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This is the other kind of period pain. The one sure way to find out whether someone is suffering from this type is to ask her how she knows when a period is due. Those who suffer from the cramps have little or no warning that a period is on its way; the blood and the pain often arrive together. But if you suffer from the aching miseries, you know for days beforehand that a period is due. You probably ache, your breasts may be sore and your belly swollen; you feel bloated and heavy; you can’t do up your skirt and your bra is too tight; you may have a headache, backache, or aching thighs; you may feel exhausted or disagreeable or irritable; you may be off-balance (some of the trouble areas are indicated in figure lb). Do you break more cups just before a period, or trip over your feet, or find it impossible to park the car? Do you sleep badly? Do you develop inexplicable bruises on your thighs or upper arms? They’re all symptoms of the aching miseries, and they can last for anything from two or three days to more than a fortnight. The period itself is probably not too painful once it gets under way. And after the first day of the actual period you feel a lot better. Many women say they’re back to normal then.
Strangely enough, although the aching miseries seem to be almost the reverse of the cramps, deliberate relaxation helps them too. It is not yet known for certain why this is, but it looks as though it is to do with the hormone balance of our bodies. The changes which occur when a woman has periods, carries a baby, and gives birth are mainly controlled by two chemical messengers, or hormones, called oestrogen and progesterone. To simplify, it seems likely that the cramps are caused by a shortage of oestrogen and the aching miseries by a shortage of progesterone.
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Tags: Pain Relief
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The stimulatory (plus) levels can all be considered, in a sense, adaptive responses by the body to some environmental substance(s). When the body can no longer adapt, it enters the various stages of maladaptation (see Chap. 11). These are the withdrawal reactions, also called hangovers or letdowns. Most people never identify their stimulatory (plus) reactions as symptoms until the bigger picture is pointed out to them. The negative reactions are clearly problems, however, and doctors’ waiting rooms are filled with the victims of such reactions.
Minus-one reactions are those symptoms, mainly physical, which are commonly called allergic reactions. They include running nose, coughing, wheezing, asthma, itching, hives, eczema, excessive gas, diarrhea, constipation, colitis, and other localized physical problems.
Because such reactions are ordinarily considered as allergic in origin and handled by conventional allergists, I have given little detailed attention to them in this book. It can be assumed, however, that they are often caused by allergies to foods and common chemicals.
Minus-one reactions (—) such as these may disappear, only to be replaced by even more troublesome minus-two (- -) reactions. Minus-two reactions are “systemic” allergic symptoms, affecting not just one but many parts of the body. A person in this stage of allergy is typically tired, dopey, sleepy, or mildly depressed. He is frequently plagued by painful syndromes, such as headache, neckache, backache, neuralgia, myalgia, and arthralgia. This is the phase in which chest pains and .cardiovascular effects are noticed. Cardiovascular simptoms can include rapid or irregular pulse or heartbeat, hypertension, phlebitis, anemia, or tendencies toward bleeding and bruising.
Typically these symptoms do not occur alone. That is, by the time a patient has fallen to the minus-two level, he often has many of these problems. Doctors like to deal with anatomically distinct problems: “Where does it hurt?” is a typical opening question. Few doctors like to hear, “It hurts all over,” or some such reply. In fact, as we have mentioned, many doctors are told in medical school to discount the statements of parents with many complaints. For this reason, patients in the minus-two and minus-three categories are often told, condescendingly, that their problems are “all in their head,” or psychosomatic. This may be due to the unfamiliarity of orthodox physicians with the findings of clinical ecology. In actuality, such multiple ‘symptoms are often the end result of a long process of developing allergy. The individual nature of the patient’s problem can usually be demonstrated through the methods of clinical ecology.
Minus-two (- -) is the stage at which we find such common problems as physical fatigue and headache (Chap. 12) and muscle and joint aches and pains, including arthritis (Chap. 13). Fatigue, when related to food allergy, tends to be worse in the morning, because this »s when the patient has been without his addictant for several hours. He needs, and craves, his fix. Fatigue on an allergic basis is usually quite different from physical fatigue resulting from exertion, which is relieved by rest and sleep- Allergic fatigue is seemingly without cause, and is not ordinarily relieved by prolonged periods of rest; it is basically quite unpleasant.
Minus-three (- – -) is the stage I call “brain-fag.” The term “brain-fag” is found in Webster’s dictionary as a synonym for mental exhaustion. It was suggested to me by a patient who suffered from this problem, and I have used it ever since. “Brain-fag” is more than just exhaustion. In this stage, thinking is confused, and people become indecisive, moody, sad, sullen, withdrawn, or apathetic. There is frequently much emotional instability and impaired attention. The “brain-fagged” patient cannot concentrate properly, and his comprehension and thought processes are impaired. This includes aphasia (the inability to speak, or to find words for things), mental lapses, and blackouts. A fuller discussion of “brain-fag,” with case histories, is given in Chapter 14.
As with the minus-two reactions, “brain-fag” is characteristically polysymptomatic. The patient has many symptoms and often has periods of physical illness (minus-one or -two) interspersed with his generalized mental exhaustion (minus-three).
Severe depression, or minus-four (- – - -), can be called the end of the line of this entire problem. This depression can be preceded by a superstimulated (plus-four) phase, as in manic-depressive disease, or by less severe withdrawal symptoms (minus-three).
While depression does occur in the young, it is most commonly found in the middle-aged or elderly, who have had a lifetime to develop to this stage. Such depression is often believed to be the result of unhappy events in the life of the patient, such as bereavement, retirement, or changes of locale. While such life events may contribute to the problem, usually mild depression and “brain-fag” precede them, and provide the underlying mechanism for the development of a crisis. Most often, in my experience, depression is caused by lifelong addictions to common foods, drinks, and environmental chemicals.
The severely depressed person may be unresponsive, lethargic, disoriented, and melancholic. While he may remain rational for long periods of time, he may eventually lapse into paranoid thinking, delusions, hallucinations, and sometimes even amnesia and coma.
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Tags: Allergies
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Chest pain is common during childhood. Although chest pain in adults can be serious, it is rarely a symptom of serious disease in children.
A very common form of chest pain in children is the so-called stitch in the side—a stabbing pain in the lower chest, more often on the left side than the right. This pain occurs with exercise and will stop after a minute or two of rest. This type of pain may be caused by gas pains in the large intestine, contraction of the spleen, or spasm of the diaphragm. Regardless of the cause, it is harmless.
Pain in the area of the sternum (breastbone) is common when a child has bronchitis or a head cold combined with a cough. A frequent, hard cough often makes the diaphragm sore, causing a pain just below the ribs. Pain on one side of the chest may be caused by pleurodynia (inflammation of the lining of the chest cavity) or by shingles.
Injuries (including muscle strains, bruises, and fractured ribs) cause pain that is worsened by deep breathing and movements of the chest. All of these types of chest pain are relatively minor and usually can be cared for at home.
There are a few causes of chest pain in children that are more serious, but these are also uncommon. Pleurisy that develops as a complication of pneumonia may cause chest pain; the pain is accompanied by other signs of pleurisy (fever, difficult breathing, cough).
Another more serious cause of chest pain is spontaneous pneumothorax, which is a bursting of a small bubble on the surface of the lung. When the bubble bursts, air escapes into the chest cavity, causing gradual collapse of the lung. This condition comes on suddenly, often with sharp pain, and causes increasing shortness of breath. A hernia of the diaphragm causes chest pain that is usually worse when lying down and less or absent when sitting and standing. Heart pain in children, even those with serious heart conditions, is so rare that it is practically unknown.
Signs and symptoms
Chest pain may occur alone or along with other symptoms. The exact location of the pain and the circumstances that bring on the pain or make it worse are clues to the type and cause of chest pain. Other symptoms (cough, fever, rash at the site of the pain, and shortness of breath) are also clues to the cause.
Most cases of minor chest pain can be treated at home with aspirin or paracetamol, mild heat, and reassurance. If chest pain is caused by a hard cough, cough medicines may help.
Pleurisy, spontaneous pneumothorax, and hernia of the diaphragm should be treated by a doctor.
Precautions
• If chest pain is accompanied by shortness of breath, high fever, a cough producing blood flecks, or prostration (collapse), get medical help immediately.
• If there is persistent pain beneath either armpit that is made worse by breathing, see your doctor.
• Do not give cough medicines if the child is having difficulty breathing.
Medical treatment
Your doctor may recommend X rays and blood tests. Pneumothorax is treated by hospitalization, close observation, and possibly a puncture of the chest wall to remove trapped air.
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Tags: General health