Archive for April 28, 2009
THE ACHING MISERIES (CONGESTIVE DYSMENORRHOEA): FATIGUE-EATING FOR ENERGY
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | 5:55 amAs soon as you start to feel fatigue, particularly if it makes you snappy or irritable or, worse, if you suddenly have a migraine or you feel terribly tired and dizzy or in a panic, then you really should check to see that you have been eating enough. You may have been skimping meals or missing them altogether, so what you are suffering from is lack of nourishment or a drop in your blood sugar level. We all need sugar in our blood to keep us going, and when stocks run low our bodies send out very clear signals to us. We feel hungry and start looking at the clock, wondering how near it is to elevenses or tea time. We say we would give anything for a bar of chocolate. We think about food.
Perhaps you have been ignoring the signals? Check and see what you have actually eaten during the day—and, just as important, how long it was between one meal and the next. You may have missed breakfast because you woke up feeling so tired that you decided to lie in. If you are a mother at home, you may have cooked something for the children and gone without
yourself. You may have skipped your tea break and even your lunch hour because you were working so slowly you thought you would never catch up if you stopped for something to eat. In fact, you may have felt quite noble sacrificing your food for the sake of greater efficiency. Actually, you were sacrificing your efficiency too. We work slower and slower when we’re hungry and the more hungry we get, the slower we become. Fortunately we get faster and more accurate immediately we’ve eaten sufficient food.
If you are on a controlled diet you will probably find you can work perfectly well and diet in the weeks after your period, but it might be a good idea to ease up before your period is due. That’s when you really need adequate food—an English breakfast if you can face one, elevenses, a proper meal at mid-day, tea at four o’clock and then a good evening meal. This is another occasion when husbands or relations can be such a help. They notice when you are missing meals, even if you don’t. After all, they’re the ones who get snapped at when you are low. Accept their help. You’ll be all the better for it—even if you can’t get into that skin-tight dress.
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(posted in Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers)
CHILDREN’S VISION PROBLEMS: SIGNS, CARE AND TREATMENT
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | 4:00 amSigns and symptoms
There are clear symptoms that may indicate poor vision. If your child habitually tilts his or her head or looks out of the corners of his or her eyes, if the eyes cross or move away from normal, or if the child squints or is excessively sensitive to bright lights, there could be an eyesight problem. Holding objects close to examine them, failure to recognize familiar people at a distance, headaches following use of the eyes, problems in school, and a dislike of reading may also signify poor vision.
At birth, a baby who has normal eyes can focus on an object and visually follow movement. If an infant’s eyes seem to make random, searching movements, he or she may have defective vision.
Vision can be tested at different ages in a variety of ways. During the first week of life an infant should be able to fix his or her eyes on a bright light. By two months of age, the child’s eyes should follow that light as it moves through a 180-degree arc. By seven or eight months the child should be able to recognize and respond to facial expressions. After age three, a child’s eyes can be tested by having him or her focus on charts that use pictures or the letter E pointed in different directions. Finally, around age five or six, the child’s eyes can be tested using a standard Snellen eye chart.
Home care
Precautions
• A child who cannot see the television screen from a distance or who holds books close to the eyes may be nearsighted.
• A child’s vision should be checked annually, beginning no later than age four.
Medical treatment
At each annual eye checkup, your doctor will examine your child’s eyes inside and out with an ophthalmoscope, and test the child’s vision using a chart of letters in rows of diminishing sizes. If an abnormality is suspected, your doctor will refer your child to an eye specialist for more detailed examination and correction of the problem.
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(posted in General health)