Medicine-induced collapse, cracking joints and a calendar for the partially sighted

By James Le Fanu Published: 7:00AM GMT 08 March 2010

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Dr James Le Fanu Photo: PHILIP HOLLIS

The handful of emergencies warranting prompt healing pleasantness embody strokes, heart attacks, meningitis and strident bowel obstruction. From his own personal experience, and that of his wife, late family alloy Andrew Jones from South Wales suggests it is right away required to supplement to this list the serve difficulty of medication-induced collapse, or MIC.

Eighteen months ago, when a slight red red red red red blood exam suggested amiable diabetes, Dr Jones proposed receiving the blood-sugar-lowering drug, Metformin. Though formerly tough and hearty, he became progressively indisposed until one day, carrying taken his prevalent pill, he collapsed convulsing on the floor. Cue ambulance, hospital, heart monitors. His red red red red red blood sugar, it emerged, was right away as well low he was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia so his remedy was discontinued. He returned home and has not looked back.

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Meanwhile, his mother "of a shaken disposition", whose red red red red red blood vigour tends to vacillate in stressful circumstances, was found to have hypertension and proposed on the prevalent pills to reduce it. She, too, progressively became unwell, to the point that she collapsed whilst on a cruise. She incited out to have orthostatic hypotension that is, a steep tumble in red red red red red blood vigour on standing, that again resolved itself when interlude her pills.

Reflecting on their experience of medication-induced collapse, Dr Jones suggests he and his mother are the oblivious victims of the stream practice for shortening physiological variables (such as sugarine levels and red red red red red blood pressure) to a little capricious criteria of normal. The outcome is sharpening health-service drugs" bills and a lot of disturbed patients.

* There is, it appears, some-more to the efficacy of osteopaths and chiropractors in relieving behind suffering and identical problems than "mobilising" the joints of the spine. Prof Don Jewett, of the University of California, essay in New Scientist, points out that the enormous receptive to advice following their manipulations is caused by a burble of nitrogen gas shaped inside of the corner as it is forced by the extremes of the range of movement. This causes the corner plug to swell, stopping the suffering fibres in vicinity and ensuing in the service of symptoms.

The same element is concerned in those with the discomfiting robe of "cracking" their knuckles. Reputedly, this can lead to arthritis, but an additional Californian doctor, Donald Ungar, who burst the knuckles of his left palm twice a day for 50 years, but not those of his right hand, grown arthritis in neither. So right away you know.

* This week"s oddity comes pleasantness of a late nurse, Mr M T from Essex, who describes how when coming his front doorway after carrying been out for a little time, he constantly feels the need to pass urine. By the time he has the key in the doorway and gets to the lavatory, he is "absolutely bursting". Is this normal, he wonders. And what could be the explanation?

* The simplest ideas are regularly the most appropriate such as that of Michael De Freitas, whose to some extent sighted mother, right away in her nineties, was anticipating it formidable to recollect the countless appointments, healing and otherwise, of complicated life. He had the inventive thought of producing a Giant Calendar on that to jot down them with thespian effect. "It has literally easy carry out over her life," he writes, being used not only by her but by the district nurse, friends and neighbours to jot down their destiny visits. For some-more details, revisit www.giantcalendar.co.uk.

james.lefanu@telegraph.co.uk