28 Apr 09 WHY BABIES CRY
It’s normal for babies to cry. It is, after all, their only way of letting you know they need something. At first it may be difficult to figure out what the baby needs. In a newborn, though, there are only a few things a cry will signify: hunger, needing a nappy change, and needing to be held and comforted. As the baby grows up, he or she will find more reasons to complain: boredom, frustration, loneliness, fear, overstimulation, or maybe being too tired to go to sleep.
Sometimes you and your baby can get into a crying cycle. When the baby cries, you get anxious and nervous. The more the baby cries, the worse you feel, and nothing you do seems to help quiet the baby. The baby senses your feelings, your anxiety in turn makes the baby anxious and uncomfortable, and the child expresses these feelings by crying even more. If you find yourself getting into these cycles, talk about it with an experienced parent or your doctor. They may be able to suggest a solution.
Occasionally, a baby will cry because he or she is in pain. Check to see if you can figure out what is causing the pain. A sick baby may cry but will usually also have other symptoms of illness such as a fever, diarrhea, pulling on an ear, or a runny nose. Generally, a healthy baby will have a strong, loud cry. If your baby’s cry becomes weak, contact your doctor right away.
*6/84/5*
Tags: General Health
28 Apr 09 DIABETES: HUMAN, BEEF AND PORK INSULINS
How are beef and pork insulins made?
Pancreases are collected at the abattoirs from beef or pork. They are quickly frozen and taken in refrigerated vans to the insulin extraction plant of the pharmaceutical company making the insulin. The pancreases are then mixed up with alcohol (spirit) and salt (brine) and acid. The insulin goes into solution in the acid-brine-alcohol mixture and therefore can be separated in solution from the remaining pancreatic pulp, which is washed free of the insulin.
After the insulin is in solution and separated from the rest of the pancreas, it is precipitated out from the solution and is purified and crystallized out as a powder. Bacteria which might cause an infection at the injection site and other impurities are also removed at this stage. The pure insulin is then dissolved in a fluid and bottled ready for use. Further processes may be carried out to combine this pure insulin with protein or zinc or modify it in some other way to produce the various other forms of insulin with a longer duration of action for the modern control of diabetes.
How is human insulin made?
Human insulin is now made by a process which involves genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a term that describes our ability to take one gene (in this case the insulin gene) and insert it into the genetic structure of another living cell which then acquires the feature of the new gene (in this case the ability to produce insulin). To understand genetic engineering, we need to know about genes and cell DNA. The development of all living cells is governed by the inheritance of their characteristics from previous generations of cells. The inherited characteristics are passed on by genes contained in the cell and the genes are part of a complex substance called DNA. All cells contain DNA. Within the DNA substance of the human islet cells is the gene which produces human insulin.
Human islet cells are not easy to grow in the laboratory, and when they do grow, they do not multiply and produce large quantities of insulin. On the other hand, some cells such as yeast cells and bacterial cells have the ability to multiply very rapidly, so that if they could be given the ability to produce insulin, they could do so in large quantities.
It is now possible to synthesize the gene that is responsible for producing insulin in the human body. One way in which human insulin is produced by genetic engineering involves incorporating the synthesized human gene for insulin into ordinary bakers’ yeast cells. This is the starting point of the process for insulin manufacture, the steps of which are as follows:
1. The gene responsible for producing insulin is first synthesized chemically.
3. The insulin gene is now inserted (by chemical process) into the place that was cut into the DNA material from the yeast cell.
4. Now that the yeast DNA has acquired the human insulin gene, it is inserted back into the yeast cells.
5. The yeast cells are allowed to grow in glucose solutions in large tanks over a period of three weeks. As they multiply and grow, they release insulin into the tank.
6. The insulin is extracted from this solution and the yeast cells discarded.
7. This insulin is purified by a series of processes. No detectable impurities of any sort remain.
8. This insulin is in a pure crystalline form. It may be dissolved as the quick-acting unmodified insulin, or may be modified chemically to prolong its action as cloudy longer acting insulin.
The actual process is of course more complicated than this. For instance, living cells have to make insulin through first producing a larger molecule called pro-insulin which is later broken down to insulin itself. The process of purification also involves a number of steps to ensure the end product is entirely safe.
Other manufacturers use somewhat different processes and may use bacterial cells rather than yeast cells. The end product, of course, is the same as the insulin produced by the human pancreas.
*90/54/5*
Tags: Diabetes
23 Apr 09 CANCER: COLORECTAL CONCERNS
No site is very pleasing for a tumor, but the notion of a cancer taking up residence in your bowel is extra queasy. Why, of all places, is it there?
For one thing, this is a place with a high cell turnover rate, so the likelihood of cancer developing is increased. Another reason is that the colon is full of bacteria that produce carcinogens. Cancers in either of those two bowel parts are usually lumped into the “colorectal” category. About 54,900 deaths from colorectal cancer were predicted for 1997, about 10 percent of all cancer deaths.
But actually, people are getting less colorectal cancer these days. The total incidences dropped from about 149,000 new cases in 1994 to an estimated 131,200 cases in 1997. This may be due to adopting healthier lifestyles, says Dr. Wurzelmann.
Early detection and removal of precancerous polyps are also likely playing a role. “I’m not seeing the big, bulky, extensive cancers that I used to 15 or 20 years ago,” and the reason is early detection, says Bruce Wolff, M.D., professor of surgery at the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation in Rochester, Minnesota, and a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.
If you want to increase your odds that there won’t be anything to detect-early or later-doctors recommend taking these steps.
Ask for aspirin. Popping a baby aspirin once a day seems to help with a lot of things, including colorectal cancer. According to Dr. Wurzelmann, aspirin increases the rate at which cancer cells kill themselves off. Some doctors are reasonably concerned about stomach bleeding or discomfort from daily aspirin doses. But, says Dr. Wurzelmann, “if you can tolerate aspirin, it may be a reasonable way to prevent cancer. Further research is needed, however, before final recommendations can be made.” Check with your doctor before you start popping aspirin.
Cool it with the booze. Heavy drinking has been connected with esophageal cancer, but it also increases the likelihood of the polyps that are precursors to colorectal cancer. “People who drink a lot can get more polyps,” Dr. Wurzelmann says. “Several different studies support that connection.”
Bulk up with fiber. The verdict is in on high-fiber diets, and it’s a good one for colorectal cancer prevention. Canadian researchers, looking at 13 studies involving more than 15,000 people, found that adding 13 grams of fiber a day to your diet could reduce your risk by 31 percent. The National Cancer Institute suggests that you increase your fiber intake to between 20 and 30 grams a day.
Embrace brassicas. For colorectal cancer, there is convincing proof that vegetables decrease risk. It’s a kid’s nightmare. Eat lots of different vegetables but be sure to include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower. All are members of the brassica vegetable family, and they could be a grown-up guy’s salvation. They contain chemicals that appear to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. “Eat as much as you can enjoy,” suggests Dr. Wurzelmann.
Do calisthenics for your colon. One of the more proven ways to reduce colon cancer is to get moving. No, not that kind of moving. We’re talking physical activity here-exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. Even if that exercise is divided into 10-minute segments, it’s enough to reduce the risk of colon cancer.
*6/36/5*
Tags: Cancer
23 Apr 09 FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO SNORING
We have been concerned thus far with a picture of the normal upper airway, discussing its susceptibility to collapse given the compliant nature of the pharynx and the destabilizing effect of sleep. In fact, most people’s airways remain open during sleep and they experience neither the audible evidence of partial collapse nor a disastrous total collapse. So what makes snorers different?
The shape of the upper airway
In many instances the cause of snoring is plainly visible on a simple examination of the throat. Looking through the mouth into the oropharynx, one is often confronted with a pendulous and swollen soft palate and uvula which quite plainly has the effect of narrowing the entrance to the upper airway. Inflammation or reddening of this tissue is further evidence of upper airway trauma caused by snoring. Some patients present with a good history of snoring but with no remarkable physical features to account for the symptoms, and it is these patients who impress on us the fact that snoring can be brought about by very subtle changes in the shape of the upper airway.
Using a technique known as acoustic reflection (in principle, not unlike a sonar) several studies have demonstrated that the cross sectional area of the pharynx in heavy snorers is less than that of non snorers. In other words snorers tend to have a narrower pharynx in the awake state even before other factors come into play such as the loss of muscle tone during sleep. Not surprisingly, the soft tissue around the narrowed airway vibrates under the added strain of each inspiratory manoeuvre. Careful analysis of the size and position of facial bones, particularly the jaw, has shown that heavy snorers often have slight changes in the alignment of these structures which again favours collapse of the upper airway.
Although most snorers will have a narrow pharynx or some degree of mal-alignment of the jaw there are sometimes more conspicuous findings which tip the scales dramatically in favour of the repetitive airway obstruction which is often associated with heavy snoring. Any condition, and there are many, which effectively restricts the flow of air through the upper airway by narrowing the pharynx will promote snoring.
Obesity
Obesity certainly contributes to the incidence and severity of snoring. The relationship between excessive weight and sleep disorders is under active investigation and there is evidence to suggest that fat deposits in the tissue surrounding the pharynx play a role. Weight loss, even for the mildly overweight, has been shown to be effective in reducing the severity of snoring.
Other impediments
There are several structural anomalies of the upper airway which can interfere with the normal flow of air such as enlarged adenoids and tonsils, a large tongue, malformations of the jaw or an abnormally long or fleshy soft palate. The list is incomplete but serves to show that some changes to the anatomy of this critical part of the airway will favour snoring.
*6/51/5*
Tags: General Health
23 Apr 09 BREAST CANCER: INVESTIGATIONS AND DIAGNOSIS
Asking questions
Always ask questions if you are unsure about anything. Never feel embarrassed or foolish, and never go away not having understood something; it will only cause you to worry. Almost all your questions can be easily answered with simple explanations, but if answers are not known, your doctor should be able to discuss with you the reasons.
People tend to forget what they had wanted to ask until they are at home again. It may therefore be a good idea to write your questions down as you think of them, and be prepared with a list next time you talk to your doctor. Uncertainty and confusion cause anxiety which, in most cases, is unfounded, and any good doctor will be happy to answer all your questions, no matter how trivial you think they may seem.
Being told you have breast cancer
Do not be afraid to speak frankly to your doctor. Some doctors avoid mentioning the word ‘cancer’, and feel the need to shield patients from any unpleasant truths. Some will not tell you unless you ask, believing that you would ask if you wanted to know. Most breast care nurses have experience of women who, having been told their diagnosis by the specialist, express relief at discovering that they have a ‘tumour’, and not cancer. Although a tumour is strictly any abnormal swelling, some doctors use the word when they actually mean a malignant tumour -a cancer.
If you are anxious about a lump or do not understand what you are being told about it, it is best to be frank: ‘Is it cancer, doctor?’ should elicit a direct and truthful answer, although it is a question many people will find difficult to ask.
Women who have been told that they have breast cancer will need – and should expect – to talk to a breast care nurse. Coming to terms with this disease is easier if you are given accurate information by a sympathetic, informed professional.
Help and counseling for women with breast cancer and for their families are also available from a variety of organizations. The breast care nurse, your GP or consultant will be able to give you information about these services.
*8/39/5*
Tags: Cancer
23 Apr 09 SOME HISTORICAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
It is all too easy in our cosy world to forget just how hostile life was as recently as a century ago and so to belittle what preventive medicine has achieved so far. A hundred years ago, only six babies out of ten survived to adulthood and the life expectancy of a British boy born between 1871 and 1880 was 41 years, and that of his sister 45 years. If they managed to survive the first year of life this improved to 48 and 50 years respectively. Today this has totally changed-mainly because of preventive rather than curative measures. Generally speaking we all accept that when we have a baby it will be born alive and will survive to see old age-but this is a very recent assumption in the history of the human race. Childbirth itself was extremely hazardous for both a mother and her child only a century ago and then the child had to survive all the childhood infections, in addition to smallpox and ÒÂ. Nutrition in Victorian England was so poor that children’s resistance was low and they were likely to pick up anything that was going. The majority of the population of Victorian England lived in urban slums, water was often unsafe and few houses had piped water at all. In the environment of cities diseases spread and took hold of whole communities, causing thousands of deaths in any one epidemic. Over the last hundred years, though, the death rates from ÒÂ, enteric fever and the main infectious diseases of childhood have been reduced by more than 99 per cent.
In western countries mortality in every age group up to the age of 35 is now one tenth or less of what it was a hundred years ago and among children aged 1-9 it is now one twentieth of what it was then. In fact mortality has fallen by 88 per cent.
*6/72/41*
Tags: General Health
23 Apr 09 KEFIR BATH (FERMENTED MILK) FOR YOUR SKIN
It’s quite interesting to look back in history and to read that the beautiful queen of Egypt bathed in fermented milk and that her skin was so beautiful that we still talk about it. Milt baths are a great treat for thirsty pores. You will be saturated with a calcium covering which will give you firmer, beautiful and softer skin
The following recipes are a guide how to make your own bath care products with kefir.
Kefir relaxing and moisturising bath: 1 cup kefir, 2 tbsp. wheatgerm oil, 5 drops lavender essential oils. Mix all ingredients. Add to bath and relax for fifteen minutes.
Kefir revitalising bath: 1 cup kefir, 1 tbsp. Epsom salts, 2 tbsp. almond oil, 3 drops pine essence oil, 2 drops orange essential oil. Mix all ingredients and add to the bath. Relax for fifteen minutes.
Apricot & Kefir oil for the bath: 2 tbsp. melted butter, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. cider vinegar, 2 tbsp. witch hazel, juice of three apricots (use a blender), 100 g kefir, 2 beaten eggs, 300 ml milk. Mix the butter and the olive oil and allow to sit for one hour. Mix in cider vinegar, witch hazel, apricot juice and the kefir. Stir well. Add the eggs and half the milk and put the mixture into a blender. After it is thoroughly blended add the remaining milk. This mixture can be kept in the refrigerator in a sealed bottle. It is enough for six baths, use only a cupful to each bath.
*203\81\8*
Tags: Skin Care
20 Apr 09 DIET FOR APPENDIX V: BUTTER
Margarine is the obvious substitute for butter, but some brands (eg Flora) contain small amounts of milk solids. The brands that do not are mainly available from healthfood shops. They include: Granose, Tomor and Vitasieg.
If you hate the taste of margarine, there are other possibilities. One is tahini, or ground sesame seeds – quite a strong taste, but a pleasant one. Sesame can readily provoke allergy or intolerance, however, so it should not be eaten too often. Sunflower spread is similar. Both are available from healthfood shops.
Another alternative is clarified butter, which can be tolerated by most milk-sensitive people. Make it by melting a pack of butter over a gentle heat, allowing it to cool a little and then pouring it carefully into a glass jar. The proteins in the butter will have settled to the bottom of the pan, and are visible as white granules – by pouring very slowly you leave these behind in the pan. Any that do get into the glass jar will settle to the bottom, and since you can see them through the side of the jar you can avoid eating them, keep clarified butter in the fridge as it is semi-liquid at room temperature. You can also buy this product at Indian groceries under the name ghee.
Clarified butter should only be used once you have completed the elimination diet, and know that you have to avoid milk – it should not be used during the elimination diet, as it still contains traces of milk protein and may confuse the result.
In sauces, creamed coconut makes an interesting substitute for butter, although it only suits certain foods. Try melting creamed coconut in orange juice over a low heat, adding ground almonds to thicken the mixture, salt and garlic – this gives a delicious rich sauce to accompany pork or chicken.
*395\180\8*
Tags: Allergies
20 Apr 09 PREPARING FOR THE ELIMINATION DIET: YOU SHOULD NOT START THE DIET WITHOUT PLANNING
You should not start the diet without planning what you are going to eat for the first few days, and buying the things you need. Hunger is a very powerful urge, and unless you have plenty of allowed foods to hand, you may get so famished that you raid the biscuit jar or the bread-bin in a moment of weakness. To avoid such lapses, it is worth cooking up some meals in advance, so that you can have something ready within a few minutes. A freezer, or a fridge with a large ice compartment, is invaluable – you can cook your special meals in bulk and freeze them in individual portions. A supply of allowed ‘snacks’ in a cupboard is also helpful.
Packaged and tinned foods should be avoided if possible during these diets. You will find that most prepared foods contain excluded items anyway: it may not say ‘milk’ or ‘eggs’ on the ingredients label, but it could be there under another name. Even if there are no prohibited ingredients, you are still taking something of a gamble, because you have no idea what sort of processing methods have been used, and how these might affect you. And it is not unknown for labels to omit an ingredient. So it is much better, at this stage, to stick to simple home-prepared foods because you know exactly what has gone into them. Tinned foods should be avoided at first because the lining of the cans, a golden-coloured phenol resin, contaminates the food slightly. Some food-intolerant people are sensitive to this.
From the point of view of food preparation, making two lots of food can be a nuisance, and some people solve the problem by putting the whole family on the diet, at least for the exclusion phase. Doctors using the elimination diet have often observed unexpectedly good results in another family member, as a result of this. There are numerous reports of fatigue, moodiness, headaches, runny noses and other minor problems, that had previously been taken for granted, suddenly clearing up. Sceptics will claim that this could well be psychosomatic, or a result of healthier eating habits, and at present there is no scientific evidence either way. But there is certainly no harm in other adults joining in Stages 1 and 2 of the diet. Children should only be included if they have some identifiable medical or behavioural problem, and consultation with your doctor is essential. Children may need a calcium supplement if milk is excluded.
Stage 3 of the diet is a different matter. It is unlikely that anyone with minor health problems, or no acknowledged health problems, would benefit from it, although a few might do.
*348\180\8*
Tags: Allergies
20 Apr 09 THE EXORPHIN PUZZLE: ENDORPHINS — BUILT-IN PAINKILLERS
A good half of patients with food intolerance have cravings for the food or foods that make them ill, and eat such foods to excess. Addictive eating is an aspect of food intolerance that does nothing to improve its medical credibility – yet it cannot be ignored. Within the last few years, a possible mechanism for this strange behaviour has emerged, in the form of chemicals called ex-orphins. To understand what exorphins do (or might do) we must first look at the endorphins.
Endorphins — built-in painkillers
Pain is all about survival. We have specialized nerves, known as pain-receptors, to help us avoid damaging ourselves – on sharp objects, for example, or by overextending our joints. But there has to be a way of turning pain off, when it no longer serves a useful purpose. For that reason we have endorphins or natural opioids.
Endorphins are natural painkillers, released during intense pain, or strenuous exercise, or when some stressful event evokes our ‘flight or fight’ response (see pl44). There are receptors for these molecules on cells in the brain and when the endorphins bind to these, feelings of pain are reduced, and a sensation of well-being ensues. (In fact, there are about four or five different types of endorphin receptor, and they have different effects – although pain-blocking is the main one, there are others as well.)
Morphine, heroin and other opiates happen to mimic the endorphins and they bind to the same receptors – hence their use as drugs. They are addictive because they suppress the body’s natural ability to produce endorphins – so when they are stopped, the addict suffers agonizing withdrawal symptoms.
*300\180\8*
Tags: Allergies
