EpidemiologyThe lifetime risk of UTI among women may be as high as 60%. Up to 20% of these women will develop recurrent cystitis. Risk factors for acute uncomplicated cystitis include sexual activity, the use of spermicide (especially with diaphragms), delayed micturition (especially after intercourse), recent antibiotic use (especially beta-lactams), and a prior history of UTI. Some women with recurrent UTI have been found to have epithelial glycoproteins and ABO serotype non-secretion, which predispose them to infection. Certain strains of bacteria also have adherence factors that play a role in colonization and infection.
HistoryTypical symptoms of cystitis are dysuria, frequency, urgency, suprapubic pain and, less often, gross hematuria. Symptoms of cystitis often follow sexual intercourse by a few days. Delayed micturition (as with travel) and dehydration may also precipitate symptoms. Menstrual history should be recorded, as this can affect urinalysis and treatment.Pertinent negatives in the history should include the following:- Vaginal discharge or irritation or pruritis (vaginitis)- Back pain, fever, nausea, emesis (pyelonephritis)- Headache, myalgia, photophobia (genital herpes)- High-risk sexual exposure (urethritis)
Physical ExaminationThe physical examination in patients suspected of having cystitis is typically brief, focusing on temperature, abdominal examination, and palpation of the costovertebral angle. Although 15% to 20% of patients have mild suprapubic pain or tenderness, the physical examination findings are generally unremarkable. If abdominal tenderness is diffuse or intense, other causes, such as pelvic inflammatory disease or nephrolithiasis, should be considered. Patients with vaginal discharge or significant abdominal tenderness may require a pelvic examination.*140/348/5*

Every morning I wake up knowing that everything I am going to do that day will be life-affirming. Each day has meaning to me. Life is not about fame or fortune but rather about the quality of the energy that is shared. You can make the world a better place if you choose to do so because you are an essential ingredient in society. It doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor. You have something special to share.
No matter what your situation, if you are working on improving it, you will be happy with yourself. For instance, when you look in the mirror you can’t lie about what you see. If you are overweight, you’ll see it. Yet if you are overweight but working on a better body, you will be happy with what you see. You will appreciate yourself for working on the process of change.
Affirmations are an important ritual for helping you to focus on the purpose of your life. They help you to keep focused on your vision. Affirm health and you will eat only foods that enhance health. Affirm love and you will approach everything you do and everyone you meet lovingly. Affirm beauty and you will see it everywhere. This is a daily process.
*299\257\8*

Fibrocystic breast condition is a common, noncancerous problem among women. Symptoms range in severity from a small palpable lump to large masses of irregular tissue found in both breasts. The underlying causes of the condition are unknown. Although some experts believe it to be related to hormonal changes that occur during the normal menstrual cycle, many women report that their conditions neither worsen nor improve during their cycles. In fact, in most cases, the condition appears to run in families and to become progressively worse with age, irrespective of pregnancy or other hormonal disruptions. Although most cyst formations consist of fibrous tissue, some are filled with fluid. Treatment often involves removal of fluid from the affected area or surgical removal of the cyst itself.
Does fibrocystic breast condition predispose a woman to later cancer development? Experts believe that the risks for breast cancer among women with certain types of fibrocystic disease may be slightly higher than among the general populace, but it is likely that a host of other factors.
*46/277/5*

It has been of general opinion that the living Pteridophytes/ferns have little economic potential. The limited uses are often enumerated by authors from time to time. A large number of ferns are highly prized as foliage ornamentals whether outdoors or indoors besides several other ecomomic values.

Antimicrobial propertits of ferns are remarkable as compared to the higher plants. Very little informations are available where ferns have been infected or attacked by any micro-organism. Pageopined that these resistance may arise due to the possession of a combination of any of atleast five different attributes as mentioned below :

(1)     Their possible lack of some essential metabolites necessary for pathogens
The presence in ferns of a large number of defensive biochemical compounds.
A difficulty encountered by pathogens in invading the tough tissues of ferns
The particular morphological structure of the average fern plant, where a disease which may become rife in a frond is lost altogether from the plant when the frond is shed and,
The absence of vessels, presence of mucilage and infrequency of canals in fern vascular structure, which may be of significance in reducing the ability of diseases to spread rapidly internally within a plant.

Horborne reported high percentage of phenolic compounds in the ferns which are responsible for not allowing microorganisms to attack them. Gregor and Pirone reported several diseases of cultivated fern species such as leaf-spot, tip-blight, leaf-blister, sooty-mold, leaf-blotch. Several confusing symptoms of fungi have been noticed by the present author on the” fern which are under culitvation of fernery of NBRI, Lucknow but after analysis it has been noticed that they are due to some deficiency of nutrients, i.e., physiological rather than pathogenic. On the whole, experiences of fern growers suggests that such antiseptis or antimicrobial abilities are quite general.

It has also been observed by the present author that in vitro presence of fungi or bacteria in the cultures makes no difference in the germination, growth and differentiation of gametophyte of ferns. This type of observations are also reported by several previous workers like Hurel-Py; and Hutchinson. Pares, even observed stimulatory effects of various micro-organisms on the development of prothalli of several species of ferns. Bell and Smith & Robinson also noticed stimulatory effect of microorganism on general growth rate of gametophytes in ferns like Thelypteris paulustris Scott., Polystichum lobatum (Huds.) Woynar, Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott. and Polypodium vulgare L.
*10\218\2*

Eggs are considered an ideal breakfast food and appear on every nutrition chart. This is fine, we recommend them for arthritis too. Unless an allergy prevails or you have a gall-bladder ailment, arthritics should enjoy eggs frequently.
But here’s another case where the charts fell short. Why didn’t they print something about the method of cooking eggs. The nutritional value of eggs is drastically altered by the way they are prepared. For instance, when you scramble eggs you make it impossible for your digestive tract to assimilate the egg yolk properly. Arthritics should rely on boiled three-minute eggs.
MEATS are pictured in brilliant, appetising colours on every “Vitamin Chart.” Yet, you are never told by the diagrams that over-cooking will destroy the very vitamins you are seeking. Arthritics, especially, should beware of tossing out the vitamins in the cooking water. Instead, broil or grill your meats, medium rare.
VEGETABLES should be treated with the same care. Avoid excessive cooking. Use a pressure cooker, or serve vegetables raw, when possible.
WATER is the most neglected item of all when the health chart experts do their art work. We never see a picture of a glass of water along with the colourful foods. Diluting your foods, while they are being digested, can raise havoc with the figures on the chart. Drinking water can reduce the value of vitamins, protein, minerals, etc.
Most of the foods which health charts list do contain water soluble vitamins, as well as oil soluble vitamins. These substances are very important to our bodies. The oil types of vitamins are vitamins A, D, and E. If the oils and fats carrying these vitamins into your body suddenly have their chemical structures changed—because you are simultaneously drinking water—how can these vitamins serve as true vitamins for body maintenance? They have been diluted or practically destroyed.
*27\146\2*

Closely associated with the lemon is another fruit, the lime. Most people do not consider actually eating limes. They should not. Arthritis sufferers should even refrain from drinking lime juice or any drink containing that particular juice, because of its drying effect on the bodily oils.
There is still another citric fruit which finds its way into the diet of many arthritics. They have been led to believe that it is rich in vitamin C—and it is. We refer to the grapefruit. It, too, has a severe drying effect on the oil being distributed throughout your body.
When sugar is added to grapefruit, even more disastrous damage is wrought. Note your joint pains as they got worse, your skin as its gets drier. Five years after an arthritic becomes well, grapefruit can be eaten occasionally without too harmful results.
Until then, while the body is trying to correct oil deficiency, grapefruit and grapefruit juice should be omitted. There are many, many fruits—rich in vitamin C—which do not tend to dry out oils. For example, do eat, enjoy and benefit from apples, peaches and pears.
There have been many diets offered by accepted authorities as beneficial to arthritics. Very often you will see citric fruits have been eliminated because of the acid properties. Many other dieticians agree with me on this point.
People with arthritic tendencies have often discovered the “citric truth” by themselves. Sufferers have sometimes recognised the stinging pain which followed their excessive intake of citric fruit. But these victims of arthritis too often ignored the pain signals. Their complaining became known as the “acid myth.”
I repeat, go easy on the use of grapefruit and lemon juice!
Now, let’s go on to discuss the most popular citrus fruit of all. . . .
A popular breakfast is a quick one . . . which a person can gulp down. In their haste some mornings too many arthritics will just drink a glass of orange juice and call it a meal. Unfortunately, when you drink orange juice—hastily or otherwise —it has a drying effect on the skin and joints.
But . . . EATING AN ORANGE IS SOMETHING ELSE AGAIN, it is not so detrimental to arthritics. When you eat an orange, the saliva in your mouth alkalises it. Keep from drinking plain orange juice, because its fruit sugar and citric acid are in a combination which attacks bodily oils.
The orange is only 1 per cent, acidic. The lemon and grapefruit are 7 per cent., with seven times the drying effect.
The longer a person has had arthritis, the more he should abstain from plain orange juice. One year after being fully relieved of pain, the arthritic may eat sections of an orange in a fruit salad. Or an occasional whole orange, well masticated.
EVEN FOR PEOPLE NOT THREATENED BY ARTHRITIS, HEALTH AUTHORITIES RECOMMENDED THAT CONSUMPTION OF ORANGES BE LIMITED TO TWO OR THREE PER WEEK. AS YET, SCIENTISTS DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH ACTUAL VITAMIN C OUR BODIES REQUIRE.
Concentrated frozen citric juices should be omitted altogether from the arthritic’s diet.
*20\146\2*

As we have seen, the general script for female rehearsal of socially prescribed adult roles places more emphasis on acquiring social skills and less on competence and achievement. Socializing influences such as educational materials and counseling, along with omnipresent media images, help to construct and support this version of appropriate role behavior. There is adou-ble edge here, too: while girls learn to direct their attention away from competitive achievement to success in interpersonal relationships (Bardwick and Douvan, 1971), they learn important skills such as caring, being expressive, being supportive. These are genderless, human responses that can be equally valuable in boys’ developing repertoire of skills.
As the predominant social patterns emerge, males move from developing familiarity with their sexual responsiveness to later acquisition of social skills, while the female process traditionally develops in reverse. Girls’ awareness of sexuality is directed outward. Since a major goal is marriage, it is of crucial importance to become sexually attractive, but not overtly sexual (Simon and Gagnon, 1969).
Young adolescent girls do not have the same “permission” to be genitally sexual as do their male peers (Simon and Gagnon, 1969). Traditional educational materials stress the reproductive aspects of the female sexual system, while the clitoris may be omitted completely from the text or anatomical diagrams (Breit and Myerson-Ferrandino, 1979). Fewer girls than boys masturbate; in contrast to the male experience, only two-thirds of girls will report ever having masturbated. Additionally, it has been indicated that about half of the females who do masturbate practice this activity only after having initially experienced orgasm in a partner-sex situation (Simon and Gagnon, 1969).
*170\265\8*

The worst part of the ‘ASPEN’ fear is its unpredictability. There is no time when it can attack. Although one is more prone to attack when alone, but it can also attack when you are in society. Imagine the plight of a man, who while celebrating the birthday of his son, dancing and singing in a hall full of guests, is suddenly seized by ‘ASPEN’ type of fear. He leaves his dancing partner and crouches in a corner chair. The whole party stops rejoicing and starts looking at the chief host who was one of them, dancing and singing in a gay abondon just a few moments ago, and now lying low in a fit of terror. Eye brows are raised. Questions are asked. What happened? Is it serious ? Should the doctor be called? But before a reply to the above questions is received, the man is up, by himself.
“Are you alright? What happened”?
“Oh, nothing, I am perfectly alright” and the man is absolutely normal in anyway.
*52\308\8*

Ferns are a natural group of plants in a major division of the plant kingdom called the Pteridophytes. Pteridophytes have been a prominent part of the earth’s vegetation for millions of years. In fact, in eon’s past, the Pteridophytes and their allies dominated the world’s vegetation and contributed much to the fossil fuel reserves will always be important and significant in energy conscious world. To-day only a small number of the representatives of the primitive stock has survived. Pteridophytes are classified in two groups, i.e., homosporous and heterosporous on the basis of spore types. Homosporous ferns are represented by about 1 2000 species widely distributed throughout the world in different habitat and niches. In India, about 1200 fern species including fern allies have been reported.

Ferns are basically vascular plant and preferes shady, moist habitat with moderate temperature but also occurs throughout a very diverse range of habitat from high altitude and latitude to arctic-alpine situations, to the heart of the tropical rain forests, and from sub-desert scrub of continental interiors to rock of the sea coast and mangroove swamp.
The life cycle of fern consists of two phases’, i.e. haploid, non-vascular gametophytic and diploid vascular sporophytic; both phase are autotrophic, morphologically very distinct and physiologically independent to each others. Majority of the ferns inhabit the tropical forests and in its environment microbial activities are maximum and this environment situation, no matter how beneficial for one, is unsuitable for the other generation, but even both the generations have to persist for their survival. It is definitely a peculiar characteristics of the ferns to have antimicrobial activities which help them to survive. In the present communication antimicrobial activity and medicinal values of ferns have been discussed.
*9\218\2*

Time has now borne out conclusively that lemons are NOT a cure for arthritis. Instead of being helped, many arthritics become worse and some become permanently disfigured. Fruit sugar in any citric juice—particularly lemon juice—has a parasitic affinity for joint and skin linings and pigment. In the case of the joint lining, it may well hasten degeneration and its resulting deformity.
If lemons were the answer, there would not be millions of arthritis sufferers in all parts of the United States. There are lemons for sale in nearly every neighbourhood store in the country—and still the number of arthritics grows larger and larger.
Next, someone discovered that lemon juice in water would help relieve constipation. No doubt this is so. It is said that lemon juice clears the blood. I’d I taps it does—but at a terrible price. Let this be a warning to you if you are tempted by lemons. Observe and gauge joint pain daily. Watch your skin, nails, scalp and hair as they become drier and drier.
Why jeopardize your arthritic body—to rid yourself of constipation by means of lemon and water—when constipation can be conquered in so many other less harmful ways?
In 1947 the reputable Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, issued a warning about water and lemon used for constipation, colds and rheuma-1 ism. Clinically they found that it erodes the enamel of teeth, a very hard substance.
If lemon mixed with water has this awful power against tough tooth enamel, think of the effect of this citric juice in undiluted form! It would be proportionally more disastrous to the body internally.
Medically, we know the acid of the juice is reduced to alkali . . . but in reduction, what price does our poor body pay? The urine, pretty well stabilised at an acid level throughout life, can be alkalised by drinking copious amounts of lemon juice. What a terrifying effect it must have on the bloodstream and its oils? Summed up, lemon juice kills off the lubricating oils we need most—prevents their proper digestion and circulation to our joints!
For arthritics a little lemon juice sprinkled occasionally on a salad or used as a flavouring on fish is condoned. But that is where the use of lemon juice should stop.
Under no circumstances should people with arthritic tendencies indulge in lemonade during hot summer months. If an arthritic is seeking early and lasting health, eating lemons or drinking lemon juice should be forgotten indefinitely.
*19\146\2*