BLOOD IN THE URINE (HAEMATURIA)

Blood in the urine (haematuria) can be due to many causes, including trauma and infection. If you suspect that your child has blood in his urine (if it is pink, red or brown in colour), see your doctor as soon as possible. Take a specimen of urine with you so that it can be tested for the presence of blood.

ERECTIONS

Erections occur quite often in the newborn and older child and may be the result of a full bladder, or of self-stimulation. In any event it is completely normal for children to have erections. It is important not to tease your child when he has an erection, nor to punish him. Simply pay no special attention to it, and answer any questions from your young son in an honest and matter-of-fact manner.

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FORESKIN, HYGIENIC CARE OF THE

In young boys the foreskin covering the glans of the penis is usually not fully retractable until around the age of 4-5 years. Hygiene of the foreskin is very important and should be taught to your son from an early age. A white secretion (smegma) collects between the foreskin and the glans, and should be cleaned away carefully. In babies, gently pull the skin on the shaft of the penis away from the tip — do not do this more than once or twice a week initially, and never use force. Cleanse the area with water only, so that soap does not collect under the foreskin. If you cannot retract the foreskin at all, do not force it; it will gradually loosen up. Teach the older toddler to retract his own foreskin and wash here carefully once a week.

FORESKIN, PROBLEMS WITH THE

The normal penis Four per cent of boys have a retractable foreskin at birth; 50% at 1 year; 80% at 2 years; 90% at 4 years. The cleaning of the penis should be facilitated by gently retracting the foreskin as far as it goes, but never try to pull it back beyond the point where resistance is met.

Phimosis This is when the foreskin opening is very small, often as a result of inflammation, so that retraction of the foreskin is impossible. Sometimes the phimosis is so severe that there is no stream of urine, and it comes out in a dribble. Usually circumcision is necessary.

Paraphimosis This is when the foreskin is retracted and is unable to be returned to its normal position. This condition is often treated by circumcision too. Balanitis This is an inflammation of the foreskin. If it recurs, circumcision is often necessary.

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Circumcision is a simple surgical procedure in which the foreskin, which covers the tip of the penis, is removed. Whether a boy should be circumcised continues to be a subject of debate among parents and health professionals. While exact figures are not available, probably about one third of boys in Australia are circumcised, mostly in the newborn period, although the tendency for this procedure to be done is gradually decreasing.

Arguments for circumcision

1. Cultural or religious practice, for example in the Jewish or Muslim faiths.

2. Hygiene — a penis without a foreskin is easy to clean.

3. Medical reasons (see Foreskin, problems with the, opposite).

4. Prevention of certain conditions. Circumcision is said to decrease the risk of cancer of the penis, urinary tract infection, and perhaps sexually transmitted disease and cancer of the cervix in females although there is no hard evidence for these claims.

5.To be the same as father or peer group. The argument becomes less persuassiveas the number of circumcised boys decreases, and is probably not as important as once thought.

Arguments against circumcision

1. The procedure as performed in the newborn causes significant pain and behavioural changes, such as irritability, which can persist for some time (often days).

2. It is contraindicated if there is a medical condition such as a bleeding disorder or hypospadias, which is an anatomical abnormality of the tip of the penis.

3. There is a small but definite risk of complications, such as bleeding, infection, taking off too much or too little skin.

Ultimately, whether or not to circumcise their child is a decision for parents to make after considering the advantages and disadvantages. While circumcision for religious and cultural reasons continues, routine circumcision is performed less and less. If you are uncertain, you may want to discuss your doubts with the doctor.

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Many children suffer from pinworms (Enterobius vermicularis). These are thin, white parasites about 1 cm in length, which live in the digestive tract.

These worms can be seen wriggling on the surface of the skin surrounding the child’s anus, especially at night when the female worms emerge from the anal passage to lay their eggs. Children with pinworms complain of a very itchy anus (see p. 258) which may cause them to wake from sleep. Scratching often leads to reinfection because the child may put his fingers, which are contaminated with eggs, to his mouth.

Treatment

If you suspect that your child has worms, see your doctor who will prescribe anti-worm medicine or tablets. It is wise for the whole family to take these even if others do not have symptoms. Careful washing of hands after going to the toilet and before eating is important to prevent re-infection. Keep fingernails short. Wash all clothing and linen in hot water to destroy eggs, and vacuum or mop the bedroom floor to pick up any eggs that have dropped. Pets do not carry pinworms.

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In some children, toilet training seems extremely difficult. In a very small proportion of children, this may be due to an underlying developmental or medical cause. For example, children who have significant developmental delay will be trained at a later age than the average child because they will take longer to reach the neurological and mental capacity necessary for successful training. In rare cases, a child has an anatomical or neurological problem, or a urinary tract infection. A small number of children have difficulty in being trained because of constipation or chronic diarrhoea.

By far the main reason for difficulty in training is the interaction between the child and his parents. Whatever the characteristics of the child and parents that contribute to it, there is a power struggle going on and the more the parents try, the more the child resists. The only way out of this relatively common impasse is for the parents to opt out completely and transfer all the responsibility to the child. This is not easy to do, and often the parents may benefit from guidance provided by their family doctor or a paediatrician.

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Vitamin E, which is one of the fat-soluble group, has been hailed as an aid to sexuality. Advertisements have stated or implied that it will improve a man’s potency, increase fertility or remove wrinkles.

As well, in this coronary-prone society, it has also been claimed to reduce arterio-sclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and lower cholesterol levels in the blood.

While it has some famous people lauding its use, there is no worthwhile valid medical evidence that is acceptable to medical scientists to prove that it is of any use whatever.

Vitamin E occurs naturally in the germ of cereals and in green vegetables. An intake of 30mg a day is necessary for the development of red blood cells.

But its place in human nutrition and in the treatment of all those other situations is still very much in doubt.

Vitamin A is required for the proper nutrition of the skin and tissues of the eye. It also forms part of the chemical known as Visual Purple, which is necessary for clear vision in poor light.

It occurs in liver, dairy products and fish oils. It can be formed in the body from carotenes, which occur in green vegetables, carrots and apricots.

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It has been found that the brain produces chemicals similar to morphine. These are called endorphins. Regular exercise seems to increase the production of these chemicals and produce a feeling of wellbeing. Perhaps you can become hooked on your own endorphins.

But the picture is not all good. Those who are out of condition should begin slowly. Ligaments, joints and muscles become soft and flabby with lack of exercise and too sudden a strain by running on hard ground or doing too much too soon can lead to muscle and ligament strain.

If you are more than 35 and wish to start an exercise program, you should have a medical check before you embark on a get fit campaign.

It is recommended that those over 40 or 45 should have a stress test before starting to exercise regularly. This involves having an electrocardiograph during exercise to see if the effort of exercise reveals any evidence of heart abnormalities under stress.

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Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women.

A fifth of all cancers in women develop in the breast. Eventually one woman in 20 will develop breast cancer and in Australia 1600 women will die each year from it.

The cause of breast cancer is unknown.

Cancer of the breast is rare in men and also in women under 25. Its incidence is greatest in the age group 40 to 50. It is more common in the unmarried and the less fertile — just the opposite of the next commonest female cancer, that of the cervix or neck of the womb.

‘As with all cancers, the earlier it is found and treated the better the results.

Regular palpation or feeling the breasts can detect lumps, which can be further checked to see if they are cancerous.

The doctor should regularly feel his women patients’ breasts, but the woman can be taught to do this herself.

Not all lumps turn out to be cancer, but I believe a doctor should be consulted about any lump in the breast.

Biopsy is best carried out by frozen section. The lump is removed, then snap-frozen using carbon dioxide snow, cut into thin sections and examined under the microscope. An experienced pathologist can give an accurate opinion within minutes and if cancer is present the surgeon can go ahead and do the proper operation.

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Pollen is the male germ cells of the plant kingdom. Pollen in beehives and honey comes from flowers. It is believed that it comes to the beehive in two ways: it attaches itself to the legs of honey-collecting bees and then falls off their legs while they deposit their honey; also it is believed that it is deliberately collected by the bees to feed the young working bees which produce royal jelly—another amazing substance on which the queen bee lives exclusively.

Analysis of pollen has shown that it is indeed a food for gods—it is the richest and most complete food in nature!

Pollen contains 20 percent protein; all the water-soluble vitamins (with the exception of Bi2); a rich supply of minerals and trace elements, and enzymes and coenzymes. The other vital substances are so-called deoxiribosides and sterines, plus traces of steroid hormone substances and other plant hormones. Most researchers believe, however, that there must be some other as yet undiscovered substances in pollen which must share the credit for its acknowledged prophylactic and therapeutic value. It has been demonstrated that pollen does increase the body’s own immunity and also stimulates and rejuvenates glandular activity.

Pollen for prostate trouble

Extensive studies were made by three Swedish doctors, Professor Gosta Jonsson, Dr. Gosta Leander and Professor H. Palmstierna. They reported that strictly controlled tests on 179 cases of chronic prostate inflammation showed that Cernilton, a pollen preparation, together with conventional treatments gives in 60 to 80 percent of the cases better results than conventional therapy alone. By 1965 their studies included over 1,100 cases, with the same positive results.

Pollen for hemmorrhoids

Dr. Lars-Erik Essen from Sweden reports that he has used a pollen preparation, Cernitory, for the treatment of hemmorroids. He said that in many cases where treatments with the traditional chemical suppositories were ineffective, the pollen preparation brought about fast relief, even in advanced cases. The preparation is available without prescription in Swedish drug stores.

Pollen for a healthier digestive tract

Many researchers suggest that pollen has an extremely beneficial effect on the digestive tract and intestines. A French researcher, Dr. Remy Chauvin, reports that pollen seems to have an anti-putrefactive factor. It destroys harmful bacteria in the intestines and improves assimilation and elimination. In clinical tests the administration of pollen has relieved chronic constipation and colonic infection. Patients suffering from chronic diarrhea have also showed improvement.

It has been suggested that Bulgarians, Rumanians, Russians, and other East European peoples known for their enviable record of longevity have to thank lactic acid for their excellent health and youthful vitality. Their diets are high in soured foods (rich in lactic acid), such as sour milk, yogurt, black sour-dough bread, sauerkraut, and the like. Lactic acid has a beneficial anti-putrefactive effect on intestines and keeps the digestive tract in good health.

Probably the most beneficial effect of pollen is that, taken internally, it quickly produces the same anti-putrefactive effect as lactic-acid foods, and thus contributes to a healthy digestive system and good assimilation of nutrients—absolute prerequisites for good health and long life.

Other indications

Pollen in pure form or in the form of Swedish Cernitin preparations has also been used successfully for the following conditions:

As a general tonic, especially in convalescence and in conditions of neurasthenia.

In chronic bronchitis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, gastric ulcers, and arthritis.

In hay fever.

In treatment of symptoms of aging.

Pollen completely harmless

French doctor Remy Chauvin fed hundreds of experimental mice nothing but pollen for two years to discover possible harmful effects from pollen. Not only he did not see any adverse effects, but through several generations of mice there were increasing vitality and greater reproduction. He continued similiar experiments with children, adults, and old people. There has never been reported any example of the possible harmful effect of pollen on human beings.

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Keep in mind that high blood pressure is not a disease, but rather a symptom of other disorders in the body. Hypertension can be due to nervous tension, kidney disease, glandular disorders, obesity, hardening of arteries, etc. In general, it could be said that a great number of diseased conditions in the body will raise the blood pressure. However, by far the most common cause of high blood pressure is the hardening of the arteries. When arteries and arterioles become constricted by cholesterol or other deposits, they lose their elasticity and become brittle and hard, so the blood has difficulty passing through them and the heart has to work harder and increase its pressure in order to maintain circulation. In case of infections or other diseased conditions in various parts of the body, blood pressure is increased as a defensive measure in order to increase the flow of blood to the diseased area, to supply it with the nutrients, hormones and other vital substances needed for the healing processes, to accelerate the detoxification of the blood, and to speed recovery.

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