Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: night terrors + night + cure  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)

BBC News How terror suspect eluded police trap Standard, Kenya - Aug 4, 2008 And last night, police said Fazul was holed up in Mombasa after dramatically eluding arrest in Malindi on Sunday. "We are sure Fazul is in Mombasa. ... Al-Qaida fugitive gives Kenyan police the slip guardian.co.uk Top al-Qaeda man now back in Kenya Standard Al-Qaida: US embassy bombs suspect evades Kenya police guardian.co.uk all 288 news articles » 'Cat killer' poisons 18 pets in Bridgwater Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - "They are afraid to let their cats out at night but unfortunately they are the kind of animals that need to get out and about. "My cat was shot with a rifle ... PETA compares bus decapitation to animal slaughters National Post, Canada - "Like human victims, animals in slaughterhouses experience terror when they are attacked by a knife-wielding assailant," says PETA's Lindsay Rajt in a news ... 'Nim's Island' comes to DVD San Jose Mercury News,  USA - Imaginatively shot, this kids-oriented tale is fun and exciting, but also tackles some heavy emotional issues (terror at the thought of being alone forever) ... The complicated legal dilemma of Fatah ?asylum-seekers? who fled Gaza American Chronicle, CA - The 188 "asylum seekers" were legally admitted into Israel from Gaza on Saturday night by the IDF, on the basis of a decision taken by the "political ... AlJazeeraEnglish all 3,222 news articles » Youth Commission: What to do about bed-wetting Needham Times,  USA - Aug 4, 2008 Nocturnal enuresis is the technical term for bed-wetting at night, which is accidental, repeated, and occurs when a child is asleep and has reached an age ... ? Walk the Line (Duerrisms for August 7th) KHQA, IL - We promise to get them out quickly so you can get caught up on all your preseason reading before opening night. Funny story, I actually had a phone message ... Washington Times WILLIAMS: Terror in Trinidad Washington Times, DC - Aug 4, 2008 Maybe these people need to spend a night or two in a police cruiser or an ambulance picking up the pieces before they jump to conclusions. ... Last Night's TV: Life and Death on the NHS, ITV1 Independent, UK - Jul 10, 2008 A couple of weeks later, at home, Nicky described how she lay awake at night, feeling it pounding in her chest. And we saw Rebecca's brain, ... NDTV.com Serial blasts rock Ahmedabad; 29 killed, several injured Hindu, India - Jul 26, 2008 Ahmedabad (PTI): Terror struck Ahmedabad when 16 coordinated serial blasts ripped through the city on Saturday night killing 29 people and injuring nearly ... 15 blasts rock Ahmedabad, 12 killed, 30 injured Hindu all 142 news articles »

What will cure my daughter's night terrors?

 In puberty (I assume your daughter is at this stage) girls produce extra oestrogens (female hormones), but both girls and boys also make more androgens (male hormones).

It is these androgens which are responsible for the skin changes of acne, in particular by stimulating the sebacious glands around the base of the hair follicles in the skin and on the scalp to make more sebum. This makes the skin and hair more greasy, the hair follicles can become blocked producing spots which can then become infected and can leave scars as they heal. Acne is seen by many as yet another a great opportunity to remind teenagers about healthy diet, hygiene and lifestyle but to be honest none of these has much effect in improving it.

I expect your daughter has already tried products she can buy from the chemist. Most contain benzoyl peroxide or a similar agent which works by reducing the excessive grease or sebum produced by the sebacious glands. They help in mild acne but if after six weeks the acne is no better your daughter needs to see her GP or a dermatologist.

The next step in treatment is to start an antibiotic to clear infection in the skin. This improves the spots and also usually reduces the chance of scarring. Most patients start off with a four to six month trial of oral antibiotic taken one to four times a day depending on the antibiotic (there are several types).

Such treatment is usually very effective and safe - if your daughter has side effects or does not respond she can try a different antibiotic. Repeated courses of antibiotics each lasting for four to six months can safely be given for several years - I usually recommend a two to four month break once or twice a year coinciding with summer as acne often improves in the sun (however she should continue to use sunscreens lotions).

More recently preparations based on vitamin A (retinoids) have been found to be effective in severe acne for example when oral antibiotics have not helped. Your daughter's GP can prescribe retinoid containing lotions, gels or creams to apply to her skin. They can cause some redness and skin peeling to start with - this settles with time. They cannot be used to treat acne covering large areas of skin and cannot be applied to broken or eczematous skin. The skin becomes extra sensitive to sunlight so excessive sun exposure and solariums should be avoided and sunblock creams used appropriately.

The combined oral contraceptive pill can also be very effective in reducing acne (but is obviously not an option for boys). The pill works by increasing the balance of oestrogen compared with androgen in the body thereby reducing the male hormone effect on the skin. It may be recommended to your daughter as a sole treatment or in combination with antibiotics.

The decision to start the pill to treat acne is not taken lightly and I am sure your daughter's GP would want to discuss its use with her and probably both of you thoroughly. The same initial health checks, contra-indications and on going monitoring would apply even though its use would primarily not be for contraception.

If all the above are no help you could ask your GP to refer your daughter to a dermatologist for an overview. Occasionally an oral form of retinoid (Isotretinoin) may be recommended. This is a toxic drug which should only be prescribed by or under the supervision of a dermatologist. It may cause dry eyes and skin, visual or mood disturbances and other side effects. Regular blood tests are done whilst on treatment to monitor liver function and the level of fats in the blood. If there are no adverse effects it is given for at least 16 weeks and repeat course are not usually required.