If the cough is due to asthma, it is treated appropriately with medications, depending on the nature and extent of the symptoms and the age of the child. The commonest cough, the one that follows a cold, does not need any specific treatment. Antibiotics are not indicated in the great majority of these children because [...]

Genetics is a highly complicated field. If you have a family history of a particular disorder, it is wise to consult someone experienced in genetic counselling, who can explain the details to you. A geneticist or paediatrician can also advise you about the likelihood of any of your children inheriting the problem. If you have [...]

“Why does he have this fetish for doing it doggy-style? He wants to get on me from behind. It’s all he ever wants to do. Why is it such a thing with him?” ANSWER: A rule of super marital sex is no problem is just with him or with her. It will help if we [...]

Ionising radiation is harmful to all human cells — both normal and cancerous. You will remember that, because cancer cells are simply a ‘disobedient’ form of our own body cells, there is no type of treatment that can kill them without harming some of our normal cells. Radiation treatment is no exception to this rule. [...]

The doctor may combine drugs which act on different areas, increasing the dose of each of one until side affects appear, then adding another drug and increasing that the same way. Some patients may respond to the first drug used and be hardy enough not to suffer ill-effects, and others may seem to suffer every [...]

Most of the substances are salicylates or their derivatives. Dr Feingold listed 13 groups of additives which contain more than 2500 different chemicals. One of the most common is called tartrazine and is a yellow dye. It is a salicylate and related to aspirin and is also known by a variety of other names or [...]

Endometriosis begins with a retrograde flushing of endometrial tissue that backs up into the fallopian tubes and then sprays into the abdominal cavity. The endometrial cells can then implant themselves on any organ—ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, bowel—and grow with each monthly cycle. One would guess that the endometrial tissue somehow gravitates toward its source, the [...]

Before using a corticosteroid preparation, two important factors must be considered. The first and foremost is the diagnosis. It is most important that the diagnosis be correct, as while cortisone may suit one skin condition, it may have an adverse reaction on some very similar condition. Any confusion in this regard could have drastic consequences. [...]

Polyunsaturated fats are also categorised according to where the double bonds occur along the carbon chain. If the first double bond occurs on the third carbon from the methyl end of the carbon chain, the fatty acid is called an Omega-3 fatty acid (also written as n-3). These polyunsaturated fatty acids occur in high concentrations [...]

Naturopaths believe that natural therapies are able to help many aspects of endometriosis including pain, infertility and irregularity of the menstrual cycle which can accompany the problem. We asked a naturopath the following questions. What causes endometriosis Many naturopaths see endometriosis as a complex condition and causes include inherited predispositions, possible congestion of the lymphatic [...]