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 'alcohol consumption'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:02:07 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921518&cid=t_116221_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F10%2Fcan-you-have-too-much-happiness%2F I can safely say that I think few of us struggle with having too much happiness. We turn to the happiness gurus to help us increase our happiness for a reason — who wouldn’t want to be happier? Pretty much all of us do. For many of us, the pursuit of happiness is not only something we’ve grown up on, it’s something we’ve come to expect as a right. I mean, it’s right there in the Declaration of Independence! But like everything in life, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. This includes the pursuit of happiness. Too much happiness can be just as detrimental in your life as not having enough. That’s the finding anyway of Gruber and her colleagues (2011), in a recent review of the happiness research. Let’s see what they had to say. Too Muc... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921518 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:25:45 +0100 4921518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4554607&cid=t_116221_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdrunk-fans-at-sporting-events%2F2011.03.06 Among fans who attend live sporting events, drinking alcohol is nearly as commonplace as root-root-rooting for the home team. And while virtually no one has a problem with a fan who pushes back a beer or two during the game, flat-out drunk fans can ruin the experience for those sitting nearby. Worse yet, these people frequently get behind the wheel of a car after the game is over. Recently, Darin Erickson and colleagues at the University of Minnesota decided to find out just how many fans go overboard at games, and their findings are worrisome, indeed. Using standard blood alcohol testing on 362 adult volunteers who were leaving 13 professional baseball and three professional football games, the scientists found that 40 percent had measurable levels of alcohol in their blood and a stunni... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4554607 Sun, 06 Mar 2011 16:00:26 +0100 4554607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507285&cid=t_116221_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnutrition-labels-for-alcoholic-beverages%2F2011.02.21 Virtually all bottled beverages you can buy have handy-dandy nutrition labels from which you can access information about calories, carbs, and so forth. All beverages except the ones containing alcohol, that is. Why is that? Maybe it’s because alcoholic beverages contain little to no protein, sodium, cholesterol, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium and iron (remember that alcohol is metabolized as a fat, not a carbohydrate) — so why bother? Then again, alcohol does contain calories — a lot of them. Would people drink less if they knew how many calories they were consuming? Would they drink less if they knew how many “servings” of alcohol were contained in the bottle they just purchased? Maybe it’s because of the cost of performing nutritional analyses on each vintage of wine,... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507285 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:00:49 +0100 4507285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411484&cid=t_116221_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F28%2Fevidence-based-mental-health-2006-vol-9-no-21%2F This article provides a brief summary of the exisiting literature on the mental health outcomes in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood of those affected by prenatal alcohol exposure, while also highlighting the difficulties with interpreting observational epidemiological data. Filed under: Alcohol, Epidemiology, Long Term Conditions, Maternity and Children, Mental Health, Pregnancy Tagged: Alcohol Consumption, Epidemiological Studies, Interpreting, Mental Health, Prenatal (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411484 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:04:47 +0100 4411484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4253090&cid=t_116221_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F13%2Fjournal-of-public-health-2010-vol-32-no-4%2F This article looks at the increasing trend for adults to consume alcohol at home. The research is based on four focus groups of current drinkers within an economically deprived town in North-West England. (Print subscription held at Fade Library) Filed under: Current Awareness, Journals Tagged: Alcohol, Alcohol Consumption, Public Health, Young People (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4253090 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:34:46 +0100 4253090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214003&cid=t_116221_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F11%2Famebic-liver-abscess%2F Amebic liver abscesses have an overwhelming male preponderance (15:1, male to female) and occur in the right lobe of the liver about 75% of the time. Heavy alcohol consumption is a risk factor and they occur in primarily in endemic areas of South and Central America and as such are now being seen increasingly in the Hispanic immigrant population in the United States. The majority of these abscesses can be treated with antibiotics alone (usually oral metronidazole for 7-10 days) although the overall mortality rate is reported to be 2% to 4%. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214003 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 07:29:38 +0100 4214003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965667&cid=t_116221_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F13%2Fricky-hatton-in-rehab-to-fit-his-depression%2F The boxer, Ricky Hatton, is in rehab – but I bet none of his doctors will think about stopping his medication – I’d bet my house on the fact that Ricky will have been prescribed an SSRI or an SNRI. It’s a classic story – his errant behaviour will have been caused to a great degree by the very drugs that doctors thought might help him “His father has already been talking to the specialists over the last few weeks,” Max Clifford said. “He and others have been increasingly concerned about his depression and his drinking. “He met with the specialist today and he was told that his depression is severe depression and that he has a drink problem. The drugs are quite recent.” “The problem is depression and the drink has been a problem for some tim... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965667 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:58:44 +0100 3965667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3724577&cid=t_116221_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FE-BWcl43UBs%2F Does Prayer Decrease Alcohol Consumption? Four research studies involving 1,758 people show that prayer frequency cuts alcohol consumption. In Study 1 of 824 people, we used a cross-sectional design and found that higher prayer frequency was related to lower alcohol consumption and problematic drinking behavior. Study 2 of 702 people used a longitudinal design and found that more frequent prayer predicted less alcohol consumption and problematic drinking behavior at a later date, and this relationship held when controlling for baseline levels of drinking and prayer. In Study 3 of 117 people, we used an experimental design to test for a causal relationship between prayer frequency and alcohol consumption. Participants assigned to pray every day (either an undirected prayer or a prayer fo... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3724577 Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:37:00 +0100 3724577 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3740833&cid=t_116221_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FCphzlupmll0%2F Does Prayer Decrease Alcohol Consumption? Four methodologically diverse studies (N = 1,758) show that prayer frequency and alcohol consumption are negatively related. In Study 1 (n = 824), we used a cross-sectional design and found that higher prayer frequency was related to lower alcohol consumption and problematic drinking behavior. Study 2 (n = 702) used a longitudinal design and found that more frequent prayer at Time 1 predicted less alcohol consumption and problematic drinking behavior at Time 2, and this relationship held when controlling for baseline levels of drinking and prayer. In Study 3 (n = 117), we used an experimental design to test for a causal relationship between prayer frequency and alcohol consumption. Participants assigned to pray every day (either an undirected pr... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3740833 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:22:56 +0100 3740833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879381&cid=t_116221_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fweekly-alcohol-allowance-for-teens-best%2F Teens and alcohol have long been a source of concern for many parents – and adults in general. Different cultures believe different things and even legal ages for alcohol consumption change according to where you are. I live in Quebec where the legal age is 18, while our neighboring province Ontario’s legal age is 19. At the same time, an hour south of us, across the Canada/United States border, the age is 21. (One thing I can’t figure out is why you can allow an 18-year-old to own a gun, join the army, get married, vote, buy a house, etc, but he or she can’t have a drink?). Anyway, since there are such differences in beliefs about teens and alcohol, there are on-going studies to see if there are ways to see what may be best overall. Researchers in the United Kingdo... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879381 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:07:19 +0100 2879381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570868&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fzimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use%2Fmaking-sense-of-headlines-on-acetaminophen-pain-relievers%2F Depending on which headlines you’ve seen recently, you may think that some pain relievers are being recalled because they’re dangerous and you might be wondering if you need to clean out the medicine cabinet and throw out any number of these products. I’m going to try to explain this highly complex situation, but the bottom line is that when taken as directed, all of the pain relievers currently on the market, be they prescription or over the counter (OTC), are still considered to be safe and effective and you don’t need to throw them away (and nothing is being recalled at the moment either). The bottom line problem, however, is that when it comes to pain relievers many people don’t follow directions and wind up taking far more pills than they should. And when... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570868 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:56:36 +0100 2570868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2550258&cid=t_116221_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F-h1BLSpBwS8%2F Alcohol is becoming known for increasing death rates across the world. According to new statistics, 1 in 25 deaths across the world can be linked to consumption of alcohol, including violence, injury, as well as disease. According to the medical journal, the Lancet , “The net effect of alcohol consumption on health is detrimental, with an estimated 3·8% of all global deaths and 4·6% of global disability-adjusted life-years attributable to alcohol. Disease burden is closely related to average volume of alcohol consumption” And, of course, it goes without saying that it’s the poor and the marginalized of the world who are hardest hit by the effects of alcohol. What makes these numbers astounding is that statistics show that there are more people in the world who abstain ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2550258 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:56:53 +0100 2550258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2300296&cid=t_116221_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F01%2Fseroxat-and-alcohol-paxil-and-alcohol%2F Do you know what really amazes me?… I’ll tell you then. It is the fact that Glaxo continues to say there is nothing wrong with Paxil (Seroxat) – and that if you do suffer from withdrawal then the “discontinuation symptoms” that can occur in some people will be “generally short lived” and “mild to moderate in intensity”. Glaxo says “We take the reporting of adverse effects very seriously, as we do with all our medications. Fortunately, with Seroxat, we have a wealth of positive experience involving thousands of physicians and millions of patients - over ten years of experience worldwide.” Then why can Glaxo continue to IGNORE the tens of thousands of reports of “negative experience” – such as adverse drug reactions and the huge mass of anecdotal reports of severe... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2300296 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:51:51 +0100 2300296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2075152&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fzimney%2Ftop-hangover-remedies%2F On New Year’s Eve many people party like there’s no tomorrow, and when New Year’s Day rolls in they often wish it hadn’t. Head pounding, cotton-mouthed, nauseated, sensitive to light and sound, they are suffering from the classic, but poorly understood, syndrome called hangover. Neither the cause nor the treatment of hangover is fully known. Some people suffer the ill effects of alcohol after only one or two drinks while others can drink like a fish without incident. And so-called hangover cures abound. Just ask anyone you know, everyone’s got their favorite (that they no doubt heard from someone else like in a game of telephone where the original message gets distorted the more times it’s repeated - but in this case even the initial recommendation is so... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2075152 Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:26:36 +0100 2075152 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1516450&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F6%2F13%2Feverything-in-moderationor-else.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DYou had to live in a cave not to get the message that drinking wine in moderation is good for your heart, good for your HDL (good cholesterol) levels, and good for the soul. In fact, its salutary effect on the heart and soul is mentioned in Proverbs of the Old Testament (“Wine makes the heart of Man rejoice”, or something like that).But the ancients also knew that drinking had to be done in moderation. The classical Greeks used to have “symposia” or dinner parties, in which the guests would recline on beds (“triclinium”) placed around the room, drink wine and discuss philosophical and political issues. After the discussion, a gastronomical feast would be served that could last into the wee hours of the night. How could they talk p... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516450 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:45:24 +0100 1516450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1303213&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F3%2F15%2Fcan-alcoholism-be-cured-without-aa.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.D Alcoholism is a major public health problem. This we all know. But did you know that as alcoholism evolves, stress systems in the brain play an increasing role in motivating continued alcohol use and relapse. In other words, someone who is a moderate drinker will drink more if subjected to stress. And that, in turn would increase her sensitivity to stress, which would result in yet an additional increase in alcohol consumption, which in turn… you get the picture.The stress response Deficiency of a stress response is life threatening. For instance, in response to stress blood pressure goes up, heart rate increases and more blood is pumped into the brain and skeletal muscles. On the other hand, less blood is pumped into the GI tract or the kidneys. What’... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1303213 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:06:51 +0100 1303213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1284740&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F3%2F7%2Fhow-much-and-how-often-should-you-drink-the-answer-may-surpr.html  By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.D All of us wine sippers and beer guzzlers embraced with enthusiasm the findings of many previous studies that had linked moderate drinking with reduced risk for death from cardiovascular disease, while heavier drinking has been linked with increased mortality. Personally, I unburdened myself of any guilt feelings: I am doing it for my health, sort of like taking medicine…A couple of glasses of wine with dinner are not going to kill me, they are actually “good for you”. But wait a minute. Such studies have typically measured individuals' average alcohol intake. A drawback of that approach is that averaging obscures potential differences between people who sometimes drink heavily and those who consistently drink small amounts of alcohol. ... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1284740 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:10:23 +0100 1284740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146650&cid=t_116221_134_f&fid=36049&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FDiabetesNotes%2F%7E3%2F215728459%2F Watch out Australia! This is not earth shattering news but it does go to show just how prevalent diabetes is around the world. The University of Queensland School of Population Health is predicting and explosion of type 2 diabetes across Australia. And I mean explosion… like more than double by the year 2023. Wow!! The researchers studied 14 key risk factors that that make up what they coin DALY, disability adjusted life year. What key factors attributed the most to the prediction associated with type 2 diabetes? Tobacco use, high blood pressure, high body mass, physical inactivity and alcohol consumption. But there is good news in all of this. If you look at the factors above, they are all controllable. “All of the health risks are open to modification through intervention&#8... Diabetes Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146650 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:11:07 +0100 1146650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1124263&cid=t_116221_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F01%2F01%2Fmore-on-paxil-withdrawal-addiction-and-alcohol-craving%2F Do you know what really amazes me?… I’ll tell you then. It is the fact that Glaxo continues to say there is nothing wrong with Paxil (Seroxat) – and that if you do suffer from withdrawal then the “discontinuation symptoms” that can occur in some people will be “generally short lived” and “mild to moderate in intensity”. Glaxo says “We take the reporting of adverse effects very seriously, as we do with all our medications. Fortunately, with Seroxat, we have a wealth of positive experience involving thousands of physicians and millions of patients - over ten years of experience worldwide.” Then why can Glaxo continue to IGNORE the tens of thousands of reports of “negative experience” – such as adverse drug reactions ... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1124263 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:06:59 +0100 1124263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1103485&cid=t_116221_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F12%2F18%2Fdont-just-take-my-word-for-it-have-a-look-at-medicationscom%2F An interesting web site - medications.com This registry is a place to share positive or negative side effects of using Paxil. If you directly experienced a side effect while using Paxil, then we encourage you to enter it here. Please note that entries here are the experiences of individual users, and in no way means that you or anyone else will experience the same side effect, since the same medication affects people in different ways. Please always contact your physician. Have a look at the 150 entries for Paxil side effects here. I wonder which are real and which might have written by employees of Glaxo… who knows? “I had always been a teetotaller purely because I didn’t enjoy alcohol and hated losing control. At the grand old age of 44 I was prescribed Seroxat and sud... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1103485 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:36:08 +0100 1103485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1047556&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F11%2F23%2Fthanksgiving-meal-overare-you-still-ok.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DPhew…that was something. We ate and we ate, and drank and drank—I thought we are going to burst. Literally. I hope everybody in our Thanksgiving party (over 30 people) survived intact. Being a doctor, and a worrier, the thoughts of what could go wrong were never quite banished by the pleasures of gluttony. What dangers were going through my mind?The burst stomachHave you ever seen a snake swallowing a whole turkey? You can actually see the poor creature traveling through the long intestines of the tubular glutton. Well, a burst stomach is extremely rare, and happens only in rare conditions where the brain center controlling hunger and satiety is malfunctioning. Normal stomach capacity is about 8 cups, although it can range form 4 to 12, according to Dr.... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1047556 Fri, 23 Nov 2007 21:51:04 +0100 1047556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1022141&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F11%2F13%2Fh-pylori-and-humans-an-ambivalent-relationship.html  By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.D Several months ago I received an alarming phone call from my nephew: he had terrific pain in his abdomen which caused him to double over. His stool was pitch black. It was obvious that he had an acute stomach ulcer, probably bleeding. What could cause this painful disease?Since the late 19th century doctors described the existence of bacteria in the stomach, but for a variety of reasons these reports did not gain traction, or were simply not believed. The bacterium, later named Helicobacter pylori was rediscovered in 1979 by Australian pathologist Robin Warren, who did further research on it with Barry Marshall beginning in 1981; they isolated the organisms from mucosal specimens from human stomachs and were the first to successfully cultu... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1022141 Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:21:20 +0100 1022141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=979149&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F10%2F25%2Fpreventing-heart-attacks-in-women-should-everyone-have-a-per.html "Most heart attacks in women are preventable," is the headline of an article posted on NBC.com.  The article describes a study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, that was done by the researchers at the Karoinska Institute in Sweden.  Dr. Agneta Akesson and colleagues looked at the diet and lifestyle patterns of almost 25,000 postmenopausal women.  At the time of enrollment none of the women had heart disease, diabetes or cancer.The researchers asked the women to fill out "food frequency" questionnaires to identify how often they ate 96 different foods.  The researchers analyzed the data and found four major dietary patterns:Healthy - vegetables, fruits, and legumesWestern/Swedish - red meat, processed meat, poultry, rice, past... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=979149 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:30:24 +0100 979149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=900853&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F9%2F25%2Fadults-vs-adolescents-is-there-a-real-difference.html ConclusionTo ascribe all behavior, good or bad, to the structure and function of the brain is not only simplistic and incorrect biologically, it is socially dangerous; “The devil made me do it” as an excuse for sociopathic behavior is simply not compatible with a functioning civil society. Unfortunately, defense attorneys are already recruiting expert witnesses who make this deterministic argument in court.  Males concludes his article thus: “ In reality, human brains are highly adaptive. Both teenagers and adults display a wide variety of attitudes and behaviors derived from individual conditions and choices, not harsh biological determinism. There’s no “typical teenager” any more than there’s a “typical” 45-year-old. Comment... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=900853 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 05:34:57 +0100 900853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=891464&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F9%2F21%2Fwhats-all-the-fuss-about-lead.html Poor Mattel; three huge recalls of lead-tainted toys, despite conscientious testing efforts. Those babe-in-the-woods quality control experts were no match to the wily new capitalists from China, determined to maximize profit. Isn’t that the name of the game?What’s next? A toxic Barbie? That may actually be a blessing in disguise.But, it’s not only toys. Here is an item from today’s San Jose Mercury:Lunchbox warning: Health officials say toss themUNSAFE LEVEL OF LEAD FOUND IN GIVEAWAYSBy Steven HarmonMediaNews Sacramento BureauArticle Launched: 09/21/2007 01:33:38 AM PDTSACRAMENTO - "The state's public health department asked parents Thursday to toss certain Chinese-made lunchboxes potentially containing dangerous levels of lead - the same ones it distribut... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=891464 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 23:33:33 +0100 891464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=783854&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2Fnetworking-can-be-hazardous-to-your-health-the-new-science-o.html  By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.D An article in the New England Journal of Medicine, July 21 issue (The spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 years, N.A. Christakis and J.H. Fowler, pp. 370-379, 2007) dropped like a bombshell into the medical community, exploding many long-held assumptions and beliefs. What was the question this research attempted to answer? To quote the authors: “ The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over the past 30 years. We performed a quantitative analysis of the nature and extent of the person-to-person spread of obesity as a possible factor contributing to the obesity epidemic.” The italics are mine, to emphasize the fact that the authors set out to explore a quite revolutionary concept: obesity, like any infection, spreads by... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=783854 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 05:11:55 +0100 783854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=760417&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F7%2F26%2Fadvice-from-the-distant-past-drink-its-good-for-you-but-in-m.html By Dov Michaeli, MD, Ph.D Did you ever stop to think: how old is this wine? No, I don’t mean this bottle, or even this medieval winery in Bordeaux ? I mean, how long have people been imbibing? How did they stumble upon this wonderful drink? The biochemical evidence The “active ingredient” in wine (and beer, and hard liquor) is ethanol—yes, the same stuff that is supposed to power our cars in a few years. But think about it, ethanol is a foreign substance to our body. So how come we have an enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase) that is specifically designed to metabolize it? In fact, we are not unique in this respect—most organisms (even bacteria) contain a version of this enzyme. The answer is that since very very ancient times, probably since complex aerobic organis... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=760417 Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:31:17 +0100 760417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=682485&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F6%2F20%2Fa-newly-discovered-cause-of-diabetes-depression.html I recently came across an article in the April 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (vol. 167, pp. 802-807; 2007) describing a newly-discovered connection between depression and diabetes type 2 in older adults. The study enrolled 4,681 non-diabetic men and women over age 65, and followed them for 10 years. The participants filled out every year a questionnaire to measure their depressive symptoms, and every 2-4 years had their blood pressure measured. After removing confounding factors that are well known to increase the incidence of diabetes, like increased body mass index, alcohol consumption, and smoking, they discovered that even a single report of high depressive symptoms is highly associated with increased risk of diabetes type 2. In fact, there was a 60% increased chance of... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=682485 Wed, 20 Jun 2007 07:59:50 +0100 682485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=587056&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F5%2F2%2Fmusings-on-the-drunks-of-oulu-wine-and-good-cholesterol.html  The recent posting by Dr. Salber describing the ostensible superiority of wine drinking over beer or spirits reminded me that I actually saw with my own eyes one of the confounding factors of the study, namely, lifestyle differences. In the mid-80's, I was a visiting scholar at the University of Turku (also called Oulu ) where the study was done. OuluOn weekend nights the streets were littered with drunks asleep (comatose is a more apt description of their state) on the sidewalks, the gutters, and the roads. It was a sobering sight to behold: well-dressed, seemingly upright citizens, mostly men, wallowing in the mud. I asked my colleague, a surgeon at the University hospital, what was the drink of choice. It was vodka, he said. What about beer? That’s for kids. And wine? Only w... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=587056 Thu, 03 May 2007 06:35:05 +0100 587056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=582693&cid=t_116221_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F5%2F1%2Fhere-is-my-kind-of-study-wine-drinkers-likely-to-live-longer.html Would you believe it? I found this report on a three-decade study of wine drinkers on Wine Spectator Online. The study itself was published in a respected peer-reviewed medical journal, the Journal of Gerontology. The results are the stuff wine-marketers (and wine lovers) dream about: Wine drinkers had a lower mortality rate compared to drinkers of other alcoholic beverages. No, the study was not performed in California's Napa Valley nor in the Loire Valley in France. Rather it was done in Finland (there's wine in Finland?) by Timo Strandberg and colleagues, researchers at the University of Oulu. At the start of the study in 1974, 2,468 businessmen and male executives, ages 40-55, were assessed at the Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki for cardiovascular risk factors an... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=582693 Tue, 01 May 2007 19:59:30 +0100 582693