Fibromyalgia can sometimes be a DIFFICULT condition to treat because the pain is so generalized and occurs deep in the muscles of the back, making it hard to pinpoint. If you have chronic deep back pain and have trouble sleeping, you should see your doctor. If the pain doesn’t gradually fade after a few days, you may have rheumatoid arthritis and not fibromyalgia. If the diagnosis is indeed fibromyalgia, there are certain things you can do to treat the symptoms yourself.

First, you should try to relax, both physically and emotionally, with exercise, listening to music, and reading. If your body tightens up in response to stress, the connective tissue will tighten up as well, which will just make the pain worse. Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is a chronic condition; the best you can do is try to control your lifestyle, which will help a lot.’

Aspirin or another nonnarcotic painkiller will help whenever the pain flares up. If the pain occasionally becomes severe, your doctor may prescribe a corticosteroid medication such as prednisone, 20 mg. to be taken each day.

Learning how to manage stress with the use of biofeedback and relaxation exercises should help get your pain down to a level where it’s almost unnoticeable. Regular exercise and hot baths will also help and make it easier for you to fall asleep at night. Some people also find it important to maintain good posture, which helps to place less stress on the connective tissue.

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As you get older, the sensitivity of your skin increases. For instance, you may find that you’re able to stay out in the sun for only half the time you could 5 or 10 years ago before you start to burn.

This increase in your skin’s sensitivity also extends to exposure to chemicals, cosmetics, and certain types of plants. If you notice that red patches suddenly appear on your neck, it’s likely that your skin is reacting to a substance to which it is highly allergic. This reaction is a condition called contact dermatitis. Poison ivy is one form of contact dermatitis; so is a rash that forms when you try a new cosmetic.

Within a day or two after you’re exposed to the new allergen, red patches will start to appear in the affected area, and they’ll probably be itchy. In some people, blisters will also form a few days later. The entire episode, from the initial exposure to the allergen to when the rash clears up, usually lasts about a week or two.

A person can also have an allergic reaction due to anxiety or other emotional stresses in her life.

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Penicillin and other medicines have revolutionized the treatment of this serious disease. However, this does not mean it is no longer a killer. But it is tremendously reassuring to know that syphilis can be readily and completely cured.

In the main, syphilis is transmitted through sexual contact. In extremely rare instances, it has been contracted by drinking from a glass previously used by a syphilitic person. It is not caught from contact with toilet seats.

Any sore on or near the sex organs should be examined and tested by a physician immediately. If it is not syphilis, a great deal of needless worry will be avoided. If it is syphilis, treatment can be started at once with assurance of a prompt cure.

If undiscovered and untreated, syphilis may continue for many years before there is obvious harm to the body. Late syphilis may cause blindness or severe disease of the bones and joints, the skin, or the internal organs, since the unchecked spirochetes can invade every cell of the body. The forms of syphilis most often resulting in death are those that damage the nervous system and the heart.

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Always consult a doctor if an adolescent suffers from severe acne. The doctor may want to refer the young person to a dermatologist or to the skin-diseases department of the nearest hospital. Frequent boils may be a sign of diabetes. Do not forget that this disease, which you may have associated only with adults, frequently strikes young people.

Freckles can be a source of worry to adolescents. Let me remind you that there is no way you can remove them safely at home. However, they can be prevented from getting worse by reducing exposure to the sun or by using protective ointments or lotions.

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Your life, unlike your grandmother’s, is not going to be very different now that you are pregnant. Your appearance need not be unattractive, your activities will not be much restricted.

What can you do during pregnancy?

Many doctors feel that it is safe to participate in sports such as golf, riding, tennis, and dancing, as long as you do not become overtired. Some doctors think that it is wise to engage in only mild forms of exercise during the early stages of pregnancy, when the danger of a miscarriage is greatest.

There is no reason why a pregnant woman cannot drive a car or even take motor trips as long as her figure does not become too cumbersome. However, if you go on a long trip, stop the car at least every hour and a half and get out and move around for a few minutes. And, of course, obey the cardinal rule, ‘Do not overtire yourself.’ This holds true for all forms of travel. If you have a tendency to seasickness, or if the weather is apt to be uncertain, do not take a trip by boat or aircraft.

Always consult your doctor before undertaking anything new, or when you are in doubt.

Clothing

Fortunately, the modern woman can dress becomingly in clothes that conceal her condition during the early stages of her pregnancy and keep her from looking ungainly later on. The only prohibition about clothing is that it should not be too tight or uncomfortable in any way. Wear comfortable, safe shoes. High heels will not support you properly during the last months of pregnancy.

Personal hygiene

There are no prohibitions about washing or bathing the entire body, including the genitals. Tub baths are sometimes forbidden in the last months of pregnancy because of the danger of infection. Shower or sponge baths are always safe. Never take a douche during pregnancy unless your doctor recommends it.

Alcohol and tobacco

Most doctors permit expectant mothers to drink alcoholic beverages in moderation. Until recently, they adopted the same attitude towards smoking, but with the new information on smoking, some physicians now advise their pregnant patients to stop altogether.

Sexual relations

Aside from the danger of miscarriage during the days of the month when your first three menstrual periods would occur if you were not pregnant, sexual intercourse is safe during the first seven to eight months of pregnancy. Again, moderation is essential. However, intercourse is not safe during the last six weeks. This is because bacteria are forced into the mouth of the womb during the sexual act. If labour should begin early, there is a real danger that these bacteria will cause an acute infection.

Emotional reactions

Especially during the early, months of pregnancy, you may be unusually sensitive and irritable, so that you become upset and cry if your husband seems to speak crossly to you. The demands and fretfulness of your other children may seem almost too much to bear. Try to take this in your stride. Our bodies and emotions are influenced

by special chemicals called hormones. During pregnancy, the body has more of certain hormones than it had before, and less of others. This imbalance may cause exaggerated emotional reactions. Remind yourself that they are only temporary. If you are concerned about this, consult your doctor.

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There are over 120 species of snakes throughout Australia, and more than half of them are poisonous. However, only about 16 snakes are venomous enough to kill an adult. Among the more deadly species are the copperhead, the tiger snake, the taipan—considered one of the world’s most dangerous snakes—the death adder, the red-bellied black snake, the various brown snakes, the mulga and the Clarence River snake.

Each of these snakes has two poison fangs and up to 13 small teeth on each side of its upper jaw, depending on the species. When a snake bites, the venom is squeezed from a gland and flows down a groove in each fang (with the exception of the death adder, which is hollow-fanged) and is deposited within the two-puncture wound. There are usually two rows of indentations from the smaller teeth as well.

Snakes usually bite people on the legs or arms, and a tourniquet should be applied to the upper part of the limb between the wound and the heart. Wash the bitten area thoroughly and suck the wound vigorously to remove any venom from the wound and the superficial tissues. Do not give him alcohol. Reassure the patient, keeping him warm and quiet. Get the victim to a doctor so that he can be injected with antivenene.

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The nose, with its bones, cartilage, nerves, and mucous membranes, which contain glands secreting a watery fluid, is the organ of smell; and, more important, it is the means by which we take air into our bodies. We can—and some people do—get along by breathing through the mouth. While this is not dangerous, it is by no means satisfactory. The nose is a far better ventilator. It filters out dust, provides moisture, and acts as an air conditioner by warming the air we take in.

Infections of the nose

The most common disease of the nose—in fact, the most common disease in the world—is the common cold.

Ozena is a severe form of chronic infection of the nose, which is characterized by an unpleasant odour. A persistent, foul-smelling discharge in children is usually caused by some foreign object, such as a bead or pencil eraser, that has become lodged deep in the nasal passage. Always have a doctor take care of removing such an object.

Should an unsightly nose be changed by plastic surgery? This is a problem you should talk over with your doctor.

Cleaning the nose

Your nose needs little regular care. Do not use nose drops, sprays, or ‘sniffers’ unless your doctor tells you to. They cure nothing and can cause irritation or injury.

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