Pharmahealthblog. Health and medical information

Some babies are born with a dislocation, or lack of fit, between the top of the thigh bone (which is shaped like a ball) and the socket in the hip bone. This occurs in approximately 1 in 700 births, and is more common in girls by a ratio of 4:1. Usually only one hip is affected, but both hips are involved in 25% of cases.

Cause

There is no one cause of congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH). Genetic factors seem to play a part, as it is more common in girls than in boys, and especially in daughters of mothers who themselves had CDH as babies. The posture of the baby in the womb also seems important, so that it is more common in breech presentations (where the baby is born legs first instead of the usual head first).

Clinical features

Often there are no easily detectable signs of CDH in infancy. Sometimes the skin creases in the thighs are asymmetrical. Parents may notice when changing the nappy that one thigh is restricted in its movement, and cannot be laid all the way back on the table. Later, an abnormal position of the leg on the affected side may be noticed, and the leg itself may be shorter than the other due to dislocation. There may be a delay in walking, or the child may walk with a limp or with the pelvis tilted to one side.

During the doctor’s examination of a newborn baby, both hips are carefully checked for any signs of dislocation. Several tests are performed specifically to detect CDH or an unstable hip. On examination of your baby’s hip a faint click may be heard (‘clicky hips’), which may be due only to stretched ligaments and simply requires monitoring. If this click is accompanied by an abnormal movement of the hip, the diagnosis of congenital hip dislocation is likely.

Investigation

A very careful physical examination of both hips should be done in the first few-days of life, and repeated at 6 weeks of age. In experienced hands, this should detect most cases of CDH. Sometimes an X-ray of the hip may be helpful, and ultrasound is being increasingly used.

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FLAT FEET

Babies often appear to have flat feet because the soles of their feet are filled with pads of thick fat. The fatter the baby, the flatter the feet look. Once babies start walking, this arches become more defined because the ligaments and muscles start more working more, and by the age of 3 years, the feet acquire their final shape. After this age, a child who has flat feet will wear down the heels of his shoes on the inner sides very quickly. The entire surface of the sole of the foot is in contact with the ground, and the arches are not visible. This occasionally causes the child pain, especially when playing sport. Children with flat feet do not need any treatment. In particular, there is no need for arches, supports or special shoes. If flat feet persist into adult life, arches may reduce the wear on shoes.

HEELS, PAINFUL

This condition is especially common in older children and young adolescents. Sometimes it is caused by a strain of the achilles tendon where it attaches to the bone of the heel. Pain is usually experienced after sport. Usually no treatment is necessary, because the condition improves with age and eventually disappears. Raising the heel of the shoe on the affected side sometimes helps. The child should be encouraged to continue playing sport.

The other cause of painful heels is a bony spur (calcaneal spur) on the back of the heel bone, which rubs against the bottom or back of the shoe. The overlying skin becomes reddened and bruised. Treatment consists of inserting a small pad in the shoe to protect the affected area. Occasionally surgery is needed to chip off the bony protrusion.

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Growing pains are very common. It is said that 1 in 5 children suffers from them at some stage, especially during the early school years.

Cause

The cause of growing pains is uncertain. They are said to be related to exercise, but this is not always so, and in most cases there are no known precipitating events.

Clinical features

The child complains of aching or a burning sensation in the legs — in the thighs, calves, feet or joints. The pains can also occur, though far less commonly, in the arms or other parts of the body. They usually occur at night, and sometimes wake the child from sleep, but are also common in the daytime. They are rarely severe enough to interfere with daily activity. In most children, the pain or discomfort is transient, irregular and unpredictable — it tends to come and go. The natural history is for growing pains to get better over time.

Investigations

No investigations are usually necessary. Occasionally the doctor will order an X-ray or blood test to exclude other conditions, such as a fracture or inflammation.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for growing pains. Massaging the affected area may help. Occasionally a mild analgesic is given to the child, but mostly all that is necessary is reassurance and the general measures described above. There is no need to restrict activity.

When to see your doctor

See your doctor if you suspect that there is something more serious going on — if the pains are very severe and persistent, if there is a limp, or an affected part is tender or feels hot.

Prevention

There is nothing that can be done to prevent growing pains.

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There are several types of fracture commonly seen in children. These include: Greenstick fracture in which a bone is bent rather than broken. This is common in young children, whose bones are malleable.

Undisplaced fracture in which the break does not interfere with the alignment of the bone fragments, so that the two ends remain in contact with each other. Open fracture in which one end of the broken bone is exposed to the outside through the skin, and is thus susceptible to becoming infected.

Clinical features

The area around the fracture usually becomes swollen and sometimes there is an obvious deformity visible. The child may hold his arm or leg perfectly still because even the slightest movement increases the pain.

Investigations

The diagnosis of a fracture should always be confirmed by an X-ray.

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Toothache in children is almost always caused by dental caries. Often hot or cold foods will irritate a dental cavity. Have your child see a dentist as soon as possible. Temporary pain relief may be obtained by giving paracetamol according to directions, and occasionally by a warm compress applied to the jaw.

Teeth grinding

This is relatively common in children, often occurring at night during a child’s sleep. Sometimes it is due to stress or anxiety. In many cases grinding of teeth is the result of a temporary problem of alignment (malocclusion) between upper and lower teeth, during the period when the child is losing his milk teeth and acquiring his permanent teeth. The poor fit between the teeth may cause discomfort of the jaw which is relieved by grinding the teeth. In severe cases, the teeth may be damaged, with the enamel being worn down. If grinding of the teeth is severe or persistent, you should obtain advice from your dentist.

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Vitamin Ê also is a fat-soluble vitamin, and it is used in the liver in the manufacture of prothrombin, an essential factor in the clotting of blood.

Vitamin Ê occurs in green vegetables, and also some of the bacteria which normally live in the bowel manufacture this vitamin which we absorb and use.

An excess of Vitamin Ê has not been shown to cause any serious side-effects.

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, has occupied a lot of interest recently, not only for its effect in preventing the common cold but because of its actions generally in human nutrition.

Vitamin Ñ is widely distributed through many foodstuffs. The green vegetables, citrus fruits and potatoes contain considerable quantities.

This vitamin is necessary for the proper development of connective tissue in the body, especially the coverings of blood vessels.

Lack of ascorbic acid produces scurvy, with bleeding in the gums and other soft tissues, failure of wound-healing, and poor resistance to infection.

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However, blood flow back to the heart is by means of the veins, and there is no pump to assist in the venous return … in the case of the lower limbs the flow is all uphill, against gravity.

The veins contain valves which allow oneway flow only, towards the heart and also break the blood up into smaller columns.

Flow of blood in the veins is mainly due to the action of the muscles, compressing the blood and forcing it onwards, towards the heart.

Negative pressure in the chest, on breathing, does tend to “suck up” the blood and aid its return.

The veins and arteries have nerves supplying the muscle in their walls, which maintain contraction of these vessels, so that there is a certain natural tone.

Sometimes an emotional cause, such as a fright, or bad news or the sight of blood, acting through the nervous system, causes the blood vessels to lose tone. They dilate, and the blood then tends to stagnate or pool in the abdomen and lower limbs.

The venous return to the heart is impaired, the blood pressure falls, an inadequate volume is pumped to the brain, the person feels giddy, nauseated, the vision goes grey and then black, the person is pale and sweaty and then consciousness is lost.

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If the cancer is not detected on screening, symptoms may indicate it has been present for a longer time and may have spread beyond the cervix. At operation it is usual to remove the uterus, the tubes and the ovaries.

In some cases, a more extensive operation, removing all the lymph glands in the pelvis as well, is done. Irradiation of the area is often combined with operation and cytotoxic drugs may be used.

Cancer of the body of the uterus is less common and occurs at an older age than cervical cancer. Most women who develop it are postmenopausal.

This is usually accompanied by bleeding or a discharge. Any bleeding from the vagina after the change of life must be investigated. It isn’t always due to cancer but that diagnosis must be excluded before any other is considered.

Promiscuity and multiple pregnancies are not risk factors for this cancer. But the use of oestrogen, the female hormone, is a definite part of its cause. The symptoms of the menopause, the hot flushes, the dry vagina, the lethargy and depression are believed to be due to a reduction in the amount of circulating oestrogen.

Giving oestrogen tablets or injections can relieve these symptoms. This drug, if taken regularly, can prevent osteoporosis or the thinning of the bone which occurs in older women.

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Swedish women, internationally known for their luscious complexions and youthful beauty, use certain natural foods to stay beautiful.

Swedish beauty secret number one—rose hips—is also Swedish rejuvenation secret number one: Rose hips tea is the Swedish fountain of youth!

Here’s how rose hips can keep you young. Russian scientists have discovered that vitamin C has a profound stimulating effect on the adrenal glands. Adrenal glands secrete over 20 steroid hormones which are directly involved in keeping your vital bodily processes in a condition of high efficiency. It is generally agreed that a decrease in the output of these hormones, which usually begins in late middle life, is responsible for the symptoms of aging. Russian researchers have demonstrated that substantial daily doses of vitamin C have a rejuvenating, stimulating effect on the glandular activity, and the vital hormones are once more produced at higher levels, similar to the level of younger people.

Vitamin C is also known to play an essential part in the oxidation-reduction system of tissue respiration, as shown by Dr. W. J. McCormick, M.D. In addition, vitamin C is a known chemotherapeutic agent; in fact it is the most potent natural “drug” known in the therapy of practically all bacterial and viral infections. Vitamin C is also a highly potent anti-toxic agent and protects the body from all kinds of poisonous substances, both those originating within the system, as a result of sluggish digestion and elimination, as well as those introduced into the system by food, water and air. Since growing old is often associated with sluggish metabolism and autointoxication, it is easy to see how large doses of vitamin C can have a rejuvenating effect on old people.

There is also growing evidence that the aging process is largely a matter Of the diminished oxygenation of the cells. Vitamin C has a great effect on improved cell breathing and thus prevents premature aging.

Perhaps the most vital function of vitamin C is in keeping collagen, the cellular cement, healthy. The visible symptoms of aging are mainly in the condition of the skin. It loses its youthful tight appearance and fresh color and becomes gray, dull, loose and flabby. Finally wrinkles appear all over, particularly on the face, neck and hands. These aging symptoms are largely due to the unhealthy state of collagen. Collagen is an elastic substance that holds all the tissues together—tissues of the muscles, organs, tendons, and last but not least, the tissues of the skin. When these connective tissues are healthy, they are strong and elastic and the skin is tight and has the look of youth. When collagen loses its tensile strength, muscles sag, the subcutaneous tissues (the layer just beneath the skin) become weak and lose their tension, and the skin becomes covered with wrinkles. What causes these degenerative changes in collagen? The answer is simple—the deficiency of vitamin C.

Now you can see why Russian scientists believe that they have found the Fountain of Youth in vitamin C.

Hardening of the arteries, atherosclerosis, and heart attacks are true diseases of premature aging. Many doctors believe that you are as old as your arteries. Recently, Boris Sokoloff, M.D., Director of the Southern Bio-Research Institute, Florida, reported that their conclusions, based on research and widespread evidence from medical literature, is that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is the key factor in averting atherosclerosis, and that atherosclerosis (heart disease leading to heart attack) may, in fact, well be a vitamin C deficiency disease.1

The healthy function of sex glands is directly related to general health and to the prolonged feeling and appearance of youth. A Japanese doctor, M. Higuchi, has demonstrated that there is a relationship between vitamin C levels and the hormone production of the sex glands. In addition to vitamin C, vitamin E (which is sold in automatic dispensers in Sweden labeled as the sex-vitamin) plays an important part in the efficient activity of the sex glands. Prostatic fluid, which nourishes the sperm and keeps them alive, is extremely rich in vitamin C. A deficiency of vitamin C and vitamin E can slow down the hormone production of sex glands and consequently lead to premature aging.

Vitamin C—the miracle producer

If there ever has been a real miracle drug, vitamin C is it. It has so many universal applications that it is virtually impossible to find a condition of ill health, disease or diminished well-being which vitamin C would not affect favorably, very often with a miraculous healing effect. Since old age is often associated with various conditions of diminished health, it stands to reason that vitamin C should be a rejuvenating tonic number one for everyone over 40 years of age.

Do you get sufficient amounts of vitamin C in your diet? A recent Department of Agriculture report tells us that almost half of the American people eat diets deficient in vitamins C and A. Vitamin E is practically totally eliminated from American diet due to the refining of grains and oils; and available vitamin C in the American diet has been steadily declining for the last 20 years.

Swedish people have been using large amounts of vitamin C for centuries. Rose hips, the richest natural vitamin C source known to man (with the exception of acerola cherries), is a staple food in Sweden. They use it daily in the form of rose hip tea,1 rose hip soup, rose hip puree, etc.

Swedish people have another secret of staying young—whey. In Sweden whey is a staple food in the form of whey cheese and whey butter. In the United States you can obtain whey in a powder or tablet form from health food stores. Make a habit of eating some whey each day. It may surprise you by solving all your irregularity problems and make you feel—and look—ten years younger practically overnight!

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Supplement your diet with the following food supplements and vitamins which have been found to be of particular benefit in cases of high blood pressure:

Choline. It has been demonstrated that deficiency in choline, one of the B-vitamins, plays a role in the development of high blood pressure. Patients with dangerous hypertension improved markedly after they had been given choline daily. Their blood pressure dropped and their capillaries were strengthened.3 Lecithin, made from soybeans, is an excellent source of choline. Brewer’s yeast is also an excellent source of choline and all the other B-vitamins.

Vitamin E. Because vitamin E helps oxygenate the blood and decreases the need for oxygen, it is of special importance for patients with high blood pressure. Vitamin E also dilates the arteries. Wheat germ oil is the richest source of natural vitamin E.

Vitamin C. Natural vitamin C strengthens the blood vessels and blood capillaries and makes them more elastic. Therefore, more vitamin C in the diet may prevent cerebral hemorrhage caused by weak blood capillaries. It is important to take only natural vitamin C, which also contains vitamin P, or bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids are of particular importance for the health of blood capillaries. The study made in Russia by Dr. D. E. Dzheims-Levi shows that bioflavonoids, or vitamin P, have a curative effect on high blood pressure. “On the basis of our observations we concluded that vitamin P has a beneficial effect on the well-being of patients and considerably lowers the blood pressure of patients with hypertension—blood pressure rises again when the patients discontinue vitamin P treatment.”

Potassium. It has been demonstrated in animal tests that potassium deficiency can be one of the causes of high blood pressure. It is known that excessive salt intake will cause the loss of potassium. The incidence of hypertension is greater in countries with excessive salt intake. Also, the wide use of refined foods and too few green leafy vegetables in the diet contributes to the very common potassium deficiency. The best sources of potassium are fresh or cooked green leafy vegetables. Avoid salt if you have high blood pressure. Substitute salt with kelp, which is also very rich in potassium.

Garlic. There is much material in medical literature which suggests that garlic has a dilating effect on blood vessels and is effective in reducing blood pressure. Dr. F. G. Piotrowski, of the University of Geneva, used garlic on 100 patients with abnormal blood pressure, with excellent results.

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