Health News Blog provides coverage of current health news.

After about twenty years research, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has finally found a workable weapon in the war against indoor air pollution: house plants! Scientists working with space capsules always had to deal with small, cramped spaces in which astronauts spent long hours working without fresh air. Space vehicles are full, I am sure, of gadgets that pollute the air. They discovered that several common varieties of house plants are able to gobble up a wide range of contaminants, from benzene in tobacco smoke to formaldehyde in household cleaners. The Environmental Protection Association of the USA has found that the concentrations of some toxic chemicals in ordinary homes and office buildings are 200-500 per cent higher than those in the outside air. This is why the resulting health problems are sometimes called the ‘Sick Building Syndrome’. When they hear this term, people tend to associate the word ‘building’ with office blocks, skyscrapers and so on, without realising that their own home or flat is also a building.
As we have seen, common sources of pollutants are adhesives, carpeting, vinyl or rubber moulding, pressed wood, copying machines, cooking gas, cleaning agents and pesticides. There is no doubt in my mind that these can cause or aggravate a variety of conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome. People who are very sensitive or already overloaded are affected by the chemicals buildings contain and usually complain of headaches, irritated eyes, drowsiness, skin rashes, difficulty in breathing and a host of other allergy-related conditions. Worse, these acute symptoms may be followed years later by more severe health consequences. We know that formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene — three of the most common indoor pollutants — are able to reactivate dormant or latent viruses, and they are suspected of. causing a variety of cancers. According to the US government reports, indoor contaminants cost the nation tens of billions of dollars per year in lost productivity and medical bills.
As far back as 1973, when NASA found that the air inside Skylab 3 was contaminated with over 100 chemicals, space scientists realised they had a big problem. Environmental engineers were called in to solve the problem. Since plants recycle oxygen, one specialist reasoned, they might have a hidden talent for breaking down pollutants as well. So he exposed plants to high concentrations of different chemicals. The findings were interesting, to say the least:
Aloe Vera removed 90 per cent of the formaldehyde in the air within 24 hours.
Marginata reduced benzene concentrations by almost 80 per cent.
Peace Lily cut trichloroethylene by 50 per cent.
Since no one plant can tackle all pollutants, the scientists suggest cultivating a mixture of plants which excel at breaking down different classes of compounds. One or two plants per 10 square metres is usually sufficient, though severe problems may require air venting or removing pollutant sources as well.
To maximise anti-pollution capabilities, a ‘filter planter’ or high-tech flowerpot has been developed. The container holds a hydroponic growth medium of carbon and porous clay pebbles which traps pollutants more effectively than ordinary soil.
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There is, of course, another side to this coin. If so many people have the ability to stop a seizure, it is not surprising that quite a lot find that they can make a seizure happen deliberately without too much difficulty. Many people know that they can bring on their own seizures by a direct act of will, by thinking or behaving in a certain way. Probably many more do the very same thing without realizing that they are doing so. If seizures start with a movement such as flexing a limb or turning the head, then mimicking the movement while mentally willing a seizure to occur may actually precipitate one. In one survey of people attending an epilepsy clinic about a quarter of the interviewees said they could generate a seizure at will. However, this figure is probably an over-estimate: a study of Swedish children with epilepsy found that 16 per cent could make themselves have a seizure if they tried. But, more importantly, allot these children said that they knew the circumstances in which they were likely to have a seizure.
Lucy’s father died when she was 14. At the time she was intensely miserable, and used to lie on her bed every evening crying. Lucy had epilepsy, and she found that often when she was feeling very sad she would have a seizure. She came to welcome these seizures because they meant that for a short time at least she was unconscious and therefore free of her misery.
Eventually Lucy got over her father’s death. For several years her seizures were well controlled. Then, seemingly out of the blue, one evening she started having recurrent seizures and was taken to hospital as an emergency. Afterwards, when questioned closely by her doctor, Lucy admitted that she had recently broken up with her boyfriend. The day of her hospital admission she had been lying on her bed, feeling very sad, just as she had when her father died. She had had a seizure, and felt that in the seizure she was able to escape from her sadness. Coming out of the seizure she was overwhelmed by misery once again and had allowed the sad feelings to sweep over her, knowing that it would result in another seizure . . . and another . . . and another.
People who have discovered that emotional mental states such as sadness or resentment can cause seizures, for example, can often ensure that they have a seizure by deliberately thinking about things that they know make them feel sad or resentful. It is not unheard of for children to use this kind of ploy when a parent is angry with them.
Some people find that deliberately keeping their mind blank can precipitate a seizure. You may discover quite by accident what particular movement or mental activity always seems to start a seizure off, or that you can will a seizure by manipulating your attention or thinking certain thoughts. It is very common, for instance, for people to have seizures when they are thinking or talking about seizures.
There is thus a very fine line between deliberately inducing a seizure and allowing yourself the luxury of a mental state or a behaviour that you know is likely to induce one.
It would be nice to be able to say that there is a good chance you may be able to control your epilepsy completely by using behavioural methods. Unfortunately, this is not very likely. These self-help methods are not meant to replace drugs, and you certainly should not stop taking your drugs if you practise them. But they are a useful addition to more conventional treatment.
A complete treatment of epilepsy does not involve just taking drugs. It means learning how your feelings, thinking and behaviour can all be used in the control of your seizures. You will not then be nearly so much at the mercy of your epilepsy. You will be able to gain some mastery over your seizures instead of letting them control you and dominate your life.
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How Do I Know If I Am Over- or Underproducing Acid?
If your symptoms do not respond to antacids or changing your lifestyle and eating habits, it could be that you are undersecreting.
What to Do If You Feel You Are Low on Hydrochloric Acid
1 For a few days see if your symptoms improve if you eat small, frequent, low-protein high complex carbohydrate (whole grains, vegetables, fruit).
2 Chew all food thoroughly and don’t eat when tired.
3 Don’t drink water or anything with meals.
4 Waif for at least an hour before you have tea or coffee after a meal.
5 If symptoms persist, speak to a nutritionist (see Useful Addresses) and ask about a natural source of hydrochloric acid (betaine hydrochloride).
6 See if your doctor is willing to send you for a test to determine stomach acid levels. You will probably have to fast before a test. If your doctor cannot help you, ask to be referred to a doctor who specializes in Clinical Nutrition. The British Society of Nutritional Medicine  will be able to give you the name of the doctor nearest to you. You could also ring a
nutritionist for advice. Biolab  do the Heidelberg Gastrogram Test. This entails swallowing a small capsule at the end of a string which contains a microtransmitter. The stomach acid levels are then recorded electronically.
Conditions Often Associated with Low Levels of Hydrochloric Acid
• fatigue
• acne
• IBS
• food intolerances
• disturbances of gut flora
• pernicious anaemia
• asthma
• rheumatoid arthritis
• low immune system
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What are the chances of another seizure recurring in your child? If her chances of having another seizure were 10 to 15 percent, would you consider this a high chance or a low one? The consequences of a second seizure will depend on the child’s age and the type of seizure. The consequences of a seizure could be great for older adolescents or adults if, for example, they are driving a car. The consequences of prohibiting driving are great for this age group. The younger child faces no such consequences. The consequences of everyday activities, therefore, vary with age. The toddler is unlikely to be climbing a tree, while the older child may be climbing when a seizure occurs. Risks and consequences vary dramatically with age, with activities, and also personality, as well as many other factors. Since the consequences will happen to you and your child, you (and sometimes your child) will have to be the one to evaluate their significance.
Medication is usually started to decrease the chance of another seizure. But does medication do this? It is widely believed that medication is effective in preventing seizures, and indeed, it is clearly effective in people who have frequent seizures. It is not as clear that it prevents a second seizure in a child who has had only one. A number of studies suggest that the risk of a second seizure is just as great for the child who is placed on medication as for the child who is not. Therefore, whether medication is effective in this situation remains a matter of debate.
You might want to try medicine anyway if it involved no risks or negative consequences.
Unfortunately, however, there are both risks and consequences. The cost of medication can be significant for some families. Every medication has side effects (risks and consequences). The “cost” in terms of side effects can be substantial. You have to evaluate the costs and benefits for your child.
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There are probably many ‘sexualities’, and this is why labelling is a fairly useless exercise. This has been discovered in HIV/AIDS education which was initially targeted at ‘high risk groups’, namely gay and bisexual men and intravenous drug users. The problem with this approach is that a man who has sex with other men may not identify himself as either gay or bisexual and would refuse to believe or simply not understand that he was at risk. We live in a society that loves to label people, but some people don’t find the label suits them. It’s like the old joke about the man who says, ‘I’m not gay but the bloke I had sex with last night is.’ What makes more sense is to talk about specific sexual activities. I mean, some people are surprised to find that there are some gay men who hate anal intercourse. There are certainly some people who are surprised that there are heterosexual couples who like it. That’s why labels like ‘homosexual’ or ‘heterosexual’ are fairly impractical when it comes to preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Times are starting to change. HIV/AIDS is finally being seen as a problem for the whole community. In Australia and

Canada the military has reviewed their rules banning gay men and lesbians from the armed forces.

Recently there was a much-publicized defamation suit in Britain involving the performer Jason Donovan. He successfully sued a British magazine for publishing a story that implied that he was gay. Now, regardless of the finer legal details, it just goes to show that being labelled ‘gay’ is considered to be a long way short of a compliment.

Maybe one day we will have a society mature enough that ‘gay’,’ bisexual’ or any other label will not be considered an insult. Maybe the labels won’t even exist, as people focus less on sexual acts and fantasies as the key to personality, and more on whatever relationships add value to our lives.
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Oscar Wilde’s suicide attempt remains a poignant symbol of the thousands of young people who try to take their lives because they cannot cope with the confusion or fear about their sexuality, or the distress of being excluded from their peer group, victimized, harassed, or attacked. It is estimated that a third to a half of all teenage suicides are related to issues of sexual orientation. This is another urgent reason to educate young people about sexual orientation so that they have a better understanding of themselves and others.

It is just as important that the person ‘coming out’ is able to understand why their parent feels the way they do.

The best decision might be not talking to your family at all. After all, part of growing up is not feeling as though you have to tell your parents everything about yourself. It is not always easy for ‘straight’ friends to be accepting.

Sarah is now twenty-nine. She had been living with a man for several years when she met Susan. ‘It was like nothing I had ever felt before. I thought about her all day and then dreamt about her at night. I found myself physically and emotionally attracted to her like a magnet. I couldn’t believe it was happening because I had never been aware of any attraction to women at all, except as friends. After we became lovers I felt I had no choice but to commit myself to the relationship; it just felt so right. At first I only told a few close friends. They weren’t all as pleased for me as I would have liked. Actually, that’s an understatement.
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Wood’s Lamp

This is an ultraviolet light which, when used in a darkened room, will highlight certain fungal infections on the skin or hair. The fungus shows up as a fluorescent object under the lamp. The procedure is painless.

Skin scrapings

A small scraping of material from the skin is taken, using a small scalpel blade. This is then looked at under the microscope, where fungi and parasites can be readily identified.

Biopsy

A local anaesthetic is given to put a small area of skin to sleep and a 3-4 millimetre plug of skin is removed with a special instrument or needle. The specimen is then sent to the laboratory for further examination and identification. This is rarely required in children with common skin problems.

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The discussion with children went on for more than one and one half hours. In a room full of kids, some of who were diagnosed as severely retarded emotionally impaired, and hyperactive, they all sat and listened. They laughed sometimes, but no more than their parents and the staff. They asked, listened, and learned. You can tell by their questions that they had put a lot of thought into this area already. You noticed the kids asked the questions in no particular order or interconnection in most cases. They were just more direct than some of us.

In each of my answers, I used a sex-education principle that has worked well for me. I always over answer the question. I give more information than is required just so long as I give a specific answer to whatever was asked. I suggest you try the same approach. It’s a good chance to make a lot of points you would like to make about living.

I have done this type of teaching with groups of senior citizens. I recently met with over two hundred senior citizens, most of whom were permanency living in nursing homes. I thought you might like to read just a few of their questions and my answers to support my earlier point that sex education is not for children only, and to provide information on the relationship between sexuality and aging.

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