Television has an enormous influence on children, whether we like it or not. Almost every house in Australia has at least one television, and almost three in four have a VCR. The average child spends more time each year watching television than going to school. Only sleep occupies more of a child’s life than does [...]

Here are some rules of thumb to apply to the issue of heart disease and sexuality. Remember, talk to your doctor first! 1. Talk with your doctor as a couple, not individually. Your healing takes place within a system, a relationship, so give your doctor the opportunity to talk to both of you. Talking together [...]

Alfred Kinsey stated, “This is first of all a report on what people do, which raises no question of what they should do.” This statement became translated quickly by others to, “This is an outline of what you ought to or could be doing.” The second perspective was now beginning. The Kinsey reports on male [...]

Scabies may be acquired by any skin contact between individuals and is not always spread by sexual contact. It is due to infestation by a small mite which burrows into the skin and lays its eggs. The pubic louse is usually, but not exclusively, spread by sexual contact. These lice inhabit the hair in the [...]

In myopia, or short-sightedness, the person cannot see well at a distance, but his near-vision is usually good. Simple myopia does not give rise to headaches. Presbyopia results from the weakening of the ability to focus the lens. This starts in the earliest years, but usually doesn’t give rise to any symptoms until the forties. [...]

I use the word ‘likely’ because, of course, no one can ever look into the future and tell you exactly what will happen to you as an individual. You have to use probabilities and not certainties when weighing up the balance of cost versus benefit. This balance must be considered for each possible treatment. Always [...]

I have explained that there is no simple reliable test for cancer. In the same way, I’m afraid there is also no single, simple, reliable treatment for cancer—no treatment which we can rely on to eradicate every cancer cell in every patient. In your heart of hearts I’m sure you know that’s true—otherwise why are [...]

It is said that Julius Caesar was not born in the conventional way, but that a cut was made through his mother’s abdomen into her womb and the child emerged that way. The modern operation to deliver a child has been called caesarean section because of this. Until recently, a caesarean childbirth was a rare [...]

The social context. The significance of other people to both yourself and your client is an important source of information for your ethical decision making. Everyone is motivated by the attitudes and opinions of others, especially those who are important in one’s life. How do the opinions and attitudes of others affect this client’s goals? [...]

The glycaemic index concept (the G.I. factor) was first developed in 1981 by Dr David Jenkins, a professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto, Canada, to help determine which foods were best for people with diabetes. At that time, the diet for people with diabetes was based on a system of carbohydrate exchanges or [...]