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  • State-of-the-art dementia treatment facility is a 1950s era village - Hogewey
    Hogewey is an amazing "village" on the outskirts of Amsterdam. It's a step back into the 1950s boasting pretty, manicured streets, a grocery, cafe, coffee shop, restaurant and even a beauty salon and barber shop. There are 152 residents in Hogewey, and all have something in common—dementia. Hogewey is a treatment facility for dementia and Alzheimer's patients. It is set in the 1950s because the dementia patient's long term memory is preserved much more vividly than short…
  • Endometriosis is more than just 'period pain' for women
    Women with endometriosis commonly experience very painful periods and painful sex which can lead to infertility - but there's a long and worrying delay in diagnosis. Women with endometriosis commonly experience very painful periods and painful sex. Some will also have pelvic pain which can last throughout the cycle. Bowel symptoms, such as bloating and diarrhoea, are common and are often put down to irritable bowel syndrome. Symptoms of bladder irritation are experienced by two-thirds of…
  • Image shows a woman looking at a strip of medicines
    Are Birth Control Pills Safe?
    Dr Shital Patel answers all that you want to know about oral contraceptives, how they work, when you should use them, side effects, do they increase the risk of cancer? What are Oral Contraceptives? Oral contraceptives are hormonal preparations that may contain progesterone or combination of oestrogen and progestin. The combination drug prevents pregnancy by inhibiting the release of the hormones - luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary…
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    Causes of Arrhythmia and Risk Factors
    What causes arrhythmias? CARDIAC HORMONAL MEDICATIONS OTHER High blood pressure Hyperthyroidism –Over production of thyroid hormone Certain medications used to treat irregular heartbeats Eg. Β-blockers, Ca-channel blockers Stress Coronary artery disease Dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], a natural steroid hormone. When taken as a supplement is known to produce palpitations as a side effect. Thyroid medications Low blood oxygen Valvular heart …
  • Urinary Incontinence
    What is urinary incontinence? It is the loss of bladder control that results in leakage of urine or faecal matter involuntarily. It is a common problem: the severity ranges from occasional leaking of urine when you cough or sneeze to a sudden and strong urge to urinate so that you can’t get to the toilet on time. It affects twice as many women as men and 50 per cent of elderly women suffer from it. It may affect younger women too.  
  • A person clasping head in pain and looking at a laptop
    Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
    Crushing tiredness that doesn’t diminish with rest, CFS can wreck lives. It’s also hard to diagnose, so patients may be seen as hypochondriacs. By Dr Shital Patel.  Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex disorder characterised by extreme fatigue that is unexplained by any underlying medical condition. The fatigue does not improve with rest and tends to worsen with physical activity or mental exertion.  CFS affects more women than men and is seen mostly between the…
  • Lupus Overview
    Lupus
    Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years. Lupus affects about 5 in 10,000 people.  Who is affected by lupus? Most often, lupus starts in people in their 20s and 30s. It occurs 10 times more often in women than in men. The disease is more common in some ethnic groups, mainly blacks and…
  • A woman in blue top sitting on an examination table while the doctor in a white coat looks at results of a test
    Vaginal Health - Answers To Questions You Were Too Embarrassed To Ask
    What’s going on down under? Dr Shital Raval has all the answers on vaginal health - from vaginal discharge to vaginal infections and yeast infections. Is all vaginal discharge bad? NO, a clear, or watery discharge anytime during the month is normal. Around the ovulation period, this discharge or cervical mucus may become thicker and stickier. This is normal and aids as a lubricant during sexual intercourse. Coloured discharge or abnormal looking discharge accompanied by foul odor is…
  • Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
    The urinary tract consists of the kidneys, ureters (which connect the kidneys and the bladder), bladder, and urethra. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can occur in any part of the urinary tract. Most UTIs are caused by bacteria. They can also be caused by fungi or viruses. UTIs are the second most common type of infection in humans. The National Kidney & Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) reports that UTIs account for over eight million doctor…