or about four times as long as that of infectious hepatitis. The length of time it takes to manifest itself doubtless is one reason why the number actually reported is far below the actual number.

But the most serious fact about serum hepatitis is that, while only one in five hundred who get infectious hepatitis dies from it, as many as one in ten of those who get serum hepatitis dies as a result. So there may be as many as 3,000 deaths from the 30,000 cases in the United States each year. Until recently it was believed that only by means of blood transfusions or hypodermic needles could serum hepatitis be transmitted, but now there seems to be some evidence that it can be spread in other ways.

A Mysterious Disease
Repeatedly writers on the subject refer to hepatitis as a mysterious disease. Why? For one reason, because up until now man has not been able to isolate the virus that causes it. Thus science writer Lawrence Galton stated: “Of all the diseases that afflict man, few are more debilitating to the sufferer, more frustrating to the scientist and ultimately more mysterious and elusive than hepatitis.”

Another reason why hepatitis deserves to be termed mysterious is that its symptoms are by no means clear-cut; and this, incidentally, may be another reason why there evidently are so many more cases of hepatitis than are reported. A person may have had hepatitis but thought he was merely having a bad cold, a touch of the flu, a bad case of indigestion or diarrhea, not recognizing the nature of his health problem. Thus it has happened that physicians have had patients operated on for gallstones or had exploratory operations performed because of suspected cancer, only later to discover that the patient had been suffering all along from hepatitis.

What Are the Symptoms?
Whether the hepatitis is of the infectious or serum kind, the symptoms are quite similar except that in serum hepatitis they appear much later, and are likely to be more severe and long lasting, as much as six months or more. Among the symptoms generally associated with hepatitis are a pain in the upper right part of the abdomen, loss of appetite, headache, nausea, fever, upset stomach, loose bowels and malaise, that is, a feeling of not being well. As a rule, four days after such symptoms begin, jaundice appears. Bile may be detected in the urine and the stool may become clay colored.

Evidently hepatitis is caused by a vital agent. It laid low a whole team of robust football players back in the fall of 1969. Members of a certain United States eastern college football team were reportedly “dropping like flies” because of having drunk contaminated water a few weeks before. More than 98 percent of all those connected with the college’s football team were involved.
But the difference between the hepatitis case that was recognized because of its severity and the mild case that went undetected could well be due to the state of nutrition and general health of the individual. This seems borne out by the fact that the death toll from hepatitis is fifteen times as high in certain Asiatic lands where there is much malnutrition as it is in Western lands where people get plenty of good food to eat.

Preventing Hepatitis
As to preventing infectious hepatitis, this is largely a matter of making certain that one’s water supply is not contaminated. In large cities this presents less of a problem than it does in small towns and villages and in the rural communities, where the water supply might easily become contaminated by sewage. Care along these lines would indicate caution as to one’s water supply and washing one’s hands thoroughly after using the toilet and before preparing food.

There is also the hazard presented by shellfish, particularly clams, because of their having been contaminated by sewage in the water. Apparently not without some hygienic reasons was the prohibition to ancient Israelites against eating all manner of shellfish.
It has been stated that the only sure ways to prevent serum hepatitis are not to have any blood transfusions and to use only disposable hypodermic needles.

Among the efforts to minimize serum hepatitis that have met with a measure of success have been the freezing of blood (for which researchers are still trying to find the ideal method); separating red blood cells, keeping them until needed, and then using them instead of whole blood. But these have not completely solved the problem.

Recently certain medical scientists have developed the “Australian factor,” produced by experiments on small monkeys known as marmosets. Currently this factor is being offered the medical profession as a means of detecting the hepatitis virus in blood. But not all in the medical profession are enthusiastic about it. Thus Dr. R. Kelsey, pathologist at Illinois Masonic Hospital, who has done much research along these lines, stated: “As far as we are concerned existing tests for Au antigen are very poor screening devices detecting no more than 20 to 25 percent of those who have classical viral hepatitis.”

Additionally, Au antigen testing “gives a false sense of security. The idea of requiring Au antigen testing for all transfused blood is ludicrous at this time.”
Other workers in the field have come up with the Hepa-Gent (HG) test, for which they have great hopes and for which they have made great claims. However, some who have made quite some use of it are rather cautious in expressing approval of it, or giving it unqualified support.

Efforts to prevent serum hepatitis include those directed toward greater care in collecting blood. For example, the State of New Jersey Health Department found that if the blood came from dope addicts or suspected dope addicts the risk of serum hepatitis was seventy times as great as the average. But as for the difference between risks presented by ‘good’ volunteer blood banks as compared with ‘bad’ volunteer blood banks and the difference between ‘good’ commercial blood banks as compared with ‘bad’ commercial blood banks, Dr. M. J. Goldfield at New Jersey Health Department stated: “In spite of all our preconceived ideas concerning good blood banks and bad ones and our blind faith that blood from a well-run bank will be associated with less hepatitis . . . the risk of hepatitis did not vary significantly from one commercial blood bank to another or from one volunteer bank to another.” In other words, a well-run commercial blood bank still has three times the risk of hepatitis that a poorly run volunteer blood bank has!

Coping with Hepatitis
Some doctors let their hepatitis patients eat and do as they please, within reason, whereas others order complete bed rest and nourishing food.
There are some who highly recommend extra vitamins for hepatitis patients. Thus Dr. Fishbein tells of British researchers who have found water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, helpful. Others say that taking vitamin C in very large doses together with vitamin B12 in comparatively large doses is helpful. The use of vitamins as well as to what extent patients should be allowed to eat fat are controversial matters. However, all are agreed that alcoholic beverages should be strictly avoided in cases of hepatitis.
In brief, the lesson seems to be, Work to keep the body in good health. Keep food and water free from contamination, and avoid blood transfusions



For more info on hepatitis and other health related issues please visit ...http://health-field.com

MARIAN was afraid! Without warning, her nose had begun to bleed profusely. “I thought I was going to die,” she recalls. A doctor informed Marian that her nosebleed had been caused by high blood pressure (arterial hypertension). “But I feel fine,” answered Marian. “Many people do not know that they have high blood pressure because they have no symptoms,” she replied.

What about your blood pressure? Could your current life-style cause high blood pressure in the future? What can you do to keep your blood pressure under control?
Blood pressure is the force blood exerts against blood vessel walls. It can be measured using an inflatable rubber cuff, which is wrapped around the upper arm and connected to an apparatus that records pressure. Two readings are obtained. For example: 120/80. The first number is called systolic blood pressure because it indicates blood pressure during the heartbeat (systole), and the second number is called diastolic blood pressure because it indicates blood pressure while the heart is relaxed (diastole). Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, and physicians classify patients as hypertensive when their blood pressure is above 140/90.

What makes blood pressure increase? Imagine that you are watering your garden. By opening the faucet or by reducing the caliber, or diameter, of the jet of water, you increase the pressure of the water. The same occurs with blood pressure: Increasing the rate of flow of blood or decreasing the caliber of the blood vessel elevates the blood pressure. How does high blood pressure occur? Many factors are involved.

Factors You Cannot Control
Researchers have discovered that if a person has relatives with high blood pressure, his chances of suffering from the disease are greater. Statistics indicate a higher incidence of hypertension in identical twins than in fraternal twins. One study refers to the “mapping of the genes responsible for arterial hypertension,” all of which would confirm the existence of a hereditary component responsible for high blood pressure. The risk of abnormally high blood pressure is also known to increase with age and to be greater among black males.

Factors You Can Control
Watch your diet! Salt (sodium) can boost blood pressure in some people, especially people with diabetes, those with severe hypertension, older people, and some blacks. Excess fat in the bloodstream can create deposits of cholesterol on the internal walls of blood vessels (atherosclerosis), thus reducing their caliber and increasing blood pressure. People who are more than 30 percent above their ideal body weight are liable to have high blood pressure. Studies suggest that increasing the intake of potassium and calcium may lower blood pressure.

Smoking is related to a greater risk of atherosclerosis, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. That being so, smoking and high blood pressure are a dangerous combination that can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Although the evidence is contradictory, caffeine—contained in coffee, tea, and cola drinks—and emotional and physical stress may also aggravate high blood pressure. In addition, scientists know that intensive or chronic consumption of alcoholic drinks and lack of physical activity can increase blood pressure.

Healthful Life-Style
It would be a mistake to wait for high blood pressure to develop before taking positive steps. A healthful life-style should be a concern from an early age. Taking care now will result in a better quality of life in the future.
The Third Brazilian Consensus on Arterial Hypertension defined the life-style changes that favor a decrease in arterial blood pressure. They are a helpful guide to people with high or normal blood pressure.

For the obese, researchers recommended a balanced low-calorie diet, avoiding fast and “miracle” diets, while maintaining a program of moderate physical exercise. With regard to salt, they suggested a consumption of no more than six grams or one teaspoon per day. In practice, that means cutting to a minimum the use of salt in food preparation, as well as minimizing canned foods, cold cuts (salami, ham, sausage, and others), and smoked foods. Salt intake can also be reduced by refraining from adding extra salt during the meal and by checking the packaging of processed foods to see how much salt has been added.
The Brazilian Consensus also suggested increasing the intake of potassium because it may have an “antihypertensive effect.” That being so, a healthful diet should include “foods that are low in sodium and rich in potassium,” such as beans, dark green vegetables, bananas, melons, carrots, beets, tomatoes, and oranges. Keeping alcohol intake at a moderate level is also important. Some researchers indicate that hypertensive males should consume no more than one ounce [30 ml] of alcohol per day; and women or those with low body weight no more than one half ounce [15 ml].

The Brazilian Consensus concluded that regular physical exercise decreased blood pressure and thus lowered the risk of developing arterial hypertension. Moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling, and swimming, for 30 to 45 minutes, three to five times a week is beneficial. Other factors that have been associated with a more healthful life-style include quitting smoking, controlling blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides) and diabetes, getting an adequate intake of calcium and magnesium, and controlling physical and emotional stress. Some drugs may increase blood pressure, such as nasal decongestants, antacids high in sodium, appetite moderators, and caffeine-containing painkillers for migraines.

Certainly, if you have arterial hypertension, your doctor is in the best position to give you advice on your diet and habits, according to your personal needs. Regardless of your situation, however, adopting a healthful life-style from an early age is always beneficial, not only for hypertensive people but for all the members of the family. Marian, mentioned at the beginning of this article, had to make changes in her life-style. Currently she takes medication and leads a normal life despite her health problem.

[Footnotes]
The article does not endorse any particular form of treatment, recognizing that this is a matter for personal decision.
Consult your physician about your daily sodium and potassium requirements if you suffer from arterial hypertension or heart, liver, or kidney disease and are on medication.
One ounce [30 ml] of alcohol is equivalent to 2 ounces [60 ml] of distilled drinks (whiskey, vodka, and others), 8 ounces [240 ml] of wine, or 24 ounces [720 ml] of beer.
Discuss with your doctor the need for a personal exercise program.

FIGHTING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
1. Measures That Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
• Reduce body weight
• Cut salt intake
• Increase intake of potassium-rich foods
• Reduce consumption of alcoholic drinks
• Exercise regularly
2. Other Measures That May Help Control Blood Pressure
• Calcium and magnesium supplements
• High-fiber vegetarian diet
• Antistress therapy
3. Related Measures
• Quit smoking
• Control cholesterol level
• Control diabetes
• Avoid drugs that can boost blood pressure

Regular exercise and a healthful diet help prevent and control high blood pressure


FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HEALTH RELATED ISSUES VISIT....http://health-field.com/

IF YOU heard a news report that a killer was stalking your neighborhood, would you take measures to protect yourself and your family? Likely you would lock and bolt your doors so as not to invite an easy entry. You would also keep on the watch for suspicious-looking strangers and report them right away.
Should women do any less regarding a killer disease, breast cancer? What measures can they take to protect themselves and increase their chances of survival?

Prevention and Diet
It is estimated that 1 out of 3 cancers in the United States is caused by dietary factors. A good diet that will help maintain your body’s immune system may be your first line of defense. While no known food can cure cancer, eating certain foods and cutting down on others can be preventive measures. “Following the right diet could reduce your risk of getting breast cancer by up to fifty percent,” stated Dr. Leonard Cohen of the American Health Foundation in Valhalla, New York.

Foods rich in fiber, such as whole-grain breads and cereals, may help lower the amount of prolactin and estrogen, possibly by binding to these hormones and flushing them out of the body. According to the journal Nutrition and Cancer, “these effects could suppress the promotional phase of carcinogenesis.”
Cutting down on saturated fats may reduce risk. Prevention magazine suggested that switching from whole milk to skim, reducing butter intake, eating leaner meats, and removing skin from chicken can bring saturated fat intake down to safer levels.

Vegetables rich in vitamin A, such as carrots, squashes, sweet potatoes, and dark leafy greens, as spinach and collard and mustard greens, may be a help. It is thought that vitamin A inhibits the formation of cancer-causing mutations. And such vegetables as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and green onions contain chemicals that induce protective enzymes.
In the book Breast Cancer—What Every Woman Should Know, Dr. Paul Rodriguez says that the immune system, which recognizes and destroys abnormal cells, can be strengthened through diet. He suggests eating foods rich in iron, such as lean meats, leafy green vegetables, shellfish, and fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C. Fruits and vegetables high in C reduce the risk of breast cancer, reports the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Soybeans and unfermented soy products contain genistein, known to suppress tumor growth in laboratory experiments, but the effectiveness in humans has yet to be established.

Early Detection
“Early discovery of breast cancer remains the most important step in altering the course of breast cancer,” says the publication Radiologic Clinics of North America. In this regard three key measures are regular breast self-examination, annual examination by a doctor, and mammography.
Breast self-examination should be done regularly each month, as a woman must be vigilant in looking for anything suspicious in the appearance or the feel of her breasts, such as a hardening or a lump. No matter how small her finding may seem, she needs to contact her doctor immediately. The earlier a lump is diagnosed, the more control she has over her future. A report from Sweden showed that if a nonmetastatic breast cancer was slightly over one half inch [15 mm] or smaller in size and was surgically removed, a life expectancy of 12 years was 94 percent possible.

Dr. Patricia Kelly comments: “If you haven’t heard from a breast cancer in 12 1/2 years, it’s very unlikely to come back. . . . And women can be taught to find breast cancers smaller than a centimeter [1/3 in.] in size just using their fingers.”
It is recommended that a physical exam by a clinician or physician should be done routinely each year, especially after a woman reaches the age of 40. If a lump is discovered, it would be good to get a second opinion from a breast specialist or surgeon.
The National Cancer Institute in the United States says that a good weapon against breast cancer is a regular mammogram. This form of X ray can detect a tumor perhaps up to two years before it can be felt. The procedure is recommended for women over 40. However, Dr. Daniel Kopans informs us: “It is far from perfect.” It cannot detect all breast cancers.

Dr. Wende Logan-Young of a breast clinic in New York State tells Awake! that if a woman or her physician finds an abnormality but a mammogram shows no sign of it, the tendency may be to ignore the physical findings and believe the X ray. She says that this is “the biggest mistake that we see nowadays.” She advises women to have a certain reservation about mammography’s ability to detect cancer and rely heavily also on breast examination.
While mammography can detect tumors, it cannot really diagnose whether they are benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). That can only be done by means of a biopsy. Consider the case of Irene, who went for a mammogram. Based on the X-ray film, her doctor diagnosed her lump as a benign breast disease and said: “I’m absolutely sure you don’t have cancer.” The nurse who did the mammogram was worried, but Irene said: “I felt that if the doctor was sure, maybe I was being paranoid.” Soon the lump grew larger, so Irene consulted another doctor. A biopsy was taken and showed that she had inflammatory carcinoma, a fast-growing cancer. To determine whether a tumor is benign (as about 8 out of 10 are) or malignant, a biopsy must be performed. If the lump looks or feels clinically suspicious or is growing, a biopsy should be performed.

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON CANCER AND OTHER HEALTH RELATED ISSUES PLEASE VISIT... http://health-field.com