BERRIES – HEALTH BENEFITS (SYRUP AND TREATMENT)

Formerly, a specially prepared syrup made from cherries together with the stones, which contain hydrocyanic acid, served as a diuretic for dropsy and as a refreshing drink. The fruits and their stones were crushed together, the pulp was squeezed out, and sixty-five parts of sugar were added to thirty-five parts of juice. Cherry stones were also once used for people who suffered from kidney stones, six to be taken daily. Even cherry stalks, especially those of red and sour cherries, were used for medicinal purposes; a tea was made from them to treat infections of the respiratory tract and to increase the flow of urine.

In former times, dried cherries were a remedy for chlorosis and anaemia. And even today, prunes, soaked and eaten before going to bed and before breakfast, are still used for sluggish bowels.

Continuing this simple treatment over a period of time will help even in stubborn cases of constipation.

Fully ripe and uncontaminated apricots and peaches are a wholesome addition to our food. They are relatively rich in vitamin C, contain some vitamins B3 and B2, a substantial amount of carotene and also pantothenic acid, which helps to prevent the hair turning

TREATING MIGRAINE WITHOUT DRUGS: MEDITATION AND YOGA

MeditationThe many different forms of meditation can be grouped into two general categories: those concerned with ‘emptying the mind’ and those in which internal thoughts are built up and maintained by an effort of concentration.Transcendental meditation became very fashionable in the West during the 1960s and much is claimed for it by headache sufferers. It is not surprising that an act of relaxation or withdrawal from everyday activities is associated with relief of tension which produces a reduction in headache frequency. It is less likely to be effective once a headache has started, presumably because the metabolic changes which occur during the headache make it difficult to maintain the appropriate state of mind.

YogaYoga is an ancient Indian technique of achieving total bodily and mental control in an attempt to reach new heights of awareness and in promoting relaxation. There have been several trials of yoga methods of meditation in the prevention of migraine and the results, although preliminary, are encouraging.’Yoga of the body’ is concerned with making the body a fit vehicle for the mind as it meditates. The first precepts of control are based on the type of foods ingested, and are similar to much of the dietary advice often given for migraine: no citrus fruits, little cheese, no alcohol or wine, no garlic or onions and, in addition, no smoking.

 Garlic and onions are excluded because they may cause gastric upset. Meals are taken three times a day, the stomach being ‘half filled with food, a quarter filled with water and one quarter left empty’, to avoid any feeling of fullness. Food has to be chewed thoroughly and eaten slowly (in contrast to the gulping of quick snack lunches seen in British pubs). Constipation is avoided by adding bran to the diet. Much of this advice is commonsense and it is understandable that, with this regime, the body will function in a better way.The exercises of yoga are divided into those in which breathing is the main concern, and those which exercise the rest of the body.

 The breathing exercises are designed to establish conscious control over respiration as well as using the stomach muscles to ensure that the lungs are fully inflated.The bodily exercises are performed very slowly and involve either stretching movements or the maintenance of particular positions for periods of time. Physiologically, the maintenance of posture utilizes the stretch reflex of muscles. The whole system can be likened to a cat stretching and rolling, with movements being slow and graceful. It is essential that these exercises become comfortable and patience is needed for this but, after three months’ practice, many patients find they feel much better, fitter, and much less likely to develop headaches.There are many techniques of teaching yoga.

 The meditation aspect of yoga is the most important so that those techniques controlling thought, or holding thoughts in the mind and so building on them, are likely to be of benefit in developing control.Current approaches involve combining certain yoga techniques with biofeedback and it will be interesting to see how much this will achieve; it is conceivable that migraine patients who practice these techniques will not be so much at the mercy of stress and therefore will suffer fewer headaches.

OTHER DISORDERS OF HRT: WOMEN WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE OR A HISTORY

Such women need more intensive surveillance than usual if they try HRT. In any case, it is a good idea for women on HRT to have their blood pressure checked regularly. If significant changes occur, it is important to have a full medical assessment and prompt treatment to control the problem (with blood pressure medications).

If you have a personal history of blood clots that developed for no apparent reason, or a family history of clotting disorders, you should tread cautiously where HRT is concerned. A thorough investigation of clotting function should be completed before deciding about whether or not to embark on hormone therapy. Genevieve developed a spontaneous clot in one leg during her thirties and, many years later, when she was contemplating HRT, a full investigation of her clotting factors was carried out. These revealed some minor abnormalities. However, Genevieve decided to start on a hormone patch to relieve her wide-ranging and severe menopausal symptoms. She asked her doctor about using aspirin to minimise the risk of further clot development, and was told that this was appropriate in her situation.

If clots are triggered by something definite like pregnancy, childbirth or previous surgery, HRT in patch form may be considered suitable. Some studies suggest that HRT does not significantly increase the risk of clots. But where there is any doubt it is wise to avoid taking the hormones in pill form, giving preference to patches. This is because the liver, which plays a major role in blood pressure control and blood clot formation, may become overactive when called on to handle the larger hormone load that occurs with pill formats (the patch releases hormones more gradually).

INSOMNIA – INTRODUCTION

It is certainly annoying when you cannot get to sleep in spite of being tired. But it is even worse to lie awake for hours because the tensions of the day simply do not leave you, and are transformed into problems of insurmountable magnitude. Unpleasant daytime experiences prevent sleep and create a state of depression and the ‘wheels’ which are supposed to stand still during the night turn faster and faster. The restless individual tosses from side to side and finally, because he knows no other way out of his predicament, he reaches for a sleeping pill.

This, of course, is the worst thing he could do, because in no time at all, if he continues using such help, he will find he cannot do without it. He tends to forget that drugs destroy the body’s ability to react and respond in a natural way and that their continued use has a destructive effect that can be far-reaching. It is far more sensible to isolate the cause of the problem that keeps you awake. Then, by resolving it, you will eventually restore your natural ability to fall asleep and rest.

HOMOSEXUAL OFFENDERS VS. CHILDREN: CRIMINALITY

The homosexual offenders vs. minors include a moderate number of individuals (14 per cent) with records of juvenile convictions, falling between the two other homosexual-offender groups in this respect. However, a rather large proportion of these convictions led to imprisonment for six months or more—that is, the offenses were more than trivial. The homosexual offenders vs. minors rank fourth in the number with juvenile sex offenses (7 per cent), and one will recall that the homosexual offenders vs. children ranked third.

The involvement in antisocial or asocial behavior, as measured by conviction, was rather slow until these men were well into the third decade of their lives. About one fifth had been convicted by age eighteen, but the one-half mark was not attained until the midtwenties. By age thirty three quarters had been convicted and from that age on their percentages are intermediate.

There is nothing remarkable about the average age at which they were first convicted—twenty-five—or at the age they were first convicted for sexual behavior with a minor boy (30.2). The latter age is identical with that for the average homosexual offender vs. children at his first conviction for sexual activity with a boy under twelve.

Taking all the convictions of the homosexual offenders vs. minors, one finds a large proportion (62 per cent, third largest) were for sex offenses and a small proportion (38 per cent, third smallest) were for other offenses. Similarly, a very large number, about three fifths, had been convicted solely for sex offenses—only the homosexual offenders vs. adults had more “pure” sex offenders.

This specialization in sex offenses is again visible in an examination of type and number of offenses. These men had 3.74 convictions per capita, a moderate number insofar as total convictions are concerned. However, they also had 2.32 sex-offense convictions per capita, a number exceeded only by the most repetitive groups—the peepers and exhibitionists.

Turning to the nonsexual offenses, we find that, as is true for homosexual offenders in general, very few (3.6 per cent) were offenses against the person. No group displayed a smaller percentage. On the other hand, the homosexual offenders vs. minors had a large proportion (44 per cent, second in rank-order) of their nonsexual charges for vagrancy and/or disorderly conduct. This type of charge is easily lodged against perambulating or loitering males looking for homosexual contacts, and is even more readily lodged against adult males loitering around places where children or minors congregate.

As stated previously, the homosexual offenders vs. minors tend to confine their misdemeanors and felonies to sex offenses; in addition, they tend to limit their sex offenses to homosexual offenses, which constitute 85 per cent of their sex offenses. Within the homosexual category, of all their sex offenses other than those against minor boys, 36 per cent were against male children, and 24 per cent against male adults. Their next most frequent offenses, against willing or acquiescent females, comprised only 14 per cent.

The homosexual offenders vs. minors are very like the homosexual offenders vs. children in their moderate rate of recidivism: nearly one fourth had only one conviction, one fourth had two, and slightly over one fourth had four to six.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO HAVE AN EPILEPTIC SEIZURE: STATUS EPILEPTICUS

Status epilepticus is a prolonged seizure or continuous series of seizures. It is a medical emergency. Not everybody who has epilepsy will suffer from status epilepticus. It usually occurs in people who have frontal lobe epilepsy. It is rare for such seizures to arise from other parts of the brain, but because it is so dangerous anyone who has close contact with someone who has epilepsy must be able to recognize it and know what to do.

Normally when someone has a seizure, the brain responds by becoming less excitable for a while, so that another seizure is less likely. However seizures sometimes occur one after the other with only a small gap between them. Like status epilepticus these so-called ‘serial seizures’ may also require urgent medical help, but if the person having the seizures has time to recover between them, the situation does not have quite the degree of urgency of someone who is in status epilepticus.

If, on the other hand, the seizures follow hard on one another, occurring so often that the person has no time to recover from one before the next one begins, then it is important to get help as quickly as possible. In true status epilepticus the seizures become continuous, so there is no gap between them and the person remains unconscious, convulsing all the while. They may be unable to breathe properly, and the lack of oxygen may lead to brain damage. It is essential to seek help immediately.

LIVER – DESCRIPTION

The liver is a remarkable organ. It is like a compact factory, performing a variety of seemingly unrelated tasks all at once.

The liver has an enormous reserve of function and a great capacity to regenerate itself, so it can stand a lot of abuse.

Worn-out red blood cells are broken down in the liver, their iron content stored for future use and the pigment excreted in the bile.

Bile acids are formed and are present in the bile, which enters the gut and is necessary for the proper digestion and absorption of fat.

The bile runs down two ducts, one from each lobe of the liver. These ducts join and then a small side channel leads to the gall bladder. This hollow organ lies tucked under the liver and stores and concentrates the bile.

The gallbladder contracts, usually under the stimulus of a fatty meal, and the concentrated bile flows back into the common bile duct and down to run into the duodenum or first part of the small bowel. At the point where it enters the duodenum, it is joined by a duct carrying digestive juices from the pancreas.