Medical Articles, Medicine Information.

SYMPTOMATIC ASTHMA MEDICATION: THEOPHYLLINESTheophyllines work differently to beta-agonists and are often used in combination with them to provide an added benefit. Similar to beta-agonists, they also help relieve bronchial spasms and clear excessive mucus from the lungs. Theophyllines cannot be administered as sprays. The range of theophylline drugs includes standard formulations and sustained-release preparations. Some commonly used types of theophylline drugs are Brondecon, Quibron, Elexophyllin, Cardophyllin, Choledyl, Nuelin and Somophyllin. These drugs start taking effect within about 20 minutes of being administered and their effects normally last for approximately four hours.Sustained-release theophyllines are specially formulated capsules or tablets that are absorbed very slowly into the system. They ate designed to maintain therapeutic levels of medication over a long period — about ten to 12 hours. They are not to be used in the event of an acute attack as they take too long to become effective. Some of the commonly prescribed sustained-release theophylline drugs are Nuelin SR, Nuelin sprinkle capsules, Theo-Dur, Somophyllin CRT and Austyn.SIDE EFFECTS OF THEOPHYLLINESTheophyllines can produce a number of discomforting side effects. The most common are nausea, vomiting and a bitter taste in the mouth. Occasional side effects include headaches and upset stomachs. In children, theophyllines often cause hyperactivity, sleeplessness and nightmares; sometimes personality changes occur. If you or your child experience side effects from taking a normal dose, the medication may have to be reduced or gradually built up over a period of time.*17\148\2*

EATING DISORDERS: ANOREXIA AND BULIMIA /BIOCHEMICAL ROOTS – SEARCHING FOR SEROTONINDr. Leo Galland, an internist practicing integrated medicine in New York City and author of The Four Pillars of Healing, reports a possible relationship between bulimia and the hormone serotonin. Specifically, carbohydrate cravings in bulimics may represent an attempt to build serotonin levels in the brain. “Serotonin depletion is associated with depression,” notes Dr. Galland, “and bulimics tend to have a terrible self-image. Physiological and psychological factors feed into each other continuously.”Galland adds that bulimia is also associated with food allergies brought on by cravings for endorphin-producing foods. Bulimic individuals appear to require high levels of beta endorphins, substances released from the pancreas when insulin is produced. Often they crave foods that create an endorphinlike effect—dairy products, wheat, and sugar, for example. Bulimic people become addicted to these substances and develop food allergies.In Galland’s practice, treatment for bulimia includes removal of these dmglike foods and addition of supplements, such as 5-hydroxytrypto-phane or tryptophane taken at night to increase serotonin, chromium to help overcome hypoglycemia, and the amino acid DL-phenylalanine during the day to slow down the body’s breakdown of endorphins.*64\233\8*

RELEASING THE STRAIN IN SKIN DISEASE
The modern way of living is filled with stresses and strains, and very few people are able to avoid them. They may dream of their escapes, but they generally remain just dreams; the morning awakening brings the tough, difficult facts that have to be faced. Living in the modern era, we must make up our minds that what we cannot escape has to be faced with equanimity, and the paradoxical thing about it is that the more we adopt this frame of mind, the less harmful and devitalizing the strains become.”You must relax” has become the modern watchword, and there is no doubt that it has been born out of sheer necessity. Consciously to relax means that we have to discipline the mind to take conscious charge of the situation and insist on the practice of “letting go”- of release willed by a mind fully conscious of the dangers of increased mental and emotional tension that will inevitably bring disaster in its train.Practicing relaxation of mind and body calls for self-discipline, and this is not easy, especially for those who are in most need of it. But, like the breaking of all kinds of habits, it can be done by those who want to achieve certain results. Some clear picture of the desired goal must be in the mind, and those who suffer from any form of disease, and especially skin disfigurement, should have a goal that is well worth while.Relaxation is a mental concept. It must exist in the mind. The body may be quite inactive, and even asleep, but if the mind is agitated relaxation will not be complete. If one dreams of a quiet pastoral scene, in which the simple things of life are being enjoyed, the body will be more at rest than if one dreams of climbing a mountain or of doing some other exciting and strenuous performance. For the maximum of relaxation the mind must be at rest, and until the individual is able to achieve that blessed state his nervous impulses will be flowing all over his system.There are no short cuts to mental relaxation. Many of the lengthy volumes that are written about it leaves the reader more exasperated than relaxed because, in the last analysis, the only help he is likely to get is by applying his own will. It is like all the other forms of self-discipline- fasting, breaking the smoking habit, and so on. You have to be convinced that the results will be worth while, and, after that, you take the load on your own shoulders.When you have taught yourself to relax you are more than half-way on the road to recovery. Without relaxation, in skin complaints especially, you are not giving yourself a fair chance.
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