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 'anti'. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:51:24 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3374103&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1WbAUKSdayw%2F By Malou InnocentTomorrow, the Cato Institute will be holding a half-day conference titled, “Escalate or Withdraw? Conservatives and the War in Afghanistan.” One of the many speakers at tomorrow’s conference will be Rep. John Duncan (R-TN). On the House floor this week, he explained why “there is nothing conservative about the war in Afghanistan.” Watch: In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a conservative, and neither are many of my Cato colleagues. This event is intended to highlight that leaving Afghanistan is far beyond Left vs. Right, and that anti-war sentiment is not “owned by peaceniks and pacifists.” You can come to the event, or watch it live online. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374103 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:50:18 +0100 3374103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3358979&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2829 JJump to follow-up Update 12 March. Nine more dimwits signed. An‘early day motion1 (EDM 908) has been tabled in parliament which opposes the conclusions of the science and technology committee report on the evidence for homeopathy. After two weeks it has been signed by an amazing 49 MPs. That is 7.6% of all 646 MPs.  Nothing shows more clearly the scientific illiteracy that prevails in the House of Commons (and, perhaps, the results of the mass mailing of MPs by homeopaths, who are clutching at straws).. These MPs are all people who have difficulty with the idea that pills which contain nothing can have no effect above placebo.  It isn’t rocket science. Those of us who spend quite a lot of unpaid time trying to communicate the joy of science to the public, rather res... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3358979 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:55:56 +0100 3358979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342754&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=34808&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthebeautybrains.com%2F2010%2F03%2F08%2Fis-olay-pro-x-as-good-as-a-dermatologist%2F Modistmoz asks…I’ve just begun looking into starting an anti aging regiment for my skin (I am 30 with very fair skin). I’m working hard to research products to find the best fit. I was wondering what the Beauty Brains has to say about the new Oil of Olay Professional Pro-X line. Is it any good? The Right Brain replies: Is Pro-X any good? According to one study, it’s as good as prescription anti-aging from a dermatologist. Maybe. Doubtful data? According to Cosmeticsdesign testing done by Procter Gamble, makers of Olay, shows that its Pro-X line performs as well as a tretinoin-based prescription treatment. (Tretinoin is also known as Retin-A.) Now, we can guess what you’re thinking: Yeah, but it’s P&G’s test that shows that it works! Can we tru... thebeautybrains.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3342754 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:44:16 +0100 3342754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3318538&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=34808&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthebeautybrains.com%2F2010%2F03%2F01%2Fis-tobacco-good-for-your-skin%2F Penguinbiter pleads…How does cigarette smoke cause wrinkles? The Right Brain responds: When Penguinbiter (BTW I love that name) asked this question in our Forum, Jami was quick to point out several links that answered the question very nicely. I won’t repeat them here but you can find them if you click here. This research shows there’s no doubt that smoking is bad for your skin. But, it turns out that tobacco might actually be good for skin. Tobacco road CosmeticsDesign reports that Italian researchers have discovered a sugar-peptide found in wild tobacco plants could have anti-aging properties for skin.  This complex has antioxidant properties as well as the ability to promote collagen synthesis. The researchers were focused on finding compounds that could protect crops... thebeautybrains.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3318538 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:05:18 +0100 3318538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3306783&cid=t_101782_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fsystemic-lupus-erythematous-sle%2F Pathophysiology 1) systemic disorder with tissue damage secondary to autoantibodies and immune complex deposition 2) cause is unknown but likely requires an environmental stimulus (example is ultraviolet light) in presence of many susceptibility genes Signs and Symptoms 1) butterfly rash on face 2) short hairs in frontal scalp (”lupus hairs”) 3) “carpet tack” skin lesions 4) pericarditis 5) pericardial effusions 6) pleurisy 7) pleural effusions focal or diffuse proliferative nephritis 9) abdominal pain 10) blindness 11) fatigue (often debilitating) 12) cognitive dysfunction (”lupus cerebritis”) 13) subcutaneous nodules 14) puffiness of hands and feet 15) swan-neck deformities of fingers Characteristic Test Findings Laboratory – 1) anti-ANA antibo... Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3306783 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:54:46 +0100 3306783 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294575&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3sDdbKW5uvI%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI recently publicized an interesting map showing that so-called tax havens are not hotbeds of dirty money. A more fundamental question is whether anti-money laundering laws are an effective way of fighting crime — particularly since they substantially undermine privacy. In this new six-minute video, I ask whether it’s time to radically rethink a system that costs billions of dollars each year, forces banks to snoop on their customers, and misallocates law enforcement resources. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294575 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:42:38 +0100 3294575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3287802&cid=t_101782_109_f&fid=34817&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshrinkwrapped.blogs.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2Fwhat-are-you-willing-to-die-for.html [Update at end] In post-religious, secularized Western countries, the answer to the title question tends to devolve to "nothing" beyond the self and its interests.  Western elites are fond of instructing their inferiors to sacrifice for their Utopian ideal of the moment but sacrificing one's life for the "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" for others is typically seen as the province of less well educated, less sophisticated, non-members of the elite.  America still has enough young people who value what this country has to offer that they are willing to put their lives on the line for us, but Europe has long since surrendered to the progressive forces of history and eschews self-defence of their ideals.   For Western elites, people who... ShrinkWrapped blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3287802 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:47:28 +0100 3287802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3272990&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=34808&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthebeautybrains.com%2F2010%2F02%2F15%2Fis-collagen-in-coffee-good-for-my-skin%2F Julie says…I don’t know if it’s available in the States, but in Malasia there’s is a coffee with collagen that supposedly has anti-aging effects. Is this product really good for my skin? The Left Brain responds: The product that Julie is referring to is the Nestlé’s “Nescafe Body 3-in-1 Coffee with Collagen.” According to what I read it is sold only in Singapore but Nestle has experimented previously with similar products in Japan. This is one of several new Nescafe products that promote “beauty from within.” But does it really work? Collagen quandary On one hand, there does appear to be some science behind this. According to at least one study (Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009 Apr 23;73(4):930-2. Epub 2009 Apr 7.) daily ingestion of c... thebeautybrains.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3272990 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:15:19 +0100 3272990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266913&cid=t_101782_88_f&fid=35612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheknifeman.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fits-not-falling-that-hurts.html It's the landing.Obviously.Apologies, dear readers, all 40 or so of you. I have fallen off the wagon of late, slipped the traices. Got lazy. Been betrayed by technology.Got behind.My continued mission to moan about feeling unwell culminated in me failing at all my tasks this month. I have run very little, if at all; I have succumbed to the evil tobacco weed, and I have gotten behind with this monstrosity.In my defence, I have been feeling increasingly unwell, a fact I am blaming on my anti-retroviral meds, which seem to produce a constant background of feeling shit; a sort of physiological equivalent of drizzle; I had lined some posts up for delayed publication, but that seems to have failed.But it's time to get back up again.Back up, stub out the butt, jog on and then write about it.Good ... The KnifeMan blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266913 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:05:00 +0100 3266913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3243765&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fbreastfeeding123%2Fmothers-who-lie%2F I’ll let you in on a little secret. All three of my children “slept through the night” at three months of age! For real! I’m not lying! Except, then they didn’t. Inevitably my 3-month-old would cut her first tooth, get a cold, or just plain decide it was nice to have her mama comfort her back to sleep in the night. So can I say in all honesty that my children slept through the night at three months of age? Not quite. Image courtesy of Lorenzo González I think a significant number of mothers are not completely honest about how things are going in their mothering journey. For some reason, mothers (and fathers too) sometimes feel a need to tell a tiny untruth/white lie/fibber about whether or not little Johnny eats much solid food, uses the potty, or sleeps thro... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3243765 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:21:09 +0100 3243765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3243897&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=38158&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drneedles.comhttp%3A%2F%2Famericanacupuncture.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fomega-3-perfect-anti-depression-brain.html Fish oil may be more beneficial than drugs in the treatment of mental disease and depression.  Sixty percent of your brain solid matter is composed of essential fatty acids that are a large portion of their communicating membranes of the brain.  Brain cells have omega-3 in every  cell membrane.  If they don’t function well, neither will your brain.Only 5% of those on fish oil went on to develop full-blown psychosis versus 28% of those who got psychotherapy alone.  As a medical physician for over 51 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects, and help your read betwwen the lines. You must come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupunc... Dr. Needles Medical Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3243897 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:36:00 +0100 3243897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3225001&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F01%2F31%2Fseroxat-and-the-myth-of-the-chemical-cure-dead-in-the-water%2F This study contributes to the extensive research that has helped to characterize the role of antidepressants,” which “are an important option, in addition to counseling and lifestyle changes, for treatment of depression.” A spokesperson for Pfizer, which makes Zoloft, also cited the “wealth of scientific evidence documenting [antidepressants'] effects,” adding that the fact that antidepressants “commonly fail to separate from placebo” is “a fact well known by the FDA, academia, and industry.” Other manufacturers pointed out that Kirsch and the JAMA authors had not studied their particular brands. Even Kirsch’s analysis, however, found that antidepressants are a little more effective than dummy pills—those 1.8 points on the depr... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3225001 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:49:44 +0100 3225001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3223303&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2Fsy2CXsrzvd4%2Fadvice_from_howard_zinn.php Howard Zinn is gone, now, but he left us plenty. Here is a short piece he wrote a little over ten years ago in Z Magazine (hat tip, SR). It's typical of his style: inspiring, humble, practical, especially in these times: On Getting Along Howard Zinn, March, 07 1999 You ask how I manage to stay involved and remain seemingly happy and adjusted to this awful world where the efforts of caring people pale in comparison to those who have power? It's easy. First, don't let "those who have power" intimidate you. No matter how much power they have they cannot prevent you from living your life, speaking your mind, thinking independently, having relationships with people as you like. (Read Emma Goldman's autobiography LIVING MY LIFE. Harassed, even imprisoned by authority, she insisted on living h... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3223303 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:01:51 +0100 3223303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3220536&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FsMyIVDq8ZYY%2Fhoward_zinn_1922_-2010.php Howard Zinn died on Wednesday. He was a colleague and more than an acquaintance but a friend, although not a close friend. I knew him for 40 years, although hadn't seen him recently, the last time was a few years ago when we shared a platform together. The auditorium was packed, not to see me but to see him and he was his usual feisty self. But it was a feistiness that was full of kindness and compassion. Just to be in his presence conveyed a strange kind of empowerment. He made you believe you could make a difference, even when it was crystal clear the one who was really making a difference was Howard Zinn. Howard's colleague at Boston University, the writer Caryl Rivers, said it best: "He was such a righteous man." Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3220536 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:52:27 +0100 3220536 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3201782&cid=t_101782_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Fattention-grocery-shoppers%2F “We have a special going on in our natural foods aisle, right now!  You can get your specialty questions answered by our very own over-educated scientist-grocery stocker!  That’s right, weekends and evenings only, over in our natural foods aisle!  And THANK YOU for shopping your local supermarket chain grocery!” Oh, boy. It’s one thing to be helping [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3201782 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:09:45 +0100 3201782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3185373&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FISfHFWcnp5c%2Fus_hungary_2010_1989_1956.php Martin Luther King's birthday is an official holiday in the US, but King's example of non-violent resistance is not a US idea. So once again we have decided this non-traditional version of We Shall Overcome is appropriate. I've heard and sung this in churches, union halls, in the streets and in concerts for four decades and it inspires wherever and whenever it is sung. This 1996 version features Diana Ross in full concert hall regalia, backed by a symphony orchestra. The venue is Budapest, Hungary and more than one member of the orchestra and the audience were undoubtedly thinking of their own history. A bloody uprising in 1956 was savagely put down by Soviet troops. It was the simple act of opening their border with Austria in 1989 that started the unraveling of the Soviet Union. One da... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3185373 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:08:18 +0100 3185373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3180409&cid=t_101782_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F6-types-of-gamblers%2F Gambling can become compulsive People in recovery may recognise one or more of these types of gambler. 1 – Professional gamblers make their living by gambling and thus consider it a profession. They are skilled in the games they choose to play and are able to control both the amount of money and time spent gambling. Thus, professional gamblers are not addicted to gambling. They patiently wait for the best bet and then try to win as much as they can. 2 – In contrast to professional gamblers, antisocial or personality gamblers use gambling as a way to get money by illegal means. They are likely to be involved in fixing horse or dog races, or playing with loaded dice or marked cards. They may attempt to use a compulsive gambling diagnosis as a legal defence. 3 – Casual socia... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3180409 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:27:59 +0100 3180409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3171886&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvfvMzQXF4Gg%2F By Jason KuznickiIn my Policy Analysis “Attack of the Utility Monsters,” I noted that U.S. talk radio host Michael Savage had been preemptively banned from entering the United Kingdom, for fear that he would incite hatred on arrival. I also noted that the ban had been rescinded — which, anyway, it appeared to have been at the time. Today I read that Savage’s travel ban is back on again. What had Savage done that was so terrible? I’m not exactly sure, but here are some things that he’s said: On homosexuality, he once said: “The gay and lesbian mafia wants our children. If it can win their souls and their minds, it knows their bodies will follow.” Another of his pet topics is autism, which he claims is a result of “brats” without fa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3171886 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:52:56 +0100 3171886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3157497&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F1fi7qunVfSc%2Fafghanistaniraqisraelpalestine_3.php My little ones now have little ones of their own, just barely out of their cradles. When this song was written, the prospect of global nuclear annihilation wasn't far fetched. Each side had massive overkill. There are still nuclear weapons so the threat isn't gone. But it's not a threat of nuclear winter. There are several reasons for this, including a world wide anti-nuclear movement. What would have happened had there been no opposition to nuclear weapons? I'm glad to say we'll never know. Unfortunately even without nuclear weapons the words of this song are still applicable to cradles rocking in Iraq or Afghanistan or Israel-Palestine. So there's still lots of work to do (hat tip reader C. Corax): Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3157497 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:51:16 +0100 3157497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3153392&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F31C2CYle4u4%2Fafghanistaniraqisraelpalestine_2.php When I was growing up "world music" didn't exist as a genre and didn't exist for me in any form. Now it's just a keystroke away. This is a different world for the younger generation, not just musically. Despite all the wars and the problems in the headlines, I think it's a better one. Chanda Mama is a folk tune from Chennai, India. Like a lot of music, it's also from Argentina and Lisbon and Toulouse and South Africa and on and on. Here it is from Playing for Change via musicians from four continents: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3153392 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:36:45 +0100 3153392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3149077&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FCsdPDrWJ_fM%2Fafghanistaniraqisraelpalestine.php If you don't share the sentiments, just enjoy the music. But why wouldn't you share the sentiments? Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3149077 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:02:50 +0100 3149077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3145998&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FBp3GWYmrGP4%2Fafghanistaniraqwest_bank_twelf.php Conscientious refusal to participate in acts which are immoral although legal is a world wide phenomenon. It isn't new. We don't hear about the brave souls in highly repressive countries that risk death or imprisonment, but they exist. We celebrate them when they resist regimes we don't like, as in Iran. But we have our own prisoners of conscience. We know more about the ones in freer societies and their voices also deserve to be heard. There are thousands in Israel. One group are the Shministim, "twelth graders": On April 28, 1970, a group of high school seniors about to be drafted sent a letter to Prime Minister Golda Meir expressing their reservation about the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the War of Attrition and the government's failure to take steps to avoid conflict. In 1... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3145998 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:14:58 +0100 3145998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3142585&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FDAmp8dyuBpo%2Fafghanistaniraq_looking_for_an.php I was also a conscientious objector, in another war. I couldn't in conscience claim the kind of religious grounds that young Joshua Casteel did, but I have to hand it to the kid. This is an amazing story: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3142585 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:54:04 +0100 3142585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139054&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2Fzcsm_KNAf_0%2Fafghanistan_be_a_sport.php Here's some forgotten history. Not ancient history, but nonetheless forgotten. Just a week over 30 years ago, the end of 1979, Afghanistan had a functioning government, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). The fact that it functioned, which now sounds remarkable, was not a good thing as far as the US was concerned because this was also a communist government allied to the Soviet Union (just over its border to the north). In the flight from reality known as The Cold War, the US wished the functioning government in Afghanistan would be toppled. Does the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for" come to mind? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139054 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:29:23 +0100 3139054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3137508&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FTMiYKnJtP-c%2Fafghanistan_war_is_kind.php We've had other wars besides Iraq and Afghanstan djinned up or whipped on by our "free press." Sometimes it's good to remember that "the power of the press" also meant the power of the person who owned the printing press. People like William Randoph Hearst, who had the power to make "the splendid little war" known as the Spanish American War. The same power also gave us The Philippines via Commodore Dewey's Battle of Manila Bay (referred to by a British historian as "more a military execution than a real contest"). The power that gave us domination over Cuba in the name of Cuban independence from Spain. The power that gave us our first war on soil not contiguous to our borders. That kind of "power of the press." The 5 month Spanish-American War took the lives of 345 American soldiers -- a... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3137508 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:33:49 +0100 3137508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3136570&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FdWtt7_9YSKo%2Fafghanistan_in_times_like_thes.php First day of a new year. First day of a new decade. It's dark out. So it's important to keep even a small light on in Times Like These: Lyrics for In Times Like These by Arlo Guthrie In times like these, when night surrounds me and I am weary, my heart is worn And the songs they're singing don't mean nothing, cheap refrains play on and on The storm is here, the lightning flashes, between commercials, they're taking names singers run to where the cash is, it's just another link in slavery's chain I see the storm clouds rise above me, the sky is dark and the night has come I walk alone along this highway, where strangers gather one by one When leaders profit from deep divisions; when the tears of friends remain unsung In times like these, it's good to remember, these times will go, in... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3136570 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 22:43:43 +0100 3136570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3135530&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FfvPQeA3Jl70%2Fafghanistan_perspective.php Last day of 2009, another year of war. A good time to step back and try for perspective. We'll let a young Nanci Griffith do it for us with this wonderful song by Julie Gold: Happy New Year to all our readers, whether near or from a distance. The Reveres, New Year's Eve, 2009 Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3135530 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:09:35 +0100 3135530 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3133612&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F3cXb0KhjP_0%2Fafghanistan_conscientious_obje.php When the US still had "mandatory" conscription for males it was still possible to claim exemption on the basis of a conscientious objection to war. While this usually required a religious basis and was almost impossible for doctors because of a supposed non-combattant role, we were still given full C.O. status as a doctor without a religious basis. The explanation for this legal certification is not relevant and it didn't happen without a protracted struggle which we had no reason to believe would turn out as it did. Its lack of relevance is because the end of the draft or the war did not end our status as a conscientious objector. We have objected -- publicly, conscientiously and strenuously -- to every US war and military misadventure since Vietnam and there have been quite a few: Grenad... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3133612 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:00:51 +0100 3133612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3129461&cid=t_101782_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F30%2Fjournal-of-public-health-2009-vol-31-no-4%2F This article looks at a longitudinal study which attempts to determine whether death and disability by the fifth decade are strongly associated with antisocial behaviour at an early age. (Print subscription held at Fade Library) Posted in Current Awareness, Journals Tagged: Anti-Social Behaviour, Ill Health, Life Expectancy, Premature Death (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3129461 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:39:02 +0100 3129461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3129514&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F4PMbaTVRqyk%2Fafghanistan_thumb_on_the_scale.php Some needs to edit this to add faces from the Obama administration to those from the Bush administration. Because lives are still in the balance and Obama has his thumb on the scale. Jackson Browne: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3129514 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:50:37 +0100 3129514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126625&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FUIQgal49jKQ%2Fafghanistan_one_bullet.php War can take and spoil lives in many ways. The killing doesn't stop when the war is over or a combat role is ended. This year again has seen record suicide rates for the US military, but one can assume the same is true for those fighting on the other side and for the millions of civilians caught up in it. This song by Canadian singer-songwriter Garnet Rogers is not about Afghanistan or Iraq or Vietnam. It could be about any war. And one bullet: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126625 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:28:38 +0100 3126625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3124552&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FB1xDAUqfFXE%2Fafghanistan_a_war_lost_before.php Nina Serbedzija is the actress daughter of Croatian Serb actor-musician Rade Serbedzija. She wrote and sings this poignant song. If any part of the world knows about cruel and pointless wars, it's the Balkans: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3124552 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:22:48 +0100 3124552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3123376&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FZDq4QIE1hp8%2Fafghanistan_red_poppies_and_gr.php Poppies grow in France, too. In fields that are now green but were once red with blood. And no one seems to know why. Two million died in vain. The Fureys and another moving Eric Bogle song: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3123376 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:24:11 +0100 3123376 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3122171&cid=t_101782_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2009%2F12%2Flack-of-torture-betrays-everything.html Progressive Nation » Blog Archive » Hoekstra Blames Obama For Fort Hood Massacre:"Hoekstra and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) charged that terror-fighting tools used until recently by the intelligence community had lately been restricted or placed off limits by the administration. “We know that there are tools and methods that were in use just a few months ago are not in use today,” said Rogers. “That is a problem.”The GOPers declined to say which tools they were referring to, or to produce any other evidence to back up their claim. Nonetheless, they blamed the Obama administration’s political philosophy. Rogers referred to the administration’s decisions to close Guantanamo and to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a civilian court as examples of the administration’s approach, before d... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3122171 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 05:35:00 +0100 3122171 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3122089&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F1V-c6xY4QUM%2Fafghanistan_from_no_mans_land.php Here's another wonderful song about the Christmas truce of 1914, this one by Mike Harding. What happened 95 years ago today shines down through the years. Let's transform Afghanistan from No Man's Land to Everyone's Land. Because but for some accident of birth any of us could be an Afghan or a soldier, fighting for who knows what. Just like No Man's Land, 1914: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3122089 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 22:06:10 +0100 3122089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3118890&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FCbB6t74HUHA%2Fafghanistan_both_ends_of_the_r.php A Christmas tradition in the Revere household is that I make Mrs. R. cry by playing this beautiful song by John McCutcheon about the Christmas truce of 1914. It's 2009 and bitter cold in the trenches of Afghanistan. The Reveres, Christmas Eve, 2009 Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3118890 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:13:33 +0100 3118890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3118892&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FzSasq9mbhZY%2Fafghanistan_we_shall_have_peac.php Afghanistan is out of the headlines but we have continued to signal the existence of this unnecessary war every day since Obama announced his attention to escalate and thus make the Afghan War Obama's War. Given the projections of how long it will take to satisfy whatever vague and ill-defined criteria of "success" needed to conclude our occupation, we would have to keep finding new YouTube clips for years. I'm not sure even YouTube has enough appropriate clips for that. The real truth is The Reveres are having a hard time -- a very, very hard time -- letting go of the topic of the War in Afghanistan. We continue posting daily to remind everyone it exists, headlines or no headlines, and we plan to keep at it at least through the end of the year and periodically thereafter. Maybe our tone ... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3118892 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:22:39 +0100 3118892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3115048&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fanti-cancer-drugs-to-be-put-in-junk-food%2F Would you eat junk food that had anti-cancer medications? Would you buy the stuff? How expensive would it be? Wouldn’t it be easier just to not eat it in the first place or would more people start eating junk food or increase their consumption because of the anti-cancer properties? All these questions – but with good reason. Because according to news reports, Health Canada is thinking about doing just that. If this was April 1, I’d be checking for an April Fool’s joke, for sure. This was first reported on December 15th, when news came out that Health Canada wanted to add nutrients to a wide variety of food, including junk food, such as chips and cookies (Health Canada weighs fortifying junk foods). Yesterday, a published news story elaborated on this a bit (Health C... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3115048 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:30:09 +0100 3115048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3115107&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FSwr1StKPxTM%2Fafghanistan_not_too_late.php As of yesterday it's winter, astronomically speaking. At the moment, it doesn't look like it's ushering in a Season of Peace. But it's not too late. A young Judy Collins on Pete Seeger's 1960s TV show with Pete's musical setting of Ecclesiastes with his added verse: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3115107 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:28:17 +0100 3115107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3111437&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FlCQ2oQi1x9c%2Fafghanistan_hollow_log_edition.php The public doesn't want this war. We who don't outnumber the ones that are going along with a bad decision. Whose land is it, anyway? Arlo Guthrie's dad, Woody, had the answer and penned a song you all know. But what's great about this performance is that when Arlo looked around him he realized his grand daughters had joined him on the stage with daughter Sarah Lee and her spouse Johnny and son Abe was on keyboard. Which prompted him to stop halfway through and tell a story he attributed to his dad: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3111437 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:44:01 +0100 3111437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3108331&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fwould-you-take-an-anti-aging-pill%2F It seems that getting old is the worse thing that can happen to some people. I mean, it must be if you think about all the money and effort that is spent in trying to maintain the appearance of youth. Personally, I think growing old is a great thing considering the alternative: not growing old at all because you’re dead. Seriously. I’m not shy about saying that I’m 48 years old. That means in a year and a half I’ll be 50 – a half a century. Wow, that sounds kind of shocking when you say it that way, but it is what it is, right? There’s a difference between wanting to look good and wanting to look like something you’re not. Looking good, looking healthy, is great. Looking like you’ve been to the plastic surgeon too many times, injected too man... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3108331 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:02:12 +0100 3108331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3108366&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FAKiD7NrNWWM%2Fafghanistan_there_is_a_road_to.php It's Christmas week and we are struggling not to let our despair and anger overcome us. For a while, anyway, the mood will be up beat. Not to make you forget but to make you remember that there's work to be done, the work of making this a better world for our families, friends and neighbors, for people we don't know but who aren't fundamentally different from us and for our children and grandchildren and their children and grandchildren and on and on. Pete Seeger: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3108366 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:54:18 +0100 3108366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3106734&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FPP-98_absqU%2Fafghanistan_hunger_strike.php This is not the first time we've done this poem by ee cummings. Alas. I guess it has to be done periodically. Because the steaming pile we are being asked to eat keeps mounting: i sing of Olaf glad and big i sing of Olaf glad and big whose warmest heart recoiled at war: a conscientious object-or his wellbelovéd colonel(trig westpointer most succinctly bred) took erring Olaf soon in hand; but--though an host of overjoyed noncoms(first knocking on the head him)do through icy waters roll that helplessness which others stroke with brushes recently employed anent this muddy toiletbowl, while kindred intellects evoke allegiance per blunt instruments-- Olaf(being to all intents a corpse and wanting any rag upon what God unto him gave) responds,without getting annoyed "I will not kis... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3106734 Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:19:13 +0100 3106734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3105037&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FucnfUTkVTeg%2Fafghanistan_a_soldier_keeps_on.php Tomas Young is a veteran in a wheel chair. He was shot in the spine by a sniper in Iraq. His story was featured in Phil Donahue's film, "Body of War," the story of Young's conversion from soldier to anti-Iraq war activist. You can see Young and others in the slides taken back stage at the Lollapalooza concert in Chicago, 2007. This is a tribute to Tomas Young by Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3105037 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:08:04 +0100 3105037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3100820&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FfL0_dX2NrLE%2Fafghanistan_asking_for_more_tr.php While the Obama administration makes its choices, ordinary people in the rest of the world don't want more trouble: (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3100820 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:05:16 +0100 3100820 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096790&cid=t_101782_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F17%2Fguidance-on-the-consumption-of-alcohol-by-children-and-young-people-a-report-by-the-chief-medical-officer%2F Title: Guidance on the consumption of alcohol by children and young people Skinny: Over the last decade, public concern about the impact of alcohol on health and society has steadily mounted. Particular concern has centred on the level and pattern of drinking among children and young people and its consequences on health, crime, violence and antisocial behaviour. Built on the work of Professor Mark Bellis at Liverpool John Moores University this guidance details: Nature and extent of the problem provides an overview of drinking patterns and some of their consequences in young people in the UK. Guidance for the consumption of alcohol by children and young people presents each guideline followed by the rationale, the underpinning scientific evidence and implications. Reviews current policy,... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096790 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:30:57 +0100 3096790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3178780&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2Flondon-news-220307_NEW.wmv This article was meant to celebrate their collective efforts and to celebrate the fact that those efforts are beginning to percolate upwards to influence the powers that be. It seems invidious to pick on one example, but if you want an example of beautiful and trenchant writing on one of the topics dealt with here, you’d be better off reading Andrew Lewis’s piece "Meddling Princes, Medical Regulation and Licenses to Kill” than anything in a print journal. I was a bit disappointed by removal of the comment about the Prince of Wales.  In fact I’m not particularly republican compared with many of my friends.  The royal family is clearly good for the tourist industry and that’s important.  Since Mrs Thatcher (and her successors) destroyed larg... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3178780 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:01:58 +0100 3178780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096864&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2507 This article was meant to celebrate their collective efforts and to celebrate the fact that those efforts are beginning to percolate upwards to influence the powers that be. It seems invidious to pick on one example, but if you want an example of beautiful and trenchant writing on one of the topics dealt with here, you’d be better off reading Andrew Lewis’s piece "Meddling Princes, Medical Regulation and Licenses to Kill” than anything in a print journal. I was a bit disappointed by removal of the comment about the Prince of Wales.  In fact I’m not particularly republican compared with many of my friends.  The royal family is clearly good for the tourist industry and that’s important.  Since Mrs Thatcher (and her successors) destroyed larg... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096864 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:01:58 +0100 3096864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096876&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FenbH35OR6Zc%2Fafghanistan_obamas_legacy.php The truth of this is disheartening. But truth often is: Hat tip reader Erin. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096876 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:37:04 +0100 3096876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092711&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FegQKRJMGQ1g%2Fafghanistan_falklands_edition.php A reminder that many nations fight stupid wars. Remember the Falklands? Mark Knopfler's version of the Dire Straits song, Brothers in Arms. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092711 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:00:52 +0100 3092711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089307&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FPsnQr8WsAg0%2Fafghanistan_john_browns_body_i.php Bob Dylan recorded this in 1962 but it wasn't released until decades later. By then there were many more John Browns. And we are producing them in quantity in Afghanistan. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089307 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:45:40 +0100 3089307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3084796&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F9uJD854eZZ0%2Fafghanistan_hope_and_necessity.php Obama's election opened Pandora's Box and one of the things that flew out was Hope. No good change comes without Hope as one of its wellsprings. There is much justified anger at Obama's War on Afghanistan. You've seen it here and you'll see more of it as the Afghanistan debacle continues to take and spoil lives and sap our strength as a people. But Hope remains a necessary ingredient for those of us who oppose this war. We know it will draw cynical comments from those who see it as pie-in-the-sky utopianism (although pie-in-the-sky pushed by religion or politicians is OK?). Cynicism for them is just "realism," not the product of a successful manipulation by those who want us to think nothing can be done. The older I get the less cynical I am. Looking around me I see not just suicide bomb... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3084796 Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:20:41 +0100 3084796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3083050&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FmgCX5kaOfkk%2Fafghanistan_spoiled_lives.php I usually choose music clips featuring the performer and the song. I prefer live performances. I don't like videos with graphic or powerful images because they often distract from the music and I am powerfully affected by the music itself. But this is an exception in two ways. First, this is contemporary music, a 2009 Dash Berlin remix video of the still extant 1980s alternative band, Depeche Mode; and this time it is the powerful video that takes center stage, not the music. Long after there is peace on the battlefield the war will go on in the lives of its victims, on both sides. This hit single is called Peace but it is about anything but: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3083050 Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:07:39 +0100 3083050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079357&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2Fj9mY9ARiCx8%2Fafghanistan_novel_peace_prize.php President Obama made his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech yesterday. Full of irony, thoughtful, analytic, nuanced, humble. So much more elegant than George Bush could ever hope to do. Other than that, same bottom line, only now it's the Obama Doctrine, dressed up. I'm not buying it. I'm as angry as ever. I'm not ready to make nice: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079357 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:39:08 +0100 3079357 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079359&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F1qO2pohQyKo%2Fafghanistan_making_it_back_is.php We're saving lives on the battlefield. Lives that would have been lost in previous wars. That's good. War takes too many lives. But there are ways to take lives that don't involve killing someone. And we're taking a lot of lives that way, many more than before. Here's Liam Clancy with the great song by Australian singer-song writer Eric Bogle: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079359 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:10:27 +0100 3079359 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3075519&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FKxWSapkbiSU%2Fafghanistan_when_a_soldier_mak.php We're talking about sending 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan. We're not talking about the ones that are coming home. I used to work for the VA. There's lots to talk about. Let's start now: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3075519 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:34:28 +0100 3075519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071178&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FI9YEcGhO9TM%2Fafghanistan_something_for_the.php Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, testified in Congress yesterday. Not surprisingly he said what Generals always say: "we" can win. Back in 1963 Pete Seeger gave a concert in Melbourne, Australia. If you never saw him in concert, this is what he was always like. The Australians are hesitant at first, unlike typical American audiences, so the pay-off doesn't come until near the end (around 7:07), where Pete asks, wouldn't it be great if all the Generals around the world could be there to hear them sing this song. The response is immediate and spontaneous. That's what most people around the world think. Generals aren't most people and neither are the ones who listen to them. But if you aren't a General or a politician, you can be there to listen to Pete. Most ... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071178 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:08:18 +0100 3071178 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071160&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2485 Conclusion 62 It is for these reasons that we uphold the Decision Notice. We record our gratitude for the helpful and succinct submissions of counsel on both sides and the incisive contribution of Professor Colquhoun. We wish to add that, whilst we have not accepted the great majority of the arguments advanced by UCLAN, we do not in any way seek to cast doubt on the veracity of the evidence of its witnesses, nor the honesty and loyalty with which they have sought to serve its interests. 63 Our decision is unanimous. Signed David Farrar Q.C.   Watch this space to see what can now be revealed. Follow-up (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071160 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:34:49 +0100 3071160 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067309&cid=t_101782_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FjkE1LbjFkyo%2F Still more controversy over this group of medications. A new study suggests that patients with bipolar disorder who take these anti-epileptic drugs do not have an increased risk of committing suicide, despite FDA warnings to the contrary (back story here). Bipolar patients treated with antiepileptics attempted suicide at the same rate as patients who received no medication or lithium. The rate of suicide attempts was higher before patients began taking the meds than afterwards, according to the study in the Archives of General Psychiatry (see abstract). And compared with patients taking no drugs, those on a single antiepileptic had a reduced risk of suicide attempts. The study, which analyzed records collected between 2000 and 2006 on 47,918 bipolar patients from the PharMetrics Patient Ce... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067309 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:34:00 +0100 3067309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067058&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FhqisMMeXa1I%2Fafghanistan_wann_wird_man_je_v.php The only flowers growing in Afghanistan seem to be poppies. When will we ever learn? Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067058 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:41:58 +0100 3067058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3063270&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FHRtuAKHoJTk%2Fafghanistan_im_marching_any_mo.php Yesterday we were all Universal Soldiers. Today this one's not marching any more. Phil Ochs: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3063270 Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:10:09 +0100 3063270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3061413&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FzPT7Ir_5rzw%2Fobamas_afghanistan_policy_not.php . . . we put an end to war: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3061413 Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:00:28 +0100 3061413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3059736&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FvWwJTVXysjE%2Fdreams_i_wish_my_president_had.php Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3059736 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:10:17 +0100 3059736 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056655&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FhjbeE4JtGks%2Fwhat_obamas_afghanistan_policy.php Not the first time for this one. But some things have to be done again: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056655 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:39:26 +0100 3056655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056584&cid=t_101782_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F03%2Fnew-england-journal-of-medicine-2009-vol-361-no-22%2F This article provides a review of thiazide diuretics which were introduced in the late 1950s as the first effective oral antihypertensive agent with acceptable side-effects. This article focuses on the diuretics most often indicated for long-term therapy of hypertension. (Print subscription held at Fade Library) Posted in Journals Tagged: Anti Hypertensive Agents, Diuretics, Hypertension (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056584 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:47:43 +0100 3056584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052155&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FzBuXdnvII8Q%2F10_reasons_to_oppose_the_escal.php From a reader in Western Massachusetts: 10 Reasons to Oppose the Escalation of War in Afghanistan Human cost of war: Soldier and civilian deaths and injuries have been escalating each year since 2001. Nearly 1000 U.S. soldiers have been killed while 32,000 Afghan civilians have died as a result of the war. Economic cost of war: Each soldier in Afghanistan costs U.S. taxpayers $1 million per year. Private military contractors, known to de-fraud the Pentagon, exceed the number of soldiers in the war. No matter the war’s outcome, the defense industry wins with windfall profits. U.S. economy in recession: We have reached 10.2 % unemployment, with many more who are underemployed or given up job hunting, accompanied by large cuts in human and social services. Put to peacetime uses, th... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052155 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:51:13 +0100 3052155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048124&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FMdcpfmkGx50%2Fand_the_big_fool_says_to_push.php What else is there to say? Lyndon Johnson may have done a powerful amount of good for civil rights but his legacy went down the Vietnam toilet. He was a big fool who listened to the wrong people, people who told him to push on. Barack Obama seems to be another Big Fool: Pete Seeger, singing on CBS television, 1968. Afghanistan, 41 years later. Stuck in Afghani quicksand: But every time I read the papers, that old feeling comes on, We're waist deep in the Big Muddy And the big fool says to push on. Waist deep in the Big Muddy, The big fool says to push on. Waist deep in the Big Muddy, The big fool says to push on. Waist deep, neck deep, Soon even a tall man will be over his head. We're waist deep in the Big Muddy, And the big fool says to push on. Read the comments on this post... (So... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048124 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:34:06 +0100 3048124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044685&cid=t_101782_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F01%2Fgovernment-response-to-professor-sube-banerjee%25e2%2580%2599s-report-on-the-prescribing-of-anti-psychotic-drugs-to-people-with-dementia%2F Title: Government response to Professor Sube Banerjee’s report on the prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs to people with dementia Skinny: Government response to Professor Sube Bannerjee’s independent clinical review of the use of anti-psychotic drugs.  This was conducted in recognition of widespread concern about the over-prescription of anti-psychotic drugs, and as part of the priority being given to improving care for people with dementia. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 2p. Published: 12/11/2009 Posted in Alzheimers Disease, Dementia, Grey Literature, NHS Tagged: Alzheimers Disease, Anti-Psychotics, Dementia, Drug Therapy, Ethics, Grey Literature (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044685 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:40:20 +0100 3044685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044686&cid=t_101782_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F01%2Fthe-use-of-antipsychotic-medication-for-people-with-dementia-time-for-action-a-report-for-the-minister-of-state-for-care-services%2F Title: The use of antipsychotic medication for people with dementia: Time for action. A report for the Minister of State for Care Services Skinny: Clinical review of the use of anti-psychotic drugs conducted in recognition of widespread concern about the over-prescription of anti-psychotic drugs, and as part of the priority being given to improving care for people with dementia. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 63p. Published: 12/11/2009 Posted in Alzheimers Disease, Dementia, Grey Literature, Older People Tagged: Alzheimers Disease, Anti-Psychotics, Drug Therapy, Ethics, Grey Literature (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044686 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:35:36 +0100 3044686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3030064&cid=t_101782_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2009%2F11%2F26%2Fan-ungifters-guide-to-black-friday%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up: Before you haul yourself to the shopping mall for the American ritual known as Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, when retail merchants leap out of the red ink and into the black), consider giving yourself a little holiday gift I’m not saying that just because of the recession. Or because in 1989 I ventured on to the Houston freeway system on the day after Thanksgiving and developed a traffic phobia that persists to this day. Gifts can hurt… Read the rest on AOL. An Ungifter’s Guide to Black Friday. Posted in Politics Daily Tagged: anti-clutter, black friday, clutter, consumerism, gift guide, green gifts, shopping, ungift (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3030064 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:00:23 +0100 3030064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023209&cid=t_101782_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2Fw2HZ76KW_zo%2F Before the headlines hit about the dangers of using Vioxx (rofecoxib), researchers were already aware, say news reports. Vioxx, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), was made by Merck & Co. Inc., and introduced to the American market in 1999. The company then voluntarily pulled the drug from the market in September 2004, after there were multiple reports of increased risk of heart attack and stroke associated with long-term, high-dose use. Six investigators from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine analyzed 30 randomized placebo-controlled trials involving Vioxx  and 20,152 individuals. They published their findings in the November 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. What the researchers found is disturbing: Their analysis showed that safety concerns arose almost four years ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023209 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:06:19 +0100 3023209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3018981&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fjqj3fu3L4ME%2F On the weekend that next year’s Rhodes Scholars are announced, Elliot Gerson, American secretary of the Rhodes Trust and executive vice president of the Aspen Institute, writes in the Washington Post that he is greatly disappointed that a few Rhodes Scholars have gone into business. Yes, you read that right. He’s disappointed that even a few Rhodes Scholars have chosen to go into business: For more than a century Rhodes scholars have left Oxford with virtually any job available to them. For much of this time, they have overwhelmingly chosen paths in scholarship, teaching, writing, medicine, scientific research, law, the military and public service. They have reached the highest levels in virtually all fields. In the 1980s, however, the pattern of career choices began to change.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3018981 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:40:56 +0100 3018981 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2996030&cid=t_101782_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FOTg57n6wDk0%2F Welcome to the working week, although for some, the routine got under way last night, when an embargo was broken on the release of the Arbiter study (our post is just above this one). In any event, a new day of deadlines and meetings beckons, so on with the show. Grab a cup of something stimulating and dig in. Have a nice one… UK Tries To Improve Manufacturing Efficiency (PharmaTimes) Glaxo And Nabi Ink Deal For Anti-Smoking Vaccine (Associated Press) Bristol-Myers To Split Off Mead Johnson (Associated Press) Boehringer’s Sex Pill Boosted Female Libidos (Bloomberg News) Glenmark And Medicis Strike Licensing Pact (The Wall Street Journal) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2996030 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:08:20 +0100 2996030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2996010&cid=t_101782_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Funcnews.unc.edu%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2F2008%2Fdrugslist.pdf Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for adults sixty-five and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don’t—perhaps two to three times greater. -- Susan Blalock, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.....Bob DeMarco Alzheimer's Reading Room Editor I am always worried that my mother might fall and injure herself -- or worse. Research studies indicate that falling is a leading cause of injury deaths for people 65 and older -- see Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview. More than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year in the United States Twenty percent to 30% of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries such as bruises, hip fractures, or head traumas. Men are more likel... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2996010 Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:37:51 +0100 2996010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2989388&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F13%2Fcharles-chuck-nemeroff-lands-on-his-feet%2F Chuck Nemeroff, the controversial former Emory University psychiatry department chair, has been named chair of the psychiatry department at the University of Miami School of Medicine – has the man got no shame? It was only October last year that Chuck was forced to resign from Brown University. Phil Dawdy at Furious Seasons summed it up like this: A few of you have probably already caught the news elsewhere: yesterday, Charles Nemeroff resigned as chair of the psychiatry department at Emory University. The move came on the heels of revelations that he’d taken in $2.8 million in pharma consulting monies since 2000, but had only reported less than half of that–all while taking NIH research grants on the other hand and assuring his university that he was taking in less than $10,000 ... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2989388 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:56:20 +0100 2989388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981097&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FN21Jljv2IYg%2Farmistice_day_2009_bring_em_ho.php This is an exact repeat of a post one year ago today. Except for this preamble about how disgusted we are that we have to repeat it: The Reveres, November 11, 2009, year six of the War in Iraq and year eight of the War in Afghanistan Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981097 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:48 +0100 2981097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977409&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fgeneral-health%2Fseafood-selection-and-your-health In recent years, the fear of too much mercury from fish has been instilled in us. Pregnant mothers and children are urged to limit their tuna consumption, and there are always new reports on which fish are safe to eat and which are not. The Environmental Defense Fund has a very handy seafood selector on its website (http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1521) that lists the safest and most harmful fish, sushi choices, health guides, and even printable pocket guides. According to the EDF, the safest foods are pink shrimp from Oregon, wild Alaskan salmon, and farmed rainbow trout. The worst offenders are Chilean sea bass and various kinds of tuna. The truth is, and this is usually the easiest method to use, is that the smaller the type of fish, the less amount of mercury it contains. Do not thi... Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977409 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:48:09 +0100 2977409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2962867&cid=t_101782_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2009%2F11%2Fanaerobic-parasitic-protozoa.html Anaerobic parasitic protozoa cause medically and economically important diseases such as dysentery, sexually transmitted infections, and gastroenteritis that affect millions of people worldwide annually. Recently the genomes of the three key anaerobic protozoa, Trichomonas, Giardia and Entamoeba, have been determined. The availability of these genomic data and the use of post-genomic analyses have provided fascinating new insights into the biology of these important parasites. They will be important for the design of novel anti-protozoan drugs and the development of effective vaccines.from Anaerobic Parasitic Protozoa: Genomics and Molecular BiologyFurther reading:Anaerobic Parasitic ProtozoaAcanthamoeba: Biology and PathogenesisLeishmania: After The GenomeFull range of books on microbiolo... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2962867 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:29:00 +0100 2962867 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2958964&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=34808&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthebeautybrains.com%2F2009%2F11%2F04%2Fsilk-pillow-cases-do-not-make-you-a-sleeping-beauty%2F The Left Brain updates: I created quite a stir in the world of silk pillow cases last year when I tried to answer the question “Are Silk Pillow Cases Good For Your Skin? (Follow the link for the original post and all the entertaining comments.) Silk from a sow’s ear? According to the ASA (the UK organization that enforces British advertising laws) it looks like I was right.  Cosmeticsdesign reports that they have ruled that Direct Beauty Products have not adequately supported their advertising claims that their silk pillow cases have anti-aging properties.  A key issue was the lack of support for minimizing wrinkles. In this particular ad, the company even went so far as to imply that cotton and polyester pillow cases are a major cause of aging, second only to sun damage! Des... thebeautybrains.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2958964 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:01:55 +0100 2958964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2948469&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F01%2Ftimothy-dinan-lundbeck-and-drug-marketing%2F I wonder how much money Timothy Dinan has been by paid by Lundbeck in the past 10 years? Currently Tim is a Faculty member of the ‘The Lundbeck Institute’. On the payroll of any other pharma companies, Tim? Conflict of interest Tim?     (Source: seroxat secrets...) seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2948469 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:57:24 +0100 2948469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2948470&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F01%2Fhow-can-the-great-and-the-good-of-irish-psychiatry-get-it-so-wrong%2F In a letter to the Irish Times, the ‘great and the good’ [my irony] of Irish psychiatry wade in to the Shane Clancy case (detail here) to sort out a few misunderstandings for us mere mortals (and Dr Michael Corry) who they think know nothing… “…A controversial statement has been made … namely that antidepressants cause homicide, which we wish to rebut…” “…There is no scientific evidence whatsoever that antidepressants cause homicide…” “…the erroneous belief that antidepressants induce aggression and homicide…” “…those with severe depressive illness, who need antidepressants for continuing wellbeing…” So say Prof PATRICIA CASEY, Prof TIMOTHY DINAN, Prof MICHAEL GILL, TCD, ... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2948470 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:17:47 +0100 2948470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2948310&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaGEQk6reCIA%2F Almost two months ago I quoted a Washington Post op-ed that said that this fall’s gubernatorial race in Virginia would depend on the all-important independent voters — the disproportionately moderate, young, prosperous, suburban and libertarian-leaning people who typically decide Virginia contests. It looks like Frank B. Atkinson, a high-powered Richmond lawyer who served in the Ronald Reagan and George Allen administrations and has written two books on Virginia politics, knew what he was talking about. At least on my television here in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., the race has been dominated by two kinds of ads: Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds tells us over and over again that his Republican opponent Bob McDonnell is a reactionary social conservative. McDonnell counters ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2948310 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:06:03 +0100 2948310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2946894&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FC_VLTl-IxaA%2F Everybody reads the Federalist Papers. (I hope!) Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, they are generally regarded as the most profound collection of political theory ever written in America. And since they deeply inform our understanding of our fundamental law, they are essential to understanding the American version of limited, constitutional government. But the ratification of the Constitution was a close thing in 1787–89, and the Anti-Federalists (who said that actually they were the federalists, while their opponents were nationalists) also had some insightful things to say about liberty and limited government. Now the invaluable Liberty Fund has made available a collection of anti-federalist writings, The Anti-Federalist Writings of the Melancton Smith Circle... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2946894 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:38:00 +0100 2946894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923458&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F24%2Fbleak-britain-anti-depressant-prescriptions-soar-even-though-illness-declines%2F How can this be? I’d say there are two main reasons: In the UK (and most countries) the Government is happy to buy huge amounts of expensive drugs from big pharma and by prescribing them, at least something is being seen to be done – boxes can be ticked, ‘treatment’ targets delivered. The problem is that there is no money left to employ counsellors – research by five mental health charities found depressed patients were having wait for six to 18 months to get an appointment with an NHS counsellor… and this against a background of previous studies that have shown psychological therapies can be as effective as drugs in tackling mental health problems, and may work better in the long term. In fact, many GPs admit prescribing antidepressant medications to pa... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923458 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:15:26 +0100 2923458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923499&cid=t_101782_167_f&fid=37833&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnutrition.edublogs.org%2F2009%2F10%2F23%2Ftwin-study-offers-some-tips-on-aging%2F In this study, divorce and antidepressant use associated with a significantly older appearance. Interestingly in twins who were less than 40 years old, the heavier twin was perceived as being older, while in those groups over 40 years old, the heavier twin appeared younger. Watch the video clip (after the ad) from the LA Station about this new study, factors such as smoking, sun exposure, stress and dieting play a role in the aging process. Factors affecting Aging: Divorce Stress Sun Exposure Smoking Alcohol use Weight Gain – varies depending on the age You can watch another report from ABC news at their website. Resources Salamone G. October 2009. Study of identical twins reveals how habits like smoking and tanning can dramatically age skin. NY Daily News. Cloud J. February 2009.... Nutrition and Wellness Biology 50 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923499 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:09:49 +0100 2923499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916072&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fbreastfeeding123%2Falert-the-media%2F Okay, fine, it’s not exactly media-worthy, but it is Big News in our house. News worthy of Capital Letters. You see, my husband has been able to settle my 15-month-old back to sleep THREE TIMES over the last several nights! Image by Sanja Gjenero My husband is a great father and very good with the kids, so it should not be quite so newsworthy, except my other daughters refused to be settled back to sleep by anyone other than me (and my mum-mums) until they were over two-and-a-half years old! So the fact that my husband was able to settle our third daughter at the tender age of 15 months is amazing and gratefully received. Not just once, not even twice, but THREE times, which means it is not a Fluke and might actually be Repeatable. Clearly I am giddy with the additional sleep I recei... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916072 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:51:02 +0100 2916072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2908873&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F19%2Fdr-michael-corry-needs-our-support%2F This story is beyond belief…here it is in brief: Shane Clancy is a young guy who stabbed 2 people and murdered another, then stabbed himself to death in a frenzied attack recently in Ireland, his parents blame the SSRI he was taking at the time for his behavior and there has been huge media interest in the story in Ireland. Dr Michael Corry said live on TV that it was likely the SSRI that made Shane Clancy go on the violent rampage. Now it seems that an unnamed ’senior psychiatrist’ has made a ridiculous complaint against Dr Corry: THE Medical Council in Ireland is investigating a complaint regarding psychiatrist Dr Michael Corry’s “competence to practice” following comments he made to the Sunday Tribune about the role of anti-depressants in a murder-sui... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2908873 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:18:18 +0100 2908873 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2899195&cid=t_101782_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FGN9FEoBzm4k%2F There’s got to be an easier way to kick the habit. Cytos Biotechnology’s anti-smoking vaccine missed its main target in a mid-stage study, making it highly unlikely the product will reach the market, Reuters reports. The vaccine aims to help smokers kick the habit by preventing nicotine from entering the brain, depriving them of the satisfaction many associate with smoking, the news service notes. But the vaccine failed to show a statistically significant difference in continuous abstinence from smoking determined from weeks eight to 12 after start of treatment, compared with a placebo. As a result, the Swiss company will now probably miss a milestone payment from Novartis, its partner, and analysts say Cytos will struggle to finance itself and pay debt. Novartis, which bought ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2899195 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:40:10 +0100 2899195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898911&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fbreastfeeding123%2Fwhat-would-you-do-re-spanking%2F Tell me what you would do in this situation. It’s not breastfeeding-related but it falls under the parenting/mothering/discipline topics we talk about here sometimes. Let me set the scene: You are at the zoo with your child(ren). You enter the ladies’ room and watch as another mother hustles into a stall. Photo by Sergio Roberto Bichara Then you hear the mother furiously whispering to her child, “Hold on! Stay still! Be patient! Stop it!” and other things along those lines. You’re not sure what is going on there — perhaps the child is resisting a diaper change; perhaps the child is running wild around the stall. You are not exactly sure how old the child is, but he is not very verbal. At any rate it is clear the mother is getting more and more frustrated... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898911 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:12:04 +0100 2898911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2894759&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F14%2Fseroxat-paxil-to-blame-for-babys-heart-defects-american-jury-rules%2F This from Sarah Boseley at the Guardian: A family has been awarded $2.5m (£1.6m) in damages after a jury in Philadelphia decided that the British-made antidepressant Seroxat was responsible for their three-year-old son’s heart defects. GlaxoSmithKline, the British manufacturer of Seroxat, known as Paxil in the US, said it would appeal against the verdict. Although drug regulators in the US and UK warned in 2005 that Seroxat could be linked to heart defects, GSK does not accept its drug is the cause. Thousands of women worldwide have taken antidepressants such as Seroxat in pregnancy, assured by manufacturers and doctors that they are safe. The case is one of a number in the US and the first to end in a verdict against the company. Michelle David, 24, was prescribed Paxil in the US a... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2894759 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:40:57 +0100 2894759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890648&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2329 Two weeks left to stop the Department of Health making a fool of itself. Email your response to tne Pittilo consultation to this email address HRDListening@dh.gsi.gov.uk I’ve had permission to post a submission that has been sent to the Pittilo consultation. The whole document can be downloaded here. I have removed the name of the author. It is written by the person who has made some excellent contributions to this blog under the pseudonym "Allo V Psycho". The document is a model of clarity, and it ends with constructive suggestions for forms of regulation that will, unlike the Pittilo proposals, really protect patients Here is the summary. The full document explains each point in detail. Executive Summary Statutory regulation lends prestige, but needs to be balanced ... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890648 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:37:04 +0100 2890648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886205&cid=t_101782_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2009%2F10%2Finfluenza-polymerase.html The influenza virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is a heterotrimeric complex (PA, PB1 and PB2) with multiple enzymatic activities for catalyzing viral RNA transcription and replication. Its critical roles in the influenza virus life cycle and high sequence conservation suggest it should be a major target for therapeutic intervention. However, until very recently, functional studies and drug discovery targeting the influenza polymerase have been hampered by the lack of three-dimensional structural information. The influenza polymerase holds prospects for the development of anti-influenza therapeutics.Further reading: Influenza: Molecular VirologyFull range of books on microbiology at Microbiology Books (Source: Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists.) Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886205 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:48:00 +0100 2886205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886207&cid=t_101782_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2009%2F10%2Finfluenza-m2-channel.html Viral ion channels have minimalist architecture. Despite their relatively simple structure, viral channels can achieve highly specific gating and selection of ions, and the particular mechanisms appear to be different from those of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The unique structural and functional properties of viral channels make them ideal targets for antiviral therapy because the molecules that inhibit viral ion channels may not interact with human ion channels. The M2 proton channel of influenza A virus is a model viral ion channel. This small channel, whose pore is formed by four equivalent transmembrane helices, is the target of two widely used anti-influenza A drugs, amantadine and rimantadine, both belonging to the adamantane class of compounds. However, resistance of influenza A to ... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886207 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:42:00 +0100 2886207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2882995&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fnemeroff-seroquel-and-accme.html Roy Poses has discussed the atypical antipsychotic drug Seroquel (quetiapine) several times on this site, pointing out manipulation of clinical research results to enhance the appearance of efficacy, and suppression of studies with unfavorable results. I call this augmenting the marketed profile of the drug. Daniel Carlat has commented on published Seroquel data here and ClinPsych here.AstraZeneca, the marketer of Seroquel, has also been busy with continuing medical education (CME) programs that augment Seroquel’s profile. Last December 8, one such program went on line, aired by the provider CME Outfitters. The program’s title was “Atypical Antipsychotics in Major Depressive Disorder: When Current Treatments Are Not Enough.” The corporate logo for CME Outfitters is Education with I... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2882995 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:32:00 +0100 2882995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2868675&cid=t_101782_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2009%2F10%2Frnai-to-treat-chronic-hepatitis-b-virus.html Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) occurs in approximately 6% of the world's population and carriers of the virus are at risk for complicating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis. Although effective vaccination is available, it is prophylactic and of little use to individuals who are already infected with the virus. Furthermore, current treatment options have limited efficacy and chronic HBV infection is likely to be a significant global medical problem for many years to come. Silencing HBV gene expression by harnessing RNA interference (RNAi) presents an attractive option for development of novel and effective anti HBV agents. Numerous studies have reported highly successful suppression of viral replication, which bodes well for employing this approach to counter ... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2868675 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:27:00 +0100 2868675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862078&cid=t_101782_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2009%2F10%2Fhtlv-and-hiv.html For many years, retroviruses were known to be the cause of many kinds of animal leukemias and hematopoietic tumors. In spite of the high expectation that this would also be true for humans, very little evidence for retroviral involvement in any human diseases was forthcoming. In the late 1970s, however, due to the development of sensitive and specific molecular methods to identify retroviruses and to produce large scale cultures of T lymphocytes, HTLV-I was discovered and implicated as the cause of adult T cell leukemia, a particular and relatively infrequent leukemia prevalent in southern Japan and parts of the Caribbean, and tropical spastic paraparesis, a demyelinating neuropathy similar to multiple sclerosis. The discovery that HTLV-I can be transmitted by breast milk has led to a sign... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862078 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:36:00 +0100 2862078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2852035&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F01%2Ffarewell-prozac%2F Here’s a new blog which I hope you may find interesting – it’s an ongoing account of a writer (Anton Vowl) who’s recently taken his last hit of Prozac and walked away from medicating depression after six years of Lexapro, Celexa, Cymbalta and Prozac (thanks to Phil Dawdy for alerting me). Farewell Prozac is very well written and I look forward to following Anton’s journey and wish him all the very best (Source: seroxat secrets...) seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2852035 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:46:49 +0100 2852035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2824171&cid=t_101782_109_f&fid=34817&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshrinkwrapped.blogs.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2Fisrael-existential-threats-and-the-future-of-war.html If aliens from Alpha Centauri were monitoring our airwaves over the last 40 years they would have concluded that Israel is the center of the world.  The disproportionate attention to Israel stems from a large confluence of themes, including the historical contribution of the Jews to civilization (Jews will never be forgiven for bringing guilt into the world), the genocidal hatred of their neighbors (who control the oil upon which the world's economy depends), the Middle East as a fulcrum during the Cold War, and a host of other issues too numerous to mention (and impossible to completely convey.)  The UN, where totalitarian despots get together to berate democracies for their imperfections, focuses on Israel to the exclusion of almost all other conflicts around ... ShrinkWrapped blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2824171 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:34:35 +0100 2824171 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820290&cid=t_101782_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2Fgenerics_versus_brands_are_they_really_the_same.php This is a topic that gets scant attention leaving the consuming public largely in the dark. Even though I work in the field, I've not hear this information except from my own reading. Fortunately, SSRIs are not as susceptible to problems crossing from brands to generics or between generics. But buproprion in other forms may not be as good as Wellbutrin. Image via WikipediaMedical News Antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs have become blockbusters for the firms that developed them, making them hot markets for generic competition. Moreover, the effectiveness of these drugs is measured in the same way as anticonvulsants -- either they work or they don't. Consequently, psychiatry is another specialty that has had to think about how to handle the variability in potency among generics. Mich... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820290 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:53:11 +0100 2820290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2814387&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fbreastfeeding123%2Fbabys-13-month-sleep-regression%2F Now I have no idea whether there is such an “official” thing as a “13-month sleep regression” — a general tendency for babies to wake more frequently at night when they turn about 13 months old, but I am too tired to look into it. My toddler just turned 14 months old and the last month has been a challenge in the (lack of) sleep department. I noticed other mothers mentioning that their toddlers were night-waking more often too, and I am not surprised. There must be a few different factors playing into it. My toddler at almost 14 months In my case I think my toddler is so excited about everything around her that she forgets to ask to nurse as much during the day and she makes up for it at night. A growth spurt and illnesses and teething likely come into play n... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2814387 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:09:43 +0100 2814387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796496&cid=t_101782_109_f&fid=34817&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshrinkwrapped.blogs.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2Fapes-and-angels.html In January I offered my take on The 10,000 Year Explosion and called it a most A Most Dangerous Book.  I suggested that Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending had fired an early salvo in a battle that is going to reshape or destroy our culture, and probably our world, in the next 20-30 years (the time frame is mine.)   The book does not aim to solve the "Nature vs Nurture" conundrum but presents evidence from the field of population genetics to support their theory that, contrary to conventional wisdom in evolution and sociology, evolution has been speeding up in the last 10,000 years rather than remaining static.  As more and more evidence accrues elucidating the influence of genetics on behavior and pop... ShrinkWrapped blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796496 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:27:54 +0100 2796496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2772529&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F6q6kIMeaSHI%2Fafghanistan_out_now.php If the UK invaded and occupied Massachusetts because the IRA raised money and housed some of its members in South Boston I think most people would say that was not just a mistake but wrong. Assuming for the moment that the GOP was in charge and had no interest in defending the state, I can predict with some confidence that Massachusetts's citizens would fight back (as they did once before) and make it very costly for the British to stay. Logistically how could the British leave without losing face and suffering a crushing geopolitical defeat? The answer is simple: use boats (and now) planes. That's it. And we can do the same in Afghanistan and for the same reasons. It's that simple. Put our soldiers on planes and get out. Because invading and occupying that benighted land was wrong at the ... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2772529 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:30:11 +0100 2772529 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745601&cid=t_101782_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FeS5NXjcpyJM%2F Let’s say there IS a massive conspiracy and coverup. Big Pharma knowingly produces vaccines manufactured with a substance (thimerisol) that causes neurologic or immunologic damage (no one’s completely sure of the mechanism) to some children, who then become autistic. Photo courtesy of Martin Burns (flickr.com) Doctors are complicit in this malpractice: they prescribe and administer vaccines. And nurses ask you to hold the baby while they administer a shot they know could result in a devastating developmental condition. There are people who believe this. But I’m not one of them. You’re not going to meet many people who actively dislike and distrust doctors as much as I do.  Jeff and I transferred Alex as an infant from one hospital that declared, He needs a tracheo... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745601 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:52:56 +0100 2745601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730097&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=35344&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzackarysholemberger.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Ffish-organs-for-sale.html I suppose a Swedish fish libel would be preferable. (Source: Zackary Sholem Berger) Zackary Sholem Berger blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730097 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:59:00 +0100 2730097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709136&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Ffraser-nelson-loses-plot.html I am grateful to an NHS BLOG DOCTOR reader for pointing me at an article by the normally reliable Fraser Nelson. Fraser has penned an ill-judged and uncharacteristically inaccurate rant about thiomersal (aka thimerasol). One of the two swine-flu immunisations that the government has ordered contains thiomersal. Most of you have probably not heard of it. It is a preservative that has been used in vaccines with great success for over fifty years. Nobody would have heard of it now had a group of parents of autistic children not decided that it was thiomersal that caused their children to develop autism.There is not one jot of evidence to support this belief and there is a vast body of evidence to the contrary. Thiomersal is safe. The chemical name of thiomersal is sodium ethylmercurithiosalic... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709136 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:55:00 +0100 2709136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2695605&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F12%2Fprofessor-david-healy-meets-with-the-mhra-to-talk-ssri-withdrawal-reactions%2F Notes of the 26 June 2009 meeting – thanks to Bob Fiddaman at Seroxat Sufferers. I find it unbelievable that all too many GPs still know next to nothing about withdrawal reactions from SSRIs. “Prof Healy considered that there was little evidence available on how to manage patients who had difficulty withdrawing from SSRIs. All agreed that this was a very difficult area to study as the management of the patient would differ depending on the patient.” Maybe if the drug companies would start by admitting there is a problem we could begin to look for some answers. Unfortunately all the drug companies take the same stance that Glaxo has with Seroxat/Paxil – problem, what problem?? Still, we should get some answers in the Autumn of 2010 – that’s when the High ... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2695605 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:50:15 +0100 2695605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688658&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2043 Conclusion This selection of slides shows that much of the stuff taught in degrees in herbal medicine poses a real danger to public safety and to public health. Pittilo’s idea that imposing this sort of miseducation will help safety is obviously and dangerously wrong. The Department of Health must reject the Pittilo recommendations on those grounds. Follow-up (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688658 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:24:29 +0100 2688658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2682119&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F08%2Fseroxatpaxil-%25e2%2580%2593-the-new-thalidomide-part-2%2F This from Professor David Healy writing in the Guardian today: Doped and duped Adverse effects of widely-prescribed drugs are often overlooked because there is so little truly independent academic evidence Since 2005, the SSRI paroxetine, first marketed by GlaxoSmithKline as Seroxat, has carried warnings of risk of birth defects. In the US litigation in which I have been asked to give evidence, the plaintives will argue that, even before they were launched, there was good laboratory evidence that the SSRIs might cause problems, and, following their initial marketing, evidence emerged over a decade ago from clinical use that the drugs actually do cause problems. Yet these drugs have been actively promoted, de facto primarily to women of child-bearing years. How could this happen? Part of th... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2682119 Sat, 08 Aug 2009 08:57:16 +0100 2682119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2682120&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F07%2Fseroxatpaxil-the-new-thalidomide%2F This from Sarah Boseley at the Guardian: Antidepressants once seen as miracle drugs: now risks are becoming evident US courts to hear claims that insufficient attention was paid to dangers to foetus Since the horror of the Thalidomide scandal in the 1960s, pharmaceutical companies and medicines regulators have been acutely aware of the dangers drugs may pose to the unborn child. Establishing what the effect of a drug may be on a foetus, however, is no simple task. Companies must rely on animal studies in the early stages of research and hope that the drug will behave in humans in the same way. Trials on pregnant women are rarely carried out, for obvious reasons. Depression and anxiety became big business for the pharmaceutical industry in the 1990s as doctors became better at diagnosing th... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2682120 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:05:20 +0100 2682120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2682008&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fgeneral-health%2Fhow-to-keep-your-man-an-anti-aging-perspective Regaining Your Sex-Life Without Resorting To Cheating Sexual problems in a couple’s relationship can result in so much more than breakup. It can cause family problems, money problems, career crush, especially when men resort to finding sexual fulfillment from a prostitute. Take for example, the recent case of Eliot Spitzer, whose sexual antics brought down his career, his family life, his world. But, what causes a married man to go to see a prostitute? From the anti-aging point of view, this phenomenon can be explained as follows: after a certain age men’s sex hormone testosterone level starts declining, resulting in decrease of sex drive. Most of the men do not realize that this decline is related to aging. Instead they tend to blame their wives, thinking that their own wives are to o... Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2682008 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:36:44 +0100 2682008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2667706&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F04%2Frewriting-the-psychiatrists-bible%2F On the radio in the UK tonight – BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 4 August, 20.00 Afterwards it’ll be available via BBC iPlayer. Matthew Hill investigates the links between psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry. Should there be increased transparency over top psychiatrists’ links to the industry? He looks at the influence of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM), produced by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which has been heavily criticised in the past for a lack of transparency between the panel members and pharmaceutical companies. Matthew also examines the ‘Chinese menu’ aspect of the DSM’s diagnostic criteria and the sheer number of conditions it includes. Matthew investigates whether the APA’s transparen... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2667706 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:01:04 +0100 2667706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2649004&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1980 Jump to follow-up Today, 29 July 2009, a large number of magazines and blogs will publish simultaneously Simon Singh’s article. The Guardian was forced to withdraw it, but what he said must be heard (even if the word ‘bogus’ is now missing). This is an edited version if the article in the Guardian that resulted in the decision of the British Chiropractic Association to sue Singh for libel. That decision was bad for Singh, though its effects could yet be good for the rest of the world, Firstly the decision to use law rather than rational argument stands a good chance of destroying chiropractic entirely because its claims have now come under scrutiny as never before, and they have been found wanting. Secondly, the support for Singh has been so enormous that there must now b... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2649004 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:01:55 +0100 2649004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2634390&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1950 Acupuncture has been in the news since, in a moment of madness, NICE gave it some credence, Some people still seem to think that acupuncture is somehow more respectable than, say, homeopathy and crystal healing. If you think that, read Barker Bausell’s book ot Trick or Treatment. It is now absolutely clear that ‘real’ acupuncture is indistinguishable from sham, whether the sham control uses retractable needles, or real needles in the ‘wrong’ places. There has been no clear demonstration of long-lived benefits in any condition, and it is likely that it is no more than a theatrical placebo. In particular, the indistinguishability of ‘real’ and sham acupuncture shows, beyond reasonable doubt that all the stuff about “energy flow in meridians&#8... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2634390 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:15:35 +0100 2634390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2616738&cid=t_101782_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FmFTON_zX3KA%2F Here’s some exciting news for diabetics. In fact, the more I read about diabetes treatment these days, the more excited I become. A group of researchers took non-obese diabetic mice which had recently developed Type 1 diabetes, and injected them with an “anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody for five days, followed by transplantation of embryonic pancreatic tissue, and, for short-term glucose control, implantation of a subcutaneous insulin pellet.” Most of the mice maintained normal blood sugars after the removal of the insulin pellet. The transplanted cells were shown to migrate to the pancreas of the test subjects. Is this a cure for diabetes? Sorry - but no. Still, this is exciting research that tells more and more about how the body tolerates transplanted cells and tissue. Th... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2616738 Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:55:40 +0100 2616738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556337&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F30%2Fdepressed-abn-amro-banker-who-could-not-live-with-his-shame%2F A sad ending to the story I wrote about a few days ago. This from The Independent: When Huibert Boumeester left his home in Belgravia last Monday morning, it was supposed to have been to attend an appointment to start rebuilding a once-glittering banking career. After three months out of work while battling depression, he was due to discuss his options with a City headhunting agency. But rather than head to the Square Mile, the multimillionaire former chief financial officer of Dutch bank ABN Amro, philanthropist and country sports enthusiast climbed into his dark blue Range Rover together with two of the six shotguns he kept at his houses in Scotland and London. Boumeester headed out of the capital towards the woodlands around Windsor Great Park, a spot he had come to know when seekin... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556337 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:19:34 +0100 2556337 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2553218&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F28%2Fmichael-jackson-took-paxil-seroxat-as-part-of-his-deadly-drug-cocktail%2F I think Michael Jackson’s ‘Doctor’ has a lot to answer for… This from the Sun: THE deadly drug cocktail taken daily by King of Pop Michael Jackson is revealed for the first time by The Sun today. The shock list emerged as police probing an injection which preceded the star’s tragic death spoke with a doctor last night. Jacko, 50, was taking up to THREE powerful narcotic pain relievers at the same time — when any more than one is deemed potentially fatal. Sources close to the singer’s entourage said he was injected three times a day with Demerol – the potent painkiller given to him before his collapse at home in LA on Thursday. Jacko, who suffered a heart attack, was taking another painkiller, Dilaudid. And sources said he had recently been prescribed yet... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2553218 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:01:57 +0100 2553218 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2523737&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F26%2Foverdose-of-prescription-drugs-may-have-killed-michael-jackson%2F Michael Jackson was on antidepressants? This from the Kansas City Star: Life & Style reports that Michael Jackson was taking a cocktail of up to seven prescription drugs in the months before his death. The star had been taking prescription painkillers including anti-depressant drugs Xanax, Zoloft and painkiller Demerol in recent months, sources close to Jackson told Life & Style. The insider close to the star said he took a suspected overdose of drugs on Thursday morning, which caused respiratory and cardiac arrest. And a Jackson family lawyer told CNN he “feared” the drugs could kill the pop star. CNN’s interview with the source follows the jump. Jackson family lawyer Brian Oxman confirmed Jackson may have had trouble with prescription drugs as he prepared for hi... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2523737 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:45:43 +0100 2523737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2522999&cid=t_101782_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1812 Here is a short break from the astonishing festival of chiropractic that has followed the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) v Simon Singh defamation case, and the absurd NICE guidance on low back pain. Singh’s statement already has over 10000 signatories, many very distinguished, Sign it now if you haven’t already. And getting on for 600 separate complaints about exaggerated and false claims by chiropractors have been lodged with the General Chiropractic Council and with Trading Standards offices. Click to sign The BCA has exposed the baselessness of most of chiropractic’s claims more effectively than any sceptic could have done. The University of Westminster is seeing the light? It is only recently that the University of Westminster suspended entr... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2522999 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:09:31 +0100 2522999 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513065&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F25%2Fdepressed-abn-amro-banker-vanishes-with-two-shotguns%2F This from Justin Davenport writing for the London Evening Standard. A high flying banker who lost his City job in the credit crunch has gone missing armed with two shotguns. Police today issued an urgent appeal to trace Huibert Boumeester, 49, a wealthy financier with homes in London and an estate in Scotland. They said they were extremely concerned for his welfare and urged anyone who sees him to call 999. Police say Mr Boumeester, a father of two, had recently lost his job in the City and was known to be depressed. Recent records show that he is on the board of the Dutch banking group ABN Amro and a number of other City firms. The bank was the subject of the disastrous take over by the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2007 which plunged RBS and its then chairman Sir Fred Goodwin into crisis. Po... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513065 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:37:56 +0100 2513065 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513066&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F24%2Fantidepressant-use-soars-as-the-recession-bites%2F This from Jamie Doward at The Observer: Fears the recession is affecting the mental health of the nation appear to be borne out by new figures that show prescriptions of antidepressants are soaring. Last year in England there were 2.1m more prescriptions of antidepressants than in 2007, leading to concerns that doctors are increasingly supplying the drugs as a “quick fix” without attempting to address the underlying cause of the problems. In total, 36m prescriptions were given out, an increase of 24% over the past five years. “The increase in the number of people being prescribed antidepressants is deeply disturbing,” said the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesman, Norman Lamb, who obtained the figures. “England has become a true Prozac nation.” Lamb... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513066 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:46:36 +0100 2513066 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2512252&cid=t_101782_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fvacations-and-multiple-sclerosis%2F Greetings!  I offer my apologies for not being around much last week.  It wasn’t for lack of trying, rather due to lack of Internet access. I spent last week in the beautiful land of Yellowstone National Park!  I was not vacationing, rather spending the week consulting and training chefs at various lodges in the park. It was grueling and I certainly wish that I had refilled my prescription for anti-fatigue meds prior to the trip!  It is also absolutely stunning in its beauty. As I mentioned before, there was no Internet access in the park, save for a faint Wi-Fi signal outside the employee dorms which just wasn’t strong enough to saddle with any postings for our blog. Since I was in the world’s first national park, a place families from across the globe visit year-round, and due ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2512252 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:01:51 +0100 2512252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2477537&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_uMTyA_h2Kc%2F Paul Starobin, the author of an informative primer on foreign policy realism, had an interesting piece in the weekend’s Wall Street Journal on the topic of breaking up the United States. Devolved America is a vision faithful both to certain postindustrial realities as well as to the pluralistic heart of the American political tradition—a tradition that has been betrayed by the creeping centralization of power in Washington over the decades but may yet reassert itself as an animating spirit for the future. Consider this proposition: America of the 21st century, propelled by currents of modernity that tend to favor the little over the big, may trace a long circle back to the original small-government ideas of the American experiment. The present-day American Goliath may turn out to b... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2477537 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:33:02 +0100 2477537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2477582&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fthe-sunday-sidebar-18%2F Interesting reading around cyberspace… Health officials in Los Angeles are targeting young woman with a program that offers STD Results Via Text. The progam that started earlier this week provides home delivery of STD testing kits and a text message to alert them when the results are ready online. A man is suing a Chicago restaurant that he claims provided an undercooked salmon salad that resulted in him having a  9-foot-tapeworm growing inside him.  The Scientific American article that highlights this case asks Are Urban Tapeworms on the rise? Chastity Bono (daughter of Sonny and Cher) is transitioning from woman to man. An anti-abortion blogger, who wrote in detail about being pregnant with a sick baby, is outed as a hoax. Post from: Healthbolt (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2477582 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:00:57 +0100 2477582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939423&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fgeneral-health%2Fwhen-retirement-is-not-an-option In today’s economic times, many people are finding that retiring at the age of 65 is almost impossible. And some of us, just don’t want to. But, in a time where kids are coming out of college, willing to do twice as much work for half the pay, baby boomers are finding themselves unable to keep up. After the age of 25, your body begins a downward spiral, and with age your memory levels, your muscles, and your energy deteriorate. Bioidentical hormone replacement can improve all of these symptoms, and keep you making the money that you need, and doing the job you love. You can look and feel ten years younger with easy treatments. (Source: Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog) Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939423 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:23:52 +0100 2939423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458232&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fantiaging%2Fbioidentical-hormone-doctors-can-cure-more-than-your-aging-problems Traditional Drugs Versus Anti-Aging Approaches The recent debates on Bioidentical versus traditional HRT treatments did not reveal how you benefit from anti aging medicine. Should you take bioidentical hormones, traditional drugs, or nothing? Most of the debates did not give you the answer despite that proponents of both sides presented their arguments. Because bioidentical hormones are not the main issue. The real problem of traditional medicine is that it treats symptoms instead of eradicating the cause. Here’s an example. A patient came to me who has had abdominal pain for years due to colitis, inflammation of the colon. We treated her with a simple change in her diet and after only a few days (!) her pain was gone without the medication. The reason for her colitis was only that s... Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458232 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:07:23 +0100 2458232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452872&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fzimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use%2Fcell-phone-elbow-isnt-always-due-to-cell-phone-use%2F Recent media activity has called attention to a repetitive use syndrome called ‘cell phone elbow,’ which can cause pain, numbness or tingling in the forearm and hand.  But cubital tunnel syndrome, as it’s known medically, isn’t only caused by excessive cell phone use. In fact, it can be caused by any repetitive activity in which the elbow is bent at a greater than 90 degree angle. This could include holding any kind of phone to the ear for long periods of time. It just happens that because cell phone use has increased exponentially and because people can now use their phones while walking, while driving, literally anywhere, some people are spending much more time on the phone than they did previously. And some of them are paying the price with painful hands and arms. Cubit... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452872 Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:08:14 +0100 2452872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441449&cid=t_101782_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1542 Conclusions Relative to “best care” in general practice, manipulation followed by exercise achieved a moderate benefit at three months and a small benefit at 12 months; spinal manipulation achieved a small to moderate benefit at three months and a small benefit at 12 months; and exercise achieved a small benefit at three months but not 12 months. In other words, none of them worked very well. The paper failed to distinguish between manipulation by physiotherapists, chiropractors and osteopaths and so missed a valuable chance to find out whether there is an advantage to employing people from alternative medicine (the very problem that this NICE guidance should have dealt with) Steve Vogel, another member of the guidance development group, is an osteopath. Osteopathy has cast off it... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441449 Fri, 29 May 2009 18:09:14 +0100 2441449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441466&cid=t_101782_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F1JTb7BbkVmA%2Fmemorial_day_2009.php We are now in the seventh Memorial Day of the Iraq War and the eighth of the Afghanistan War. This Priscilla Herdman version of Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Mathilda" appeared here last Memorial Day. Then, we were deeply dismayed by our government's actions. We remain so today. So here it is again, and for the same reasons: On behalf of all the Reveres, Memorial Day 2009 Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441466 Mon, 25 May 2009 17:19:16 +0100 2441466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441450&cid=t_101782_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1516 First the MHRA lets down the public by allowing deceptive labelling of sugar pills (see here, and this this blog). Now it is the turn of NICE to betray its own principles. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) describes its job thus “NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health.” Its Guidance document on Low Back Pain will be published on Wednesday 27 May 2009, but the newspapers have already started to comment, presumably on the assumption that it will have changed little from the Draft Guidance of September 2008. These comments may have to be changed as soon as the final version becomes available. The draft guidance, though mostly sensible, has two re... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441450 Mon, 25 May 2009 15:24:25 +0100 2441450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2416836&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F05%2Fnietzsche-opposed-human-exceptionalism.html The nihilism unleashed by Nietzsche has caused more harm and suffering than can ever be measured. It turns out that much of the themes of anti-human exceptionalism we see today come right out of his playbook. For example, last week I criticized a University of Wisconsin professor named Deborah Blum for not knowing whether we--or hyenas--are the moral species. From my post: Blum clearly yearns for animal "morality" to be something more: "My only complaint is that the book [her review of which I was quoting] is overly careful. The authors try too hard to keep their conclusions non-threatening. I wish they'd attempted to answer that tricky question that nags at me whenever I study a captive animal. As I stand on the unrestricted side of a fence watching a hyena, and it watches me back with de... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2416836 Mon, 18 May 2009 20:14:00 +0100 2416836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2404985&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=38261&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vibrantglow.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fpure-natural-antioxidants-extracts.html My daily antioxidant-filled smoothie just got turbo charged when a box full of Pure Inventions extracts arrived at my door.I was asked by Pure Inventions to try their products and write a review. Honestly, I don't bother with many requests to review products because many that come my way are what I'd call "faux" healthy--have the appearance of healthy, but aren't. However, natural antioxidants from green tea, fruit and cocoa are definitely in the pro-health category so when Pure Inventions said that they'd like to send me a couple of their tasty, calorie and caffeine -free, natural extracts to sample, I thought sure. Bring it on. While the company says that their extracts can be added to water for a pure shot of antioxidants, I prefer to add them to my already pro- health and beauty smooth... Vibrant Glow blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2404985 Tue, 12 May 2009 16:44:00 +0100 2404985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405138&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fprozac-generation-its-all-gps-fault.html When I started in general practice I, like most new GPs of my generation, started climbing the mountain of weaning my patients off benzodiazepines. I did not audit the numbers (wish I had done now) but I must have inherited a hundred or more people on mail-order prescriptions for these drugs. The "big three" were diazepam, nitrazepam and chlordiazepoxide. (Valium, Mogadon and Librium). There were plenty of others. They are all listed here. Lorazepam was always difficult but the one I learnt to dread most was oxazepam.I started by taking all these drugs off repeat prescription. I issued a polite letter saying that I wanted to see all patients who took these drugs regularly. A handful of patients were outraged. One or two took their business elsewhere. The majority were, I think, grateful fo... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405138 Mon, 11 May 2009 16:51:00 +0100 2405138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376403&cid=t_101782_117_f&fid=34808&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthebeautybrains.com%2F2009%2F04%2F29%2Fboots-anti-wrinkle-cream-shown-to-actually-work%2F Left Brain reports breaking news from the UK… Some time ago, there was a news story that reported Boots anti wrinkle cream actually worked. This caused a run on the product and it was quickly imported to the US where it sold great. Unfortunately, a news report is hardly proof of anything so we were a bit skeptical. Anti wrinkle study To their credit, the Boots company didn’t stop there. According to this BBC story, they were so certain their product worked, they actually hired a university to do a double-blind, placebo controlled study to prove it. This kind of study is what pharmaceutical companies are required to do to prove new drugs work so it’s the best. The results of that study just came out and it shows that the Boots No7 Refine and Rewind Intense Perfecting Serum actually ha... thebeautybrains.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376403 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:58:03 +0100 2376403 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2368687&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F26%2Fjoin-up-the-dots-time-again-more-stories-of-extreme-violence-and-antidepressant-use%2F When will someone take the possible connection between extreme acts of violence and antidepressant use seriously. I’m not saying that medication will turn every patient into a mad killer… but the connections are all too real in too many cases. In the UK recently we read this story about a horrible murder suicide – The debt-ridden businessman who killed his family before setting fire to their £1.2million mansion lay down to die on his wife’s body, an inquest heard yesterday. Christopher Foster, 50, was first thought to have shot himself after blasting wife Jill, 49, and 15-year-old daughter, Kirstie, in the back of the head. Foster had run into “severe financial difficulties” and was taking anti-depressants to cope with suicidal tendencies after his oil rig insulation ... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2368687 Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:50:02 +0100 2368687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2367425&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F04%2Fdeep-ecologists-might-get-their-human.html The Deep Ecology Movement wants to reduce the human population to 500 million. The genocidal implications of this idea are obvious--although DEs usually say they would like to see it done via voluntary birth control (fat chance), or perhaps a pandemic will do the trick. This is not only a rejection of human exceptionalism, but it is to embrace explicit anti-humanism.Enter a possible swine flu pandemic. From the story:A new swine flu strain that has killed as many as 68 people and sickened more than 1,000 across Mexico has "pandemic potential," the World Health Organization chief said Saturday, and it may be too late to contain the sudden outbreak.The disease has already reached Texas and California, and with 24 new suspected cases reported Saturday in Mexico City alone, schools were closed... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2367425 Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:14:00 +0100 2367425 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365006&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1372 Jump to follow-up It seems that bits of good news don’t come singly. First honours degrees in acupuncture vanish, Now a big chain of shops selling Chinese herbs and acupuncture has gone into administration. It seems that, at last, people are getting fed up with being conned out of their hard-earned money Herbmedic Barking A local [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365006 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:37:52 +0100 2365006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414822&cid=t_101782_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1372 This report was on 1st April,  The company’s web site shows no sign of any problems, In fact they are still advertising jobs. So was this an April Fool joke? No it wasn’t.  A visit to Companies House soon settled the matter. The whole company is insolvent, as of 27 March 2009.. Download the whole administration notice and the company report.   Criticisms of Herbmedic This chain of shops was investigated by the BBC’s Inside Out programme. (September 25th 2006). “We sent an undercover reporter to branches of the Herbmedic chain in southern England. On each occasion, the reporter claimed to be suffering from tiredness and was prescribed herbal remedies after a consultation lasting less than five minutes. The herbalists, who describe themselves as ... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414822 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:49:36 +0100 2414822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414823&cid=t_101782_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1391 The Nutrition Society is the interim professional body for nutrition. It seems that, unlike so many ‘regulatory bodies’, it may actually take its responsibilities seriously. The following announcement has appeared on their web site. The UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists acts to protect the public and the reputation the nutrition profession On March 4th 2009, a Fitness to Practice Panel was convened to consider an allegation against a registrant, Dr Ann Walker, that her fitness to practise was impaired. The panel considered whether the registrant, in advocating the use of a web based personal nutritional profiling service had complied with the Code of Ethics’ clause 3: This expects all registered nutritionists to “maintain the highest standards of professionalism an... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414823 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:48:16 +0100 2414823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365007&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1391 The Nutrition Society is the interim professional body for nutrition. It seems that, unlike so many ‘regulatory bodies’, it may actually take its responsibilities seriously. The following announcement has appeared on their web site. The UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists acts to protect the public and the reputation the nutrition profession On March 4th 2009, a [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365007 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:48:16 +0100 2365007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2364984&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F04%2Fshs-funnies.html Even the comics are becoming anti human: (Source: Secondhand Smoke) Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2364984 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:37:00 +0100 2364984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414824&cid=t_101782_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1364 On 24 July 2006, I sent a request to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), under the Freedom of Information Act  (2000)   I asked to see the teaching materials that were used on their BSc Homeopathy course.  The request was refused, citing the exemption under section 43(2) of the Act (Commercial Interests).  Two internal reviews were then held. These reviews upheld and the original refusal on the grounds of commercial interests, Section 43(3), and additionally claimed exemption under Section 21 “that is reasonably accessible to applicants by other means (upon the payment of a fee)….i.e. by enrolling on the course….” In 21 October 2006 I appealed to the Office of the Information commisioner. (The”public authority” means... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414824 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:04:15 +0100 2414824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348073&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1364 On 24 July 2006, I sent a request to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), under the Freedom of Information Act  (2000)   I asked to see the teaching materials that were used on their BSc Homeopathy course.  The request was refused, citing the exemption under section 43(2) of the Act (Commercial Interests).  Two internal reviews [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348073 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:04:15 +0100 2348073 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2367366&cid=t_101782_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F15%2Fantisocial-personality-disorder%2F Title: Antisocial personality disorder Source: NICE The Skinny:  Antisocial personality disorder is is defiend as a condition that affects a person’s thoughts, emotions and behaviour. Antisocial means behaving in a way that is disruptive to, and may be harmful to, other people. This guideline covers: The care, treatment and support that people with antisocial personality disorder and their families or carers should be offered The care and treatment that children with conduct problems and their families or carers should be offered. It exclude: Treatments not normally available in the NHS or prison health services. Documents For healthcare professionals: CG77 Antisocial personality disorder: NICE guideline (48p, 273.77 Kb) CG77 Antisocial personality disorder: NICE guideline (MS ... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2367366 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:33:27 +0100 2367366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347892&cid=t_101782_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fnew-smoking-ads-too-far-or-not-far-enough%2F Image from flickr Ads about smoking have changed dramatically over the years. Once upon a time, when none knew any better, cigarettes were advertised as something that would make you feel good, strong, happy, even healthy. But as more and more evidence pointed to the dangers of smoking on your health, the ads changed. They were no longer put out by tobacco companies trying to entice people to buy their product. Instead, they were produced by government departments and non-profit health organizations trying to encourage people to quit (or not to start). And along the way, they’ve become increasing gruesome and graphic. For example, cigarette cartons with pictures of blackened lungs and rotting gums. But many of the television ads, such as this one recently released by the New York Ci... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347892 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:28:49 +0100 2347892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2308084&cid=t_101782_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1329 In March 2007 I wrote a piece in Nature on Science degrees without the science.  At that time there were five “BSc” degrees in homeopathy. A couple of weeks ago I checked the UCAS site for start in 2009, and found there was only one full “BSc (hons)” left and that was at Westminster University. Today [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2308084 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:12:35 +0100 2308084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414825&cid=t_101782_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1329 In March 2007 I wrote a piece in Nature on Science degrees without the science.  At that time there were five “BSc” degrees in homeopathy. A couple of weeks ago I checked the UCAS site for start in 2009, and found there was only one full “BSc (hons)” left and that was at Westminster University. Today I checked again and NOW THERE ARE NONE. A phone call to the University of Westminster tonight confirmed that they have suspended entry to their BSc (Hons) homeopathy degree. They say that they have done so because of “poor recruitment”.   It was a purely financial decision.  Nothing to do with embarrasment.  Gratifying though it is that recruits for the course are vanishing, that statement is actually pretty appalling   It ... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414825 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:10:06 +0100 2414825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313494&cid=t_101782_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2Fbiochemical_roots_of_depression_challenged.php Image via Wikipedia Not surprisingly,the biochemical theory regarding "chemical imbalance" is under attack again. The theory has always been an oversimplification of actual research data. All the research has said is that (1) anti-depressants have worked on average slightly better than placebo and (2) anti-depressants and therapy works slightly better than one or the other alone. Key to understanding what this means are the words "on average", "placebo" and "slightly better". On average, some people did not benefit from anti-depressants, and some did. Some experienced more benefit than others. Anti-depressants, I believe, are over prescribed mainly because clients don't want to invest the time and emotional energy in therapy. People don't want to see themselves as, in part, responsible ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313494 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:31:23 +0100 2313494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2287205&cid=t_101782_109_f&fid=34817&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshrinkwrapped.blogs.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F03%2Fthe-roots-of-antisemitism.html In Anti-Semitism and the Paranoid Dynamic I focused on the compensatory and adaptive uses to which anti-Semitism has traditionally been directed.  Although in the long run anti-Semitism, like the paranoid delusions which are a model for the pathology, always fails.  It drains energy and attention away from productive pursuits and introduces a confounding variable that interferes with an accurate assessment of reality.  When one's sense of reality is impaired, function and adaptation suffer.  This raises the question of what fuels anti-Semitism?  As Bernard-Henri Lévy noted, in the quote I posted yesterday, anti-Semitism has protean expression, shifting its shape to fit the needs of the anti-Semite: As always. Anti-Semitism has no fixed pattern; it ... ShrinkWrapped blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2287205 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:38:19 +0100 2287205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2268015&cid=t_101782_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F15%2Fsmall-phase-ii-study-tests-the-use-of-fulvestrant-in-the-treatment-of-multiply-recurrent-epithelial-ovarian-cancer%2F … University of Minnesota researchers evaluated the use of fulvestrant [Faslodex®] in women with recurrent ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer. …Using modified-RECIST criteria 13 patients (50%) achieved SD …[T]he University of Minnesota researchers concluded that fulvestrant is well-tolerated and efficacious. The researchers also noted that objective response rates are low, but disease stabilization was common. It [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2268015 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:12:22 +0100 2268015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260692&cid=t_101782_140_f&fid=35436&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseroxatsecrets.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F13%2Fteenage-killer-tim-kretschmer-had-stopped-treatment-for-depression%2F So news is slowly dripping out about the German school shooting… this from the Times: “A teenager who murdered 15 people , including nine pupils at his former school in southern Germany, shot one of his victims at a psychiatric clinic where he had been treated for depression, it emerged yesterday. Tim Kretschmer was supposed to attend appointments at the clinic in Winnenden but broke off the treatment. On Wednesday he killed a man, thought to be a gardener, outside the clinic minutes after he used his father’s Beretta pistol to murder nine students, eight of them girls, and three teachers. Investigators were still struggling yesterday to understand the motives of a teenager whose obsession with fictional violence might have contributed to the all too real blood-bath that has ... seroxat secrets... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260692 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:49:14 +0100 2260692