The gall-bladder is a pear-shaped organ attached to the under surface of the fiver under the edge of the right lower ribs, about half way between the center of the body and the center of the right side line, that is, the line immediately below the arm-pit center. When there is trouble with this condition there frequently is an uncomfortable feeling at the point mentioned, though in many cases the location of the discomfort is indefinite and it is impossible to come to a quick decision as to the location of any inflammatory pains. Often gall-bladder inflammation and appendicitis are mistaken one for the other.

The purpose of the gall-bladder is to receive bile (gall) from the liver, where it will be ready for passage into the intestinal tract in considerate quantities when needed in the process of digestion. Where the diet is alkaline and where sufficient fluid is taken into the body, the bile usually will be liquid enough to pass into the gall-bladder and out of it again through the small ducts or tubes leading into and away from this sack. But very often the diet and mode of living in general are such that the bile becomes concentrated and becomes irritating. This produces in time an inflammation of the lining wall or membrane of the gall-bladder, and here we have cholecystitis. If the bile becomes concentrated and yet not so decidedly concentrated that it can pass out of the gall-bladder, it may cause dilatation of the gall ducts and irritation and inflammation.

Gallstones are due to a concentration of bile or to a precipitation of some of the elements forming bile, but a great deal of irritation and trouble often results before gallstones develop-and many people never would develop gallstones, and yet have gall-bladder trouble.

Treatment of Gall Bladder

Operation rarely will be required in gall-bladder trouble if natural treatment is applied in time. It is necessary in these cases that the bile be thinned and that it be rendered non-irritating. There is nothing better as the initial part of the treatment than a fruit diet, with copious quantities of water, preferably hot water.

Early in the morning may be drunk a quart of hot water containing the juice of one lemon and one-half teaspoonful of salt. This should be as hot as possible and yet drunk rather than sipped. It should be taken within ten minutes if possible.

Nothing should be taken until at least three hours later, when grapefruit or orange juice may be taken. Half a dozen grapefruits or a dozen oranges or half these numbers of each may be taken during the day, with two or four quarts of water-but not necessarily together. This hot water mixture is very effective in cleansing the intestines, the liver, the kidneys, the blood and the skin. It also may have a laxative effect.

Gall Bladderis a condition in which it is permissible to use an effective dose of some such laxative as Pluto water or citrate of magnesia at the beginning of the fruit diet, but not later. The fruit diet (or if preferred the absolute fast with an abundance of water) may continue for from five to ten or -fifteen days, depending upon the patient’scondition and the effects of the fact.

By constipation is meant a condition in which there are infrequent and irregular movements of the bowels. But the cause and degree of constipation differ to such an extent in different cases that sometimes it is necessary to observe other signs connected with the trouble.

Acute constipation

Acute constipation usually requires correction of the causative disease or condition. All laxative drugs should be discontinued and the bowels cleansed by the use of tepid enemas. Exercise should be continued if there are no harmful results. The diet should be modified so that constipating foods are avoided and laxative foods or foods with bulk substituted. Salad and green vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products are some of these foods. The diet may be somewhat broader than these sug-gested, but these should be the predominating foods.

In acute constipation, there usually is some other acute disease, especially those accompanied by fever. Sometimes there is intestinal obstruction or a more or less paralysis resulting from the use of drugs inhibiting intestinal secretions. Often there has been merely an extra consumption of constipating food, or cessation of exercise when one has been accustomed to exercise.

Chronic Constipation

Chronic constipation is the most common condition. Thousands of people are and for years have been constipated. Some of the more important causes of this condition are an inactive life, conditions that lower the nerve and muscular tone and the circulation, such as neurasthenia, anemia, drug habits, resort to drug laxa-tives, neglect of nature’s calls, excessive eating, deficien-cy of foods with bulk impoper mastication and wrong combinations of food .

Symptoms of Constipation

Practically everyone knows the meaning of constipation when the condition itself or the name appliedto it is encountered. But a great many people are constipated while being unaware of the fact. If a man or woman eats three meals a day and has one bowel elimination daily that person usually is constipated. Many persons have one bowel movement a day or every second day and give it no thought. They may have from three to six or eight meals in the bowels, whereas they should have at most three meals in the bowels by having an elimination for every mean consumed. Naturally, if a person is eating sparingly there may be inadequate stimulation of the rectal nerve to cause an elimination after each meal. With a very limited diet one may safely have one elimination a day even when eating three times daily, provided there are no flesh foods to undergo putrefaction, and only a minimum of starches to undergo fermentation.

Treatment of Constipation

Practically all cases of constipation canbe corrected. Naturally, if there is some obstruction of a mechanical nature, this may need correction by some means other than natural treatment. These cases are comparatively few. One of the best means of improving bowel activity is by resting the bowels and permitting them to recover their normal tone. To provide this rest nothing should be permitted to enter them. This calls for the fast or the fruit juice diet. If fruit juices are taken they are absorbed and no residue reaches the bowels. It Is permissible to thoroughly cleanse the colon at the beginning of the fast by a high colonic irrigation or by a series of enemas. Once the bowels are cleansed by any of these method s and no food given by mouth the bowels begin to rest. This rest may continue for from three to ten days, depending upon general conditions . Nothing should be done to aid the bowels to move during this time after they have been cleansed as suggested.

One must obtain sufficient rest and sleep to permit of recovery or maintenance of normal nerve-tone. The bowels can not function well or continue to function well if the nerve-tone is allowed to reduce to any appreciable extent.

Another treatment of benefit is cold abdominal packs or the cold or hot and cold sitz-bath. The cold packs may be used daily for twenty to thirty minutes for a number of weeks with benefit. The sitz-bath may be used daily or every second day. If a cold sitz alone is used, it may continue for from one-half minute to three minutes, depending upon the water temperature and reactive powers. If alternate hot an cold sitz-baths are used the hot should be taken for three minutes and the cold for thirty to sixty seconds, and both may be repeated if desired.

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the mucous mem-brane of the bronchial tube and its branches. It may be acute or chronic; it may involve one side or both; it may affect the larger or only the minor portions of the tube, or it may involve the whole bronchial system.

The most frequent occasions (usually called causes) for bronchitis are colds, improperly treated or neglected, or irritating inhalations of smoke, dust, gas or fumes. Becoming chilled after being heated may result in an attack if there is an injurious degree of toxemia. Certain trades tend to the production of such irritation to cause bronchitis: stone-cutting, milling, carpentering, paper-hanging, etc. Inhalation of tobacco smoke or tobacco dust is one of the most prolific causes. Living in overheated quarters with the air insufficiently moistened is somewhat Common in American city dwellings,and such conditions may lead to bronchitis.

Acute Bronchitis

Acute Bronchitis results from an accumulation of toxins in the body, making it necessary for the body to call upon the mucus surtaces of the respiratory tract for additional elimination. Aside from the causes already given, acute bronchitis may accompany other acute diseases.

The symptoms of acute bronchitis are quite abrupt, the condition itself beginning with a sudden fever, often accompanied by a chill. Fever sometimes, however, is absent. Cough is the most prominent symptom. This may be frequent and hard with no expectoration, especially for the first two or three days. There usually is soreness back of the breast-bone. Gradually the cough becomes somewhat productive, there being a tenacious mucous accumulation which is expelled with considerable difficulty. Its presence in the bronchial tube causes a wheezing or humming sound upon breathing. The cough may be so frequent and severe as to result in headache, dizziness, nausea and perhaps vomiting.

The cough gradually lessens after a few days and is more productive, the expectorated matter being thick and more or less greenish, a mixture of mucus and pus. The condition frequently causes bronchopneumonia in children and old persons, through extension to the lung tissue when neglected, improperly treated, or when the toxemia is so extreme that the body needs the increased surtace of the lungs for elimination. Within a week “these bronchial symptoms usually disappear in mild cases, and within two weeks in the more severe cases, though the trouble may linger on for a month or more. Considerable depends upon the patient’s inherent vitality and recupera-tive powers and upon the strictness with which proper treatment is carried out.

Chronic Bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis may be either chronic from the beginning or may result from frequent or repeated attacks of acute bronchitis. The inhalation of dust or smoke is one of the most frequent causes. Cough and expectoration are the leading symptoms, the cough being quite obstinate, especially in the morning an evening and during the night. It often prevents sufficient sleep for the patient to recover quickly. The cough may cause vomiting. There mayor may not be any substance expectorated. What is brought up may be tinged with blood. During the summer the symptoms may subside or disappear entirely, only to return upon the appearance of cold weather.

Chronic Bronchitis Treatment

In acute cases it is necessary to remove any cause of direct irritation of the bronchial tubes. Usually when properly treated an acute case will subside in a few days. The “fruit fast” is very helpful in these cases and should continue until the temperature has been normal for twenty-four hours. The daily enema should be given, with plenty of water to drink. Fresh air is very important but a cold wind over the patient should be avoided. A blanket-pack will help materially in the general efforts of the body toward elimination. Every two or three days the general pack may be substituted for the local pack to the chest. Hot compresses or heat by a therapeutic lamp over the upper chest will be very soothing in case the cough is very distressing. After any hot treatment there should be a cold application for a minute or so, then careful drying and adequate covering. A “sun-bath” over the upper chest by a sun lamp will help greatly in this condition. After the symptoms have subsided, the patient may gradually return to a diet more ample in quantity and consisting of any natural food desired. Of course, the quantities should be only gradually increased. There is no definite curative diet needed after the acute condition has subsided, though the fruit and strict milk diet would be very valuable at this time.

Chronic bronchitis makes it necessary to treat the entire body, because the condition is not local, but is due to a systemic toxemia, with the selection of the bronchial mucus membrane for the point of elimination when the other channels of elimination are functioning insufficiently to take care of the encumbrances. In these cases the repeated complete fast or fruit diet will be of great value, continued for from three to eight or ten days depending upon the strength and vitality of the patient and the effects of the fast. The milk diet is a very excellent diet to follow a fast or to use between these repeated fasts. It is. especially recommended if the patient is below normal in weight and vitality. If the patient is normal or above normal, the milk diet may be used with benefit, but with a reduction in the amount of the milk sufficient to maintain normal weight or permit of a slow loss in weight.

In the chronic condition, steam-baths or other sweat-baths once or twice a week will be very helpful. They should of course be followed by a cold or cool bath and vigorous friction. The hot shower bath, in which the water is allowed to play alternately upon the upper back and the upper chest, terminated with a decidedly cool or cold shower is an excellent treatment. Cold chest packs covered by dry flannel so that warmth is re-established; local heat to the upperchest followed by cold applications; hot compresses; steam inhalations; massage and spinal manipulation, are all of considerable benefit, and any of these may be used.

Asthma is one of the most aggravating diseases that humans may suffer. It involves the very breath of life. One of the characteristic features of this disorder is that between attacks the victim may appear and feel as normal as anyone else and yet in a very short time may be in an attack so severe as to cause him to wish for the end of life.

Asthma is a paroxymal difficulty of breathing resulting from sudden spasm of the bronchial tubes or their minute branches or sudden swelling of the mucous membrane of these tubes. What produces the hypersensitiveness of the respiratory membrane, which is necessary to the production of asthma, may be difficult to determine. It is Clssociated,however, with heart disease (cardiac asthma), kidney disease (renal asthma) or some outside irritant (hay asthma), or from minor causes. A protein sensitization often underlies the condition. Bron-chial, nervous or essential asthma is a form for which a leading cause can not be discovered, though usually there. has been inherited a neurotic temperament.

The symptoms of asthma are comparatively similar in the majority of cases. The spasmodic attacks come on suddenly, but without regularity as a rule. Any condition which gives rise to excitation of the nervous system may cause the attacks. Sometimes these paroxysms develop more gradually and are preceded by a sensation of oppression in the chest or frequent or increased urination or a belching of gas, etc. When the attack comes on, breathing is very difficult, particularly the exhalation of each breath. In severe cases the patients often sit with elbows on a chair or desk or table or stand with the elbows elevated by some object in order to be able to use to the fullest all of the auxiliary muscles of breathing.

In these severe attacks the lips become blue and the cheeks pale, the nostrils are dilated and the eyes bulged and the entire facial expression is one of anxiety. The pulse is rapid and the perspiration is copious. The breathing is not rapid, but is difficult and wheezing. There is a sensation as if one is being choked or smothered. Often it is necessary to open a window, or to sit in the open window to secure all the fresh air possible. There often is a cough, which may continue for quite some time before any matter is brought up for expectoration. This matter is tenacious and stringy.

Asthma Treatment

Asthma is constitutional disease, hence must have constitutional treatment. Because of the underlying neurotic or highly nervous temperament this condition may respond less readily than do many other diseases, but there have been numerous cases where all symptoms have disappeared permanently. Numerous factors may be necessary in the treatment, but diet will be the first factor in most instances. In any case it will be necessary to build up the nervous energy and to detoxicate as completely as possible.

The most reliable treatment is an absolute fast which if necessary may continue for as long as twenty, thirty or more days, depending upon the patient’s weight, strength and energy. After the fast or in cases where the fast can not be used the citrus fruits, particularly the grapefruit, will be of very great benefit. This fruit particularly seems to aid in clearing the bronchial tubes of accumulated mucus and in bringing new mucus-forming elements to the tubes by the blood-stream .

Anemia is a condition of deficiency in the amount of blood or in the number of red blood corpuscles or of hemoglobin. There are various forms of anemia: acute anemia, chronic anemia, chlorosis, and pernicious ane mia. There also are primary and secondary anemias.

Primary anemia is apparently an independent disease resulting from some defect in the blood-making organs or from some influence that destroys the blood cells after their formation, though the exact cause usually can not be determined. Pernicious anemia, also chlorosis some maintain is a primary anemia.

Secondary anemia results from some other disease or condition that can be determined or discovered: including hemorrhage, lactation, albuminurea, cancer, suppuration, toxic agents such as lead (poisoning), and bad hygiene.

Acute anemia always occurs as a result of sudden loss of blood. This may be by internal or external hemorrhage. Surgical operation often is responsible for it, or some injury, or such a condition as an ulcer of the stomach, or a rupture of a blood-vessel in any part of the body. Some of the diseases of women result in this anemia. It may develop within a few hours or over a period of several days. Anemia so produced is not a disease. All the organs that have to do with making blood are in normal condition and will repair the loss of blood within a comparatively short time if blood-making foods are supplied and general hygiene is maintained.

Chronic anemia is slower in development and longer in duration. It is present in women more often than in men. Women average ten percent less blood than men of equal weight; the number of their red blood cells is lower and their blood is affected by two functions peculiar to their sex; menstruation and lactation. Intestinal parasites I cause chronic anemia quite frequently; so also do chronic dyspepsia or indigestion, or constipation of a severe degree. Fever or the general condition making fever necessary may sufficiently interfere with the nutritive processes as to result eventually in chronic anemia.

Pernicious anemia is a rare form of anemia and seems to be of comparatively recent origin. Pregnancy is a vulnerable period for its development, especially when several children have been borne in rapid succession.

However, men are more susceptible than women. In these the cause usually is undetermined. It is a serious condition appearing usually in middle life.

Causes of Anemia

Except for the acute form, anemia is a result of systemic toxemia and acidosis-a condition of poisons, toxins and accumulated waste products floating in the blood - and lymph-streams, and of enervation or lowered nerve-tone. There is either an accumulation of these injurious substances due to failure of eliminative organs to handle a normal amount of such products, or they are produced in such considerable quantities that even normal organs, eliminating a normal amount or more than a normal amount of eliminations can not remove them rapidly enough. They have the effect of poisoning the organs that make the blood cells, which produce a deficient amount of blood cells or altered blood cells.

Symptoms of Anemia

These symptoms may appear slowly or rapidly, depending upon the cause, but they include: pallor, cold and sometimes clammy skin, giddiness, weakness and faintness, noises in the ears, swimming before the eyes, a soft, feeble and rapid pulse, low or subnormal temperature, restlessness, air-hunger or shortness of breath on slight exertion, cold extremities and face, pinched features, fading of color of the gums and the lining of the upper and lower eyelids, whiteness of the finger-nails, nausea and loss of appetite. Convulsions may occur later. If due to sudden loss of blood, there may be collapse if the hemorrhage continues, and death may result if this loss is considerable or uncontrolled.

Treatment of Anemia

As with any other condition, the cause should be found and remedied if at all possible. In any case, however, it will be necessary to undergo general blood-purifying processes and prepare the way for producing more and better blood. It is necessary that the anemic individual be well nourished; but over-feeding must be avoided, as it will either aggravate the toxemia or the hemorrhage or both. In acute cases, if the loss of blood has been checked permanently simple means will bring about restoration to normal unless there is some serious underlying condition that prevents adequate nutrition, such as ulcer of the stomach or intestine. Usually in these cases wholesome diet rich in iron and all of the other necessary elements will quite quickly restore the blood to normal. There should be fresh air and sunshine provided, with rest at first and later gradually increasing activity, depending upon the absence or presence of any underlying serious condition modifying physical activity. Milk should form a good part of the diet in every case when possible.

In the chronic form a fast often is one of the best means of starting improvement. Many people fear the fast in this condition because of its associated weakness. But since one factor in the causation of the disease is toxemia, the fast is one of the best means of quickly getting the blood in a normal condition. Strength often increases from day to day in these cases even as the fast is continued. It is not necessary to continue the fast long but if possible it should continue until a normal hunger returns. Instead of an absolute fast, fair quantities of orange or grapefruit may be taken-either the fruit or the juice; or tomato juice or any other fruit juice or berry juice, such as loganberry or blackberry juice, may be taken.

The strict milk diet is a very excellent diet to use in such chronic cases. If one is below normal in weight the full milk diet may be used. Many over-weight people are anemic. These may take the milk diet also, but should so adjust the quantity that there will be a slow reduction in weight. But at the same time there is better nutrition and the formation of better blood. If this strict diet is not taken there should be an abundance of milk in the diet chosen.

Asthma can be a life-threatening disease. Asthma is derived from the Greek word “Panos,” meaning panting. Asthma is caused by inflammation in the airways. Asthma is a condition that affects the airways – the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. The result is difficulty breathing. Approximately one adult in 13 is currently being treated for asthma in the UK.  Asthma attacks are not all the same—some are worse than others. In a severe asthma attack, the airways can close so much that not enough oxygen gets to vital organs. This condition is a medical emergency. People can die from severe asthma attacks. Signs of an asthmatic episode include wheezing, rapid breathing (tachypnea), prolonged expiration, a rapid heart rate (tachycardia), rhonchous lung sounds (audible through a stethoscope), and over-inflation of the chest. Respiratory infections, including the common cold . There are things in the environment that bring on your asthma symptoms and lead to asthma attacks. Some of the more common things include exercise, allergens, irritants, and viral infections. 

Some people have asthma only when they exercise or have a viral infection. Sometimes certain triggers can bring on symptoms. Common triggers include house dust mite, animal fur, pollen, tobacco smoke, cold air, viral and bacterial chest infections. During very severe attacks, an asthma sufferer can turn blue from lack of oxygen, and can experience chest pain or even loss of consciousness. Approximately 14 million adults and 6 million children in the U.S. have asthma. Asthma is the most common chronic illness of childhood and a common reason for missed school days. Asthma is more common in boys than in girls. But after puberty asthma is more common in females. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which stomach acids back up into your esophagus. GERD may trigger an asthma attack or make an attack worse. Certain medications, including beta blockers, aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Most asthma medications work by relaxing bronchospasm (bronchodilators) or reducing inflammation (corticosteroids). Guaifenesin, an expectorant available over the counter, may have a small effect in managing thickened bronchial mucus. Theophylline and aminophylline are examples of methylxanthines. The most effective treatment for asthma is identifying triggers, such as pets or aspirin, and limiting or eliminating exposure to them. Desensitization to allergens has been shown to be a treatment option for certain patients. Corticosteroids help decrease the frequency of your attacks and reduce the need for other medications you may use to control your symptoms.  Salbutamol and terbutaline inhalers are the most common relieving inhalers. They are also known as beta-2 agonists. They deliver a small dose of medicine directly to your lungs, which causes the muscles of  your airways to bronchodilate (relax and open up) but do not reduce the inflammation in the airways.

Allergy-desensitization shots (immunotherapy) may help if you have allergic asthma that can’t be easily controlled by avoiding triggers. Bronchodilators are recommended for short-term relief in all patients. Short-acting, selective beta2-adrenoceptor agonists, such as salbutamol (albuterol USAN), levalbuterol, terbutaline and bitolterol. Steroid tablets may be prescribed as a short course of treatment for one or two weeks if you have a severe asthma attack. Nebulisers are sometimes used in a hospital or doctor’s surgery to give high doses of reliever medicine if you are having a severe attack. Anticholinergic medications, such as ipratropium bromide may be used instead.  Antihistamines, often used to treat allergic symptoms that may underlie the chronic inflammation. In more severe cases, hyposensitization (”allergy shots”) may be recommended. Systemic steroids, oral or intravenous (prednisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, dexamethasone, or hydrocortisone).

Graves’ disease  also called diffuse toxic goiter or thyrotoxicosis. Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.  It  may develop at any age and in either men or women, Graves’ disease is more common in women and usually begins after age 20. Graves’ disease is rarely life-threatening. Graves disease represents part of a more extensive autoimmune process called autoimmune polyglandular syndrome, which is also associated with pernicious anemia, vitiligo, diabetes mellitus type 1, autoimmune adrenal insufficiency, and systemic lupus erythematosus. In Graves disease, B and T lymphocyte–mediated autoimmunity are known to be directed at 4 well-known thyroid antigens: thyroglobulin, thyroid peroxidase, sodium-iodide symporter, and the thyrotropin receptor. Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in the United States. Females are much more likely to contract the disease than males, with the highest-risk ages for either sex being between 40 and 60 years.

Graves disease is much more common at any age in girls than in boys. The female preponderance has been estimated as 4-7 girls for every boy affected. Graves’ disease is triggered by some process in the body’s immune system, which normally protects us from foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. The immune system destroys foreign invaders with substances called antibodies produced by blood cells known as  lymphocytes. Many people inherit an immune system that can cause  problems.  In Graves’ disease, antibodies bind to  the surface of thyroid cells and stimulate those cells to overproduce thyroid hormones. This results in an overactive thyroid. Physicians have  long suspected that severe emotional stress, such as the death of a loved  one, can set off Graves’ disease in some patients. Graves’ disease patients often experience temporary remission of their symptoms during pregnancy, a phenomenon that has sharpened our understanding of how autoimmunity is normally sustained in this disease.

Their lymphocytes make antibodies against their own tissues  that stimulate or damage them. Medical treatment of Graves’ disease includes antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine and thyroidectomy. Beta-blockers such as propranolol are often used to treat symptoms of rapid heart rate, sweating, and anxiety until the hyperthyroidism is controlled. Hyperthyroidism is treated with antithyroid medications, radioactive iodine, or surgery. Taping the eyes closed at night to prevent drying may sometimes be required. Sunglasses and eyedrops may lessen irritation of the eyes. Adjunctive therapy with a beta-blocking agent can also be useful. Iodine-131 therapy is quick, easy, relatively inexpensive, avoids surgery, and is without significant risk in adults and probably late teenagers. Radiation and chemotherapy may be used when primary orbital tumors can’t be fully excised as encapsulated lesions, such as in rhabdomyosarcoma lesions.

Graves Disease Treatment  Tips 

1. Applying cool compresses to the eyes.

2. Using lubricating eyedrops.

3. Wearing sunglasses.

4. Elevating the head of the bed.

5. Radioactive iodine (radioiodine) treatment.

Depression is a very common condition that is believed by many experts to be the number one cause of disability in the world.  Depression is a medical disorder with a biological and chemical basis. Sadness is a normal reaction to life’s struggles, setbacks, and disappointments. Depression is more common in adults than in children, but it does occur in children. When children are depressed, their symptoms might be different from adults. Certain medical conditions or medications can cause depression or symptoms that look like depression. For example, hypothyroidism (low levels of thyroid hormone) can look like depression in some people. Depression is much more than grieving or a bout of the blues.  Depression in children and adolescents can look quite distinct from that of adults. Irritability—rather than depression—is frequently the predominant mood. Depression in Men – Depressed men are less likely than women to acknowledge feelings of self-loathing and hopelessness. Instead, they tend to complain about fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, and loss of interest in work and hobbies.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a pattern of depression related to changes in seasons and a lack of exposure to sunlight. People afflicted with SAD may notice that they become depressed in the winter months. It may cause headaches, irritability and a low energy level. Dysthymia  is a less severe but more chronic form of depression. Having dysthymia places you at an increased risk of major depression. Depression can also cause a wide variety of physical complaints, such as gastrointestinal problems (indigestion, constipation or diarrhea), headache and backache. Depression also afflicts many poor single working mothers of young children.  Signs  and  symptoms of depression including is Changes in appetite (decreased appetite most common) often signaled by rapid weight gain or loss. Changes in weight. An increased or reduced appetite and unexplained weight gain or loss may indicate depression. Children, teens and older adults may react differently to depression.

Older adults tend to complain more about the physical rather than the emotional symptoms of depression, and so their mood disorder often goes unrecognized. Older people may be more willing to discuss the physical manifestations of depression, instead of their emotional difficulties. Loss of interest in normal daily activities. Poor concentration, attention and/or memory. Medicines are commonly used to treat depression. Psychotherapy is sometimes called “talking therapy.” It is used to treat mild and moderate forms of depression. Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is a procedure in which an electric current is used to produce a seizure in the patient. Hormone replacement is a treatment currently used to relieve symptoms of menopause such as night sweats and hot flashes. Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants  medications also affect neurotransmitters, but by a different mechanism than that of SSRIs. Tricyclic antidepressants are amitriptyline, desipramine (Norpramin) and nortriptyline.

Depression Treatment  Tips

1. SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) such as fluoxetine (eg Prozac) and paroxetine (eg Seroxat) are the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant.

2. Tricyclics are as effective as SSRIs, but they can have different side-effects

3. There are several other types of antidepressants which work in a different way from SSRIs and tricyclics.

4. Electric current is passed through the brain, while the person is under general anaesthetic.

5. Other treatments, such as a combination of cognitive, behavioural and interpersonal therapy, have a much lower rate of relapse.

Back is a well-designed structure made up of bone, muscles, nerves and other soft tissues. The pain may be have a sudden onset or it can be a chronic pain. Back pain in the lower back or low back pain is a common concern, affecting up to 90% of Americans at some point in their lifetime. Back pain is one of humanity’s most frequent complaints.  About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year. Back pain can be a sign of a serious medical problem. The first attack of low back pain typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 40. Muscle strains are the most common cause of low back pain. A ruptured intervertebral disc, also called a herniated disc, is another common cause of back pain. Spinal stenosis causes back pain in the aging population. As we age, the spinal canal can become constricted, due in part to arthritis and other conditions. Arthritis most commonly affects joints such as the knees and fingers. However, arthritis can affect any joint in the body, including the small joints of the spine. Arthritis of the spine can cause back pain with movement.

Back pain may be mild or extreme, quick or constant. Some believe this pain to be caused by tension myositis syndrome. Back pain becomes more common with age. Weak back and abdominal muscles may not properly support the spine. Back pain that occurs after a trauma, such as a car accident or fall, should also be promptly evaluated by a medical professional to check for a fracture or other injury. Back pain in individuals with medical conditions that put them at high risk for a spinal fracture, such as osteoporosis or multiple myeloma, also warrants prompt medical attention. Back pain from osteoporosis is most commonly related to compression fractures of the vertebra. Osteoporosis causes weak bones and can lead to these fractures. Chronic back pain may be related to changes in how nerves respond to frequent pain stimuli. Injury-Damage to the bones, ligaments, or muscles of the back can cause severe pain. Symptoms include  is  muscle spasm, pain with walking, concentration of pain to one side, and no radiculopathy (radiating pain down buttock and leg). 

Most individuals recover completely by simply avoiding strain to their spine. A regular schedule of pain relievers and hot or cold therapy may be all that you need to improve your pain. Heat therapy is useful for back spasms or other conditions. Bed rest is recommended for only 1–2 days at most.  Massage therapy, especially from an experienced therapist, may help. Acupressure or pressure point massage may be more beneficial than classic massage. Patients often find help from ice, heat, and medications. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are most commonly recommended for pain relief. Electrical stimulation. A procedure called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) uses a unit that sends a weak electrical current through specific points on the skin to nerve pathways. Other treatments-Anesthetic injections or self-administered pain medications that are sent directly to the spinal cord through a thin tube (catheter) attached to a programmed pump. Chiropractors and osteopaths manipulate the spine, called an adjustment, to relieve pain arising from musculoskeletal conditions.

Back Pain Treatment Tips

1. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are most commonly recommended for pain relief.

2. Chronic back pain  treated with tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline   and nortriptyline (Pamelor ).

3. Selective nerve root block (SNRB) uses a steroid with anesthetic.

4. Physical therapy are to decrease pain, increase function, restore normal movement, and prevent recurrences.

5. Massage therapy increases circulation to the affected area. There are several techniques and devices used in massage therapy.

6. Electrotherapy involves sending gentle electric currents through the skin to stimulate muscular contraction.

Brain tumors are tumors that grow in the brain. A tumor is an abnormal growth caused by cells reproducing themselves in an uncontrolled manner. Brain tumors typically are categorized as either primary or secondary. Primary brain tumors originate in your brain and can be noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Secondary brain tumors result from cancer that began elsewhere and spread to your brain. Primary brain tumors are less common than secondary brain tumors. Brain tumors are classified depending on the exact site of the tumor, the type of tissue involved, benign or malignant tendencies of the tumor, and other factors. Primary brain tumors can arise from the brain cells, the meninges (membranes around the brain), nerves, or glands. Each year approximately 190,000 people in the United States and 10,000 people in Canada will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor. Symptoms of brain tumors may depend on two factors: tumor size (volume) and tumor location. The time point of symptom onset in the course of disease correlates in many cases with the nature of the tumor.

Brain tumor patients, including those with certain “benign” brain tumors, have poorer survival rates than breast cancer patients. In children under 2, about 70% of brain tumors are medulloblastoma, ependymoma, and low-grade glioma. Less commonly, and seen usually in infants, are teratoma and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor. Brain tumors are the leading cause of Solid tumor  death in children under age 20 now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and are the third leading cause of cancer death in young adults ages 20-39. Tumors may occur at any age, but many specific tumors have a particular age group in which they are most common. In adults, gliomas and meningiomas are most common. There are over 120 different types of brain tumors. Specific tumor types is   Astrocytic tumors include astrocytomas (less malignant), anaplastic astrocytomas, and glioblastomas (most malignant). Astrocytomas can progress over time more malignant forms, including glioblastoma.

Photodynamic therapy uses a special drug (Photofrin) that is absorbed by the tumor. Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives and act as differentiating drugs in cancer Treatments. Oligodendroglial tumors also can vary from low grade to very malignant.  Surgery is necessary for most primary brain tumors. Some tumors may be completely removed. A biopsy is a surgical procedure used to remove a small amount of tumor tissue. Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is the use of high-powered rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. Stereotactic radiosurgery is another way to treat brain tumors. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Conventional radiation therapy delivers radiation to an entire region of the brain. Immunotherapy aims at using modalities that boost the patient’s own immune system’s ability to seek out and destroy cancerous cells. Steroids may be used temporarily following surgery or during radiation because these treatments often cause edema. 

Brain Tumors Treatment Tips

1. Surgery is the treatment of choice for accessible brain tumors.

2. Conventional radiation therapy uses external beams of either x or gamma rays aimed at the tumor.

3. Chemotherapy may be used before, during, or after surgery and radiation therapy.

4. Steroids control the swelling due to accumulation of fluids (edema) often associated with brain tumors.

5. Immunotherapy uses biological response modifiers (BRMs)to fight tumor cells.

6. Anti-convulsants such as phenytoin to reduce seizures.

7. Antacids or histamine blockers to control stress ulcers.