Pharmacy News. Medical Articles, Medicine Information. Health related information and news from around the world.

Live yoghurt contains ‘friendly’ bacteria which form lactic acid in milk, suppressing the growth of harmful bacteria. Some of the bacteria which are used to make yoghurt are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. The bacteria in many yoghurts are still alive, but are kept dormant by refrigeration. However yoghurts which have been pasteurised [...]

Just as depression tends to cast a grey pall over everything in your world and in yourself, so there is an irresistible tendency to project that gloomy view into the future. The depressed person will always find something to be pessimistic about. And as with one’s view of the present, these gloomy predictions are often [...]

Plastic has become increasingly common, one might say all-pervasive, since the end of World War Two. The chemically susceptible person, however, should try to avoid unnecessary exposure to plastics wherever possible. The sources of plastics are explored in Chapter 6. As a simple preventive measure, one should go through one’s house and make all obvious [...]

While petting frogs is a harmless childhood activity, handling toads can be dangerous, the New England Journal of Medicine (314:1517) reports, since the skin of some types of toad secretes a poison which, when conveyed to the mouth, causes drooling, convulsive seizures, and serious disturbances of the heart rhythm. The Colorado River toad is the [...]

Emergency symptoms: Apply emergency treatment immediately. Important: A child with heatstroke who does not revive within minutes after treatment is in danger and requires immediate emergency care. Symptoms: feeling that lungs and muscles are «on fire», dry mouth, breathing difficulty, dizziness, nausea blurred vision, hot, dry skin, high fever, absence of sweating. Emergency treatment 1. [...]

For the past 50 years or so, we’ve been killing ourselves with a silent bang. It’s a little-known fact that suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in this country and the fifth leading cause among men ages 25 to 44. There is no simple answer for why men commit suicide, says John L. [...]

  Non-steroidal drugs Non-steroidal drugs, other than the salicylates, are used as anti-inflammatory, analgesic or anti-pyretic agents. Some have a combination of more than one of these properties. In general, the way in which these drugs work is not known, although it is possible to demonstrate the relative efficacy of one versus another by special [...]

For a number of years researchers have sought ways to diagnose and monitor endometriosis that would avoid the need for a laparoscopy. Various methods have been tried, including examining the blood and endometrium for the presence of antibodies and testing for a substance known as the CA-125 antigen. Other methods are still being investigated. So [...]

Brain chemicals do more than regulate behavior. They also determine our moods. An imbalancetoo much or too little of a given substance-can produce symptoms of mental disorder ranging from depression to the abnormal elation and hyperactivity known as mania. As we have seen, the incidence of depression in relatives of eating-disordered people is higher than [...]

John Bradley always loved being outdoors. As a youngster growing up in northern Maine, he spent many more summer nights sleeping outside than in. His days were filled with work on his family’s potato farm, fishing, swimming, canoeing, and hiking in the woods. Now age 45, John still finds joy in the great outdoors. It [...]

Affirmation for Happiness Many of the patients I see, regardless of their symptoms, are unhappy. I give them this happiness affirmation: I really like myself. I am a worthwhile person. I am fantastically happy, and I have great happiness. Affirmation for Serenity We could all use serenity, especially the stress seekers who are always running [...]

Use your heart to determine whether you’re walking rapidly enough. Count your heartbeats by feeling your pulse at your wrist, your temples or on either side of your neck. Count the number of times your heart beats in ten seconds. Multiply that number by six to get your heart rate per minute. The goal is [...]

Nutritional deficiencies can attack your immune system directly, or they can launch a two-stage attack by way of the mind. Lack of nutrients, especially the B vitamins, can lead to such personality changes as depression, irritability, nervousness, anxiety and moodiness. As a group, the B vitamins are especially important for maintaining a positive outlook on [...]

Government and industry claim that there are «safe» levels for various toxins in the body. That idea is patently absurd. Five to 40 years may pass before chemicals and particles you were exposed to at work, home or school are expressed as a disease. To be safe, I say that any amount is too much. [...]

A third factor that influences medical trials is the type of patients a particular doctor sees. To take one example, a consultant gastroenterologist working in a large hospital will see a wide range of patients with persistent diarrhoea, who have been referred by their family doctor. These patients will vary in all sorts of ways, [...]

It’s common for doctors to receive a flat monthly fee for every patient under their care. Under this arrangement, known as capitation, the cost of lab tests, procedures and other care comes out of the doctor’s pocket. If the doctor orders an $80 X ray, $80 is deducted from his paycheck. Frequently, HMOs give bonuses [...]

what to look for: Whole wheat is typically the first ingredient, but it could be whole oats, whole rye or millet. typical nutritional data per slice: 90 calories, 1 g fat, 3 g fiber, 180 mg sodium. good brands: Arnold Natural 100% Whole Wheat… Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat…Stroehmann Dutch Country 100% Whole Wheat. important: Some [...]

A «hand-sanding» technique lets doctors remove wrinkles without the high cost of the usual technique (laser resurfacing). Called manual dermasanding, the technique involves injecting the wrinkled area with topical anesthetics. Wrinkles are then buffed away using a sandpaper-like material. Saw palmetto berries are widely recognized for their potential to diminish an enlarged prostate gland, say [...]

Eighty-seven percent of Americans have foot trouble—bunions, corns, calluses, foot odor, etc. Despite their prevalence, however, such problems are not inevitable, most can be prevented via a simple five-step foot-pamperinc regimen… • Soak your feet at the end of each day. Use lukewarm water along with Dr. Scholl’s Soap ‘n Soak Instant Foot Bath or [...]

Up to 12 million Americans are allergic to one or more foods—and most aren’t aware of it. Food allergies can stimulate activity of mast cells, immune cells that produce hay fever symptoms, such as nasal congestion, watery eyes, etc. self-test: In the morning, take your pulse for one minute on an empty stomach. Then eat [...]

It is sad that few hospitals now support postnatal family planning clinics and the opportunity to return to the place where the baby was born is seldom available. At such a visit the woman could show off the baby, have her new status as mother recognized and discuss her delivery, even though it might be [...]

Men are unlikely to admit that they consider contraception to be the woman’s business but again the shadow is there. ‘A lot of other men do,’ they say. Perhaps it is because many men are nervous about their sexuality. They stir quickly and not always when expected, and they are not used to the idea [...]

Some women present late because they genuinely did not believe themselves to be pregnant, often at the extremes of the reproductive age range, or because they have irregular cycles. Some deny the problem until the bulge begins to appear, or hope that they will miscarry. Others sadly may be the victim of a laborious system [...]

The COC is the most common form of contraception chosen by the younger patient. In view of this, it merits most attention in this chapter. The doctor looking after this age group has a unique opportunity to get it right at the first consultation as regards absolute and relative contraindications and risk factors. At the [...]

How have the negative feelings towards contraception come about in these families? Often both the women and men have grown up feeling that the world is against them. Unloved and rejected by their own parents, lacking self-esteem, feeling powerless to influence their destiny, they live from day to day, unable to plan for the future [...]

  Red -The Colour of Vitality, Passion and Strength Red is very stimulating and therefore must be used carefully. It stimulates and vitalizes the entire body increasing power, confidence, courage and initiative. Red is the colour of passion and energy, enhancing sexual desire and is therefore great for frigidity and impotence. Red is often associated [...]

Releasing the Past with Passion Approach this exercise with an open heart, full of love and a blameless, non-judgmental attitude to yourself and others. Choose an event in your life that may have caused you pain or made you feel uneasy. This event may have triggered the development of your cancer without you fully being [...]

Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) Calendula is probably best known for its wonderful use in healing skin conditions and soothing cuts, burns, wounds and sores. After surgery, calendula is able to cleanse the body, stimulate circulation and improve the healing of wounds. Well known physicians and natural healers around the world believe that calendula is a successful [...]

Magnesium Magnesium is important for the health of every organ within the body. It activates enzymes, aids energy production and helps to regulate the balance of many cancer-fighting nutrients within the body. It is a cofactor in over 100 enzyme reactions occurring in the body. Recent research has shown that magnesium may prevent cardiovascular disease, [...]

Shark Cartilage The tough, elastic material that makes up the skeleton of the shark is dried and pulverized (finely powdered) to make this food supplement. Shark cartilage contains a number of active components, the most important of which is a type of protein that acts as an angiogenesis inhibitor – that is, it acts to [...]