Thrush responds rapidly to the use of specific drugs applied locally as ointment or pessaries. Gentian violet is an old but still effective remedy. However, it is messy to use and has been superseded by the newer drugs.

Sometimes these drugs are also given by mouth to reduce the numbers in the bowel.
Trichomonsas vaginalis is a minute one-celled animal which can cause a distressing vaginal infection.

It causes an offensive, frothy, yellowish-green discharge which is intensely irritating.

Although about 60% of male sexual partners may carry the organism, only about 4% have symptoms. When the woman is treated, her sexual partner should also receive treatment or else re-infection is common.

Metronidazole taken for a week or tinadazole taken in one dose are effective drugs in clearing trichomonas infections.

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In the past, few children escaped into adulthood with their tonsils intact. We now recommend against the operation except for some clearly defined indications.

Recurrent severe tonsillitis, say three or four definite attacks diagnosed by the doctor and requiring antibiotics over one or two years may be an indication, particularly if associated with complications such as ear infection.
Enlargement alone is rarely, if ever, an indication for removing the tonsils. All this lymphoid tissue may enlarge during childhood and then slowly decrease in size and become insignificant in later life.

Occasionally the tonsils may be so large that they meet in the middle and this may interfere with speech or with swallowing. But this rarely requires an operation.

The complications of recurrent tonsillitis may force the hand of the doctor in deciding on tonsillectomy.

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Frequently connected with the topic of cholesterol are words such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lipoproteins, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. No matter how many times we hear them, many people are forever confused. What do they all mean, and what relationship do they have to the health of your heart and cardiovascular system?

Let’s start with the easy part, the definitions. Cholesterol is a waxlike, fatty substance that is natural to all animals. It is necessary to the working of our bodies, which make and use it, for example, to manufacture substances in our cell membranes and nerves. We ingest cholesterol by eating food products obtained from animals. The cholesterol we eat is called dietary cholesterol. The cholesterol in our blood is called serum cholesterol. When you are tested for cholesterol, your serum cholesterol will be measured and you will be given a number that represents a certain number of milligrams of cholesterol per 100 milliliters of blood. Anything under 200 is considered to be healthy. From 200 to 240 is considered to be borderline high, 240 to 300 is high risk, and over 300 is dangerous.

Though cholesterol is a natural and necessary component of our bodies, too much serum cholesterol is dangerous. It clogs up the bloodstream by sticking to the walls of the arteries. As cholesterol clings to the arterial walls, it eventually becomes hardened with calcium. This condition is called arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis clogs arteries everywhere: the carotid arteries feeding the brain, the coronary arteries supplying the heart, the femoral arteries supplying the legs—you get the picture. Arteriosclerosis is one of the causes of stroke, heart attack, and the advanced form of poor circulation called peripheral vascular disease. If arteriosclerosis becomes severe enough, it is treated surgically with a bypass operation in which the surgeon creates a tubular pathway for blood to flow around the clogged obstruction or, sometimes, scrapes the clot out of the artery. A bypass operation improves a deteriorating situation when someone is having a heart attack or losing a limb, but nothing works as well as prevention.

That’s why everyone is taking a mean look at cholesterol, which is turning out to be the buzzword of health in the 90s. You can significantly decrease the likelihood of developing arteriosclerosis by monitoring your serum cholesterol and keeping it within a healthy range by eating the right foods and participating in a regular exercise program.

Sounds easy, but it’s not. The American Heart Association recommends that to keep our cholesterol down we reduce our total fat intake to 30% or less of our daily calorie intake. We should also avoid foods high in cholesterol such as lard, butter, and eggs.

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• Diuretics such as HydroDIURIL, hydrochlorothiazide, Lasix, furosemide, and Bumex have been used for many years to treat high blood pressure. They help remove body water and therefore reduce pressure within the circulatory system. Side effects of diuretics can include dehydration, potassium depletion, weakness, and elevated cholesterol levels. Your doctor may also recommend you take a potassium supplement. In addition, people who are taking diuretics need to reduce their intake of salt, since increased sodium levels can also deplete the body’s stores of potassium.

• Beta-blockers slow the heart rate and the metabolic rate, helping to reduce the buildup of pressure in the circulatory system. They include medications such as Inderal (propranolol), Corgard, Tenormin, and Lopressor. Some side effects of beta-blockers include coldness in the extremities, a slowed heart rate, and elevated cholesterol levels. Beta-blockers can also cause wheezing in asthmatics and people who have emphysema. If you must stop taking beta-blockers, it’s important that you be weaned from them gradually; since beta-blockers slow the heart rate, if you stop taking them, your heart rate will suddenly increase, causing an increase in the amount of oxygen that is delivered to the heart. This added stress can lead to angina or a heart attack.

• Calcium channel blockers are a large class of medication that includes Procardia (nifedipine), verapamil, and Cardizem (dil-tiazem). They work by dilating the blood vessels, which takes some of the stress off the heart. These drugs produce relatively few side effects, but when they do occur they include either a rapid or slowed heart rate, swollen ankles, and intestinal upset.

• ACE inhibitors include Zestril, Prinivil, and Monopril. These are strong medications that work by altering the action of an enzyme that regulates blood pressure. ACE inhibitors are also routinely prescribed to preserve kidney functions in diabetics. Side effects can include an upset stomach and a chronic cough.

• Another medication is Hytrin, an alpha-blocker, which is used to lower blood pressure and also has the bonus of reducing the size of the prostate in men, which will help cut down on the problem of prostate enlargement later on in life. There is also a medication called Catapres, which comes in the form of a patch that can be worn for a full week and administers a slow, constant flow of medication to lower blood pressure.

• Other medications, such as Aldomet, have been around for decades and were once routinely prescribed by doctors but are not used today unless other medications have failed to lower blood pressure, since Aldomet produces many side effects, including liver and blood abnormalities. Another side effect of high blood pressure medications for men is impotence. Understandably, some men are reluctant to bring up the subject with their physicians, but your physician’s response will be strictly tempered by his medical viewpoint, and he’ll simply ask when you first noticed the problem. He’ll then suggest that you try another kind of blood pressure medication that won’t interfere with your sexuality.

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