| When a doctor says it’s just your age…
Ageism is rife in
the NHS… If at all in doubt or dissatisfied,
get a second opinion. Except for emergency surgery, always ask the doctor to explain what
is the matter with you. Bear the following in mind and try to drum up the courage to ask:
-
Has the diagnosis been confirmed by all necessary
tests?
-
What
are the appropriate treatments?
-
Do they have side effects or risks?
-
If
surgery is recommended, what are the benefits?
-
If surgery is normally advised, but not in this case,
why not?
-
What
are the consequences if you don’t want surgery, and if you do?
-
How familiar is the surgeon with the particular
operation? (The more often a surgeon performs it, the more competent he or she will be.)
-
If
costs are involved, what will they be, with all contingencies covered?
Who gets menopausal
symptoms?
How
many women really do suffer severe symptoms from the menopause? In order to find out, Bional, makers of herbal
products, sponsored the "Menobalance Women at Work" survey.
They questioned
430 women aged over 45 from Federation's of Women's Institutes, plus business women
who were asked whether they experienced symptoms such as poor concentration, impaired
memory, tiredness, tearfulness and mild depression, as well as hot flushes and night
sweats.
The study showed that a large proportion of women suffered from a range of minor but
troublesome symptoms such as lack of energy, hot flushes, night sweats and sleep
disturbance at the time of menopause. Other symptoms reported were weight gain, poor
memory and restless legs. The majority carried on working, which Bional construed as
‘determined to cope and fulfil their commitments’, though it could mean that for
the majority the problems were quite manageable.
Over half did not take anything for their symptoms, and it could be that
recent reports on the side effects of HRT are putting women off (see January Healthwise) or that they simply felt that they
didn’t need any remedies. However, the survey
showed that many women lacked knowledge about alternatives and the fact that
help comes from hormones in plants, known as phyto-oestrogens.
The most popular herbal choices are
red clover, concentrated soya, agnus castus, dong quai and black cohosh. Bional, who naturally have a vested interest in
menopausal symptoms, are the leading supplier of Phyto Food Supplements in the
Netherlands, and their products are now widely available in the UK.
Bional's Menobalance capsules contain GM-Free soya,
dong quai and rice bran oil, providing a natural alternative to HRT to help maintain
hormonal balance. Menobalance is widely available from health food shops and
chemists at £16.95 for 60 capsules.
Updates on prostate
problems
A
new drug to shrink or stop increase of growth of the prostate is likely to be available in
the UK by the end of 2003. It’s called
Avodart in the USA (pharmaceutical name dutasteride), though the UK name may be different. Made by GlaxoSmithKline, the new drug is expected
to be an improvement on Proscar, a current drug that can reduce prostate size.
Proscar has side effects like impotence and breast enlargement, works best on
larger glands, takes six months to see results and the drug must be taken for life. Over
4000 men have taken part in trials with the new drug, and side effects are reported as
‘mild’ and decreasing as treatment continued.
Talk to your doctor about dutasteride
if you think it might help you (best to leave it till later this year), and meanwhile if
you want to be informed about all aspects of prostate disease, join the Prostate Help
Association, Langworth, Lincoln LN3 5DF. See their
website: www.pha.u-net.com.
If you want to look at complementary medicine, then consider red clover (continued at
top of next column)
|
 |
flowers. Red
clover, an isoflavone, has been successful against early-stage cells of prostate cancer. The trial of 20 men with confirmed prostate cancer found
that taking the supplement Trinovin, which is based on natural isoflavones, caused these
cells to die in numbers five times greater than in an untreated control group.
The scientists concluded that the
western diet, which typically contains low natural isoflavones, may be a contributing
factor in developing prostate cancer. One study found that 1.8 per cent of men in China
developed prostate cancer compared with 53.4 per cent of US males.
Natural isoflavones are found in pulses (legumes) such as lentils, chick
peas, red clover, soya and other beans - and are commonly taken in a daily supplement. Red
Clover and other isoflavones are available from health food shops.
Hot peppers aid indigestion
Yes,
really. Participants who suffered from severe
indigestion with no known cause were given capsules of capsaicin, a substance found in hot
peppers, before meals for 5 weeks. The same study,
from the University of Bologna, compared participants with another group given a placebo
(dummy pills),
Those taking
capsaicin experienced 60 per cent decrease in pain, fullness and nausea. The substance is thought to work by blocking pain
signals going from the stomach to the brain.
You may
not be able to get hold of the capsules, but if you are plagued by indigestion, you can
feel free to indulge in Indian and Thai food, knowing that far from suffering in
consequence, you could be doing your digestive system a power of good. Worth trying.
The
‘white coat’ effect
GPs should not make any decisions about treating patients with
high blood pressure based on high readings that they have taken, say researchers at
Southampton University. Their findings support the
well-known ‘white coat’ effect,
which suggests that people’s blood pressure goes up when it is taken by a doctor.
The researchers observed 8 doctors and 3
practice nurses taking, between them, 200 patients’ blood pressure. The measures were compared with the patients
taking their blood pressure at home and using an ambulatory monitoring device as they
carried on their daily routine.
Readings
made by the doctors were much higher than those made by nurses or at home or using the
ambulatory monitor. In other words, the ‘white
coat’ effect is alive and well, and in many cases makes for a highly misleading
result if accepted without other checks.
If in any doubt about any of
the information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.
In edition 34:-
New treatment for DVT
Hot news from the US
How are your veins?
A campaign to help detect and prevent venous diseases in legs
Coffee could reduce diabetes
Coffee addicts have something to cheer about
Retraining the bladder
In the UK, 3 million people, young and old have bladder problems
Thermal underwear or heating
allowance?
Brits are very bad at taking care of themselves in the cold.
Why you probably won`t get Alzheimers
Some specialists are saying that Alzheimer`s is being overdiagnosed by at least
40%
Index to
all previous Healthwise editions
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