Health News. Lots of resources and information

Environmental health entails everything around us – our food and water, our work, our habits, where we live and travel, climate, things happening in other parts of
the world – and these things are all connected.

The effect of the world we live in on and our health has received much well deserved attention during the past decade. This doesn’t mean that environmental health hazards are new: they’ve always been around, but they’ve changed over the centuries. A thousand years ago the greatest health risks would have come from unsanitary water supplies and living conditions, spoiling of stored food and the possibility that a wolf or tiger might attack you outdoors. The greatest worries in the twentieth century are about radioactivity; toxic substances used in farming, food storage and industry; predicted climatic changes (though there’s still much dispute about whether these predictions will our come true); transport hazards; problems caused by the increasing number of people in the world. Many of today’s worries have resulted from attempts to correct some of the problems of the past. For example, many people fear that water purification processes may be harmful to health; some people are allergic to chemicals used to sterilise and preserve food; there are fears that agricultural pesticides enabling us to grow food for our increasing population may be toxic or have unknown long-term effects; some synthesised substances that have become important to humans such as chemicals (including medicines), fibres and plastics may turn out to be dangerous to health.

The worst fear is that chemicals, radioactivity and other environmental influences could change our cells’ genes to cause cancer in those exposed or defects and illness in future generations.

• Carcinogens cause cancer. The sun and cigarette smoking are our greatest carcinogenic risks.

•Mutagens cause changes (mutations) in the genes of living cells. When mutations occur in gametes (ovum and sperm cells) they can be passed on to future generations. Large doses of

radiation are mutagenic.

•Teratogens can cause errors of development of the foetus, leading to spontaneous abortion or birth defects. The rubella virus and some drugs can be teratogenic.

Toxins can enter our bodies through our skin, through our intestines, and through our lungs from things inhaled. A large dose of any toxic agent usually has a severe, immediate effect such as second-degree burns from the sun or intense illness due to swallowing chemical poisons or inhaling toxic gas. Prolonged low-dose exposure more often causes chronic illness, and there may be a latent period between exposure and the development of disease. Skin cancer from the sun, emphysema or lung cancer from cigarette smoking, and chronic bronchitis from living or working where the air is full of smoke are examples of latent effects.

There are plenty of naturally occurring environmental hazards. Radioactivity occurs naturally (though in most places in very small amounts); ultraviolet rays in sunlight can cause skin cancer; many plants and some animals can poison humans; many people suffer respiratory disorders from inhaling plant pollens.

Other hazards are the result of human activity, such as synthetic pesticides, pollution of rivers and oceans with sewage or industrial effluent, tobacco and industrial smoke, increased pollen counts in air from farming, altered content of minerals in the air, soil and water due to mining and agriculture.

The media tend to exaggerate and sensationalise health risks. Some reports give unbalanced emphasis to worries about possible hazards that are unfounded without giving the full story or mentioning known benefits. I feel that a lot of our concerns come from not enough knowledge and understanding (at least in my case) of the accelerating technology of today. The unknown is always frightening.

Now, whenever I hear about a new environmental health risk, I try to find out more about it before getting worried. I remind myself that when steam was first used to turn engines and when electricity was introduced for lighting and power, many people predicted that harnessing these great powers surely would soon bring about the end of the world.

If you’re worried that something in your environment may be causing illness, ask someone with knowledge in environmental health (maybe your doctor or council health inspector) for advice. Beware, you may get several conflicting answers to your questions. When there is dispute over environmental hazards, I prefer to take advice from committees of experts nominated by differing interest groups, such as the committees of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which investigate and issue statements on all concerns about environmental health, including standards for safe maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides, agricultural chemicals, feed additives, veterinary medicines and noxious substances in food; guidelines for clearance of water treatment chemicals and processes; and guidelines for controlling emission of pollutants. If you can’t find information about your concern, write to your federal and State ministers for health, or your mayor or shire chairperson. Our government is more vigilant than most and quick to respond to concerns that Australians may be exposed to unnecessary health risks.

There are heavy penalties for industrial pollution, and all new technology must be proven to have a great deal more benefits than any known risks. Otherwise it is outlawed. If there are any possible risks however unlikely, manufacturers are required to provide warning and information about safety precautions. Still, not al processes (and especially older ones) have come under scrutiny and there is always the possibility of undetected risks. We must all maintain our vigilance about environmental health risks.

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Tinea, a fungal infection of the skin, is a very common problem in Australia. We all carry a few fungi on our skin, generally without problems. However, when their growth is encouraged by excessive dampness of the skin, they can cause
inflammation.

Tinea of the feet causes redness, itching and sometimes painful cracks on the sole and between the toes. It’s often called athlete’s foot because it’s so common on hot, sweaty feet that spend a lot of time
in gym shoes. It’s also very common in
people who use communal showers at swimming pools, gyms, residential colleges and so on.

You can help to prevent tinea of the
feet by wearing thongs in communal showers, drying thoroughly between your toes, always wearing cotton or wool socks
(to absorb sweat) with closed shoes and by wearing open shoes as often as possible in hot weather (but watch out for cracked skin). If tinea strikes, ask your pharmacist to recommend an antifungal preparation, which you should continue
to apply for a week after all signs have disappeared.

Tinea can also affect skin crevices (such
as the groin, between the buttocks and under heavy breasts) in hot, humid weather, causing a red, itchy rash with an irregular edge. This rash can spread quickly, so if it occurs see your doctor about treatment (and to make sure that it is tinea). You can reduce the chance of this type of tinea by drying carefully in skin folds, always wearing cotton next to your skin, helping sweat to evaporate by wearing loose cotton clothes and using fans when it’s hot and humid.

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People have always known that recreational physical activity is a good thing. It clears the mind, refreshes the body and lifts the spirits. But attitudes to ‘how much?’, ‘what sort?’ and ‘who should?’ have varied over the years.

There was a period earlier this century when strenuous exercise was viewed unfavourably for anyone much over the age of 30, and especially for women. It was ‘unladylike’ to exert oneself to the point of sweating. My mother’s generation had been taught that rest was good and that most things that went wrong with health could be blamed on ‘doing too much’. In those days, when there were few cars, less public transport, less labour-saving devices and fewer machines in industry, the activities of daily life involved much more physical activity. More restful recreations were popular before the days of washing machines, motor-mowers and vacuum cleaners, when laundry was wrung by hand and wood was gathered, chopped and carried for the stove, fireplace and bath-heater. ‘A cup of tea and a lie down’ was the carrot that kept women going through their tiring household chores. All Eliza Dolittle wanted was one enormous chair and lots of chocolate to eat: these days she would miss out on the ‘Life. Be In It’ gold star.

As recently as in the 1960s it was rare to see a jogger on the streets or in the park; we hadn’t heard of ‘aerobics’, and who would have thought that gymnasiums would become standard features in every suburb or town. How times have changed! Exercise has come back into vogue with a vengeance! I’m always tickled to see men and women in smart business clothes and sneakers striding to work, their office shoes swinging jauntily at their sides.

What could account for such a change? No doubt people have become more aware of the health benefits of exercise, and are certainly more weight conscious. Perhaps more people took up sedentary occupations after the Second World War, started feeling a bit unfit and sought some lively exercise. Whatever their reasons, those who tried it discovered the wonderful ‘high’ that results from working up a good sweat from recreational exercise (which for some reason is so much better than the feeling from the same amount of sweat produced by, say, digging post-holes). This feeling had previously been the privilege only of serious athletes.

Physiologists explain that the good mood results from narcotic-like substances being released in the brain during and after certain types of exertion. People became ‘hooked’ on their daily dose of exercise-induced euphoria.

A research review from the USA has confirmed that exercise is good for the mind and soul as well as the body. Many studies have measured various effects of aerobic exercise in healthy people (aerobic exercise is activity that causes the body to use increased oxygen, evidenced in increased heart and breathing rates). Exercise contributes to an enhanced sense of well-being and reduces negative emotional states such as anger, anxiety and depression. It improves cognitive functioning (problem-solving ability, concentration, short-term memory) and contributes greater responsiveness and quicker reactions. Also, exercise reduces cardiovascular reactions to stress, and leads to positive changes in eating habits, smoking sexual functioning. Anyone for an early morning run around the park?

It seems to me that the craze for strenuous exercise is starting to settle down. Maybe people are discovering that they can get that lovely glow from moderate exercise, without the risk of sprained ankles, torn ligaments and aching joints and muscles.

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The size and appearance of normal labia minora vary greatly. They are rarely symmetrical. Skin colour ranges from pink to dark purplish-brown. They may be smooth or wrinkled and often have an irregular, fluted edge. One or both may protrude beyond the outer lips.

It was once believed that protruding labia minora were a result of masturbation. This is of course nonsense: it’s our genes that make them the shape they are. However, many women fear that their labia minora are abnormal: too long, too wrinkled, too asymmetrical, the wrong colour and so on. This worry may have arisen because in the past, oversimplified diagrams showed the labia minora as small, neat, smooth and symmetrical; because most women have never seen any other woman’s genitals to know that these parts vary as much as the features of our faces; or because of guilt from sexual pleasure resulting from touching the labia.

Going back to where the labia minora meet in front: if you pull back the fold you’ll find the clitoris, a small knob of tissue a bit bigger than a match head. Sometimes it’s hard to see the first time you look. Press down against your pubic bone under the hood of the labia. You’ll feel a pleasant sensation and probably feel the tiny knob of tissue become firmer. That’s the clitoris.

The clitoris is the equivalent of a man’s penis, with a tiny glans and shaft. The hood formed by the fold where the labia minora meet is equivalent to the male foreskin. The clitoris, like the penis, is composed of erectile tissue that fills with blood and becomes hard during sexual excitement. The skin of the labia minora and the clitoris are richly supplied with nerves that make them very sensitive to touch.

Now look at the area between the labia minora. This is covered with a smooth, moist, pink membrane and is called the vestibule. It contains two openings. In front, towards the clitoris, you’ll see the opening of the urethra – the tube that connects the bladder with the outside. You pass urine through this opening. It often has a slightly wavy, pouting edge.

Behind the urethral opening is the entrance to the vagina, called the introitus. This opening is partly covered by the hymen, a thin membrane that extends in from the edge of the introitus. It has one or more openings in it. If you’ve never had sexual intercourse, the opening(s) may be smallish and the hymen easily seen. After sexual penetration by the penis, the inner margin of the hymen becomes stretched or torn so that the opening is bigger. The hymen becomes much more torn when your first baby is delivered, so that the opening of the introitus becomes much larger and only a few tags of the hymen remain at its margin.

In the groove between the labia minora and the introitus, towards the back, you may see a tiny puncture on each side. These are the openings of Bartholin’s glands, which are buried within the labia majora near the perineum. These glands are about the size of a pea, but they are quite soft so you can’t usually feel them unless their ducts become blocked or they become infected. During sexual arousal, Bartholin’s glands secrete a fluid that contributes to lubrication of the introitus.

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Food faddism is an unusual pattern of food behaviour enthusiastically adopted by its adherents. People have always held beliefs about the curative, protective and magic properties of food, and conversely that some foods are harmful. We now know that some of these beliefs were sound: for instance, in 1770 Captain Cook knew that fresh limes would prevent his crew from getting scurvy, though vitamin С wasn’t known at that time.

Food fads have changed over the years. Some of the fad diets in vogue at present aren’t based on sound nutritional principles, and some make claims that are false. Be wary of fad diets, especially for weight control or if they claim to treat or cure disease. If you want to try a fad diet, check with a nutritionist to make sure that any claims are sound and that it contains an adequate balance of nutrients.

Are vegetarian diets beneficial?

It depends what you mean by vegetarian. Some people say that they’re vegetarian if they don’t eat flesh – red meat, poultry or fish. A diet that contains dairy produce and eggs generally provides adequate nourishment.

The vegan diet contains no animal foods at all: no flesh, dairy products, eggs, honey or gelatin. It’s very difficult to get enough complete protein or some vitamins and minerals from such a diet. Vitamin В12, calcium and iron are particularly limited.

Is it true that humans can’t digest meat?

No. Our digestive systems produce all the enzymes needed to digest meat, which is one of the best sources of complete protein and iron.

Are raw foods better than cooked?

Some fruits and vegetables lose a little of their vitamin and mineral content during cooking. Other foods such as egg white, flour and some fish have more of their vitamins available after cooking.

Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, com and dried legumes (beans and peas) – all valuable foods – need cooking to make them palatable and digestible. Some legumes can be toxic if eaten raw. There is a risk of infection from eating raw meat, poultry and fish.

Is it harmful to combine certain foods?

There are a lot of books around at present that tell you it’s harmful to eat different food elements at the same meal, claiming that our systems can’t digest the mixture. This advice defies all that’s known about nutrition. Most of our foods contain a mixture of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. If you excluded all the mixed foods you’d have to give up meats, eggs, cereals, milk and yoghurt, cheese, legumes and many other fruits and vegetables. There wouldn’t be much left to eat.

Can diet prevent cancer?

Recent research suggests that a diet that’s low in fat, high in cereals and with plenty of fruits and vegetables and little alcohol seems to protect against bowel cancer and may reduce the risk of cancers of the lung, breast, uterus, prostate and pancreas. It’s also been suggested that beta-carotene, a type of vitamin A that is found in yellow and orange vegetables, might prevent cells from becoming cancerous. The subject of diet and cancer is controversial and by no means resolved. Research continues.

Can anti-oxidants prevent cancer?

There’s a lot in the news about antioxidants and cancer. Recent studies suggest that anti-oxidant nutrients (such as vitamins A, E and C) may play a role in the prevention of cancer and heart disease. However, the results are far from conclusive and no recommendations can be made at this time. Many of these studies used food sources of the nutrients (rather than tablets) and it may be that the anti-oxidants are only effective in the food itself or that other unidentified substances in the food are responsible. The best advice I can give at this point is to obtain your anti-oxidants naturally by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

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