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Doctor's Q&A...
You could take a mild dose of an anxiety buster such as diazepam (Valium) but you will have to discuss this with your GP because not everyone is suitable for this form of medication. If you're not going away for a while, there are other therapies you could try such as hypnosis or desensitisation. Some of the bigger airlines run courses to help you lose that fear of flying.
Tetanus, hepatitis A and typhoid boosters or courses are recommended for travel to Mexico, especially if you're going to be there for longer than two weeks or are unable to stick to food that's been cooked or peeled. If you're going into the more rural areas, these vaccines are strongly recommended as well as anti-malarials.
If you develop a fever, including when you return, prompt investigation is essential.
What is the Glasgow Coma Scale? I know it relates to head injury but I would like to understand what it means.
Eye movements, verbal responses and motor (movement) responses are all graded.
The scale was developed by neurologists at Glasgow University in the 1970s, hence its name.
I think my daughter could be colour blind. How can I find out and how was it caused?
If your daughter has difficulty distinguishing between red and blue or green and yellow, she could be colour blind. It is a popular belief that colour blind people can only see shades of grey or neutral colours but that is a myth. Red-green deficiency is the most common form of the condition, but it is not a form of blindness.
It is due to specialised cells in the retina which normally respond to certain colours being unable to do so. Your daughter was probably born with it because it is caused by a defective X-linked recessive gene. That means her mother is either colour blind or has normal vision but is carrying the colour-deficient gene.
Colour blindness cannot be cured but can be detected using special charts called Ishihara plates. Your GP or optician will have these plates and can confirm the presence of colour blindness.
The sooner the problem is acknowledged, the better - because awareness of the defect will prevent possible learning problems at school.
Those people who are affected can work out ways to get round their inability to distinguish the colour. An obvious example is traffic lights. Recognising the sequence of the lights gets over the inability to see the colour.
How much alcohol can I consume safely in early pregnancy and not put my baby at risk of foetal alcohol syndrome?
The simple answer is that no amount of alcohol is considered "safe". There is documented evidence that ill-effects on the baby can happen with four drinks a day, but even two drinks can affect the development of the baby, especially in the first three months, and lowers the birth weight. There is a greater incidence of miscarriage in mothers who drink alcohol so it is better to be safe than sorry. It is thought that "binge" drinking has more detrimental effects on the foetus. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) occurs in babies born of mothers who drink excessively.
The clinical features are of brain damage, head and face abnormalities, growth defects, heart defects and psychological overactivity. FAS can't be reliably diagnosed during pregnancy and can be difficult to diagnose after birth because of the variety of manifestations.
What is irritable bowel syndrome? And can you tell me how it is treated?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional disorder of the large intestine, the colon. It causes usually painful muscle contraction of the intestinal tract, resulting in a variety of complaints.
Sufferers complain of diarrhoea, often sudden and painful; constipation; abdominal pain and cramps; and the excessive passing of wind.
The cause is unknown but is often associated with stress and tension, and is seen more often when the diet is deficient in fibre. The condition is common in the west of Scotland where the diet is often criticised for its lack of fibre.
But through the availability of a greater variety and cheaper fruit and vegetables, a diet with sufficient fibre should be easy to achieve.
For many, treating the source of tension and stress will be enough to prevent the uncomfortable symptoms recurring. Increasing fibre in the diet is the mainstay of treatment, but avoiding known irritants is also helpful.
The sorts of things which can cause an acute attack include fatty foods, gas-forming foods, caffeinated drinks and foods containing sorbitol.
There are some medications that can help when the condition is very severe.
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