LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Chronic Illness: Patients
built 221 days ago
Two federal efforts now underway seek to determine whether antibiotics can cure chronic illness. One investigation conducted at Walter Reed Army Medical Center looks at the blood of Gulf War veterans for signs of mycoplasms. The other, conducted at Veterans Affairs medical centers nationwide, involves giving some Gulf War syndrome patients antibiotics and others placebos under rigorous experimental conditions designed to ferret out the true effectiveness of the therapy.
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After analyzing the case and arriving at several probable remedies, the homeopath determines if the patient's problem is acute, chronic, an inherited illness or an illness due to suppressive effects of previous treatment. The homeopath then blends their natural science training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, etc. with their observation of the patient and their understanding of the patient's self description.
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Sexual health may have a direct impact on the overall well-being of patients with chronic illness. Therefore, it is important to obtain a sexual history. The physician's proactive leadership in initiating the discussion lets the patient know that sexuality is an important aspect of health.14
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Despite the obvious biopsychosocial impacts of chronic illness on sex and relationships, only a minority of patients receive help for sexual concerns. For example, although the effects of diabetes on erectile function are widely known, a Danish study found that only 10% of diabetic men attending a specialist diabetic clinic had discussed sexuality with a doctor.11
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In some cases, having a chronic illness can trigger clinically significant depression, a potentially serious but treatable illness itself. The challenge for the doctor and the patient is to decide whether symptoms of depression are just a normal reaction to the stress of having a chronic medical condition, or so intense or disabling that they require additional specific antidepressant treatment.
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Prof. Garth Nicolson Ph.D., of the Institute for Molecular Medicine California reports viral and bacterial infections associated with numerous overlapping illnesses and chronic pain syndromes. Nicolson identifies that many current treatment approaches are inappropriate and do not deal with the exact cause of the patient’s illness (Nicolson 1998).
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