Archive for March 11th, 2009
INFLAMMATION OF THE NOSE, SINUSES, AND THROAT
Author: admin
Inflammation of the membranes of the nose, the sinuses, and throat is a frequent, annoying difficulty. These conditions are called by various names, such as ‘catarrh,’ ‘postnasal drip,’ ‘sinusitis,’ ‘irritated throat,’ and ‘smoker’s cough.’ They can be caused by a number of conditions in addition to colds, for example, infectious diseases; decayed teeth; enlarged, infected tonsils and adenoids; allergies; irritation by smoke and dry or dusty air; vitamin deficiencies.
Here, I want to emphasize certain other important points.
Proper treatment of irritations of the nose, sinuses, and throat depends on finding the cause. That is why you should sec a doctor promptly. Do not wait until the condition becomes severe or chronic.
I realize that, unfortunately, many people will not see a doctor for mild cases of these nuisance ailments. Nose drops, sprays, and inhalers should not be used unless they are prescribed by a doctor. They can do far more harm than good—for example, by irritating the membranes that may be causing the trouble simply because they are unusually sensitive. Here are some suggestions for temporary relief of certain conditions, if you cannot see a doctor.
Catarrh (postnasal drip)
Avoid cold and dry air and cigarette smoke. Keep one or more pans of water in the room, preferably on or near the radiator. Stay indoors, if possible, on a cold, raw day; if you go out, wear warm clothing and do not get chilled. Blow your nose gently. Although the accumulation of mucus is unpleasant and irritating, it does not poison you or upset your digestion if swallowed.
Sinusitis
Avoid cold and dry air, as I explain above. If the pain is severe, inhaling the steamy vapour rising from a basin of hot water may bring relief, but be careful not to use boiling water, as the steam would be scalding. An electric heating pad or a hot-water bag, protected by a cloth cover to prevent burns, may be helpful if applied over the painful area on the face or forehead for ten minutes every two hours. Take an aspirin every two or three hours.
Irritated throat and smoker’s cough
Stop smoking or cut down on it drastically; or try filter-tip cigarettes or a holder with a filter in it. Gargle with a third glassful of water in which two aspirins have been dissolved, then swallow the solution. If this method gags you (as it may, especially in the morning when the symptoms are most in need of relief), try plain warm water as a gargle, or chewing gum followed by a soothing throat lozenge. Avoid breathing through the mouth.
If these simple methods do not bring relief, be sure to see a doctor before these nuisance ailments develop into something more than a nuisance. They may be symptoms of more serious illnesses.
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read comments (0)HEART DISEASES: RELATED DISORDERS
Author: admin
Congenital heart disease
This means heart trouble that is present at birth. One example of which you may have heard is a so-called blue baby. In these babies, the blood does not flow properly from the heart to the lungs. Some congenital abnormalities do not reveal themselves until later in life.
Syphilitic heart disease
Syphilis can damage the circulatory system, most often by injuring the aorta, the main artery leading from the heart. It is especially dangerous when it damages the valve that separates the heart from the aorta.
Rheumatic fever is a frequent cause of heart disease. Children and young adults are most often the victims, but many adults suffer heart injury because of rheumatic fever they had when younger.
Bacterial endocarditis
This serious disease was formerly invariably fatal, but can now often be cured with penicillin and other antibiotics. It most commonly occurs in people whose heart valves have already been affected by rheumatic fever. It also occurs in people who have congenital abnormalities of the heart valves. Bacteria, carried by the bloodstream, infect these areas.
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Do not worry if your child’s temperature reading is either a little above or a little below the normal 98.4° F. (37° C.) marking. Even in healthy adults, the temperature may vary. Another thing to realize is that for children as well as for adults, the temperature is lowest in the very early morning, and highest in the late afternoon. Immediately after running or any violent exercise, the temperature of small children may rise even to 100° F. (37.8° C.) with no sign of illness.
A cold or anything more serious will cause a fever. If your baby or child has a temperature of 99° to 101° F. (37.2° to 38.3° C.) and no other symptoms, such as vomiting or a rash, you can wait before calling the doctor. Take the temperature every three hours. If it rises above 101° F., notify the doctor. If a slight fever of 99.5° to 101° F. lasts more than a day, notify your doctor. Always record the temperatures and the time when taken, for the doctor.
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In discussing this subject, I shall not attempt to deal with the moral aspects of some of the questions that follow, for in my opinion this would be going outside the province of the physician.
1) Should a couple have sexual intercourse (coitus) before marriage in order to find out whether they are compatible? This is a matter for each couple to decide. However, it seems naive to me to believe that one can successfully test so subtle and delicate a matter. A satisfactory sexual adjustment is seldom achieved immediately. Far more often it is developed gradually.
2) Does the size of the respective organs of man and woman play an important part in the success of their relationship? No—at least, far less often than is generally imagined, because of the possibility of employing techniques that will minimize any difficulties.
3)Does having practised masturbation affect the ability to have successful sexual relations? The harmful effects of this practice are due to the fears and guilts associated with it. Physically, no damage is done by it. Almost everyone has practised some form of masturbation.
4) Does youthful petting interfere with satisfactory sex relations later on? Most normal young people engage in some sort of lovemaking that does not terminate in intercourse. It is the usual way for them to discover or demonstrate their physical attraction for each other. Prolonged or habitual petting, which requires the exercise of great self-restraint, may have a temporary bad effect. For example, a girl who is accustomed to being on guard against letting herself go too far may find it difficult when she is first married to relax and enjoy the sexual act.
5)Is sexual experience with others in the past helpful or harmful to the establishment of successful sex relations with one’s spouse? It is certainly not necessary. Experience in the art of lovemaking should ideally be obtained with one’s chosen mate. However, I think it is important to realize that loving someone requires an understanding of the fact that even past relationships have contributed to creating the person one loves. On the other hand, promiscuity, as well as the coldness that comes from repressing sexual desire, is an indication of a neurotic attitude towards sex.
6) Does a past homosexual experience mean that a person cannot have normal sex relations? According to the Kinsey report, a great many men and an appreciable number of women have had some sort of homosexual experience that did not interfere with normal sexual relations later on. However, I feel that everyone who is concerned about such an experience should discuss it frankly with a doctor or a competent counsellor.
7) Is the wedding night crucial in the establishment of satisfactory sexual relations? It can be. The bride is usually tense and overwrought, especially if the wedding was a large one. She requires the utmost consideration from the groom, who is usually nervous himself. Some of the difficulties of the wedding night can be avoided if the bride has had a preliminary medical examination, as I mention on page 180. Before the wedding night, also, the marriage partners should discuss birth control with each other. Their doctor or marriage counsellor will answer questions about contraceptive methods.
If the husband is considerate and gentle, will the bride enjoy sexual intercourse? Some young women derive no more pleasure from it than they would from any intimate caress. They may not reach sexual maturity until they have been married for quite a while. Generally speaking, women are less quickly and spontaneously aroused than are men. Both partners should realize this fact. Many women need a warming-up period before they feel a desire to have intercourse—in many cases, before they are physically ready for it. When a woman is sufficiently aroused, her vagina is well lubricated and naturally receptive to the insertion of the penis. Many women respond best to love-making that begins with verbal expressions of affection, kisses, and gentle caresses, and proceeds to stimulation of the breasts, the nipples, the clitoris (the small projection outside the vagina, which is composed of erectile tissue similar to that of the penis), and the vagina itself. Each husband should learn to know the degree to which his wife is excited by caresses of different parts of the body.
9) Will a wife always achieve sexual satisfaction if her husband is sufficiently skilful? Some women do not experience an orgasm (the climax of the sexual act), even under the most favourable circumstances. Some experience an orgasm only after they have been married for some time. Some women experience this climax only occasionally, perhaps at certain periods of the month; their desire may be of a cyclical nature, reaching its peak before, during, or after the menstrual period. Although in a man the orgasm is clearly defined, it may be vague or diffuse in a woman. Its degree of intensity varies, failure to achieve an orgasm does not prevent a woman from having great pleasure in the sexual act; it does not necessarily cause her to become tense and to feel frustrated. Men often reach the climax of their sexual excitement more rapidly than women do. The man can usually compensate for this discrepancy in timing by making certain that the woman is highly stimulated before intercourse actually begins. As a general rule, a woman’s desire fades rather slowly after she has had an orgasm whereas that of a man is apt to vanish immediately. It is not unusual, especially if a man is young or greatly excited, for him occasionally to have an orgasm immediately upon beginning the sexual act— this is called premature ejaculation. However, if it occurs habitually, he should consult a doctor. Failure to have an orgasm during coitus is rare in men—except when they are under the influence of alcohol —and should be discussed with a doctor or other trained adviser.
10) What causes frigidity in women? Failure to have an orgasm does not necessarily mean a woman is frigid. Doctors speak of true frigidity in women as the inability to derive pleasure from sexual relations. This may be caused by insufficient lubrication or lack of adequate stimulation. More likely, frigidity is the result of conscious or unconscious feelings of guilt, inferiority, or fears. In such cases, professional help is usually required to remove the underlying cause.
11) What is impotence in men, and what causes it? By impotence, doctors mean the inability of a man to have an erection. It does not mean sterility, which is the inability to have children. Impotence can be, but rarely is, due to physical causes. In most cases, it is due to such psychological difficulties as hostility to women, guilt, and fears —for example, the fear of catching a venereal disease or of being sexually inferior. Some men are able to have intercourse only with women whom they do not respect and are impotent with women they admire or love. This is usually due to their often subconscious division of women into two groups: madonnas (good mothers), with whom sexual intercourse is forbidden, and harlots, with whom it is permissible. In most cases, psychiatric help is required to solve the problems causing impotence.
12)How often should a couple have intercourse? The best suggestion I can offer is: if both partners feel well, if coitus does not cause discomfort or fatigue and is followed by physical and emotional relaxation, there is no need to worry about overdoing things. Repeated failure to be satisfied after experiencing an orgasm should be discussed with a physician or trained counsellor. The desire to have intercourse usually declines as people approach middle age. Yet some women reach the height of sexual vigour quite late in life, even after they have passed the menopause; and some men retain virility into their old age. Whether or not to have intercourse while the woman is menstruating is a matter for each couple to decide. It may cause the wife some discomfort, especially if she has cramps during her period, but it will do no physical damage to either the man or the woman. I discuss the question of intercourse during pregnancy in Chapter 12. Having intercourse does not use up one’s potency, and abstaining from it does not increase virility. However, having sexual relations several times a day regularly may decrease the amount of sperm a man produces, thus lessening the chances of having a child. Excessive interest in sex or lack of interest in it are indications of difficulties that require expert help. Never take any medicine, pill or injection in order to increase or decrease sexual desire, unless a competent physician has discovered a physical condition that requires it. Potency pills that contain hormones can be extremely dangerous. Aphrodisiacs such as cantharides (Spanish fly) are actually poisonous irritants. Alcohol does not increase desire, although it may appear to do so because it releases inhibitions. Occasionally, a tense or shy person finds it easier to relax after having a glass or two of wine or some other alcoholic beverage. But anyone who remains dependent on an artificial aid will probably find some form of psychotherapy a far wiser way of getting rid of repressions.
13) Is intercourse ever harmful or dangerous? It is extremely dangerous when either partner is suffering from a venereal disease. Intercourse and all other forms of close contact should be avoided in cases of contagious illness. Certain non-contagious diseases make intercourse inadvisable or even dangerous. Anyone who is not in good health should discuss this matter frankly with his (or her) physician.
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THE MALE SEX GLANDS
Author: admin
The sex glands, or gonads
The gonads—from the Creek word gonos, meaning seed—consist of the testicles in men and the ovaries in women. Besides producing sperm and egg cells, the sex glands make the hormones that are responsible for the special characteristics of the male and female.
The male sex glands
The male sex glands consist of two testicles that lie enclosed in the scrotal sac of skin, just below the penis. They secrete semen containing the male element of reproduction, the sperm, and also the very important male sex hormone testosterone.
In addition to affecting the male sex organs and sex characteristics, testosterone stimulates muscle and bone development and helps to maintain the strength of muscles.
Impotence, or the inability to have sexual relations, can occur if the testicles are removed, or it may result from a disease of the testicles or the pituitary gland. Frequently, however, impotence is due to emotional troubles, or psychoneuroses.
Sterility means the inability to have children. It occurs in some men who are by no means impotent.
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