Archive for March 11, 2009
THE COMMON COLD: THE CAUSE AND PREVENTION OF COLDS
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 11:24 pmColds are a special problem in children, frequently causing ear infections as well as other complications. Also, many childhood diseases start with the symptoms of a cold.
I hope I can convince you that colds can also be serious in adults. Many people feel that there is no need to bother about a cold, and they go their regular way in spite of it. This is dangerous. A cold is potentially serious, because it is frequently accompanied by complications, including diseases such as pneumonia. A cold should be regarded as an illness that must be prevented or treated.
The cause and prevention of colds
Colds are caused by a virus to which the body is particularly susceptible when its resistance is lowered. Although this virus itself is not able to do much damage, it paves the way for more dangerous types of micro-organisms.
People who have this virus in its active form—that is, people who have a cold, especially in its early stages—spread it to others. It can be transmitted by close contact, particularly kissing, by handling contaminated objects such as handkerchiefs, and by using contaminated drinking glasses or utensils. But the main method of transmission is a cough or sneeze. You should keep out of crowds as much as possible during a wave of colds, especially if there is much influenza and pneumonia associated with them. Some immunity follows a cold, but it is usually brief, so do not count on it.
Taking vitamins does not prevent or cure a cold. Of course, it pays to eat a well-balanced diet. People in good physical condition are better able to resist some of the complications that may follow a cold.
Chilling lowers the body’s resistance to colds. This varies a great deal in people, some of whom become chilled very easily. Get into warm, dry clothes as soon as you can after being wet or chilly.
Unfortunately, most people cannot afford to—or do not want to —call the doctor for an ordinary cold. That is why I am going to tell you what to do for one. However, there are certain people who must see a physician. Even mild colds can represent a severe threat to their health, possibly to their lives. A pregnant woman should report a cold to her doctor. A doctor should be called promptly when anyone with one of the following diseases catches a cold:
Tuberculosis
Rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease Chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis Bronchial asthma
Kidney disease, especially Bright’s disease and chronic pyelonephritis Severe liver disease Severe diabetes
Heart disease that is severe enough to cause shortness of breath Asthma
Severe sinusitis
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(posted in General health)
THE KILLER DISEASES
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 11:09 pmI am purposely calling the diseases I discuss in this chapter the killers, in order to drive home your need to be on guard against them. These enemies are powerful. But they are not all-powerful. Medical science can, with your help, prevent, control, or cure them. And even when we cannot be victorious, we can force these enemies into an advantageous truce.
Look at the following table showing the leading killers of today, so that you will know your worst enemies.
THE FOUR LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN AUSTRALIA
Heart disease
Stroke
Bronchitis, emphysema, asthma
Arteriosclerosis
Here are some general rules to follow in order to minimize the danger of attack and increase your chances of victory.
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Have periodic medical check-ups.
- Recognize and report promptly all warning signals that occur between check-ups
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Keep your weight normal or slightly below normal after you reach middle age.
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If you have, or are threatened by, a disease, study the information about it given in this book. Do this so that you can be a good patient, but not in order to treat yourself. Trust your doctor, and co-operate with him. Follow his instructions. Let him do your worrying.
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Keep in touch with the doctor. Medical science is continually developing new medicines and treatments for diseases.
- Recognize and report promptly all warning signals that occur between check-ups
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Keep away from quacks, faith healers, and advertised ‘cures.’
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SICKNESS IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN: THE THERMOMETER
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 10:57 pmA thermometer is a glass instrument about four inches long and as thick as a drinking straw. At one end it has a silver bulb. There are two kinds of thermometers, oral and rectal. Except for the shape of the bulb, there is no really important difference between them. I suggest that you purchase two rectal thermometers, as this type can be used in either the mouth or rectum and is less breakable. Keep them in separate containers marked ‘mouth use’ and ‘rectal use.’
The thermometer bulb is filled with mercury that spreads through the tube when the temperature rises. In reading the thermometer, always hold the end opposite the bulb. Turn the glass between your fingers until you see a silvery bar that marks the top of the mercury. At whatever degree the mercury stops, that is the temperature. For example, if the mercury stops at the first short line after the line marked 100° on a Fahrenheit thermometer, then the temperature reading is 100.2° F.—each short line measures two tenths of a degree.
There is usually an arrow on the thermometer that points to 98.4° (37° on a Centigrade thermometer). This is considered to be the normal temperature. Above this point, some thermometers use red markings.
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(posted in General health)
GUIDELINES FOR A HAPPY MARRIAGE: HEALTH PREPARATIONS
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 10:45 pmWhen two people marry, they promise to live together in sickness and in health. To help them start off in good health, the two owe it to themselves and to their children-to-come to see their doctor. Not only will he perform a medical examination, but he will try to answer the couple’s questions about themselves and about the family they are planning to have after they are married.
Two important blood tests
A blood test, such as the Wassermann test, will detect syphilis, a disorder which must be cured before anyone has a right to marry.
You and your partner should also ask a physician to test your blood for blood-group compatibility. It is important to know whether the prospective mother and father have different Rh factors, because this difference could create a health problem for children.
The examination for gonorrhoea
Unlike syphilis, gonorrhoea cannot be discovered by a routine blood test. It starts as a local infection of the genital organs, and its detection requires inspection of these areas and perhaps a microscopic examination of their secretions. Though not transmitted to unborn offspring, it may infect a baby’s eyes during or after birth, and can cause blindness. Gonorrhoea, too, is entirely curable.
Tuberculosis may go undetected for a long period of time, while insidiously injuring the body and being passed on to others, especially those who have close contact with a tubercular person. Children are especially vulnerable to this disease. A chest X-ray often detects hidden tuberculosis. It reveals any suspicious areas that may make further tests necessary.
Do not neglect to have yourself checked for tuberculosis and the other diseases mentioned here before you get married.
Other health precautions
In addition to the blood tests and examinations for syphilis, gonorrhoea, and tuberculosis, you should have a thorough medical check-up to determine whether you are suffering from any ailment that should be corrected before the wedding, or whether you should change some of your plans for the sake of your health. Certain heart conditions, for example, make it foolhardy for a man to stay on some jobs, although he could safely do another kind of work. Some illnesses make it extremely dangerous for a woman to have a baby, although she could do so safely after the disease has been treated and brought under control.
A check-up also provides an opportunity for the prospective bride to discover whether she happens to need a very minor operation in order to prevent difficulty and pain in having sexual intercourse. In some—but by no means all—virgins, the hymen, the membrane at the opening of the vagina, does not rupture easily. This makes intercourse extremely painful or even impossible. In such cases it can be removed by a physician, a procedure so minor as hardly to be called an operation. The hymen can also be stretched, according to the doctor’s directions, prior to marriage.
It is a good idea, especially if you and your fiance are related, to give the physician all the information you possess concerning the physical and mental ailments from which members of your families have suffered. He will probably be able to set your mind at rest regarding the chances of having children who might inherit a defect.
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THE THYROID GLAND AND ITS HORMONE SECRETIONS.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 10:33 pmThe thyroid gland is situated in from of the throat, below the Adam’s apple and just above the breastbone. It is roughly U-shaped, each end of the U flaring out to a lobe about the size of the big toe.
The thyroid regulates the rate at which the body uses oxygen taken in by breathing. It also controls the rale at which the various organs of the body function and the speed with which the body uses food.
Myxoedema
This disorder is caused by an underfunctioning thyroid. Some babies are born with this deficiency. The infant may seem to develop too slowly in following objects with his eyes or holding his head erect.
Simple goitre
The thyroid gland needs iodine in order to manufacture the normal quantity of its hormone, called thyroxine. Insufficient iodine causes the gland to become enlarged. This swelling, or goitre, may be large enough to interfere with breathing and swallowing. Anyone with even a small goitre should consult a doctor.
The hormone of the thyroid gland contains about 65 per cent iodine, but the amount of iodine needed in food to avoid a goitre is very small. The amount of iodized table salt we use in meals is sufficient, even in areas where the soil is completely lacking in natural iodine.
Hyperthyroidism
A more serious type of goitre develops when the thyroid manufactures too much hormone. People with hyperthyroidism are nervous and irritable and suffer from insomnia. Heat makes them very uncomfortable. The excess secretion also produces heart palpitation that people frequently mistake for a true cardiac condition. Another symptom is loss of weight—in spite of increased hunger.
Hyperthyroidism is called exophthalmic goitre when the person whose thyroid gland is over-active has protruding eyes.
For many years the only treatment for hyperthyroidism was surgery; about 90 per cent of the gland was removed, and most persons were cured. Today, radio-active iodine is employed in some cases to cut down on the gland’s activity
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(posted in General health)