12 Mar 09 HAEMORRHOIDS AND OTHER RECTAL TROUBLES
Haemorrhoids, or piles, are enlarged, dilated veins situated inside or just outside the rectum. They cause itching, discomfort, and pain, and are frequently accompanied by bleeding.
Aside from the fact that they are a nuisance, there are two important reasons for seeing a doctor promptly if you think you have haemorrhoids. The first is that they may be caused by something potentially serious. Usually, the cause is a local one, such as the hard, dry stools and straining that accompany constipation; this irritates the veins and slows the flow of blood. In pregnancy, the enlarged uterus sometimes presses on the veins. However, the pressure can be caused by a disease in the liver or even the heart, or by a locally situated tumour or cancer.
The other reason for seeing a doctor promptly is that haemorrhoids should be treated before they cause serious complications.
For emergency treatment of painful haemorrhoids, apply very cold water on cleansing tissues or a cloth directly to the anal area. Continue for five to ten minutes, until the pain is allayed.
A hot bath morning and night may also bring relief. A soothing rectal suppository is worth trying, but regular use of suppositories or ointments may prove irritating after a few days.
Rectal fissures
A rectal fissure—that is, a tear in the surface of the rectum— may accompany haemorrhoids. It is extremely painful. It may be caused by the straining and irritation resulting from constipation. If it does not heal promptly, see your doctor without delay.
For emergency treatment, apply a soothing preparation, containing a local anaesthetic, which your pharmacist can provide.
Pruritus ani (anal itching)
This is a frequent and very bothersome condition. It can be caused by worms and allergies, contact with irritating chemicals, and in many other ways. Sometimes emotional factors are responsible. Be sure to give your doctor a chance to help you, because pruritus ani can result in infections or even interfere with your general health by disturbing your sleep or by making you tense.
Anal fistula
Anal fistula is a most annoying ailment. Because of some disease condition, an opening develops inside the anal canal or rectum, and a small tunnel forms, which leads out to the skin or adjacent organs. Such a fistulous tract will permit the passage of faecal matter. This in itself is unpleasant and painful because of the associated irritation and infection. In addition, the fistula may be the result of tuberculosis, actinomycosis, or other serious disease that also can destroy tissue. Sometimes, a rectal fistula results from an injury that may tear the rectal and anal tissues.
When there is a discharge of any sort from the skin near the anal area, it should be mentioned to your doctor. It may be the beginning of an anal fistula, and exact diagnosis is required to establish the cause. On that basis, the doctor decides between medical and surgical therapy.
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12 Mar 09 CARE OF THE BODY’S INDIVIDUAL PARTS: BRAIN
The brain is the master organ of our bodies, and it is not surprising that nature had to evolve a system of defences to guard this amazing three-pound structure against injuries. Thus, the bony skull protects the brain. The scalp is a tough wrapping outside the skull that can absorb blows. Inside the skull, a tough membrane called the dura mater protects the brain. Also, the brain has an additional protective device against blows and falls: it is encased in fluid and ‘floats’ in liquid that helps to absorb traumatic shocks. But nature cannot provide infinite protection for the brain. The motor car and other modern devices can deal terrific blows against which even the admirable natural defences we enjoy cannot shield us.
We can help nature by protecting our brains against severe trauma. Young people should know the hazards of boxing, football, diving, and other sports, and act to avoid skull injuries. Employ recognized safeguards learnt from your athletic coach. Using safety measures does not make you a sissy; it stamps you as a resourceful, rather than a reckless, human being. Drivers should remember the terrible consequences of brain injuries when indulging in reckless speeding and other unsafe practices. Workers must learn the physical as well as the chemical hazards on the job to prevent brain and nerve injuries. Alcoholics should realize that excessive drinking can injure the brain. (See also the entry alcoholism in the encyclopaedia section.)
Suppose you are now alerted to protection of your brain against injuries from blows and accidents; what other protection can you give it in your daily life? You can let it operate at maximum efficiency by providing sleep, which rests and revitalizes the brain. You can help the brain by not overstimulating or depressing it with too much caffeine from coffee, soft drinks, and tea, or by too frequent use of sedatives such as barbiturates or bromides. And never go in for pep pills such as Benzedrine without the consent of your doctor.
The brain works best when it is free from anxieties, fears and other mental conflicts.
Do you need special ‘brain foods’ and tonics to keep your brain in good working order? No.
Remember, too, that the mind and emotions react quickly to diseases in other parts of the body. Headaches, dizziness, fainting impaired memory, and other brain symptoms can be due to conditions in and around the brain, such as sinus trouble or a tumour; or these symptoms can be the result of poisons because damaged kidneys are not removing toxic materials from the blood. In other words, brain symptoms call for a complete medical check-up by your doctor.
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12 Mar 09 EATING AND WEIGHT CONTROL: OVERWEIGHT AND UNDERWEIGHT
At one time or another, almost everybody asks, ‘Should I go on a diet?’ Scientific estimates made in different countries indicate that one fifth of people over 30 years of age—and undoubtedly a large number of younger people—are overweight.
Anyone who is markedly underweight or overweight is suffering from a kind of illness. By definition, an obese person weighs 30 per cent or more over what he should. Even if you are not that much overweight, you should be alert to the potential troubles that may lie ahead. The obese person may suffer from one or more of the following: (1) an overworked heart and circulation; (2) shortness of breath; (3) a tendency to high blood pressure; (4) a tendency to diabetes; (5) poor adjustment to hot weather and changes of temperature; (6) increased strain on joints and ligaments, often leading to chronic back and joint pains; (7) reduced capacity for physical exertion and sometimes for mental work; (8) increased susceptibility to infectious disease; and (9) personality problems. Most serious of all: medical evidence shows that overweight shortens the span of life itself.
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12 Mar 09 EATING AND WEIGHT CONTROL: HOW ABOUT BREAKFAST?
Many a patient has said to me, ‘I know it would be good for me, but honestly, Doctor, I just can’t eat much breakfast!’
It has been observed by medical scientists that a high-protein diet provides energy at a more uniform level throughout the morning than do other types of breakfast. The sugar in the blood does not fluctuate nearly so much as it does after a high-starch type of breakfast. These changes in sugar level affect your appetite and energy capacity.
For the high-protein breakfast, concentrate on eggs, cereals with milk, meats such as crisp bacon, ham, and crisp sausages, and milk. Use skimmed, fat-free milk if you have a tendency to overweight. Reduce the amounts of sugary and starchy foods such as toast and marmalade to a minimum.
If you cannot eat a good-sized breakfast, or if you do not eat sufficient protein, by mid-morning you may possibly feel the effect of low blood sugar—hunger pangs and even sensations of dizziness and faintness. Before this time arrives, try to take some solid foods and a glass of orange juice, or at least a cup of coffee and biscuits.
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12 Mar 09 GENERAL CARE OF THE BODY: ALCOHOL
Although usually considered a stimulant, alcohol is actually a depressant. It appears to lessen fatigue and make you peppy because, in effect, it takes the brake off certain processes. For example, even a fairly small amount of alcohol lessens the cerebral inhibitions that we normally exert in order to behave properly and this makes us feel relieved and free.
Alcohol is useful in certain diseases and harmful in others. People who consider a drink of brandy as the initial step in all first aid treatment can do a lot of damage. It is definitely harmful, for instance, in cases of injury, heatstroke, and snakebite. People with some diseases may have a certain amount of alcohol prescribed for them; in other illnesses, it is forbidden. If you or anyone in your family is ill, be sure to discuss the matter of alcohol with your doctor.
Alcohol for the normal, healthy individual
There is no evidence to prove that moderate drinking will cause any disease, or injure the general health, or shorten the life of the healthy adult. What do I mean by moderate drinking? This is not easy to define exactly, since the amount that different people can tolerate varies considerably. Most doctors would describe the moderate drinker as one who takes one or two drinks a day—say, a couple of mixed drinks containing two ounces each of whisky, or two bottles of beer during the course of several hours. The moderate drinker takes his alcoholic beverages for relaxation, never as a constant necessity. He does not become intoxicated. Taken in this way, there is no physical harm in the use of liquor. It can be a source of great pleasure. Yet even under these circumstances, there may be some impairment of judgement or co-ordination. There are people who ought not to drive a car after drinking even one small glass of sherry.
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