This is undoubtedly the most controversial of all the psychiatric diagnoses with implications that touch on major public health and educational concerns. More than two million schoolchildren in the United States are taking stimulant medication intended to help their concentration and/or to reduce their hyperactivity. For many children, this results in a dramatic improvement in Read more
There are two things to think about— chemistry and competence. Studies show that the best predictor of good outcome in treatment is that the people involved in it like and respect each other and work well together. Don’t stay with a therapist you really don’t like as a test of your endurance or in the Read more
Most physical illnesses can cause sleep disturbances — usually as a consequence of the associated symptoms of pain, urinary frequency, coughing, respiratory discomfort, esophageal reflux, or itchiness. Other medical conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, can disrupt sleep through their direct impact on the brain. Sleep apnea has alternating periods of extremely loud Read more
Many clinicians like to believe that they can make a psychiatric diagnosis just by looking at a person, a hazardous endeavor given how appearances can be so deceiving. One exception is Anorexia Nervosa — few clinicians can forget the unnerving sight of a young woman who, despite resembling a concentration camp victim, refuses to eat Read more
We ‘stage’ prostate cancers in different ways. The doctors’ first task is simply to perform the routine examination of the abdomen that they learned as students, and have perfected with experience. This involves looking for lumps in the groin, ‘tapping’ (percussing one finger against another lying flat on the abdominal surface) for an over-full bladder, Read more
Complementary therapies are increasingly being used during pregnancy and childbirth, both by expectant mothers who purchase natural remedies such as aromatherapy oils, herbal, homeopathic and Bach flower remedies from health stores, and by professionals, especially midwives and doulas, to enhance the care they provide. However, it is vital to appreciate that, just because these therapies Read more
Delirium and Dementia both cause severe cognitive problems affecting multiple intellectual abilities, but there are several ways to distinguish them. The most important difference is the clarity of the person’s consciousness. People with Delirium act as if they are in a cloud — it is almost impossible to sustain more than a brief conversation with Read more
Aromatherapy is the use of highly concentrated plant oils, usually administered in massage or in the bath. Aromatherapy and massage can be extremely relaxing and may ease symptoms in pregnancy such as backache, constipation, headache, anxiety and stress. However, all aromatherapy essential oils contain chemicals which give them their specific therapeutic properties (e.g. relaxing, uplifting Read more
After medical stabilization, the absolute first priority is to end the starvation, which is a prerequisite for treating the psychological and medical complications of the condition. Because of the patient’s characteristic intense denial and terror of calories, the reversal of starvation is almost invariably met with stiff resistance. It is critical to take a firm Read more
The top layer of your skin has the natural power to prevent itself from dryness. But when you get exposed to cold climate, low humidity and cold winds, this top layer gets depleted and causes dryness. Also, during winter season, dry air from the various room heating sources will suck out the moisture of the Read more
If you are worrying about your health, it’s about time that you focus on knowing some essential nutrients that your body needs in order to live a healthy life. Those who are suffering from high cholesterol level should learn how to eat the right types of food in order for them to prevent worsening the Read more
Radiation therapy is another option for men with localized prostate cancer. It is offered to the same men who are offered radical prostatectomy. They have cancer confirmed by biopsy that, as far as is known, is confined to the prostate. They, too, should be relatively, younger men who would normally expect to have at least Read more
People with this problem can’t control their eating any more than an alcoholic can control his drinking. Binge-eating episodes alternate with frantic efforts to off-load calories – paying for the binges by vomiting, using laxatives, fasting, or constant exercising. The dilemma arises from the contradiction that you can’t control your calories intake, but want to Read more
Popular usage to the contrary, Schizophrenia is not synonymous with split personality (which falls closest to Dissociative Identity Disorder). Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that causes severe problems in thinking, feeling, and behavior. People with Schizophrenia experience difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy. They also have trouble relating to other people, communicating through language, controlling their Read more
There are times in every single person’s life when they will be in pain for some reason or another. Sometimes chronic pain just happens, without any seeming rhyme or reason. Other times it may be attributed to a fall or some other kind of trauma. When this pain happens, it is important to know how Read more