MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with '1000'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:16:44 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182229&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fcalculated-risk.html They clamber up the apple tree, my four and six year olds, all the way to the top where the ripe apples drip like ruby gems from the bowed branches. I catch glimpses of faces through foliage and try to avoid sounding too nervous as I ask them to come down a bit lower in the tree. Rosy is the monkey, clinging and swinging, branch to branch and apples rain down in her wake.Finally the feed bucket is full - half green and half ripe apples for a corral full of horses eager for a bite. The kids get braver, holding hands flat to offer apples to the hungry mouths, only to be grossed out by horse spit on their fingers. And she, the quiet beauty I held moments after birth, 16 now and silent. She knows the sorrow in my soul but instead of talking about it, we dance through the dreamy moments of peac... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182229 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:18:00 +0100 5182229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051110&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fgift-delivered.html My aunt Rosalie had a pink conch shell from Mexico that I always picked up first thing upon arrival, listening to the distant sounds of the sea I had never seen. At ten, I finally saw the ocean for the first time, at Haystack Rock on the Oregon coast. It was love at first sight. There I found sand dollars, starfish, and the bracken of broken shells of all sorts, bewitched by their pinks, oranges, and textures. At that beach I prayed to find a conch shell.The only problem is, conch are local as far north as some parts of southern Florida, but are mostly found in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Tobago, and Trinidad being the top 3 places where you can still eat conch and find their shells in shallow ocean water. Every time I visited the ocean - any ocean - I prayed to find a conch shell. I ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051110 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:13:00 +0100 5051110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953292&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fday-set-aside-for-thankfulness.html For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. (Hebrews 4:15, 5:1-4)I am thankful to call Christ my High Priest. Thankful that I am free, under His grace, to attend church wherever I feel called. I am thankful to have a new pastor who deals g... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953292 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:40:00 +0100 4953292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902647&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fmy-pregnant-cat-my-object-lesson.html Lessons from a cat. Who knew? I know they're good for cuddling, they love to drink my half and half up at an unreasonable rate, and their claws hurt. We have two outdoor cats: Tom Cat (gender obvious, thanks to the 4 and 3 year olds who named him after Tom Kitten in the Beatrix Potter books); and Tiggy, a very small, tame cat who is currently carrying a LOT of kicking kittens in her belly.What am I learning from my pregnant cat, you ask?First, she is teaching me about seasons. In cat language, I would change Ecclesiastes 3 to "a time to bounce and a time lie around". This pregnant cat, usually almost kitten-like in her bouncy demeanor, has laid in the same spot, changing position frequently for the last week. She literally only gets up to eat, even that she does with a grunt and a large ph... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902647 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:32:00 +0100 4902647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883849&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fthings-i-never-noticed_30.html Our "burning bush" - she is first to open her leaves to the sun, and the sun echoes back in astounding beauty.Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by,And that has made a... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883849 Mon, 30 May 2011 09:36:00 +0100 4883849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803449&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Foverflowing-grace.html I just found a plank in my eye. (I'm sure it won't be the last.) At this moment in my journey with both my faith and severe depression, I have more trust in the clearly definable, like a palette of acrylics. Colors, amounts, which way the peaks pointed...I am having a hard time trusting the indefinable, the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God (I Tim. 1:17).Don't let panic get you down,How could we forget God's amazing loveHear my tearsthis is whereyou'll shake the nightmares free~Jon Foreman~I've lived a long time believing that there would be some account or consequence for how well you lived Christ - bad decisions, bad consequences; good decisions, good consequences. The problem is that Jesus turned that whole paradigm upside down with His saving blood. In Romans 2, Paul writ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803449 Mon, 09 May 2011 13:43:00 +0100 4803449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747838&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fcross-amidst-crisis.html Making choices about memory, being mindful about your thoughts. This is a new practice for me, and I wear it like a new outfit, fidgety and not sure how it looks on me. I watched the Passion of the Christ on Holy Saturday, and I was reminded, as Satan floated in and out Jesus' view, always with a half-smile on the face and the temptation to the easy route out, that in this way, also, I must follow my King. See Satan. But let Satan have no place in my thoughts. Flashbacks come, like Satan, flitting through the background of real life. But that's what they are, just flashbacks, just bad memories. The reality is that I am hidden in Christ, and I must see Satan flitting with His eyes, the eyes that looked calmly yet with dread toward His own day of suffering.I spend a week with friends and see... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747838 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:59:00 +0100 4747838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670311&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Funexpected-gifts.html Last April, I could barely recognize my feet. Swollen beyond swollen, my toes swallowed up. You could almost squeeze water out of them, it seemed, if you tried hard enough, like Micky Mouse trying to squeeze water from his cheese.A year later and a pacemaker working overtime to keep my heart beating properly, and there they are again, the feet I didn't know I had anymore. The feet I had when I was 14, before my heart started those funky beats and my blood pressure dropped. Although the rest of me has (regrettably) stayed the same size, what a relief to find my ankles and toes again!A little like vine-ripened tomatoes in Mama's perfectly circular green bowl on the faded white table in the end of winter. A blessing in the dry season, an oasis in the desert of health, a discovery of wonder in... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670311 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:37:00 +0100 4670311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642930&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Ffor-this-i-praise-you-god.html Simply counting today, excerpted from #240-281 in my gratitude journal:241. Being a "tax collector" doesn't change how God sees me or treats me242. He would eat with me243. He seeks the single lost sheep from the 100 as the loving Shepherd245. Thunder snow248. Love > fear253. Sweet times with teens254. Arthritis is gone255. I am NEVER voiceless259. Pretty shirt and jeans263. Amaryllis blooming scarlet red from beyond the grave of my Grandma gone last summer268. Relief270. Rosy's 6 year old vibratto275. A husband who humbles himself to save people278. Dissertation proposal PASSING!!!! He whispers from behind, "This is the way, walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21)280. Telling the truth to my kids (Source: Turquoise Gates) Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642930 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:49:00 +0100 4642930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592645&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Ftrain-date-with-cousins.html ("diddle diddle dumpling, my son John,one shoe off, and one shoe on...")Excerpted from my gratitude journal this busy Monday morning, #200-239:#207 Mohawks are back - reminding me of brothers#210 Lies being dismantled#211 Katy reading devotions with my parents#213 Frost turning trees into diamonds#216 Baby brothers#220 More questions than answers means life is never boring#221 The blackness of an almost frozen creek#224 Fear of death makes every moment ALIVE sweeter#230 Dissertation proposal PASSING!#231 Reading the Gospels for Lent#237 The largeness of my suffering reveals the awesome provision of a powerful God (Source: Turquoise Gates) Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592645 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:14:00 +0100 4592645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560525&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fawakening-to-love.html Long ago, something happened to me that I haven't talked about much since. I suffered child sexual abuse, like 3 out of every 5 American women, and 2 of every 5 men. Ill equipped at seven to understand the depth of the injury to my heart, I was a quick forgiver and a stuffer. I just took a stick and rammed all that ugliness, fear, pain, confusion, and desolation deep down, hiding it down in the dark depths of my soul. For a long time, no one broke through that shell. Again in college, someone took the knife of their own evil and pierced me through again. I was kidnapped and raped and - perhaps worse - participated in the prosecution of these men, undergoing a grueling 19 hour interrogation on the stand, forced to repeat details of the events in front of my parents and strangers. I was... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560525 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:46:00 +0100 4560525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532511&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fflames-in-city.html The waning sun gets caught in the framework of skyscrapersa sun dog shoots straight up from the basilicabuildings are lit aflame by the sunsetand we dress up and go out for dinner, just the two of us,and love burns fresh and new with promise of even better years to come..........Gratitude journal, numbers 116-187:123. God's vigilant pursuit127. Grace = "one-way love"130. Driving with the window down139. A break coming soon144. Tapping trees146. "if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many." Ecclesiastes 11:8148. Holding Uriah Fugate150. Garden planning in a blizzard157. Sweet southern drawl on the telephone159. Best friends to whom distance matters not a whit162. Laughing hysterically because Caleb doesn't understand s... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532511 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:33:00 +0100 4532511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507547&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fpowder-day.html The "powder days" of my memory include mountains.Or at least really big hills.Now it's four kids, two snowboards, and a slight incline.Caleb goes flying in the first 10 feet, his weight on his 3rd birthdaynot nearly enough to keep him atop a snowboard in 18" of fresh snow.The older kids are starting to get it.Rosy, in particular, has an excellent sense of balance.45 feet downhill, she's still riding, even sans bindings.Amy gets frustrated, but she's bound and determined.Really, they could all care less, as long as I'm out there with them.Almost 32. Right femur aching. Can't resist the fresh fallen snow, anyway.Here's to "powder days" of all kinds...and the joy of growing older, and life changing...and joy remaining! (Source: Turquoise Gates) Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507547 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 03:35:00 +0100 4507547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501766&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fwhat-i-learned-at-my-old-church-lessons.html We left our church in October and set out on a journey to find a church we felt called to, Aaron and I. It wasn't easy to leave our church, especially our dear friends who were our first and deepest relationships in the Eau Claire area when we moved back in 2004. Even before we were married, I started traveling on short term medical missions led by the senior pastor, and have memories of some of the most intense periods of spiritual growth in my early adulthood during those trips to El Salvador and Honduras.It has been hard to know what to say or how to say it, here to friends and strangers, and to those in the community who've asked questions about what caused us to leave. I am finally at a point where I can say it "out loud" - "yes, we left our church. We're at a different church now". M... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501766 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 10:45:00 +0100 4501766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4478025&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Freal-life-fairy-tale-endings.html ...make your ear attentive to wisdomand incline your heart to understanding;yes, if you call out for insightand raise your voice for understanding,if you seek it like silverand search for it as for hidden treasures,then you will understand the fear of the Lordand find the knowledge of God.~Proverbs 2:2-5~I remember the halcyon days of honeymoon, when joy was like the warm September sun, everywhere, and you didn't have to go hunting for it.Through child-rearing, and cancer, and brain infections, and long periods of separation, you have to look harder to find the shared joy.But it is still there, in the moments when you sneak up on your spouse and find him loving on one of the kids, unbidden. Teaching them to find joy in the simple things.It's there when you catch him caring deeply for the w... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4478025 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:12:00 +0100 4478025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4470519&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fdifferent-kinds-of-music.html Wordsthey are my fingers on a face~Frame the Clouds, Christa Wells~My father plays his music on guitar.My mother dances her, sings her, shakes it out with her tambourine.My baby brother sings in a husky tenor unabashed.And my Father in heaven?Sometimes His music is in the golden yellow - my favorite color -of a muted photo.Today it was a symphony of suffering.Amy has been having seizures, because she has a fever and head cold.I slipped and fell and may have a hairline fracture on my femur - the big bone in my thigh -(whatever it is, I can't bear weight on it and it hurts like, well, you know...)Off to bed.Hoping for a sweeter serenade tomorrow. (Source: Turquoise Gates) Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4470519 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:58:00 +0100 4470519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460148&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fthing-of-beauty-is-joy-forever.html We talk on the phone for hours, usually, and this time just 15 minutes. But this dear, far-away friend passed on the name of a little book - 31 Days of Praise - that is reshaping my winter. It does for your soul what the wheel blocks in the car wash do for your car: locks you into place, a certain trajectory, so that you can be scrubbed clean again. Praise is the scrub brush.For rashy pink cheeks in afternoon sun, for a boy still sleeping after I sneak my arm out from under his blond head, I praise you.For cousin's hands aching for his own baby, filled for the moment with a new nephew. For the soft texture of a baby's sweater and the glow of Christmas trees still lit in late January, I praise you.For yellow frosting and the small motor skills to frost cookies, I praise you.For buns in litt... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460148 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:38:00 +0100 4460148 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445985&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Falternative-to-affectation-and.html My friend calls it a fingernail moon, the last lingering slip of crescent as we fade into the new moon. It sets somber white against the cobalt twilight in midwinter. Edging into the long cold night one beautiful moment at a time.The white bleeds blurred brightness onto film as the stars peek through the velvet and the yellow sunlight whispers secrets to the hilltops picketed with naked trees. Ragged horizon like the frayed yarn of a favorite scarf, worn by the harshness of winter and the fingering blaze of the sun as she winks goodbye to our side of the world each afternoon and begins her ascent into the heavens of someone else's morning.I look at the world of color, and it's a warm moon and twilight is a blanket I can wrap my shoulders in, a tangible testimony of Creator God. It is close... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445985 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:20:00 +0100 4445985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419379&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Ftrading-in-my-cardboard-crown.html We listen to Grace Potter for a whole month straight, and I dream of cutting the foot pedals off one of my organs and building a revolving amp like the Leslie she had custom-made. (One of the major perks of being a famous musician has got to be the custom-made instruments. What a dream come true!)We fire up the organ once a day and Caleb is always first in line. I'm not sure if it's the many buttons and slides he can manipulate to his little engineering brain's content, or the thunder of the bass pipes rattling the wall in front of him. Either way, I guarantee this kid is going to have a love of organs for the rest of his life.I look down at the walnut furl of the organ leg descending out of the cabinet, and I think about how Amy told me once that photography is the gift of seeing beauty i... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419379 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:54:00 +0100 4419379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4389317&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Flife-in-color.html You don’t have to ask me whyBecause I know you understandAll the treasures of my lifeAre right here in my handSuspended in a moment No more breath to catchIf you hold on to your endMaybe we can make this lastThis is the greatest time of dayWhen all the clocks are spinning backwardsAnd all the ropes that bind begin to frayAnd all the black and white turns into colorsI don’t want to build a wallOr draw a line across the sandBecause there’s room for one and allAnd this land is our landOh I hope this can go on and on and onBefore the skipping stone hits the surface of the pondOh I know that life is never very longOne second, then one minute, and then its goneYou want to sink into the colors on the wallBut all the while you are the brightest of them allThis is the greatest time of da... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4389317 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:03:00 +0100 4389317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382928&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fwhat-am-i-going-to-call-this-disaster.html I am drinking out of my husband's cup this morning because I miss him. Al's Breakfast. I miss that, too.If I'd never known the joy of him, I wouldn't miss him. If it weren't for the clouds, would I ever notice the sun?I nearly dropped my book last night when I read these words, the words that echo straight from my soul and describe my paralysis as God's saint and matron of my household:I think I can brave this Beauty? Not an empty, tinny beauty but a Fierce Beauty, Flaming Fire who burns through the thick masks and leaves the soul disrobed. I am naked and ashamed. I know how monstrously inhumane I can be. Raging at children for minor wrongdoings while I'm the one defiling the moment with sinful anger. Hoarding possessions while others die of starvation. Entertaining the mind with trivial p... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382928 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:12:00 +0100 4382928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4355845&cid=t_442074_132_f&fid=35024&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBlindscientist%2F%7E3%2FlpUl5_FYuYs%2F $1,000 reward offered for stolen cancer research laptop: Medical researchers in Oklahoma are offering a no-questions-asked $1,000 reward for the return of a stolen laptop that contains years of research on prostate cancer. Sook Shin lost the 13-inch white MacBook last Sunday after thieves smashed the window of the car she shares with husband, Ralf Jankecht, and made off with the laptop. Data on the machine was not backed up. So, you never backup your data or have an extra copy, and, at the same time, value “years” of research just one thousand dollars. Pathetic. (Source: Blind.Scientist) Blind.Scientist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4355845 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:03:59 +0100 4355845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233372&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fvery-merry.html Did you ever hear of something so glorious as a parade in winter? At night?Streets lit...Boys throwing flames...Hands stretched out for candy...And then the very next day you get to go cut down your Christmas tree in the forest?Oh, the incomparable joy!(Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28)Linked to Ann's gratitude campaign: (Source: Turquoise Gates) Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233372 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:00:00 +0100 4233372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190444&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fgiving-full-vent.html I never had a temper until I had children. At least, so I thought.Katrina at 9 monthsBesides occasionally getting frustrated in heavy traffic and bemoaning my singleness to a God who seemed callous to my fate, I rarely experienced anger. I thought of myself as a "peacemaker", and "even tempered" would have been part of my self-description.Then - despite proclamations from multiple physicians regarding my eternal infertility - God gave me four children in four years. And before I was even half done bearing them, I found out I had a temper.A bad one.Yelling was part of my daily coping. Doors were slammed and laundry flung here and there, and sometimes I even dressed my kids roughly instead of tenderly. I remember pulling my fingers deep into fists so tight my chewed-short nails left imp... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190444 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:49:00 +0100 4190444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4167964&cid=t_442074_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2Fpy1tZsn3gr4%2F Life in the Fast lane has just reached 1,000 'likes' on it's Facebook Page and to celebrate this momentous occasion we thought we would share some of the statistical analysis with you, the reader... (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4167964 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:48:52 +0100 4167964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077535&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fletting-go-and-letting-god.html We weren’t originally designed to keep everything in play all the time. Something got broken in us when we left the Garden of Eden. We stopped trusting that God was good and that we were the apple of His eye. We have this suspicious feeling about letting go and letting God take us through the natural course of things.  ~ from (in)Courage, posted by Bonnie GraySometimes God fills your hands so full, you are forced to realize you cannot juggle everything yourself.  Grief fills up your heart until it finally overflows and you cry embarrassing tears in front of people you would never cry with normally (like, say, your doctor).  And then the cup you thought was full of tears is miraculously overflowing with joy, and the laughter leaps out of you even though your sister-in-law i... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077535 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:37:00 +0100 4077535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4055922&cid=t_442074_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Falways-goodor-never-good.html We know from all his writings that Paul trusted not only that God is sovereign, but also that his character is faithful and good (1 Thessalonians 5:24). It's critical for Christians to believe this, too. Why? Because without these additional attributes, we could view an absolutely sovereign God as a potential big bully. If I can't trust that God is always good and faithful, then God goes on trial with each particular circumstance of my life. I become the doubter who's like the waves of the sea, always being tossed about (James 1:6).Of course, it's easy to say I'm confident that God's faithful when I've escaped a negative situation, but is he still faithful when the friend I've lifted up in prayer for more than 30 years has never returned to faith in Jesus? Or when I was diagnosed with brea... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4055922 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:00:00 +0100 4055922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644932&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2010%2F06%2F08%2Fpersonalized-genomics-news-from-virtuality-to-the-streets%2F DNA As Crystal Ball: Buyer Beware (Newsweek): A genome-wide association study identified a new gene variant associated with Alzheimer’s disease but it turned out clinically it’s not useful. “Adding these genes to traditional risk factors, such as age and sex, does nothing to aid prediction” of whether someone will develop Alzheimer’s, she told me. “Knowing your genetic status will not help. We may still be in the Stone Age when it comes to gene-based prediction.” Breaking: Congress to Investigate DTC Genetic Testing (Genomics Law Report): A really detailed and interesting review. The United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce today launched an investigation into direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, sending letters to three promine... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644932 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:43:26 +0100 3644932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3508149&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fphoto-of-the-day-1000-year-old-cherry-blossom-tree-in-japan%2F The Usuzumi Sakura cherry tree in Motosu city, Japan is said to be over 1,000 years old, planted in 487. The tree is appointed as the National Natural Monument of Japan, and visitors travel to see it blossoming each Spring. Photo: Google Earth Post from: BlissTree Photo of the Day: 1000-Year Old Cherry Blossom Tree in Japan (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3508149 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:33:40 +0100 3508149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3463547&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fone-really-cool-thing-1000-awesome-things%2F One cool thing we like, from Blisstree to you: Awesome Thing #537: Wearing Your Favorite Pair of Underwear and Nobody Knows It 1000 Awesome Things Some say it’s the small things that count. And when you do count, there are a lot of them. Neil Pasricha’s blog, 1000 Awesome Things, helps us remember to appreciate little joys in life, like finally peeing after holding it forever (#529), getting a trucker to blow their horn (#922), and when the baby’s diaper isn’t as bad as you were expecting (#730). His picks are hilarious, and they’ll be available in print later this month in The Book of Awesome. We look forward to reading it out loud to our friends at lunch, because as he points out, making someone laugh when they’ve got a really full mouth is pretty awes... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3463547 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:32:56 +0100 3463547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2035831&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F12%2F14%2Fgene-genie-41-carnivalome%2F Gene Genie is the blog carnival of clinical genetics and personalized medicine. I’ve received more than 25 submissions for this edition which is dedicated to the human genome and videos in clinical genetics. Many thanks to Ricardo Vidal for the logo! The molecular level: Daniel MacArthur at Genetic Future wrote about Genetics of gene expression in African-Americans: ominous news for personal genomics? Alex Palazzo at The Daily Transcript analyzed 100 years of genetic research. Greg Laden’s submission was The Scientific, Political, Social, and Pedagogical Context for the claim that “Race does not exist.” Larry Moran at Sandwalk talked about Genes and Straw Men The clinical level: Chavonne Jones at Human Genetics Disorders shared Muscular Dystrophy Gene Therapy Vide... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2035831 Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:06:04 +0100 2035831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947013&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2Fassisted-suicide-wind-in-their-sails.html After Washington voters passed I-1000 legalizing Oregon-style assisted suicide, First Things asked me to weigh in with some analysis. I look at the matter from two angles. The first is political. I noted that the assisted suicide movement had been essentially moribund since the passage of Oregon's Measure 16 in 1994, and that advocates had adopted an "Oregon plus one" strategy to restore their momentum, which finally succeeded last Tuesday. From my column: And with that success, the sails of the ghost ship Euthanasia rippled with the briskly rising breeze, and once again began to plow through the waves toward other shores, far and near. Soon, legislation will be introduced to legalize assisted suicide in state throughout the country--California, Vermont, Arizona, Wisconsin, Hawaii, perhaps... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947013 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:15:00 +0100 1947013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1938874&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2Fresistance-begins-declaring-non.html One of the most important services that medical professionals can offer to the people they serve, I think, is to declare their offices and facilities to be "assisted suicide free zones." Indeed, I hope that medical organizations create plaques and certificates to that doctors and health care facilities can mount on office walls.Some hospitals are already on this bandwagon, declaring that assisted suicides will not be permitted on premises: From the story: While Washington voters made it legal for doctors to help terminally ill residents end their lives, opponents of the assisted suicide measure indicated Wednesday they will continue to resist the practice...Eastern Washington's largest hospital system, Providence Health and Services, will forbid physicians from helping patients die at its ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1938874 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:13:00 +0100 1938874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1933011&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2Fdire-straights-assisted-suicide-passes.html The culture of death once again has the wind in its sails after being moribund, at least as to assisted suicide, since 1994. There are many reasons for the loss having to do with the overwhelming financial backing from all around the world in favor of assisted suicide, to a popular former governor as spokesperson, an in-the-tank media that were full cheerleaders for the pro side, to a local campaign in opposition that was, to put it politely, very disappointing in its vision, imagination,and execution.But none of that matters now. Here's what we face: There are very powerful people of the George Soros stripe, with a great deal of money, who are committed to pushing this agenda throughout the nation. And you have determined activists leading the charge, people like Barbara Coombs Lee and Ka... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933011 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:30:00 +0100 1933011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1927760&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2Fculture-of-death-imperialism-washington.html Washington citizens didn't clamor for assisted suicide in their state. They were minding their own business when it was brought to them by the international euthanasia movement, aided and abetted by their super rich former governor, Booth Gardner. Joel Connelly has some of the dollars spent, that literally came from all around the world, targeting his state for the culture of death. From his column,"Assisted Suicide Wins Sheer Gall Award:" Out-of state-donors have given life to the campaign for assisted suicide.Judy Sebba, an educator at the University of Suffix in England, gave $253,555. Loren Parks, a Nevada businessman, put in $250,000. Compassion in Choices, based in Denver, has given $185,000. Oregon Death with Dignity put in $100,000. A Compassion & Choices political action commi... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1927760 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:15:00 +0100 1927760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1926425&cid=t_442074_135_f&fid=35262&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsurvivinghiv.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fblog-post_01.html (Source: Nelson Vergel's HIV Blog) Nelson Vergel's HIV Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1926425 Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:03:00 +0100 1926425 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1886255&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fout-of-state-and-ideologues-pushing.html The International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide has studied the millions flowing into WA to legalize assisted suicide. Most of the bounty is from out of state euthanasia groups or rich ideologues like former Governor Booth Gardner. From the report: As of 10/10/08, the "Yes on 1000" committee reported receipts of $3,274,877. This is the fourth highest all time record for money raised in support of any initiative campaign in Washington State. Of that amount, assisted-suicide advocacy groups and spokesperson, former Governor Booth Gardner, his family and his "Legacy Committee" have given cash donations of $2,032,164. That is more than double the total receipts of $874,646 reported over the same time period by the "Coalition against Assisted Suicide." ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1886255 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:43:00 +0100 1886255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1865397&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fpro-i-1000-blog-captures-abandoning.html I cannot respond to every blog entry or story about assisted suicide that is filled with deplorable sentiments or outright lies, not to mention anti-religious bigotry. They are just too ubiquitous!But this one requires comment because it applies the "V-word" like a bludgeon in the title to describe human beings, an epithet that like the N-word, is intended to demean, dehumanize, degrade, and isolate. In something called Slog (I think it is associated with an alternative weekly, not sure), someone named Dominic Holden writes in "Catholics Want to Make Your Medical Decisions While You're a V------,"about a friend who died of cystic fibrosis. From his column:It's not that they are anti-choice conservatives. They are pro-choice, it turns out. They want doctors to make all end-of-life choices f... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865397 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:27:00 +0100 1865397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1862816&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F10%2F08%2Fpersonalized-genetics-on-the-train-again%2F I’ve got a huge backlog now, but will try to keep sharing interesting genetic articles and posts with you regularly. So here is this week’s collection: One of the main issues in the blogosphere is the 1000$ genome, the aim is to let everyone access their genomic data for 1000$. We thought we could reach that goal in the next couple of years, but according to Blaine Bettinger’s post, it might be done by the end of 2009. The Genomic Revolution and the Future of Medicine and Health: A nice lecture about an essential subject Do you have any idea how much your genome will cost? Mailund on the Internet has a great post with graphs. Do you remember the post Steve Murphy wrote and my thoughts on how Brin helped promoting his wife’s genetic service? Sergey Brin ju... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1862816 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:50:03 +0100 1862816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1852489&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Frita-marker-tells-duty-to-die-advocate.html Rita Marker, the head of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide knows more about the politics and facts of the facilitated death agenda than anyone else on earth. In this "open letter" to Baroness Warnock, who SHS readers will recall recently renewed her call for the UK to accept a duty to die once one becomes a burden, Marker adopts a The Screwtape Letters approach, to explaining to us all the euthanasia game that is afoot.Telling Warnock that people can't swallow her callous death agenda whole, Marker advises the Baroness to follow the path blazed by her USA counterparts, that is, to take her time and feed her people the cultural hemlock in smaller, bite size pieces. First, Warnock must toss aside her cold candor in favor of gooey euphemisms for killing. From Mar... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1852489 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:34:00 +0100 1852489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1840880&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Fwashington-medical-association-brochure.html The Washington State Medical Association has come out against legalizing assisted suicide and passing I 1000. From its brochure:This fall Washington voters must decide whether to support or oppose Initiative 1000. It may help to know that the Washington State Medical Association strongly opposes Initiative 1000. Doctors oppose I-1000 because our training and experience in the practice of medicine directs us to heal and comfort,not to cause death.The WSMA believes physician assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the role of physicians as healers. Patients put their trust in physicians and that bond of trust would be irrevokably harmed by the provisions of this dangerous initiative.Indeed. Add in futile care theory and there would be a perfect storm of mistrust created with the ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1840880 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:21:00 +0100 1840880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1840881&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Fmartin-sheen-ad-against-washingtons-i.html Martin Sheen--known to be a left handed hitter politically--has a radio ad out against the assisted suicide legalization initiative, I-1000. This is important because despite the broad and diverse coalition against legalizing assisted suicide that cuts diagonally across the nation's usual political and cultural divides, the media continue their myopic ways by reporting that conservative pro lifers are the primary opponents to assisted suicide. Here is what Sheen said his reasons were for agreeing to participate in the No on I-1000 campaign:"I try to work when I'm not on the screen to help improve conditions for the most vulnerable people in our country--low wage workers, immigrants, the disabled and the poor," Sheen said. "We have a health care system where the more money you have, the bet... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1840881 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:47:00 +0100 1840881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1794302&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Frita-marker-tells-it-like-it-is-about.html Rita Marker is primarily responsible for dragging me kicking and screaming from pursuing Naderite endeavors to fighting against euthanasia and assisted suicide. I have worked with her closely for 15 years and have seen her dedication and intelligence first hand. If any single person can be credited, among the many able people who fight the death culture agenda, in materially slowing the spread of euthanasia/assisted suicide, it is Rita Marker.Rita probably knows more about assisted suicide/euthanasia than any other person on either side of the issue. Her depth of understanding is abundantly displayed in a very good piece in The American Thinker.about the Oregon law in the context of Washington's I-1000--dealing with issues studiously ignored by the MSM. She deals with the story of Oregon o... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1794302 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:59:00 +0100 1794302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1723360&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F08%2Fi-1000-propganda-clearly-untrue.html Pro assisted suicide advocates are expert spin artists who specialize in ignoring the forest for the trees. But this bit of cow manure is so obviously false that if the media weren't generally totally in the tank, the campaign would become a laughing stock. From "The Oregon Experience" on the Yes on 1-000 Web site:The poor, disabled or minority populations were not adversely impacted in any manner because all of the patients who chose the option had health care coverage.Oh really? Better tell that to Oregon lung cancer patient Barbara Wagner, who was told by Oregon Medicaid that it would not pay for chemotherapy to extend her life, but would pay for her assisted suicide. The same thing happened to Randy Stroup when he wanted chemo for his recurrent prostate cancer.If refusing to pay for tr... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1723360 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:20:00 +0100 1723360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1676919&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F08%2Fnihilism-of-assisted-suicide-and-i-1000.html Washington State columnist Angie Vogt has written a good piece that pierces the dark heart of assisted suicide advocacy to reveal what lies beneath the paeans to compassion and choice. From her column, "Assisted Suicide is a Dying Movement:" Nihilism: A philosophy that argues that life has no objective meaning or purpose, that no action is any more moral or immoral than another action.Years ago, I participated in a think tank discussion about various philosophies of life. One scholar in my group made the case that the philosophy of life embraced by a society will determine its level of happiness and its ability to prosper, more than any other factor, such as a society's economic system, legal structure, etc.He humorously suggested that the best way to defeat a war enemy is to parachute som... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1676919 Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:00:00 +0100 1676919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1488068&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F06%2Fwashington-state-initiative-i-1000.html By Alex SchadenbergThe initiative to legalize assisted suicide in Washington State appears to be gaining ground.The Death With Dignity I-1000 campaign to legalize assisted suicide in Washington State has effectively raised one million dollars. They have organizations such as the leading assisted suicide lobby group - Compassion & Choices, working to raise more money on a national basis and they have the former governor of Washington State, Booth Gardner, as a lead campaigner.Every American who opposes assisted suicide, whether they be disability rights activists, palliative care professionals, pro-life supporters or any person in general, needs to join the campaign to oppose I-1000.Initiative I-1000 supporters are currently collecting signatures throughout the State of Washington. Due ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1488068 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:12:00 +0100 1488068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1467884&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F05%2F25%2Fpersonalized-genetics-crystal-ball%2F The world of personalized medicine must be much more than a crystal ball. Here are some new articles about the steps that have to be made and some aspects that might help us : Workman’s Compensation, Stereotypes and GATTACA (The Gene Sherpa): I think this is the best post Steve Murphy has ever written. Young person goes to 23andME/Navigenics/ETC (They just may add this immediately)….gets predictive testing indicating that he is at a 300 fold increased risk of herniating a disc in his back. Avoids manual labor (plays video games all day) never herniates the disc. Did we do society a service? Some would argue yes….I say no. Genomic Medicine: An Educational Resource from Helix Health (Highlight Health): A good definition from Walter Jessen. A Four-Part Series About Pers... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1467884 Sun, 25 May 2008 21:29:30 +0100 1467884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1442937&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F05%2F14%2Fx-prizes-for-health-and-medicine%2F Have you ever heard about the Ansari X Prize that resulted in constructing the world’s first privately developed spacecraft? Source Have you ever heard about the Archon X-Prize for Genomics? It will lead us to a new generation of genome sequencing methods. What about an X Prize for Health and Medicine? Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology came up with some interesting ideas. Of the specific proposals, one team suggested a prize for a major milestone in dealing with the problem of TB, which remains endemic in 22 nations and costs 1.7 million lives every year. Effective treatments exist, but the testing is relatively expensive and often misses active cases. So they proposed a $10 million prize for a new cheap, fast and accurate diagnostic system that could reach most... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1442937 Wed, 14 May 2008 17:21:44 +0100 1442937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1401380&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F04%2F26%2Fpersonalized-genetics-towards-the-100-genome%2F Please don’t forget to contribute to the database of real clinical examples I’m currently working on. Anyway,  I should create something like an RSS feed for all the interesting news and announcement I usually find in the field of individualized medicine.  But now I’m going to try to share some of them with you: States Crack Down On Online Gene Tests (Forbes) $100 Human Genome Sequencing Within Sight? (Future Pundit): Should we forget about the 1000$ genome? Watson’s Genome (Evolgen): What makes the sequencing of Watson’s genome different from that of Venter’s? It’s the technology. Watson’s genome was sequenced using one of the next generation sequencing technologies (454), which allows much more sequencing bang for the buck. This is... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1401380 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:13:39 +0100 1401380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1385670&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F04%2Fassisted-suicide-ideologues-pour-in-for.html Washington's Initiative 1000 to legalize assisted suicide is rolling in dough, thanks to Booth Gardner and the professional assisted suicide groups, who in turn, get much of their money from the likes of George Soros. Here is a breakdown of about $550,000 in campaign donations based on filed public records:Compassion & Choices Action Network--$50,000Compassion and Choices of Washington--$65,000Death with Dignity National Center--$21,870Euthanasia Research & Guidance Org--$3500Booth Gardner--$200,000Oregon Death with Dignity PAC- $200,000That ain't hay. And Booth Gardner had the temerity to whine about campaign spending worries.HT: Rita Marker (Source: Secondhand Smoke) Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1385670 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:46:00 +0100 1385670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1340653&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F03%2F31%2Fwhat-you-have-to-know-about-personalized-genetics%2F Genes load the gun. Lifestyle pulls the trigger. By Dr. Elliot Joslin I’ve written at least a hundred times about personalized medicine so it’s the perfect time to come up with a short description of what individualized medicine is about. In this new world of medicine, you get a treatment that is not only based on the epidemiological data of your population, but your own genetic background. But let’s start with a more appropriate definition: Personalized medicine is use of information and data from a patient’s genotype, level of gene expression and/or other clinical information to stratify disease, select a medication, provide a therapy, or initiate a preventative measure that is particularly suited to that patient at the time of administration. Personalized medicin... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1340653 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:12:26 +0100 1340653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1337862&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F03%2Flanguage-enginieering-joel-connelly.html The Seattle PI columnist Joel Connelly is a refreshing exception to much of the media that continue to see assisted suicide as a modernistic "choice" issue rather than one founded in abandonment and inequality. He has a column today (for which I was interviewed) properly critical of the word engineering in which the "Death with Dignity" crowd engages to persuade people that hemlock is really honey. From his column:If you are campaigning for the "right" of people to kill themselves, the first challenge is finding a nonlethal definition: Soft, reassuring terms must be substituted for the off-putting phrase "assisted suicide."...Apparently Gardner and political consultants advising him never met Derek Humphrey, plain-spoken co-founder of the Hemlock Society."As the author of four books on the... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1337862 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:25:00 +0100 1337862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1320510&cid=t_442074_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F03%2Fbooth-gardners-disengenuous-fundraising.html Yes, I know that political fund raising letters are well known for hyperbole and stretching the truth. And Booth Gardner's 4-page letter (no link available) to raise money for "I-1000" the assisted suicide initiative, is of a kind. Space doesn't permit a full deconstruction, but here is just a sampling of the manure Gardner shovels: He writes:When we or a loved one are experiencing unbearable suffering--past the point where there is hope for recovery--there is a grace inside our humanity that is capable of saying, "It's time."Well, yes. A time comes to allow nature to take its course. But the idea that assisted suicide is about "unbearable suffering" just isn't true. Even the useless annual report from Oregon makes it very clear that most people asking for a lethal prescription are not in ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1320510 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:12:00 +0100 1320510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1317796&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F03%2F20%2Fpersonalized-genetics-the-user-aspect%2F As personalized genetics is still rising, users start to write more and more posts about these genetic services. And this user aspect should and will play a major role in the future of genomic medicine. Spit Challenge: Fill Tube With 2.5ml of Saliva in Under 146sec: He just recieved the 23andMe saliva kit. Hsien at Eye on DNA had an important message for us: Do not trust any genetic testing company that does not make it clear what genetic variants they are analyzing. Never let anyone take your DNA unless they are clear about what they plan to do with it, what information they will give you from the analysis, and what they’ll do with the DNA after all the testing is complete. You are the consumer. You have the right to choose and the right to say no. Steve Murphy asks an interestin... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1317796 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:32:53 +0100 1317796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1315393&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2008%2F03%2F19%2Fpersonalized-genetics-research-in-the-news%2F When I started to share the most recent news and improvements of personalized genetics or genomic medicine, it wasn’t an easy job to find 4-5 articles a week. Now, my bookmark is totally full and I have to write posts focusing on different aspects of this special field of medicine. This time, while a whole genome sequencing costs less than 60,000$, genomic research should be in the focus: This week in the genetic blogosphere has been centered around an article published in JAMA (Putting Genomic Medicine Together With Clinical Practice). Consumers also lack confidence and knowledge about genetic testing. They are generally concerned with privacy and the possibility of discrimination in health insurance and employment. However, consumers were interested in the genomic technology tha... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1315393 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:32:10 +0100 1315393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1122161&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F12%2F30%2Fpersonalized-genetics-the-last-words-in-2007%2F I promise these will be the last words about personalized genetics thiy year. The “hypest” topic of 2007 was individualized medicine, no doubt about it. When I first read the announcement of 23andMe, I wanted to use their service, but as a European, it’s still impossible. So here are others who have recently recieved their results. Personal Genome Results from 23andMe and deCODEme (Eye on DNA) Everything you need to last you two lifetimes (Free Association) Have you been thinking about the medical breakthroughs of the year? Well, Science described some of them: It’s All About Me: Personal Genomics Human Genetic Variation Individualized medicine has serious scientific aspects: Personalized molecular medicine may revolutionize treatment of genetic disorders Imp... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1122161 Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:14:05 +0100 1122161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1079748&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F12%2F07%2Fpersonalized-genetics-world-record%2F I hope I can set a Guinness world record for displaying the most links to the best resources of personalized genetics in one post. First, the post of the week award goes to Andy De for writing Personalized Medicine - Myth, Pipe Dream or Realizable Promise? The series of the month award goes to Blaine Bettinger for the articles about the 1000$ genome (Part one, two, three and four). While, according to Keith Robison, we have an incredibly shrinking human genome, the risks of obtaining and sharing your genome sequence are being discussed at The Personal Genome Blog. Even if Direct-To-Consumer advertising for genetic tests may mislead patients, there are more and more services on the market: Cytochrome P450 testing for better psychiatric care It’s crucial to educate laypeople properly,... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1079748 Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:54:10 +0100 1079748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1070251&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F12%2F04%2Fpersonalized-genetics-back-to-the-personal-genome-project%2F It’s so good to see Jason Bobe back in action as he has recently presented the Personal Genome Project’s new website and also reported that the Project entered the competition of the Archon X-Prize for Genomics. Thomas Goetz at Epidemix posted the thoughts of George Church, the head of the Personal Genome Project, about those personal genomic companies. Of course, nowadays, I can’t write my carnival-like post without mentioning at least one genetic company, so here is Hsien-Hsien Lei’s interview with Knome CEO Jorge Conde. But Knome offers it’s service for 350,000$! Where is the realm of the 1000$ genome? Blaine Bettinger, our genetic genealogist, tells you… If you can’t afford $1000 to know more about your genetic destiny, then store your DNA at ... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1070251 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:59:50 +0100 1070251 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1060033&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F11%2F30%2Fknome-the-review%2F As today is the day when Knome launches the first commercial whole-genome sequencing and analysis service for individuals, I thought it’s time to write the review about them. If you want to read the review about 23andMe, Navigenics or Helix Health, check out this post. Website: Design: Too simplified. It looks like the site of 23andMe in the old days, so I’m pretty sure it’ll change a lot soon. Informativeness: An About me page that mentions the founders; and a FAQ page that aims to answer all the important questions. Anyway, they fail to mention the details of their “comprehensive” analysis and the other team members like clinicians or geneticists. They don’t tell us how they predict disease-associated risks neither. Team: The main advisor is un... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1060033 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:18:36 +0100 1060033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1058335&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F11%2F29%2Fpersonalized-genetics-spitting-business%2F I know I promised to write the second part of my résumé on Monday, but it’s been a crazy week, so here are the newest links and articles about personalized genetics. I apologize for the delay: The Top 12 Areas For Technology Innovation By 2025 (The Pondering Primate): Including personalized medicine and biomarkers for health. Steve Murphy, the gene sherpa, posted an article about BRCA positivity and an other one about The Mount Sinai School of Medicine: Ahh, it feels good to tell you about data leading us up to the personalized medicine revolution. We must not take our eyes off the prize here. Party tricks with an algorithm not validated is NOT personalized medicine. But the results of this study once further replicated could be. Imagine reflex testing for RAD51 SNPs after you ... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1058335 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:32:35 +0100 1058335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1049017&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F11%2F26%2Fpersonalized-genetics-decode-me-or-not-decode-me%2F Discussions Following the Launch of deCODEme and 23andMe (The Genetic Genealogist) 23andme Party (How to Change the World) My Genome, Myself: Seeking Clues in DNA (The New York Times): Was this the first sign that I had inherited the arthritis that gnarled my paternal grandmother’s hard-working fingers? Logging onto my account at 23andMe, the start-up company that is now my genetic custodian, I typed my search into the “Genome Explorer” and hit return. I was, in essence, Googling my own DNA. I had spent hours every day doing just that as new studies linking bits of DNA to diseases and aspects of appearance, temperament and behavior came out on an almost daily basis. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s collection! (Source: ScienceRoll) ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1049017 Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:04:57 +0100 1049017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1036931&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F11%2F19%2Fpersonalized-genetics-it-has-officially-begun%2F Do you think it’s enough to share some links about personalized genetics with you once a week? Of course, not! The live webcast of 23andMe finished some minutes ago which means I should write some thoughts on this. I had several questions answered including (their answer): When do you plan to expand your service to Europe? (Later, later…) How effective do you think your risk predictions are? (Just as much as current scientific research can be.) Do you plan to help patients with genetic counseling? (Yes, through online tutorials, but not in person.) Do you think your prediction models are well established? What can you tell your patient about his risk for obesity based only on one or just a few genes? (It seemed they didn’t accpet long questions.) Check out the question... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1036931 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:26:46 +0100 1036931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1034650&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F11%2F18%2F23andme-the-re-review%2F A week ago, I wrote a review about the three major companies focusing on personalized genetics. That time, I couldn’t include all the required information in the section of 23andMe. Now, here is the re-review: Website: Design: Great! Clear structure, big buttons, nice colors. That’s how it should look like because all the functions are easily accessible. Informativeness: I must say, nearly perfect. Own pages for experts and laypeople as well. Sections for the scientific and the medical communities. Tutorials, descriptions, explanations about the basic concepts of genetics and their service. Like David P. Hamilton noted that more information about genetic counseling would be needed. Team: Detailed introductions to all the founders, editors and advisors. You can also watc... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1034650 Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:21:50 +0100 1034650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1002282&cid=t_442074_131_f&fid=35008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceroll.com%2F2007%2F11%2F03%2Fpersonalized-genetics-weekend-summary-part-two%2F This is the second part of this weekend’s summary about personalized genetics. Mapping a Genome and a Life (US News): An interesting interview with Craig Venter. What will be your genome’s impact? I think this genome sequence will serve as a reference for the start of individualized medicine. We hope that by next year we’ll have 30 to 50 additional genomes and that eventually we’ll get at least 10,000. Once we create databases of many individuals’ genomes, we can start to sort out nature and nurture and give people information that can help them prevent disease. Testing-testing: drug dosing based on SNPs? (Pathtalk): A perfect explanation of FDA’s Warfarin story. The Fortune Cookie Genome (Public Rambling): A fantastic, imaginary story from Pedro Be... ScienceRoll blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1002282 Sat, 03 Nov 2007 18:19:09 +0100 1002282