These are non-profit-making bodies, often funded by donations and with some central or local government top-up. For many carers they are the lifeline that the statutory services have failed to provide. They help in many ways, ranging from the advice given to carers and the setting up of carers’ groups to practical help at home [...]

Ulcers of the stomach attract the descriptor “gastric” and with duodenal ulcers they combine to produce the medical entity known as Peptic Ulcer Disease. More and more the weight of scientific opinion is swinging towards the notion that most peptic ulcers are caused by a bacterial infection. Helicobacter Pyloridi is the organism found in relation [...]

Although the cause of SIDS is not known, research over recent years has shown some links between SIDS and a number of factors. If attention is paid to these, then it may be possible to reduce the chances of babies dying in this way. In fact, it has been suggested that the reduction in the [...]

Before you become pregnant it is advisable to have a general check-up. This will include measuring your blood pressure, testing your urine, and probably a blood test to check whether you are anaemic, and whether you are immune to rubella. If you contract rubella while you are pregnant, your baby is at risk of developing [...]

Whenever you want time to slow down, try some super sex. Make sure you “make time” for this opportunity, then ignore time altogether. As I pointed out earlier, all sexual problems as described by the early sex perspectives were related to a timed orientation to sex. When we free ourselves of this limitation, we have [...]

An examination of the urine under a microscope may show evidence of kidney damage; and X-ray of the kidneys may show changes in their structure or function. An electrocardiogram of the heart can reveal if the raised pressure is causing a strain on the pumping chambers of the heart. Sometimes more sophisticated tests are necessary [...]

Why can some people drink all their lives, yet never have trouble while others become addicted? We are still not sure why but it is certainly not due to lack of willpower. The alcoholic drinks the way he (or she) drinks because he can’t drink any other way. He knows the consequences, yet he still [...]

The mouth ulcer is the most common form of ulcer in humans. There are two types — aphthous and traumatic. Aphthous ulcers usually develop when you are rundown or stressed. Some women are prone to them just before a period. Traumatic ulcers are, as the name implies, the result of injury to the inside of [...]

Forty-four people (adults and children) who have remained unwell for as long as one year were recently described in the Annals of Internal Medicine (102:1&7). Their symptoms have included sore throat, fever, swollen and tender lymph nodes in the neck and elsewhere, aching joints, slow thinking, tiredness, physical fatigue, and a feeling of gloom. They [...]

Signs and symptoms Gonorrhea of the genitals in boys causes burning during urination and a discharge from the penis. In girls, gonorrhea may cause vaginal discharge and abdominal pain, but frequently there are no symptoms at all. In cases with no symptoms, diagnosis can be made only by alertness and awareness of the possibility of [...]