At the start of any new skin care regime, the prospect of flawless skin can leave us giddy with excitement. As days go by and that dream skin’ has yet to make an appearance, it’s easy to become discouraged and fling those products in the bin, only to start all over again with a new assortment of products. This is all understandable – and I’ve seen it dozens of times with my patients – but trust me when I say that it’ll   , all pay off in the end.

New products, particularly those with collagen-stimulating properties, need ample time to work; there’s no way that this can be accomplished overnight. I advise that people try out their new products for at least a month [two or three months is actually ideal, but I know how impatient we can all be) before moving on to the next thing. The fact is that you aren’t going to see any improvement in your skin after just a few days. Those products that exfoliate the surface of the skin will give you a faster result.

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Many inside and outside the health sciences have wondered, “Why all the fuss about determining the origins of the AIDS pandemic and other outbreaks?” Resolution of where things come from guides decisions about our future, ultimately enabling us to put safeguards in place. Although there is a great deal of concern about the danger of emerging new diseases, the most important incident justifying this attention has been the AIDS pandemic. If it turns out that the AIDS pandemic resulted from polio vaccination, then we have no example from the twentieth century of a new kind of pandemic blindsiding society by arising from a secluded source. Nor do we have an example from the nineteenth century. The closest we can come are recurrences of known diseases such as influenza and cholera. To find a pandemic of a previously unrecognized disease caused by a previously secluded pathogen, we would have to go back to earlier centuries, to the first spread of exotic diseases such as yellow fever, cholera, and syphilis.

If, on the other hand, we can conclude that the AIDS pandemic was caused by a natural process rather than a medical bungle, then we will know that we should be ready for similar occurrences over the next few centuries. This recognition, however, should not distract us from the horrible infectious plagues that were here among us during the decades before the AIDS pandemic and that are still here. We have neglected them because we failed to recognize their infectious character. And we still do.

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Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)

Screening test: 50 gm oral glucose load, with 1 hour value s 140mg/dl. The ADA recommends that the test be done between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommends that all pregnant patients be screened and that the 1 -hour value of 130 (90% sensitivity) or 140 mg/dl (80% sensitivity) be used as the threshold for diagnostic testing. According to the ADA guidelines, testing is optional in low-risk groups: age < 25 years, normal body weight, no family history of diabetes, and not a member of an ethnic/racial group with a high prevalence of diabetes (Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Native American).

Diagnostic test: 100 gm glucose orally (if screeningiest is abnormal)

Time fasting      Plasma glucose (mg/dl)

Diagnosis of GDM: Any 2 of the 4 plasma glucose values meet or exceed above values.

Hemoglobin A1c as a Diagnostic Test

Pro:   (1) Has a frequency distribution like FPG or 2-hour PG.

(2) Studies have established a level above which the likelihood of developing retinopathy and nephropathy increases dramatically. This level is approximately 6.0%. Con:  (1) Many different methods; limited standardization; limited world-wide availability. (2) Imperfectly correlated with FPG, 2-hr PG. Conclusion:   HbA1 c is not recommended as a diagnostic test at present.

Pre-diabetes

A new condition; pre-diabetes, was defined by the ADA in 2002. A person with IGT or impaired fasting glucose (1FG: fasting glucose of 110-125 mg/dl) is now defined as having pre-diabetes. Such people are at high risk for developing diabetes in the next decade and have an increased risk for coronary heart disease. The ADA has estimated that about 12 million people in the U.S. have pre-diabetes.

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When the mind is happy, a smile on the face comes automatically. In case of mental tension, furrows appear on the forehead. The mental condition is reflected on any part of the human body. Physical ailment is the result of an impediment in the way of life of a person.

So long as we lead our lives according to our conscience which is the inner voice of the soul, we remain healthy and happy.  When an obstruction is tolerated in the way of life by some extraneous influences (other than the inner voice), the harmonious working of the trio—soul, mind & body is disturbed and the man falls ill.

Sickness of a man is only an expression of the fault by which he ignores the guidance of his Superior Self, the conscience, the inner voice, and forgets that this inner voice is the Divine Command which always leads us to the path of fulfilment, to our good.

According to Dr. Bach there is no physical disease; physical ailment is only an exhibition of the mental disturbance, which follows when we, despite the warning from our inner voice, adopt a way of life other than what our conscience suggests. When we do some work against the die tat of our conscience, we become prone to some mental disturbances such as fear, doubt, anger, and it is due to this mental disturbance that the body suffers.

The more this mental disturbance becomes chronic, the physical ailment becomes more deep rooted.

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Unlike a scientific revolution in the natural sciences which affects primarily an isolated group of scientists, a crisis in psychiatry is not only felt among psychiatrists but among all those confronted with the mentally ill. A common characteristic of mental health professionals in the social services and mental hospitals is demoralization and the cynical acceptance of the unsatisfactory methods of treatment for the patients. Patients are either given maintenance measures or are subjected to verbal psychotherapies, even though many of them do not respond well to talk. There is also a large measure of good-natured mothering and caring. The heroin addict is weaned on methadone, a substitute” for heroin /~ which is itself addictive. The depressed person is encouraged to talk about feelings. The manic is frequently ushered off for a ‘vacation’ on downers. The psychiatrist faced with , a patient claiming to be the Virgin Mary, broadcasting the wisdom of God in a downtown shopping center, is likely to first search for the right drugs to quiet the patient and appease the environment. The social worker endeavors to work with the client, his impossible family conditions, his neighbors, the police and even the court system. Many of these workers feel overburdened and impotent in the face of extreme states.

In spite of increasing sophistication in research and the interconnection between chemistry and psychotic behavior, there is still no one-to-one cause and effect relationship between disease agents and cures. The applicability of disease definitions based, to a great extent, upon the experiences of a given society seems to be a dangerous definition of a ‘physical’ disease. A mentally healthy person in our culture is, according to medical definitions, capable of verbally relating thoughts and feelings in the absence of physical disease. Definitions in terms of given cultural norms are bound to have limited application since they are value judgements related to the observer’s psychology rather than empirical reports of the client’s individual language and body gestures. A qualitative classification can hardly be expected to produce quantitative changes; therefore, it is logically inconsistent to even search for quantitative causes for ‘disease’ which have no quantitative measures!

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Grapefruit (and its pal, the orange). I know, every diet you have ever heard of touts the wonders of grapefruit But, contrary to public opinion, they have almost no fiber, so they slosh around in your stomach not doing any particular good. Plus, they have only a tiny number of active enzymes compared with other, far more interesting fruits. Eating citrus fruits is like putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg. They just don’t do much. The amount of vitamin C you derive is wildly overrated. The amount of vitamin A is negligible. And the bulk of those nutrients is concentrated in the seeds, the white membranous lining, and the skin. When did you last try eating grapefruit skin and orange seeds?

Admittedly, grapefruit is low-cal. But remember, when something is low-calorie it’s also low-energy. Put low energy in, and you get low energy out.

Lemons and Limes. Sad but true, these two are overrated. What I said about grapefruits and oranges goes for lemons and limes, too. They contain a special chemical that neutralizes the all-important pepsin enzyme which digests proteins. Eaten with or on a protein food—even the smallest squirt on a piece of fish or chicken—neutralizes the enzyme pepsin and renders the protein indigestible. Which means it’s fattening.

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In countries such as the US, this is the most common serious infection among persons with HIV. It can be fatal. It is caused by bacteria called Pneumocystis carinii. Most people infected with these bacteria do not get pneumonia if their immune systems are normal. Pneumocystis carinii can be cured with medicines.

Exposure to Pneumocystis carinii is difficult to prevent and therefore medical treatment is recommended to prevent the infection. The best drug for preventing Pneumocystis carinii is trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole, a combination of two medicines. This medicine is recommended if the CD4 cell count falls below two hundred or if there are symptoms such as fever and fungal infection in the mouth (oral thrush).

Toxoplasmosis:

People with HIV infection usually have symptoms because of toxoplasmosis if their CD4 count is below hundred. This infection normally affects the central nervous system, including the brain. Many people infected with toxoplasmosis have no symptoms. However, people with HIV or

AIDS may have symptoms such as headache, confusion, and fever. Other symptoms include seizures, poor coordination, and nausea.

Toxoplasmosis can be spread in two ways: (a) by eating under-cooked meat; and (b) through contact with infected cat stool. It can be prevented by eating meat that is cooked till it is no longer pink in the centre. Red meat is safe if it has been frozen for at least twenty four hours. Chicken and eggs almost never contain toxoplasmosis. However, they should also be cooked until well done because of risk of other diseases.

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