HYPOGLYCEMIA CAN BE MISDIAGNOSED
April 2nd, 2009
“Hypoglycemia” means that the concentration of sugar in the blood has fallen to less than 45 mg per 100 cc. Blood sugar levels this low adversely affect the brain, causing jitteriness, weakness, lightheadedness, bizarre behavior, episodes of memory loss, and if the hypoglycemia is sufficiently severe and long-lasting, convulsions, brain damage, coma, and even death. [...]
EYELID DERMATITIS
April 2nd, 2009
Because the delicate skin of the eyelids is only about one quarter as thick as the skin elsewhere, it is unusually sensitive to irritants. Accordingly, it is not uncommon for the eyelids to become itchy, red, and swollen in response to an ingredient of a cosmetic that has been applied to some other part of [...]
BREAKFAST CEREALS AND CHOLESTEROL
April 2nd, 2009
Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are tasty and convenient, but a lot of them are far from “healthy,” according to Consumer Reports (CR) (51#10:628). Although their basic ingredients, such as corn, wheat, oats, raisins, and nuts are nutritious, many breakfast cereals contain excessive and potentially harmful amounts of saturated fat (i.e., in the form of coconut oil) [...]
IS TREATMENT OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE REALLY NEEDED BY THE ELDERLY?
April 2nd, 2009
Yes, but many people mistakenly believe that some degree of high blood pressure is acceptable as they age. Aiding and abetting them, some physicians used to say that the elderly need a higher than normal blood pressure to force an adequate flow of blood through their hardened and narrowed arteries. These beliefs, unfortunately, are sometimes [...]
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CAN BE MISDIAGNOSED!
April 2nd, 2009
Loss of memory for recent events, mental slowness, depression, dementia, deafness, weight loss, weakness, “rheumatism,” constipation, and incontinence in an elderly person are usually regarded as unavoidable features of aging. Some older people who have these symptoms, however, may be suffering from hypothyroidism (abnormally low hormone output by the thyroid gland), the Western Journal of [...]