A few years ago, healthcare professionals such as doctors and nurses used to treat any illness in a fairly standardized way: symptoms were checked against those of a well known condition and there would most certainly be a tablet that we could take to make it all better. But sure enough, our bodies have a way of letting us know when something is wrong and when we are pushing ourselves too much, and not only in a physical way. We might have a headache because we are very stressed; we take some paracetamol and it goes away, but what brought the headache on in the first place is still there: sooner or later the headache will come back.
Because of the strict relationship between the way we live and our health, healthcare professionals now assess patients in a ‘holistic’ way. This means that not only they will ask about symptoms, but also about lifestyle, work conditions and family life. So it is not just about tablets anymore, it is also about support and understanding us as patients to improve our general health. This is particularly true in long term and ongoing conditions.
Diet, exercise, five-a-day, three-a-day, work-life balance: now more than before we can take charge of our health and feel better. Health promotion is a very powerful tool and it is used constantly to remind us that we have the opportunity to make our bodies and our minds feel better. It is no longer the case of spending a few hours in the gym every week, or eating entire meals of vegetables and fruit, or banishing sugar from the kitchen cupboard. Health professionals realized soon enough that by suggesting the gym at all costs or tormenting us with eating greens was not going to get us anywhere healthy soon, so now the focus is different.
We are told to try a little bit every day, and it will eventually pay off: a little exercise, a few portions of fruit and a little sugar (oh yes, because remember that we have to keep the mind happy as well as the body). This new approach seems to be giving better results than the old fashioned one, so it appears it is the way forward. A lot of problems still remain: obesity and binge drinking, to name just two. But health promotion will continue to be the key to teaching everyone how to take care and feel better, in the hope that, eventually, a few initial attempts will become good habits for life.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
FUN WITH FOOD ALLERGIES
Are we more worried about food allergies than we should be?
Of the many things parents are encouraged to freak out about, the fear that a peanut will cross your toddler's lips is way up there. Just how much fear is necessary, and how much is due to the 24-hour news cycle? See more »
The Ultimate Food Allergies and Food Intolerance QuizFood allergies and food intolerance have made the headlines in recent years. More children appear to be suffering from severe food allergies and more adults appear to be coping with food intolerance. You or someone you love may be experiencing a food allergy or food intolerance. Take this quiz and learn about how food can cause negative health reactions in the young and old. See more »
Are there any foods that can cause sudden food allergies?
No food can cause an allergic reaction the first time it's ingested. However, severe reactions can occur any time afterward. See some of the most common foods that trigger allergies. See more »
Are there food allergies that cause earaches?
Food allergies are responsible for a wide variety of symptoms. Learn whether there are food allergies that cause earaches in this article. See more »
Are there food allergies that cause edema?
Food allergies can cause a variety of symptoms. Learn whether any food allergies cause edema in this article. See more »
Can food allergies affect your behavior?
Food allergies can affect your behavior, causing hyperactivity, depression, anxiety and more. Learn whether food allergies can affect your behavior in this article. See more »
Can food allergies cause a rash?
A chemical called histamine causes most allergic symptoms. Learn whether food allergies can cause a rash in this article. See more »
Can food allergies cause acne?
Food allergies can cause acne, among other skin conditions. Find out whether food allergies can cause acne in this article. See more »
Can food allergies cause ADHD?
Clinical data suggests that food allergies can cause ADHD. Learn whether food allergies can cause ADHD in this article. See more »
Sunday, July 29, 2012
HEALTH NEWS: POLIO IN THE U.S.
Most people with polio have no symptoms; minor symptoms such as limb pain, fatigue and nausea affect about 4% to 8% of patients, according to the CDC. Fewer than 1% of cases lead to patients becoming permanently paralyzed, usually in the legs. Between 5% and 10% of paralyzed patients die when their respiratory muscles become paralyzed, too.
Human beings have been living with polio for thousands of years, Cochi said. There's evidence from ancient Egypt that paralytic polio existed there and even infected royalty. But it wasn't described clinically until 1789.
The United States saw its first polio outbreak in 1894 in Vermont, with 132 cases, according to the Smithsonian. As the population became more urbanized in the early 20th century, more outbreaks occurred. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted the disease at age 39 in 1921.
Although no cure was developed, a device called an iron lung was invented to help people with the disease breathe. The patient would lie on a bed inside a cylindrical tank, and the machine helped some people become able to breathe again on their own. This device cost about $1,500 in the 1930s -- about what a home would cost then, according to the Smithsonian.
Eileen Grotzsky of Queens, New York, 65, was one patient who had to use an iron lung as a young child. By that point, she was paralyzed from the neck down. "I was one of the lucky ones. My left leg was bad; my right leg was pretty good," she said.
John Kressaty of Mesa, Arizona, now 64, was 7 when he contracted polio. In his hospital ward, there were only about seven iron lungs -- not enough to go around. He underwent a treatment developed by an Australian nun named Sister Elizabeth Kenny that consisted of "hot, steamed, woolen cloth over your body" and physical therapy. He slept on a mattress with a plywood board underneath it so his spine wouldn't curve.
Kressaty feared he would never be able to move his arms and legs again.
"You're thinking, 'Is that what I'm going to go through for the rest of my life?' " he remembers.
Fortunately, Kressaty didn't have any major physical limitations when he recovered. He went back to school but couldn't fully participate in gym class, and his left side was weaker than his right. By 18, he was regaining muscle tone and played college basketball for a year.
"I got through most of life not with any restrictions," he said. "I was very lucky."
In 1938, Roosevelt founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, an organization known today as the March of Dimes Foundation, to fight polio. The organization funded the two vaccines -- created by Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin -- that would lead to the protection of most of the world against polio.
The vaccine was eagerly awaited because, according to the CDC, about 35,000 people annually became disabled because of polio in the U.S. in the 1940s and '50s.
Salk's vaccine, developed in the 1950s, involved injecting a virus that was "killed," while Sabin's vaccine -- which he worked on in the 1960s and which was administered orally -- contained a weakened version of polio.
The Sabin vaccine actually helped boost immunity in communities beyond the individual because people shed the weakened virus in their feces. It came to replace the Salk vaccine in many places between 1963 and 1999, according to the Smithsonian. But the injected killed virus version is what's given in the United States today because of the rare instances of people developing polio from the oral vaccine.
Polio was declared eradicated in the United States in 1979. But the vaccination effort doesn't stop.
"In the U.S., where there's no problem anymore, we still want to have (the) population protected," said Michael Katz, senior advisor and interim medical director of the March of Dimes.
Children should receive four doses of inactivated polio vaccine, delivered as an injection, at ages 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years, according to the CDC.
Most American adults were vaccinated as children and don't need another dose. But people may need additional protection if they are traveling to high-risk countries, handle poliovirus specimens in a laboratory or have close contact with a person who has polio.
Polio primarily spreads from person to person -- through coughing and sneezing -- or through fecal contamination. The particles are large enough that the risk of contracting polio in the air is momentary, and on a surface like a desk or a chair, it can last an hour or two. But in sewage, it can last for weeks or even months.
Human beings have been living with polio for thousands of years, Cochi said. There's evidence from ancient Egypt that paralytic polio existed there and even infected royalty. But it wasn't described clinically until 1789.
The United States saw its first polio outbreak in 1894 in Vermont, with 132 cases, according to the Smithsonian. As the population became more urbanized in the early 20th century, more outbreaks occurred. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted the disease at age 39 in 1921.
Although no cure was developed, a device called an iron lung was invented to help people with the disease breathe. The patient would lie on a bed inside a cylindrical tank, and the machine helped some people become able to breathe again on their own. This device cost about $1,500 in the 1930s -- about what a home would cost then, according to the Smithsonian.
Eileen Grotzsky of Queens, New York, 65, was one patient who had to use an iron lung as a young child. By that point, she was paralyzed from the neck down. "I was one of the lucky ones. My left leg was bad; my right leg was pretty good," she said.
John Kressaty of Mesa, Arizona, now 64, was 7 when he contracted polio. In his hospital ward, there were only about seven iron lungs -- not enough to go around. He underwent a treatment developed by an Australian nun named Sister Elizabeth Kenny that consisted of "hot, steamed, woolen cloth over your body" and physical therapy. He slept on a mattress with a plywood board underneath it so his spine wouldn't curve.
Kressaty feared he would never be able to move his arms and legs again.
"You're thinking, 'Is that what I'm going to go through for the rest of my life?' " he remembers.
Fortunately, Kressaty didn't have any major physical limitations when he recovered. He went back to school but couldn't fully participate in gym class, and his left side was weaker than his right. By 18, he was regaining muscle tone and played college basketball for a year.
"I got through most of life not with any restrictions," he said. "I was very lucky."
In 1938, Roosevelt founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, an organization known today as the March of Dimes Foundation, to fight polio. The organization funded the two vaccines -- created by Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin -- that would lead to the protection of most of the world against polio.
The vaccine was eagerly awaited because, according to the CDC, about 35,000 people annually became disabled because of polio in the U.S. in the 1940s and '50s.
Salk's vaccine, developed in the 1950s, involved injecting a virus that was "killed," while Sabin's vaccine -- which he worked on in the 1960s and which was administered orally -- contained a weakened version of polio.
The Sabin vaccine actually helped boost immunity in communities beyond the individual because people shed the weakened virus in their feces. It came to replace the Salk vaccine in many places between 1963 and 1999, according to the Smithsonian. But the injected killed virus version is what's given in the United States today because of the rare instances of people developing polio from the oral vaccine.
Polio was declared eradicated in the United States in 1979. But the vaccination effort doesn't stop.
"In the U.S., where there's no problem anymore, we still want to have (the) population protected," said Michael Katz, senior advisor and interim medical director of the March of Dimes.
Children should receive four doses of inactivated polio vaccine, delivered as an injection, at ages 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years, according to the CDC.
Most American adults were vaccinated as children and don't need another dose. But people may need additional protection if they are traveling to high-risk countries, handle poliovirus specimens in a laboratory or have close contact with a person who has polio.
Polio primarily spreads from person to person -- through coughing and sneezing -- or through fecal contamination. The particles are large enough that the risk of contracting polio in the air is momentary, and on a surface like a desk or a chair, it can last an hour or two. But in sewage, it can last for weeks or even months.
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