RASHES GROUPS: DIFFUSE ERYTHEMA

Scarlet Fever
This syndrome, typically caused by group A streptococci, produces a diffuse erythematous eruption, pharyngitis, and a strawberry tongue. Petechiae may be identified in the skin folds of the antecubital areas and axillae (“Pastia’s lines”).

Toxic Shock Syndromes
These may be caused by either staphylococci or group A streptococci and are usually characterized by fever, hypotension, diffuse erythema, and multiorgan system failure. A staphylococcal infection is not required to produce toxic shock syndrome, and colonization by the bacteria in a wound or other areas of the body is sufficient.

Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrom
This syndrome, caused by staphylococcal toxins (epidermolysins), usually occurs in infants and young children but may affect adults with immunosuppression, lymphoma, or renal failure. The syndrome results in a diffusely tender erythroderma. Nikolsky’s sign (shearing of the overlying skin with lateral pressure), though not specific for this condition, may be present.

Erythema Multiforme Major
Erythema multiforme major encompasses both Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. Both entities are associated with a prodrome of fever, malaise, and pharyngitis. Stevens-Johnson syndrome is characterized by the presence of mucosal ulcerations and generalized bullous lesions on or near large erythematous macules or plaques. Toxic epidermal necrolysis is the most severe disorder of this entity. Generalized erythema, often with large bullae, may be seen on the trunk and proximal limbs. Epidermal detachment is common and often involves 30% or more of the body surface area.
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TALKING ABOUT NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

Have you ever had a nervous breakdown from overwork and you’re still mystified by your behaviour at that time?
Do you love someone who is breaking down under stress and you seem powerless to stop the deterioration in your relationship?
Are you in a high-stress occupation and want to avoid the risk of mentally breaking down under stress?
Are you concerned at this moment that you might be heading for a nervous breakdown from too many worries?
Do you want to understand how stress breakdown causes changed behaviour?
Do you want to learn how you might prevent stress breakdown in yourself and others in the family?
A working knowledge of how symptoms arise in these three stages can help us understand how our reactions to severe stress can affect our health, and cause serious disruption of interpersonal relationships.
I am sure we are all well aware that stress just on its own, can harm our health, wreck marriages, and strain relationships with our workmates. Stress is a major problem in our complex modern society, but we often make it an even bigger problem by our wrong assumptions about, and our inappropriate responses to, the behaviour of overstressed people. And our inappropriate responses sometimes make their situation worse.
My concept of stress breakdown occurring in three stages developed out of my own experience as a practicing psychiatrist, beginning with an involvement in treatment of war veterans, many of whom had originally suffered stress breakdown in combat.
Because I was too young to have any direct knowledge of the conditions under which these soldiers broke down and how they behaved at the time, I had to make myself familiar with war neurosis through my reading by listening to my patients and looking through their files. Later, as I became more aware of symptom patterns in stress breakdown, I began to identify the same symptoms in people in everyday life. I found that when some people broke down under stress, they often experienced the same symptoms as did the soldiers under fire. In particular, one group, the mothers of newborn babies, often demonstrated stress breakdown symptoms remarkably similar to those of the soldiers.
The mothers who experienced stress breakdown usually lacked family support, were often ill or weak themselves, and were unable to get sufficient sleep. They often had to deal with problems they could not pass on to anyone else: sick children, financial stress and relationship problems with their over-stressed husbands.
The mothers of newborn babies tended therefore to have to deal with serious stress while in a physiologically weakened state. In this regard they resembled the soldiers who broke down under combat stress in the Pacific, usually under conditions of privation, when they were outnumbered, unable to sleep, hungry and suffering from some debilitating disease such as malaria or typhus or dengue fever.
I now recognize that the similarity between the symptoms of the soldiers and that of the mothers was due to the fact that both were experiencing third stage stress breakdown symptoms fairly quickly.
Some of these women had been treated for ‘post-natal depression’, because their stress-breakdown symptoms were not initially recognized as stress related. The diagnosis usually became apparent when they recovered rapidly simply as a result of the rest in hospital. The patients with true post-natal depression did not respond to rest on its own. True post-natal depression requires specific treatment.
I had been trying to integrate Pavlovian (Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist) concepts that I had been exposed to some years previously into my own thinking about stress breakdown. I was then influenced by Sargant (William Sargant, British psychiatrist), in the same way as he had been influenced by Pavlov. Sargant’s use of Pavlovian principles in his thinking gave form to the vague concepts I was at that time trying to gather into a workable theory.
Thus my concept of stress breakdown occurring in three stages took shape. I am not aware of anyone else proposing a similar theory, and I hope that my description of the three stages in stress breakdown will contribute to a better understanding of the behaviour of over-stressed people.

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MANAGING CHRONIC MILD ASTHMA: SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

Mild asthma is usually characterised by brief, intermittent episodes of coughing and wheezing with symptom-free, calm, periods in between. Such attacks may occur either infrequently or not more than twice a week. They seldom last more than an hour and are relatively mild. There is rarely any disruption of normal daily  activity and there is good tolerance to exercise.
Lung function tests and Peak Expiration Flow Rate (PEFR) usually decreases by 20% or less, i.e., it is 80% of the normal or the child’s personal best. In three to five year old children, PEFR tests provide a resonably accurate indication of the condition. If these children experience increasingly frequent cough and other indicators, a period of PEFR monitoring should be initiated at home to evaluate the medication and other steps being taken to control the illness.
In children below five years, lung function tests are not a reliable indicator. Therefore, indicators like cough, wheeze, disruption of normal activity, and nocturnal awakening should be carefully assessed. Disruption of activity and nocturnal awakening are not common, but if these symptoms are present, it suggests a more severe obstruction of moderate asthma.
For these children decrease in cough and dyspnoea should replace PEFR as the focus for therapeutic decisions.
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Диетическое лечение

Диетическое лечение
при некоторых заболеваниях,
сопутствующих язвенной болезни
В пищеварении принимают участие и другие орга­ны,  кроме желудка  и. двенадцатиперстной  кишки.  В силу анатомического расположения и функциональных связей они нередко вовлекаются в процесс при язвен­ной болезни. Это чаще всего печень, желчевыводящие пути, поджелудочная железа, толстый   кишечник.   Их артерии  и  вены,  лимфатический  и  нервный  аппарат теснейшим образом связаны. Не удивительно, что при язвенной болезни приблизительно у каждого третьего больного   имеются   сопутствующие   заболевания   жел­чных путей. Чаще всего наблюдается воспаление жел­чного   пузыря — холецистит. При   холециститах   диета играет весьма важную роль, так как в отличие от яз­венной болезни она назначается не только на период обострения,  но и  на  многие месяцы и даже годы. В диетическое лечение язвенной болезни с сопутст­вующим холециститом вносят некоторые поправки. Де­ло в том, что лечебное питание при язвенной болезни в отношении некоторых компонентов пищи неприемлемо при заболеваниях желчного  пузыря, т. е.  диеты  при этих заболеваниях в некотором отношении противопо­ложны. Как же совместить диеты, если язвенная бо­лезнь сочетается с холециститом?
В диету при холецистите не должны входить про­дукты, которые способны вызывать чрезмерное раздра­жение желчного пузыря, что сопровождается спазма­ми. В то же время диета должна устранять застой жел­чи в пузыре и ослаблять воспалительный процесс в желчевыводящих путях.
Некоторые  общие   принципы  диетического лечения язвенной   болезни   и  холецистита   облегчают решение диетических проблем при этих двух заболеваниях. Это относится прежде всего к режиму питания. Как при язвенной болезни, так и при холецистите питание дол­жно быть дробным, т. е. пища должна приниматься ча­ще, через 3 — 4ч. Отмечено, что такие частые приемы пищи устраняют застой в желчном пузыре. При холе­цистите пища также не должна быть грубой, она дол­жна быть механически щадящей. При диетическом лечении сочетания этих двух заболеваний за основу бе­рется противоязвенная диета, но с некоторой коррек­цией.
Прежде всего нужно позаботиться об уменьшении в рационе больного жиров и продуктов, содержащих много холестерина, так как холестерин может способ­ствовать образованию в желчном пузыре камней. Мо­лочные продукты лучше заменить на овощные блюда. Необходимо   дополнительное введение   жидкости, так как  это   улучщает  отток   желчи.   Количество   жиров обыкновенно ограничивается 60—70 г в сутки, причем половину из них надо заменить жирами растительного происхождения . (кукурузное,   оливковое   или   подсол­нечное   масло). Возникает   необходимость исключения из  диеты   такого  жирного  молочного  продукта,   как сливки. Запрещено злоупотреблять яичными желтками, так как они являются сильнейшими      желчегонными средствами животного происхождения и могут вызы­вать болезненные сокращения желчного пузыря. Также следует  избегать других  животных  жиров,  свинины, блюд из потрохов, мозгов, богатых холестерином. При этом в рацион больных широко вводят нежирный тво­рог и изделия из него, увеличивают количество фрук­тов, фруктовых и ягодных соков.
Способ приготовления пищи: пища дается в хорошо разваренном виде, протертой. Цельные яйца заменяются белковыми омлетами и мясными суф­ле из постного мяса. С успехом используют отвар ши­повника, который дают натощак в теплом виде для обеспечения нежного желчегонного эффекта.
Если при язвенной болезни возникает обострение холецистита, то после приступа болей необходимы жидкая, хорошо протертая пища и увеличенное коли­чество жидкости. При этом сырые овощи и фрукты на несколько дней запрещают, в течение 2 — 3 дней мож­но употреблять в пищу лишь небольшие количества хо­рошо протертых мясных или рыбных блюд. Итак, ра­цион такого больного будет состоять из протертых ве­гетарианских супов, вареных и протертых фруктов и овощей, протертых каш, фруктовых и ягодных соков, киселей, желе и муссов, малых количеств сливочного масла, черствого белого хлеба.
При язвенной болезни может наблюдаться и сопут­ствующее   воспаление   поджелудочной   железы — панкреатит. Это серьезное заболевание, которое требует особенно тщательного диетического лечения. Диета больного язвенной болезнью с сопутствующим пан­креатитом зависит от фазы панкреатита. Если име­ется выраженное его обострение, то на 2—3 дня луч­ше вообще воздержаться от приема пищи и жидкости в больших количествах. Разрешается только питье слабого чая без сахара до 2—3 стаканов в день. Недопустимо при обострении панкреатита давать соки, которые, стимулируя деятельность поджелудоч­ной железы, могут усугубить ее и без того на­рушенное функциональное состояние. Больные язвен­ной болезнью с сопутствующим панкреатитом в фазе обострения должны лечиться в больничных условиях, так как в первые дни многие лекарственные средства, а также питательные вещества вводятся им внутривен­но капельно, что трудно обеспечить в домашних ус­ловиях.
Особенно выраженными возбудителями секреции поджелудочной железы являются жиры. Поэтому их количество при панкреатите сводится до минимума. Также ограничиваются трудноусвояемые белки, но раз­решается давать норму легко всасываемых углеводов и большие количества витаминов группы В в виде пре­паратов. Обязательна соответствующая кулинарная об­работка продуктов, что должно обеспечивать и меха­ническое, п химическое, и термическое щажение. Пи­тание должно быть дробным — пяти—шестиразовым. Диетические требования при холецистите и панкреатите во многом совпадают. Если же сопутствующий панкреатит находится вне обострения, то рекомендуется обычная щадящая противоязвенная диета с перечисленными выше ограничениями.
Поварен­ную соль ограничивают в разумных пределах.
У больных язвенной болезнью может развиться за­болевание   толстого   кишечника   колит.    Расстройства функции толстого кишечника зависят при этом от раз­ных причин. Так, они могут развиться в результате непривычных диетических условий, которые приходит­ся соблюдать при язвенной болезни. Недостаток пли отсутствие в пище растительной клетчатки (вынуж­денное в соответствии с условиями противоязвенной диеты лишение черного хлеба), ограничение соли, ма­лые порции пищи, частое питание могут вызывать хро­нические запоры. Особенно часто они возникают от укоренившихся неправильных навыков питания, а так­же от излишней осторожности некоторых больных, ко­торые считают своей обязанностью неоправданно долго соблюдать противоязвенную диету. Запорам также способствует продолжительный постельный или полу­постельный режим. Причинами, поддерживающими яв­ления спастического колита у больного язвенной бо­лезнью, могут явиться геморрой и трещины заднего прохода.
Если к язвенной болезни присоединяются холеци­стит или панкреатит, то расстройства деятельности толстого кишечника усугубляются. В большинстве слу­чаев стихание обострения язвенной болезни приводит к значительному улучшению работы толстого кишечни­ка или даже к полному восстановлению его функции. Однако в некоторых случаях требуется специальное его лечение, как диетическое, так и медикаментозное.
При запорах у больных язвенной болезнью кал при­обретает вид овечьего — в виде шариков. Запоры мо­гут сопровождаться неприятными ощущениями в жи­воте: болями, чувством распираний, вздутием. Застой в толстом кишечнике в свою очередь отрицательно сказывается на заживлении язвы в желудке или в две­надцатиперстной кишке, так как колит удерживает их в состоянии непрерывного раздражения. Иногда про­явления колита настолько выраженные, что принима­ются не только больным, но и врачами за обострение язвенной болезни. При этом могут возникать даже ночные боли. В медицине это называют ложноязвенным синдромом.
При подобных явлениях диета становится решаю­щим лечебным фактором. Один из способов устране­ния запоров — употребление натощак стакана прох­ладной кипяченой воды с небольшим количеством са­хара, морковного или свекольного сока, простокваши, отвара ромашки. Рекомендуется пища с нежной рас­тительной   клетчаткой — гречневые   каши,  тертые сы­рые овощи и фрукты, компот из чернослива, который надо применять почаще. Устранению колита способст­вует и обогащение пищи витамином б! (отвар из пше­ничных отрубей). При расширении режима целесооб­разны занятия утренней гимнастикой, прогулки перед сном, обтирания. Дают положительный эффект и мине­ральные воды, которые разрешаются больным  язвен­ной болезнью, — смирновская, славяновская, джермук, боржом, друскининкай и др.
Реже при язвенной   болезни   возникают расстрой­ства функции толстого кишечника, сопровождающиеся поносами,  повышенными  процессами  брожения  в  ки­шечнике,  что приводит к его  болезненному вздутию. Обыкновенно это наблюдается у больных язвенной бо­лезнью с плохой переносимостью цельного молока. В таких  случаях,  как  уже упоминалось,  целесообразно давать  больным   молоко, разбавленное водой или не­крепким  чаем в половинном  соотношении, постепенно увеличивая концентрацию молока и приучая таким об­разом организм к цельному молоку. Необходимо так­же ‘стремиться ограничивать в пище легко всасывае­мые углеводы  (сахар, мед, виноградный сок), а то и вовсе отказаться от употребления сладкого.

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ASTHMA IN CHILDREN: MAKING CHILDREN INDEPENDENT – STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT – SMALL STEPS AND SPECIFIC GOALS

If some of steps are too difficult for the child simplify them and help him to relearn if he lapses. It also extremely important to praise the child often, specially when he accomplishes something new or difficult.
Small Steps. No skill or behaviour can be learned at one go, the same is true here. The child should be encouraged to take small steps towards the ultimate goal of becoming self-sufficient.
Specific Goals. It is important that the child knows the final goal in detail. A young child may not be able to understand what you mean. For example, clean up your room, is a very general term. The child may interpret ‘a clean room’ to mean toys out of the middle of the floor and the bed spread pulled up over the pillow. But if a list is made either with pictures or in words, to give the child specific reminders like shoes in the closet, dirty clothes in the hamper, clean clothes folded and put away, and the bed made, the meaning becomes quite clear, and chances of his complying with your wishes, are greater.
Children (5-10 years). These children should be taught to identify the medicines they have to take, the time when they have to take it and to recognize the early indicators of an attack. They also have to learn to adjust their activities so as to avoid breathing problems.
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HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR DOCTOR: ERRUCTIONS, ERYTHROMYCIN AND EUTHANASIA

Erructions
The most common cause of erructions relates to the swallowing of air with food. By itself this phenomena is not considered a sign of disease more a signal that time is to be spent chewing and that food is not to be gulped. Some people are afflicted with the curse of Aerophagia. Much to the distress of all whom they encounter, these people become prolific swallowers and regurgitators of the atmosphere.
Erythromycin
Erythromycin is a broad spectrum antibiotic similar in its range of activity to the penicillin. Allergic reactions to Erythromycin are uncommon. Doctors use the drug if there is no prior history of antibiotic use or if penicillin allergy is present. Erythromycin upsets the stomach causing indigestion and sometimes stomach cramps in children. Common brand names are Erythrosine, Eryc and EES.
Euthanasia
60 per cent of the population is in favour of euthanasia. Many doctors oppose the concept because the provision of death is in direct conflict with their prime directives. Doctors battle against illness, suffering and death. For most doctors it is too much to ask that this world view be turned upside down. Doctors just won’t redirect their energies to killing off their patients. This is not to say that every day doctors don’t make administrative choices leading to the death of patients. They do. The decision to allocate resources to the more needy often means that care is withheld or withdrawn from those whose plight is deemed irretrievable. This sin of omission in terms of the provision of medical care is known as passive euthanasia.
Neither are doctors immune to the practice of active euthanasia. In most cases, they don’t stop long enough to realize that this is what they have done. Take the case of an aged terminally ill patient with cancer. Doctors prescribe full therapeutic doses of morphine. In an adult, these doses relieve pain and provide comfort. For an old, debilitated, underweight person the same dose borders on the lethal. It is common enough to see frail elderly people die in hospital an hour and a half after their last dose of morphine. This is the time it takes for morphine to reach maximum serum levels and switch off the brains respiratory centre. Quietly and peacefully the elderly patient stops breathing.
The present debate in relation to euthanasia is not really about whether or not the practice should be condoned or condemned. The position of acceptance has already been reached. What remains to be decided is who is to take responsibility for euthanasia and what should be the attitude of the law.
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WHERE TO GET HELP: SOCIAL SERVICES

This part of the local authority provides many of the basic essential services necessary to keep many elderly people at home. The key workers in social services are the social workers. This group of professional people either works out of a central head office or increasingly is in new neighborhood centers where they also may work with specialists in housing, etc. Some social workers are also based in hospitals. Social workers can have unqualified staff working with them called welfare assistants.
In many ways a social worker can be seen as a person’s advocate (someone who will do the best for that person, fight their battles when they are unable to do so). In many cases social workers offer advice that is then taken up by the person or their relatives. When someone is alone, however, and maybe frail, elderly or even illiterate, then it is the social worker who many turn to for practical help as well as human contact. It is obligatory that a person in hospital has access to a social worker.
Social work falls into two main areas. There is the practical side of arranging meals on wheels or a home help, or advising where to go and how to obtain benefits. Their other less publicized work involves helping individuals and families cope with bereavement, serious illness and advising with complicated dilemmas such as an elderly frail person needing to move to an old people’s home. These tasks require great skill.
Most social workers possess these skills; what they don’t possess is the time needed to work with the elderly and their carers. Much of their time is devoted to sorting out the horrendous problems surrounding the very young (child physical and sexual abuse) and very little time is left for elderly people, except in crisis situations. One of the main reasons for this is that there is a lot of legislation concerning the welfare of children and hence social services have a legal duty to respond. There is no such legal requirement when it comes to the old, and it is one of the scandals of our time.
Any confused elderly person and their carers should have access to a social worker. Increased help and supervision at home may prevent an admission to hospital and a worsening of the confusional state. Some episodes of illness may take longer to recover from than others, and in some cases the acute illness will be overcome only to reveal an underlying long-term confusional state like Alzheimer’s disease. In all these situations the link between the person affected, their carers and social services is vital.
*53/128/5*

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QUITTING THOSE CIGARETTES FOR A HEALTHY HEART: REASONS TO QUIT NOW!

Just in case surviving isn’t reason enough to throw that butt away forever, I have quite a few additional reasons for you to think about:
Cigarette smoking can mask angina, the chest pain which is an important sign of heart disease. This may be why smokers have such a high rate of silent ischaemia; that is, oxygen deficit to the heart muscle without feeling pain. Without the warning sign of angina, patients may not be aware that they must curtail activity and thus are more vulnerable to heart attack.
Cigarette smokers are two to three times more likely to have strokes than non-smokers. Quitting cuts your risk of stroke in half.
Regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked, lifelong smokers have a much greater incidence of clogged arteries in the neck. The longer you smoke, the greater the risk. But, again, quit and the risk gets cut in half. Here’s a reason to quit entirely rather than just cutting down.
Smokers’ coronary arteries have smaller lumens, with less blood flow, regardless of development of atherosclerosis. Couple the reduced flow with a spasm of the artery, from stress for example, and one could face total shutdown, perhaps resulting in heart attack.
Smokers have a lower level of the protective HDL cholesterol; this is now known to be an independent risk of heart disease. Smokers’ children, and others around them as well, also have lower HDLs. Quit and everyone’s HDLs will go back up.
Smokers are more susceptible to claudication, the leg cramps that come on during exercise owing to clogging of the leg arteries. Those who quit smoking, watch their diet, and get into a regular program of walking can frequently totally eliminate those pains.
Cigarette smokers are lousy lovers, and not just because their breath smells like an ashtray. Blockage in blood vessels in the penis—even as little as 25 per cent—can prevent an erection. Those who quit often find their problems with impotence go away with the smoke.
Cigarette smokers have a significantly greater number of sick days every year. Those who are sick and tired of being sick and tired should quit.
Smoking puts you at risk of other degenerative diseases as well, including lung cancer and emphysema. If you’ve ever known anyone in the last stages of emphysema, unable to even walk across the room without panting for breath and needing an oxygen tank with tubes running into the nose, you know that this is a terrible way to die. Lung cancer’s no day in the park, either.
Smokers flat-out don’t feel as well as non-smokers. You just have no idea what it’s like to breathe normally, to have greater stamina than you can remember for years, and to receive a sudden gift of vitality. It’s all yours in trade for a couple of weeks of withdrawal and a real effort in the willpower department. I know what it’s like, having been there myself. I never knew just how well I could feel until I finally beat my habit. It’s hard to explain; you’ve got to feel the difference to understand it.
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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol

BEAT HEART DISEASE WITHOUT SURGERY: CASE HISTORIES AND COMMENT

Presenting case histories to illustrate and support the cause of a major therapy which has not yet been generally accepted is a responsibility which requires diligent research, not just for supportive evidence but also for its counterpart.
During 1987-8, while considering the subject of chelation for inclusion in the fortnightly alternative health column I then wrote for the Guardian, I tried to find people who had had negative experiences. The fact that they were not to be found I attributed as much to early cases being in extremis with their circulatory condition, and therefore well pleased with any results they received than to the success of the treatment – after all the first clinic in London had only opened in 1985, and they and their patients were still finding their way.
However, continued evidence of patients’ general experience of abatement in physical symptoms, such as claudication, angina, breathlessness, TIAs (Transient Ischaemic
Attacks – little strokes), cold extremities, sight and hearing problems, varicose vein ulcers, gingivitis, diabetes/demand for insulin, etc, suggested it was the therapy that was working rather than their pressing need for it. That it was working in extremis made it all the more remarkable. Furthermore, improvements often continued for months or years after the treatment course had ended.
During, or soon after, the treatment people found they could run for the bus when they could not walk more than a few steps before: they could lower their drug dosage and sometimes come off supportive medication altogether. In general they spoke in glowing terms of how they could now get on with their lives.
High blood pressure was one symptom which almost generally abated, sometimes to normal levels. Since high blood pressure damages artery walls, stresses the heart and exacerbates arterial disease this was significant.
I spoke to some of the patients that I had spoken to before. An overview was emerging of feelings of general wellbeing and homeostasis (that is, health remaining stable), but did they need further treatment? Some did, some didn’t – it varied.
In Holland, the most senior of all the European chelating physicians, Professor Van Der Schaar (since 1979 he has given over 110,000 treatments to over 5,000 patients), gave his professional opinion that a treatment every 17 days was the ideal mode for those with established or advanced arterial disease. In London, pioneer patient, Valerie Tomkins, said she had settled on a maintenance programme of one treatment about every six weeks. In her seventies now, she is typical of patients having chelation therapy for whom it is not surprising that they will have to work harder to maintain homeostasis than people in their forties and fifties with little disease.
There are however a number of patients who seem to be able to change and adapt their lifestyle sufficiently not to need top-ups at all, or only sporadically. Valerie Tomkins admits she has a stressful family life which has persisted since her heart attack in 1983.
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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol

CHILD’S HEALTH/SPECIFIC PROBLEMS BEHAVIOURS: TICS CAUSE AND CLINICAL FEATURES

Tics are sudden, jerky, irregular and uncontrollable movements of a muscle or group of muscles that occur repeatedly for no apparent reason. They may involve any part of the body, as well as such activities as repeatedly clearing the throat or persistent coughing. They are said to occur in up to 10% of children, to be more common in boys than girls, and to last anywhere from a few weeks to months or sometimes many years. They occur in the school age or adolescent age group, and may persist into adult life. Sometimes tics have not been present during childhood and appear for the first time in adulthood.

Cause

The cause of tics is uncertain, but it is believed somehow to be related to stress. Tics often appear for the first time during a stressful period in the child’s life. Established tics certainly seem to become more frequent and exaggerated when the child is anxious but it is not always possible to identify any stressful events that may have precipitated or worsened the tics. Some children may be more highly strung or have a particular temperament or personality which may predispose them to tics, but even this is only supposition and has not been reliably demonstrated.

Very occasionally tics may have an underlying medical cause. For example, a child who is constantly screwing up his eyes may have a problem with vision, or a child with a persistent cough may have asthma or a chest infection. However, if the tic is caused by an underlying conditions, there will usually be separate evidence of the condition itself. For example, coughing due to a chest infection is present all the time, including when the child is asleep, whereas a habit cough or tic disappears when the child is sleeping.

Clinical features

The tics involve muscles or muscle groups in any part of the body. Sometimes more than one part of the body is affected. Tics often seem an exaggeration of normal movements. The common tics include facial grimacing, smiling, blinking or screwing up the eyes, twisting or stretching of the neck, shrugging of the shoulders, and so on. They also include repeated clearing of the throat or coughing.

They appear most frequently during periods of stress and when the child is anxious, such as when speaking in front of the class or before an examination, and are less prominent when the child is busy or distracted. At these times the tics can disappear for hours at a time. They always disappear during sleep.

Tics cause great concern and irritation to parents and sometimes teachers, and may be a cause of considerable embarrassment and even ridicule to the child who may be teased by his peer group.

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