18 May 09 DEFINITIONS OF SOME EXPRESSIONS YOUR DOCTOR MAY USE – SOME FACTS ABOUT PAINKILLERS (PART 1)

Here is a table telling you some facts you will need to know about painkillers.

In the first column I have listed their chemical names. If the name of your painkiller is not on this list, it is most likely because you have been given the proprietary (drug company) name and/or because it is a mixture. Ask for the chemical name(s) of your painkiller(s).

In the second column is the dose which, if taken by mouth, is likely to relieve the pain of a person who is just starting on painkillers. These doses are all of about equal strength, so you can work out what dose of another painkiller will have about the same effect if you switch from one to another. Injections are two to four times stronger than tablets or syrup of the same drug.

The third column shows how long each dose usually lasts. Remember, everybody is different. These figures are average, just to give you the general idea.

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Tags: Cancer

18 May 09 VITAMINS – GENERAL INFORMATION

However, it is worth noting that certain foods such as potatoes, which are rich in Vitamin C, also contain an enzyme, ascorbic acid oxidase.

When vegetables are heated slowly, the enzyme becomes active and destroys the ascorbic acid. But if the vegetables are rapidly blanched by immersing in boiling water, then the enzyme does not render the Vitamin Ñ inactive.

The  group vitamins have been claimed to be of use in nervous disorders and as a good pick-me-up for debility, nervous exhaustion and that run-down feeling.

Vitamin Bl, or thiamine, is found in cereals, meat and eggs. A lack of thiamine produces the disease known as beri-beri, a condition seen in World War 2 in prisoners of war fed on a diet of white rice and little else.

Now in our society, the same disease, which affects the heart and the peripheral nerves, is seen mainly in those addicted to alcohol.

Some people can develop an allergy to the synthetic Vitamin Bl tablets or injections.

Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, is found in dairy products and green vegetables, but is widely distributed throughout most natural foodstuffs.

A lack of riboflavin affects the skin and mucous membranes.

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Tags: General Health