SPA is an acronym originating during the Roman Empire, when battle-weary legionnaires found a way to recover from their military wounds and ailments. They sought out hot springs and built baths so they could heal their aching bodies; calling these places ‘aquae’ and naming the treatment there ‘Sanus Per Aquam’ (SPA) – meaning ‘health by or through water’. During this …

Both measles and German measles (rubella) are viruses. German measles is accompanied by a blotchy red rash. The patient sometimes suffers a slight cold prior to the appearance of the rash. German measles can be dangerous for pregnant women, who have no immunity for the virus. It is called German measles because it was German physicians who first described this …

Taste dialect implies that the region of birth determines the taste of a person or community. Just as in speech dialect, taste is predetermined by genetic make-up, say researchers, and the person seeks out foods of that region naturally. The research, carried out on thousands of people, proved that they favoured foods traditional to their region of birth.

Silent birth is all about providing the best possible environment for the birthing mother and her new baby. Its origins can be found in L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health and are firmly rooted in a fundamental and abiding principle that women, particularly expectant mothers, be given the utmost in care and respect. A silent birth …

Nido (Nest) therapy is focused on changing a person’s environment, not their personality. The idea that changing the environmental context can help heal mental illness is important. This includes our physical environment as well as our culture and biochemistry. Nido (Nest) therapy places a high priority on individualized plans and individual therapy for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, exercise addiction …

Munchausen by proxy syndrome (MBPS) is a relatively uncommon condition that involves the exaggeration or fabrication of illnesses or symptoms by a primary caretaker. One of the most harmful forms of child abuse, MBPS was named after Baron von Munchausen, an 18th-century German dignitary known for telling outlandish stories.

Montezuma was the Aztec emperor of Mexico from 1502 to 1520. It was during his reign that the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire took place. Referring to this incident, travellers from Europe termed the disease caused by consuming local water while visiting Mexico and other Latin American countries as Montezuma’s revenge’. The disease caused by E.coli bacterium was later …

In sports and orthopedics, a tear of a meniscus is a rupturing of one or more of the fibrocartilage strips in the knee called menisci. When doctors and patients refer to “torn cartilage” in the knee, they actually may be referring to an injury to a meniscus at the top of one of the tibiae. Menisci can be torn during …

By definition, Kosher is food prepared according to Orthodox Jewish law. Kosher rating is an internationally accepted symbol of purity and quality that is both recognised and respected throughout the world. To achieve this quality mark, a rabbi from a certified laboratory is required to inspect the processing facilities, the formula of the stabilization method, the manufacturing process and all …

Kangaroo touch is a technique used to encourage skin-to-skin contact between a newborn, usually premature baby and its mother as this touch is believed to keep it healthy. It is also encouraged between siblings. The name comes from the way kangaroos hold their young in their pouches. Kangaroo touch or care is now increasingly promoted in hospitals for the many …