The expressions radiation treatment and radiotherapy mean the same thing: treatment with various forms of ionising radiation. The treatment is usually given by beaming the rays through the body from a machine which looks a bit like the ones they take X-rays with. Less commonly, radiation treatment is given by temporarily placing radioactive substances inside [...]

It may take a lot of persuasion to convince a person who feels well, but who has been told his blood pressure is raised, to take tablets which make him feel ill and which interfere with some normal bodily functions. This is the reason most people stop treatment, or continue with a reduced dose. Another [...]

Unfortunately, the history is not always accurate as we all eat many different types of food and may be confused. Sometimes it takes several episodes of an allergic manifestation such as hives before the penny drops and we associate the symptoms with a particular food. If the allergy is due to a breakdown substance, then [...]

Prostaglandins, newly understood hormones, were first discovered and named in 1935 by Dr. U. S. von Euler, a distinguished professor and researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Dr. von Euler originally believed that these hormones were produced solely by the prostate gland in the male, which is his reason for naming them as he [...]

They are primarily local, and may take many forms. Thinning of the skin may occur, with resultant striae or stretch marks appearing as purple or white streaks, particularly in the creases. The skin may also appear aged, with the blood vessels and superficial haemorrhages visible through the more transparent skin, particularly on the face. There [...]

A fatty acid molecule consists of a chain of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. The end of the molecule with three hydrogens (H) attached to the carbon (C) atom is called the methyl end. The other end is known as the carboxyl end. The chain has an even number of carbon atoms which stretches [...]

Lifestyle and diet play an important role in this holistic approach. A poor diet can result in mineral deficiencies which can burden the lymphatic system with waste. Often the food we eat does not have the nutritional quality necessary for good health. If you don’t have access to organically grown fruit and vegetables (and being [...]

Many women are told by their doctors that the cure for endometriosis is pregnancy. Unfortunately, this is a myth which continues to be perpetuated in medical as well as popular literature. The mistaken belief that pregnancy cures endometriosis appears to have arisen from the impressions and speculations of some of the early gynaecologists who had [...]

Varicose veins — unsightly, often painful raised and knotted veins — usually occur in the legs and may lead to leg ulcers and blood clots. They are caused by the sluggish flow of blood combined with weak walls of veins and faulty valves. You may be more likely to suffer from varicose veins if your [...]

An old advertisement for an over-the-counter cold medication observed that you can’t take every cold to a doctor, and proceeded to plug the medicine in question. The advert was right. It is not sensible to go to the doctor with every cold – or, for that matter, whenever you feel blue, down in the dumps [...]