Antidepressants Blog

Indigestion is a symptom from which we have all suffered at some time or another.

It appears to be as common as headache but it is a symptom which many people find difficult to describe and, when the term is used, different people often mean different things.

For some it may be anorexia or loss of appetite. It may be nausea or even vomiting. Others regard it as abdominal discomfort. There may be regurgitation of food or acid into the mouth.

“Water-brash” is a symptom where bitter acid fluid from the stomach is regurgitated up into the mouth.

Heartburn usually means a pain behind the breastbone.

The indigestion may be associated with flatulence or be used to describe this condition where there is an excess of wind in the stomach which is either brought up or passed onwards and passed as flatus.

Just as there are different conditions which mean indigestion, so there are many causes of this symptom.

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Over the past 45 years, antibiotics have entirely altered the picture of infectious disease.

To be scientifically correct, the term “antibiotic” should be reserved for those drugs obtained from a living organism, such as a fungus or mould.

Those other drugs which act in the same way but which are synthesised in the laboratory, are usually spoken of as chemotherapeutic drugs.

These agents kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, and there are few bacterial diseases which don’t respond to them.

However, those infectious diseases which are due to viruses are not influenced by antibiotics, except for a few caused by the larger viruses and a few organisms which appear to be halfway between viruses and bacteria.

The sulphonamide drugs were the first of these new tools of medicine. Their action was first reported by the Bayer company in Germany in 1935.

Although the sulphonamides are active against a wide range of bacteria, their main use now is in urinary tract infections. A new generation of doctors has grown up with so many other antibiotics available that the sulphonamides are rarely thought of when prescribing treatment.

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The immune system is the body’s warrior force. Without its strength, vigilance, and quick response. In battling “invading foreign bodies,” each of us could lose our lives to the most minor infection or irritation. Invading bacteria, viruses, pollen, allergens, or any sub-Stance the body responds to as a threat are dealt with through this complex network. When disease gets a foothold, it is because of a weakness at some point in the immune system defense. It is to this system that scientists are looking for the answer to the development of endometriosis.

The immune system has an awesome task, employing a force of “agents1* co keep it operating at its peak. These agents fight disease and remember the type of invading microorganism so they can prevent reinfection. The system’s guard consists of interferon, complex fighter cells that attack bacteria and viruses by destroying their ability to reproduce in the human body. Interferon responds first in fighting infection, slowing down the potency of invaders so the body can summon other defenses. Laboratory studies reveal that only four hours after infection the body begins its charge with interferon.

The suppport system has varied responsibility, but it operates as a strategic team. Phagocytes engulf and consume invaders, or antigens, and can prevent disease from spreading. Antibodies recognize intruding bodies, clamp on to them, and destroy them. T cell lymphocytes, which are derived from the thymus gland, and B cell lymphocytes, derived from bone marrow, also work in tandem. T cells will control and regulate antibodies; B cells perform the important function of binding with antigens (the enemies) to render them harmless.

When bodily tissue is invaded, substances are released into the blood that marshal white blood cells of a different nature: neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils can consume about twenty-five invaders, and macrophages can “cat” four times that amount before expiring from the toxins they’ve ingested. Macrophages also clean up blood and keep it healthier by consuming diseased or ineffective red blood cells. (In terms, of endometriosis, macrophage count, for example, has been found to be double the normal amount in the cul-de-sacs of women with the disease.) Memory cells function after disease is fought of C recognizing invaders and acting quickly to prevent reinfection.

Individual immune systems, like any army—no matter how sweeping—on suffer losses or serious setbacks in defense efforts through stress, alcohol consumption, smoking (cigarettes or marijuana), drugs (recreational or medicinal), and even diets that arc high in fat, sugar, and. recent srtidie have found, deity products. An extreme form of immune system devastation is AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Traced to a virus that begins a chain of destruction among these infection-fighting cells, victims of AIDS don’t die from AIDS itself, but from diseases the body’s immune system is powerless to fight-Doctors have long speculated that there may be an altered cellular immune response among women who develop endometriosis. This alteration, they propose, might explain why the implants adhere and grow. Among the many studies done in chit field. Investigators sought to explore an Immune system deficiency that may occur along with another factor, (or example, excessive menstrual flow or malfunction of the fallopian tubes. Answers to many of these studies were inconclusive. It was found that there might be an immune system breakdown or physiological problems in a victim of endometriosis, or an immune system deficiency and another factor. Therefore, conditions explaining the cause of the disease might exist as mutually exclusive factors or they might in fact be interconnected, la other words, there is, so far, no conclusive answer.

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Drug-induced acne occurs in patients occasionally. Drugs which may be implicated are oral cortisone, lithium and dilantin. Eruptions which mimic acne, but which are not true variants, may be caused by iodides, bromides, quinine, and chloral hydrate.

A more common and important variant, which occurs in women, is acne cosmetica. This appears to be precipitated by the prolonged use of cosmetics, especially those containing lanolin or petrolatum. In particular, various cleansing creams and moisturizers may contain chemicals which can aggravate acne. They do not so much obstruct the ducts physically, but rather appear to induce comedones chemically. The treatment is simple, entailing avoidance of cosmetics until the inflammation settles down.

There is a fairly characteristic acne-like dermatitis of the lower face which occurs mainly in young women. The pimples are small and not usually pustular. Frequently the condition is treated as a dermatitis, with steroid creams, which initially may improve the appearance but actually prolong the course of the problem. Women with this complaint are frequently found to be taking the contraceptive pill, which is thought (by some) to be the causative factor. The trouble may occur several years after commencing to take the Pill, and can occur with any brand although statistically the mini-type Pills are more frequently implicated. As with other types of acne, treatment with tetracyclines along with cessation of the use of steroid creams cures the problem. (The taking of the Pill can usually be continued after treatment,)

Acne can be a devastating disease coming as it often does at a time when young people wish to be looking their best, and identifying with the beautiful idols of their peer group. Many parents are heard to tell their children that they will ‘grow out of it’, that ‘it will clear when you turn 22′ or ‘when you marry’; finally, if it has not improved, as predicted it would, by the time that ‘ you have children*, the sufferers will often angrily seek active treatment.

Fortunately most cases clear up with little or no help. However the severity of the disorder will depend on a person’s hormone balance and the receptivity of the oil glands. About adolescence, many hormonal and emotional changes are under way. We all possess endocrine glands (such as the adrenals, ovaries, testicles and thyroid) which secrete hormones into the blood stream. These are chemicals that regulate the function of other endocrine glands as well as the blood vessels, oil glands, hair follicles and so forth. There is a dose link between the endocrine and nervous systems which is controlled by a gland attached to the base of the brain called the pituitary. As a result of this link, emotional situations will affect a person’s hormones and vice versa. Consequently as a result of, for example, premenstrual or examination stress, the skin tends to become oilier and ‘break out’. Similarly, male hormones cause the oil glands to enlarge and produce more oil, while in susceptible males, they will cause baldness.

This interaction between a person’s emotions and hormones is essential to the understanding and subsequent treatment of patients with acne. Many individuals have their social, emotional and even professional lives ruined because they do not have ‘a clear skin’. Consequently it is most important that such people should be able to seek sympathetic counselling and appropriate care. The condition may not seem too bad to an observer but if it upsets an individual’s self-esteem or body image, treatment is essential.

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Before examining the health and fat loss benefits of carbohydrates it is essential to take a brief look at how carbohydrates are digested and absorbed in the human body. First we need to start with the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The GIT is a long tube stretching from the mouth to the anus. The digestion of carbohydrate starts in the mouth, where enzymes in saliva start to break some of the bonds between saccharide units. After swallowing, carbohydrate enters the stomach ready to be released into the small intestine in small quantities. In the small intestine various enzymes perform the major part of carbohydrate digestion by breaking the bonds and releasing monosaccharides for absorption. Once absorbed, carbohydrate, in the form of glucose or fructose, goes to the liver where it is stored or put into the bloodstream as blood glucose for energy production or for storage in the muscles as glycogen.

Dietary fibre meets a somewhat different fate. Most fibre resists the digestive enzymes of the intestine and passes through to the large bowel. Here, some of it is metabolised by bacteria that produce the specific enzymes necessary for breakdown. This process is known as ‘colonic fermentation’. The end products include the gases carbon dioxide, methane and hydrogen along with volatile fatty acids called short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The SCFAs are absorbed from the large bowel, enter the bloodstream and are transported to the liver. The degree of fermentation in the large bowel depends on the type of fibre and varies between individuals. This explains why some people produce a lot of gas and others produce very little following consumption of fibre-rich foods. Soluble fibres are entirely digested by bacteria and produce most of the SCFAs. Insoluble fibres are digested to only a small degree and the amount depends on the time spent in the large bowel before excretion.

The term resistant starch is a relatively new addition to the fibre scene. This is used to describe polysaccharides which are resistant to normal enzymatic digestion. This means that a portion of the starch eaten in foods will pass through the stomach and small intestine to the large bowel where it is fermented in a similar way to fibre. For this reason most nutritionists currently regard resistant starch as a component of dietary fibre. Resistant starch can occur naturally, such as in raw potato or bananas, be formed in partly milled grains and seeds, or can form following heating and cooling of cooked potatoes, bread and cornflakes. The approximate resistant starch content of specific foods. Food manufacturers have been able to incorporate resistant starch into white bread and other foods without affecting the sensory qualities of texture and flavour. This is a major advantage as consumers can eat foods that are higher in this fibre-like substance, but not radically different from more accepted forms.

This new dimension in carbohydrate physiology has stimulated another broad classification of carbohydrates. Nutritional scientists now use the terms ‘available’ (sugars and most starches) and ‘unavailable’ (resistant starch and fibre) when referring to the nutritional implications of carbohydrates.

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Less than a decade ago those who were infertile due to endometriosis may have been destined to never become pregnant. Due to the advancement of drug therapies and programmes such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), gamete intra fallopian transfer (GIFT) and related programmes, infertility does not necessarily mean that you will never conceive.

Establishing infertility

Usually the first thing is to try to conceive for a year without using contraception. A Melbourne IVF specialist says that approximately 10% to 15% of couples will not conceive in that time. ‘At that stage we feel that it is time to start investigations and try to pinpoint any problem’, he said.

The first step is to get a referral to a gynaecologist. Most women with endometriosis will already be under a specialist who may also manage their infertility investigation but they may be referred to an infertility specialist.

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A physical examination usually involves:

testing a specimen of your urine

taking your blood pressure

examining your breasts

examining your abdomen

a pelvic examination (sometimes also known as an internal or a vaginal examination).

The purpose of the pelvic examination is to try to determine whether there are any indications that you may have some endometrial implants or cysts present. Sometimes, the pelvic examination will suggest the presence of endometriosis but often nothing abnormal will be found, especially in the early stages of the disease.

Knowing what is involved in a pelvic examination will help to relieve any anxiety that you may have and help you to relax and therefore make the examination more comfortable for you and easier for the doctor. Ask your doctor to explain the procedure to you before she or he begins.

It is best if you empty your bladder just before the examination as a full bladder will make it difficult for the doctor to perform the examination satisfactorily.

During the pelvic examination you will usually be asked to lie on your back with your legs spread apart, knees bent and feet together.

While the doctor is examining you it will help if you tell him or her when you can feel any pain or discomfort. A pelvic examination may cause a little discomfort but it should not be painful. If the examination does cause pain ask your doctor to stop for a moment to allow the pain to subside while you relax again. After the examination has been completed ask the doctor to describe what he or she felt.

The doctor will begin by examining the external genitalia, which includes the vulva, clitoris and labia, for any signs of inflammation, irritation or infection.

The doctor will then insert an instrument, known as a speculum, that holds the sides of the vagina apart to examine the vagina and the cervix. The doctor may also take a Pap smear or a sample of any unusual discharge using a cotton swab or a wooden spatula. Once a thorough examination has been made the doctor will remove the speculum and perform a bimanual pelvic examination.

In the bimanual examination the doctor inserts two gloved fingers into your vagina and places the fingers of the other hand on your lower abdomen in order to feel the outline, shape, size and location of the pelvic organs between his or her hands. The doctor will also feel for any nodules, lumps, growths, enlargements or areas of tenderness.

During the examination the doctor may be able to feel nodules of endometriosis in the Pouch of Douglas, on the utero-sacral ligaments or in the recto-vaginal septum. It may also be possible to feel if the ovaries are enlarged, which may indicate cysts on the ovaries. The doctor will also be able to feel if the uterus is lying in the normal position or if it is stuck in a retroverted position.

Occasionally, the doctor may feel that it is necessary to perform a recto-vaginal examination if you are complaining of symptoms involving the bowel. This examination is similar to a bimanual pelvic examination but the index finger is inserted into the vagina and the middle finger into the rectum. The fingers of the doctors other hand are placed over the lower abdomen to help outline the organs and feel for any enlargements or growths.

If a pelvic examination does not indicate anything abnormal and if it was not performed near the time of your period it may be worthwhile having another examination just before, or during, your period when the endometriosis is most active thus making the implants more tender, larger and easier to feel.

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Originating in ancient India, yoga involves spiritual, mental and physical discipline for the unification of the mind and body. Its physical aspect, a series of postures or asanas, is now widely practised around the world and is popular as a means of managing stress, building strength and maintaining physical flexibility.

Many people with medical conditions such as heart disorders, or diseases of the respiratory system like asthma and bronchitis, will benefit from regular yoga practice as will those with muscular or nervous disorders. Some postures are designed to tone and stimulate internal body organs and glands. There is no high impact aspect to yoga nor any sense of extreme aerobic exertion. Rather, strength is built through muscle control, balance and body awareness. Breathing is very important as the embodiment of the life force or prana. Like T’ai-chi, many of the postures are derived from the movements of animals and birds.

Yoga requires little equipment although a lot of people like to work on a rubber mat. Belts and frames are sometimes employed to maintain postures without straining the body. Your clothing need only be loose and comfortable. As with most physical and mental disciplines, it is recommended that you seek ongoing instruction from a qualified teacher. Select a school with an emphasis on the aspect of yoga which most interests you. Hatha yoga concentrates on physical discipline while Raja yoga places more emphasis on controlling the mind. Bakti is the devotional aspect of yoga.

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Depression cuts into a person’s ability to function so that some of the failure that they perceive does have a basis in reality Mental processes slow down and it is difficult to concentrate, to focus or to get things done. Work inevitably suffers; chores remain undone; things get botched up, leaving you with feelings of failure and inadequacy, many of which may be exaggerated but some of which may be true. It is easy to forget how competent you have been at other times and how much you have accomplished before. All these things seem insignificant when you are depressed. Dr Kay Redfield Jamison, in her wonderful memoir An Unquiet Mind, describes the difficulties in thinking she experienced during one of her depressions as follows:

Everything – every thought, word, movement – was an effort. Everything that once was sparkling now was flat. I seemed to myself to be dull, boring, inadequate, thick brained, unlit, unresponsive, chill skinned, bloodless, and sparrow drab. I doubted, completely, my ability to do anything well. It seemed as though my mind had slowed down and burned out to the point of being virtually useless. The wretched, convoluted, and pathetically confused mass of gray worked only well enough to torment me with a litany of my inadequacies and shortcomings in character, and to taunt me with the total, the desperate, hopelessness of it all.

This description of severe depression conveys many aspects of a depressed person’s thinking. In the years that followed the depression described above, Dr Jamison went on to succeed enormously as a psychologist, researcher and writer, but such a future is unthinkable when you are in the depths of a depression. It is important to realize how misleading the conclusions reached in a state of depression can be. Nevertheless, when you are depressed, the difficulty in thinking and functioning is real and has its consequences. Failure that occurs in the context of some of the symptoms of depression described here should therefore be considered a tell-tale sign of depression in its own right.

Failure occurs in the workplace, but also in personal dealings. Relationships require a capacity to attend to another person and an ability to feel engaged with that person, both of which are sorely impaired in depression. Others may well feel put off, and withdraw in response to the reclusiveness of a depressed person.

If you find you have been failing at work or in your personal relationships in a way that has not always been typical for you, and this has been going on for more than a few weeks, consider the possibility that you may be clinically depressed.

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Synthetic chemicals are found throughout the environment, but especially in home janitorial supplies. To rid the house of unnecessary air pollutants, start by looking under the sink. One can usually find there an accumulation of chemical products of all kinds: paints, solvents, laundry and dishwashing detergents, waxes and polishes, insect sprays, turpentine, shoe polish, and so forth. Whatever is not absolutely necessary should be dispensed with. Essential items, such as detergents, should be transferred to glass bottles with tight-fitting caps. One should save bottles for such a purpose. All questionable items should be stored outside, in places such as a garage or storeroom.

The same rule applies, naturally, to any other area in which toxic products accumulate. Conduct a careful house search, cleaning out drawers, broom closets, hobby areas, and medicine chests. It is amazing how much dangerous junk piles up in a house over the years, silently polluting the environment. One should be careful, however, not to allow any of these items to spill as they are being disposed of, or this may precipitate an acute attack of symptoms in susceptible people.

The human nose is an extraordinary instrument. Ecology patients tend to be either acutely sensitive to smells, or, conversely, lacking in the sense of smell altogether (in advanced cases). If you have a good-to-excellent sense of smell, you can identify noxious smells in the house by going out for a brisk walk in an area with fairly clean air and then returning to your house to perform a quick “sniff” test. If something has an offensive odor, get rid of it. Do not wait a day, or even a minute, since the nose will quickly adapt to the ill-smelling item. After being exposed for a short while, one can no longer fully smell the offending odor. Many patients report a cleaner feeling in the air after they have rid their homes of these hidden pollutants.

Several engineers and otherwise qualified experts now make “house calls” to inspect the homes of patients for chemical contaminants. They bring not only their expertise, but exceptional ability in “sniffing out” danger spots for patients, based on their own chemical-susceptibility problems. (The organizations listed in Appendix C can provide names of such experts.)

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