Health News. Lots of resources and information

People with epilepsy have to cope with the effects of their seizures on their chances in

life—which may well be reduced if seizures are frequent. Throughout all of life with epilepsy, they have to act as their own public relations officer, deciding how much to tell and how much to conceal. Their circle of friends and choice of sexual partner may well be narrowed. Their inability to hold a driving licence and limitations in employment reduce their earning power, social status, and long-term financial security. By avoidance of factors which they believe may precipitate seizures, social activities may be greatly reduced. It is not surprising, therefore, that people with epilepsy become anxious, or depressed, or resentful and irritable.

The age of onset of epilepsy influences the psychological effects suffered. A robust man of 45 in previous good health who develops epilepsy following a head injury has established his personality, social life, family, and employment before the injury. Although he may encounter problems with future employment, there is no change in how his friends and family perceive him and react to him. The late age of onset and the clear-cut cause of seizures allows this man and his family to take up the position that although he may have a few blackouts he is not really ‘an epileptic’.

It is quite different for a girl whose epilepsy begins at the age of 12, with frequent seizures throughout her school career. Whatever her abilities, her friends and teachers perceive her as ‘an epileptic’. Epilepsy dominates social intercourse, the development of personality, and possibilities of future employment and establishment of married life. Such a person will have more profound psychological difficulties than the 45-year-old man described above. Anxiety, depression, and resentment are entirely comprehensible reactions to the fact of epilepsy. One might say: ‘I would feel like that if I had her problems’. To that extent, therefore, it would be wrong to categorize these psychological effects as an illness, though that does not mean that advice and support from friends, or the family doctor, or a psychiatrist may not aid the person with epilepsy to come to terms with their disability. However skilled the counsellor, we are convinced that the ability to cope depends primarily upon the strength of personality of the person with epilepsy.

Occasionally depression in association with epilepsy may become so severe that treatment with an antidepressant drug is indicated. This drug should be chosen with care.

Depression and inability to cope with the life situation caused by epilepsy may be so severe as to cause the unfortunate sufferer to take his own life. Suicide is approximately five times more common in those with epilepsy than in the general population.

A psychotic illness with symptoms similar to those of paranoid schizophrenia may occasionally be seen in those with epilepsy arising from a temporal lobe lesion. The occurrence of the psychosis is not necessarily related to the frequency of seizures. Indeed, there is a curious group of patients in whom the psychosis becomes prominent as seizures settle, only to remit as seizures return.

One cause of epilepsy is impaired fetal development of the brain or brain damage occurring at or around the time of birth. Children with such brain damage may be less intelligent than their siblings, be more easily distracted from work and play, and be prone to emotional extremes. Because of constant restlessness, this behaviour is sometimes known as the ‘hyperkinetic (or hyperactive) syndrome,. It should be understood that both the behaviour and the epilepsy share a common cause; the epilepsy in itself does not cause this behaviour.

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Let’s first have a look at sea cucumber, an ancient therapeutic agent used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine. Numerous modem scientific research studies show that sea cucumber helps to control inflammatory processes in the body. As a result, sea cucumber often provides relief of the inflammation associated with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, tendinitis, sports injuries, sprains, and joint pains, as well as other inflammatory diseases. One study found that it also improved the body’s overall resistance to stress.

Sea cucumber works by helping to regulate biochemical substances known as prostaglandins which are involved in inflammatory processes. It also contains chondroitin which the body finds valuable to help produce new joint cartilage, and it is a good source of lubricating compounds that are found in the joints and joint fluids. The famous nutritionist Earl Mindell describes sea cucumber as “an even more potent anti-inflammatory agent than hydrocortisone.” The benefits of sea cucumber for most arthritis patients has even been proved in medical studies. It has been approved by the Australian Department of Health as an effective treatment for arthritis and is widely used in the Orient and Europe for that purpose.

An analysis of dried sea cucumber reveals that it is about 80% protein. Other substances found are chondroitin sulphate, and the beneficial minerals boron, calcium, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, and zinc. Good mineral balance in the body has always been recognized as being valuable for joint health. The safety and the effectiveness of sea cucumber’s therapeutic effects has been demonstrated over thousands of years in practical application, as well as now by modern laboratory testing and clinical trials. Though rare, a few sensitive persons have developed a minor rash from its use.

More evidence of the beneficial effects of the combination of CMO and sea cucumber has been provided by a study conducted by Dr Alan Edwards in England. He reports on a small trial with fibromyalgia suffers which showed improvement for the majority after only 4 weeks use of this combination. Importantly, those that improved showed a very promising improvement, whilst those that did not, had hardly any positive impact at all, perhaps because they failed to absorb the nutrients involved. At the time writing this report is awaiting publication in a respected journal, currently scheduled for the middle of this year.

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Symptoms

Visibly curved spine

Hip-shot standing position

Home care

Check the child’s posture periodically.

Precaution

Scoliosis can worsen rapidly. See your doctor if you suspect scoliosis.

Scoliosis is also known as curvature of the spine. In profile (a side view) a normal spine, or vertebral column, traces an S curve from top to bottom of the back; viewed from the front or the back, the spine is straight from top to bottom. In scoliosis, the spine curves toward one side or the other when viewed from the rear. That curve toward one side produces a second, compensating, curve in the spine to keep the head straight.

One type of scoliosis (idiopathic scoliosis), which more frequently affects girls than boys, has no known cause. It develops during adolescence and stops getting worse when the child stops growing. The other types of scoliosis can develop at any age and can be caused by damage to the vertebrae (bones of the spine) from infection, a tumour, injury, radiation therapy; abnormal development of the vertebrae or ribs; or weakness in the muscles of the trunk. Scoliosis can also result from a difference in the length of the legs. Unlike other forms of the disease, this type of scoliosis does not result in a fixed curvature of the spine; the vertebral column straightens when the child lies down.

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Knowledge about food allergy is as old as history; the ancient Egyptians, the Chinese, the Jews, and the Greeks all demonstrated an instinctive understanding of these allergies. However, allergy to food was studied scientifically for the first time only fifty years ago by Schloss who observed that:(a) a boy had epidermoids-animal hair and scales from dogs, cats, horses, goats, rabbits, birds, sheep, rats and mice, roaches, silkworms dyes cosmetics insecticides poison ivy plant hives after eating eggs, almonds, and oatmeal; (b) the same boy had an inflammation in his skin when injected with extracts of those foods; (c) the boy manifested either an immediate reaction to a food (which showed itself a few minutes after eating it) or a delayed reaction (which showed itself hours or days after eating it). Schloss concluded that in immediate reactions to foods the allergen is the whole food, while in delayed reactions it is one of the broken down products of the food absorbed during digestion. He advised avoidance of complicated foods which might be incompletely digested and absorbed as such by the immature intestines of a baby.

The symptoms of food allergy are hives, nose stuffiness, asthma, eczema, vomiting, diarrhea, gas, or migraine headaches. We know through experience that fish, shellfish, berries, nuts, and chocolate frequently cause hives, while cereals, milk, egg, or meat more often cause nose stuffiness and asthma.

A food allergy is usually diagnosed clinically with a diet diary, an elimination diet, or a provocative diet. Skin testing has little value in diagnosing food allergy.

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Mycoplasmas

Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum are small organisms which are very common in all of us but found in higher quantities in couples who are not conceiving.

In the lab, mycoplasmas (including Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum) have to be grown on a special culture and whether they are tested or not can literally come down to a question of cost. For this reason they are not routinely tested on the NHS and most couples will need to go privately. But, as you will see, it is very important that, as a couple (whether trying to conceive or having experienced a previous miscarriage), you are screened for these very small pathogens.

In some clinics, when a sperm sample is analyzed it is also cultured to see whether any ureaplasma is present. This is because the presence of this infection can affect the quality of the sample, in some cases creating adhesions within the sperm. It has been found that the higher the number of ureaplasmas in the semen, the lower the zinc concentration. And we have seen how crucial good levels of zinc are for fertility.

The same study also found that the higher the number of ureaplasmas in the semen, the lower the fructose content. Fructose is a sugar normally found in semen. The absence of fructose in the semen can mean that the seminal vesicles are blocked, stopping both sperm and fructose from getting through. Some researchers have gone so far as to say that ureaplasmas are associated with male infertility, because when men were treated for the infection there was a significant improvement in the motility of their sperm.

The increase in these infections may be due to changes in sexual attitudes and the fact that certain conditions may increase their growth. For instance, it is known that mycoplasma proliferates when the Pill is used.

Unfortunately if a pregnant woman has an ureaplasma infection she can pass it on to her baby. Some interesting research, published in the New Scientist magazine in 1997, showed that if babies were infected by Ureaplasma urealyticum in the womb then they were more likely to develop asthma in later life. The researchers suggested that asthma could be prevented in some children if the parent were treated before conception.

Rubella (German Measles)

German measles contracted during childhood is a mild disease; and, once infected, the person builds up antibodies which give lifelong immunity to the illness. These antibodies can be measured by a blood test and the woman then knows whether she is ‘rubella immune’. The risk of contracting German measles during pregnancy is not to the mother but to the baby. If the mother develops this illness during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, there is up to five times greater a chance of the baby being born with congenital abnormalities (such as deafness, blindness and heart disease) or being miscarried.

If the woman finds out that she is not rubella immune then she may opt to be immunized before embarking on a pregnancy. One woman I know of, who did not want to be immunized, used a homeopathic remedy to which her body produced the rubella antibodies when subsequently measured on a blood test.

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What is it?

Until a few decades ago childbirth was dangerous for the mother and her baby. As recently as 1930 between forty and forty-five women in every 10,000 having babies died. Today this figure is one in 10,000. Great progress has been made in saving mothers’ lives and in the 1950s attention turned to improving the lot of the baby. Considerable progress has been made in this direction but there is no room for complacency. Infant mortality today is still a real cause for concern-as many babies die in the first year of life as children and young adults die in the following twenty-four years! Although a few of these deaths are totally unavoidable most are part of a much bigger problem. Some babies are born dead (still-born); some are born alive but too early and so stand a poor chance; others die in the first weeks of life; and yet others live but are handicapped-often for life.

The problem is not a small one in terms of numbers. In 1984 there were 3,640 still-births in England and Wales (who died between the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy and the end of the first week of life). French estimates have suggested that for every one ‘perinatal’ death 2.5 babies survive damaged. There are today about 16,000 damaged babies surviving in England and Wales each year. Some are very little affected and others are grossly handicapped and will live in an institution for all their lives. There are probably a quarter of a million children in the UK in special schools and attending normal schools who are mentally and physically handicapped, and 5,000 children live in long-stay hospitals from which they are unlikely to emerge.

What causes it?

• Poor pre-conceptual care.

• Poor diet in pregnancy.

• Medicines, drugs, X-rays or the Pill.

• Infections during pregnancy.

• Alcohol in pregnancy.

• Smoking before conception and during pregnancy.

• Environmental hazards.

• Genetic problems.

• Poor ante-natal care.

• Birth problems.

• Congenital abnormalities.

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A herbalist has a holistic approach – that is, treating the whole person and not just the disease.

Although no two women are alike, similarities often emerge which include the need to correct biochemical imbalances, assist in the elimination of toxic waste and treating the inherited miasm.

We asked a herbalist to answer some following questions.

What is miasm

A miasm is the term alternative therapists give to a genetic weakness which is the foundation of a chronic disease. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, considered there to be three basic miasms (taints): psoric, sycotic and syphilitic (having their ancient origins from leprosy, gonorrhea and syphilis respectively.)

There is also a tubercular taint which is a mixture of psoric and syphilitic. From a homoeopathic view, these miasms have the potential to express themselves in various symptoms which are particular to the taint and each miasm can show an identifying pattern in the iris.

The herbalist explained that from a homoeopathic point of view, there are three main inherited factors which are the miasms discussed above. She said that someone back in the family tree may have had one of four things: tuberculosis, psoric, gonorrhoea or syphilis. Generations ago, these illnesses were treated with suppressive methods or left unresolved and there will still be a modified form of the disease present in the-family tree today.

This doesn’t mean that you are going to inherit these diseases, hut you will have a potential towards certain complaints. For instance, the gonorrhoeal (sycotic) taint bequeaths a tendency to pelvic discharges, inflammations and adhesions.

The inherited taint itself will initially be dealt with by herbs but finally with homeopathies of a very high potency.

Homeopathies are also used for treating thrush, bladder pain or infection, infertility, hormonal imbalance, Candida, imbalances in blood sugar levels, pain or other problems needing a specific focus.

She believes that in women with endometriosis the immune mechanism is possibly altered in a way which allows the implantation of tissue outside the normal area. Such an internal environment allows the hereditary weakness (defective immune mechanism) to come to the surface. Her theory is that it also might be likely that many women have retrograde bleeding at some stage of their menstruating life without consolidating it into a long-standing problem.

What type of woman do you see

As far as I am concerned there are three different types: many are post-endometriosis in as much as they have had surgery and are still unwell; there are those who have been diagnosed with endometriosis and who are either dissatisfied with the treatment or who want to investigate further before making a decision about what they should do — hormone therapy, surgery, get pregnant or whatever; then there are those who have a vague suspicion they have endometriosis but have been told they were either imagining it or needed a holiday and consequently have decided to investigate further.

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Biotin

Bean sprouts, brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, liver, meat, nuts, oatmeal, pecans, poultry, rice, saltwater fish, soybeans and wholegrains.

Choline

Brewer’s yeast, cereals, egg yolks, leafy greens, lecithin, legumes, liver, peanuts, wheat germ and wholegrain cereals.

Coenzyme QIO

Beef, broccoli, cabbage, egg yolks, leafy greens, mackerel, milk, oily fish, organ meats, peanuts, salmon, sardines, sesame oil, soybean oil, spinach, vegetable oils, wholegrains and yogurt.

Inositol

Beans, brewer’s yeast, cabbage, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, grapefruit, lecithin, legumes, lima beans, molasses, nuts, raisin, seeds, oats, wheat germ and wholegrains.

Vitamin A (Carotenes)

Apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, dark leafy greens, egg yolks, endive, fish and animal liver, fish oils, lettuce, mangoes, mint, papaya, peaches, prunes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and yams.

Vitamin ÂI (Thiamine)

Beef, brewer’s yeast, brown rice, dulse, egg yolks, fish, green vegetables, kelp, lean pork, legumes, liver, milk, nuts, oats, peanuts, peas, rice bran, soybeans, spirulina, torula yeast, wheatgerm and wholegrains.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Asparagus, avocadoes, beans, brewer’s yeast, broccoli, Brussels sprouts cashews and other nuts, fish, leafy greens, legumes, lentils, mushrooms, parsley, spinach, sprouted seeds, wild rice and yogurt.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Almonds, bran, brewer’s yeast, broccoli, brown rice, carrots, dandelion greens, fish, leafy greens, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, potatoes, poultry, salmon, sardines, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, wheatgerm and whole wheat products.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

Avocadoes, brewer’s yeast, cashews, cereals, egg yolk, leafy green vegetables, meat, pecans, rice-bran, royal jelly, soybeans and wheatbran.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

Brewer’s yeast, cereals, dried beans, fish, legumes, liver, millet, nuts, oats, organ meats, poultry, salmon, soy beans, tuna, walnuts, wheat germ, wholegrains and yogurt.

Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)

Almonds, asparagus, avocadoes, beetroot, broccoli, endive, fenugreek, leafy green vegetables, legumes, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, oranges, parsley, soybeans, sprouts, walnuts and wholegrains.

Vitamin Â12 (Cyanocobalamin)

Found mostly in meats. Small amounts are found in alfalfa, brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, leafy greens, meats, milk, mushrooms, oysters, salmon, sardines, sea vegetables, seafood, soy products, spirulina and yogurt.

Vitamin Â15 (Pangamic Acid)

Apricot kernels, brewer’s yeast, maize, oats, pumpkin seeds, rice bran and wheat germ.

Vitamin Â17 (Bioflavonoids)

Apple seeds, apricot kernels, berries, blueberries, buckwheat, cranberries, grains, legumes, lima beans, linseed, millet, mung beans, nectarines, peaches, plums, prunes, raspberries and young shoots of plants.

Vitamin  Complex

Blackstrap molasses, brewer’s yeast, brown rice, dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, sprouted seeds, wheatgerm and wholegrains.

Vitamin Ñ (Ascorbic Acid)

Apricot kernels, avocado, blackcurrants, broccoli, brown rice, cabbage, cheese, citrus fruits, guavas, nuts, oatbran, parsley, peppers, pineapple, potatoes, rosehips, sesame seeds, strawberries, sunflower seeds and wholegrains.

Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopherol)

Avocadoes, barley, cold pressed oils, corn, cotton seed oil, liver, nuts and seeds, oats, soy, sunflower seeds and wheatgerm.

Vitamin F (Essential Fatty Acids)

Cinnamon, cold pressed oils, corn, linseed oil, mustard seed oil, safflower, seaweed, soy, sunflower oil sunflower seeds and tofu.

• Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA, Omega-3) – canola oil, flaxseed oil, hempseed oil

• Linoleic Acid (LA, Omega-6) – evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil, hempseed oil,

lard, safflower oil

• Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA, Omega-6) – blackcurrant seed oil, borage seed oil

• Eicosapentaenoic Acid/Docosahexaenoic (EPA/DHA) – cod, haddock, halibut,

herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines

Vitamin Ê (Menadione)

Brewer’s yeast, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, chickpeas, molasses, seeds soybeans, sprouts (especially alfalfa) and turnip greens.

Vitamin U (Methylmethioninesulfonium Chloride)

Cabbage.

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Over the past 11 years in Melbourne, a private pain clinic has been closely associated with university departments of psychiatry and also a private psychiatric clinic. During this time, about 800 patients a year have been assessed and treated as outpatients and another 120 to 130 a year in the four-week in-patient programme over the past four years.

About 70 per cent have been women with an average age of 35. The major conditions treated have been neck and back problems resulting from industrial and motor vehicle accidents. Other conditions treated included chronic headache, abdominal pain and repetitive strain injury.

In the early days, the link was established by the common interests within the University of Melbourne’s Department of Psychiatry and later by the involvement of a private psychiatric clinic.

A pilot programme was established to involve patients with chronic pain in a weekend pain management programme through the common interests of the various medical and para-medical people, such as psychiatrists, physiotherapists, general practitioners and psychologists involved in these areas.

From approximately 1979 until late in 1985, weekend pain programmes were held at the Melbourne Clinic on at least fifteen occasions. These have since been replaced by a longer, more involved programme. On each of these weekends, approximately ten patients would be admitted to the Melbourne clinic where they would be assessed by a multi-disciplinary team and given a virtual ‘smorgasbord’ of treatments over a two-day period.

These treatment methods included TENS therapy, laser acupuncture, hypnosis and biofeedback as well as orthodox physiotherapy. During this time, they were given lectures on the origin of pain, how pain affects the individual and how they could cope with their pain in the wider circle of their family, employers and friends.

The programme proved extremely helpful, with a large number of patients reaping rewards from relatively brief periods of hospitalisation. But it was recognised early on that there were deficiencies within the programme since there was little follow-up and patients often returned to country homes. In so doing, they lost the impetus they had gained from the programme.

In late 1985, the Melbourne Clinic established a ten-bed inpatient programme. This is now called the Pain Management Unit. Traditionally, chronic pain units have been established by anaesthetists, surgeons and physicians with the occasional clinical psychologist being involved.

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The early introduction of forms of these powerful drugs which can be taken by mouth should take place if the more simple pain-killers are not effective.

The myth that narcotic drugs should be avoided until the pain becomes severe has resulted in a great number of patients suffering unnecessarily. It is important for those suffering from pain associated with cancer and their medical practitioner to know that if pain is controlled early in the cancer by adequate tailoring of the dose, tolerance and rapid escalation of dose should not occur.

The narcotics used for cancer pain include morphine and methadone. Although these cause some depression of respiration (breathing) in some , dependence should not be a problem when supervision is adequate.

Other narcotics, such as Endone and its suppository equivalent Proladone, are useful pain relievers and may be of more value in the early stages prior to hospital admission. These drugs appear to act for a similar period as morphine.

A slow release form of morphine has been available outside of Australia for some time. At the time this book is being written its introduction here has been held up by bureaucratic involvement.

Administering the drugs

Where sufferers cannot tolerate continuing or massive amounts of injections of strong pain-killers or when even large doses have been ineffective, the drug can be administered on demand through direct injection into the spinal fluid or under the skin. The drug can be introduced by a tube which can be inserted into the spine and left in place. The drug is then introduced under the control of automatic battery driven pumps.

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