The Health Blog

THE MIND, SOCIETY AND CANCERPeople are more than the sum of their chemical molecules and cells. They are social beings. As we have seen, the pattern of cancer varies from one society to another; and these different patterns reflect not only the different pool of genes in each society but also the environmental differences which may play a part in causing cancer. In this context, ‘environmental differences’ embrace the social, economic and political circumstances in which individuals find themselves. Such circumstances will determine many facets of their lives, including many of the physical features of their environment. Advanced industrial processes potentially expose people to more carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) but if the individuals who may in some way be affected by those processes happen to live in a country with a free press, pressure groups, ‘watchdog’ organizations and a government responsible to an electorate, there is a better chance of the necessary environmental safeguards being put in place. To take another example, prevailing social attitudes to smoking or being suntanned will have a direct influence on the extent to which individuals indulge in these risky habits. Variations in diet between countries, or between different groups within the same country, remain under investigation as a possible environmental explanation for different levels of cancer incidence. Such variations are the product of a complex web of social, economic and physical factors.*109\194\4*

JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: POLYARTICULAR AND PAUCIARTICULAR JRA AND MORE What is polyarticular JRA?Polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is arthritis in five or more joints. About 40 percent of the children with JRA have this form and often have rheumatoid factor in their blood.Peculiarly, this rheumatoid-factor-positive form of arthritis is found mostly in little girls around 8 years of age. Boys do get this form of JRA, but girls outnumber them three to one. These little girls often have bone erosions, many nodules, and a more aggressive disease than the children without the rheumatoid factor. In that regard, this form of JRA resembles the adult form more than any other. These children often experience fatigue, listlessness, growth retardation, blanched bones (osteopenia), loss of appetite, and often extreme and unexplained weight loss.
What is pauciarticular JRA?In pauciarticular JRA, arthritis is present in four or fewer joints. This form is usually categorized as early onset or late onset. Early onset pauciarticular JRA strikes very young-usually around 1 to 5 years of age-and affects girls primarily at a ratio of four to one. The late onset form strikes children over the age of 5 and occurs mostly in boys. It is characterized by pain and inflammation of the large joints and the tendons and ligaments.
What eye problems affect those with JRA?For some reason, children with JRA can experience severe irreversible eye changes that include everything from cataracts to partial visual loss. Eye problems occur most commonly in children with early onset pauciarticular disease, although they can affect any child with JRA. The eye problems begin with painful red eyes and occur in four out of five children with pauciarticular JRA. Children with JRA should have their eyes examined regularly.*20/141/5*

THE MANIC SAVIOR: CHANGEWho should change? If Frau P. could concentrate on her own problems she would calm down the environment. If the official would study his own/ interaction difficulties he would realize that he, too, is unconscious and needs to change. When the therapist wakes up, he will change his attitude and stop concentrating solely on Frau P.I can only guess about Frau P.’s possible changes because we did not work therapeutically with her. One of her personal problems did come out in the midst of the interview which indicates how and where she needs help. Her ex-husband took her children from her custody and she could not defend herself properly. She did her best, however, by throwing an hysterical fit as the kids were taken away. She suffered immensely, but could not sufficiently support herself. Thus she swallowed the whole problem and became a manic helper for other women in the city who had been misunderstood.*101\227\8*