The micro environment refers to those aspects of the environment that are closer to the individual. Again, these can be classed as either physical or socio-cultural. Because they are more personal, however, they are much more amenable to change and represent opportunities for those working at the clinical or individual level. Many potential micro-environmental changes, [...]

1. Hyperplasia of fat cells is more likely during early adolescence and may be a danger time for future obesity.

2. Fats in the diet are converted into body fat (lipogenesis) whereas body fat from other sources of energy such as glucose (de novo lipogenesis) is negligible.

3. Fat, from both fat cells and intra-muscular sources, is [...]

Acquiring the teeth is a perfectly normal process. It is certainly not a disorder, nor a disease, nor anything sinister. But it is included in this section because many infants experience difficulty when teething.

A large number of disorders have been blamed on the teething process. Diarrhoea, convulsions, coughs and cold and general respiratory illnesses and [...]

‘There is no doubt that the psychological value is enormous,’ I agreed. ‘Doctors refer to it as bonding—a link or interaction between mother and baby, which is important. The earlier breast feeding begins, the more intense and successful bonding will be.’

‘Then why is it some mothers have difficulty?’ Karen asked.

‘Some are simply not interested or [...]

This particularly unpleasant form of headache is sometimes known as sick headache and a percentage of the population, mostly female, is prone to recurrent attacks. The patient will be warned that a migraine is imminent by visual disturbances such as bright flashes of light and squiggly patterns before the eyes. These are caused by the [...]

It is important that we consider the matter of depression carefully. Depression may be caused through anxiety, in which case it can be relieved by the techniques which I am about to describe; on the other hand it may result from a quite different type of nervous illness which is best treated by other means. [...]

So why does it help both the cramps and the aching miseries to relax completely? We’re not quite sure of the answer to that either, although we know a great deal about how our bodies react both when we’re under stress and when we are entirely relaxed.

When we’re alarmed or [...]

These, then, are the basic way stations of the addiction trip. As indicated, however, there is nothing static about any of these stages; the patient moves from one to another and from stimulatory to withdrawal phases, as his problem develops. The ultimate trip, in this regard, is the progression from mania to utter depression in [...]

Chicken pox is caused by a specific virus which is highly contagious. Chicken pox is contracted through the air from a person who has the disease. Symptoms may appear within 12 to 21 days after being exposed to a person with chicken pox.

One attack of chicken pox makes a person immune for life, unless the [...]

What is it?

A condition in which a man ejaculates before his penis erects, at the moment of penetration or immediately afterwards. There have been many more lengthy and complex definitions but this is a workable one for all practical purposes.

What causes it?

There are probably about twenty reasons for premature ejaculation but the most common is [...]