MAGAZINE AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

Brief Articles

Brief articles of up to 300 words are widely used by magazines and newspapers to interest a reader in a particular topic that may be dealt with in more detail elsewhere in the publication, as an informative article in its own right, or as the basis for a brief radio filler or even a telephone dial up information service.

Hundreds of brief articles on a huge range of medical topics are available from Medwords.

Examples of brief articles written by Medwords include the following:-

ECSTASY

  Ecstasy is a synthetic stimulant (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA) that comes as a tablet and has found favour in dance clubs since the mid 1990s. There is no easy or definite way in which to determine if someone is using Ecstasy unless a specific blood test is performed. From a parent’s point of view, it is almost impossible, as the symptoms of its use could also be explained by the variable moodiness of the average teenager.

  The symptoms of Ecstasy are rapid in onset and brief in duration. The rapid onset explains its popularity as the user gets a high quickly after taking the tablet. The effects are increased if used with alcohol, as this increases its rate of absorption, and this also explains the fatalities that can occur. 

  Serious adverse effects result in an irregular heartbeat that may become so serious that a heart attack and death occurs. Most users experience a period of increased perception of sounds, sights and smells that makes the world seem a more exciting place. It can also result in sexual disinhibition, hallucinations and general euphoria.

  Users may believe that a pill sold with a certain name or by a regular dealer will always contain the same ingredients. This leads to increased confidence in the safety of the drug, but the contents may vary dramatically from one batch to another leading to unforeseen effects.

  After the high has worn off the user may be moody, drowsy, have red and sore eyes, be nauseated and vomit and have poor coordination.

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

  Your gut is a very long tube lined with a wet membrane, and with bands of muscle running along and around the tube. The movement of the food from one end to the other is the result of rhythmic contractions of these muscles. Nutrients are removed from the food as it moves through the gut, and only the unabsorbable fibre and roughage remains to be passed out through the anus.

  Our modern diet tends to consist of large quantities of refined foods that have a low fibre content. As a result, when the muscles in the gut contract, they may have very little in the way of faeces to push along, and this may lead to spasms of the gut.

People with tense personalities or continuing stress, may find that their intestine is acting more rapidly than is necessary due to the over stimulation of the nervous system.

  Over a number of years, the combination of a low fibre diet, anxiety, stress and hereditary factors, may lead to the development of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

This is characterised by belly pains caused by intense spasms of the bowel muscle, alternating constipation and diarrhoea, passage of wind by mouth and anus, nausea, loss of appetite and mucus on the stools.

   An X-ray of the large gut (called a barium enema) may show the excessive spasms of the gut in some patients.

  Once diagnosed, the treatment consists of a diet high in fibre, and low in dairy products and processed foods. High fibre dietary supplements are often recommended. Regular meal and toilet habits should be established, and tobacco and alcohol intake should be restricted.

  Reassurance is very important, and as well as using anti-spasmodic drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, anti-depressants and psychotherapy may all prove useful.

  The usual course is for the syndrome to occur intermittently over many years. The continued attention by a sympathetic doctor is necessary for all sufferers, because the greater the confidence the patient has in the treatment and the doctor, the more likely the regime is to succeed.