Antidepressants Blog

According to circumstances, and according to our own individual personality, at different times we can use various psychological reactions to reduce our pain. We can do what we can to deny it, and use various distractions to forget it. If our personality is such that we can do it, we can

dissociate ourselves from the pain and stand apart from it or even make the painful part numb. We can all practise autosuggestion, and most of us can get some help from it provided we do it in a really relaxed state of mind.

The Practice of Relaxing Mental Exercises-This of course forms the basis of this approach to the management of pain. It allays anxiety, wards off distress, allows the effective use of autosuggestion, and of itself reduces our threshold of pain.

Any system that is successful in the self-management of pain is based on a calm and relaxed state of mind. The system described here is simple and effective, and can be mastered by almost anyone who sets his mind to it.

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Q. What about worms? Are these very common?

A. Indeed they are and I guess nearly every child in Australia has suffered from worms. The most common kind here is the threadworm, also called the pin worm. It commonly affects children of school age, for eggs are readily transmitted on fingers and hands, school implements, toys and play things.

The eggs quickly hatch out in the bowel and adult worms leave the anus to deposit eggs around the anal margin at night. This causes irritation and the desire to scratch, which in turn transmits more eggs to the fingers and under the nails and so they are spread to others, either members of the family or school chums. Apart from irritation there are rarely any severe effects.

Q. What is the best treatment?

A. Ideally the whole family or the whole class or school should be treated at the same time. A variety of medications is used, Mebendazole (Vermox) is very satisfactory. One tablet, or 5 ml of liquid, is all that is required irrespective of age. If the worms recur, which is common, a further dose or two at weekly intervals will again have a beneficial effect. Other worm killers are also used with good effect.

Q. What about other worm infestations. Are these common?

A. In certain under-developed countries they are notoriously common. In Australia, in the main, they are not commonly seen. Round worm (ascariasis) sometimes occurs. There may be no symptoms, although nausea, vomiting and colic may be present. Piperazine citrate is effective treatment. Hookworm, strongyloides and tape worm are occasionally seen.

Q. What about giardiasis? This seems to have suddenly taken off in Australia in recent years.

A. True, and the parasite called giardia lamblia which came here from the Mediterranean area is now very common all around Australia, especially along the eastern seaboard. It usually comes from infected water, maybe swimming pools, is swallowed, multiplies in the duodenum and causes ongoing diarrhoea with frothy stools. The organism may be identified by material taken from the duodenum or from the contaminated stools.

Q. What about treatment?

A. This is excellent. Metronidazole (Flagyl) given three times a day for a week is curative. A simpler method is taking tinidazole (Fasigyn), four tablets of 500 mg as a single dose. These drugs should be taken under medical supervision after the diagnosis has been confirmed.

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Sports injuries are mainly caused by contact with another person, an object, or through overuse of muscles. Obviously, not all such risks can be avoided – you can’t foresee a collision on the pitch or a fall on the track – but they can be minimised.

Getting the body ready for exercise is just as important whether you play sport every day or once a month. It’s particularly important for older people and those not used to exercising. If you are unused to exercise, a visit to your doctor before you start is always a good idea. Gently warm up for five to ten minutes to improve muscle flexibility. Before going on an energetic sporting holiday, such as skiing, start your exercise programme about six weeks beforehand. It’s also important to ease your body back down after activity, first with mild physical exercise, then gentle stretching exercises to help prevent muscle stiffness. Changing into warm clothing stops the body getting chilled.

Clothes and equipment should be chosen with care: shoes must fit properly and be correct for the purpose; clothes should be appropriate, and your racket, bike or clubs should be of the right size for your height and weight.

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