Articles (What Doctors Don't Tell You)

It is the second most common neurological disorder after stroke – affecting one in 2000 people. However, this is not a simple disorder, but a group of central nervous system (CNS) disorders sharing certain symptoms. The most well known symptom is the seizure, which is a movable feast. It can range in intensity from momentary […]

A stroke occurs when blood circulation to the brain fails. Brain cells can die as a result of the decreased blood flow and subsequent lack of oxygen. There are two broad categories of stroke: those caused by a blocked blood flow (the most common kind of stroke, known as an ischaemic stroke); and those due […]

Osteoporosis, which means ‘porous bones’, describes any condition that reduces bone mass. Symptoms include leg and foot cramps; height loss; lower-back pain; hip, wrist and spine fractures; and ‘dowager’s hump’ (upper spine curvature). Some bone loss is natural in both women and men with age – it’s only when bones are thin and brittle that […]

The world of dietary fats is a complicated alphabet soup of names and numbers, and our understanding of how each type of fat works in the body – for good or ill – is far from complete. To aid our understanding, we tend to reduce the issue to its most basic equation. For a long […]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) of the eye occurs when the cells of the macula – an irregular yellow depression on the centre of the retina – becomes damaged and stops functioning. The retina is a thin layer of light-sensitive tissue that stretches across the back of the eye. It contains rod cells for night vision […]

For years, non-specific anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and paracetamol (acetaminophen) were the medications of choice for joint pain. But NSAIDs quickly became COX-2 inhibitors associated with adverse gastrointestinal effects such as peptic ulcers, leaving arthritis patients with a dilemma: manage the arthritis pain and risk serious stomach complications, or manage the ulcer and live […]

We now know more than ever about how to prevent asthma and how to keep attacks to a minimum. Consider the following advice to help keep your airways working optimally. * Allergies. Asthma-causing allergens/irritants include air pollution, tobacco smoke, pet dander, dustmites, pollen, cleaning products, kerosene heaters, moulds and mildew. Bakers, manicurists, hairdressers and painters, […]

Cancer is mostly preventable – even for those with a genetic predisposition cancer is mostly preventable – even for those with a genetic predisposition. In fact, genetics accounts for only around 30 per cent of cancers. The rest is down to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and environment. * Go vegetarian or, at the […]

While we tend to accept heart disease as an inevitable result of ageing, the overwhelming evidence is that heart disease is preventable through simple changes in lifestyle. Some of the suggestions here may quite literally save your life. * Eat fewer animal products. Eat less meat and more plant foods rich in vitamin C and […]

Non-lethal cancers, spontaneous remissions, people with genetic risk factors who don’t get cancer in their lifetime – these things are neither mystical nor miraculous; they are medical facts. Yet, there are few subjects that make mainstream physicians more nervous or uncomfortable than the idea of cancers that cure themselves. Most cancer treatments are doled out […]