Now, what is the biological benefit of sleep? One suggested benefit is growth. We all have a small pea-like structure at the base of the brain called the pituitary gland. This secretes growth hormone and is responsible for growth and normal development of the body. It is now known that growth hormone is secreted in [...]
It takes a very mature person to be able to go against the established pattern of behaviour of his group without experiencing inner tension, even when his own conscience is perfectly clear on the matter. The young person of either sex may become tense simply from the knowledge that his fellows are promiscuous. What passes [...]
St John’s wort should be considered as a first-line treatment for:
mild depression
short-term stress associated with depression and anxiety
moderate depression
depression in those who are very sensitive to, or concerned about, side-effects
winter depression (seasonal affective disorder or SAD)
depression in the elderly
dysthymia (chronic low-grade unhappiness)
St John’s wort should be considered, but probably not as a first-line treatment, for:
depression [...]
Bacterial meningitis can damage the brain at any age from the newborn period to old age. Vigorous and early treatment with antibiotics and corticosteroid drugs nearly always prevents damage to the cortex, which lies immediately under the meningeal covering of the brain. However, if the treatment is delayed, or the organism is resistant to the [...]
Mrs. R.R. of Michigan, age 41, writes: “All of a sudden, right after my sixth baby, I was struck with terrible disfigurations and joints that kept locking up. I could hardly walk. My doctor said it was degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia and that there was nothing she could do.
“I was [...]
Symptoms: sudden chills; sharp rise in body temperature; flushing; headache; sore throat; cough; pain in back and limbs; vomiting and diarrhea (in young children)
Home care:
Bed rest is necessary while the fever is high.
Give paracetamol not aspirin, for fever and pain.
Have the child drink plenty of fluids.
Isolate the child from other family members.
Keep the child [...]
What is it?
A cut made surgically during the later stages of labour to enlarge the birth canal and so let the baby out more easily.
There are few subjects that cause so much concern to women having babies-many episiotomies are done uncaringly and the after-effects on the woman and her sex life can be far greater [...]
There are various reasons why people choose to have their operations done privately. They may have private health insurance, or be covered by a private health scheme run by the company for which they work, or they may be able to pay for private care themselves. Whatever your situation, you will not find that the [...]
Gestrinone is a weak synthetic progesterone originally developed in the 1970s for use as a once-a-week contraceptive. First used as a treatment for endometriosis in the early 1980s, it has since been used in clinical trials in several European countries. It is not currently available in Australia.
How Gestrinone works
Gestrinone appears to work by suppressing the [...]
Much of any therapy’s success depends on the skills and sensitivities of those who administer it. The job description for an eating disorder therapist calls for someone who will take an active role in the process, rather than one who adopts the neutral, interpretive stance of classic psychoanalysis. Since sometimes just learning the truth sets [...]