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A NEW LOOK AT NARCOTICS by Nick Nunes The word narcotic gets thrown around a lot. As with many of our English words, this one is of ancient Greek origin. It comes from a word that meant “to make numb”. Originally, it was a medical reference to any drug that was psychoactive in nature and used for numbing or paralysis. In the 20th and 21st centuries, it has been most associated

FEEL G OOD by Katrina Welch The human body is nothing short of amazing. Oftentimes, we don’t think about how our body works, we just know that it does. We think, we move around, we speak, we grow, and our features even change with time. These actions are all as a result of the complex systems at work beneath the surface of our skin. Our feelings are an example of such systems at work.

COVID-19 SYMPTOMS-Health THE MILD TO THE SEVERE by Nakiah Thomas-Edwards The threat of COVID-19, the disease caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, has become more real to us now that there is community spread and we may actually know someone who got tested for it, or someone who contracted it. And we’ve been hearing quite a lot about the symptoms, but how much do we really

Dear Doc, I recently read that having had dengue type I, II, or III, makes it more likely you may get dengue haemorrhagic. I had dengue three times but that was over 20 years ago. If I were to contract dengue now after all these years, is it likely that I can still get dengue haemorrhagic fever? - Sandra Dear Sandra, Thank you for such an in insightful question. There are four types of dengue

Dear Doc, I don’t hear about gout nowadays. Is it still stirring? I used to hear about it before in old men? Do women get it too?- Alphonse Dear Alphonse, Gout unfortunately is still present. It is much more common in men than women. Gout is caused by the deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint or tendons leading to inflammation and therefore pain. Gout is associated predominantly with

Dear Doc, I am a woman in my late 60s and I want to start losing weight. I am in general good health and don’t need to go to the doctor often, and I started walking with a group of retirees recently. I know that walking is not enough. What do you recommend?- Monica Dear Monica, You are off to an excellent start. First you made the decision to change and second you started. I therefore want

Dear Doc, My friend has a very prominent redness in one eye. It appeared there recently. He was not hit in his eye, and he said he woke up one morning and found it like that. Could it be that capillaries burst in his eye? Is it dangerous? - Vadney Dear Vadney, Redness in the eye can be many things. It can be ruptured blood vessels such as a haemorrhage, often the result of trauma or it can be conjunctivitis

Dear Helen, My husband and I have started having anal sex to spice up our love life more. I have grown to like it but I get a split or a tear just above my anus. I imagine it’s from the unaccustomed stretching in that area. What can I do to prevent this? - Adventurous wife. Dear Adventurous Wife, Anal tissue is not designed to stretch in the same way as vulval and vaginal tissue, so tears do

Dear Helen, I know you are a nurse in England, so you will have access to information we in Barbados might not. Now that a COVID-19 vaccine has been developed and tested, do you know what impact the vaccine can have on the sex life? I’ve been reading about a front-line worker in the UK who took the vaccine and now she has Bell’s palsy now.- Cathyann Dear Cathyann I think in the global

Dear Helen, Are there any advances in medicine to help premature ejaculation, or is it still only a mind over matter situation? - Martin Dear Martin, From what I understand, it is far more likely that this is merely a mind over matter situation than anything that there’s a ‘wonder drug’ for. I’m not a doctor specialising in this, though, so next time you’re visiting your GP/ family