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 'alter'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:11:27 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343112&cid=t_137604_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9tQhjWMDZi0%2F By Roger PilonToday POLITICO Arena asks: Post-Tucson will campaign trail rhetoric change in any discernible way? Should it change? What phrases or words should be considered out of bounds? Or is that approach a way of silencing legitimate criticism of political candidates? My response: Post-Tucson campaign trail rhetoric won’t change because, as Charles Krauthammer put it brilliantly in yesterday’s Washington Post, fighting and warfare are routine political metaphors for obvious reasons: “Historically speaking, all democratic politics is a sublimation of the ancient route to power — military conquest. That’s why the language persists,” why we speak of “battleground states” or “targeting” opponents. That doesn’t mean that no charge is “out of bounds.” It�... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343112 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:42:55 +0100 4343112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3953615&cid=t_137604_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FIE10Jjn_JZc%2F The new human retrovirus XMRV, first detected in malignant prostate tissue, was subsequently identified in a high percentage of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The virus was not detected in four independent studies of CFS patients in Europe or the United States. The results of a second American study, whose publication was blocked for two months, provide support for the involvement of murine retroviruses in CFS. The new study, a collaboration among scientists at the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and Harvard Medical School, utilized samples from 37 CFS patients obtained in the mid-1990s. A key difference from earlier studies is that some repeat samples were used: four obtained two years later and frozen, and eight taken in 2010 and processed ... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3953615 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:31:21 +0100 3953615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3862013&cid=t_137604_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fquackademic-medicine-infiltrates-the-new-england-journal-of-medicine%2F2010.08.12 One of the things that disturbs me the most about where medicine is going is the infiltration of quackery into academic medicine. So prevalent is this unfortunate phenomenon that Doctor RW even coined a truly apt term for it: Quackademic medicine. In essence, pseudoscientific and even prescientific ideas are rapidly being “integrated” with science-based medicine, or, as I tend to view it, quackery is being “integrated” with scientific medicine, to the gradual erosion of scientific standards in medicine. No quackery is too quacky, it seems. Even homeopathy and naturopathy can seemingly find their way into academic medical centers. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3862013 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:31 +0100 3862013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695568&cid=t_137604_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffemale-cosmetic-genital-surgery-should-it-be-done%2F2010.06.24 I seem to be asked more often these days if I do vulva reduction surgery. I’ve even been asked if I “refresh” vaginas (in which I refer them to their gynecologist.) I’m happy it’s a extremely small part of my practice. I’m also happy to see that the current issue of Reproductive Health Matters is taking a close look at cosmetic surgery, especially female cosmetic genital surgery. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695568 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0100 3695568 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3686886&cid=t_137604_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FgJwQyYUT-RI%2F A press release from the Netherlands indicates that the FDA and NIH have independently confirmed the association of XMRV with chronic fatigue syndrome as published last fall in Science. Apparently two journalists for the Dutch magazine ORTHO obtained a copy of a lecture by Dr. Harvey Alter in Zagreb which confirms these findings. According to Newswire.com: The ORTHO journalists were able to obtain a pdf document of the lecture given by Harvey Alter at the IPFA/PEI 17th Workshop on ‘Surveillance and screening of Blood Borne Pathogens’ in Zagreb. The International Plasma Fractionation Association (IPFA) represents the not-for-profit organizations around the world involved in plasma fractionation. The IPFA is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The highly-experienced Dr. Harvey A... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3686886 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:18:58 +0100 3686886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3577631&cid=t_137604_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2F71w7vSmxzvU%2Fsocial-media-community-20-strategies_13.html (Source: ePharma Summit) ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3577631 Thu, 13 May 2010 17:26:00 +0100 3577631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452542&cid=t_137604_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1593 Jump to follow-up The first post was NICE falls for Bait and Switch by acupuncturists and chiropractors: it has let down the public and itself. That was followed by NICE fiasco, part 2. Rawlins should withdraw guidance and start again. Since then, something of a maelstrom has engulfed NICE, so it’s time for an update. It isn’t only those who are appalled that NHS should endorse voodoo medicine on the basis of very slim evidence who are asking NICE to rethink their guidance on low back pain. Pain specialists are up in arms too, and have even started a blog, ‘Not Nearly as NICE as you think …‘, to express their views. Equally adverse opinions are being expressed in the Britsh Medical Journal. A letter there is signed by over 50 specialists in pain medicine. It ... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452542 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:20:28 +0100 2452542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2035588&cid=t_137604_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F12%2F13%2Fcan-blue-colored-light-prevent-suicide%2F An intriguing, anecdotal finding was recently reported by some news outlets that the implementation of blue-colored streetlights has reduced both crime and suicides: Glasgow, Scotland, introduced blue street lighting to improve the city’s landscape in 2000. Afterward, the number of crimes in areas illuminated in blue noticeably decreased. The Nara, Japan, prefectural police set up blue street lights in the prefecture in 2005, and found the number of crimes decreased by about 9 percent in blue-illuminated neighborhoods. Many other areas nationwide have followed suit. Keihin Electric Express Railway Co. changed the color of eight lights on the ends of platforms at Gumyoji Station in Yokohama, Japan, in February. Since the railway company introduced the new blue lights, they&#8217... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2035588 Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:00:30 +0100 2035588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1291003&cid=t_137604_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2F10%2Fbrain-awareness-week-2008-3%2F “Basically, if you can learn to control your own inner experience, then you can fundamentally alter your experience of life,” says cognitive [thought] neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Saksida. This international calendar of events will guide you to special events happening offline in your community during Brain Awareness Week, March 10-16. Online, learn more about things like sugar addiction, smoking and schizophrenia, migraines, how stress hormones affect depression (did you think it was all about serotonin?) or the nitty gritty world of astrocytes and axons: I highly recommend the Brain Briefings series offered by the Society for Neuroscience. These two-page publications (download PDFs or get a free subscription by post) are written for a general audience but pack a lot of potent i... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1291003 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:19:05 +0100 1291003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=783854&cid=t_137604_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=675454&cid=t_137604_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F06%2F13%2Fcan-hypnosis-help-people-with-diabetes%2F Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset, Lifestyle, Research, Services, SupportSleep disorders have been linked to exacerbating or even precipitating diabetes as well as depression. Poor sleep robs people of their health in general. But, for diabetics it can cause a worsening of their condition. A hypnotist can assist a person with diabetes by helping them to positively alter their behavior. A study explained how people who do not get enough sleep on a regular basis tend to become less sensitive to insulin over time. The study found that healthy adults who averaged 5.2 hours of sleep a night secreted 50% more insulin than their more rested counterparts, who averaged 8 hours of sleep a night. As a result, "short sleepers" were 40% less sensitive to insulin. Devin Hastings is a certified hypnotist... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=675454 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 675454