‘Osteoporosis and its consequences may be regarded as one of the most serious long-term consequences of the human menopause.’ from Focus – The Menopause, International Monograph Series, 1990. ‘We are all aware of the undoubted benefits of HRT in preventing bone loss.’ letter in British Medical Journal, 1990. It is possible that you have read [...]

The continuing debate about whether hysterectomy is overused is an issue of great importance for the many women who will ask themselves at some time in their lives, Ts a hysterectomy really necessary for me?’ The debate has been fuelled by findings of large variations in rates of hysterectomy between and within countries for no [...]

But should we take sleeping pills? What is the attitude of society towards pills? We can look at this issue through the eyes of three groups of people, each with different attitudes to taking drugs: *No drugs at all—some people believe that the human body has a lot of inner resources and that drugs are [...]

The history of medicine shows us very clearly that there is a recurring tendency for different forms of treatment to become fashionable and to be used overenthusiastically, often to the exclusion of simpler and more effective means of treatment. It would seem to me to be beyond doubt that this is the case with the [...]

Dr. D. C. Jarvis, M.D., has made apple cider vinegar and honey drink popular in this country. As an exponent of the old Vermont Folk Medicine, he claimed that a simple drink of two teaspoonfuls of apple cider vinegar and two teaspoonfuls of honey in a glass of water at each meal is a cure-all [...]

Orgasm in both men and women is presumably accompanied by some sort of ‘paroxysmal discharge of cerebral nerve cells’. This, and the impossibility of control of orgasm beyond a certain point, suggests an analogy with seizures. In fact seizures during or immediately after intercourse are exceptionally uncommon. When they do occur, they probably represent one [...]

Glucosamine is a nutritional marvel of medical science. Glucosamine has received a great deal of attention over the past few years because of its benefits for rebuilding cartilage and connective tissue that has been destroyed as a result of the arthritic process, from aging, or physical trauma damage. Its benefits have eased the suffering of [...]

Symptoms Listlessness; fever; pain and tenderness along a nerve; blistery rash; enlarged lymph nodes Home care Give paracetamol, not aspirin, to relieve pain. Precautions -    People who have shingles may transmit chicken pox. Consult the doctor if your child has not had chicken pox, or J is at high risk from the complications J of chicken [...]

Pitfalls in the Diagnosis of a Food Allergy 1.     In an allergy to a food, not only the kind of food counts, but also the amount eaten. Symptoms may occur only if the food is eaten often and in large quantities. 2.     Cooking and canning alter the allergenic power of a food. (Fresh food is [...]

General Uterine Infections Doctors suspect that infections of the uterus could play a crucial role in very early deliveries (before 32 weeks). Uterine infections accelerate the disintegration of the protective membrane in which the baby is encased. Then, a few weeks after the onset of disintegration, the infections cause the uterus to begin contracting. However, [...]