Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a medical mystery. Otherwise known as cot death, it seems SIDS is not a new phenomenon. It was referred to in the Bible (by another name) and was well described in medical journals over 150 years ago. In Australia, about one in every 500 babies dies of SIDS in their first year of life, usually between the first and fifth month.

SIDS is medically defined as the unexpected death of an apparently healthy baby for whom an autopsy fails to identify the cause of death. In other words, it is not known why the baby died. It seems that the baby simply dies within about five minutes, usually while asleep, without any indication of pain or distress.

There are over 100 theories about the possible causes of SIDS. To date none have been proven. One day, through research, we may be able to determine some or all of the causes of SIDS and identify those babies who may be at risk. Statistics reveal that SIDS occurs most often in the winter months, and it affects more boys than girls. The baby has sometimes had a mild respiratory infection and may not have been feeding well in the preceding months. Even though these and other factors are more common in children who die from SIDS, it does not necessarily mean they are the direct cause of SIDS. Many infants die from SIDS with no indication of these factors being present. Also, in cases where these factors are present, most babies do not die. This may sound rather confusing but indicates the current state of knowledge. These factors may however give clues to researchers about further lines of investigation. Despite extensive research there is nothing known as yet that can be done to prevent a baby dying from SIDS.

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What is it?

A condition in which an individual becomes ‘hooked’ on sugar-containing foods so that life without them becomes a misery or virtually impossible. Sugar addiction is worth worrying about because it makes people fat (with all the resultant health risks this entails) and causes tooth decay. It may also, via its action on insulin metabolism, have something to do with the causation of diabetes.

What causes it?

• There is little doubt that most higher animals find sugar a pleasant taste and many of nature’s fruits, and vegetables contain sugars. Although most westerners with their sweet tooth don’t realize it, vegetables such as carrots and onions are very sweet. So it appears that it is natural for us to like sweet-tasting things.

• Upbringing is undoubtedly the prime reason why so many people in the West are sugar addicts. From the very earliest days mothers give their babies dummies filled with sugar solutions or coated in honey to suck to keep them quiet. This sort of habit sets the body’s sugar ‘thermostat’ so high that anything that is not extremely sweet is perceived as less palatable.

• A cultural acceptance of the myth that dietary rewards must involve sugar. The woman who feels low pre-menstrually or the unhappy child on the way home from school both opt for sweet, sugar-containing slugs of confectionary.

Prevention

• The best starting point is total and on-demand breastfeeding. Breast milk contains its own sugars and tastes very sweet. However, these sugars are balanced with other constituents and don’t have the harmful effects that sucrose (table sugar) has. A baby nourished in this way will not crave sugary drinks and sweets.

• Don’t have sugar on the table as your children grow up. Teach them to find sweetness elsewhere-in vegetables or fruits.

• Once you are a sugar eater and want to change your ways, keep a sugar diary for a week or two. It is very difficult to appreciate just how much sugar you actually eat unless you do this. Statistics show that sugar added to food accounts for 25 per cent of all the calories eaten by the average adult. For teenagers this figure can be as high as 50 per cent. Get used to reading labels on foods and steer away from those that are rich in sugar or have anything ending in ose, (maltose, dextrose, sucrose, etc.) on the label.

• Shop more wisely. This will mean buying few or none at all of the following: sweets and chocolates; cream-filled and iced biscuits; cakes and sweet pastries; jams, honey, marmalade and spreads; tinned fruit in syrup; sweetened yoghurts; jellies and ready-made desserts; sweet pickles; fruit sauces; tomato ketchup; and fizzy drinks and squashes containing sugar.

• Ban all sugar and sweets from the house. Feeding your craving is much more difficult if the things are not there to be eaten. In spite of all the publicity about the dangers of sugar consumption, in 1980 in the UK the use of sugars and sweeteners was up 50 per cent from 91 lb a year per person at the turn of the century to 143 lb a year.

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•     Physical exercise also has beneficial effects on the skin. In one study, twenty older women who exercised regularly on a trampoline were compared with twenty who did not take exercise. The exercisers looked younger, and had fewer wrinkles and better skin colour than the sedentary group. They also had less pronounced bags under the eyes.

Blood pressure creeps up with age in almost all westernized societies. The fact that this is not inevitable is shown by its absence in many traditional-living countries. Reducing salt intake and using relaxation exercises have been found to halt the gradual increase in blood pressure and even to reverse it. Taking plenty of calcium has also been found to help reduce blood pressure.

As we age (after the age of 25) we lose 3-5 per cent of our muscles, glands, connective tissue and internal organs every ten years. The breakdown products are passed out in the urine, and fat takes the place of the once active tissues. So unless you lose this 3-5 percent of your body weight each ten years you will get fattier and less muscular. But this is not an irreversible part of ageing. A study of two champion runners aged 70 and 71 found that they had the same amount of body fat as university students. Just dieting, however, is not enough-you have to exercise to build up lean muscle and other tissues.

•     Exercise can also be an excellent treatment for varicose veins in old age. The author of a leading book on the subject claims that old people with the condition should run, jump, jog and ‘do anything but sit still’. The pumping action of the calf muscles helps improve leg circulation, and it also helps to keep your legs elevated when rested (above heart level if possible).

•     Many elderly people have lost a lot or even all of their teeth and see this as inevitable. It isn’t. Tooth loss in middle and old age is mainly the result of gum disease. This can be totally prevented by regular brushing (from gum to tooth), the use of dental floss and regular visits to the dentist. Vitamins A and Ñ are vital too. Calcium and vitamin D are now known to help prevent the loss of bone from tooth sockets. One researcher supplemented, for a year, the diet of women with very low bone density with 750 mg calcium daily plus vitamins D and C. Within a year he found the rate of bone growth around their teeth roots had roughly doubled.

•     The brain also lives by the principle ‘Use it or lose it’. There is no doubt that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Experiments with rats have shown that those raised in ‘enriched environments’-roomy cages, with other rats and a variety of playthings had heavier, more chemically active brains than did rats raised alone in ‘impoverished’ environments.

Physical exercise can also help. In one study reaction times, short-term memory and reasoning power were all improved in a group of elderly, out-of-shape people when they were put on a four-month walking programme. The walking group improved in six out of eight areas of mental functioning; a group who did weight lifting and push-ups in one; and an idle group in none.

There are various ‘cures’ and ‘preventives’ for old age for which claims have been made over the years but none has yet withstood scientific scrutiny-even ginseng with its well-known pharmacology and the vast scientific literature on its success in other areas. At the moment all such rejuvenation and old age-preventing techniques should be regarded with suspicion.

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There is only a small amount of copper in the body, but it finds its way into many of the body’s chemical interactions. Copper is part of the SOD (superoxide dismutase) molecule which scavenges the dangerous free radicals. As part of SOD, copper helps protect against cancer.

You also need copper to properly utilize the iron in your body. If you don’t have enough copper, and cannot make use of the iron you take in, you may find yourself suffering from an iron-deficiency anemia. Anemia, in turn, harms the immune system and other parts of the body. Lack of copper also prompts a weakness of the T-cells and the complement system. The complement system, which I discussed earlier, works with the cell “eaters,” T-cells and other parts of your immune system to destroy bacteria, viruses and other dangerous particles.

Copper and zinc have a “seesaw” effect on each other: too much of one lowers the levels of the other. So don’t overdose on either; keep them in balance.

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TUBERCULOSIS: caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Can occur in any part of body, but usually strikes the lungs. Symptoms vary with part of body affected.

Signs and Symptoms: first symptoms include coughing up of blood; shortness of breath; fever. Signs and symptoms depend upon where the bacteria settles in the body. Constitutional signs and symptoms include fever; malaise; loss of appetite; weight loss; haggard appearance. Tuberculosis is more prevalent in the lungs. May cause cough; a bloody cough; shortness of breath; chest pain; fever; malaise; weight loss. If it’s in kidneys, urine may be bloody or filled with pus. In the brain, it can cause changes in behavior, headaches, coma, stupor, drowsiness, death. If it gets into the intestinal tract, can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. In the adrenals, it can cause adrenal insufficiency (weakness, fatigue and other symptoms). This is called Addison’s disease. (President Kennedy suffered from Addison’s disease.) If it gets in liver, may cause jaundice. In the joints, it can cause pain and symptoms of arthritis. If in the spine, it may cause backache; collapse of vertebrae. It can invade glands all over the body, especially in the neck.

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The ultimate failure of the immune system. Whether cancer is fatal or not depends on what type of cancer it is, how soon it is detected and other factors.

Signs and Symptoms: depend on where the cancer is. The first signs and symptoms of a cancer may be fatigue, weakness, lethargy, depression, irritability, vague behavioral changes, loss of appetite, a persistent cough and other general problems.

Lung cancer may cause no symptoms for a long time. If the bronchial tubes, rather than the lungs themselves, are involved, an irritating type of cough may be experienced.

Stomach cancer may produce no symptoms, or there may be abdominal pains mimicking the pain of gastritis or an ulcer. There may be diarrhea, constipation, vague or severe abdominal pain. Blood may appear in the stool, or the stool may appear black in color (depending on where the bleeding is).

Colo-rectal cancer may produce no symptoms until the advanced stages. There may be rectal bleeding (pay attention to any blood in the stool). There may also be a change in bowel habits. The stool may become like “squeezed toothpaste.” There may be vague abdominal pains, and, at times, pain upon bending forward.

Ovarian cancer can produce a feeling of “fullness” in the abdomen, and clothes seem a little tighter. Vague to severe pains in the lower abdomen and pelvic area may also occur.

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Cell eaters are born knowing what to do, so they can rush right into battle. Other white blood cells, called lymphocytes, hold back, studying the antigen, preparing themselves to join the battle. Why the two approaches? Well, there are numerous antigens, and the antigens are constantly evolving new molecular structures and new ways to attack. It is impossible for the immune system to know which antigens will attack over a lifetime or what new guises they might adopt. So we have two types of immune soldiers: the generalists and the specialists.

Phagocytes are generalists; they’ll attack and try to gobble up all the antigens they can. But what if an antigen evolves methods of evading or defeating the phagocytes? That’s where the lymphocytes come in. They’re specialists, and they are given very specific instructions before they’re sent out after antigens.

Special training is a good idea, but it takes time. What’s to prevent antigens from wreaking havoc before the lymphocytes are ready? That’s where phagocytes come into play. Their job is to defeat the germs or hold them off until the lymphocytes are ready to attack.

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Any change in your urine stream is a sign that you should see your doctor or urologist. If you have a kidney stone, your doctor will prescribe painkillers to help decrease the pain without interfering with or prolonging the process of passing the stone. He may also suggest a process called lithotripsy, which uses underwater ultrasound waves to break up the stone.

If you think you’re having prostate problems with an enlarged prostate, you should make an appointment with a urologist, since early treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, could prevent it from turning into prostate cancer down the road. To treat BPH, your doctor may take a wait-and-see attitude, but since you are already showing a symptom of BPH by a change in your urine stream, he may decide to begin treatment, first with the medication Proscar, which shrinks the prostate. If the medication does not have much effect, he may opt for a surgical procedure called a transurethral prostate resection, in which the parts of the prostate that are constricting the flow of urine are surgically removed to take the pressure off the urethra.

The resection is successful in most cases, but if the prostate continues to grow, there’s a chance the operation may have to be repeated when urination again becomes difficult.

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Most cases of vomiting last for only a day or two. If you are vomiting what looks like coffee grounds, which are actually partially digested blood, you may have a bleeding ulcet and should see your doctor immediately. You may also be sweating and start to go into shock. You or a family member will need to call 911. See “Pain in Upper Midabdomen” above for details about treating a bleeding ulcer.

The medication Compazine in pill form, taken in 10-milligtam doses three times a day, is frequently effective in stopping vomiting episodes. Either Compazine or another medication called Reglan will be prescribed for people who are receiving chemotherapy.

If you tend to become nauseous and vomit due to motion sickness, ask your doctor if you can try a scopolamine patch, which is worn behind the ear. The “scope patch” usually prevents nausea and vomiting when it’s worn before and during a trip to prevent car- and seasickness. Some of my patients swear by a bracelet that places pressure on their wrist that they say helps prevent motion sickness.

To determine the cause of vomiting accurately, your doctor will need to take a complete health history and perform a physical exam and a series of lab tests if the vomiting lasts for more than 24 hours and there is no obvious cause.

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Because many women are afraid of what they might find, or because they don’t think they can get cancer, they may continually postpone doing a breast exam. But it takes less than five minutes to examine your breasts thoroughly. It’s important to check your breasts every month because early lumps and tumors usually cannot be detected just by visual examination. In addition, by the time you notice a lump, it may be too late and the cancer may already have spread to other parts of your body.

When examining your breasts, it will help to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I feel a change in the size of one breast, as compared to the other?

2. Do I feel a lump in my breast?

3. Does my partner feel a lump in my breast?

4. Is the lump painful?

5. Is there a discharge from the breast?

6. Has the appearance of the skin of the breast changed?

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