Try to Stay Healthy: December 2010

Stone massage

Stone massage is a form of bodywork that involves the application of heated or cooled stones (thermotherapy) to the body during deep tissue massage.

The use of materials of different temperatures on the body to bring about healing is an ancient technique. Stones have been used in many cultures, such as in the Native American sweat lodge, to adjust the temperature of the healing environment. Traditional lomilomi (Hawaiian massage) goes further and applies heated stones directly to the body.

Although stones have been used for many years as an adjunct to bodywork, their use was formalized in 1993 by Mary Nelson-Hannigan of Tucson, Arizona.

Strep throat is a contagious infection caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes.

Strep throat primarily affects children, especially those between the ages of five and 15. Adults whose immune systems have been weakened by stress or other infections are also at risk.

Most sore throats are associated with viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. Strep throat is responsible in only about 10%–15% of cases.

Stress

Stress is an individual’s physical and mental reaction to environmental demands or pressures.

When stress was first studied, the term was used to denote both the causes and the experienced effects of these pressures. More recently, however, the word stressor has been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response. One recurrent disagreement among researchers concerns the definition of stress in humans.

Is it primarily an external response that can be measured by changes in glandular secretions, skin reactions, and other physical functions, or is it an internal interpretation of, or reaction to, a stressor; or is it both?

Stroke

Stroke is the common name for the injury to the brain that occurs when the flow of blood to brain tissue is interrupted by a clogged or burst artery.

Arterial blood carries oxygen and nutrition to the cells of the body. When arteries are unable to carry out this function due to rupture, constriction, or obstruction, the cells nourished by these arteries die.

The medical term for stroke is the acronym CVA, or cerebral vascular accident. It is estimated that four of every five families in the United States will be affected by stroke in their lifetime, and it is the top cause of adult disability worldwide.

Substance abuse and dependence

Substance abuse is the continued compulsive use of mind-altering substances despite personal, social, and/or physical problems caused by the substance use.

Abuse may lead to dependence, in which increased amounts are needed to achieve the desired effect or level of intoxication and the patient’s tolerance for the drug increases.

Substance abuse and dependence cut across all lines of race, culture, education, and socioeconomic status, leaving no group untouched by their devastating effects. Substance abuse is an enormous public health problem with far-ranging effects throughout society.

Sound therapy

Sound therapy refers to a range of therapies in which sound is used to treat physical and mental conditions. One of these therapies is music therapy, which can involve a person listening to music for conditions such as stress and muscle tension.

Music is one component of this therapy. Others use sound wave vibrations to treat physical and mental conditions. In general, this therapy is based on the theory that all of life vibrates, including people’s bodies. When a person’s healthy resonant frequency is out of balance, physical and emotional health is affected.

Treatment by sound waves is believed to restore that healthy balance to the body. Healing is done by transmitting beneficial sound to the affected area. The healing sound may be produced by a voice or an instrument such as electronic equipment, chanting bowls, or tuning forks.

The South Beach diet is a three-phase, carbohydrate-restrictive diet. It emphasizes foods that are low on the glycemic index (GI) and low in saturated fat, such as lean meats, vegetables, cheeses, nuts, and eggs.

Unlike other carbohydrate-restrictive diets, such as the Atkins and Zone diets, the South Beach diet promotes “good” carbohydrates, such as whole grains and fruit.

The creator of the South Beach diet, Dr. Arthur Agatston, is considered a leading cardiologist and is the director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach. Originally, he had intended to design an eating plan to improve the cholesterol and insulin levels of his patients.

Soy protein

Soy protein is derived from the soya bean (Glycine max), which has been cultivated in Asia for centuries but has only recently begun to attain wide acceptance in the United States.

In the natural product industry, soy has been a staple for years. Recently, soy protein has been recognized as a dietary ingredient that has tremendous potential benefit.

General use

Soy protein is used in many forms for its health benefits, but these claims have only recently been substantiated. Over the course of 20 years, more than 40 studies were conducted to gather human clinical data, which proved that soy helps to reduce the risk of heart disease, the number one killer in the United States.

Spearmint

Spearmint, Mentha spicata (sometimes referred to as M. viridis and M. crispa), is a Mediterranean native known from ancient times as an herb of hospitality. In the symbolism of plants, spearmint conveys wisdom.

Common names for this aromatic herb include garden mint, lamb’s mint, Our Lady’s mint, spire mint, and sage of Bethlehem. The Romans brought mints to Britain, and English colonists brought spearmint and other mints to their settlements in North America.

Spearmint is one of at least thirty species in the extensive Lamiaceae, or mint, family. Only the members of the Mentha genus, however, are considered “true mints.” Mints interbreed quite easily. There are hundreds of hybrids and varieties in this sprawling genus of aromatic herbs, and many have naturalized throughout North America.

Spinal manipulative therapy

Spinal manipulative therapies are those that are used on the human skeleton, particularly the spinal area, to relieve muscular or skeletal pain, relieve tension, improve the mobility of joints and, in the case of the oriental therapies, to “unblock energy channels.”

The idea behind spinal manipulation is that when the vertebrae are subluxated (misaligned), the resulting pressure on nerves can have negative effects on organ system function and general health, in addition to impeding proper joint motion.

Origins

Forms of manipulative therapy have been used for thousand of years in Asia. The nineteenth century, however, saw the introduction of many new forms of manipulative therapy in the West.

Spirulina

Spirulina is a genus of blue-green algae used as a nutritional supplement. Blue-green algae, which are microscopic fresh-water organisms, are also known as cyanobacteria.

Their color is derived from the green pigment of chlorophyll, and the blue from a protein called phycocyanin. The species most commonly recommended for use as a nutritional supplement are Spirulina maxima and Spirulina platensis.

These occur naturally in warm, alkaline, salty, brackish lakes, but are also commonly grown by aquaculture and harvested for commercial use. Spirulina contains many nutrients, including B vitamins, beta-carotene, gamma-linolenic acid, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, zinc, bioflavonoids, and protein.

Sports massage

Sports massage is a form of bodywork geared toward participants in athletics. It is used to help prevent injuries, to prepare the body for athletic activity and maintain it in optimal condition, and to help athletes recover from workouts and injuries. Sports massage has three basic forms: pre-event massage, post-event massage, and maintenance massage.

Origins

Sports massage has antecedents in earlier periods of history. The ancient Greeks and Romans combined massage and exercise in their athletic training. Various Asian cultures also developed forms of massage for dancers and for students of martial arts. As a formal practice, owever, sports massage began in the Soviet Union and Communist bloc countries in the 1960s.

Sprains and strains

Sprain refers to damage or tearing of ligaments or a joint capsule. Strain refers to damage or tearing of a muscle.

When excessive force is applied to a joint, the ligaments that hold the bones together may be torn or damaged. This results in a sprain, and its seriousness depends on how badly the ligaments are torn. Any ligament can be sprained, but the most frequently injured ligaments are at the ankle, knee, and finger joints.

Strains are tears in the muscle. Sometimes called pulled muscles, they usually occur because a muscle lacks the flexibility, strength, or endurance to perform a certain activity. The majority of strains occur where the muscle meets the tendon, although they may occur in the middle of the muscle belly as well.

Squawvine

Squawvine (Mitchella repens) is a plant that is native to North America. It is an evergreen herb belonging to the madder or Rubiaceae family. It grows in the forests and woodlands of the eastern United States and Canada.

Squawvine is usually found at the base of trees and stumps. Although squawvine grows year round, herbalists recommend collecting the herb when the plant flowers during the months of April through June.

Squawvine’s name refers to its use by Native American women as a remedy for a range of conditions. Squawvine is also referred to as “partridge berry” because some people consider the other name to be insulting to Native American women. Squawvine is also known as squaw vine, squaw berry, checkerberry, deerberry, winter clover, twinberry, and hive vine.

St. John’s wort

Hypericum perforatum is the most medicinally important species of the Hypericum genus, commonly known as St. John’s wort or Klamath weed. There are as many as 400 species in the genus, which belongs to the Clusiaceae family. Native to Europe, St. John’s wort is found throughout the world. It thrives in sunny fields, open woods, and gravelly roadsides.

Early colonists brought this plant to North America, and it has become naturalized in the eastern United States and California, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, eastern Asia, and South America. As of 2004, St. John’s wort is one of the most commonly used herbs in the United States, especially among women.

The entire plant, particularly its round black seeds, exudes a slight turpentine-like odor. The woody-branched root spreads from the base with runners that produce numerous stalks.

Staphylococcal infections

Staphylococcal (staph) infections are communicable infections caused by staph organisms and often characterized by the formation of abscesses. They are the leading cause of primary infections originating in hospitals (nosocomial infections) in the United States.

Classified since the early twentieth century as among the deadliest of all disease-causing organisms, staph exists on the skin or inside the nostrils of 20–30% of healthy people. These bacteria are sometimes found in breast tissue, the mouth, and the genital, urinary, and upper respiratory tracts.

Although staph bacteria are usually harmless, when injury or a break in the skin enables the organisms to invade the body and overcome the body’s natural defenses, consequences can range from minor discomfort to death.

Sties

Also known as an external hordeolum, a stye is an infection or small abscess formation within the hair follicle glands on the free edge of the eyelid. These sebaceous glands are also known as Zeis’s or Moll’s glands.

A stye may develop on or under the eyelid with an eyelash within a yellow point. The area becomes red, warm, swollen, and painful. It may also cause blepharitis, an inflammation of the eyelid.

Causes and symptoms

A stye is caused by staphylococcal or other bacterial infection of the sebaceous gland. This infection may be only on the eyelid, or may also be present elsewhere in the body. The presence of a stye may be a sign of the need for glasses, or indicate declining overall health status.

Stomachaches

Stomachache is pain or discomfort in the stomach that is a symptom of many different gastrointestinal diseases or conditions.

Stomachache, also called dyspepsia, is a symptom of an underlying disease or condition of the gastrointestinal system. Stomachache is defined as pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen. Discomfort refers to any negative feeling including fullness, bloating, or early satiety (quenched thirst or appetite).

Dyspepsia accounts for 2–5% of all visits to a physician. Unfortunately, no cause is found for 30–60% of patients with dyspepsia. When no cause is found, the disorder is termed nonulcer dyspepsia. Several factors may lead to nonulcer dyspepsia.

Sulfur

Sulfur is a homeopathic remedy that is used to treat a variety of chronic or acute ailments. Elemental sulfur is present in all living tissues. Sulfur is often referred to as brimstone or flowers of sulfur.

Sulfur was used during biblical times as a remedy for skin disorders such as acne and scabies. Flowers of sulfur were burned to disinfect the rooms of persons with infectious disease.

Sulfur was also taken with molasses as an internal cleanser, and was used to treat chronic bronchitis, constipation, and rheumatism. In the early 2000s the element is used in the manufacture of dyes, gunpowder, insecticides, fungicides, sulfuric acid, and rubber (as a hardening agent).

Suma plant

Suma is the common name for a tropical ground vine native to the Amazon rain forest of Central and South America. Its botanical name is Pfaffia paniculata, and it belongs to the Amaranthaceae family.

Referred to by the people of the rain forest as para todo, which can be translated “for all things,” the herb has been used for 300 years in the Amazon for many different ailments. It is sometimes called Brazilian ginseng.

Aside from suma’s reputation as an energy booster, aphrodisiac, and wound healer, it has also been used to treat a wide range of medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and various skin conditions. Despite suma’s traditional use as a folk remedy, its medicinal properties are not widely recognized around the world.

Sunburn

A sunburn is an inflammation or blistering of the skin caused by overexposure to the sun.

Sunburn is caused by excessive exposure to the ultra-violet (UV) rays of the sun. There are two types of ultra-violet rays, UVA and UVB. UVA rays penetrate the skin deeply and can cause melanoma in susceptible people. UVB rays, which don’t penetrate as deeply, cause sun-burn and wrinkling. Most UVB rays are absorbed by sun-screens, but only about half the UVA rays are absorbed.

Skin cancer from sun overexposure is a serious health problem in the United States, affecting almost one million Americans each year. One person out of 87 will develop malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, and 7,300 of them will die each year.

Swedish massage

Swedish massage is the most popular type of massage in the United States. It involves the use of hands, forearms or elbows to manipulate the superficial layers of the muscles to improve mental and physical health.

Active or passive movement of the joints may also be part of the massage. The benefits of Swedish massage include increased blood circulation, mental and physical relaxation, decreased stress and muscle tension, and improved range of motion.

Origins

Swedish massage was invented by a Swedish fencing instructor named Per Henrik Ling in the 1830s. When he was injured in the elbows, he reportedly cured himself using tapping (percussion) strokes around the affected area. He later developed the technique currently known as Swedish massage.

Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)

Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) is a biennial plant that grows to heights of 2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m) and produces small yellow flowers emitting a fragrance resembling that of hay or vanilla. It is a member of the legume, or Leguminosae, family. During its first year of growth, most of its energy goes into developing its root system.

In the second year it flowers between May and September, sets its seeds, and dies. Its seeds may remain viable for over 30 years. The plant is also called hart’s tree, hay flower, king’s clover, melilot, sweet lucerne, or wild laburnum.

Sweet clover grows in North America, Europe, Australia, and the temperate regions of Asia. In the early 1900s, sweet clover was grown for forage and to build up the soil, since its roots help to keep nitrogen in the soil.

Swimmer’s ear

Swimmer’s ear, also known as otitis externa, is an inflammation of the outer ear canal. Although it is most prevalent among young adults and children, who often contract the condition from frequent swimming, swimmer’s ear can affect anyone.

Swimmer’s ear is an inflammation of the outer ear that may lead to a painful and often itchy infection. It begins with the accumulation of excess moisture from swimming or daily showering. The skin inside the ear canal may flake due to moisture.

This flaking may cause persistent itching that may lead to a break in the skin from scratching. Broken skin allows bacteria or a fungus to infect the tissues lining the ear canal. Swimming in polluted water can easily bring harmful bacteria into the outer ear.

visible spectrum

Syntonic optometry uses colored light shone into a patient’s eyes to treat visual and other dysfunctions.

The founding father of syntonic optometry is Dr. Harry Riley Spitler, who developed the discipline during the 1920s and 1930s. Building on the work of earlier investigators including Edwin Babbit, Spitler studied the effects of light on human health and performance. Illness, he concluded, is largely caused by imbalances in the body’s endocrine and nervous systems.

Balance could be restored and healing achieved, he decided, by exposing the eyes to visible frequencies of light. Spitler founded the College of Syntonic Optometry in 1933, and eight years later he wrote a book titled The Syntonic Principle.

Syphilis

Syphilis is an infectious systemic disease that may be either congenital or acquired through sexual contact or contaminated needles.

Syphilis has both acute and chronic forms that produce a wide variety of symptoms affecting most of the body’s organ systems. The range of symptoms makes it easy to confuse syphilis with less serious diseases and ignore its early signs.

Acquired syphilis has four stages (primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary) and can be spread by sexual contact during the first three of these four stages.

Systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (also called lupus or SLE) is a disease in which a person’s immune system attacks and injures the body’s own organs and tissues. Almost every system of the body can be affected.

The body’s immune system is a network of cells and tissues responsible for clearing the body of invading organisms, like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Antibodies are special immune cells that recognize these invaders, and begin a chain of events to destroy them.

In an autoimmune disorder like SLE, a person’s antibodies begin to identify the body’s own tissues as foreign. Cells and chemicals of the immune system damage the tissues of the body. The reaction that occurs in tissue is called inflammation. Inflammation includes swelling, redness, increased blood flow, and tissue destruction.

T'ai chi

T'ai chi is an ancient Chinese exercise with movements that originate in martial arts practice. While used as a type of self-defense in its most advanced form, t'ai chi is practiced widely for its health and relaxation benefits.

Those in search of well being and a way to combat stress have made what has also been called “Chinese shadow boxing” one of the most popular low-intensity workouts around the world.

Also known as t'ai chi ch'uan (pronounced tie-jee chu-wan), the name comes from Chinese characters that translated mean “supreme ultimate force.”

Tangerine peel

This popular widely known fruit goes by a variety of names, creating some possible confusion at times as to which plant one is dealing with.

Commonly known as mandarin in much of the world (in Japan it goes by satsuma), the fruit is most often called tangerine in the United States. Generally listed under the botanical name Citrus reticulata, it is also known as C. nobilis, C. madurensis, C. unshiu, C. deliciosa, C. tangerina or C. erythrosa.

A native of Asia, the plant was introduced into Europe early in the nineteenth century. By midcentury, it had spread to the United States, where it was rechristened tangerine.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) is a multi-purpose herb that traces its roots to the Aboriginal people of Australia. For thousands of years, they used the leaves as an antiseptic and antifungal by crushing the leaves and making a mudpack.

However, the plant didn’t receive the name “tea tree” until 1770, when the name was given by the British explorer Captain James Cook and his crew. Although Cook’s crew first used the leaves for tea, they later mixed them with spruce leaves as a beer.

The plant’s medicinal properties remained a secret with the Australian aboriginal people until the early 1920s, when a Sydney, Australia chemist, Dr. Arthur Penfold, researched its antiseptic properties.

Teen nutrition

Teen nutrition involves making sure that teens eat healthy foods to help them grow and develop normally, as well as to prevent obesity and future disease. Following dietary guidelines recommended by research and medical professionals supports proper nutrition.

The guidelines include selections from different food groups to provide the vitamins and minerals teens need as they grow through puberty and into adulthood. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid recommends how many servings a day an adolescent should eat of each food group, such as milk, vegetables, fruits, fats, and meats.

By sticking closely to the guidelines, parents can ensure their teens get a well-balanced diet that supplies the vitamins and calories they need to stay healthy and support growing bodies and active lifestyles.

Teething problems

Teething is the eruption of the primary set of teeth (baby teeth) through the gums.

Humans are born with two sets of teeth under the gums. Twenty of these are primary, or baby teeth. Occasionally a child is born with some primary teeth already visible, but more commonly, they begin to erupt around the middle of the first year.

The timing of eruption is quite variable but tends to be similar among members of the same family. Generally, all 20 primary teeth have come in by two and a half years of age. Lower teeth usually come in before their upper counterparts. Incisors often erupt first (centrals, then laterals), followed by first molars, canines, and then two-year molars.

Temporomandibular joint syndrome

Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) is the name given to a group of symptoms that cause pain in the head, face, and jaw. The symptoms include headaches, soreness in the chewing muscles, and clicking or stiffness of the joints.

TMJ syndrome, which is also sometimes called TMJ disorder, results from pressure on the facial nerves due to muscle tension or abnormalities of the bones in the area of the hinge joint between the lower jaw and the temporal bone.

This hinge joint is called the temporomandibular joint. There are two temporomandibular joints, one on each side of the skull just in front of the ear. The temporal bone is the name of the section of the skull bones where the jawbone (the mandible) is connected.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is a condition caused by the tearing of tendon fibers and subsequent inflammation in the tendon. Tendons are the strong connective tissue that connect muscle to bone.

When a muscle contracts, it pulls on the tendon, which is composed of tissue that cannot stretch. The tendon then transmits that pulling force to the bone and moves the bone, producing movement.

Tendinitis usually results from excessive repeated demands placed on the tendon by the muscle. Tendinitis is not usually caused by a sudden injury; it is more commonly a result of a long period of overuse. Tendinitis occurs frequently with active individuals and those whose occupational tasks require repetitive motion.

Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow is an inflammation of several structures of the elbow. These include muscles, tendons, bursa, periosteum, and epicondyle (bony projections on the outside and inside of the elbow, where muscles of the forearm attach to the bone of the upper arm).

This condition is also called epicondylitis, lateral epicondylitis, medial epicondylitis, or golfer’s elbow, where pain is present at the inside epicondyle.

Description

The classic tennis elbow is caused by repeated forceful contractions of wrist muscles located on the outer forearm. The stress, created at a common muscle origin, causes microscopic tears leading to inflammation. This is a relatively small surface area located at the outer portion of the elbow (the lateral epicondyle).

children with tetanus

Tetanus is a rare but often fatal disease that affects the central nervous system by causing painful and often violent muscular contractions. The earliest descriptions of the disease can be found in the medical papyri of ancient Egypt.

The disease begins when the tetanus bacterium (Clostridium tetani) enters the body, usually through a wound or cut that has come in contact with the spores of the bacterium.

Tetanus spores are commonly found in soil, dust, and animal manure. Tetanus is a noncommunicable disease, meaning that it cannot be passed directly from one person to another.

Thai massage

Thai massage, also known as Nuad Bo-Rarn in its traditional form, is a type of Oriental bodywork therapy that is based on the treatment of the human body, mind, and spirit.

The therapy includes treating the electromagnetic or energetic field which surrounds, infuses and brings the body to life through pressure and/or manipulative massage.

The origins of traditional Thai massage reportedly began over 2,000 years ago along with the introduction of Buddhism. It is one of four branches of traditional medicine in Thailand, the others being herbs, nutrition, and spiritual practice.

Therapeutic touch

Therapeutic touch, or TT, is a noninvasive method of healing derived from an ancient laying-on of hands technique. In TT, the practitioner alters the patient’s energy field through a transfer of energy from the hands of the practitioner to the patient.

Therapeutic touch was developed in 1972 by Dora Kunz, a psychic healer, and Dolores Krieger, PH.D., R.N,a nurse and professor of nursing at New York University.

In 1971, when Krieger had been working as a registered nurse in a hospital, she became very frustrated when one of her patients, a 30-year-old female, lay dying from a gallbladder condition. In desperation, she tried what she was learning from Kunz.

Thiamine

Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, was the first of the water-soluble B-vitamin family to be discovered. It is an essential component of an enzyme, thiamine pyrophosphate, that is involved in metabolizing carbohydrates.

Thiamine works closely with other B vitamins to assist in the utilization of proteins and fats as well, and helps mucous membranes and the heart to stay healthy.

The brain relies on thiamine’s role in the conversion of blood sugar (glucose) into biological energy to function properly. Thiamine is also involved in certain key metabolic reactions occurring in nervous tissue, the heart, in the formation of red blood cells, and in the maintenance of smooth and skeletal muscle.

Thuja

Thuja is a general term for trees of the genus Thuja, which belongs to the Cupressaceae or cypress family.

The most common species in North America are Thuja occidentalis, whose common names include arbor vitae or tree of life, white cedar, yellow cedar, American cedar, hackmatack, Thuia du Canada, swamp cedar, and Lebensbaum; and Thuja plicata, the Western red cedar. The species of cedar found in China and Japan is Thuja orientalis, and is known as ce bai ye or ya bai shu in Chinese.

Thujas are evergreen conifers, or cone-bearing trees. The name “Thuja” was given to this group of trees by the Swedish botanist Linnaeus in 1753; it comes from the Greek word thuo, which means “to sacrifice,” as cedar wood was often burned with animal sacrifices by the ancients to add a pleasing aroma to the fire.

Thunder god vine

Thunder god vine (Tripterygium wilfordii) is the English translation of the Chinese name for the perennial plant lei gong teng. The plant grows in the mountains of China, as well as Taiwan and Myanmar (formerly Burma).

It is a deciduous climbing vine that sheds its leaves, and produces white flowers and red fruit with three “wings.” The plant’s leaves, flowers, and outer skin of the root are poisonous.

In fact, honey taken from the plant’s pollen is also poisonous. The root pulp is the non-poisonous part, which is used medicinally. There is a risk of poisoning if the herb is not extracted properly.

Thyme

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), known as garden thyme, and T. serpyllum, known as creeping thyme, mother of thyme, wild thyme, and mountain thyme, are two similarly beneficial evergreen shrubs of the Lamiaceae or mint family.

The aromatic thyme is a perennial native of southern Europe and the western Mediterranean. Thyme is extensively cultivated, both commercially and in home gardens, as a culinary and medicinal herb. There are hundreds of species of thyme.

Garden thyme grows from a woody, fibrous root to produce thin, erect, stems up to 15 in (38 cm) high. It is most commonly cultivated for its culinary uses. Wild thyme is found growing on heaths, in sheep pastures, and mountainous areas in temperate regions.

Tibetan medicine

Tibetan medicine differs from allopathic medicine in that it has no concept of illness as such, but rather the concept is of disharmony of the organism. Accordingly, this system of medicine, like many alternative therapies, seeks to achieve a harmony of the self.

Medicine is one of five branches of Tibetan science, and is known to the Tibetans as gSoba Rig-pa—the science of healing.

The Tibetan pharmacopoeia utilizes many different elements in the treatment of disease, such as trees, rocks, resins, soil, precious metals, sap, and so on, but like Chinese medicine, to which it is related, it mainly relies on herbs for treatment.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a condition where the patient hears ringing, buzzing, or other sounds without an external cause. Patients may experience tinnitus in one or both ears or in the head.

Tinnitus affects as many as 40 million adults in the United States. It is defined as either objective or subjective. In objective tinnitus, the doctor can hear the sounds as well as the patient.

Objective tinnitus is typically caused by tumors, turbulent blood flow through malformed vessels, or by rhythmic muscular spasms. Most cases of tinnitus are subjective, which means that only the patient can hear the sounds.

Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis is an infection and swelling of the tonsils, which are oval-shaped masses of lymph gland tissue located on both sides of the back of the throat.

The tonsils normally help to prevent infections. They act like filters to trap bacteria and viruses entering the body through the mouth and sinuses.

The tonsils also stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies which fight off infections. Anyone can have tonsillitis; however, it is most common in children between the ages of five and 10 years.

Toothache

A toothache is any pain or soreness within or around a tooth, indicated by inflammation and infection.

A toothache may feel like a sharp pain or a dull, throbbing ache. The tooth may be sensitive to pressure, heat, cold, or sweets. In cases of severe pain, identifying the problem tooth is often difficult.

Any patient with a toothache should see a dentist at once for diagnosis and treatment. Most toothaches get worse if not treated.

Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is an inherited disease of the nervous system, first described more than a century ago by a pioneering French neurologist, George Gilles de la Tourette.

Before they are 18 years of age, patients with TS develop motor tics; that is, repeated, jerky, purposeless muscle movements in almost any part of the body.

Patients also develop vocal tics, which occur in the form of loud grunting or barking noises, or in some cases words or phrases. In most patients, the tics come and go, and are often replaced by different sounds or movements. The tics may become more complex as the patient grows older.

Toxic shock syndrome

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is an uncommon but potentially serious illness that occurs when poisonous substances (toxins) produced by certain bacteria enter the bloodstream.

The toxins cause a type of blood poisoning caused by staphylococcal, or less commonly streptococcal, infections in the lungs, throat, skin or bone, or from injuries. Women using super-absorbent tampons during menstruation were found to be most likely to get toxic shock syndrome.

TSS first came to the attention of the public in the 1970s. Shortly after the introduction of a super-absorbent tampon, young women across the United States experienced an epidemic of serious but unexplained symptoms.

Traditional African medicine

Traditional African medicine is a holistic discipline involving extensive use of indigenous herbalism combined with aspects of African spirituality.

Despite numerous attempts at government interference, this ancient system of healing continues to thrive in Africa and practitioners can be found in many other parts of the world.

Under colonial rule, many nations considered traditional diviner-healers to be practitioners of witchcraft and outlawed them for that reason. In some areas of colonial Africa, attempts were also made to control the sale of traditional herbal medicines. After Mozambique obtained independence in 1975, diviner-healers were sent to reeducation camps.

Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is based on a set of interventions designed to restore balance to human beings. The therapies usually considered under the heading of classic Chinese medicine include:

acupunture and moxibustion
dietary regulation
herbal remedies
massage
therapeutic exercise

These forms of treatments are based upon beliefs that differ from the disease concept favored by Western medicine. What is referred to as illness by Western medicine is considered in traditional Chinese medicine to be a matter of disharmony or imbalance.

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