Whelehans Health News

Halitosis (Bad breath) Part 2   Diagnosis in severe cases It is rare that someone must get diagnosed with halitosis as they will be aware of it themselves or those close to them will make them aware of it and the steps described in this article will ease symptoms in most cases Specific diagnosis tools are only used in rare cases where halitosis is so severe and persistent despite simple and well recognised steps including improved dental hygiene and improving diet. In this situation, three methods for measuring halitosis are: Organoleptic measurement Gas chromatography Sulphide monitoring. Organoleptic measurement has shortcomings...

Halitosis (Bad breath) Part 1   Up to 50% (22 to 50%) of the population suffer from bad breath and approximately half of these experience a severe problem leading to personal and social discomfort and social embarrassment.  The “mouth air” of those suffering from more severe halitosis is tainted with compounds including hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and organic acids leading to foul smelling air.   Causes The source of the bad odour is located within the oral cavity in approximately 90% of cases of halitosis meaning only a small percentage of cases are due to non-oral causes such as a...

Our sugar intake   How much sugar am I “allowed” daily? The maximum recommended intake of added sugar is 6 teaspoons a day (24g).  If you are adding sugar to your tea and coffee, try an artificial sweetener as it does not affect your blood sugar levels in the same way as refined sugar and has zero calories.  Familiarise yourself with sugar content of foods Look at the food label relating to 100g of the product and anything under 5g of sugar per 100g is a low sugar product.   To see how much sugar the actual product contains i.e. cereal...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Part 3 Treatment (Continued)   Antibiotics and corticosteroids Patients with COPD often suffer from chest infections so are frequently prescribed a short course of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as amoxicillin, tetracycline, or erythromycin. Oral corticosteroids may be needed in short courses of one or two weeks for acute flare ups. They should be commenced as the flare-up starts for best effect. Long term use of corticosteroids cause side effects including weight gain, osteoporosis, stomach ulcers and fluid retention. Side effects are minimal for short term courses. They should be taken as a single dose in the...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Part 2 Treatment There is no cure for COPD, so treatment involves relieving the symptoms. Stopping smoking is an important first step. Short-acting bronchodilator inhalers Short-acting bronchodilator cause bronchodilation (open the lungs). Two types of short-acting bronchodilator inhalers: beta-2 agonist inhalers, such as salbutamol and terbutaline anti-cholinergic inhalers, such as ipratropium and exotropia .   For mild COPD, a single bronchodilator inhaler used when required may be enough to relieve symptoms. But as the disease progresses a beta-2 agonist bronchodilator and an anti-cholinergic inhaler, four times a day may be needed   Long-acting bronchodilator inhalers...