The first major change during marriage occurs when the wife becomes pregnant. This may be premeditated and “planned.” Or it may occur “just out of the blue.” The latter was the usual way in the pre-Pill era when effective methods of family planning (the euphonious term for birth control) were not available. The methods used [...]

If you possibly can, go to bed as soon as you feel that you are coming down with a cold. Stay there, or at least keep warm and avoid changing temperatures, until you are past the ‘runny’ stage. Drink plenty of liquids and eat moderately. Be careful about blowing your nose so hard that you [...]

It may seem strange to you that I include diabetes and kidney diseases in this section. I do so because the worst effects of these diseases are frequently seen in the heart or the vascular system. The main job of the heart is to circulate the blood through the body. The healthy heart can do [...]

Until the child is four to six years old, it is safer and more reliable to take rectal temperatures. If you have to report an older child’s temperature to the doctor, tell him whether you took an oral, rectal, or axillary (armpit) reading, because the rectal temperature will be slightly higher than the oral— about [...]

If we were to define married love in its simplest terms, we would say it has three parts: (1) a sexual attraction, (2) a deep feeling of companionship, and (3) a desire for parenthood. The first two are essential, the third very valuable for emotional fulfilment and complete, enduring happiness. Most of us have experienced [...]

The parathyroid glands These tiny glands, about the size of a very small pea, are embedded near the base of the thyroid, usually in clusters of four. They control the excretion in urine of the calcium and phosphorus that are derived from lime salts and that make the bones hard. In parathyroid deficiency, the calcium [...]