All of this may be reassuring to the person who undergoes the testing and then gets a clean bill of health. But recently this mass screening of healthy people has come under criticism. The problem may be that not enough positive findings turn up, except where expected, to justify the whole procedure in terms of [...]
A miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is almost as common as a normal birth. Most miscarriages occur in the first three months of the pregnancy. Those that occur in the second trimester or between three to six months, usually are due to dilatation or opening of the cervix or neck of the womb. This may happen [...]
In people with diabetes who are treated with insulin or tablets the blood sugar may sometimes fall below 4 millimoles per litre which is the lower end of the normal range. When this happens you might feel hungry, shaky, sweaty and be unable to think clearly. This is called a hypo (short for ‘hypoglycaemia’). A [...]
Adolescence. It is now thought that excess hyperplasia of fat cells is possible during periods of rapid growth when all body cells proliferate. One particular stage for this is the early adolescent period, around 12-14 years of age. Adolescents who are inactive at this stage and/or eating high energy foods, may develop more fat cells [...]
De novo lipogenesis is the term used for making fat from other nutrients such as carbohydrate and alcohol. De novo lipogenesis is not thought to have a significant role in humans under normal physiological (day-to-day living) conditions. • Unlike carbohydrate and protein, fat is not finely balancec in the body. • Fat (from the diet [...]
Pleurisy is the condition when the pleura (the thin outer membrane that encases the lungs as they sit in the thoracic cage) is inflamed. It is often associated with a respiratory infection, maybe with a sudden onset. It may be accompanied with a cough; and with each cough, there is often a very sharp stabbing [...]
Even a young baby may get upset and fly into a rage, but this is usually not very apparent. Excessive restraint, often by parents in a passive manner, may be the triggering factor as the child gets older. Persistent nagging and coercion and forcing the child by all manner of unfair prohibitions can initiate an [...]
This sling or hammock of muscle stretches from the pubic bone to the coccyx (tailbone), forming the floor of the pelvic area and supporting the bladder, rectum and (in women) the vagina and uterus. When this muscle gets too slack and flabby as you get older or after childbirth, your pelvic organs can sag (prolapse) [...]
Louise, a professional woman who has been in treatment with me for several years, has in the course of this time become knowledgeable about the administration and regulation of antidepressant medications and, as a consequence, is much sought after for her opinions in this regard even though she has no formal medical training. Accordingly she [...]
A similar case was that of Ralph Hodgson, a twelve-year-old, prone to temper tantrums and hyperactive behavior. He had been having tantrums since the age of one. He had been to a number of psychiatrists for treatment. Since Ralph had an older brother and a younger sister, both of whom were model children, the psychiatrist [...]
