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Archive for April 28th, 2009
A person who has had two or three seizures does not necessarily need treatment. For example, an adult who has two or three generalized tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal fits) in a two-week period and who might lose his job if he had a seizure at work requires early treatment, whereas a child who has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties and who had had two partial seizures six months apart does not necessarily require treatment with anti-epileptic drugs. Remember also that there are people whose seizures can be clearly attributed in part to a non-recurring cause. For example, seizures may begin for the first time whilst the person is on an antidepressant drug, such as amitriptyline, which is known to induce seizures in some people. Clearly the drug is not the only factor. Thousands of people take amitriptyline without having seizures. In those who do, the drug presumably acts on those with a low seizure threshold. Nevertheless it would seem reasonable to see how such a person gets on without antidepressants, before prescribing anti-epileptic medication. Other precipitating factors, if specific, such as occur in epilepsy induced by television may be avoided, and make anti-epileptic medication unnecessary.
It is therefore important that each patient is considered as an individual. The choice of whether or not anti-epileptic medication should be used is made in equal partnership between patient (or parent) and doctor. For example, a woman may wish to avoid anti-epileptic medication if planning a pregnancy even though her chances of further seizures are high.
One common decision that has to be made is whether or not to start anti-epileptic medication after a single seizure in an adult, often for which no clearly defined precipitating factor can be identified. It used to be advised that ‘one seizure did not make a diagnosis of epilepsy’. Although true by definition, the risk of a second seizure is in adults as high as 78% over the next three years, the risk being its highest in the first few weeks. Recent trials have shown clearly that an anti-epileptic drug given after the first seizure does significantly reduce the chances of a second. Patients should be offered the choice of anti-epileptic medication at this stage, with a clear explanation of the risks of further seizures and the relative drawbacks of medication, even though a number will decide to take their chances.
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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has long been one of the most difficult and challenging diseases for medical science. It is so frequently relentless in its degeneration of virtually all body functions, and is often stubbornly unresponsive to conventional treatment. Despite the fact that MS clearly is a chronic ailment with autoimmune components, we never expected that this degenerative disease would respond to CMO. Yet, in many cases it definitely has.
One of our most current reports concerns Mrs J.V., an emergency room nurse who recently decided to try adding CMO to her treatment protocol. In 1966 she experienced a numbing weakness in her left leg along with some trouble keeping her balance. Doctors diagnosed it as a mild stoke. She is now sure it was an early sign of MS. Within a few years the numbness below the waist became more generalized and was accompanied by tingling sensations. That’s when doctors began to suspect MS.
The disease gradually worsened over the years. Her left leg began to drag and the lower body numbness worsened. She had virtually no balance, suffered from constant dizziness and eye spasms. At best, she could walk only a dozen steps unaided and when fatigued, not at all. She lacked the strength and balance to pick things up from the floor. To manage a flight of stairs, she often had to crawl up the steps one by one.
After an MRI several years ago finally and clearly established that she had MS, the doctors prescribed medications with such serious side effects that she refused to take them. She chose a milder one and put herself on a healthy vitamin program instead. Then a friend told her about CMO. Taking an immunomodulator for an autoimmune disease like MS made great sense to her and she promptly added it to her therapy along with some colloidal minerals.
For a few days on CMO her energy levels varied. But after the fifth day they continued to rise and she now leads a perfectly normal life. Her business associates comment on the remarkable change. CMO has turned her life around. “It’s so wonderful,” she says, “just to walk through a mall again.”
Incidentally, the arthritis in her hands has disappeared as well. But that’s no surprise.
She has recommended CMO to several others also suffering from MS. Their responses have been excellent. One friend, who literally spent at least 20 hours a day in bed, returned to normal in just three days after adding CMO to her therapy.
We also have a report of another female, age 52, who was suffering with a slowly progressing MS for over ten years. Though she experienced occasional flare-ups, her main problem was muscular weakness, fatigue, lack of endurance, and depression. CMO cleared up these symptoms in less than a week. She can now walk twice as far for her morning exercise. She, too, is now able to do her housework again for the first time in years.
Another MS patient complained that after a year in a wheelchair he was stiffening up. It was taking longer and longer to get through his daily routine. He was amazed how CMO restored his physical strength. His sex drive also jumped from zero to well above normal. He seemed to be just as pleased with that as anything. Unfortunately, irreversible nerve damage still keeps him confined to the wheelchair.
We have also received a few reports where CMO provided only the minimal benefits of easing the pain of MS patients. One factor in MS is autoimmune destruction of the myelin sheathing that covers the nerves. It’s like a mouse chewing away the insulation of an electrical wire. The exposed nerves become very sensitive and painful. In this case, perhaps CMO is halting that particular process and allowing regeneration of the protective myelin sheathing. We suspect CMO is intervening in other destructive processes as well.
There remains the need for a great deal of exploration regarding CMO. A number of MS cases have required maintenance doses of CMO to sustain its effectiveness. There is also a need to explore the use of CMO in conjunction with other medications and nutritional supplements.
Substances that are likely to work well along with CMO are superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione as well as other antioxidants. Relatively high doses are probably appropriate during any flare-ups. Fish oils and flaxseed oils may also be helpful.
It is unwise to discontinue other therapies while using CMO for MS. CMO appears to be compatible with virtually all other therapies. Consult your physician!
The very latest findings reveal that the HHV-6 virus is the likely precipitating cause of MS. But defeating that virus is not likely to be the whole answer. The autoimmune processes that have been programmed into the Memory T-cells will probably have to be corrected as well. CMO is the best solution for that.
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Signs and symptoms
A child experiencing a terrifying dream may wake up screaming, frightened, and wild-eyed. The child may be confused or frantically active for several minutes, and may or may not immediately recall the details of the dream. Often the incident will be forgotten by the next morning. Nightmares may also cause the child to sleepwalk.
Home care
Immediate treatment involves holding and hugging the distraught child and speaking calmly and soothingly. Do not try to rouse the child to full consciousness too quickly. Sleepwalkers must be protected from falls or other injuries.
The basic home treatment is to identify and relieve the stress that is causing the child to have nightmares. Most nightmares are the result of a situation such as one of the following: school problems (fear of failure or teacher-student conflicts); peer relationships (playing with older children, being bullied, sexual experimentation); or family pressures (marital friction, alcoholism, physical or emotional abuse, divorce, hospitalization, death). Watching too much TV – or the wrong type of program – can also cause enough anxiety to give child nightmares.
• Be aware of school, social, and family pressures that can cause a child to have nightmares.
• Be sure you know how much TV the child is watching and what kinds of programs.
• Protect a sleepwalking child from injury.
Medical treatment
Your doctor will try to uncover the cause of your child’s anxieties by getting the child to talk about his or her daily relationships and experiences. The doctor may ask for assistance from school personnel in order to identify the reason for the child’s nightmares.
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