Mens Health Blog. Medical Blog

A common story is for parents to be woken by the stertorous breathing or grunting of a child in the next bedroom. They go to him, thinking usually that he is having a bad dream, and find him staring, unresponsive, convulsing, and perhaps blue. Few if any parents can cope calmly with such a scene. It is usual for the family doctor to be telephoned at once, and, if there is any delay in his arrival, for an ambulance to be summoned as well. Many parents subsequently confess that they thought their child was dying, so they are acting in an entirely rational way. Almost invariably, however, by the time the family doctor or ambulance has arrived, the seizure is over, the child is sleeping peacefully, and the adults are making tea. But they will not sleep again that night. Many—though not all—are immediately aware of the nature of what they have just seen.

Although the first seizure can occur anywhere and at any time, another common scenario is for the first seizure to occur in a young woman in the company of her friends or at work. In this case, the lack of ready access to the family doctor, whose name and telephone number is unlikely to be known to the bystanders, results in an ambulance being almost invariably called, and the unfortunate young woman being rushed off to hospital. She will recover consciousness either in the ambulance or in the Accident and Emergency Department of the hospital. To the confusion invariably consequent to the generalized seizure must be added the feeling of ‘What on earth has happened to me, and how have I finished up here on a stretcher with strangers peering at me?’ Obviously, therefore, although ambulance services are rather prickly on this point, a friend should accompany her to hospital—not only to provide moral support when recovery of consciousness occurs but also to give an accurate account of events to the hospital staff. In this case, the diagnosis of a tonic-clonic seizure is clear, but in others matters are not so straightforward. It is important to distinguish between an epileptic seizure and some other event which may initially seem to be one. Patients may speak in terms of a ‘black-out’, ‘funny turn’, or ‘blank spell’, and we have to do our best to analyse the cause.

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Comments (0) Apr 28 2009

Ms HM, Cambridgeshire, England. “I started taking the [CMO] at the beginning of October. By the end of the course I had improved quite a lot but still needed as many painkillers. Since Christmas it has taken another spurt. I was able to play snowballing and was able to build a snowman in the beautiful Christmas snowfall. Now after seven years of only being able to take showers, I can get in and out of the bath quite easily. I have not needed to take antiinflammatories for two months and am now able to cut down on the pain killers…..So many thanks.”

Mrs M K, Staffordshire, England. “I have suffered with arthritis for the last two years in my feet and legs – nothing too drastic but enough to curb a lot of my activities, particularly my love of gardening.”

“I had a course of Acupuncture last year for about six months, it did halt the pain only left me for a few days after each session. I was told it would need a lot of treatment. I was then told about your treatment and have taken a full course of tablets following a strict diet for recommended. Within a few days I could feel improvement and after the fall course felt more like my old self again. I am now back on my gardening. I am able to do a lot of things I was unable to do last year. I shall always be very grateful to the [CMO] treatment and to all of you that have helped me.”

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Comments (0) Apr 28 2009

Symptom

Yellowing of skin and whites of eyes.

Home care

Home treatment cannot be undertaken until an accurate diagnosis has been made.

Precaution

Jaundice caused by a drug will disappear when the child is taken off the particular medication. All other types of jaundice in children are potentially serious and require prompt medical attention.

Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes due to the accumulation in the body of a substance called bilirubin, which is released when old red blood cells are replaced by new ones. Bilirubin is excreted by the liver into the intestine as bile. Jaundice develops when the red blood cells are rapidly destroyed (as in sickle cell and other forms of anaemia); when the liver cannot transform bilirubin into bile; or when bile cannot flow through the bile ducts into the intestine, for example, if the bile duct is blocked by stones, cysts, or a malformation.

Jaundice rarely occurs as a complication of a generalized infection, but it may be caused by some drugs and poisons. The usual cause of jaundice in children over one month of age is hepatitis, which damages the liver cells and interferes with the formation of bile.

Signs and symptoms

The yellow-gold-orange color of the skin and whites of the eyes suggests jaundice. When a child has jaundice, all of the body fluids are stained; the tears are yellow, and the urine is dark orange. However, the diagnosis can be exceedingly complex and depends upon laboratory tests.

Home care

Only after a clear diagnosis has been made can anything be done in the home.

Precaution

Jaundice caused by a certain medication will disappear when the child is taken off the medication. Other causes of jaundice in children are potentially serious and hard to diagnose. They all require a doctor’s attention.

Medical treatment

A child suspected of having jaundice will require laboratory tests to define the reason for the jaundice. Hospitalization is sometimes required.

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Comments (0) Apr 28 2009