The Health Blog

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6), a letter in the Lancet (1:636) suggests, may be like Thalidomide in its ability to cause human birth defects. The letter reports the birth of a child with nearly total absence of the right lower leg, the type of defect seen so often in babies whose mothers, during pregnancy, had taken Thalidomide.

By itself, this report would not be sufficient to incriminate pyridoxine as the cause of birth defects (it could have been a coincidence), but viewed in the context of pyridoxine’s other known side effects, it looks highly suspicious. Given repeatedly in large enough doses, both Thalidomide and pyridoxine, it has been found, cause almost the same type of nerve damage in the limbs, with numbness and tingling in the “stocking and glove” areas, progressing to weakness and instability in walking.

This suggests that pyridoxine and Thalidomide share a common toxic effect on human tissue, and that this is also capable of producing birth defects. Although there is no proof of this, it would be prudent to avoid the current fad of taking supplemental pyridoxine.

The woman whose baby was deformed, incidentally, had been taking one 50 mg tablet of pyridoxine every day.

*215\143\2*

Signs and symptoms

To pinpoint its cause, recurrent abdominal pain must be associated with other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, blood or mucus in the stools, fever, and failure to gain weight, painful urination, ingesting inedible substances (pica), or anaemia. Also important is the pattern of the pain – where it is, when it occurs, how long it lasts.

In general, recurrent abdominal pain that is accompanied by no other symptoms or has no set pattern is probably not serious.

Home care

If constipation is the cause of the pain, correct it by changing your child’s diet or using a glycerin suppository. If milk seems to be the cause, eliminate milk and milk products from the diet for one or two weeks; then add milk to the diet again and observe the effects. If emotional stress is responsible, try to eliminate the stress. Most important, note and record the pattern of recurrent abdominal pain and any other symptoms that occur before consulting your doctor.

Precautions

• Recurrent abdominal pain due to emotional stress is real and requires treatment just as much as pain due to an identifiable physical condition.

• Do not try to relieve stomach pain by giving laxatives or placing ice on the stomach.

Medical treatment

Your doctor will take a careful history of your child’s recent health and perform a complete physical examination. Frequently the doctor will order urine, stool, and blood tests. If the cause of the pain still is not clear, X rays of the stomach, large and small bowels, and the urinary tract may be required. If X rays provide no clues to the problem your child may be hospitalized for extensive blood tests and an internal abdominal examination.

*202/84/5*

Skin testing is a very reliable method of determining the kind, as well as the degree, of sensitivity to an inhaled allergen. Intradermal or scratch tests should be performed in three sessions, one session each week, as it is not advisable to perform more than ten of them each time. A possible schedule of testing might look like the one indicated here.

First session     Second session     Third session

Trees     Silk     Alternaria

Grasses     Feathers     Aspergillus

Plantain     Dog Hair     Penicillium

Ragweed     Goat Hair     Hormodendron

Dust     Horse Hair     Kapok

Tobacco     Horse Serum     Cottonseed

Pyrethrum     Cat Hair     Flaxseed

Orris Root     Rabbit Hair

The above tests are to be repeated in different dilutions because the intensity of the reaction to each dilution determines the treatment. A very sensitive child classified as AA can tolerate a much smaller quantity of desensitizing material than someone who has been classified as À, Â, Ñ, or D. However, even though testing in different dilutions is a good guide to the strength of the solution to be used in desensitization, it does not indicate the actual amount of discomfort that the allergic child may be suffering.

During skin testing, some highly sensitive children may get hives or shock. If this happens, the doctor should place a tourniquet on the arm above the site of the test (in order to delay the absorption of the testing material) and inject adrenalin in the testing area. This injection may have to be repeated in half an hour.

Skin testing for foods has limited value in the diagnosis of a food allergy. Consequently, many allergists skip these tests altogether. They rely instead on an accurate history and elimination diets. Those who do tests for foods find that intradermal tests are more accurate than scratch tests, but the possibility of severe anaphylactic reactions while testing for shellfish, nuts, and strawberries are possible.

*30/99/5*

Smoking

A study published in the British Journal of Cancer showed that men, who smoke, while their partner doesn’t, run the risk of fathering children who develop cancers such as leukemia and brain tumours. The theory is that chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage the DNA in the sperm. Taking this one step further, it’s easy to see that any changes in DNA in the sperm could lead to a possible increase in miscarriage rate. DNA damage cannot be picked up in a normal semen analysis so this problem would not be seen during routine fertility investigations.

Quite apart from the possible increase in abnormalities in babies of women who smoke during pregnancy, there is also an increased risk of miscarriages.

Another study, by Professor Jane Golding of the Royal Hospital for Children in Bristol, highlighted how our own actions can affect the next generation. Jane Golding looked at daughters who didn’t smoke but whose mothers had smoked. The daughters subsequently suffered a significantly increased risk of miscarriages.

Alcohol

It is universally acknowledged that alcohol can alter a man’s sperm count and cause an increase in abnormal sperm. Therefore, it follows that if an abnormal sperm fertilises an egg, nature will try to ‘get rid’ of that embryo because it is working on ‘survival of the fittest’.

Alcohol is a substance that is known to cause mutations. For example, studies have shown that alcohol given to female mice immediately after mating caused severe damage to the chromosomes of one-fifth to one-sixth of the embryos. This resulted in a higher percentage of miscarriages or death shortly after birth. Chromosomal damage is a recognized cause of miscarriage.

Research has also shown a strong relationship between alcohol and miscarriages. A 1977 study found that women who have a drink every day have a risk of miscarriage 2.5 times higher than non-drinkers. In this same study they found that if the woman was a drinker and a smoker her risk of having a miscarriage increased by up to four times.

The conclusion, from a number of the studies on women, is that even moderate alcohol consumption works as a reproductive toxin and as such increases the risk of a miscarriage.

*104/73/5*

• Find other things to do with your hands that will help you cope with tension. Knitting, ‘worry beads’, playing with a bunch of keys, or whatever, all work.

• Get your family and friends to sponsor you to stop smoking.

• Have a bet with someone as to how long they think you will give up for.

• In the early days of giving up, change your routine so that old trigger-points and situations don’t get at you while your urge to smoke is great.

• Keep busy. Sitting around thinking about smoking and how much you miss it will soon have you longing to go back to it.

• Be prepared for the mood swings as your body gets used to doing without the 100-400 puffs a day it has been accustomed to.

• Don’t kid yourself about how strong-willed you are-keep away from people and situations where you could be put to the test. One small slip and you will have undone all your previous efforts. One day in the distant future you might be able to enjoy the odd cigarette or cigar after a meal but in the early days this is too much to hope for. Complete abstinence is the only way.

• Give yourself a treat every day. Make sure that not all of them are in the form of foods, or you will soon get fat.

Obviously it is best never to start smoking in the first place. Here are some tips on ‘primary’ prevention:

• Breastfeed your children exclusively for at least six months and offer the breast after that whenever they need comforting. Psychiatrists and analysts have found that many smokers are ‘frozen’ at the oral stage of life during which a baby’s main pleasure comes from his or her mouth. If breastfeeding (or bottle-feeding even) goes badly and the baby is left to cry, its oral needs unfulfilled, it is thought that later in life he or she will turn to other forms of oral gratification. Undoubtedly, smoking is the most common of these, though earlier on in life dummy- and thumb-sucking are also widespread. Most normally developed adults don’t seek oral pleasure in this way and don’t respond to stress and anxiety by putting something in their mouths. Some, of course, do and these can be found at any slimming clinic or club.

• Perhaps the best preventive measure adults can take for their children is to ensure that they themselves don’t smoke. This will greatly reduce the likelihood that the children around them will want to smoke.

• Next, it’s worth trying to bring up our children to be able to resist peer pressures to take up the habit. Most young children say they don’t ever want to smoke yet obviously a percentage will be smoking by the age of 15. We should teach children that to take up smoking only because of pressure from their peers is to show that they cannot hold their own against their peers by doing only what they really want to do. They should be encouraged to think of smoking not as tough or glamorous but as an attempt to appear tough or glamorous by those who lack confidence. Such thinking has been shown in tests in California to protect children against drugs and alcohol too.

Another successful ruse is to use older young people to deliver the anti-smoking message in their own style. Play-acting helps in group work and can be fun too. Parents can also get across the message that:

1. You don’t have to be conned by smoking advertising.

2. They wish they had never taken it up because they can’t afford it.

3. They are glad they gave it up and how much better they feel.

4. It is possible to resist smoking just to go along with the crowd.

5. Smoking doesn’t make you ‘cool’.

6. By resisting smoking you will also be able to resist drugs and alcohol.

A study of 526 Californian students, who were encouraged in this way, found that those who were trained to be able to resist the pressures to start the habit began smoking at less than half the rate of those who did not have the training.

*222/72/5*

Every woman should be aware that a second opinion is her right and she should never be made to feel guilty about wanting one. A second opinion will give you peace of mind so it is essential that you get this from a specialist well-versed in the treatment of endometriosis and one who is well up on the latest research and technology. It is important that the doctor giving the second opinion is not in the same practice as the first doctor.

If you are unable to communicate with your doctor or you are uneasy about your doctor’s attitude, approach and explanations then you should seek a second opinion.

You should also obtain a second opinion if you are unsure about the type of treatment recommended, or if your doctor says there is nothing wrong with you.

If you do not feel that adequate tests and evaluations have been carried out or you wish to consult a doctor who has expertise in one particular aspect of the treatment of endometriosis – such as laser therapy or infertility – then seek a second opinion.

A second opinion is important for women who:

• Have been recommended a hysterectomy.

• Are told by their doctor that nothing further can be done to treat their disease.

• Need reassurance that the treatment suggested by their first doctor is appropriate.

*95/41/5*

What is it?

Spots, usually a mixture of black-leads, red or purplish spots of various sizes, pustules, scars and pits on he skin. They are mainly found on the face, the back of the neck, the back and the chest, but can be found in the armpits and on the buttocks. The complexion is often greasy and muddy and the individual usually has lank, greasy hair.

Acne is most common during adolescence and most people grow out of it in their twenties.

What causes it?

During adolescence profound hormonal changes are occurring and the oil-producing glands in the skin begin to over-produce their secretions. These secretions often become dammed up in the sebaceous glands and the topmost part of the duct blocks up with oxidized sebum to produce a blackhead. If this is squeezed a worm of sebum appears. Some women have acne or similar types of spots every month pre-menstrually and others have them when they are pregnant but these are easily explained and usually disappear quickly.

Of the specific things thought to cause acne here are just a few:

•     Refined foods, especially sweets and chocolates. Having said this, most acne researchers dismiss the effect of diet.

•     Cosmetics and oil-based make-up and thick, greasy skin creams can contribute to a mild form of acne called ‘acne cosmetica’.

•     Caffeine-containing drinks such as tea, coffee and cola.

•    Stress. Some people definitely have more spots at times of stress. This may well come about as a result of the increased levels of androgens (male hormones) produced by the adrenal glands during stress.

•     Woolly clothing next to the skin.

•     Environmental factors are not uncommon in acne. Mechanics, fast-food workers and anyone who works in a greasy atmosphere can develop acne because the atmospheric grease blocks the pores in the skin. Those who work with chlorinated hydrocarbons found in paints, varnishes, mineral oils, pesticides and roofing materials may develop a type of acne called chloracne.

•    Iodine and bromide-containing medicines. Iodized table salt contains too little iodine to worry about but some asthma medications and multivitamins contain a lot. Other drugs that cause pimples are steroids, male hormones, lithium and certain anticonvulsants.

•    Tar and oil products.

•    Infrequent washing. Ordinary oily skin has very little to do with pimples. The oil that reaches the skin is usually not the problem – it is the oil trapped in the hair follicle that produces acne. Antibacterial soaps have been found to be of little value compared with normal soaps.

*83/72/5*

Each meditation session should be for twenty minutes. In the case of meditation, more is not necessarily better. Within the twenty minutes, accumulated stress and emotions are being released. It is better if this release is done slowly and gradually. If our meditation time is extended, it is possible that feelings such as grief, sadness or anger, of which we were unaware, may arise. As I said, it will sometimes ‘throw out a file’ for us to look at.

On rare occasions this may happen during the twenty-minute sessions. If it does and if we feel distressed, we can reduce the meditation time to ten minutes, gradually building back up to twenty minutes. It is better to cut down the length of meditation time than to stop meditating altogether.

After twelve or eighteen months of regular meditation, session times can be slowly extended up to an hour. The releasing process is an ongoing one, but with experience people are able to understand and not become hesitant if they experience a release of feelings or emotions. Many people actually cultivate such releases because they see how beneficial they are in the long term.

The daily practice of meditation does require discipline, but we shouldn’t feel guilty if we miss a meditation session. Missing one or two sessions happens to everyone. Only after days or weeks without meditating should we seriously question our motivation—or lack of it.

*66\94\8*

The development of the disorders can destroy our lives. We can live with the power of the disorder for many years and no matter what we do, we feel completely powerless.

Recovery for many of us who have had panic disorder means we still can experience an occasional attack. The difference between panic disorder and recovery means we have taken the power back and are no longer afraid of the attack or anxiety. We have shifted the power balance. There are no more ‘what ifs’, but instead we have developed an attitude of ‘so what’, irrespective of how violent the occasional attack may feel. ‘So what’, means we have taken back the power.

Compassion

A major obstacle to taking back the power is the lack of compassion we have for ourselves. Compassion in this instance is the acknowledgement, and the capacity to fully feel the pain of our own suffering without mentally abusing ourselves, ‘I am hopeless, stupid, worthless etc’ and without the brutal self-hatred many of us feel.

In the early stages of the disorders many of us say, ‘This is not me, I am not like this’, and in doing so we negate and invalidate our own suffering and pain. Most of us cannot see, let alone acknowledge or appreciate our own strength and courage, which has bought us thus far. Taking back the power means learning to be compassionate toward ourselves. Only then can we begin to take back the power from the disorders.

Compassion for ourselves, combined with understanding is the first step. It is important we understand what is happening to us and why it is happening. When we understand and accept that understanding, we can begin to work towards recovery.

*48\94\8*

There is another control, which actually forms the basis of all the other controls we use. It can be so subtle that many of us may not be aware of it. It is the need to be in control, not only of ourselves but of our whole environment.

The need to be in control permeates every aspect of our life. We feel we need to be in control as we have already lost so much to the disorder. We are afraid of what might happen if we lose control.

Most of us have never been aware of the need to be in control, but it has always been part of us, long before the onset of the disorder. As a result of the disorder, this control becomes paramount. Our sense of helplessness and fear demand nothing less. When the anxiety and panic attacks break away from this control we feel even more helpless than before.

The need to be in control is the main obstacle towards recovery. Recovery means the opposite. Recovery means we need to let go of the need to be in control. We don’t realise our overwhelming need to be in control perpetuates our disorder.

There are many various aspects to this particular control, which are discussed in detail later. To let go of this control is unimaginable, but letting go means recovery, and with recovery comes freedom.

*29\94\8*