All Things Medical
Welcome to the January 2007 edition of All things medical.
The winter is midway already and a lot of people are looking for health information on-line. Let’s look at our carnival.
Lisa Mitchell presents Pregnancy Complications - Gestational Diabetes posted at Let’s Talk Babies.
Lisa describes some details of the well-known pathology of the disorder: “The biggest concern is that if the levels of sugar in your blood stream can’t be controlled your baby’s blood sugar will increase as well causing their pancreas to have to work extra hard while it is still developing. High blood sugar levels in your baby can result in increased production of fat causing your baby to become very large, sometimes too large to delivery vaginally.”We all know (from the textbooks or from practice) that though low birth weight is a risk factor for your baby health, too large birth weight is not good either. Since Diabetes is a common disorder, large fetus raises some concerns about the mother’s health. Check your blood sugar. And check this post.
Deb Serani presents Leave a Light On posted at Dr. Deborah Serani, saying, “This post looks at Light Therapy treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder.”
Our famous psychologist brings her insight into the time-honored treatment. Besides the description of the technique, she also provides some of her own experience. Read the post.
H.S. Ayoub presents Weak U.S. Dollar Good for Biotechs! posted at BioHealth Investor.
The reasons? Read about the reasons, money and regulations over there.
Aparna presents Sleep deprivation-Consequences posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming.
Aparna discusses the reasons why sleep is important. And I totally agree with her. Good sleep worth more than majority of drugs. Personally, I like to sleep a lot.Also, read about sleep disorders.
Lisa Mitchell presents Jaundice posted at Let’s Talk Babies.
The jaundice in newborns is a serious disorder. There are several types of jaundice. Just for you knowledge: in sever cases the jaundice may damage baby’s brain and other organs. Though Lisa is not going into much details about the grades and types of jaundice and treatments (I see a comment from Cathy: “Time, sunlight, plenty of breastmilk (or formula) and bloodwork usually work wonders”. Well not so fast. In sever cases, much more drastic measures might be required. And as a sunlight she probably means UV or blue light irradiation).Well, the conclusion is - you should check with your doctor what is going on with your baby when he/she is yellow.
Brandon Peele presents Sexuality and Identity posted at GT.
Well. Brandon writes about homosexuality. Since it is controversial topic, I would prefer to leave it to judge for yourself. He describes his own experience. It is also a topic to read if you are interested in psychology.
biotech
H.S. Ayoub presents The Biotech Industry: 30 Years of Failure posted at BioHealth Investor.
One more post from the author who describes problems in biotech industry. Why do they compete poorly (or at least not better) against Big Pharma? The reasons are multiple. If you are working in biotech, or trading stocks, read the post.Though just in another post the author wrote that weak dollar is good for biotech. So, hm-m, is it good time or bad time for biotech? Read and decide yourself.
diagnosis
Hal Sommerschield, Ph.D. presents North Star Mental Fitness Blog: Welcoming Depression posted at North Star Mental Fitness Blog.
Dr. Hal shares his thought about depression. He writes: ” When people are full and taking good care of themselves, signals of emptiness including depression will not be present. Signals of emptiness will come and go as people are empty or full. Recurring signals of moderate depression are normal”Hm-m. I do not know. A diagnosis of depression includes some strict criteria - what exactly the symptoms are and how long do they last. Just a depressed mood for a day is not a depression disorder yet (in strict medical terms). I am not so sure what is moderate depression and why it is so beneficial. Probably it is better you look over the post and read some psychiatry textbook, to understand what the authors propose. Read about emptiness too.
Purple_Kangaroo presents Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment posted at Purple Puzzle Place, saying, “Are allergies underdiagnosed and inadequately treated? In this post, Purple_Kangaroo examines issues that complicate allergy diagnosis and treatment.”
Author writes; “Until that happens, atopic patients will be at a significantly higher risk of illness or death–not because of the allergies themselves, but because of the potentially deadly level of ignorance in those trusted to treat them.”I did my PhD in Allergy and Immunology, plus I saw some real allergic reactions in clinics, even anaphylactic shock (when let’s say a patient gets the shock in the beginning of surgical operation due to latex allergy). So, some topics the author brings are not in agreement with my own knowledge and experience. I would not say the allergies are ignored. Anyway, read the post and the topics the author describes.
diagnostics
Vahid Chaychi presents Diagnosing the Stages of Mesothelioma posted at Healthoma.com.
Vahid provides some detailed view on the disease stages. The disease is relatively rare, but is very profitable for lawyers. There are several types of asbestos minerals and only some of them were connected to the disease. Yet the disease is very popularized, since brining a case to the court is an easy win (and money) for a lawyer. Still, it is a worth to read about this terrible disease.
disease
David presents Using an Entrepreneurial Spirit to Find a Cure for Deadly Diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s posted at Worldwide Success.
He writes: “Now, take this entrepreneurial spirit and blend it with the following scenario: You are suddenly diagnosed with a deadly disease for which there is no cure, and you only have a few years left to live. Instead of using all you entrepreneurial drive to build a profitable business, you now have to use the same skills to desperately try to find a cure for this deadly disease while you are still alive. “Well, take the entrepreneurial spirit and read the post. ALS is one of the inherited nervous system disorders with unclear cause and unsuccessful treatment. Let’s get scientists to figure it out.
health
Sarakastic presents Dealing with People during the Holidays posted at Fibromyalgia Experiment, saying, “How I deal with the holidays when I’m sick”
Author provides some personal tips of dealing with fibromyalgia.She writes:” It all comes from love. People are asking me to do things because they enjoy my company. They are not out to get me. As long as I take care of myself, I can reciprocate that caring in my own way.”
So, everything is about love apparently.
Bev presents Second opinions in breast cancer posted at Bev’s Divine Angels, saying, “More than 200,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society, and 40,000 will die of it. Globally, 500,000 women die every year from breast cancer.”
That was the report about US study that looks at second opinions in breast cancer.
Vahid Chaychi presents What Is the Secret of Health Village, Stocarreddo? posted at Healthoma.com.
This post is about cholesterol and genetics. By the way read something about genetics here.
Vahid Chaychi presents If They Become Less Greedy, We Will Have Healthier Society posted at Healthoma.com.
Vahid (So many posts form Vahid!) again discusses what, in his opinion, should be done to get a healthier society. He mixes viagra and prostate cancer (though I am not sure if there is any connection in reality). As I know from medical literature, yes - around one in ten men will get prostate cancer. Yet, majority of them are elderly males around 60-70 and beyond and the progression of the cancer is slow compare to the cancers of other organs (let’s say lungs), so mortality is not so high. And something about the topic that everything is done in sake of money - well, that’s not a big news (though probably still a worth to discuss). Well, read this post too.
Madeleine Begun Kane presents De-Stress Or Distress? posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.
This time there are tips about depression instead of regular poetry (see previous carnival editions).
Laura Young presents The Path is Made by Walking: Insight is Optional posted at Dragon Slayer, saying, “This post focuses on mental health and the pros and cons of insight-oriented therapy following an interesting article on the subject in the New York Times. If our ability to predict the future as well as our memories of the past are both flawed, why the dogged pursuit of insight and understanding?”
Laura writes: “The same thing happens in relationships. When you’ve been in a relationship for a long time it is easy to believe you know what your partner will say once they start a sentence and sometimes even before. You see a twitch of the eyebrow and you say, “I know what you are thinking.” It’s a brain thing. We all do it. We do it when we imagine the course of conversations or arguments we are anticipating having and we do it when we look back and try to understand how life got to be the way it is for us. “The post is long and itnersting if you like to read about psychology fo relationships.
Vahid Chaychi presents Champix Quit Smoking Pills Work Differently posted at Healthoma.com.
This post is about new pill fighting tobacco addiction. Interesting that the pill is nicotine-free (according to Vahid)
Jon Swift presents John Derbyshire’s Wonderful Life posted at Jon Swift, saying, “When we think of the neediest this Christmas, let’s think of John Derbyshire.”
The post is about Health Insurance, increasing premiums, frustrations and people reaction. Since you also have to deal with insurance, read what Jon says.
baiguai presents Are Wrist and Ankle Weights Harmful? posted at Kung Fu Artistry.
Master describes the tips on dealing with the weights. He urges to take it with caution, but still thinks the weights are safe to use.
Justin Lowery presents The Secret Behind Carbohydrates Part One posted at blog4brains.com, saying, “I would love to address the nutrition behind the health. Without good nutrition, there is not a good foundation for preventing the onset of illness or for the healing of what was received.”
Author suggests that the food should be as natural as possible. He means that the food should be raw mostly. Good suggestions, though lacking details to prove. Yet, using fibers in your diet, as was shown in multiple studies, significantly benefit your health.
Vahid Chaychi presents The Smaller Belly, The Healthier Heart posted at Healthoma.com.
The post is about preference in using sagittal abdominal diameter instead of BMI as an indicator of risk of heart diseases.
NNAMDI presents Healthy Diets Lose Weight, Live Longer and Avoid Disease posted at ENJOY LIFE.
Similar to the previous topic from Vahid, Sacha discusses weight loss and health correlations, and provides tips about diet. Sacha focuses on the Mediterranean diet (sort of recent hot topic).
Scott Lee presents My Results With Spring Forest QiGong - A Key to Better Health posted at Dirty Mechanism.
Scott discusses chi energy and makes some hypothesis about how chi works. Though interesting, but still just a speculation.
Steve Rudolf presents WorkDish - Addiction Medicine Physician posted at WorkDish, saying, “WorkDish is a user-created job submission site. Here is a great posting sent in by an Addiction Medicine Physician describing his work.” Well, He is a Family Doctor (as he describes himself), specializing in Addiction Medicine. Since addictions become widespread nowadays, you’d better read something about the dangers of addictions. Something about how young men die from heart attack because of cocaine addiction.
Also I remember long ago I read a study report:
A group of monkeys was provided with some narcotics ad lib (they got whatever they wanted). You now, monkeys have strict hierarchical families. Alpha male, beta male, gamma male and so on. The finding was that many monkeys do medicate themselves with the drugs. But never alpha males. They just don’t need to.
So, conclusion is: it is better to be alpha-male, than to use drugs.
Caroline Latham presents Do I really need a brain fitness program? posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, “This article explains what brain fitness is and why you need to stay cognitively active throughout your life.”
As it says.
Caroline Latham presents How do I start a brain fitness program? posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, “This post is a follow up to my other submission. Once you’ve committed to your brain’s health, here are some tips to help you get started.”
More tips from Caroline about how actually to train your brain.
Sean J. Vaughan (on behalf of the author Dan Barker) presents Reason and Rhyme: Must We Grow Old? posted at Reason and Rhyme.
This post is about aging and longevity. Since I was also interesting in rejuvenation therapies, it was interesting for me to read.
Medicine
Wenchypoo presents Book Review: Medicare Meets Mephistopheles posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.
The post discusses the book about Medicare. Medicare becomes a hot topic, since so many baby boomers are aging. Take a look.
H.S. Ayoub presents Indian Generic Drug Maker Targets Sad Americans posted at BioHealth Investor.
Do you know why are drugs so expensive in USA and so cheap in India?
Ayoub writes: “His savvy public outcries for cheaper medicine for the poor and his constant condemnation of the richer pharmaceuticals and their nations have garnered him a sort of cult following in India and surrounding poor nations.”
So read about modern pirates or heroes (depending form which side you look). I think it is probably philosophical question. From one hand, yeah the drugs are too pricy now, and it is good for poor people to get them almost free. From the other hand, if you do not collect money for new drugs’ development, do not build labs and support scientists in the quest for new medications, and just steal rights for somebodies’ discoveries and scientific work, then how will you develop the new types of treatment? Scientific work is lengthy, often blind and not giving an immediate result. Somebody should pay for that. Else we all stick in medieval age. Decide for yourself on which side you are.
Also refresh knowledge about drug development
Chris Drudge presents Teh Gross: Pork farms posted at Drugs and Poisons.
Chris discusses problems with antibiotics abuse at pig farms. He is also concerned with the selections of antibiotics-resistant bacteria.
symptoms
Gerard McGarry presents Snip Snip: After The Vasectomy posted at The Levee Breaks.
Gerard describes his own experience during the procedure.
Sylvia White presents Measles, Infectious Childrens Ailments posted at Healthoma.com - Cancer and Health Related Discussions.
treatment
S Lakhan presents Antipsychotic drug development off course? posted at GNIF Brain Blogger.
This post is about problems with new drug development.
Vahid Chaychi presents Ease the Pain of Ear-Ache posted at Healthoma.com.
Well, the tips he provides are really a little bit worrisome. I am really not sure if the home remedies he described suit any ear pain. You may even make things much worse, depending on what caused your ear pain. It is still better to see a doctor. Also check quiz.
Sandra Porter presents Antibiotic resistance: How do antibiotics kill bacteria? posted at Discovering Biology in a Digital World, saying, “This is part of a series that I’m writing on antibiotics, what they do, and how bacteria become resistant.”
This is very good post about the mechanisms of the drug’s work. Useful to anybody to familiarize with the topic without going into many scientific and medical details.
Violeta presents Area 25: a life beyond depression posted at All Tips and Tricks.
The post is about some brain surgery, using stimulant pacemaker. I remember, long ago there were studies in rats with brain electrodes activating the pleasure area. Those rats became sort of addicts, pushing the levers without sleep, drink or food, just to get the thrill. So, now, humans are in line.
Melia presents Allergies - Antihistamines And How They Work posted at A Guide To Allergies.
NNAMDI presents Acne Pimples Treatment Medicine Articles » Blog Archive » How Do You Get Rid of Back Acne posted at Acne Pimples Treatment Medicine Articles.
Wasn’t able to check this post because of problems with their server.
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