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 'cold'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:56:35 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174612&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fchinese-study-compares-flu-treatments-prescription-drug-vs-herbal-remedy%2F2011.08.29 During the early days of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic, the popular herbal formula maxingshigan–yinqiaosan was used widely by TCM practitioners to reduce symptoms. (It’s hard to pronounce and spell, so I’ll refer to it as M-Y.) A new study was done to test whether M-Y worked and to compare it to the prescription drug oseltamivir. It showed that M-Y did not work for the purpose it was being used for: it did not reduce symptoms, although it did reduce the duration of one sign, fever, allowing researchers to claim they had proved that it works as well as oseltamivir. “Oseltamivir Compared With the Chinese Traditional Therapy: Maxingshigan–Yinqiaosan in the Treatment of H1N1 Influenza” by Wang et al. was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine earlier this month. The stu... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174612 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:00:51 +0100 5174612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107522&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fconsumer-reports-promotes-alternative-medicine-with-questionable-research%2F2011.08.07 Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve intermittently read Consumer Reports, relying on it for guidance in all manner of purchase decisions. CR has been known for rigorous testing of all manner of consumer products and the rating of various services, arriving at its rankings through a systematic testing method that, while not necessarily bulletproof, has been far more organized and consistent than most other ranking systems. True, I haven’t always agreed with CR’s rankings of products and services about which I know a lot, but at the very least CR has often made me think about how much of my assessments are based on objective measures and how much on subjective measures. Until now. I just saw something yesterday on the CR website that has made me wonder just how scientific CR’s testing ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107522 Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:00:43 +0100 5107522 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097102&cid=t_136939_151_f&fid=35822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whatwinnersdo.com%2Famy-winehouse-relapse-or-cold-turkey-alcohol-withdrawal%2F The sad and mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Amy Winehouse have left me baffled. The unfortunate truth is that either account is believable. Her family says it was alcohol withdrawal. A drug dealer has come forward saying that he arranged for Amy to buy some drugs from another drug dealer referred to as “Mr. Big”. He says she purchased 1/2 oz. crack and a 1/2 oz. heroin. Police are saying that there was no evidence of drugs or even paraphernalia in the house. Her family says she had been clean off drugs for years and was trying to quit alcohol. They believe she had a heart attack or seizure from trying to go cold turkey. They did an autopsy but it came up inconclusive; toxicology will take a few more weeks to be done. The family is setting up a fund to set up a reha... What Winners Do blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097102 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:29:27 +0100 5097102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096938&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fcold%2F I have a cold. My throat hurts. My ears hurt. I have that whole under-the-weather thing going on. I’m sniffing a bit and my sinuses ache. Big deal, I hear you cry, people get colds. We don’t come to your blog to read about your colds, even if they do have the slight interest factor of being a little bit out of season. But you speak too soon, my tetchy and demanding blog-reading friend. This is an interesting cold, a cancer-related cold even, because… ….I haven’t had a cold since I was diagnosed with cancer. That’s two years and nine months without so much as a hot toddy. The first winter, I wasn’t surprised. What with the chemo and having no immune system and all, I kept away from crowded places and public transport, and friends and family with col... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096938 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 07:21:56 +0100 5096938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077686&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcardiovascular-problems-stay-out-of-the-heat%2F2011.07.29 The brutal heat wave gripping much of the country this week is unpleasant for healthy folks. For people with cardiovascular trouble, hazy, hot, humid days can be downright dangerous. Your body shouldn’t get too hot (or too cold). If your temperature rises too far, the proteins that build your body and run virtually all of its chemical processes can stop working. The human body sheds extra heat in two ways, both of which stress the heart: Radiation. Like water flowing downhill, heat naturally moves from warm areas to cooler ones. As long as the air around you is cooler than your body, you radiate heat to the air. But this transfer stops when the air temperature approaches body temperature. Radiation requires rerouting blood flow so more of it goes to the skin. This makes the heart beat fa... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077686 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:00:46 +0100 5077686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028749&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Flife-may-be-weird-but-you-dont-have-to-be%2F Those of us who live with chronic pain each day have many choices to make. I know from first hand or should I say my “First Tushy” experience that we all feel helpless and robbed of choices more times than not, but that isn’t totally true. I realize “First Tushy” doesn’t have quite the elevation of First Lady but there you have it; my life. We are not mere victims. We remain the pilots of our planes as well as the captains of our own ships. I know we often have our doubts. We feel more enslavement than freedom; more the conquered than the victors and finally, hopelessly weird. I think that’s enough metaphors to choke a good sized horse but I’m certain you sense my direction. Today, after five years of chatting with all of you who also suffer, I would like to share three of ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028749 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:24:47 +0100 5028749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960120&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fcan-you-take-someone-to-the-er-for-mental-health-help%2F When I came home from work, she was sitting on the back porch steps, crying. Another friend was sitting next to her, arms draped around her shaking shoulders, trying to understand the words in between her hiccuped sobs. “Is everything okay?” I asked, even though I knew this wasn’t just a normal bout of tears. Julie (not her real name) had been crying the entire day. When I left for work she had been sobbing in the bathroom, and (I learned later) had turned on the shower to muffle the sound of her emotion from the rest of the house so no one would come and check on her. No one knew how long she had stayed like that, melted to the bathroom floor, clutching a towel to her chest, the shower running hot and humid whenever she felt she was getting too loud. It’s possible ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960120 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:45:24 +0100 4960120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953276&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FF294ovRL6gA%2F   I am writing what for lack of a better word I call memoirs. I don’t know quite why I started writing them this spring, but I hurry to create the proper mental atmosphere to keep this process going. My writing workshop teacher recommends finding a book that is of the same sort that you yourself want to write, and using it as a sort of guide, a way of seeing how someone else has tackled your same subject, your same problems. I am writing about my family and my early life. The book that immediately came to me to use as the guide is Truman Capote‘s In Cold Blood. The music that I want to listen to while I write is Beethoven’s Fifth piano concerto — I don’t care who the orchestra is, but the pianist must be Rudolf Serkin. I wish I knew what this says about my s... white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953276 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 03:37:02 +0100 4953276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789223&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fj0oEcTlXCrY%2F By George Scoville Osama bin Laden’s death gives us a chance to end what might have become an era of permanent emergency and perpetual war. The Cold War ended–what are we doing in Korea? Two cheers for President Obama for ending eight (well, three) tax breaks to oil companies. Does Osama bin Laden’s death mean an end to U.S.-Pakistan relations? Please join us next Tuesday, May 10 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a Cato Book Forum on America’s Allies and War: Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, by University of Mary Washington political scientist Jason W. Davidson. Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and Georgetown University international relations professor Charles Kupchan will join Professor Davidson in a discussion of the book and its themes, particularly U.S. relation... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789223 Wed, 04 May 2011 14:52:52 +0100 4789223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762768&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmuscle-strain-should-you-treat-it-with-hot-packs-or-cold-packs%2F2011.04.28 Along with blisters and sprains, muscle strains are among the most common afflictions for active persons in the outdoors. Common medical dogma is to use the “RICE”  approach for sprains and strains of—rest, ice (application of cold), compression, and elevation. This is more applicable to sprains (e.g., an ankle sprain) than to strains, because the sprained body part is usually a limb (ankle, knee, wrist) that is amenable to this approach. Strains more often involve larger muscle groups, such as those in the back, chest, thigh or abdomen, or difficult-to-approach areas, such as the neck or groin. Prevailing theory for treatment of a muscle strain is that one applies external cold for 24 to 48 hours, and discontinues it after 72 hours, at which time one begins application of e... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762768 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:00:00 +0100 4762768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642579&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36941&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mazecordblood.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1219 Cold season is upon us and if we are run down and tired we are more susceptible to infection. Because nature has a way of  preparing your body for pregnancy, your immune system is being suppressed in order keep the pregnancy viable. So building your immune system is the first line of defense to stave off those winter cold germs. From eating germ fighting foods to taking supplements, you can get through your pregnancy with little or no illness. Follow this link for more information. (Source: Cord Blood News) Cord Blood News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642579 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:59:25 +0100 4642579 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642675&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F28%2Fdelusions-keep-up-with-the-times%2F Would you imagine the content of people’s delusions would change with the changing times? Well, according to Vaughan Bell writing over at Mind Hacks, they do. Research that analyzed the content of people’s delusions over the past few decades found that people’s delusions do indeed change. They recorded the content of the delusions for every patient with psychosis and while they didn’t find that the level of delusions changed, they did find that they tended to relate to the social concerns of the time. …more patients after 1950 believe they are being spied upon is consistent with the development of related technology and the advent of the Cold War. Delusional content tended to reflect the culture at the time, with focus on syphilis in the early 1900s, on Germans during... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642675 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:55:28 +0100 4642675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626978&cid=t_136939_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FzA9nzpUNRP4%2F By now you know the tell-tale signs that you’re getting a cold. First you wake up with a scratchy throat that looks like will be gone by the end of the day with a few “ahems” and glasses of water. But as night draws nearer, you admit to yourself that this is the just the beginning of a week of sniffling, sneezing, hacking, coughing, and wheezing. At best it will be a snotty inconvenience, but at worst, you’ll be laying in bed, dizzy with a fever, deliriously fluctuating between hot and cold. It’s not March Madness, it’s March Sadness! Cold and flu season is depressing. That was me last week, waking up with a throat so sore and red, it felt as if it had been scrubbed with a Brillo pad. I decided to use this opportunity to enact a long-desired experiment I’d been planning. Inst... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626978 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:44:05 +0100 4626978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605874&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F17%2Fpessimism-vs-optimism%2F Imagine you divided everyone in the world into two psychological groups. You put all the optimists on one side and all the pessimists on the other (let’s leave the realists aside for now). Amongst the optimists the conversation would all be about fantastic plans for the future and how things can only get better. Meanwhile the pessimists are having what might seem to the optimists like a depressing discussion. Far from working out how to make their dreams come true, they’re worrying about all the things that might go wrong. They’re worried that even the things they have will be taken away from them by some cruel twist of fate. To the optimists, the pessimists seem too down on everything, always just a little too keen to pour cold water on any exciting plans. To the pessimi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605874 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:34:58 +0100 4605874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549790&cid=t_136939_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F47MSsq47ErA%2F photo: Thinkstock The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered more than 500 prescription cough, cold and allergy products off the market Wednesday, saying its office had not evaluated the medication for safety, effectiveness and quality. “Removing these unapproved products from the market will reduce potential risks to consumers,” said Deborah Autor, director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a news release from the agency. The FDA said removing the products from the market poses no harm to consumers, but taking the unapproved drugs may put the health of people at risk. “There are many FDA-approved prescription products, as well as appropriately marketed over-the-counter products, available to treat cough, cold, a... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549790 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:31:54 +0100 4549790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536135&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F01%2F7-ways-to-leave-your-job%2F Awhile back, psychologist and fellow Psych Central-contributor Elvira Aletta published a great post about the frog in the pot: Did you know that if you boil a pot of water and throw in a live frog that that frog will hop right out, saving his life to croak again another day (ha, ha)? If, on the other hand, you place a frog in a pot of cold water and turn the heat up slowly, that frog will stay in the pot. He will not jump out but slowly acclimate to the increasingly hot water until it boils to death. Truth or urban legend? To prove it I’d have to cook a live frog and that’s not going to happen. It sounds true and so should be because of what it teaches us. The day after I was laid off from my job, a fellow co-worker emailed me and said, “This is your next assignment … instructions... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536135 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:02:32 +0100 4536135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522104&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcough-and-cold-meds-the-good-and-the-bad%2F2011.02.25 Want to try to avoid a visit to the doctor for that cough or cold? Why not go to the pharmacy to get an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine? In this video from local TV news, I talk about the good and bad of OTC cough and cold meds. Will that medicine from the pharmacy actually help you get better faster?   *This blog post was originally published at Doctor Anonymous* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4522104 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:00:00 +0100 4522104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512539&cid=t_136939_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FURbROMenEQM%2F Bad news, allergy sufferers — your torture time is about to be seem even more interminable, and climate change is to blame. “A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows a link between warming temperatures and a longer ragweed pollen season,” according to TIME. As if there weren’t already enough reasons to be bummed out about global warming. But before you start building yourself a hermetically-sealed bubble to keep out that nasty pollen, try one of these ten allergy home remedies that are all available over the counter, if not in your very own kitchen. (As always, consult with a health care practitioner before embarking on any new herbal regimen.) Sure, seeing a doc may defeat the purpose of exploring at-home allergy remedies, but you co... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512539 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:41:32 +0100 4512539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507279&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthink-zinc-for-a-cold-not-me%2F2011.02.22 Media channels are a-twitter with the news that zinc can beat the common cold. CBS News, the LA Times, the Huffington Post, and hundreds of others are treating a quiet research report as big news that will have a life-changing effect. After reading the report and doing a little digging into the dark side of zinc, I’m not rushing out to stock up on zinc lozenges or syrup. The latest hubbub about zinc was sparked by a report from the Cochrane Collaboration. This global network of scientists, patients, and others evaluates the evidence on hundreds of different treatments. In the latest review, on zinc for the common cold, researchers Meenu Singh and Rashmi R. Das pooled the results of 13 studies that tested zinc for treating colds. By their analysis, taking zinc within 24 hours of first no... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507279 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:00:38 +0100 4507279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507282&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fkids-upper-respiratory-viruses-and-ear-infections%2F2011.02.22 According to a new study published this month, more than 20 percent of young children with colds or other upper respiratory viruses will develop middle ear infections. This finding isn’t that surprising. Eear symptoms along with a viral upper respiratory infection (URI) are common, including ear fullness and difficulty popping the ear. Although adults tend to be able to keep their ears clear by swallowing, chewing gum, yawning, or ear popping, most kids don’t know what to do when their ears feel full. Whether in adults or kids, when the ears don’t ventilate or clear properly it can lead to ear problems including fluid buildup and middel ear infection. Why does this occur? With a viral URI the lining of the nose swells, leading to symptoms of runny nose, nasal congest... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507282 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4507282 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495206&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fapp-tracking-the-flu%2F2011.02.18 As a part of the TheraFlu campaign, Novartis has developed free Android, Blackberry and iPhone applications for tracking flu outbreaks in the U.S. These days it’s become inevitable to develop free apps on all platforms in order to promote your product. From Novartis: Keep up-to-date on the most active cold and flu reports around the country. The WheresFlu™ app follows sickness incidence levels from week to week and keeps track of the current top 5 affected cities in the nation. The WheresFlu™ app will find your current location and provide you with results for that area. Or you can enter a ZIP code to get information for that area. If you’re wondering how it actually works and how it differs from Google Flu Trends, here it is: WheresFlu™ measures weekly activity for cold ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495206 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:00:39 +0100 4495206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489673&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftreating-the-common-cold%2F2011.02.17 For the last week I have had a cold. I usually get one each winter. I have two kids in school and they bring home a lot of viruses. I also work in a hospital, which tends (for some reason) to have lots of sick people. Although this year I think I caught my cold while traveling.  I’m almost over it now, but it’s certainly a miserable interlude to my normal routine. One thing we can say for certain about the common cold — it’s common. It is therefore no surprise that there are lots of cold remedies, folk remedies, pharmaceuticals, and “alternative” treatments. Finding a “cure for the common cold” has also become a journalistic cliche — reporters will jump on any chance to claim that some new research may one day lead to a cure for the common cold. Just about any re... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489673 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:00:17 +0100 4489673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482823&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F16%2Fhow-community-living-changed-my-mental-health%2F Since college, I’ve moved around. I’ve lived everywhere from a pint-sized East Village dwelling where I became an expert in throwing drink coasters at mice, to a snowy mountaintop apartment in Maine where I routinely slept in a sweatshirt, hat and fleece pants (ugh). After the horror of sharing a bathroom with 20 people I didn’t know during my freshman and sophomore years, I made it a point, no matter where I was, to either live alone or with a two roommates at the most. Even in Maine, where I would often go entire nights without seeing a soul (except the deer who would sometimes stare creepily through my living room windows), I reasoned that the loneliness was better than dealing with piles of other people’s dirty dishes or toothpaste spit in the bathroom sink. Fas... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482823 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:54:49 +0100 4482823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4478152&cid=t_136939_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FizyiXLV-uAE%2F Three years after the FDA issued a public health advisory that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines should not be given to children younger than 2 years old, a new poll finds that many parents and even their doctors have ignored the warnings. The FDA issued the advisory due to serious and potentially life-threatening side effects (read here). The poll queried 349 parents with children between six months and two years of age, and found that 61 percent gave their kids an OTC cough or cold med within the past 12 months. And among these parents, 57 percent reported that health care providers indicated that the medicines are safe, while 49 percent also indicated the meds are effective in children in this age group. The findings suggest that, not surprisingly, awareness reflected publicity ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4478152 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:49:23 +0100 4478152 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464607&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fis-life-with-chronic-pain-a-reality-or-a-cartoon%2F As most of you already know I have been having a terrible time with some funky new virus this year. I feel like a turtle that got tipped and can’t get upright again. That could explain why the room keeps spinning. Some spirit with a sense of humor keeps rocking my shell and occasionally gives it a spin. On Saturday, I went into urgent care. It was cold and slow. The people were very kind but I had to wear my gloves and jacket to keep from shaking my teeth out of my mouth while shivering. I had a chest X-ray, was given an antibiotic and left there being told I would eventually be okay. The diagnosis was viral with bronchitis. Since, like many of you, I already had a satchel full of problems, all things were complicated. We got out into the parking lot and I could hardly wait to get home a... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464607 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:46:51 +0100 4464607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460063&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fis-life-with-chronic-pain-a-reality-or-a-cartoon%2F As most of you already know I have been having a terrible time with some funky new virus this year. I feel like a turtle that got tipped and can’t get upright again. That could explain why the room keeps spinning. Some spirit with a sense of humor keeps rocking my shell and occasionally gives it a spin. On Saturday, I went into urgent care. It was cold and slow. The people were very kind but I had to wear my gloves and jacket to keep from shaking my teeth out of my mouth while shivering. I had a chest X-ray, was given an antibiotic and left there being told I would eventually be okay. The diagnosis was viral with bronchitis. Since, like many of you, I already had a satchel full of problems, all things were complicated. We got out into the parking lot and I could hardly wait to get home a... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460063 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:13:54 +0100 4460063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433243&cid=t_136939_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fc4OszkG_zUg%2F Three years ago, I was five months into life with my first kid, starting a new part-time gig, and smack in the midst of perfecting a book proposal. I was overworked, overtired, and completely overwhelmed. And then I got sick. Not stuffy nose and sore throat kind of sick, but lie-down-on-the-floor-because-the-room-spinning-and-I-forgot-my-name sick. That’s when I realized that I didn’t have a doctor. Well, at least not one I could call at a moment’s notice. Desperate and miserable, I remembered a friend telling me about the CVS Minute Clinic (available in 24 states and D.C.) and, fever rising, I drove directly to the nearest location and promptly passed out in the pharmacy (true). After I regained consciousness, downed a Coke, and stretched out on the exam room’s foldout table, I wa... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433243 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:33:19 +0100 4433243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4414546&cid=t_136939_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fseven-slices-of-science-stuff.html from David Bradley Vuja de – Thinking outside the box with new eyes? Haven't we see this managerial psychobabble before or is it just vuja de? Alchemist Newsletter – An element close to every Alchemist's heart, quicksilver, or more properly mercury, featured in the chemistry news roundup this week, as does the creation of life from the primordial soup and how that may have begun. In the world of agrichemicals there is a possible sting in the tale for a relatively new class of pesticides, although no definitive evidence is yet available. In materials science tiny, but microscopic particles can undergo self-assembly it seems, while depressing news emerges from Europe regarding the lack of efficacy of an antidepressant drug marketed there. Finally, a new, free chemical... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4414546 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:00:08 +0100 4414546 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360953&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzsZHyKEouIs%2F By Malou InnocentThe sudden collapse of the Tunisian government on Friday underscores the turmoil toward which the Muslim world  seems inescapably drifting.  As I wrote earlier today at The National Interest Online: Today, as during the Cold War, policy makers in Washington seem to expect economic growth to act as a substitute for political liberty, thereby ignoring the instinctive desire for freedom. Despotic leaders love to adopt pseudo-economic “reforms” to mask their coercive measures and perpetuate the status quo, but in the end, the institutionalized oppression imposed by ruling elites cannot be appeased in that way. Time will tell whether Tunisia and its neighbors evolve toward a freer and more prosperous future. But either way, human history confirms that fundamental change i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360953 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:36:26 +0100 4360953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360978&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fprotect-your-heart-when-shoveling-snow%2F2011.01.18 After shoveling the heavy, 18-inch layer of snow that fell overnight on my sidewalk and driveway, my back hurt, my left shoulder ached, and I was tired. Was my body warning me I was having a heart attack, or were these just the aftermath of a morning spent toiling with a shovel? Now that I’m of an AARP age, it’s a question I shouldn’t ignore. Snow shoveling is a known trigger for heart attacks. Emergency rooms in the snowbelt gear up for extra cases when enough of the white stuff has fallen to force folks out of their homes armed with shovels or snow blowers.  What’s the connection? Many people who shovel snow rarely exercise. Picking up a shovel and moving hundreds of pounds of snow, particularly after doing nothing physical for several months, can put a big strain on the heart. ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360978 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:00:40 +0100 4360978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4355842&cid=t_136939_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FY6JgPL60xWE%2F Rest. Drink lots of fluids. This is pretty much standard get-well advice from doctors and mothers around the world when it comes to the common cold. Getting lots of rest may very well help you feel better sooner, but according to The New York Times, a recent study by a team of Australian scientists argues that drinking extra fluids during a cold may not do much good at all in terms of healing. While they admit that keeping hydrated while sick is important, they believe the “drink more fluids” line needs to be studied more closely to determine its validity. It appears that our well-meaning docs (and moms) may have been dispensing bad medical advice to us all along. So what methods to you use to try to beat the common cold? Take our poll: Post from: BlissTree Drinking More Fluid... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4355842 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:14:09 +0100 4355842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4314005&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fon-the-value-of-open-mindedness%2F2011.01.05 Three recent sto­ries lead me to my open­ing topic for the year: The value of open-mindedness. This char­ac­ter­is­tic — a state of recep­tive­ness to new ideas — affects how we per­ceive and process infor­ma­tion. It’s a qual­ity I look for in my doc­tors, and which I admire espe­cially in older people. Piece #1 — On the brain’s matu­rity, flex­i­bil­ity and “cog­ni­tive fitness” For the first piece, I’ll note a Dec 31 op-ed piece that appeared in the New York Times: This Year, Change Your Mind, by Dr. Oliver Sacks, the neu­rol­o­gist and author. In this thought­ful essay, he con­sid­ers the adult brain’s “mys­te­ri­ous and extra­or­di­nary” power to adapt and grow: “I have seen hun­dreds of patients with var­i­ous deficits &#8212... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4314005 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:00:57 +0100 4314005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302944&cid=t_136939_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FnGdRrBA1bCU%2F photo: Thinkstock If you happen to be traveling in the U.K. these days, you may want to bring along some over-the-counter cold and flu medicine. In just the last week, there’s been a 60% increase in people who are critically ill with the flu in Britain (from 460 to 738). Most of those patients had not been vaccinated and were in high-risk groups for certain strains of the flu. In all, almost 40 people in the U.K. died from the flu in 2010. I just spent the Christmas holidays in London and Brighton, and can personally attest that everywhere I went (hotel, pub, restaurant, shop, train, tube) there was at least one person sitting next to me who was sneezing into a tissue or coughing into a handkerchief. (I also went to Paris, and the same was true there.) Unfortunately, toward the end o... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302944 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:34:35 +0100 4302944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302123&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fechinacea-for-colds-does-it-really-work%2F2010.12.31 This study is unlikely to change minds about whether to take this remedy. Have you tried echinacea as a cold remedy? Has it worked? How do research findings, pro and con, affect your opinion of so-called alternative medicines? Many of the echinacea studies, especially early on, were sponsored by companies making or selling the product. This study was supported by a grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. - Peter Wehrwein, Editor, Harvard Health Letter *This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302123 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:12 +0100 4302123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300508&cid=t_136939_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fhypothermia-expert-dr-alan-steinman-explains-medical-risks-cold-water-plunges%2F Former Coast Guard physician Dr. Alan Steinman explains the body’s various physiological responses when a person plunges into icy-cold water such as the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge or the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plungefest. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300508 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 05:51:43 +0100 4300508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4285186&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6S_XKbHL9Rk%2F By Daniel Griswold“Peace on earth, good will toward men” is a phrase we associate with the Christmas season. One bit of good news that you will probably not see in the newspaper or on cable TV over the holiday is that the world in recent decades has actually been moving closer to that ideal, and free trade and globalization have played a role. In its latest “Trade Fact of the Week,” the pro-trade Democratic Leadership Council reminds us that “The world has become more peaceful.” Citing a recent report from the Human Security Center in British Colombia, the DLC memo notes that wars are less frequent and less bloody than in decades past. The average annual death toll from armed conflicts has been declining since the 1950s, from an average of 155,000 down to 17,000 in 2002-2008. N... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4285186 Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:10:44 +0100 4285186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281455&cid=t_136939_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FnANS4ZTMcmU%2F Trying to cure your pre-Christmas cold with all-natural Echinacea? A new study suggests that the so-called wonder herb, that’s been purported to prevent colds, may not be a miracle worker after all. It seems the herb, which is a wild flower found in the Midwestern plains, doesn’t have much impact on the duration or strength of colds. The study followed more than 700 cold sufferers, and found that people who took Echinacea saw around a 10% reduction in the duration of their cold. That ends up being about seven to ten fewer hours, which is not, according to lead researcher Bruce Barrett, considered a medically significant decrease. But Barrett advised that people who’ve experienced Echinacea’s healing properties should continue taking it, since the study isn’t absolutel... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281455 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:14:53 +0100 4281455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277816&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEFJAtFg6yIg%2F By Christopher PrebleSpurred on by a new release of documents from the archives, the past few weeks have witnessed a renewed interest in the military-industrial complex (MIC), the term forever associated with Dwight David Eisenhower. Or, at least, that should be the case. Eisenhower – the West Point graduate, career military officer, and hero of World War II – was one of the first to ever use the phrase, in a televised Farewell Address to the nation on January 17, 1961. Over the years, however, the MIC has become a mantra for progressives and left liberals, usually used in tandem with an assault on private enterprise, writ large, or as part of an elaborate conspiracy theory that equates crony capitalism with market economics. The left’s capture of the term has ena... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277816 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:44:08 +0100 4277816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4230159&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhaving-diabetes-and-being-real-people-sick%2F2010.12.04 Since the beginning of November, I’ve been dealing with a random few weeks of feeling “real-people sick” (RPS). Like I wrote about last week, diabetes is something I’m used to and can deal with pretty well, but the common cold knocks me right on my end. I deal with colds like a guy. I hate being RPS: Real People Sick: The differentiation between blood sugar issues and the common cold. Phrase slips out most often when the diabetic admits to not feeling well and must specify that it is not blood sugar related. This month’s Animas “Life, Uninterrupted” vlog is about being “sick” on top of having diabetes, and about how cracked-out squirrels and I sometimes share the same vocal patterns. Unfortunately, there’s another cameo by Abby... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4230159 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 00:00:05 +0100 4230159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207363&cid=t_136939_113_f&fid=38494&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcuretogether.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2F29%2Fthe-single-best-treatment-for-the-common-cold%2F For the live-updated, interactive version of this infographic, click here. If you have an after-Thanksgiving cold, this post is for you. When it comes to our old friend the common cold, it turns out that the simplest remedy may be the best. At CureTogether, 139 people who have experienced the Common Cold have come together to share 1,079 data points about treatments they had tried and how well they worked or didn’t work. So what is the single best, winning treatment that patients have reported? You guessed it: SLEEP. To navigate the graph above, the top right quadrant shows the most popular and effective treatments, the top left quadrant shows treatments that not many people have tried but that have above-average effectiveness, so they may be options to think about (e.g. neti pot, Dayqui... The Collective Well blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207363 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:31:42 +0100 4207363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183295&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fits-cold-and-flu-season-snls-hibernol%2F2010.11.19 Thanks to former student Allison Miller for reminding me about this clip from the Saturday Night Live (SNL) archives: *This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183295 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:00:54 +0100 4183295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172327&cid=t_136939_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Frgr3acT_c3k%2F It’s no secret that the Great Recession is prompting a growing number of people to abandon prescriptions at pharmacies. Yet another analysis finds that nearly 3.3 percent of all scrips were abandoned between July and September 2008, just as the economic malaise began spiraling downward, according to a study in The Annals of Internal Medicine (see the abstract and a summary). Not surprisingly, the abandonment rate has since climbed. In the first six months of this year, it nearly hit 10 percent of all new scrips for brand-name meds, according to Wolters Kluwer (look here). Nonetheless, by sifting through prescriptions bottled for insured customers of CVS Caremark, which runs a pharmacy benefits manager and a national pharmacy and funded the study, the researchers detected the types of... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172327 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:56:44 +0100 4172327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172297&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F11%2F15%2Fa-teenage-girl-truman-capote-two-killers-and-a-full-moon%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up. A Teenage Girl, Truman Capote, Two Killers and a Full Moon. Clutter driveway If Nancy Clutter had survived, she would be 67 years old. But on Nov. 15, 1959, she was murdered in her family’s farmhouse near Holcomb, Kansas, along with her mother, father and 15-year-old brother. Six more years would pass before author Truman Capote would publish “In Cold Blood,” his landmark book about the murders. Nancy Clutter was 16 years old when she died, and I was 16 years old when I read about the last days, hours and moments of her life. To my sad teenage mind, Nancy Clutter had it all: A stable, close-knit family. A sports team. A boyfriend. A place in her community. She belonged. In an instant, she lost it all just because a cellmate of ... Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172297 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:54:44 +0100 4172297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151791&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcuring-the-common-cold-from-the-inside-out%2F2010.11.09 Antibodies can fight viruses from within infected cells, reported researchers who now believe that treatments could be applied to viral diseases like the common cold, “winter vomiting,” and gastroenteritis. Previously, scientists thought that antibodies could only reduce infection by attacking viruses outside cells and by blocking their entry into cells. Once inside the cell, the body’s only defense was to destroy the cell. But protection mediated by antibodies doesn’t end at the cell membrane. It continues inside the cell to provide a last line of defense against infection. Researchers at the U.K.’s Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology showed that cells possess a cytosolic IgG receptor, tripartite motif-containing 21 (TRIM21), whic... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151791 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:00:00 +0100 4151791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4134031&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fseasonal-changes-in-ms-symptoms%2F Multiple sclerosis, the disease, is different for everyone. MS symptoms are different as well. Then, for kicks, let’s throw in terms like disease activity, MS progression or progressive/remitting MS and we’ve got a soup that bubbles vile, like a Hecate’s caldron! As we move, in earnest, from one season to the next I have read from many of your comments how your MS symptoms change. Many are affected by summer’s heat while others revel in the freedom the warmth gives their muscles. Winter’s bite is a breath of cool freshness to those who are heat-sensitive and a cursed vice to others. Some have reported that even exacerbations seem to happen more frequently (or even repeatedly) at particular times of year. Other than heat sensitivity, I must admit that my multiple sclerosis seems t... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4134031 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:46:09 +0100 4134031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4121936&cid=t_136939_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FFT74E0QPuqk%2F photo: Thinkstock Check out this post about possible stroke triggers by Deborah Huso on AOL Health. Tossing back a few drinks during a night out with friends. Coming down with a cold or the flu. These might seem like harmless and seemingly unrelated events. But they all have something in common: They could raise your risk of having a stroke — at least temporarily, a new study examining stroke triggers finds. The temporary spike in risk is especially true for those who are already at an increased risk for stroke, including smokers and people with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or diabetes. The study was published in the latest issue of Stroke, a journal of the American Stroke Association, and focused specifically on ischemic stroke, which occurs when a clot disrupts blood... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4121936 Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:00:32 +0100 4121936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119124&cid=t_136939_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2Fi-2gzHZrwbQ%2F photo: Thinkstock We’re not big fans of pumping ourselves full of cold medicine the second our noses start running. But we’re also not fond of feeling like crap all day. Luckily, The Daily Green has got 12 all-natural, at-home remedies to get us through cold season. 1. For a cough: Put three tablespoons of dried thyme into a pint of boiling water. Once it cools, add a cup of honey and take one teaspoon every hour (if needed). 2. To prevent colds: Eat a diet rich in vitamin C to keep colds at bay. 3. For a runny nose: Add garlic to your food for a few days, and kiss your snot goodbye. 4.  For nosebleeds: Eat a cup of leafy greens daily to get the vitamin K you need to keep your capillaries strong against dry indoor air. 5. For sore throats: To soothe your aching throat, try a j... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119124 Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:20:34 +0100 4119124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4073997&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Finfographic-just-wash-your-hands-people%2F Don’t you just love cold season? Not only do you have to worry about people hacking all over you on the sidewalks, but you also have to trust that everyone is washing their hands, all the time. And guess what? They’re not. Check out this infographic to see who’s walking around with bathroom hands. Click the graphic to enlarge. via Good Post from: BlissTree Infographic: Just Wash Your Hands, People (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4073997 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:51:54 +0100 4073997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040615&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F07%2Fnational-depression-screening-day-2010%2F Today is the annual “National Depression Screening Day,” an effort to help people learn if they have the “common cold” of mental disorders — depression. Depression is characterized by feelings of never-ending sadness, hopelessness, fatigue, trouble with sleep, trouble with eating, and trouble with enjoying things in life that only yesterday seemed to bring a smile to your face (or some combination of those and similar kinds of symptoms). In order for depression to be diagnosed, you must have felt these kinds of symptoms without a break for at least two weeks. Most people who experience depression, however, suffer in silence with their symptoms for a lot more than 2 weeks — some suffer for months or even years before finally seeking help for the problem.... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040615 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:21:28 +0100 4040615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4001709&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F25%2Flistening-in-on-another-conversation%2F We’ve all done it — listened in on another conversation while talking to someone else. How can we do that? How can we focus our listening abilities on a far away conversation while “turning off” the ability to listen to the conversation that’s right in front of us? This unique listening ability is called selective listening and most people can do it. It’s our ability to tune out one conversation and have our brains hone in on another. And despite this fairly common phenomenon, neuroscientists still have little idea of how we do it. It seems to come down to understanding the neural pathways and circuits that underlie our attention skills. In understanding simple attention skills like how we can selectively listen, neuroscientists believe it could also hel... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4001709 Sat, 25 Sep 2010 16:45:21 +0100 4001709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993841&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fpoll-alert-will-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year%2F photo: Thinkstock Every year around this time, a question (debate, really) emerges among the health-conscious: To get the flu shot, or not to get the flu shot? That is the question. Some vehemently swear that they stay healthy by avoiding the vaccine, while others get pricked with an annual flu shot no matter what. We know you’ve got an opinion about the flu vaccine, so take our poll and tell us what you think. #MicroPollDiv_277293 { width: 250px; margin: 0px auto; } Post from: BlissTree Poll Alert: Will You Get a Flu Shot This Year? (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993841 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:03:01 +0100 3993841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3921100&cid=t_136939_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FK6plMEwinvk%2F One of the great mysteries of life is this. How can you drink water (Which is heavy) and lose weight? I have pondered this many times, but over time, drinking 2 to 3 liters of water a day, will help you lose weight and keep it off. It also helps you perform better during exercise, reduces fatigue, and can even help you feel better by reducing back pain and headaches. So if water is so good for you, is widely available and inexpensive (or in most cases free), why is it so hard to drink enough to keep hydrated through the day? Here are my thoughts… Water is boring and pretty well tasteless Water is heavy and cumbersome to lug around There are a lot of better tasting competitors to take its place Drinking a lot of water equals a lot of bathroom trips In my struggle to drink more water, I... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3921100 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:13:08 +0100 3921100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3907604&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcan-the-expiration-date-of-harvested-organs-be-extended%2F2010.08.26 Currently, once a donated organ has been harvested it only has a few hours on ice before it “expires.” Lengthening this time period would be an incredible breakthrough that would allow patients in a wider area to potentially receive a transplant and also it would reduce some of the insanity surrounding the time pressures of organ transplantation. One proposed method of extending an organ’s shelf life is to alter the internal cell biology to allow cells to live longer at lower temperatures. The State University of New Jersey Rutgers-Camden just received a $385,419 grant from the NIH to study an enzyme system, AMP phosphatase, and how it can potentially create cold-tolerant Drosophila. The enzyme was originally identified in ice worms as the key enzyme that allows them to s... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3907604 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:00:26 +0100 3907604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3794845&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F27%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-july-27-2010%2F This weekend I got in touch with a different side of my personality: the nature loving one. It’s the part of me that often gets buried underneath daily worries, fears and your garden variety neuroticism. While tending to issues are important, so is taking a break from them. Based on the outpouring of responses I got concerning outdoor activities on Facebook, it seems like I might not be the only one. Isn’t it nice basking in the ray of hope and possibility instead of fear and uncertainty every once in awhile? That’s what I spent my time doing in a rustic cottage in the country. I stared out the French doors of the tiny cottage for several minutes without fear of boredom or anxiety from doing nothing. I heard and felt comforted by the subtle soundtrack created by the soun... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3794845 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:36:06 +0100 3794845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3710746&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F06%2F29%2Frussian-spies-how-quaint%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on Politics Daily. Russian Spies: How Quaint. Filed under: Politics Daily Tagged: chaos theory, cold war, political cartoon, russia, russian, spies, spy ring (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3710746 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:19:50 +0100 3710746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702982&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F06%2F27%2Fstrong-at-the-broken-places-on-living-bravely-with-chronic-illness%2F I love this man. Richard Cohen. I love him. His mantra is mine. His hope I cling to. He inspires me. He tells the story of coping with his multiple sclerosis and colon cancer in his New York Times bestseller, “Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness.” Awhile back, he came out with a fascinating book, “Strong at the Broken Places: Voices of Illness, a Chorus of Hope,” profiling five brave persons battling illness. Writes Richard, “These are the faces of illness in America. Do not look away. The characters may surprise you, even shatter a stereotype or two. They are people, not cases, survivors, not victims. Quite simply, they are us. they carry shared resolve, a determination to survive. To flourish.” I read parts of the book two years ago. I was especi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702982 Sun, 27 Jun 2010 19:27:10 +0100 3702982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3671886&cid=t_136939_127_f&fid=38263&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fdeepesthealth%2FBMCc%2F%7E3%2F8WVahpWo_Tc%2F   Last week we began by exploring the concept of timing in acupuncture. This week we’ll move on to herbs. Timing in Herbology Timing is equally important in herbology, as knowing where in the system the disease currently is will dictate what formula you prescribe and what modifications have to be made (I discuss this in an upcoming free PDF entitled “Beginners Guide to Acute Respiratory Disease”). For this, the Six Conformation model used by Zhang Zhongjing (called the Six Channel Model in TCM) is without question the most powerful tool we have at our disposal, telling us where the disharmony is, what its nature is, and what principles are required to fix it.  This applies in acute as well as chronic cases. For example – If the problem is diagnosed as a Cold inva... Deepest Health: Exploring Classical Chinese Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3671886 Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:33:04 +0100 3671886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3546915&cid=t_136939_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FA4e6duGuPRM%2F           Raynaud’s syndrome (RS), also called Raynaud’s phenomenon, is a disorder of small blood vessels that respond excessively to stimuli which causes poor blood flow, usually in the fingers.  It can also occur in the toes, ears and nose.  When this condition occurs by itself, it is called Raynaud’s syndrome or Raynaud’s disease, or primary Raynaud’s phenomenon.  When it occurs along with other diseases, such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, Sjogren’s syndrome or mixed connective tissue disease, it is called secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon.  Although estimates vary, recent surveys show that Raynaud’s syndrome may affect 5 to 10 percent of the general population in the United States... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3546915 Sat, 08 May 2010 16:51:42 +0100 3546915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3542263&cid=t_136939_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2F8JNHifK_FIM%2F Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is a private, non-profit institution located in the eponymous town on Long Island, New York. Over 400 scientists work there on a wide range of biological problems, including cancer, neurobiology, plant genetics, and genomics. CSHL has a storied research history, having hosted nine Nobel Laureates. But it is also well known for its world class scientific conferences. The first of these was the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Symposium on Quantitative Biology, which was held in 1934. Another well known event is the Phage Course, founded by Salvador Luria and Max Delbrück in 1948. There are now over 24 meetings held annually. One of these is the meeting on retroviruses, which will begin on 24 May 2010. Below is a list of the presentations about XMRV, the n... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3542263 Fri, 07 May 2010 15:04:27 +0100 3542263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3508273&cid=t_136939_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FuQdtGoRQJT0%2F           Feeling depressed or forgetful?  How about being tired all of the time or notice your hair falling out?  Are you gaining weight for no reason?  I was just two years ago.  Luckily I went to my doctor with these symptoms and he ran some blood tests.  Guess what?  I had hypothyroidism.  Believe it or not – approximately 59 million Americans have this mysterious and often undiagnosed disease.  In fact, more people are affected by hypothyroid symptoms than diabetes, yet it is far less recognized or understood.  Hypothyroidism is more common than you would believe, and millions of people are currently hypothyroid and don’t know it.  What is it?  Very simply, the disease is an underactive thyroid.  Unfortunately, the common warning signs are often dismissed... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3508273 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:13:07 +0100 3508273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3479641&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fdavid-duchovny-and-demi-moore-sickened-by-a-smooch%2F David Duchovny and Demi Moore (photo: WENN.com/FayesVision) Word at Starpulse is that David Duchovny initially refused to kiss Demi Moore while filming their new movie The Joneses, because the actress had what he calls a “raging cold.” Duchovny eventually relented and locked lips with Moore to keep the filming schedule on track. The former X-Files leading man claims that he did get sick from the smooch, and he doesn’t seem happy about it. With a cold season this year that never seems to end, we’re wondering, how far do you go to avoid germs? If it were your job to tongue someone with the sniffles, would you do it? Do you steer clear of your loved ones when they’re sick? Drop us a note in the comments section, below, and let us know. Post from: BlissTree D... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3479641 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:14:36 +0100 3479641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385336&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fshould-obama-resign-his-cancer-sticks%2F Barry’s pounding the pavement to gain support for his Health Bill, but a much more popular topic is his own bad health habit: Smoking. We love to love our Prez, but lighting up doesn’t look good on anyone – even the Commander-in-Chief. Recently, The Christian Science Monitor reported that Obama still struggles with the vice. We know he’s not superhuman, but there’s something hypocritical about a smoker preaching better public health policy. Does it bother you, or is it just a sign that our fearless leader has faults like the rest of us? #MicroPollDiv_241637 { width: 250px; margin: 0px auto; } Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385336 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:21:24 +0100 3385336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311701&cid=t_136939_101_f&fid=38969&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheemtspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2F25%2Fresponding-to-hypothermia%2F Part 2 of a 2 part series. (Part one is here.) In our last post we looked at some of the causes of hypothermia, both typical and atypical. Then we talked a bit about the recognition of the hypothermia progression and what patients might look, feel and act like as they progress through their hypothermic condition. Now let’s look at some of the guidelines for treating our hypothermia victims. On the surface, treating hypothermia might seem deceptively simple. The treatment of mild hypothermia often is simple. Bring them in, stop the cooling and rewarm them. But as we progress into moderate and severe hypothermia, things get more complicated. Here are 12 guidelines to consider when the patient is more than just a little chilled. Stay warm. As much as it pains me to make a statement t... The EMT Spot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311701 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:53:46 +0100 3311701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3244078&cid=t_136939_167_f&fid=38576&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drbriffa.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2F05%2Fcan-vitamin-d-keep-you-infection-free%2F On Wednesday morning I had a nice chat over coffee with Oliver Gillie, a writer and researcher with a particular interest in vitamin D. We spent much of our time talking about the role vitamin D may have in a wide range of conditions including role in a range of conditions including cancer, diabetes, [...] (Source: Dr John Biffa's Blog) Dr John Biffa's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3244078 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:10:31 +0100 3244078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189288&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Freally-weird-ms-symptoms%2F If multiple sclerosis symptoms are nothing else, especially to the newly diagnosed, they are weird!  Sure, symptoms can be frightening, challenging, difficult and even debilitating… but how many times have I caught myself saying, “Hmmmm, that’s weird!” Often we are told, “That’s doesn’t sound like MS,” or something of the kind, by our medical professionals only to find out (oft, via the pages of this blog) that we are not alone in our experience of something not in the medical text books.  It is one of the aspects of the Life with MS blog of which I am most proud! I have a real doozie to share, with a discussion of MS symptoms from the X-Files. The middle of last week, I developed a cold.  You know that feeling when you wake, somewhere between the back of your nose and t... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189288 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:14:22 +0100 3189288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146110&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fhow-to-stay-warm-during-the-cold-winter-months%2F I had something else in mind for today but after receiving so many notes from all of you who are reacting to the extreme cold, I thought we’d talk about some practical matters. It may be a bit repetitious because some of us have been chatting about these things, but for other, it will be new information. I often think by gathering all of our experiences together we often come up with some very helpful information. I’d like to chat about current problems and challenges so we can all help each other by pooling our information. FACING THE COLD. One of the greatest challenges those of us with rheumatoid disease face is the effect of weather changes on our bodies. There is little doubt that barometric changes affect us and the effect that both heat and cold can have on us. The most common c... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146110 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:15:38 +0100 3146110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3108450&cid=t_136939_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fgeneral-health%2Fhome-remedies-for-the-flu Medication, vaccination, be careful, stay away, stay home, wear a mask, wash your hands. It seems like this season, you can’t even go one day without being bombarded with swine flu information. This is the time of the year when every kid comes home from school covered in germs. You intend to wash your hands enough and maybe even do, but then notice your co-worker, or person near you on the train, filthy, wiping their nose with their hands, touching the rail.  Just the thoughts can make you sick. Well, I have some advice that you may already know…your mom’s. In this case (as in so many) mom knows best. Chicken soup can really make you feel better. It is a warm liquid. It works to suppress the inflammation, it works as a detoxifying agent the vitamins help the immune system and it ju... Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3108450 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:44:25 +0100 3108450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3108452&cid=t_136939_117_f&fid=37824&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doctorkalitenko.com%2Fblog%2Fgeneral-health%2Fwatch-for-the-kiss-of-death Your health is one of the most precious things you have, therefore you should protect it all the time.  You should watch out so much because even an innocent looking thing you may be doing every day can kill you.  And here is how. Not so long ago a 23-year-old man without prior medical history came in the emergency room with nonspecific flu like symptoms and then developed liver failure. In the beginning doctors could not figure out why, and a short time later, he died in the hospital. After questioning of the friends that brought him in and after getting back all lab results, doctors realized what truly killed him: superinfection ( source: NEJM June 11 2009). Not only had his friends seen him at the bar talking to a woman, but they also noticed she had a vesicular lesion on her lip. Tu... Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3108452 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:39:01 +0100 3108452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3097033&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fhack-hack-cough-cough%2F About 3 weeks ago, I got a medium cold. A bugger, but nothing overwhelming. 2 weeks into the cold, I began to feel a bit better, and was sure that I had gotten through the worst of it. Well, next morning, I wake up shaking with chills, sweating, ready to puke. So… I turn on the (cannabis) vaporizer thinking I’ll at least soothe my nausea. A vaporizer is very, very smooth to inhale. But when I DID inhale, I started hacking and coughing. That cold I had must have shifted into my lungs. The cough began maybe 4-5 days ago. So that means no cannabis to ease nausea. The result? Vomit. And lots of it. Went to the doctor 2 days ago, was diagnosed with pneumonia, and got an injection of high-grade antibiotics and also some take-home pills. Now, I’m still coughing, but it’s b... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3097033 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:24:45 +0100 3097033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092826&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fhow-dry-i-am-winter-with-sjogrens-syndrome%2F Those good old western movies I watched as a child, or maybe it was the war movies, have left their influence. That old song, usually sung by a drunken sot, “How dry I am, How dry I am, nobody knows, how dry I am.”  Come to think of it, that’s pretty nonsensical because they aren’t dry at all. Now as for me, I know about dry. Even in the midst of winter, the dryness of eyes, mouth and nose extends to many other areas of the body. We inhale cold freezing air and it does its aeration all the way to the lungs. There are so many times that I, like you, just want to say “Bollocks!” to all the precautions. I want to live my life. Isn’t it bad enough I have to do it with pain in my sitter, pain in my knees, pain in my ankles, etc as well as extreme changes in my skin. I slather on ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092826 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:08:33 +0100 3092826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089245&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D8139 Dr. Chin sent this in: I wonder if you can put this on MMR website. I know I might not be popular with private GPs, but I have children’s safety at heart. I have cared for a few children been ventilated in the past 2 years in Malaysia due to toxicity of cough medicine, although no death as in USA. KKM has issued a letter this year, similar to FDA warning, not to use cough and cold medicine for under age of 2 years. As I did my very first locum a few days ago, I got hold of all cough medicine drug data in the clinic, in fact, no dosing recommendation for under 2 years on all of them. Here’s the Youtube video link: Parents and caregivers be warned. Cough and cold medicines should not be given to kids under the age of 2. These can even be bought OTC (over the counter) and includ... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089245 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3089245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071353&cid=t_136939_123_f&fid=39041&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrnabong.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fis-it-common-cold-or-allergies.html The most common infection in children in the common cold but the significance of this is attributed to the possible complications that it can cause. Children usually have 5-8 infections a year and this is more common in children younger than 2 years of age. 1/3 of the common colds is caused by the rhinovirus but there are 200 different strains of viruses that can also cause this infection. Colds is usually more severe in younger children because it can result is some fever. They can have ear infections with this and if the discharge is more purulent they can have a sinus infection with this. This is very contagious so it is really hard to quarantine children with this illness. Period of infectivity starts a few hours prior to the appearance of symptoms to 1-2 days after the illness appeare... Dr Nabong's Pediatric Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071353 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:35:00 +0100 3071353 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044306&cid=t_136939_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FpLSx_-o5roA%2F So far in my experiments to understand inhibition of rhinovirus replication by ZnCl2 I’ve found that at a concentration of 0.1 mM, viral plaque formation is inhibited but not sufficiently to be able to select resistant mutants. Attempts to use higher concentrations of the metal have consistently failed. When I initially I tried higher concentrations of ZnCl2 in the plaque assay (0.2, 0.3, 0.4 mM) the cell monolayers looked poor. I thought one reason for this apparent toxicity was that the HeLa cell monolayers were too sparse. Last week I repeated the experiment using plates of HeLa cells seeded with 2 or 2.25 million cells each the night before. I infected the cells with two different amounts of rhinovirus type 1a, added a semisolid overlay with or without ZnCl2, and incubated for fo... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044306 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:36:36 +0100 3044306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2989389&cid=t_136939_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fto-us-fda-anti-psychotics-need.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2989389 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:37:00 +0100 2989389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3016927&cid=t_136939_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2F5meqJhkqthM%2F The title of this post should not come as a surprise to readers of virology blog – it was shown in 1974 that zinc could interfere with replication of rhinoviruses (see “Zinc and the common cold“). I am referring to the result of my first experiment to study the mechanism of zinc inhibition – something I promised I would document on these pages. I am interested in understanding how zinc inhibits rhinovirus replication. Answering this question could lead to new ways to prevent common colds caused by these viruses. The first step was to reproduce the effect of zinc in my laboratory with my stocks of rhinovirus. I selected rhinovirus type 1a for my initial experiments because we’ve worked with this serotype in the past: we know the genome sequence and how the viru... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3016927 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:35:42 +0100 3016927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2920180&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=38261&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vibrantglow.com%2F2009%2F10%2Ffight-flu-with-black-elderberry.html When my husband recently returned from a business trip overseas he called me before coming home from the airport to warn me that he had became very ill while flying. It sounded like he was bringing a dreadful form of the flu home to me and our two little ones. Well prepared for such a situation, I immediately reached for vitamin C and D, my favorite herbal immune tonic, and for a bottle of Sambucus--a syrup containing black elderberryextract.For those who choose not to be vaccinated against the flu of any strain, the black elderberryis really the best natural weapon to fight influenza. A double blind study conducted during a flu outbreak in Panama found that the standardized elderberryextract stopped the replication of at least 10 different human influenza A/B viruses. More than 90% of the... Vibrant Glow blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2920180 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100 2920180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2902814&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F10%2F18%2F7-myths-of-depression%2F Depression is often viewed as the “common cold” of mental disorders, because it is so prevalent in our lives. The lifetime prevalence of depression suggests that more than 1 in 9 people could be diagnosed with the disorder at one point in their lives. And unlike some other mental disorders, depression affects virtually every aspect of what you do and how you interact with others. Every year, it wreaks havoc in millions of Americans’ lives, especially amongst those who believe it is something you should just “get over” on your own. Here are seven common myths about depression, and the facts that answer them. 1. Depression means I’m really “crazy” or just weak. While depression is indeed a serious mental disorder, it is no more serious than mos... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2902814 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:05:35 +0100 2902814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879594&cid=t_136939_123_f&fid=39037&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.drgreene.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F10%2F08%2Ffeeling-congested-tired-feverish-it-is-a-just-a-cold-or-is-it-the-flu%2F How can you tell the difference between cold and flu? I recorded this video with A.D.A.M. to give you information that will help you determine the difference between the two. How do you know if you have swine flu (H1N1)? There’s a great new online tool that can help you find out — and it’s free! [...] (Source: Conversations with Dr Greene) Conversations with Dr Greene blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879594 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:21:44 +0100 2879594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3016940&cid=t_136939_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FD5Mqho7bBCs%2F Shortly after I developed sore throat, cough, and congestion last week, a package of ‘Cold – Eeze’ materialized on my kitchen counter. The writing on the package of zinc-laden lozenges promised to ’shorten your cold’, and noted that they were ‘clinically proven to reduce the duration of the common cold’. Do zinc lozenges have any effect on the common cold? The common cold is the primary cause of doctor visits in the United States, leading to 189 million lost school days each year. But it’s important to point out that the common cold can be caused by a number of different viruses, including rhinovirus, coronavirus, influenza virus, adenovirus, and paramyxovirus. Rhinoviruses are responsible for over half of all common colds. The idea that zinc... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3016940 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:58:46 +0100 3016940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871608&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FHa0wmbppsG4%2F Well – sadly it’s been one year since I have posted a blog with Disruptive Women in Healthcare so I really need to update you all on the fascinating science occurring in the genomics community. Shortly after I wrote my last blog in October 2008, I attended a meeting at one of our country’s finest scientific institutions– Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories – where some of the world’s foremost scientific discoveries have occurred. At this inaugural meeting entitled “Personal Genomes”, scientists discussed the tremendous potential for understanding the genome and translating this knowledge into our quest for the personalization of healthcare – yet at this meeting one year ago, we were acknowledging that we had sequenced less than a handful of genomes, the task at hand enorm... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871608 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:05:33 +0100 2871608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2858589&cid=t_136939_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fsleep-for-your-health-this-cold-and-flu.html The cold and flu season is quickly approaching. This year it is more important than ever to protect yourself not only from the seasonal flu, but also from the contagious H1N1 virus or “swine flu”.So what are the easiest ways to avoid contracting the flu?It may be as easy as practicing good hygiene. Wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face and avoid contact with people who are sick. The CDC also advises getting plenty of sleep to help your body maintain a strong immune system.A New York Times blog post found that if you are sleeping poorly you are more likely to catch a cold. Scientists think that this relationship highlights the importance of sleep to your health.A study published earlier this year in the journal Sleep shows that your immune system can be affected by sleep ... Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2858589 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100 2858589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842511&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FiyOFfpp3X50%2F A grandmother in Indiana has been arrested for purchasing cold medicine. We can all sleep more safely now that this hardened criminal has been taught a lesson. The Terre Haute News reports: When Sally Harpold bought cold medicine for her family back in March, she never dreamed that four months later she would end up in handcuffs. Now, Harpold is trying to clear her name of criminal charges, and she is speaking out in hopes that a law will change so others won’t endure the same embarrassment she still is facing. …Harpold is a grandmother of triplets who bought one box of Zyrtec-D cold medicine for her husband at a Rockville pharmacy. Less than seven days later, she bought a box of Mucinex-D cold medicine for her adult daughter at a Clinton pharmacy, thereby purchasing 3.6 grams tot... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842511 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:40:14 +0100 2842511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820392&cid=t_136939_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FjHKqq4Vu7E0%2F Although being tired and run down doesn’t cause colds, research has backed up the long-time belief that being tired can help reduce your defenses, increasing your risk of developing a cold if exposed to a virus. This belief is that sleep is supposed to be restorative. It gives your body a chance to settle down, lower its blood pressure and replenish – so to speak – its reserves for another day of living. If you don’t sleep, you can be vulnerable to many illnesses. Researchers in the United States studied a group of 153 healthy men and women who had no signs or symptoms of a cold. The participants kept track of how long and well they slept over a two-week period. After the two weeks, the group was quarantined and exposed to a cold virus through a nasal spray. The fin... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820392 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:34:14 +0100 2820392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859104&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fwhen-cancer-killed-grandma%2F I’d like to expand on what I wrote in this post, particularly about my grandma. I didn’t write enough about how her death affected me. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer  when she was 85 and I was 15. It’s been said that type of cancer is one of the most excruciating and lethal. (R.I.P., Mr. Swayze) Let me backtrack… my granny was Manuela. She insisted we call her Manuelita, though. She didn’t want to hear any of that “abuelita” or “grandma” business. She was short, stocky, feisty, and incredibly rugged for her age. She lived with my family since before I was born. In a sense, she was a second mom. They both ran the show while Dad was off working. Dad, Mom, and Manuelita: they were the bosses of us 5 kids. Manuelita & me Manu... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859104 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:26:07 +0100 2859104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674435&cid=t_136939_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FDxOYM1EYm0Y%2F Amelia Earhart may have lived more than 110 years ago, but she still holds as much (if not more) appeal when she died as when she was alive. For starters, she was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and would have made the longest round-the-world flight had she not crashed somewhere in the Pacific. Her remains and that of her airplane were never found, although the skeletons of a tall, Caucasian female, some ound in Gardner Island (now Nikumaroro) in 1940. Unfortunately the skeletons were misplaced years later, and Amelia Earhart’s disappearance stayed unsolved through much of the 20th century. Some believe that Earhart survived the crash and lived on the island. With nothing but that theory, Ric Gillespie and the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674435 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:03:00 +0100 2674435 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660978&cid=t_136939_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F08%2Fhow-to-network-with-busy-people-part-4%2F This is a continuation of the “How to Network With Busy People” series. The first post in the series can be found here. Continuing on with our tips… Avoid cold-calling. Avoid cold-calling if possible. Busy people get cold calls (and a lot more cold emails) every day. This is yet another pattern that gets filtered. Cold calling is essentially the same thing as spam. As with spam, cold-calling will sometimes result in a hit. But it requires that you pester and annoy a lot of other people for each hit you generate. It’s a very low-class form of networking and very inefficient. When I refer to cold-calling, I’m talking about blasting the same message to large numbers of people in an untargeted or semi-targeted fashion. I’m not talking about sending a very targeted email to a specif... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660978 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 11:15:00 +0100 2660978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262865&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2Fsongs%2FColdDesert.mp3 Am I Benjamin Button? Feels like it. Severe osteoporosis. Severe kyphosis. Old, decrepit grannies have that. I’m 28. And a guy. F. me. This song has been on repeat lately. Feel free to mope with me: Cold Desert by Kings of Leon I’m on the corner, waiting for a light to come on That’s when I know that you’re alone It’s cold in the desert, water never sees the ground Special unspoken without sound You told me you loved me, that I’d never die alone Hand over your heart, let’s go home Everyone noticed, everyone has seen the signs I’ve always been known to cross lines I’ve never ever cried when I was feeling down I’ve always been scared of the sound Jesus don’t love me, no one ever carried my load I’m too young to feel this... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262865 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:22:00 +0100 3262865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2594476&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F12%2Fswearing-reduces-pain%2F Back in March, I reported on a study by Timothy Jay describing how and why humans swear. As a researcher studying swearing for 35 years, Jay had some interesting insights. Now add one more reason to the list — we swear not merely as a reaction to pain, but because it can actually reduce our sense of pain. The new finding comes from research that tested the hypothesis with a bunch (67) of college students and some ice cold water. Students were given a choice when they plunged their warm hands into the freezing water — chant a neutral word, or repeat a swear word instead. Those students who chose to swear reported less subjective pain than the neutral word chanters, and could endure the icy cold water with their hands for about 40 seconds longer on average. Some researcher spec... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2594476 Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:51:54 +0100 2594476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859117&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fdeath-of-a-dream%2F Surgery #1 was 1987. Once I recovered from the drug-induced haze and made my way out of the physical therapy labs (around 7-8 years old), I had seen far too many medical staff. Yet, since they were all around me and concerned about me, naturally it made me curious about them. It was simply fascinating. Overwhelming, but fascinating for a kid brain. Example thought process as a kid in a hospital: Who’s that lady? Why’s she got a mask on her head? Stetho-what? Heh, look at the dumb clown print on that guy’s shirt! How come so many of them have silly shirts? What are those cards hanging from everyone’s neck? What is that giant piece of metal? Is this a dungeon? Whoa I’m on a moving bed. Why don’t they use any orange or yellow lights around here? Everything ... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859117 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:25:08 +0100 2859117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859123&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fchemo%2F Imagine your worst stomach flu ever. Now imagine you have to walk 20 miles. Then it starts to snow. Minutes later you are in a desert. Then ants crawl over you and sting every inch of your skin they can find. Snowing again. Then you vomit. Desert-like heat. More vomit. Ice cold storm. Lungs burning. Bones aching. Vomit. You burn up. Vomit. Cold. Stomach churning. Insides twisting. You dry heave now, since there’s nothing left inside you. More ants crawling and stinging, but this time, they are under your skin. Dry heaves. Cold as hell. Piercing headache, like needles through your eyes and temples. Hot as hell. Every noise is like a loud crash. More dry heaves, only spit and snot come out now.You are as exhausted and uncomfortable as you have ever felt in your life. Then imagine you&#... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859123 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:03:16 +0100 2859123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511650&cid=t_136939_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fzimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use%2Ffda-warns-consumers-to-discard-zicam-products%2F In an unusual move earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted consumers that Zicam Cold Remedy products have been associated with long lasting or even permanent loss of smell. FDA recommends that consumers stop using these products and that they throw away any that might still be in their homes. The affected products include Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (the last one is a previously discontinued product). The products had been sold by Matrixx Initiatives to reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms; however, they have never been shown to be effective. These products were formulated and sold for intranasal use and may have contained zinc, which is potentially toxic to the nasal membranes. Th... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511650 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:12:13 +0100 2511650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2464206&cid=t_136939_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FQMO3bbx8CGY%2F If you’re feeling a bit lousy these days (like yours truly) and your eyes are watering, your nose is running, and you’re slightly fatigued, you may have a cold. Or… an allergy. But how can you tell the difference? Colds and allergies often have similar symptoms. As you can see by the following chart, coughs are usually something that comes with a cold, but not as often with allergies. Often allergies are accompanied by asthma and the cough can come from that. Itchy eyes usually mean it’s allergies, whereas some general aches and pains mean it’s probably a cold. Still, even with the help of this chart, the symptoms for both are usually very close. Allergies last for several weeks, but the “common cold is easily spread from person to person and usually l... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2464206 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:42:26 +0100 2464206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424088&cid=t_136939_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsandnsurf.medbrains.net%2F2009%2F05%2Fcough-or-kill%2F I am a belligerent skeptic of over-the-counter cough and cold medications. I’ve been this way since well before I ever entertained the idea of being a doctor. The late Michael Shannon (also known as the ‘dancing doctor‘) nicely summed up the problems with this group of medications: ‘The problem with cough and cold medications are two-fold. One, they [...] (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424088 Wed, 20 May 2009 15:14:02 +0100 2424088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414766&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D6979 Got this video link off a twitter buddy. This is extremely important health education information for all women. A man-cold != woman-cold. On a more serious note, it’s not that men are wimps, it’s just that women “fight disease off better” from the Malaysian Medical Resources VIDEO: It’s a man-cold! (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414766 Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2414766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405197&cid=t_136939_93_f&fid=36982&url=http%3A%2F%2Fprep4md.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fchildrens-hospital-cold-medications.html Michael Shannon, MD, MPH, a pediatric emergency medicine physician and pharmacologist/toxicologist at Children's Hospital Boston, recently testified in front of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) on the dangers of giving cough and cold medicines to children under age 6. In this interview Dr. Shannon discusses these dangers and offers advice to parents on how to safely treat their child with a cold.Thanks for reading :) ... http://prep4md.blogspot.com/ (Source: My M.D. Journey!) My M.D. Journey! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405197 Wed, 13 May 2009 20:14:00 +0100 2405197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405517&cid=t_136939_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F5CNF50H_Nh0%2F With the common cold and the seasonal flu making their rounds regularly, it’s still surprising how many people don’t know the difference between the two. Here in northern hemisphere, seasonal flu season is ending. It runs from late fall to spring, with the peak usually being in January and February. But, with the advent of the H1N1 virus, people are talking more about the flu than usual. There seems to be two distinct camps of people when it comes to influenza and it’s hard for anyone to fit in the middle. Either you’re one of those people who feel that you’ve been sick enough in the past and you survived, so what is everyone whining about or you’ve had the flu and you don’t ever, ever, ever want to experience that again. First, let’s get one... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405517 Wed, 13 May 2009 11:18:04 +0100 2405517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398816&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F09%2Fpostcard-to-mom-wish-you-were-here%2F Six Ways To Deal With Mother’s Day When Mom Is Gone Mother’s Day can be rough on those of us who can’t take our mothers to brunch or pick up the phone to wish them a good day. Remembering who they were before they went beyond our reach; imagining what they would say to us now if they were within hugging distance, is bittersweet. My Mom died eight years ago. It still doesn’t seem possible. The death of a mother is like nothing else. The bond we have to her is like nothing else. We can be three or eighty when we lose our Moms it doesn’t matter. The devastation is deep and the hollow sense of loss never completely goes away. My Mom was no saint. If she wears a halo now it’s propped up by little devil’s horns. She was frustrating, moody, beautiful and ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398816 Sat, 09 May 2009 09:00:42 +0100 2398816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389642&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36710&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.organizedwisdom.com%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F05%2Fh1n1-and-take-home-lessons.html In the U.S. each year, millions of people are infected with the influenza virus and over 100,000 are hospitalized. According to the CDC, approximately 36,000 deaths were attributed to seasonal influenza last year. The new strain of influenza A (H1N1), known in the media as swine flu, reminds us that influenza can have significant consequences.It's apparent that the new strain of influenza causes the same type of initial symptoms as seasonal flu: high fevers, headaches, body aches, cough, and nausea. Fortunately, most cases are relatively mild and resolve within several days. However, just like seasonal flu, H1N1 also has the potential to cause severe disease, especially in elderly people, children under the age of 2, pregnant women, and those who have underlying lung or heart pro... The Health Wisdom Blog™ (by OrganizedWisdom) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389642 Tue, 05 May 2009 06:37:55 +0100 2389642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376402&cid=t_136939_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fzimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use%2Fswine-flu-separating-hysteria-from-fact%2F As of today, Monday April 27, I agree completely with President Obama when he says that while swine flu is an issue of concern, it is “not a cause for alarm.” There are several reasons why you should not panic in spite of the incessant media drum beat and the minute by minute updates. First, so far this is an extremely uncommon illness affecting a very small number of people in the United States, all of whom had mild illness and recovered without incident. Yes, it might spread further, but even so, let’s take a step back and remember that we’re talking about influenza, not Ebola or smallpox. And while full-blown influenza is no walk in the park, for most people it’s not even remotely life-threatening. It’s an unpleasant upper respiratory illness with systemic symptoms of fever,... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376402 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:53:24 +0100 2376402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2353885&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F21%2Ffrog-in-the-pot-how-stress-creeps-up-on-us%2F Did you know that if you boil a pot of water and throw in a live frog that that frog will hop right out, saving his life to croak again another day (ha, ha)? If, on the other hand, you place a frog in a pot of cold water and turn the heat up slowly, that frog will stay in the pot. He will not jump out but slowly acclimate to the increasingly hot water until it boils to death. Truth or urban legend? To prove it I’d have to cook a live frog and that’s not going to happen. It sounds true and so should be because of what it teaches us. A women comes to see me for help. She tells me her story, sighs, and then says, “Really, it’s not that bad.” Oh, yes, it is! She’s sitting in a pot of very hot water. If she had been dropped into her intolerable situation all ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2353885 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:00:48 +0100 2353885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2318539&cid=t_136939_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fzimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use%2Fits-time-to-cut-back-your-red-meat-consumption%2F Eating red meat increases your chances of dying prematurely. That’s the stark finding of a very large and very well done clinical study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.  The study found that eating red and processed meat was associated with increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality. They found that eating just 4 ounces of red meat a day raises your overall risk of dying prematurely, raises your risk of dying from cancer and raises your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. I’d say that means it’s time to decrease your consumption of red meat, which includes beef, pork and processed meats like sausage, bacon and cold cuts. There are a number of reasons why eating red meat might be bad for your health. Red... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2318539 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:05:39 +0100 2318539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2287228&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F24%2Fwant-to-cut-your-risk-of-death%2F We often talk about happiness and well-being on the blog, or how to reduce your depression or cope with anxiety here. But none of that’s going to do you a whole lot of good if your life is cut short by making daily unhealthy food choices. So while I don’t usually write about general health topics here, occasionally a piece of research rises to the level of demanding our attention. And the research published yesterday linking red meat to a higher risk of death over the study’s 10 year period of time is just such research. The study of more than 500,000 middle-aged and elderly (aged 50 to 71) Americans found that those who consumed about four ounces of red meat a day (the equivalent of about a small hamburger) were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the 10 year... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2287228 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:56:31 +0100 2287228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249134&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D6314 strWebsiteID = window.document.location.toString();strSplitWeb = strWebsiteID.split("/")strWebsiteID = strSplitWeb[2];document.write(”“); from the Malaysian Medical Resources VIDEO: Vitamin D Deficiency May Increase Cold Risk, Moderate Wine Intake May Reduce Esophageal Cancer Risk, Lead Levels Significantly Lower Among Children (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249134 Sat, 07 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2249134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2211812&cid=t_136939_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fthick-skinned-geordies.html A week or two ago the British media was full of the story of scientists hoping to discover why the indigenous people of Tyneside are wont to few clothes even in the briskest of breezes and the worst of winter cold snaps. If you’ve been out on the town in Newcastle any time of year, you will likely have spotted lads and lasses strolling between pubs and clubs with barely a stitch of clothing among them, save for the shortest of skirts, the flimsiest of shirts and rarely a hat, barely a scarf and never a pair of gloves. When it’s really, really, cold a Geordie lad might fasten the top button of his shirt. Some of you are probably wondering why, as a Geordie, I didn’t cover this incredible news when it broke. Well, at the time I was carrying out my own scientific experiment ... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2211812 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:00:05 +0100 2211812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210670&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=35060&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthnewsblog.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fhnblog.pl%3Fhnblog%3D212091 Scientists have mapped the entire genome of the common cold virus. It won't lead to an immediate cure but it could be the next step in finding a cure. "We have the pieces all in place. They can't go in any other way. Now we have to understand what the pictures are telling us," said Dr. Stephen B. Liggett, professor of medicine and physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of its Cardiopulmonary Genomics Program. The research was published in the online edition of the journal Science on Thursday afternoon. Technically known as the human rhinovirus infection, the common cold is responsible for half of all asthma attacks and is a factor in bronchitis, sinusitis, middle-ear infections and pneumonia. The coughs, sneezes and sniffles of colds impose a major he... HealthNewsBlog.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210670 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2210670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2172878&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2009%2F02%2F09%2Fhealthbolt-will-return-tomorrow%2F Surrounded by bugs… Hopefully will be able to resume regular posting again tomorrow!!! (image via newscom) Tags: cold, feeling unwell, flu, sickness, unwellShare This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2172878 Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:37:33 +0100 2172878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2169383&cid=t_136939_81_f&fid=38248&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCostellokidsNews%2F%7E3%2F534776737%2F Another late night, and the outside temperature is down past -5 Centigrade. Manchester is in the grip of the coldest winter for the past 20 years. What is great about our support group is the wide range of places our families live, we are spread across the world like a small band of nomads. This picture is a view Looking from Scouthead across Dobcross, Uppermill and Diggle towards Standedge.(Oldham Manchester) around 10 miles form our house, the hills as far as the eye can see are a carpet of snow. So at almost 2 am I sit look through the window at the carpet of white, the heating set to high, and wish for a good summer. It could be worse, as is shown in this photograph, kindly sent by one of our Australian families, I could be watching my plants die in the baking  heat. I think for now ... CostelloKids News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2169383 Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:03:20 +0100 2169383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2144562&cid=t_136939_135_f&fid=35274&url=http%3A%2F%2Facidrefluxweb.com%2F%3Fp%3D2297 “I’m home sick feeling like a hag, the sick part will pass, the hag part will most likely remain for a long time.” Me, January 29, 2009 (Source: acidrefluxweb.com) acidrefluxweb.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2144562 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:52:15 +0100 2144562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2129419&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fwhat-things-do-you-miss-most-that-ms-has-taken-from-you%2F We can all agree that multiple sclerosis is a thief.  It takes things away from us upon which we rely and from which we derive much.  Of all the things that MS has taken from me; a career, a marriage (MS was only part of that), a lifestyle, a persona, you know what I miss most? A hot tub. Far greater a number are affected by heat than cold (though I know we’ve had those conversations as well) so I suspect I’m not alone here. On cold winter evenings or when a muscle is just out of place, a romantic getaway or just when it would be nice to relax at the gym, I miss a hot tub. The weekend after I was diagnosed in 2001, my former wife made reservation at a local spa hotel for us to recoup.  I had great treatments like hot stone massage, a hot seaweed bath, I spent lots of time in... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2129419 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:25:43 +0100 2129419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2125385&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F519969237%2F I had my quarterly checkup with the oncologist yesterday, and he said that my CT scan showed that everything is clear. No cause for concern, and all of that sort of good thing. I had been coming down with a cold for the past couple of days, but the news cheered me up so much that today, the cold is almost completely gone. Enough navel gazing — what else can I tell you of interest? My part of the Midwest (and Shirl’s part too!) continues to be locked down under oppressively cold temperatures, though today at least the sun is out so it can’t be all bad. Obama has just ordered the shutting down of that moral and legal quagmire, Guantanamo. It’s going to be interesting over the years to see how various interpretations of that place change and grow. I have no idea how to thi... white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2125385 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:35:06 +0100 2125385 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2110706&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F514006705%2F I don’t mean frozen in the sense of the blog locking up like a frozen screen during a system crash. I mean frozen in the old fashioned sense of the blog existing (as it sort of does, regardless of where the server is) in the -2°F weather here in Cincinnati. I had thought the weather results a mistake until I found out how cold it is throughout the house. My CT scan went well, and now I am, based on no facts, feeling like it will show nothing wrong, and that next Wednesday I will get yet another clean bill of health from my doctor. Yes, it’s possible that I won’t, but it simply feels better to be optimistic during this week of waiting. As for the rest of this day, I will keep my promise of a post or two back, and find some silly things to share with y’all. Copyright... white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2110706 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:46:32 +0100 2110706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2074174&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D5698 Breast Cancer Recovery Slowed By Poor Relationships, Children Under 6 Should Not Be Given Cough & Cold Meds, Likelihood of Obesity Set By Age 5 from the Malaysian Medical Resources Breast Cancer Recovery Slowed By Poor Relationships, Children Under 6 Should Not Be Given Cough & Cold Meds, Likelihood of Obesity Set By Age 5 (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2074174 Sun, 28 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2074174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2067911&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FBreastfeeding123%2F%7E3%2FYv1BonvA920%2F Whom do I call to notify that I am taking a sick day from this motherhood gig? I know it’s only a cold, and I will get over it eventually, but in the thick of it I find it very difficult! Not only am I sick, but my baby is sick too, and that’s when I am on extra duty, not less! When she wakes, she wants ME — after all, I am her primary caregiver, and her dad just doesn’t have the super ability to comfort her at his breast! If only I could have a day filled with naps (mine, not the baby’s!) alternating with hot baths to steam my sinuses! And then a good night’s sleep! Don’t get me wrong. I am happy to be breastfeeding during these times. I shudder to think that my baby could be even more sick if she weren’t getting antibodies from my milk. My... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2067911 Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:08:40 +0100 2067911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056350&cid=t_136939_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F489647100%2F Some of the 103 children who died after being given the cough and cold may have been deliberately given overdoses to sedate or even kill them, Bloomberg News writes, citing a study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine that examined deaths over the past four decades. The children who died after taking the drugs ranged in age from 28 days to 10 years, with 75 percent younger than two years old. In 26 cases, the reviewers determined that a child was given the medication with “nontherapeutic intent.” And 10 died in day-care facilities (here is the study). You may recall an FDA advisory panel recently urged that OTC cough and cold meds should not be given to children younger than 6 years old. Drugmakers voluntarily changed the labels on the medicines to warn against their use in children y... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056350 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:30:18 +0100 2056350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2047801&cid=t_136939_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fzimney%2Fhand-washing-and-hand-sanitizers-reduce-the-spread-of-germs%2F I’ve been so busy getting ready for the holidays that I missed National Hand Washing Awareness Week, which was December 7-13. No matter. Hand washing, as we say here in the Pacific Northwest, is an evergreen topic that doesn’t go out of season. And with cold and flu season hard upon us, reminders, and even extra reminders, on hand washing are especially appropriate. Hand washing is simple to do and is the best way to prevent infection and its spread because your hands are constantly coming into contact with germ-laden surfaces and transferring those germs to your eyes, nose and mouth. According to the Centers for Disease Control, here’s when to wash your hands: Before preparing or eating food After going to the bathroom After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who h... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2047801 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:28:29 +0100 2047801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056116&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=35060&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthnewsblog.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fhnblog.pl%3Fhnblog%3D1213081 CBS News reporter Maggie Rodriguez talked to Dr. Holly Phillips about a commonly asked question by people feeling sick, "Do I have a Cold or a Flu?" Dr. Holly Phillips says most of the time its the common cold. She says adults get between 2 or 4 colds each year and children get as many as 6 to 10 cold each year. The flu tends to come with a high fever and the "run over by a truck" feeling. Doctors do have a rapid flu test available. The one thing this video does not discuss is allergies which can also be confused with a cold or a flu. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds (Source: HealthNewsBlog.com) HealthNewsBlog.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056116 Sat, 13 Dec 2008 23:00:00 +0100 2056116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2018350&cid=t_136939_136_f&fid=36162&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyelomablog.com%2F2008%2F12%2F06%2Fits-cold%2F The temperature is dropping for us here. It was nice enough to be out without a jacket today, but the thermostat has been turned up tonight. 28 degrees is too cold (Source: beth's myeloma blog) beth's myeloma blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2018350 Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:04:47 +0100 2018350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2021558&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=35060&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthnewsblog.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fhnblog.pl%3Fhnblog%3D1121081 Above is a frightening photograph of someone with a cold coughing and a thick cloud of cold virus being released and widely dispersed. A technique called Schlieren photography was used by Professor Gary Settles to show how a cough can spread the cold virus through the air. Now you know why the common cold spreads so quickly. (via News.com) Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds (Source: HealthNewsBlog.com) HealthNewsBlog.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2021558 Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:00:00 +0100 2021558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975187&cid=t_136939_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FsiXO_hNplww%2F For all of man’s scientific prowess and evolutionary advancement, we are the helpless victims of this sneaky little villain. Cold viruses have very few genes, so they have one purpose and one alone - to make our lives miserable! So we hack, snort, sneeze and feel awful until this prokaryote decides it has enough of us. There is no cure. We can treat the symptoms, sure, but we’re not fighting the virus. We’re simply "letting it run its course" and that really sucks, right? Here is man, the mighty Goliath, and this puny David of a virus swings at us and down we go, crying for our mommies. The latest research found that it’s not the rhinovirus that causes the cold symptoms. Rather our immune response goes into "overdrive" because this viral infect... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975187 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:59:53 +0100 1975187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1961389&cid=t_136939_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fturn-up-the-heat-i-hurt-more-when-im-cold%2F It’s officially fall, and a chill is in the air. There’s always so much to consider in preparing for winter but when you face the additional challenge of chronic pain, the list gets a bit longer. Most of us would list staying warm as a priority during the cold damp weather. It hurts to be cold. Whether your problem is arthritis, an old war wound (from the Crimean, etc.) or an old football injury…well, the list goes on. The fact is that we need heat to get the blood circulating to those painful parts. It’s not quite so humorous when you’re the one who feels the pain. It’s an even greater problem if you have muscle pain, joint pain or some of the rheumatoid syndromes such as Raynaud’s syndrome. This is a point I am forever trying to get across to my hubby. He is one of those gu... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1961389 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:31:03 +0100 1961389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947120&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F11%2F10%2Fdeal-with-winters-aches-and-ills-the-natural-way%2F                        (Image Credit: Newscom) With winter on it’s way, now’s the time to look at ways of dealing with those aches and illnesses that seem to hang around. the daily green has put together a slideshow highlighting ‘12 natural remedies for winters aches and ills’ that are worth bookmarking for future reference. They suggest the following… …Vitamin C to Prevent Colds …Thyme for a Cough …Garlic for a Runny Nose …Leafy Greens for Nosebleeds …Tea for Sore Throats …Carrots for Headaches …Nuts for Energy …Lavender for Anxiety …Pineapples for Better Digestion …Tomatoes for Burns …Celery for Better Sleep …Walnuts for Dry Skin …Honey Yogurt Lotion for Dry Sk... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947120 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:38:43 +0100 1947120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1926440&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D5137 Eating Grapes May Have Heart Benefits, Toys in Doctors’ Offices Carry Cold Viruses, Nicotine Addiction Severity On the Rise I can say I am a major grape eater myself! Basically love the stuff and it’s great to know that there’s evidence that it’s good for the heart besides also having a dose of resveratrol! a Eating Grapes May Have Heart Benefits, Toys in Doctors’ Offices Carry Cold Viruses, Nicotine Addiction Severity On the Rise (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1926440 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1926440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1924492&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D5134 a Selenium and Vitamin E Do Not Prevent Prostate Cancer, New Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Gene Response to Common Cold Studied (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1924492 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1924492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1879933&cid=t_136939_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F420728283%2Fnew-research-ethics-blog.html A hearty welcome to Nancy Walton who has just started blogging on research ethics -- Nancy is an RN and PhD, and Associate Director of the School of Nursing at Ryerson University in Toronto. Chris MacDonald, author of the Business Ethics Blog, (who has been busily blogging delightfully about monkey business in the last few days) is also co-piloting the research ethics blog. By way of welcome and introduction, we are cross-posting one of their blog entries today:Children's Cold Remedies: the Ethics of Doing ResearchFrom Reuters: Don't use cold drugs in kids under 4, industry saysOral cough and cold medicines sold over the counter should not be used in children younger than 4 years old because of the risk of rare complications linked to inappropriate use, manufacturers said on Tuesday. The ... Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1879933 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:35:23 +0100 1879933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1863022&cid=t_136939_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F414020426%2F An industry trade group, which represents such drugmakers as Procter & Gamble, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson, unexpectedly declared that several very popular over-the-counter cough and cold meds for children younger than four years old should not be used because of the risk of rare complications associated with inappropriate use. The voluntary move comes just one week after an FDA meeting was held in which a group of doctors and consumer advocates cited ineffective and even dangerous meds for small children as justification for an all-out ban. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association maintains that dosing errots and accidental ingestions - not the safety of the meds - are to blame for serious adverse events. “We’re doing this out of an abundance of caution,&#8221... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1863022 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:04:50 +0100 1863022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1859610&cid=t_136939_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F-BoBPA4ORQs%2F So after a sunny Sunday topped up with exuberant bike riding and one of his all-time favorite meals at his all-time favorite Jersey hamburger stand, Charlie woke up on Monday morning with heavy-duty sniffles, a gurgly cough, and a hot forehead. Jim had gone out to wait for the bus while I got Charlie ready and I found myself running out to tell Jim that Charlie wouldn’t be going to school today. I went back inside, where Charlie was standing up, rather wobbly, and assured him he could stay home and before you know it he was stretched out on some cushions with a sleeping bag over him, sound asleep. Jim came back in and asked the next, very pressing question: What were we going to do about work? It’s a perennial issue for us; it’s the perpetual dilemma of the working mom an... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1859610 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:09:04 +0100 1859610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1851209&cid=t_136939_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F409692371%2F A group of doctors and consumer advocates raised the specter of ineffective and even dangerous cough and cold meds for youngsters between the ages of 2 and 6 years old as justification for an all-out ban at an FDA meeting today. Last year, in fact, an FDA advisory committee recommended the same thing for this group of over-the-counter meds. “Cough and cold medications…have not been proven to be effective and they have clear risks. It is time for them to be reevaluated,” Wayne Snodgrass of the University of Texas Medical Branch, told the gathering, according to Reuters. Parents want their children to feel better, but “it is too easy to administer too much or not enough,” added Mimi Johnson, a health policy associate at the National Consumers League. Among the m... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1851209 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:27:16 +0100 1851209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1826919&cid=t_136939_167_f&fid=36988&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.happynutritionistsnuggets.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fchicken-soup-upper-respiratory-system.html A while back, I was browsing WebMD and they did have quite a good article about how Chicken Soup is a great remedy for a cold or other upper respiratory system complaints. With cold season upon us, I thought it would be fun to read, as this is written with a touch of humor & sarcasm.Included is a wonderful recipe for that well-known home remedy that seems to cure almost everything, Chicken Soup. It contains some herbs that are good for the upper respiratory system as well, even though he doesn't mention that as he lists the ingredients.Following is the recipe, you can find the full article by clicking "It's Back to Chicken Soup" With the cold winter months coming to our part of the country, this sounds like a delicious remedy for children and grown-ups alike!Moser's WebMD Decongestant ... Happy Nutritionist's Nuggets blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1826919 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:11:00 +0100 1826919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1750497&cid=t_136939_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F01%2Fthe-situation-of-metaphor%2F Over on We’re Only Human, Wray Herbert has another one of his superb posts, this one about the situtational sources of temperature-based metaphors — and the association of cold and lonely. Here’s a sample. * * * Psychologists are curious about this metaphor, and others. Some believe that metaphors are much more than literary conventions, indeed that they are constellations of ancient and recent experience that we use to help us comprehend the complexity of our emotional lives. According to this view, metaphors are readily available because they are deep-wired into our neurons. But how did they get there? Two psychologists at the University of Toronto decided to explore this question in the laboratory. Chen-Bo Zhong and Geoffrey Leonardelli wanted to see if our use of meta... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1750497 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:01:16 +0100 1750497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1730753&cid=t_136939_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F08%2Ffda-safety-and-efficacy-of-childrens.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1730753 Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:02:00 +0100 1730753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1546873&cid=t_136939_113_f&fid=35744&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fe-CareManagement%2F%7E3%2F320108332%2F By Vince Kuraitis and David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. Like most Americans, Goldilocks had concerns about achieving just the right amount of data liquidity for her personal health information (PHI). Until today Goldilocks felt between a rock and a hard place: "I want my PHI to be appropriately liquid — just the right viscosity. My PHI should be viscous enough to flow to my trusted health care providers to use to improve my health and health care. “Today my PHI is frozen and inaccessible — it’s too cold. “But I’m worried about the other extreme — the risks of using a personal health record (PHR). The privacy/security advocates tell me that I should be concerned about my PHI being too hot — like ... e-CareManagement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1546873 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:28:20 +0100 1546873