Mens Health Blog. Medical Blog

Guidance and counseling, commonly used as synonymous terms, have somewhat different connotations to us. Guidance is something one person provides to another. It implies, to us at least, something actively given and passively received. Counseling, on the other hand, implies something done together and requires active participation by both parties. We believe this distinction is important.
Physicians often speak of patients as compliant or non-compliant, meaning they have or haven’t followed their instructions. Implied in the word compliant is a sense of submissiveness. We often assume that a person with seizures should do exactly what we tell them to. We forget that it is the patient who experiences the seizures, who is encumbered by the stigma of epilepsy, and who may experience side effects from medication we prescribe. We forget that the disorder is the patient’s and, therefore, that the patient must ultimately exercise his own control. However, in a more positive sense, compliance is not submissiveness but reflects a partnership in which the patient agrees with a therapy we recommend and will follow it.
If the patient or, in the case of young children, the family is to exercise the control, then they must be educated to become active partners in the decision-making processes. They must be informed about their condition or their child’s condition and about the likely future. The patient— or the parents of a young child—must assume the responsibility for that future. They must determine their own goals and aspirations. Some use terms like “owning your own disease” or “empowering the consumer.”
We prefer to talk in terms of a partnership and counseling. Then the physician and his team are in the more appropriate position of teachers, counselors, and supporters on this road to seizure control and to medical as well as psycho-social well-being.
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Comments (0) Feb 23 2011

Immunizations should be recommended according to the risk of travel-related diseases and not solely on geographic destination. However, determining vaccine recommendations based on health risk factors can be a major challenge for the health care practitioner. To properly assess a traveler’s risk of illness, the health care provider must first consider the details of the planned journey. Questions must be asked about the following:
-    Exact itinerary, including all geographic destinations and possible stopovers
-    Duration of stay in each location
-    Style of travel (for example, business versus backpacking)
-    Type of lodging (urban versus rural; hotel versus tent)
-    Planned activities (possible animal contact, fresh water exposure, eating habits, and sexual activity)
-    Purpose of the visit
-    Time of year of the trip (seasonal risks)
-    Level of anticipated contact with local residents (missionary, health care worker, Peace Corps volunteer)
Providers should then review the status of the traveler’s general health, paying close attention to underlying diseases (particularly diabetes mellitus, transplantation, human immunodeficiency virus, chronic lung disease, renal insufficiency) that can have substantial implications for
health during the trip and affect the immunogenicity of vaccines. In some health conditions, such as pregnancy or a compromised immune system, live vaccines are relatively contraindicated. This may influence a traveler’s plans. Live viral vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella, yellow fever, oral polio, and varicella. The main live bacterial vaccine is the oral typhoid formulation. Past medical history, previous immunizations, allergies to medications and vaccine components (for example, eggs), and current medications should also be reviewed. Special
effort should be made to identify travelers who are at particularly high risk for travel-related illness, since such travelers are more likely to acquire serious illnesses.
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Comments (0) Feb 16 2011

As many physical disorders are related to stress, it is necessary to work on this angle in order to induce general healing. As one develops a freedom from tension, it is easier for us to be more aware of our lifestyle and the frustrations and causes which have led to our symptoms. We all have a part in our bodies which holds a weak point, and for many of us the digestive tract is the part that suffers. At the first sign of stress, our diaphragm tightens, immediately restricting our normal breathing pattern, causing us to feel tense and anxious. This in turn releases the mechanisms which come into play as our ‘fight or flight’ response. During this process, large amounts of adrenaline are released into our circulatory system. Adrenaline is a chemical which is released into our bloodstream at times of stress, in order to increase energy levels into our muscles to give us the strength to run away from a fearful situation, or to stay and attack. If we do not do either, our muscles tend to stay in this state of tension as the process is repeated, and this in turn evokes other responses. The nerves in our digestive tract become exposed to our anxieties and behave in a disorderly manner. This causes pain, loss of appetite and digestive upsets, which in turn lead to more anxiety. The food we eat may not be fully absorbed, we feel bloated and uncomfortable, and again the tension increases.
The vicious cycle, once established, is difficult to break, unless we do something to help our bodies to relax, and recognize what we can do to help ourselves. As a natural health care practitioner, I instruct my patients how to achieve full body relaxation, which allows each individual to learn to control this build up of tension. Relaxation therapy, combined with aromatherapy treatments, and a back up of self-help at home, is a useful aid in helping the body to respond to the demands of stress.
A qualified aromatherapist will begin a consultation by taking a case history from the patient they are treating. The person’s lifestyle and full medical history are taken into account in order to select the correct oils suitable for an individual treatment. The most important factor to be considered, as there are many oils to choose from in
most cases, is that the person being treated appreciates and enjoys the fragrance being used. Essential oils are volatile substances, and during the evaporation process are absorbed by our sense of smell to reach various parts of the brain. This triggers off a chemical reaction in glands and organs throughout the body. Fragrances can evoke memories and produce emotional waves that nurture and calm our basic instincts.
Although treatment by a qualified therapist is obviously most beneficial, there is no reason why we cannot treat ourselves, or find a partner to help. Providing the technique used is simple and relaxing, intuitive massage by another caring person can help considerably.
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Comments (0) Feb 10 2011