Kidney stones: this pain is ‘Worse than childbirth’

One of the most common presentations is the flank pain on one side. It sometimes radiates down into the stomach, and it can actually radiate down into the genital area. That type of pain is pretty commonly seen in stone patients.

Sometimes there’s nausea and vomiting. Those type of symptoms are something that gives us a clue that this may be a stone.

The CAT scan is the gold standard for imaging for kidney stones. That’s usually the way to diagnose it. You can’t do it from a blood test or anything else.

Why do people say that they are so painful?
It blocks the flow of urine in the kidney, and it causes backup. And it’s an excruciating pain. A lot of people do describe it as worse than childbirth.

When the system is trying to push urine out, what happens is: your kidney and your ureter — they have this muscle propagation that goes down the kidney into the ureter — when it’s trying to push and the stone is blocking it, you get these intense pains. That’s why we call it colicky, it comes and goes and it’s extremely painful and the main reason for the pain is the backup of urine.

What’s happening exactly?
Usually, if they have two kidneys, they urinate fine, because you’re getting urine on the other side. The problem is, that kidney is producing urine but it can’t get pushed down.

If you take a pipe and you clog it off and somehow you’re still getting fluid into the other end … if it’s a pipe that can expand, it starts expanding.

The backup is like that. It causes a great deal of pain because you’re expanding your system. You don’t have any pop-off valve. Once it starts expanding, it’s expanding unnaturally.

It’s called hydronephrosis, and it’s basically backup of urine into the kidney.
What to do for kidney stones

Are there particular risk factors?
There are certain diseases associated with kidney stones, things like hypoparathyroidism, or some bowel diseases where your absorption isn’t normal.

Things like obesity and diabetes are associated with kidney stones. The main dietary factors are low water intake and high salt intake and animal protein — anything you killed to eat. If you have high amounts of those intakes, it causes your urine to acidify and then it becomes more prone to having stones.

It just depends on the person. If you have a family history, you’re more apt to get a stone.

What is the treatment?
If the stones are small enough, they usually pass on their own. Sometimes it can be an uneventful passage, or sometimes it’s just an excruciating passage, but we can help them out with pain medicine and some other medicines.
We say greater than 5 mm we start watching them closely. They have a higher chance of requiring surgery to pass the stone.
So it’s possible that with pain medicine, it could go away on its own?

Yep, they can pass it. As long as it’s small enough, and there’s nothing abnormal in their system that prevents it from moving through, if it’s small enough people can pass the stones by themselves.

How long does that take?
It can take a few days. Depending on where the stone is and how small it is. Sometimes we monitor up to six weeks, but if the stone isn’t progressing, we’ll go ahead and take care of it.

If the pain is so much that they can’t endure it, then we will go ahead and treat. If their pain is coming and going, and well-controlled with things like ibuprofen or other pain medicine, sometimes we just wait and let them try and pass it.

Source: CNN

The art of yoga

It’s practiced by millions of Americans who credit it with bringing them better health, physical fitness, and serenity.

And then there are those who see it differently . . .

“How many of you would like to stay here for an hour and twist yourself into agonizing positions, ultimately wrapping your leg around your head?” Alec Baldwin asked a crowd. “How many of you would rather come with me to the movies and eat a pizza?”

Yes, that’s Alec Baldwin, the famously un-serene bad boy, who not long ago made headlines, again, when he got into an ugly scuffle with a photographer staking out his family.

When he spoke with Braver, just before that incident, he made no secret of the fact that his main interest in yoga isn’t anger management; it’s that his wife Hilaria is an instructor.

“When I came to her class the first time and watched her teach her class, all I wanted to do was, like, pour a glass of scotch and light a cigarette and just say, ‘This is never happening,'” Baldwin said.

But Baldwin was there — at least in body — when his wife taught an unusual class right in the Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery in Washington, amid priceless works of art.

It’s the first major exhibit about yoga ever mounted in the U.S.
The Baldwins chaired the opening gala and helped sponsor the show, which Hilaria Baldwin says calls attention to the ancient origins of a practice that began in India some 2,500 years ago.

“By looking at the history, you see how deep the roots are,” Hilaria said, “and how important it has been through centuries. Now it kind of brings it full circle.”

Curator Debra Diamond, who began working on the exhibition in 2009, said the various depictions of yoga masters, known as yogis and yoginis, show that there was never one set tradition for yoga.

Some forms have links to Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions.

One fragment of sculpture is from the 2nd century. Its gaunt figures, said Diamond represented renouncers — “those who gave up society, who began fasting and meditating in order to attain enlightenment and omniscience.”

But yoga practice was often completely secular. Kings and maharajas who believed that yoga could help them achieve supernatural powers, like levitation, commissioned a wealth of sculptures, paintings, and manuscripts.

So what does the word “yoga” mean?

“The Sanskrit root of yoga, which is yug, means to hold, to join, to unite,” said Diamond. “But the term yoga itself has probably more meanings than any other Sanskrit word. These range from the yolk, the harness of an ox, to the union between opposites.”

Americans, including Henry David Thoreau of Walden Pond fame, became interested in yoga as early as the mid-19th century.

But yoga later developed a somewhat less noble image.

Howard Thurston, a famous magician of the late 1800s, traveled the country claiming to have supernatural yoga-style powers, performing illusions like the suspended rope trick.

Diamond said many American first came to know of yogi through the conjuring of exotic stereotypes about India that were rather dubious. “Yogis became an embarrassment for Indians as well as for the rest of the world,” said Diamond.

But yoga’s image began to change after a 1938 film showing an athletic series of poses and postures to promote physical and mental fitness, developed by a 5-foot, 2-inch yogi named Krishnamacharya.

And today a lot of us are striking poses: A 2012 survey by Yoga Journal found that some 20 million adult Americans say they do yoga, up from 15.8 million in 2008.

But how real are the health benefits?

Dr. Lorenzo Cohen is the director of integrative medicine at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which offers yoga classes for patients and employees alike.

Dr. Cohen says, of the clinical trials that have been conducted, including some at M.D. Anderson, “We see that yoga can help improve fatigue, help improve sleep dysfunction in cancer survivors, as well as improve physical functioning.

“You’re engaging your mind, you’re engaging your breath, your lungs,” explained Dr. Cohen. “And in some sense, simplistically, a bio-behavioral change is happening within the body. By and large, you’re going to be decreasing stress hormones. Heart rate and blood pressure are going to reduce.”

And yoga is a booming business! According to one study, Americans spend nearly $6 billion a year on yoga classes and products.

Yoga studios are found in more and more towns. There was even a yoga garden at last April’s White House Easter Egg Roll.

And instructors like Hilaria Baldwin can teach even a yoga-phobic reporter (left) a move or two.

She persuaded her husband Alec to appear in her video for pregnant women. [They now have a four-month-old.] And Hillaria says yoga helped her become more relaxed:

“I just stopped taking things so seriously, which was really the key to being much happier,” she said.

“Has this rubbed off on you?” Braver asked Alec Baldwin.

“Only where the paparazzi aren’t involved,” he laughed.

In fact by any stretch of the imagination, yoga takes dedication and discipline, which a lot of us know we should have, but like Alec Baldwin, we may not be able to achieve, despite our best New Year’s resolutions.

“You know, I’m somebody who I think I have, like, half-wisdom,” he told Braver. “I know what I need to do. I just don’t do it! But I’m pretty certain what I need to do. I know exactly what I need to do.”

But never fear: Yoga has always been about the quest, as well as the accomplishment.

Source: cbs news

Why pull-ups are harder for women

News that many female marines in boot camp cannot complete three pull-ups might have you wondering: Why do women find the exercise so difficult?

This week, the Associated Press confirmed that the Marine Corps will delay the implementation of a new standard that would have required women to do at least three pull-ups on their yearly fitness test (the same as the requirement for men). The requirement for women was supposed to go into effect this year, but it was delayed after tests showed that 55 percent of female recruits at a South Carolina site could not complete the task.

Women find pull-ups more difficult than men do because they have less muscle mass in their upper extremities, said Tim Hewett, director of research in the department of sports medicine at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies show that women have about 40 percent less upper-body mass than men do, Hewett said.

This means that, in general, a woman’s natural upper body is only about 50 to 60 percent as strong as a man’s, Hewett said.

On the other hand, women’s lower-body strength is closer to men’s. Studies show that a woman’s lower extremities are about 80 to 90 percent as strong as a man’s, when you take into account body size, Hewett said. Women also have more endurance than men, he said.

“Women do have their [physical] advantages; it’s just the one glaring difference in performance is muscle-strength measures, especially in the upper extremities,” Hewett said.

Of course, each individual is different, and there are certainly women who can do many pull-ups.

One female Marine said that last year, she could hardly complete a single pull-up, but now, she can do eight, and is working toward her goal of 12, according to Gawker.

And last year, three female Marines became the first to complete the Corps’ infantry training, which is considered one of the toughest training courses in the U.S. military.

Source: Big News Network

10 Nondrug Remedies for Depression

Lifting depression without an Rx

Depression affects nearly 16 million Americans annually, and a large portion of those people take antidepressant drugs.

While antidepressants have been shown to help those with moderate to severe depression, they are usually less effective for those with mild depression.

If you don’t respond to antidepressants (or even if you do), you may want to explore nondrug remedies to lift your depression.

Exercise
Exercise can relieve depression, possibly by altering the mood-regulating brain chemicals norepinephrine and serotonin.

It may also release the endorphins responsible for the “runner’s high” that some experience.

P. Murali Doraiswamy, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, N.C., recommends exercising three to five times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking on a treadmill, is best, but “any degree of exercise is better than none,” he says.

Light therapy
During the short, dark days of winter, some people are prone to a type of depression called seasonal affective disorder.

One way to ease symptoms may be light therapy, in which you sit near a brightly lit box that mimics outdoor light. The therapy generally starts with daily sessions of about 15 minutes and increases to up to two hours daily. The timing depends upon the severity of symptoms and the intensity of the light, which a doctor can determine. Although the therapy doesn’t cure depression, it can ease symptoms, sometimes after only a couple days.

Mood diary
Therapy that teaches people about positive thinking can relieve depression, research suggests.

Dr. Doraiswamy recommends keeping a mood diary. “This is a tool used to train someone to keep track of positive things that are happening in their lives and not let single negative events wear them down,” he says.

A mood diary keeps negative events in perspective and serves as a reminder that good days do happen.

Dr. Doraiswamy recommends not writing in a diary daily if it feels like too much work; once-a-week entries are easier to stick with.

Acupuncture
As with many alternative therapies, there isn’t a heap of data that proves acupuncture relieves depression. But a handful of research suggests it might.

One small University of Arizona study of 33 women with depression found that 64% of participants went into remission after acupuncture, compared to 27% in the no-treatment group.

In a second study in the Journal of Affective Disorders, 70 patients with a major depressive disorder who were already taking an antidepressant seemed to show more improvement if they had acupuncture, compared to those who did not.

Support groups
Support groups used to be standard in psychiatric settings, Dr. Doraiswamy says. But, he adds, they aren’t used as frequently today, although they are an excellent way to help treat mild forms of depression.

These groups provide education on depression, a community of support, and the opportunity to learn from people dealing with similar issues.

As an alternative for those not interested in talking about depression, Dr. Doraiswamy recommends just finding a group that shares your interests, whether it’s a book club or yoga

Cognitive behavioral therapy
Dr. Doraiswamy calls cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) “sophisticated education” for people with depression.

It is based on the fact that thoughts trigger feelings. Being aware of your thoughts and learning to change destructive patterns could alter the way your brain works and your reaction to situations.

CBT is considered short-term therapy, often lasting for 10 to 20 sessions. It has been shown to be as effective as medication in treating mild to moderate depression.

Fish oil
This supplement contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, including salmon, albacore tuna, and herring.

Studies on fish oil are inconclusive, but it is thought that being deficient in this fatty acid at certain times (like during the postpartum period) can cause mood swings and depression.

In areas where consumption of foods with omega-3 is high, people tend to have lower rates of depression.

Meditation
Promising research suggests that meditation may play a role in preventing depression relapse. The research focused on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which combines traditional meditation with cognitive behavioral approaches.

In two studies, people were treated with antidepressants until their symptoms subsided. Then one group continued taking the medication while another went on a regimen of meditation therapy.

Relapse rates for people using meditation were the same as those taking antidepressants (about 30%), and lower than those on a placebo (about 70%) in one study.

The second study found that 47% of the meditation group relapsed, compared to 60% of the people on antidepressants alone.

Yoga
Striking a pose may alleviate stress and symptoms of depression. Studies have shown that in both people with emotional distress and major depression, practicing yoga reduces stress, hostility, anxiety, and depression, and improves energy, sleep quality, and well-being.

Although there aren’t too many studies on the topic, yoga may prove to be a simple, low-risk tool for improving depression.

Source: Health

 

Meditation’s Effects Similar to Pills for Anxiety, Depression, and Pain

In a review of randomized clinical trials, Johns Hopkins researchers find that meditation is effective for combatting common mental health woes.

Meditation has been used for centuries, but its benefits have been primarily anecdotal, whether it’s a Tibetan monk blocking out pain to walk across hot coals or a college student meditating to cope with the loss of a loved one.

Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have applied scientific analysis to the practice and found that mindfulness meditation programs, which promote heightened awareness, can help with common mental health problems.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, found measurable evidence of improvement in anxiety, depression, pain, and stress after eight weeks of treatment.

“For example, the effect size for the effect on depression was 0.3, which is what would be expected with the use of an anti-depressant,” the researchers said.

To come to these conclusions, researchers evaluated existing studies on meditation and rated them based on scientific standards of bias risk, precision, directness, and consistency. In the end, they analyzed 47 randomized clinical trials with a total of 3,515 participants.

Dr. Kevin Barrows, director of mindfulness programs at the University of California, San Francisco’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, said the study’s findings were “not surprising, but affirming.” He said that meditation often receives unfair criticism because studies on its effectiveness do not always meet the rigorous scientific standard of research.

“This a refutation of that,” Barrows, who was not involved in the JAMA study, told Healthline. “This is a scientifically rigorous study. It does corroborate the efficacy of mindfulness.”

What Is Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness meditation, or vipassana, involves periods of time spent becoming more aware of one’s body and surroundings. It can be as simple as counting your breaths with your eyes closed, but to get the full benefits, it takes practice.

The goal of this kind of meditation is to simply be aware of the full circumstances of being alive.

In the book Mindfulness in Plain English, the Ven. Henepola Gunaratana, a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka, writes that the goal of meditation is not to change the world around us, but to control our reaction to it.

“Vipassana is a form of mental training that will teach you to experience the world in an entirely new way. You will learn for the first time what is truly happening to you, around you, and within you,” Gunaratana wrote. “It is a process of self-discovery, a participatory investigation in which you observe your own experiences while participating in them, and as they occur.”

Mindfulness meditation has been used as a complimentary therapy for mental problems for generations, but the new empirical evidence may help the practice become more widely accepted in the mainstream health field.

Source: cbs news

 

41,838 Canadians became medical tourists in 2013

One of the unfortunate realities of Canada’s monopolistic health-care system is that some people feel they have no choice but to seek the care they need outside the country.

Faced with waits for treatment that are often months long (sometimes stretching over a year), it should come as little surprise that many Canadians ultimately choose to be medical tourists. The question of course, is how many?

While data on exactly how many patients seek treatment abroad are not readily available, it is possible to estimate this number using data from the Fraser Institute’s annual waiting list survey and from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

The Fraser Institute’s annual waiting list survey asks physicians in 12 major medical specialties what percentage of their patients received non-emergency medical treatment outside Canada in the past year. In 2013, averaged across all medical specialties, almost 1 per cent of patients in Canada were estimated to have done so, the same as in 2012.

Putting these numbers together with data on the number of procedures performed in Canada from the Canadian Institute for Health Information reveals that a conservatively estimated 41,838 Canadians received treatment outside the country in 2013.

Interestingly, this year’s estimate is a slight decrease from the 2012 estimate of 42,173. At the same time, the wait time from specialist consultation to treatment in Canada increased from 9.3 weeks in 2012 to 9.6 weeks in 2013.

Among the provinces, the estimated number of patients going outside Canada for treatment increased in Manitoba (1,636 this year vs. 1,435 last year), Ontario (19,118 vs. 15,725), and Nova Scotia (927 vs. 858). The figure was roughly the same for B.C. (8,146 vs. 8,132). On the other hand, the number fell in Alberta (5,527 vs. 6,661), Saskatchewan (714 vs. 1,380), Quebec (4,904 vs. 6,308), New Brunswick (372 vs. 997), P.E.I. (8 vs. 28), and Newfoundland (486 vs. 649).

Among the 12 medical specialties, the largest numbers of patients receiving care outside Canada were estimated for urology (6,635), general surgery (5,537), and ophthalmology (3,083). Patients were less likely to be receiving cardiovascular surgeries (114), radiation treatment for cancer (127), and chemotherapy for cancer (249) in another country.

Those numbers are not insubstantial. They point to a sizable number of Canadians whose needs and health care demands could not be satisfied in Canada. They also point to a large market of patients that might choose to remain in Canada (and in their home province) if only they had that option. One can only wonder how many more would have liked to join them, but couldn’t afford the travel on top of the privately funded care.

There are a number of possible reasons why Canadians ultimately received the care they required outside of the country. Some may have been sent abroad by the public health care system because of a lack of available resources or the fact that some procedures or equipment are not provided in their home jurisdiction. Others may have left in response to concerns about quality, seeking out more advanced health care facilities, higher tech medicine, or better outcomes. Others may have fled Canadian health care in order to avoid some of the consequences of waiting for care such as worsening of their condition, poorer outcomes following treatment, disability or death. And some may have done so simply to avoid delay and to make a quicker return to their life.

That a considerable number of Canadians travelled and paid to escape the well-known failings of the Canadian health care system speaks volumes about how well the system is working for them. It leaves open the question of just how many more Canadians might choose medical tourism outside Canada if given the opportunity.

Nadeem Esmail is director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute. Bacchus Barua is a Fraser Institute senior economist.

Source: the spec

Sales of diet sodas are going flat

After surging in popularity for decades, diet sodas are beginning to lose their fizz.

Concerns over chemicals they contain as well as doubts that they actually aid in weight loss are giving drinkers a new taste for water.

At the Mid City Gym in Manhattan, Ben Roman is closing in on his fourth mile on the treadmill. And he’s ready for a drink, but not the kind he used to crave.

“I don’t drink soda at all now. More water now,” Roman says.

“I advise people should really start drinking water, and if possible, good-quality water, filtered water.”

More than ever before, plain old H2O is muscling in on the $61 billion-a-year soda industry.

Over the past year, sales of non-diet sodas have declined 2.2 percent, while diet sodas have declined 6.8 percent.

“There has been a negative attitude about artificial sweeteners in this country that has been growing over the years. It’s not all of a sudden,” says Harry Balzer, who analyzes eating trends for the NPD Group, a global market research company.

To stop the sliding sales, the beverage industry is looking at replacing artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharine with those derived naturally from the stevia plant.

“Twenty years ago, it was all about avoiding harmful substances, avoiding calories, avoiding sugar, avoiding fat, avoiding cholesterol,” Balzer says. “This generation looks at health as, ‘What can you add to my diet? Where is the whole grains, where are the antioxidants, where is the dietary fiber?’ ”

Natural foods in general have increased in popularity. Ten years ago, diet and non-diet soft drinks were the second most popular food item. Today, they’ve fallen to fourth place, behind sandwiches, fruit and vegetables.

Back at the gym, Andre Giulino drinks a toast to that trend every day. His company is about to launch a new bottle design – for water.

Source: abc news

cancer fighting nanorobot may be able to target tumors

Could nanorobots be the next big cancer-fighting tool? Researchers from Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea have created so-called “Bacteriobot,” a genetically-modified non-toxic salmonella bacteria that delivers cancer treatments that target tumors.

The bacteria is attracted to chemicals released by cancer cells. The Bacteriobot then goes directly to the tumors and releases the medication stored inside, attacking the problem areas. Traditional cancer treatments often wreak havoc on healthy tissues and other internal organs, so any treatment that can target just the tumors while sparing other tissue is highly sought after.

“First of all, the main feature of Bacteriobot is that the robot has a sensing function to diagnose the cancer, and it’s attacking the cancer itself as it uses the bacteria’s brain while moving toward the tumor region with its flagella,” Park Jong-Oh, director of robot research initiative at Chonnam National University, told Reuters.

Nanorobots in medicine isn’t an entirely new approach. CNET reported that Duke researchers were able to create a nanorobot called a “DNA nanocage” that could hold and release a biomolecule as well.

Source: inagist

5 Natural Beauty Cheats You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.

Whiten Teeth With Activated Charcoal

It seems counter-intuitive that activated charcoal – a black substance that stains everything – would help to whiten teeth, but it really is very effective.

Simply dip a wet toothbrush in some activated charcoal and brush for two minutes before rinsing the mouth with water. The activated charcoal will pull toxins out of the teeth and remove stains.

Treat Acne & Other Skin Conditions With Banana Peels

This is a great little trick for treating acne, warts, stopping the itch from bug bites and poison ivy and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles with an ingredient you’d normally throw in the trash.

Simply rubbing the inside of a banana peel on your face helps all of the above. Banana peels are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients which are absorbed into the skin.

Reduce Wrinkles, Cellulite & Stretch Marks With Gelatin

According to Mommypotamus.com, eating gelatin increases collagen production which are the building blocks of the skin.

A diet high in gelatin helps to:

Reduce wrinkles
Reduce cellulite
Reduce stretch marks
Grow strong hair and nails
Balance hormones

Naturally Conceal Gray Hair With A Herbal Hair Rinse

Some women look to conceal their gray hair using chemical dyes and other harmful products – instead try this homemade sage and rosemary hair rinse and gradually cover gray hair naturally.

Bring one cup of water to the boil, remove from the heat and add a quarter of a cup of dried rosemary and a quarter of a cup of dried sage. Allow to steep for 30 minutes. Using a coffee filter, strain the mixture so you are left only with the infused herbal water.

To Use: Position your head over a bowl and rinse the liquid through a number of times, massaging it all through the hair.

Gradually gray hair will fade and the natural color will return. Many report seeing noticeable differences after just one month.

Use Rosehip Seed Oil

“A study at the University of Santiago in 1983 was the first significant research to reveal the incredible anti-aging properties of rosehip seed oil. 180 individuals with deep wrinkles, premature aging, UV damage, facial scarring, acne and other skin related problems were treated using rosehip seed oil. The results showed that the treatment helped to regenerate the skin, reduce scars and wrinkles and help skin to regain its natural color and tone.”

Source: Natural living ideas

Girl falls asleep 30 times a day after receiving flu vaccine

It was supposed to be a simple vaccine against swine flu, but since she had it, Chloe Glasson’s life has been like a bad dream.

Just four months after being given the Pandemrix injection, the 15-year-old schoolgirl developed the sleeping disorder narcolepsy.

Now, without warning, she falls asleep up to 30 times a day wherever she is.
Naturally, this has made her life at school challenging, as she often drops off in class. But it is also potentially dangerous.

Chloe recently went missing for two hours after going into a ‘dream-like autopilot’ state while making a short journey to her grandmother’s house. She eventually found her own way home safely, but not before her terrified family had contacted police, amid fears of what might have happened to her.

Now she is hoping a pioneering treatment will help her to establish a more normal sleeping pattern.

She is to receive the specialist drug sodium oxybate – at a cost of £13,000 a year – at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
Chloe said: ‘I am putting a lot of faith in the treatment.

‘While the tablets won’t cure me, they may offer the chance of a more normal life.’

Vaccinated with Pandemrix in November 2009 during a flu pandemic, she is one of at least 100 people estimated to have developed narcolepsy afterwards.
Studies have found a ten-fold increase in the risk of developing the disorder after the jab.

Chloe’s mother Rebecca, from Dysart, Fife, said: ‘Her life has been devastated after we followed government advice to have her immunised against the threat of swine flu.

‘She has gone from being a bright, outgoing girl to one who cannot go out on her own. She doesn’t doze for more than a couple of hours at a time, but she can have disturbing dreams.

‘We desperately hope this new treatment will help.’
The Government revealed in September that it would pay damages to some of those who developed problems after being given the Pandemrix vaccine before August 31, 2010.

Chloe’s family hope she will receive the maximum compensation of £120,000.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency dropped the vaccine from its flu campaign in 2011.

Matt O’Neill, of the charity Narcolepsy UK, said: ‘We believe that more than 100 people have developed narcolepsy because of the swine flu vaccine.’ He added that families affected would meet to discuss the issue at the charity’s conference in Birmingham this month.

GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Pandemrix, said: ‘Patient safety is our number one priority and we are researching how narcolepsy is triggered and how this vaccine might have interacted with other risk factors in affected individuals. We hope ongoing research efforts will enable us to provide more answers.’

Narcolepsy is typically caused by the loss of neurons that produce a hormone that keeps people awake.

Source: Daily mail