March 11th, 2009

I am sure I need not describe the symptoms of a headache, since it is exactly what the word implies, although the ache or pain varies considerably in type and intensity. However, I want to stress the point that, in many instances, a headache is a symptom of some disease.

Naturally, you do not want to visit the doctor for every headache. However, I strongly urge you to do so under these circumstances:

If the headache does not vanish when the condition you believe caused it is corrected or relieved; for example, if getting sufficient rest does not stop a headache you thought was due to fatigue.

If the headache is accompanied by any other symptoms, such as fever, nausea, vomiting, visual difficulties, and so on.

If the headache occurs often, is severe, or seems to be increasing in intensity and duration.

Your headache may be a symptom of some difficulty that can be corrected or a disease that should be treated promptly by your doctor. If it is not of this kind, it may be a migraine or a tension headache.

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Most children sleep a great deal and are generally quiet when they are very ill. When they begin to recover, they become restless.

Why not get a box of sick-time toys and save them for the illnesses that are bound to come? Keep them put away so that it will be a treat for the child to play with them.

Put a radio in the child’s room, perhaps for part of the time. Special records on your own, or a borrowed, record player will provide entertainment. Picture books are good when he is well enough to look through them. Do not let him tire his eyes watching television programmes while he is feverish.

Devote some time to amusing him, not just to caring for him. He will demand less unnecessary care in that way. Never blame him for his illness. This is not the time to drive home any lessons about wearing his jumper, as you told him to do.

It requires a great deal of ingenuity to get most sick children to take the proper nourishment and the essential fluids. Most of them like to use straws, especially coloured, plastic ones. Keep them for illnesses, and they will be a treat. Check with your doctor to learn how flexible you can be about the child’s food and fluids. He is apt to eat better if food is served in small, rather than large, quantities.

Unpalatable pills can be ground up in a spoonful of jelly or applesauce. Giving a sweet immediately after the medicine will make things easier.

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There is no reason why an only child should be a problem unless you make him one—for example, by feeling guilty because you do not provide a little brother or sister. From the time the child is about two years old, he should occasionally have some contact with other children, if only to watch them play. As the child grows older, make your house a pleasant place to visit, and permit him to visit other homes. A good nursery school can be very helpful. Make a particular effort to see to it that your child has companionship during the pre-adolescent period.

The adopted child

Even more than your own child, an adopted child needs to know that you love him. Should you tell him he is adopted? By all means. I suggest that you let him know about it indirectly, by mentioning it casually and happily in his presence even before he is old enough to understand. Then, when he asks questions, answer them freely. The only difficulty I sec in answering the questions of an adopted child are with those concerning his real parents. Here I think it can be permitted to stretch the truth a little, if necessary; for example, you can say that you are sure his own parents liked him but, for good reasons that you do not know, felt it would be better for him if they let him be your little boy—which makes you very happy.

Handicapped child

Since most handicapped children will grow up to associate with people who are not handicapped, I think it best not to segregate them.

However, they often require different or additional schooling and special treatments, which should, in most cases, be started when they are young. The parents of handicapped children should ask their doctor, hospital, or Department of Education for advice and assistance.

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In the past, most marriages were based on custom and tradition. Every step, from finding a mate to the wedding ceremony, was controlled by the families of the young couple. Nowadays in Australia and New Zealand, people usually marry because they have fallen in love. The choice of a spouse is up to the individual.

While young people no longer depend completely (if at all) upon parental advice, many of them want guidance. There is an increasing demand all over the country for scientific knowledge of sex and the psychology of successful marriage. This is a good sign, and it should be encouraged and satisfied by schools, churches, social agencies, and particularly by parents.

There is no such thing as a blueprint for a happy marriage, but it is wise, before taking the step, to be aware of the conditions that are most likely to result in one.

No matter how much your pulse beats at the sight of your beloved, do not rush into marriage. Take the time to know each other. It will save a lot of trouble later on. Do not marry anyone with the idea of reforming him or her. Remember, you are marrying an adult whose tastes and habits are pretty well fixed. Questions such as the following should be faced before marriage: Shall the wife work? For how long? Can you live on the husband’s earnings? Who will manage the family income? How many children should you have? What kind of accommodation can you afford?

The following questionnaire will serve as a helpful guide. Answer Yes or No:

*1 Do you like to spend most of your leisure time together?

*2 Do you agree on whether or not to have children?

3 Do you both enjoy the same friends?

4 Do you have similar tastes in books, films, art, and the kind of home you want?

3 For the prospective husband: Do you like to putter around the house, build and fix things, do gardening? For the prospective wife: Do you like to cook, clean, and sew?

*6 Do you both have the same basic philosophy of life? Do you have the same religion or agree on attitudes towards religion?

*7 Do you like, or share his (her) attitude towards his (her) parents? Is there agreement on ways you behave towards them?

Some comments on the above questionnaire are necessary. Yes answers to all the questions would indicate a rare situation; danger exists only if there are basic antagonisms. Certain questions are more important than others. There should be a positive Yes on the questions that are starred. In regard to Question 6, it has been found that religious disagreements play some small part in disturbing a marriage. These differences tend to be worked out satisfactorily during the courtship. After marriage, the problem is usually centred on the religious upbringing of the children. Question 7 involves the in-laws, who have been the cause of many marital upsets. The courtship period is the ideal time to get to know them and make every attempt to like and be liked.

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When the islands (or islets) of Langerhans fail to provide the insulin to spark this process, the sugar passes unused into the blood and is eliminated in the urine. This glandular disorder is known as diabetes and, since the 1920′s, has been controlled by insulin injections. More recently, some diabetics have been treated with oral medications.

Symptoms of diabetes

Everyone should be alert for the following symptoms of diabetes: Excessive thirst and urination; in children, bed-wetting may be a sign. Loss of weight, especially when consumption of food is increased. Weakness, listlessness, and fatigue.

Decreased resistance to infection, often manifested in frequent boils or carbuncles, or (especially in elderly people) in gangrenous conditions, particularly in the feet.

Itching of the genitals.

Indications of approaching diabetic acidosis and coma

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