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 'disease'. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:16:44 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3387056&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fc3D-tf4ZqFw%2F Alcoholism is a family disease. Living with the effects of someone else’s drinking is too devastating for most people to bear without help. In Al-anon we learn individuals are not responsible for another person’s disease or recovery from it. We let go of our obsession with another’s behavior and begin to lead happier and more manageable lives, lives with dignity and rights; lives guided by a Power greater than ourselves. In Al-Anon we learn: Not to suffer because of the actions or reactions of other people; Not to allow ourselves to be used or abused by others in the interest of another’s recovery; Not to do for others what they could do for themselves; Not to manipulate situations so others will eat, go to bed, get up, pay bills, not drink; Not to cover up for anyone’s mistakes... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3387056 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:42:00 +0100 3387056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3387061&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F2KRf2BZu2ZU%2F My name is Louis and I’m a 79 year old alcoholic in AA I guess I’ve always been an alcoholic. At least, I’ve always drunk alcohol. My mother used to put a few drops of whiskey in a bottle of warm water and give it to me when I was a baby. And that was a long, long time ago. I quit school young and went to work on the horsecars as both conductor and driver. At that time, six tickets cost a quarter and so did a half-pint of rye. Every day, I had to make a hard decision. Should I pocket the first quarter I collected, or the second? On good days, I let the company have the first one, and I’d wait until I had sold 12 tickets before stopping the car at Dailey’s saloon. On bad days, I took the first quarter. In any case, service on my car stopped while I went into D... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3387061 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:12:18 +0100 3387061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3387062&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FoMoqgU4eIp4%2F My name is Paul and I am a Cocaine Addict. I was born in Liverpool, the second son in a family of five boys and one girl. My father was a Liverpool dockworker who used to come home from work via the pub every night. I remember my parents would fight physically, and more often than not my Dad would be so drunk my Mum would win. My elder brother used to climb out of the window and go to the phone box at the top of our street. Using a false name he would call the police to report a disturbance at our address then calmly climb back through the window and go to sleep. I knew the effect alcohol had on people I had seen first hand the destructive nature of drunkards and I swore I would never drink and I would never be like my Dad. I was going to be famous a rock star or an actor. I didn’t reall... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3387062 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:00:55 +0100 3387062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385553&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FOrlbEkCK6-U%2F Drug commonly used for alcoholism craving curbs urges of pathological gamblers A drug commonly used to treat alcohol addiction has a similar effect on pathological gamblers – it curbs the urge to gamble and participate in gambling-related behavior, according to a new research at the University of Minnesota. Seventy-seven people participated in the double-blind, placebo controlled study. Fifty-eight men and women took 50, 100, or 150 milligrams of naltrexone every day for 18 weeks. Forty percent of the 49 participants who took the drug and completed the study, quit gambling for at least one month. Their urge to gamble also significantly dropped in intensity and frequency. The other 19 participants took a placebo. But, only 10.5 percent of those who took the placebo were able to a... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385553 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:38:42 +0100 3385553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378605&cid=t_101542_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FHGMTOL6R3Gs%2F Today, in honor of both Brain Awareness Week (March 15-21) and Brain Injury Awareness Month (March), it is my pleasure to interview Patrick Donohue, founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Project, a foundation launched in 2007 with the explicit aim to create a model system for children suffering from all Pediatric Acquired Brain Injuries, and an implicit potential, in my view, to fundamentally transform medical research through the use of neuroinformatics and standarized systems of care. The Foundation: Story and Objectives Alvaro Fernandez: Patrick, thank you very much for your time today. Can you please provide an overall perspective into what you are doing and why? Patrick: Of course. The Sarah Jane Brain Project, named after my daughter Sarah Jane, started when she was shaken by her baby nurs... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378605 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:22:13 +0100 3378605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3383094&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FFepiWldxlAA%2F Second Edition For nearly a decade, The Addictive Personality has helped people understand the process of addiction. Now, through this second edition, author Craig Nakken brings new depth and dimension to our understanding of how an individual becomes an addict. Going beyond the definition that limits dependency to the realm of alcohol and other drugs, Nakken uncovers the common denominator of all addiction and describes how the process is progressive. Through research and practical experience, Nakken sheds new light on: Genetic factors tied to addiction Cultural influences on addictive behaviors The progressive nature of the disease Steps to a successful recovery The author examines how addictions start, how society pushes people toward addiction, and what happens inside those who beco... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3383094 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:25:39 +0100 3383094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378737&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fthe-addictive-personality%2F Second Edition For nearly a decade, The Addictive Personality has helped people understand the process of addiction. Now, through this second edition, author Craig Nakken brings new depth and dimension to our understanding of how an individual becomes an addict. Going beyond the definition that limits dependency to the realm of alcohol and other drugs, Nakken uncovers the common denominator of all addiction and describes how the process is progressive. Through research and practical experience, Nakken sheds new light on: Genetic factors tied to addiction Cultural influences on addictive behaviors The progressive nature of the disease Steps to a successful recovery The author examines how addictions start, how society pushes people toward addiction, and what happens inside those who beco... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378737 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:25:39 +0100 3378737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378508&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=35344&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzackarysholemberger.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fstatins-heart-disease-and-risk.html What gives? How can someone with high blood cholesterol levels for 30+ years end up with clean arteries, if indeed there is any causation between blood cholesterol levels and plaque accumulation. ... Perhaps actual blood cholesterol levels have no cause of heart disease on their own a-priori. And, if any of these crazy hypotheses are true, then how can a health system prescribe drugs like statins so casually and routinely to anyone with cholesterol over 230? This is particularly true, when the long term side effects of such drugs must still be unknown.Lots of questions -- some scientific, some health-plan political... But mainly I am looking for just straight talk on this whole cholesterol/heart disease issue.You ask a lot of good questions. Let me paraphrase them for ease of presentation.... Zackary Sholem Berger blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378508 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:34:00 +0100 3378508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378740&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwhat-is-compulsive-hoarding%2F Animal hoarding Hoarding is defined as the acquisition of, and inability to discard worthless items even though they appear (to others) to have no value. Hoarding behaviors can occur in a variety of psychiatric disorders and in the normal population, but are most commonly found in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Those people who report compulsive hoarding as their primary type of OCD, experience significant distress or functional impairment from their hoarding. They have symptoms of indecisiveness, procrastination, and avoidance, are classified as having compulsive hoarding syndrome. An estimated 700,000 to 1.4 million people in the United States are believed to have compulsive hoarding syndrome. More than a Hobby Compulsive hoarding is not just an enthusiast’s passi... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378740 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:04:23 +0100 3378740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378446&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fz7oTOjTRGvg%2F It’s getting close to April Fools Day but we’re told this is no joke: It seems that in a bid to cut down on the spread of infections, some British hospitals have taken to telling visitors and their medical staffs not to sit on the beds of patients. “We are committed to doing all we can to prevent infection and as a result have very low rates” of infections like MRSA and Clostridium difficile, a spokesman for Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, one of the British hospitals enforcing a no-bed-sitting policy, told the BBC. An official of the Scotland Patients Association was quoted elsewhere as saying that “there’s no way that anybody, after sitting on a bus or sitting anywhere in their outdoor clothes, should come in and sit on our patients’ bed... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378446 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:57:44 +0100 3378446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3374328&cid=t_101542_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2Fzw9m6YDS68M%2Fthere-is-quite-a-buzz.php There is quite a buzz about the latest findings from the controversial ACCORD study presented at the recent American College of Cardiology annual meeting.  Using medication to lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol (in particular, triglycerides) may not reduce the risk of heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes.Hang on a second before you dismiss the findings as rubbish, that the subjects who were part of ACCORD were older and sicker when tracked and that this wasn't a primary prevention study.  Because that is exactly the point of a Time article on the subject.  The author of this particular article emphasizes that what may be true for older patients, may not be true for younger patients.  That while tighter control of blood ... Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374328 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:04:15 +0100 3374328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370072&cid=t_101542_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fsleep-parkinsons-disease.html (Source: Sleep Education) Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370072 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:36:00 +0100 3370072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370652&cid=t_101542_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F16%2Fbetaamyloid_an_antibiotic.php Now here's something that I don't think anyone expected. A recent paper in PLoS One makes the case that beta-amyloid, the protein that has been fingered for decades as a major player in Alzheimer's disease, is actually part of the body's antimicrobial defenses. Well, it's good to hear that it's doing something. Many people had hypothesized that it was a useless (indeed, harmful) byproduct, a waste stream from aberrant processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Still, there have been reports over the years that beta-amyloid was substrate for active transport pumps, might be a ligand for various receptors, etc., but not everyone was willing to take these results seriously. But it turns out that some of A-beta's properties are similar to those of innate host defense peptides. When ... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370652 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:40:10 +0100 3370652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370342&cid=t_101542_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F16%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2010-vol-303-no-9%2F This article aims to determine the effectiveness of aspirin in preventing events in people with a low ABI identified on screening the general population. An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online or contact the library for a print copy. Filed under: Current Awareness, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Ankle Brachial Index, Aspirin, Atherosclerosis, Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370342 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:02:16 +0100 3370342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370691&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FjQHSDwB0aaY%2F On the way to a new life The spirituality of recovery is about a new way of life As John Mac Dougall, manager of Spiritual Care at Hazelden, points out, abstinence is but one element in recovery from addiction. Many people quit drinking or another addiction only to start practicing it again. They don’t realize that quitting is merely the beginning of recovery, and they treat the symptoms of the disease and not the disease itself. “The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous only mention alcohol once, in Step One,” reminds Mac Dougall. “The Twelve Step model of recovery that we suggest is spiritual. It’s about getting honest, finding a higher power, and admitting that you can’t do it alone.” Spirituality, says Mac Dougall, is three-dimensional and dea... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370691 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:50:00 +0100 3370691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366415&cid=t_101542_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F15%2Ftricors_troubles.php It's easy to lose sight of what a drug is supposed to do. Many conditions come on so slowly that we have to use blood chemistry or other markers to see the progress of therapy in a realistic time. And over time, that blood marker can get confused with the disease itself. To pick one famous example, try cholesterol. Everyone you stop on the street will know that "high cholesterol is bad for you". But the first thing you have to do is distinguish between LDL and HDL cholesterol - if the latter is a large enough fraction of the total, the aggregate number doesn't matter as much. And fundamentally, there's not a disease called "high cholesterol" - that's a symptom of some other cluster of metabolic processes that have gone subtly off. And the endpoint of any therapy in that field isn't really... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366415 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:22:13 +0100 3366415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366437&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FfEgrD3bNONY%2F A study conducted by researchers at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust (UK) has indicated that eating small amounts of chocolate every day can help to reduce the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). People who took part in the study earlier this year reported feeling significantly less fatigue after eating 45g of specially formulated dark chocolate each day for eight weeks. They also reported feeling more fatigue when they stopped eating the dark chocolate and were receiving a placebo instead. CFS has long been a condition which has challenged the NHS as its causes are still not fully understood. Diagnosing the condition is difficult as many of the symptoms are similar to other illnesses and, since there is currently no known cure, treatment concentrates mainly on managing ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366437 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:34:22 +0100 3366437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366152&cid=t_101542_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F14%2Fsugar-sweetened-beverages-diet-coke-health-part-i%2F At Medical and Technology of Joseph Kim, the upcoming Grand Rounds host, I saw the blog post “Need your help on Facebook to get Diet Coke to Donate $50,000 to the Foundation for NIH”. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has started a national campaign in the US, The Heart Truth®. They issued a challenge in [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366152 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:59:54 +0100 3366152 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3363685&cid=t_101542_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F14%2Fis-psychiatry-a-science%2F In a nearly 6,000-word essay, Louis Menand asks the question of the hour in the March 1 edition of The New Yorker. Menard lays out in excruciating detail the questions revolving around psychiatry these days, including the recent research into drug trials that suggests that some of the science psychiatry is founded upon is sometimes … Well, how shall we put it? Lacking. But it is a thoughtful piece that just doesn’t review two recent books — Gary Greenberg’s Manufacturing Depression and Irving Kirsch’s The Emperor’s New Drugs — but provides a fairly balanced set of observations and valuable historical insights about these never-ending arguments that seem to pervade psychiatry (and psychology and mental disorders in general). Questions such as: What is the basi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3363685 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:22 +0100 3363685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3363601&cid=t_101542_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Factress-gwyneth-paltrow-wakes-up-to.html (Source: Sleep Education) Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3363601 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:00 +0100 3363601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3363821&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F_gS7hjkATkc%2F Therapy steps Twelve Steps can help manage various types of chronic illness For more than 75 years, the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have worked for many people with alcohol and other drug problems. Today, the therapeutic value of the steps extends far beyond the field of addiction. Physicians, therapists and other health care professionals are finding that the steps can help people with other chronic illnesses (eg, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and mental illness) find hope and healing. There is increased recognition that a spiritual component, such as the Twelve Steps, is important in addressing mental and physical illness. One of the first things people realize when they have a chronic illness is, “Oh my God. I’m going to die and I don’t have the ability to ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3363821 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:14:00 +0100 3363821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3362377&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FHFGvqlrDCEo%2F The FDA says it added its strongest warning today to the label of the widely used bloodthinner Plavix, Bristol-Myers’ best-selling drug, to help physicians treat patients correctly. But the warning could make doctors’ job more difficult. Docs prescribe Plavix to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other serious heart problems. The drug prevents dangerous blood clots that can cause those conditions. As a growing number of studies has demonstrated, however, Plavix doesn’t work well in certain patients - those with a genetic variation that makes it difficult for them to metabolize the drug. The FDA says between 2% and 14% of Plavix users don’t respond well to the drug and might benefit from alternative treatment. Hence the new so-called black-box warning. Gen... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3362377 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:42:43 +0100 3362377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3359225&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FJ_28ebFlYps%2F Keep an eye on stress levels What are the long-term effects of stress? The stress response of the body is meant to protect and support us. When faced with a threat, whether it be to our physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a process known as the “fight or flight” response. The sympathetic nervous system pumps out adrenaline, preparing us for emergency action. Our heart rate and blood flow to the large muscles increase, the blood vessels under the skin constrict to prevent blood loss in case of injury, the pupils dilate so we can see better, and our blood sugar ramps up, giving us an energy boost. Modern Stress is Mostly Psychological The stress response is what helped our stone age ancestors survive, enhancing their ability to f... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3359225 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:20:00 +0100 3359225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3358929&cid=t_101542_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F12%2Farchives-of-neurology-2010-vol-66-no-3%2F Archives of Neurology 2010 (Vol. 67 No. 3) contents page Fade Fave: Increased Melanoma Risk in Parkinson Disease: A Prospective Clinicopathological Study Fade Skinny: Evaluates the possible association of Parkinson disease (PD) and melanoma in North America. It finds melanoma prevalence appears to be higher in patients with PD than in the general population. Despite difficulties in comparing other databases with this study population, the study supports increased melanoma screening in patients with PD. (NHS Athens is required to access this article online) Filed under: Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals Tagged: Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Mass Screening, Melanoma, Neurology, Parkinsons Disease (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3358929 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:06:51 +0100 3358929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3359129&cid=t_101542_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Fcrohns-disease-and-bone-density%2F Last Friday, I went to see my rheumatologist to see if my bone density disintegration due to long-term prednisone usage has improved any in the last 6 months since I have taken the medication ‘Reclast’.  Reclast is a once a year infusion (it bypasses your gastrointestinal system) that helps your bones become stronger.  The verdict from the visit was not good and my yearly bone density scan showed that my density has stayed the same for two of the places that they check and one place actually got 0.2 worse.  I was really hoping for some improvement, but maybe it is still too soon. I used to drink a Dr. Pepper every day (just one), but since January of this year I have cut that out.  I read that sodas cause your blood to be more acidic, causing it to pull more minerals from your body... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3359129 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:56:05 +0100 3359129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354293&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FFjb-Nt80KP4%2F The annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology gets underway this weekend and some heart-related items are in the news this morning: Documents from leading medical-device makers suggest some companies seem to have encouraged the use of surgical ablation to treat atrial fibrillation, a front-page article in the WSJ reports. The problem, of course, is that the devices that can carefully destroy heart tissue linked to A-fib troubles aren’t FDA-approved for that purpose. A-fib is the most common type of faulty heartbeat. The Justice Department is investigating and has won settlements with two lesser-known device makers. A former device saleswoman who brought those two cases has also sued Boston Scientific, Medtronic and St. Jude Medical. The DOJ hasn’t joined in those cas... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354293 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:35:51 +0100 3354293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354262&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2010%2F03%2F11%2Fsports-drinks-and-sodas-possibly-linked-to-diabetes%2F Filed under: Diet, ResearchFans of sugary sports drinks and sodas take note: You could be increasing your chance of diabetes and heart disease. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco discovered that increasing the consumption of sugary soft drinks contributed to130,000 new cases of diabetes and 14,000 new cases of heart disease. "The finding suggests that any kind of policy that reduces consumption might have a dramatic health benefit," said senior study author Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, who presented the finding Friday during the American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention annual conference. Though the study has not yet been reviewed by other quali... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354262 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3354262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370680&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FvqSexr-UG8Q%2F Biomarkers in Alcohol Misuse: Their Role in the Prevention and Detection of Thiamine Deficiency In Western countries alcohol misuse is the most frequent cause of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency (TD) and consequent neuro-impairment. Studies have demonstrated that between 30 and 80% of alcoholics are thiamine deficient, and this puts them at risk of developing the Wernicke–Korsakoff (WK) syndrome. The relative roles of alcohol and TD in causing brain damage remain controversial and it is important to try to determine the role played by each factor. Animal studies support an additive effect of alcohol exposure and TD, and indicate the potential for interaction between alcohol and TD in human alcohol-related brain damage. Early diagnosis of alcohol-related TD is therefore an important ... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370680 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:02:24 +0100 3370680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350588&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FtsXUPQhJGc4%2F Sexual compulsion may seem like a life locked in battle with self Sexual Compulsives Anonymous is a 12 Step Fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other, that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from sexual compulsion. These are the characteristics most of us seem to have in common: As adolescents, we used fantasy and compulsive masturbation to avoid feelings, and continued this tendency into our adult lives with compulsive sex. Compulsive sex became a drug, which we used to escape from feelings such as anxiety, loneliness, anger and self-hatred, as well as joy. We tended to become immobilized by romantic obsessions. We became addicted to the search for sex and love; as a result, we neglected our lives. We sought obli... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350588 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:20:00 +0100 3350588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3346728&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FLtrGQj2b7y4%2F Alcoholism is characterized by a preoccupation with alcohol and impaired control over alcohol intake. Alcoholism is a chronic, often progressive disease. Left untreated, alcoholism can be fatal. You may continue to abuse alcohol despite serious adverse health, personal, work-related and financial consequences. Alcoholism usually involves physical dependence on alcohol, but genetic, psychological and social factors contribute to the addiction as well. It’s possible to have a problem with alcohol, but not display all the characteristics of alcoholism. This is known as “alcohol abuse,” which means you engage in excessive drinking that causes health or social problems, but you aren’t dependent on alcohol and haven’t fully lost control over the use of alcohol. Stat... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3346728 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:42:23 +0100 3346728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342933&cid=t_101542_167_f&fid=38576&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drbriffa.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2F08%2Fwhy-are-there-a-lot-of-redheads-in-scotland%2F Earlier today, I came across this story in the on-line version of the Daily Mail (UK) which reports on a theory relating to why the Scotland enjoys a preponderance of redheads. The theory, which the originator herself describes as ‘speculation’, is that a combination of the ‘bad weather’ in Scotland, coupled with a genetic mutation, [...] (Source: Dr John Biffa's Blog) Dr John Biffa's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3342933 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:29:25 +0100 3342933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3346735&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fl3snMy8Kcw0%2F My name is Michael and I’m a clergy alcoholic in AA I am a Roman Catholic priest, a pastor of souls with the title of monsignor. I am also an alcoholic. A few months ago, I celebrated an anniversary of ordination. A month before that, I celebrated a more important anniversary, my fourth as a member of A.A. Why do I say that my anniversary in A.A. is a more important date than my ordination anniversary? The answer is that through A.A. my Higher Power, God, has not only saved my life and restored me to sanity, but has given me a new way of life and has immeasurably enriched my priesthood. Thus, thanks to God and A.A. I am today striving honestly and sincerely, despite many shortcomings, to fulfil my priestly vocation in the manner that God intended. My sobriety has to be the most impor... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3346735 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:18:54 +0100 3346735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350575&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FPZml90W4rN4%2F Bipolar Patients with Comorbid Substance Use Disorders; Diagnostic and Treatment Considerations: Comorbidity of bipolar disorder (BD) and alcoholism and substance use disorders (SUDs) represents a serious public health problem and a major challenge to treatment systems. Bipolar disorder is among the top causes of disabilities worldwide, and reportedly the fourth leading mental illness as a source of disease burden in established market economies. Large epidemiologic surveys in the United States have consistently confirmed a high association between bipolar disorder and SUDs. The Epidemiological Catchments Area Study reported bipolar I and bipolar II disorders as having the highest association with SUDs when compared with any other major psychiatric disorder. The prevalence of lifetime al... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350575 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:11:41 +0100 3350575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350576&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FaKdgGTvNdcY%2F This study was designed to examine aggression in a group of socially well-adapted recovered alcoholics. The question addressed was whether the treatment, together with long-term abstinence from alcohol, could reduce aggression and hostility in recovered alcoholics. Sixty four male stable alcoholics with at least 3 years sobriety were compared with 69 non-alcoholics. Neither group had any other psychological problems. Both groups were given a questionnaire on general characteristics as well as aggressive and hostility traits. After a 3-year abstinence, men from the recovering alcoholics group displayed greater signs of hostility and covert aggression. They were different from non-alcoholics on measures for indirect aggression, irritability, negativism, suspicion, resentment, and guilt. Re... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350576 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:05:53 +0100 3350576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3335455&cid=t_101542_115_f&fid=34670&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsumerdoc.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fpagets-disease.html Paget’s disease of bone (PDB) is a localised disorder of bone remodelling, characterised by enhanced resorption of bone by giant multinucleated osteoclasts followed by formation of disorganised woven bone by osteoblasts. The resultant bone is expanded, weak and vascular, causing bone pain brittleness and deformity.From Sumer's Radiology Site http://www.sumerdoc.blogspot.com -The Top Radiology Magazine. Teleradiology Providers at www.teleradproviders.com Mail us at teleradproviders@gmail.com (Source: Sumer's Radiology Site) Sumer's Radiology Site blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3335455 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:23:00 +0100 3335455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3335554&cid=t_101542_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F04%2Fdimebon_grasping_at_straws.php Robert Langreth, an editor at Forbes, points to a possible way that Dimebon could get approval for Alzheimer's: for its behavioral effects, not anything to do with amyloid or memory. I'm not buying it, I have to say. Even Langreth's source admits that behavioral numbers didn't reach statistical significance. I don't see how this will be enough to rescue this one, even if one of the ongoing trials does use a behavioral score as an endpoint. Update: Langreth has an earlier piece on how Dimebon appears to have been overhyped from the beginning, a viewpoint I concur with. The same thing happens with any drug for Alzheimer's, and is a constant problem in cancer and obesity, too. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3335554 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:04:15 +0100 3335554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331373&cid=t_101542_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FzkSCtSPo-8g%2F Finding a treatment or a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is keeping researchers busy across the world. Unfortunately, they aren’t having a lot of success and the latest hopeful entry has turned out to be a bust. Dimebon, a medication that was developed to help slow the progression of Alzheimers has failed in the latest round of testing of 598 patients with mild to moderate disease. The results shocked the researchers because an earlier, smaller 18-month study of the drug showed that there was improvement among the patients taking Dimebon. The companies that collaborated on the production, Pfizer and Medivation, haven’t given up completely on the drug. They are continuing with four more studies that combine Dimebon with other drugs, as well as one study that is investigating ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331373 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:00:54 +0100 3331373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3335585&cid=t_101542_155_f&fid=38409&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropathologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Funusual-cadasil-case-or-something-else.html I recently did a brain autopsy on a 70-year-old woman who died from an intraparenchymal brain hemorrhage after a seven-year history of progressive dementia. The gross photograph (provided by Chad Jeffers, Memorial Medical Center, Springfield, IL)  follows:I know what you're thinking: an amyloid angiopathic bleed, or perhaps a hypertensive bleed, in a patient with Alzheimer disease. That's what I was thinking until I saw in the chart that abnormal white matter changes on MRI prompted the neurologist to order Notch3 genetic testing on the patient, which surprisingly came back positive for a mutation. The patient therefore carried a clinical diagnosis of Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), despite the fact that she had no ... neuropathology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3335585 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:02:00 +0100 3335585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331628&cid=t_101542_155_f&fid=38409&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropathologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Funusual-cadasil-case-or-something-else.html I recently did a brain autopsy on a 70-year-old woman who died from an intraparenchymal brain hemorrhage after a seven-year history of progressive dementia. The gross photograph (provided by Chad Jeffers, Memorial Medical Center, Springfield, IL)  follows:I know what you're thinking: an amyloid angiopathic bleed, or perhaps a hypertensive bleed, in a patient with Alzheimer disease. That's what I was thinking until I saw in the chart that abnormal white matter changes on MRI prompted the neurologist to order Notch3 genetic testing on the patient, which surprisingly came back positive for a mutation. The patient therefore carried a clinical diagnosis of Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), despite the fact that she had no ... neuropathology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331628 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:02:00 +0100 3331628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331629&cid=t_101542_155_f&fid=38412&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpathlabmed.typepad.com%2Fsurgical_pathology_and_la%2F2010%2F03%2Fupdate-on-respiratory-bronchiolitisinterstitial-lung-disease.html This study consisted of 23 consecutive lobectomy specimens for malignant neoplasms with extensive and systematic sampling of non-neoplastic lung (27 sections per case!).  None of the patients had clinical evidence of ILD.  Also, all patients had CT scans but none showed radiographic evidence of diffuse ILD.  20/23 patients were smokers, 10 current.  One interesting point in this article is the proportion of women to men: 15 subjects were women versus 8 men.  This seems unusual both in terms of a series of lobectomies for malignancy as well as a study of ILD since men are usually more common to both.  The authors evaluated the specimens for interstitial fibrosis (recognized at low power), fibroblast foci, peribrochiolar metaplasia, honeycomb change,... The Daily Sign-Out blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331629 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:27:44 +0100 3331629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3326956&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FRpvnK70TfVk%2F A version of this post by WSJ’s Jean Spencer also appears on the Washington Wire blog. A coalition of consumer, public-health and food-safety advocates is trying to jumpstart the food-safety legislation that is stalled in the Senate. To make its point, the Make Our Food Safe coalition is trumpeting a report by Ohio State University economist and former FDA official Robert Scharff that concludes that health costs associated with foodborne illnesses totals $152 billion annually in the U.S. The report was commissioned by Georgetown University’s Produce Safety Project, a coalition member that has been advocating for tougher food-safety rules. It also includes a state-by-state cost analysis that illustrates how much each state spends on foodborne illness, as well as a cost-per-illness br... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3326956 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:54:01 +0100 3326956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327280&cid=t_101542_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F03%2Fdimebon_comes_crashing_to_earth.php Earlier this month I wrote about Medivation and their Russian-derived clinical candidate for Alzheimer's disease, Dimebon (latrepirdine). At the time, I wrote that "A lot of eye-catching numbers from small Phase II trials tend to flatten out in the wider world of Phase III, and if forced, that's the way I'd bet here." Unfortunately, that's just what appears to have happened. The results are out today, and Dimebon has not showed any efficacy at all versus placebo. From the data given in the press release, the comparison is just absolutely flat; you could have been giving the study patients breath mints and seen the same numbers. Since the design of this trial was similar to the smaller Phase II trials that showed such interesting results, there's clearly something going on that we don't un... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327280 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:53:32 +0100 3327280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327235&cid=t_101542_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fthe-%25e2%2580%259cpatient-centered-medical-home-too-good-to-be-true.html Those of you who follow me on twitter may know that I traveled to Washington DC late last week to take part in a “roundtable event” discussing paths to better diabetes care. Now, I’m no policy-maker, and certainly no expert on the crazy mixed-up reimbursement system in this country.  I was there, again, to talk [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327235 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:00:38 +0100 3327235 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327051&cid=t_101542_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fhow-internet-can-promote-ethical.html Many good doctors are wary of putting up their own website. They feel that this will be seen to be advertising their practise - something which is unethical and demeaning to their dignity. Doctors are professionals and advertising to solicit patients is unethical and frowned upon . It is also true that many quacks have put up websites which are full of garbage and tall claims , as a result of which many responsible doctors have shunned the internet so far.However, it is my argument that it is unethical in this day and age for a doctor not to have a website !The word doctor is derived from the word, "docere", which means to teach. An integral part of a doctor's responsibility, both to his patients and to society, is to teach patients about their medical problems and help them to remain heal... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327051 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:28:00 +0100 3327051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331261&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D8363 MKA writes in: Hello, I was wondering about the matter not so long time ago, about 1 year time. I just came back from a medical school in Ireland, currently continuing my last 2 years in northern Malaysia. I went to blood bank to donate blood, then I saw in the from, anyone who have been to UK, Eire and some other european countries around 1986 and after, are not allowed to donate blood. I was wondering about any update or revision done on the regulation. As we all known, yes there was some studies suggesting a long incubation period about the virus. But is there any ‘active’ revision or studies about the chance of spreading it when you consume/ingest meats over there 2-3 times 5-6 years ago, asymptomatic, came back, donate blood. Cant there be any screening done on the donate... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331261 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3331261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350578&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FeYK9NZldFAY%2F This study evaluates the ability of alcoholics to regulate their blood alcohol levels (BAL) within a designated range by relying primarily on interoceptive (internal) cues. Forty male alcoholics and 20 control subjects were exposed to an initial training session in which they received sufficient ethanol to maintain them within a designated BAL range over a 2 1/2-hour period. They were then exposed to two experimental sessions, one providing "overfeedback" and one "underfeedback." During each session, subjects had ten drinking decisions to make with respect to regulation of their BAL. The results indicated that alcoholics displayed greater "loss-of-control" than control subjects. This finding supported the hypothesis that alcoholics may possess a neurophysiolog... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350578 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:51:17 +0100 3350578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322377&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=35342&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.vcu.edu%2Fcbuttery%2F2010%2F03%2Fcdc-releases-first-ever-county-level-report-on-heart-disease-hospitalizations.html Heart disease hospitalization rates among Americans aged 65 years and older vary substantially depending on where they live, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Comment: When one goes to the NCHS mapping site we find the data is 10 years old and not very helpful for current community assessments. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322377 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:05:57 +0100 3322377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322336&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F1Gy1esjrQls%2F Hundreds of thousands of Americans usually stay home at some point during the winter battling fever, aches and pains — all the result of a normal flu season. But this flu season is clearly marching to a different drummer. The H1N1 swine flu came and mostly went and seasonal flu has barely come at all in the U.S., the WSJ says in a survey of the flu front this morning. It’s a puzzle why there isn’t more swine flu around, given how many people haven’t been infected or vaccinated, according to the experts. That said, another H1N1 wave may be in the wings and could come soon. “We’ve had peaks [of flu] as late as May, so we’re not out of the woods yet,” a CDC influenza official told the WSJ. But future outbreaks aren’t likely to be as large... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322336 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:16:59 +0100 3322336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327306&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fhepatitis-c-does-sexual-transmission-occur%2F Jaundice Although there is some uncertainty about hepatitis C (also called hep C) being transmitted sexually, it’s not classified as an STI (sexually transmissible infection). General scientific knowledge supports this position. Some people, unable to identify any other risk factors, believe they may have contracted hep C sexually. Additionally, some research suggests that a small percentage of people do contract hep C through sexual contact. Thus, transmission of hep C during sex is seen as possible but is believed to be rare. General transmission of HCV Hep C is most commonly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, ie. when the blood of someone with the virus enters the bloodstream of someone else. This can occur through: sharing needles or syringes or any other drug injecting equi... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327306 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:54:39 +0100 3327306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350579&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FOLqns1N6EwM%2F Safe Treatment of Pain in the Patient With a Substance Use Disorder Conditions associated with severe pain can and do develop in persons who have active addiction or who are in remission from an addictive disease, and these patients may require treatment for pain relief. This presents a challenge to clinicians: How can pain be relieved in these patients without exacerbating or reactivating the addictive disorder? There is little research data on this topic; however, experiential and anecdotal reports collected over the past 3 decades indicate that there are safe and effective approaches to pain management in these patients. In general, the pain treatment regimen for a person recovering from an addiction involves the use of long-acting opioids, such as sustained-release oxycodone, methado... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350579 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:37:35 +0100 3350579 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327309&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Falcoholism-and-fear-2%2F Curiosity about recovery Fear Mixed with Alcohol The primary cause of alcoholism is not positively known in the present knowledge of the problem. Nor do we believe that the cause in most instances is singular, but usually a combination of causes. However, we are of the opinion that to date that one of the best-defined psychological cause for alcoholism is the one given in Sobriety and Beyond that defined the cause of alcoholism as “Fear mixed with alcohol.” By this is meant that the average alcoholic is a drinker who has an abnormal fear. Although this tendency is present in most human beings to a certain extent, it is emphatically obvious in the alcoholic personality, and because of emotional damage, which now may not even be in the consciousness, will cause abnormal insecurity and fe... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327309 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:16:00 +0100 3327309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3318667&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FmKEXGKJYPkY%2F Curiosity about recovery Fear Mixed with Alcohol The primary cause of alcoholism is not positively known in the present knowledge of the problem. Nor do we believe that the cause in most instances is singular, but usually a combination of causes. However, we are of the opinion that to date that one of the best-defined psychological cause for alcoholism is the one given in Sobriety and Beyond that defined the cause of alcoholism as “Fear mixed with alcohol.” By this is meant that the average alcoholic is a drinker who has an abnormal fear. Although this tendency is present in most human beings to a certain extent, it is emphatically obvious in the alcoholic personality, and because of emotional damage, which now may not even be in the consciousness, will cause abnormal insecurity and fe... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3318667 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:16:00 +0100 3318667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3318372&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FIldEHLXSqm0%2F Some obese children as young as 3 years old have elevated levels of a marker that is linked to heart disease in later life, a new study says. Nearly 30% of obese 3-to-5-year-olds in the study had elevated blood levels of C-reactive protein–a widely studied marker for inflammation — compared with 17% of healthy-weight kids of the same age, according to the research being published today in the journal Pediatrics. CRP can help predict risk of heart disease, stroke and death under certain conditions, experts say. The results suggest that obesity-related disease processes may start even younger than previously believed, the WSJ says in a report on the study. Previous studies have found that overweight and obese adults show elevated levels of CRP, but less has been known about CRP l... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3318372 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:11:30 +0100 3318372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3318399&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2Fsq8nLqfYh1A%2Fa_strange_case_of_presumptive.php Rabies is one of those diseases that scares the crap out of me. Once clinical symptoms start, it is essentially a death sentence. "Essentially" because there are 6 cases of survival in the medial record, but 5 of the 6 had had rabies vaccination prior to illness. A single case of survival in an unvaccinated case is on record, but only after a long period in intensive care. Now CDC is reporting an unusual case they are calling "abortive rabies." The patient was a 17 year old girl who had multiple hospitalizations for a variety of neurologic symptoms, including severe headache, vomiting and weakness and numbness in her right arm. After diagnostic work-ups were unsuccessful in identifying the cause, a history of exposure to bats 2 months before symptom onset was revealed. She had gone on a ca... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3318399 Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:13:06 +0100 3318399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3316251&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F88P5BFtVgzE%2F My name is George and I’m a Jewish alcoholic in Alcoholics Anonymous A startling, four-color advertising poster appeared some time ago in the New York subways. Staring at the viewer was a “typical Irish cop” about to eat a luscious delicatessen sandwich on Levy’s rye bread, and the legend was “You don’t have to be Jewish to like Levy’s.” As countless subway stations flew by, and as the rusty gears in my head meshed, the whole idea of that Irish cop (and by now in my mind’s eye he had become a Catholic-Irish cop named O’Toole, with a thick brogue, 14 children, and a grandmother in Kilkenny) had turned itself upside down. One evening, while talking to my closest friend in A.A. (whose name is so Irish I can preserve his anonymity onl... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3316251 Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:23:24 +0100 3316251 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311647&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FPMr4FavuSHw%2F Patients concerned about side effects associated with aspirin, particularly the risk of gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers, often try taking versions of the drug that are coated with enteric. Though patients often believe these pills pose a lower risk of stomach upset, they actually don’t appear to Getty Images have much effect on the more serious damage that aspirin can cause. “That’s a huge misunderstanding,” says David A. Johnson, a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and a professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Here’s some background from Harvard Health Publications. Aspirin can cause ulcers, which can lead to complications such as bleeding and perforation of the intestines or stomach. Though coating the pills can reduce the risk of stomach... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311647 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:54:56 +0100 3311647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311835&cid=t_101542_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Fsupport-the-ibd-research-and-awareness-act-for-crohn%25e2%2580%2599s-and-ulcerative-colitis%2F Last year, an important Act, The IBD Research and Awareness Act, was introduced to the House and Senate to expand research for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.  The legislation would enhance activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis, as well as, expand biomedical research for IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease). You can help advocate for the passage of the IBD Research and Awareness Act with the help of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).  They have made this really great website where they make it easy for you to contact your legislators and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 2275 (House bill number) and S. 981 (Senate bill number). It is very easy to do.  Just click here. Then, scroll down to the ‘compose m... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311835 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:00:56 +0100 3311835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3306816&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FZdx7tLl_ziE%2F Doctors are narrowing their recommendation on who should take daily aspirin for heart health, based largely on concerns about the drug’s side effects, which can include bleeding ulcers. See here for more about that. But there’s another type of person who might someday be advised to steer clear of a daily aspirin: those for whom the pain reliever doesn’t work well as a blood clotter. In most people, aspirin has an an anti-clotting effect on the blood, which is believed to be the most important reason for its ability to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. But when some people take the drug, their blood still clots, a phenomenon traditionally called “aspirin resistance.” That suggests that they may not get as much heart-protection benefit from it. Estimates of how common t... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3306816 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:26:39 +0100 3306816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3306817&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F1bz4qF3Xp64%2F Pfizer has won FDA approval of a product developed by Wyeth, which Pfizer bought last year for $68 billion. And it’s a biggie — a updated version of the world’s best-selling vaccine Prevnar. See the Pfizer announcement. The new version of the childhood vaccine called Prevnar 13 is intended to fight six more varieties of ear infections, meningitis and pneumonia than the current version of the vaccine. Pfizer says the new vaccine will cover 90% to 95% of the causes of pneumococcal disease in the U.S. Here’s more fromthe Associated Press. Prevnar posted sales of $2.7 billion in 2008 and Credit Suisse analyst Catherine Arnold estimates that Prevnar 13 will have $5.9 billion in sales in 2015, more than any other single Pfizer product, according to the WSJ. “We thin... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3306817 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:09:21 +0100 3306817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3302338&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=35342&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.vcu.edu%2Fcbuttery%2F2010%2F02%2Fhigh-levels-of-vitamin-d-in-older-people-can-reduce-heart-disease-and-diabetes.html A team of researchers at Warwick Medical School (UK) carried out a systematic literature review of studies examining vitamin D and cardio-metabolic disorders. Cardio-metabolic disorders include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Comment. We seem to raising Vitamin D on a pedestal, just as Linus Pauling did Vitamin C years ago.  Literature reviews are not the same as prospective cohort studies.  Until we see results of such a study any suggestion on vitamin D should be taken with great caution. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3302338 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:14:11 +0100 3302338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3307103&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FXX-8CyylmOY%2F I Found My True Self I grew up in a middle-class family in Australia. We had a three-story home with an indoor swimming pool and I had a pony. But home was not as it looked from the outside. Not How It Looked My family looked very successful, but my mother drank alcohol daily and my dad drank beer and got drunk. Mum and Dad had weekly arguments. My brother was a qualified Chemist at 21. He committed suicide one night— the disease of alcoholism got him. It took me years to seek my own recovery after two marriage break-ups, loss of homes and a life of unmanageability that I did not recognize. My third husband, whom I love very much, is still out there drinking, although he has been in AA. I have been in Al-Anon (12 Step group for relatives and friends of alcoholics) for nine years. Recogn... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3307103 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:21:44 +0100 3307103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3302651&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fjill-cs-recovery-story%2F I Found My True Self I grew up in a middle-class family in Australia. We had a three-story home with an indoor swimming pool and I had a pony. But home was not as it looked from the outside. Not How It Looked My family looked very successful, but my mother drank alcohol daily and my dad drank beer and got drunk. Mum and Dad had weekly arguments. My brother was a qualified Chemist at 21. He committed suicide one night— the disease of alcoholism got him. It took me years to seek my own recovery after two marriage break-ups, loss of homes and a life of unmanageability that I did not recognize. My third husband, whom I love very much, is still out there drinking, although he has been in AA. I have been in Al-Anon (12 Step group for relatives and friends of alcoholics) for nine years. Recogn... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3302651 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:21:44 +0100 3302651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3302265&cid=t_101542_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F23%2Fmore-women-get-heart-disease-information-from-the-newspaper-than-the-internet%2F Last week, I posted at Our Bodies Our Blog about a new study of American women’s knowledge of heart disease and prevention published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation. There, I noted my surprise how many women in the sample still did not identify heart disease as the leading cause of death for women, who would not call 911 right away, and who still believed hormone replacement was an effective preventive measure (rather than a risk increaser). The study survey was not given to a huge sample of women – ~1100 to ~2200 depending on the survey method – but one other item caught my eye that I didn’t get into at the OBOS blog – where the women reported getting their information about heart disease. The reported sources of information a... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3302265 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:10:53 +0100 3302265 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3302640&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2Fg3HA4BH4Qj4%2F Dr Harry M. Tiebout One of the first psychiatrists to describe alcoholism as a disease rather than a moral failing or criminal activity. Harry M. Tiebout was also one of the first to wholeheartedly endorse Alcoholics Anonymous as an effective force in the struggle against compulsive drinking. This volume brings together, for the first time, some of Tiebout’s most influential writings. Many of these pieces–from explorations of the therapeutic approach to alcoholism to instructive discussions of the act of surrender so crucial to recovery–are seminal documents in the history, treatment, and understanding of alcoholism. Together, they represent the significant contribution of one man to the countless lives shaken by alcoholism and steadied with the help of Alcoholics Anonym... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3302640 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:11:57 +0100 3302640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298603&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fharry-tiebot-alcoholism-the-disease%2F Dr Harry M. Tiebout One of the first psychiatrists to describe alcoholism as a disease rather than a moral failing or criminal activity. Harry M. Tiebout was also one of the first to wholeheartedly endorse Alcoholics Anonymous as an effective force in the struggle against compulsive drinking. This volume brings together, for the first time, some of Tiebout’s most influential writings. Many of these pieces–from explorations of the therapeutic approach to alcoholism to instructive discussions of the act of surrender so crucial to recovery–are seminal documents in the history, treatment, and understanding of alcoholism. Together, they represent the significant contribution of one man to the countless lives shaken by alcoholism and steadied with the help of Alcoholics Anonym... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298603 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:11:57 +0100 3298603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298358&cid=t_101542_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fdick-vs-bill.html Bill Clinton gets chest pain, hits the hospital, gets a few stents and, voilà, is back at work. A veritable poster child for stents. No doubt JNJ stock climbed on the news.On the flip side today: Dick Cheney gets chest pain, hits the hospital, and (I'll bet) he stays a while.What do you mean, Dr. Wes? Can't cardiologist magically fix everything? Do a cath! Give him a stent! Cardiology is so slam bam thank you ma'am, isn't it? Heck, he's got an ICD! He's the bionic man!Cardiology is easy until it isn't. No doubt Mr. Cheney has had impecable cardiovacular care. But despite that care, after three bypasses, a history of atrial fibrillation, deep venous thrombosis, a cardiomyopathy that requires a defibrillator or two, and scores of medications to stabilize the angina - you've suddenly got a ... Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298358 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:30:00 +0100 3298358 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298354&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=34589&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Faetiology%2F%7E3%2F3zIjEIkkKb4%2Fstudent_guest_posts_infectious.php It's that time again. I teach a class in even years on infectious causes of chronic disease, looking at the role various infections play in cancer, autoimmune disease, mental illness, and other chronic conditions. When I last taught the course in 2008, the students were assigned two writing assignments--to be posted here on the blog. Since this turned out pretty well last time, I decided to repeat the assignment this year; so over the next week or so, I will be putting up guest posts authored by students on various topics under the broad umbrella of infection and chronic disease. Constructive comments on their posts are appreciated, but keep in mind that they're students doing this as an assignment and still learning. Finally, these posts are the students' own; I'm formatting them for pu... Aetiology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298354 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:07:19 +0100 3298354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298287&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fbtokc1ha_bc%2F Sepsis and pneumonia, two infections that can often be prevented with tight infection control practices in hospitals, killed 48,000 patients and added $8.1 billion to heath care costs in 2006 alone, according to a study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers analyzed 69 million discharge records from hospitals in 40 states between 1998 and 2006; the length of stay and mortality rates for the infections didn’t change substantially over time, the study found, and high infection rates persist. The news, principal investigator Ramanan Laxminarayan tells the Health Blog, is that the study for the first time links about half of all infection deaths directly to infections acquired in the hospital in the course of care. While the Centers for Disease Control and Preve... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298287 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:17:10 +0100 3298287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298610&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fin4Rkogn-SQ%2F Who me? “When the idea was first presented to me that I was an alcoholic, my mind simply refused to accept it. Horrors! How disgraceful! What humiliation! How preposterous! Why, I loathed the taste of liquor – drinking was simply a means of escape when my sorrows became too great for me to endure. Even after it had been explained to me that alcoholism is a disease, I could not realize that I had it. I was still ashamed, still wanted to hide behind the screen of reasons made up of unjust treatment, unhappiness, tired and dejected, and the dozens of other things that I thought lay at the root of my search for oblivion by means of whiskey or gin. In any case, I felt quite sure that I was not an alcoholic.” (A Feminine Victory; Personal Story from the First Edition of the book Alcoho... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298610 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:21:50 +0100 3298610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294813&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fi-did-not-realize%2F Who me? “When the idea was first presented to me that I was an alcoholic, my mind simply refused to accept it. Horrors! How disgraceful! What humiliation! How preposterous! Why, I loathed the taste of liquor – drinking was simply a means of escape when my sorrows became too great for me to endure. Even after it had been explained to me that alcoholism is a disease, I could not realize that I had it. I was still ashamed, still wanted to hide behind the screen of reasons made up of unjust treatment, unhappiness, tired and dejected, and the dozens of other things that I thought lay at the root of my search for oblivion by means of whiskey or gin. In any case, I felt quite sure that I was not an alcoholic.” (A Feminine Victory; Personal Story from the First Edition of the book Alcoho... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294813 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:21:50 +0100 3294813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3292038&cid=t_101542_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F21%2F3-simple-recipe-swaps-for-heart-health%2F It’s officially heart health awareness month. This topic is important to me. This month it will be one year since my mom had her quadruple bypass surgery. But the good news is many of your heart disease risk can be lowered with your food choices. That’s right, people… four out of five of your heart disease risk factors can be reduced with healthy eating. Can you believe that? Yes, your every day decisions matter, even though you may not see the immediate reward. Here’s what we’re trying to do: Manage weight – excess weight, especially obesity increases risk for high cholesterol, blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes all which increase heart disease risk. The more of these you have, the higher your heart disease risk. We manage weight my daily... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3292038 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:35:58 +0100 3292038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3287452&cid=t_101542_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fone-more-hour-of-sleep-could-change.html ABC World News with Diane Sawyer reports that getting one more hour of sleep each night could improve your health, and change your life.The report cites a study of heart attacks in Sweden. It found that heart attacks rose by five percent in the week after the spring shift to daylight saving time. The researchers suggested that the results are related to sleep deprivation caused by the time change.ABC cites another study from the University of Chicago. It found that longer sleep duration was associated with a lower rate of coronary artery calcification. This is a predictor of coronary heart disease."Most of these findings are so recent that the average physician is unaware of the link between chronic sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease," AASM member Dr. Charles Czeisler told ABC.So... Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3287452 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:07:00 +0100 3287452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3287759&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=35342&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.vcu.edu%2Fcbuttery%2F2010%2F02%2Fcomprehensive-genetic-screen-no-better-than-knowing-ones-family-history-for-predicting-cardiovascula.html While many genetic markers have been identified as being associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), it is unknown whether genetic screening improves a doctor’s ability to predict cardiac risk for events such as heart attack, stroke, coronary revascularization, or cardiovascular death. Researchers found that the genetic data marginally predicted risk on its own but had almost no clinical utility once traditional risk factors were also considered. On the other hand, simply knowing whether or not a parent had suffered from a heart attack before age 60 was informative about future risk. See 2/17/10 issue of JAMA.  (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3287759 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:16:41 +0100 3287759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283815&cid=t_101542_150_f&fid=34889&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmamkting.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fsnarky-look-at-sneaky-marketing-tactics.html My friend Jonathan Richman (@jonmrich) often sees the pharma marketing glass half full, whereas I often see it half empty. It's just the way we are wired. The goal, however, is the same -- improve pharma marketing.Jonathan likes lists. In a recent article entitled "10 sneaky marketing tactics you need to avoid" published on iMedia Connection, Jonathan lists some dubious marketing tactics that companies should avoid. After just a cursory reading of his list, it is obvious to me that pharmaceutical marketers have not been very good at avoiding most of these and other sneaky tactics. #1 Sneaky Tactic Pharma Has Not Avoided: "AstroTurfing""Simply put," says Richman, "AstroTurfing is when a company or group creates a campaign designed to look like a grassroots consumer movement when, in fact, i... Pharma Marketing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283815 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:19:00 +0100 3283815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283480&cid=t_101542_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F17%2Fat-our-bodies-our-blog-birth-related-events-and-american-womens-lack-of-knowledge-of-heart-disease%2F At Our Bodies Our Blog, I have a post on results of a survey assessing knowledge about heart disease and prevention among American women. I was a little surprised that just over half of the sample correctly identified heart disease as the leading cause of death for women, more surprised that almost 1 in 5 respondents still thought hormone therapy was an effective preventive measure, and shocked that only 53% of women said they’d call 911 if they experienced symptoms of a heart attack. I also posted this week on two opportunities for birth-related participation: an online discussion with the author of “Birth Day: A Pediatrician Explores the Science, the History and the Wonder of Childbirth” and a call for submissions of c-section-related art. Christine posted a news relea... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283480 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:21:57 +0100 3283480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283721&cid=t_101542_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Fbreakfast-with-crohns-disease%2F I think that I have mentioned before that I have been experimenting with my diet for the last year in an effort to improve my Crohn’s symptoms.  I have eliminated all dairy products and now use only Rice milk because it causes the least amount of trouble and tastes good.  I am also limiting the amount of gluten that I eat.  I still eat some items that have a little bit of gluten, but have for the most part deleted that out of my diet too.  I also don’t eat a lot of fiber because it seems to make matters worse.  Once you get rid of dairy, gluten and fiber, there are not a lot of choices left for breakfast. For the last year, I have been eating Trix for breakfast.  I recently discovered Berry Berry Kix and have switched to that instead because it has a lot less sugar.  I don�... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283721 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:26:52 +0100 3283721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3279925&cid=t_101542_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F17%2Fbmj-2010-vol-340-no-7740%2F content page Fade Fave: Home based versus centre based cardiac rehabilitation: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis Fade Skinny: Coronary heart disease is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Although mortality from coronary heart disease has decreased in many developed countries in recent decades, morbidity is increasing as a result of improved diagnosis and more successful treatment of acute illness, which has resulted in an increase in the number of people who survive myocardial infarction. (NHS Athens is required to access this article online) Filed under: Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Athens Password, Coronary Heart Disease, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Health Centres, Home Healthcare, Rehabilitation (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3279925 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:31:08 +0100 3279925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3280192&cid=t_101542_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FGC58szRMfaQ%2F Andrew McCarrell, 38, won a jury verdict at a retrial in Atlantic City, N.J. An appeals court ordered a new trial, having overturned a $2.6 million award he won in May 2007. McCarrell, a computer technician from Birmingham, Al., testified he developed inflammatory bowel disease after taking Accutane for acne in 1995. He needed five surgeries, including one to remove his colon. The verdict was the largest of six for Accutane users who won awards totaling $56 million, Bloomberg News notes. Roche lost every case, although a Florida appeals court overturned one judgment for $7.2 million. In each case, plaintiffs claimed Roche failed to warn adequately of the risks (background on links to IBD). Roche, which intends to appeal the verdict, stopped selling Accutane in June 2009, citing generic com... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3280192 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:56:06 +0100 3280192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3276025&cid=t_101542_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2FPtVI_ncBBTg%2Ftoo-much-information.php Do I need to know more numbers in order to treat my body right?  Between A1C and lipids and blood pressure and TSH, am I missing something?  If a test isn't on the list of regularly ordered labs from my endocrinologist's office, is it really worth pursuing further?There is a constant barrage of information coming through the forums here at Diabetes Daily - the latest and greatest from conventional researchers, skeptical researchers, and our own amateur researchers.  There are ideas about c-reactive protein, c-peptides, and a host of other complicated-sounding blood and imaging tests for diabetes and prediction of heart disease.  However, it comes back to that extensive list of labs.   The endocrinologist only marks off a handful of these possible labs.  I have... Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3276025 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:46:31 +0100 3276025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3272882&cid=t_101542_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F15%2Ffinally-a-viral-cause-of-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-or-not-how-results-can-vary-and-depend-on-multiple-factors%2F Last week @F1000 (on Twitter) alerted me to an interesting discussion at F1000 on  a paper in Science, that linked Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) to a newly discovered human virus XRMV [1]. This finding was recently disputed by another study in PLOS [2], that couldn’t reproduce the results.  This was highlighted in an excellent post by [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3272882 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:23:02 +0100 3272882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3272918&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F2ihPMhWjdjI%2Fthe_mosquito_star_wars_defense.php The mosquito is the vector for diseases like malaria, yellow fever and West Nile. They are major scourges of public health, and while we have sunk a fair amount of money in drying to eradicate them, we haven't put as much money into developing the technology for the war on mosquitoes as the war on other humans. Think of the Star Wars Initiative and the investment and difficult of zapping a single missile before it hits an population area. The technology is super expensive (and super profitable for defense contractors. And so far nobody has been able to make it work. The idea of shooting a mosquito out of the sky before it zooms in to bite you is even more outlandish and one doesn't even want to think how impractical infeasible this is technologically, much less the cost of the equipment to... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3272918 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:33:25 +0100 3272918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3271197&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FFat4OfKfvfM%2F Learn about the disease This is a bit like the picture at left – can you see other faces in the flowers and the disease of alcoholism? Understand the nature of the chemical alcohol, how alcohol affects the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic in different ways, and why the alcoholic continues to drink when drinking is obviously harming them. Learn about the early-, middle-, and late-stage symptoms of the disease and how these symptoms change as the alcoholic continues to drink. Learn about the underlying physiological changes, including adaption, tolerance, physical dependence, and the withdrawal syndrome, all of which have a profound effect on the alcoholic’s behaviour. Finally, learn why the alcoholic needs to drink, why he becomes irritable, frustrated, and depressed when he is not drink... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3271197 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:15:03 +0100 3271197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3269894&cid=t_101542_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F13%2Ffive-foods-that-will-save-your-heart%2F February is American Heart Month. It’s a time to bring awareness to heart disease and stroke, the number one killer in the United States, so you and the people you love don’t become a statistic. This month is particularly personal for me, as my mom has heart disease. She had quadruple bypass surgery one year ago this month. If you know someone who would benefit from this information on preventing heart disease, please share it. Five Foods That Will Save Your Heart One way to prevent heart disease is to eat healthy. In this post, I’ll highlight five different foods that can save your heart – literally. These are not the only five foods that protect your heart, but they stand out as star performers in my book. 1. Garlic: Known as “the stinking rose,” this herb does not stink when... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3269894 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:19:09 +0100 3269894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266886&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FAmQDAhbU47c%2F Bill Clinton was admitted to the hospital for chest pain today and had two stents placed in one of the arteries around his heart. Here’s what that means: A stent is a wire mesh tube that’s used to prop open an artery. That’s a stent in the picture. Stents are often used for patients with unstable angina — sudden chest pain that can be a prelude to a heart attack. In a typical procedure, doctors start by making a small incision in the patient’s groin, then threading a catheter through the incision and up into a clogged artery near the heart. Then they perform a procedure called angioplasty, using a tiny balloon to clear away plaque that’s clogging up the artery. Then the doctors run the stent through the catheter and into section of the artery that was j... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266886 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:36:37 +0100 3266886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267074&cid=t_101542_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fcartilage-and-its-role-in-my-life%2F For many of you who read this blog and also lead a life of chronic pain, the “bad guy” in your life is called bone. Many of you have suffered injuries of the spine or other bones. Others have contacted diseases of the bones in one of the many forms of rheumatoid disease. They are all different in their approach, advance and insult to the body. For all of us it is important to remember that the human body is a wonder of connections of many types of substances as bones, nerves, ligaments and cartilage all move as one because of that connection. This makes it a bit tricky to diagnose and I believe that’s why physicians so often rely on lab work. It’s difficult for doctor’s to know and actually impossible for them to see within us…X-ray vision is not available for doctor’s unless... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267074 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:48:21 +0100 3267074 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266946&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=35342&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.vcu.edu%2Fcbuttery%2F2010%2F02%2Ffamily-meals-adequate-sleep-and-limited-tv-may-lower-childhood-obesity.html A new national study (to be published in the March issue of Pediatrics) suggests that preschool-aged children are likely to have a lower risk for obesity if they regularly engage in one or more of three specific household routines: eating dinner as a family, getting adequate sleep and limiting their weekday television viewing time. Comment: the problem is that for the last 30 years society in the U.S. has moved away from nuclear families to households with single parents who are too busy working to support the household to be able to carry out the recommended actions. [Ohio State University (2010, February 9). (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266946 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:25:48 +0100 3266946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266947&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=35342&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.vcu.edu%2Fcbuttery%2F2010%2F02%2Flaparoscopy-and-reduction-of-teen-obesity.html From Science Daily and other media we learn about an experiment in Australia on 50 obese teens where Gastric Banding ( by laparoscope) showed a 50 % reduction in overweight.  Comment: This surgical secondary prevention worked in a small trial group (50) and is certainly worthy of follow up with larger groups, over a longer time to determine long term risks as the recipients of this surgery can expect to live with the results for another 50 years. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266947 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:23:38 +0100 3266947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267207&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F8lWnTrijfao%2F Which letterbox has a dysfunctional family Growing up in an alcoholic family “Sometimes I feel like I was raised by wolves,” sighed James, a 55-year-old man who grew up in a home with two alcoholic parents. “I’ve gone through so much of my life guessing at what ‘normal’ is. It’s like trying to find your way through a dark woods without a compass.” According to Rosemary Hartman reactions like James’ are typical for people who grew up in dysfunctional families. But acknowledging that there were issues that deeply affected the whole family system is an important first step toward emotional and spiritual healing. Hartman said this acknowledgment frequently happens when adults have their own children. “They want to be good parents, but struggle with how to do it. They have s... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267207 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:32:33 +0100 3267207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262759&cid=t_101542_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Fwhat-kind-of-job-would-accomodate-crohns-disease%2F It seems that I may be looking at a change of careers very soon, or at the very least, a change of tasks.  I hope the impact is only a change of task, but I fear that it may be worse.  Last week I found out that the program that I have been working on is likely to be canceled.  I only say likely because there is still a small chance that Congress will vote against the President’s plan, but from what I am hearing, the outlook is not good.  No one knows what may happen or what the new “vision” really entails or how we in Houston will fit into the big picture.  I hope to stay with my current company but may be forced to look elsewhere or even into a whole new career path if nothing else is available. I really like my current employer and hope that there will be some task that I can... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262759 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:47:11 +0100 3262759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262588&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F1oEA6GyP2CM%2F A few Boston Scientific-related news bites: The company said it will cut 1,000 to 1,300 jobs over the next few years, as part of a restructuring program. That’s out of a work force of about 25,000. The company also reported earnings and gave new guidance; those figures are unpacked in this Dow Jones Newswires story. Two brands of Boston Scientific defibrillators have a design flaw that can deliver potentially life-threatening shocks to the heart in rare cases, according to an article published in the journal HeartRhythm (subscription required). In a statement yesterday, the company took issue with the paper, and argued that “the overall rate of events for this device family compares very favorably to the performance of similar devices and is well within accepted performance ran... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262588 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:18:17 +0100 3262588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262929&cid=t_101542_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F11%2Flose-weight-gain-a-healthy-heart%2F Did you know there are eight things you can do to prevent heart disease? Even better, they all support each other. You do one, and it helps you in doing another one. Check out the top eight behaviors that help prevent heart disease below. 1. Eat a healthy diet. Choosing healthful meal and snack options can help you avoid heart disease and its complications. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber can help prevent high blood cholesterol. Limiting salt or sodium in your diet can also lower your blood pressure. 2. Manage a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for heart disease. To determine whether your weight is in a healthy range, doctors often calculate your body mass index (BMI). ... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262929 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:11:08 +0100 3262929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262576&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2010%2F02%2F11%2Fprostate-cancer-diagnosis-increases-sucide-risk%2F Filed under: ResearchProstate cancer can increase a man's odds for either suicide of fatal heart attack, according to a research group at Harvard Medical School. A cancer diagnosis is stressful, and that stress can cause a number of changes in cardiovascular risk factors. Those, coupled with underlying health conditions, may be more likely to drive someone to suicide. Although doctors focused on those recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, they believe that the results will be similar for patients with other types of cancer. The researchers plan to do a similar study of breast and colon cancer patients. The researchers started with prostate cancer because they wanted to test whether the widespread use of screening using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test has made a difference.... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262576 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3262576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262758&cid=t_101542_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fis-your-dna-your-destiny-in-a-life-with-chronic-pain%2F For many of us who have daily pain due to disease, we are very familiar with the role genetics play in our lives. Do we have to allow fear to enter our lives and our futures if we had close relatives, such as mothers or fathers, who suffered similar diseases? Most of us have been taught in college that your DNA is more or less set in bedrock and determines your future. I have a relative who has been obsessed for many years in finding health information on all our relatives, living and dead. At a family gathering she corners a relative or two and questions them about their health in minute detail.  I believe she does this out of sincere concern for the future health of her children and grandchildren but also out of fear for herself. Sadly, I often sense a feeling of hopelessness in her man... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262758 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:10:55 +0100 3262758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259306&cid=t_101542_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F10%2Feight-heart-disease-risks-you-can-control%2F Did you know there are eight things you can do to prevent heart disease? Even better, they all support each other. You do one, and it helps you in doing another one. Check out the top eight behaviors that help prevent heart disease below. 1. Eat a healthy diet. Choosing healthful meal and snack options can help you avoid heart disease and its complications. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber can help prevent high blood cholesterol. Limiting salt or sodium in your diet can also lower your blood pressure. 2. Manage a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for heart disease. To determine whether your weight is in a healthy range, doctors often calculate your body mass index (BMI). ... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259306 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:09:02 +0100 3259306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259272&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F2qZoq9gmWQ8%2F Dr tansplanting a cirrhotic liver Health Risks of Alcohol: 12 Health Problems Associated with Chronic Heavy Drinking It’s no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and injuries sustained in automobile accidents. But if you think liver disease and car crashes are the only health risks posed by drinking, think again: Researchers have linked alcohol consumption to more than 60 diseases. “Alcohol does all kinds of things in the body, and we’re not fully aware of all its effects,” says James C. Garbutt, MD, “It’s a pretty complicated little molecule.” Here are 12 conditions linked to chronic heavy drinking. Anemia This can trigger a host of symptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, and l... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259272 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:18:03 +0100 3259272 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254730&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F12-health-risks-of-heavy-drinking%2F Dr tansplanting a cirrhotic liver Health Risks of Alcohol: 12 Health Problems Associated with Chronic Heavy Drinking It’s no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and injuries sustained in automobile accidents. But if you think liver disease and car crashes are the only health risks posed by drinking, think again: Researchers have linked alcohol consumption to more than 60 diseases. “Alcohol does all kinds of things in the body, and we’re not fully aware of all its effects,” says James C. Garbutt, MD, “It’s a pretty complicated little molecule.” Here are 12 conditions linked to chronic heavy drinking. Anemia This can trigger a host of symptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, and l... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254730 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:18:03 +0100 3254730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259273&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FxCnHqDL6zFw%2F Nicotine Addiction – Myths & Facts Many publications and even some commercials have made statements that nicotine is a poison that kills, but is it true? Nicotine is said to be both a bad habit that people can just lay down, but others claim that it is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. The claims that nicotine is used in insecticides have been circulating for years, so is it? All of these informational tidbits sound unreasonable and unbelievable. Which is the truth and which is fiction? Is nicotine deadly, or just someone’s mission to put the tobacco industry under? Here we will expose some of the most common myths and shed light on the truth about nicotine addiction. Myth: Those addicted to nicotine products are weak, or else they would just quit the habit! Fact: Any type of addi... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259273 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:45:40 +0100 3259273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254731&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Ftobacco-and-smoking-myths%2F Nicotine Addiction – Myths & Facts Many publications and even some commercials have made statements that nicotine is a poison that kills, but is it true? Nicotine is said to be both a bad habit that people can just lay down, but others claim that it is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. The claims that nicotine is used in insecticides have been circulating for years, so is it? All of these informational tidbits sound unreasonable and unbelievable. Which is the truth and which is fiction? Is nicotine deadly, or just someone’s mission to put the tobacco industry under? Here we will expose some of the most common myths and shed light on the truth about nicotine addiction. Myth: Those addicted to nicotine products are weak, or else they would just quit the habit! Fact: Any type of addi... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254731 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:45:40 +0100 3254731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254431&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FC6CDmiaqh-M%2F Statins’ global conquest continues. The class of cholesterol drugs already includes Pfizer’s megablockbuster Lipitor as well as simvastatin, the hugely popular generic that Merck sold under the brand name Zocor. Now, AstraZeneca’s statin Crestor has crossed a new threshold: It’s the cholesterol drug for people who don’t have high cholesterol. The FDA just expanded the drug’s approval to include reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke in people who meet all of the following criteria: Older than 50 for men, older than 60 for women Elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level (we’ll explain this one in a minute) At least one additional cardiovascular risk factor (such as high blood pressure, smoking, or a family history early heart disea... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254431 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:47:29 +0100 3254431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254693&cid=t_101542_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2F7MhM7HJ7Md0%2Fmedical-errors Breast cancer is pink. Colon cancer blue. What color is the ribbon for hospital-associated infections? Did you know that more people die per year from healthcare-associated infections than from breast cancer? (The stats: 99,000 according to the CDC vs. 40,000 according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The CDC number doesn’t even include people who die from medication errors or surgical mistakes.) Suffering from medical errors and healthcare-related infections isn’t heroic. There is none of the cultural glam factor that’s ascribed to battling cancer, no Hallmark MRSA cards. But I’m still into making medical error reduction the cause du jour.  The best that can happen is that it will save my life.  And it is hugely more comprehensible and quickly fixable than finding a... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254693 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:45:40 +0100 3254693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259277&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Fh4NsCuhtg7E%2F Alcoholism is a primary, chronic, progressive disorder that has a predictable course; with inherited, physical, psychological and environmental risk factors; and is fatal if not treated and its progress arrested. A Disease of the Brain Alcoholism is also a brain disease because alcohol changes the brain—it changes its structure, how it works and how it thinks. These brain changes can be long lasting, and lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who are alcoholic. Primary Alcoholism is not the result of another disorder but it is a causative factor in other disorders. Chronic Alcoholism is a chronic condition that continues over a long time, progresses consistently or intermittently, and can be managed. Progressive and Predictable As an addictive drug, alcohol use over time can lead t... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259277 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:28:29 +0100 3259277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3254735&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwhat-is-alcoholism%2F Alcoholism is a primary, chronic, progressive disorder that has a predictable course; with inherited, physical, psychological and environmental risk factors; and is fatal if not treated and its progress arrested. A Disease of the Brain Alcoholism is also a brain disease because alcohol changes the brain—it changes its structure, how it works and how it thinks. These brain changes can be long lasting, and lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who are alcoholic. Primary Alcoholism is not the result of another disorder but it is a causative factor in other disorders. Chronic Alcoholism is a chronic condition that continues over a long time, progresses consistently or intermittently, and can be managed. Progressive and Predictable As an addictive drug, alcohol use over time can lead t... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3254735 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:28:29 +0100 3254735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251261&cid=t_101542_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FdOmlDNvuZwo%2F Medicinal marijuana is finding its way into many areas of medicine. It’s a big help for some people with AIDS, providing them with a much-needed appetite. Marijuana is helpful for some people with cancer, helping them manage their side effects, and it’s also been found to help people with glaucoma, just to name a few. There was hope that medicinal marijuana would provide help for people with Alzheimers because earlier animal studies had shown that marijuana could reduce the plaques in the brain that are the hallmark of Alzheimers. Although this new study, from the University of British Columbia, is also an animal study, it was done with mice, which are considered to be a better match for human studies, while the previous ones were done on rats. The researcher used the same meth... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251261 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:57:50 +0100 3251261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251401&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Facceptance-and-surrender%2F Compliance and Acceptance; Submission and Surrender By Dr Harry Tiebout, an early friend of AA who wrote extensively about alcoholism and AA. This edited article illustrates an often subtle but devastating state of mind in recovering alcoholics. Dr Harry Tiebout In alcohol treatment and recovery one fact must be kept in mind, namely the need to distinguish between submission and surrender. In submission, an individual accepts reality consciously but not unconsciously. He accepts as a practical fact that he cannot at that moment conquer reality, but lurking in his unconscious is the feeling, “There’ll come a day” — which implies no real acceptance and demonstrates conclusively that the struggle is still going on. With submission, which at best is a superficial yieldi... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251401 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:08:41 +0100 3251401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251402&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdental-infections-in-recovery%2F This article from the American Academy of Family Physicians may help identify problems. What is dental caries? Dental caries (CARE-eez) is an infection caused by certain bacteria (germs) in your mouth. It destroys the enamel (the hard outer layer) and dentin (the bone-like tissue under the enamel) of your teeth. More common names for dental caries are cavities and tooth decay. How can I prevent dental caries? Taking care of your mouth is important. You and your family should visit a dentist each year, starting at one year of age. You should brush and floss twice a day with toothpaste that contains fluoride (FLOOR-ide). You can start teaching children to brush with a small amount of low-fluoride toothpaste when they are two years old. After six years of age, children can use regular fluorid... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251402 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:54:44 +0100 3251402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251406&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fundoing-denial-is-first-step%2F Denial is distorted reality Breaking through denial is alcoholic’s, addict’s first step in recovery Looking in the mirror and accepting what we see can be one of the hardest things we ever do. It’s especially hard when the image staring us in the face is painful or doesn’t fit with how we want to see ourselves. Sometimes, the truth is so painful that we avoid it at any cost. Refusing to accept a painful reality that alters the perception of ourselves is a psychological defense called denial. As human beings, we may use denial to protect ourselves from knowledge, insight or awareness that threatens our self-esteem, mental or physical health, or security. The term “denial” is often used in the chemical dependency field to describe people who deny substanc... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251406 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:19:29 +0100 3251406 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251429&cid=t_101542_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F08%2Fwhich-way-is-your-scale-tipping-protein-or-fat%2F Guest Blog By: Joy DuBost www.joyofnutrition.wordpress.com Around the world the prevalence of obesity is increasing in both developed and developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that approximately 1.6 billion adults are overweight and at least 400 million are obese. Additionally worldwide over 22 million children under the age of 5 are overweight, as well as 155 million school-age children. The WHO considers obesity to be one of the top 10 causes of preventable death worldwide. Obesity or being overweight typically refers to one who has a high proportion of body fat. The clinical definition of obesity is a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher, which can be calculated as your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared (BMI = [kg/m2]). If your... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251429 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:11:27 +0100 3251429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251256&cid=t_101542_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F07%2Fdistress-data-diary%2F Dear Diary, Wait a minute, this is a migraine diary; useful and important, but not such a “dear” topic. Dear Diary, Today I had another migraine.  The symptoms included: As mentioned, I’m putting together a diary of migraine details for an upcoming appointment with a specialist. The other week I had one so bad that my son had to [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251256 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:30:11 +0100 3251256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248708&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FFnkB_lPgJlc%2F Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction This, 30-page, full-color booklet explains in layman’s terms how science has revolutionized the understanding of drug addiction as a brain disease that affects behavior. The ‘Science of Addiction’ booklet discusses the reasons people take drugs, why some people become addicted while others do not, how drugs work in the brain, and how addiction can be prevented and treated. The booklet is available to read, download or order at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction/ http://www.drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction/sciofaddiction.pdf Publication Year: 2007 Publisher US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Website: http://www.nida.nih.gov Related Reading: (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248708 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:29:40 +0100 3248708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3246900&cid=t_101542_99_f&fid=35342&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.vcu.edu%2Fcbuttery%2F2010%2F02%2Fcancer-prevention.html At least one-third of all cancer cases are preventable. Prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the control of cancer. Tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world today. It causes 80-90% of all lung cancer deaths, and about 30% of all cancer deaths in developing countries, including deaths from cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus and stomach. A comprehensive strategy including bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, tax increases on tobacco products, and cessation programs can reduce tobacco consumption in many countries. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, adopted in May 2003, aims to curb tobacco-related deaths and disease.  Other cancers are preventable by changes in diet, exercise, alcohol use, and by i... Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3246900 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:18:14 +0100 3246900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3247080&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FeMKSi0uKrnY%2F We examined the processes through which 20 committed members (aged 29-52 yrs) of self-help groups for adult children of alcoholics experience alterations in their perceptions of family of origin. Results suggest that world view transformation in the family of origin domain involves; learning to define the family as pathological, assigning responsibility for this pathology to a disease, forgiving oneself, accepting that one was adversely affected by the family’s problem, and ultimately learning to accept one’s parents’ shortcomings. Humphreys, Keith. World view change in Adult Children of Alcoholics/Al-Anon self-help groups: Reconstructing the alcoholic family. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy. Vol 46(2), Apr 1996, 255-263. See also; ACOA’s have Streng... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3247080 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:15:54 +0100 3247080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3246715&cid=t_101542_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2010%2F02%2Fconference-update-microbial-ecology-and.html September 6 - 10, 2010 XXXIII International Congress of the Society for Microbial Ecology and DiseaseCruiseship Aegean Pearl, Greece Further information1st Day,Medical Microbial Ecology; 2nd Day,Dental Microbial Ecology; 3rd Day,Nutrition, Probiotics, Food and Water Microbial Ecology Health Related 4th Day,Environmental Microbial Ecology. The cruise programme includes some of the most well known Greek Islands such as Cosmopolitan Myconos, Rhodes, Patmos, Crete, the fascinating island of Santorini and Ephesus and Kusadasi in Turkey. Suggested reading: Environmental Molecular MicrobiologyFull range of books on microbiology at Microbiology Books (Source: Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists.) Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3246715 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:37:00 +0100 3246715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3243843&cid=t_101542_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FaftDEWWgZgI%2F URL: http://www.ragingalcoholic.com/I assume alcoholism or problem drinking is affecting you in someway. A way you really aren’t happy about. We’re here to give you information and access to resources. For: AnyoneTopics: Abnormal, Addiction, Anger, Behaviour Management, Chronic Disease, Clinical Decision Making, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Depression, Emotional Health, Family Therapy, Fatherhood, General Psychology, General Science, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Trauma, Treatment PlanningFeatures: Articles, Assessment Instruments, Case Studies, Clinical Tools, Collaborative News, Databases, Information, Links, Self Monitoring, Self-quizzes, e-learning I assume alcoholism or problem drinking is affecting you in... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3243843 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:00:21 +0100 3243843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3243865&cid=t_101542_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FrxPRHTYgHeA%2F Celiac disease is becoming more known as more people are being diagnosed with it. Although it’s not entirely clear if the disease is becoming more common or people are just finally being diagnosed properly, the numbers of affected people are rising and this is presenting problems with some life-long rituals. Celiac disease is a silent disease at first. It is the inability of the body to digest gluten, which is a found protein in wheat, rye, and barley. People with celiac disease should not eat any gluten at all, not even small amounts, as gluten damages the villi, the tiny hair-like structures along the intestines that help move the food forward. If the villi can’t do their job, the result is malnutrition. Besides having to adapt your diet significantly if you have celiac disea... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3243865 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:52:03 +0100 3243865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3244051&cid=t_101542_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FrQeHVwb4YpE%2F And so, another week will soon draw to a close. Our plans for the weekend? Snowballs fights with the short people may be in order, if the weather forecasts are accurate. What about you? Perhaps it will be time to catch up on some reading or take in a flick. Whatever you fancy, we hope you have a good time. Meanwhile, here are a few things to help you through the day. Enjoy, everyone… AstraZeneca Still Waiting For Upside To MedImmune Deal (Bizjournals) Glaxo To Close R&D Site In Italy (Bloomberg News) Vertex Loss Grows With Costs (Reuters) FDA Wants More Info On Protalix Gaucher Drug (PharmaTimes) snow pic courtesy of katmere flickr creative commons (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3244051 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:49:12 +0100 3244051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3236077&cid=t_101542_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F03%2Fdimebon_for_alzheimers_a_black_box_indeed.php Dimebon (dimebolin) is a perfect example of the black-box nature of drug research for the central nervous system. Any medicinal chemist who looks at its structure would immediately say "CNS", but shrug when asked what specific receptors it might hit. I'd have guessed histamine (correctly), since loratidine used to pay my salary, and I also would have guessed a clutch of 5-HT stuff as well. But it also has activity at AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptors, L-type calcium channels, and more. If you can tell me what it's really doing up there, you shouldn't bother: hang up on me and start calling people with money, because you're ready to take over the CNS therapeutic area for sure. This blunderbuss is getting a lot of attention these days, since the data for a Phase III trial against Alzheimer'... In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3236077 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:15:21 +0100 3236077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231673&cid=t_101542_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator%2Fnew-technology-reverses-effects-of-gum-disease%2F At the Griffith Institute for Health and Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, Professor Saso Ivanovski has grown layers of cells, including stem and gingival varieties. The gingival cells are gathered from ligaments that surround teeth, then placed in cultures and grown in sheets. These cellular sheets can be transferred to teeth roots in guided tissue regeneration (GTR), then they fully integrate with periodontal tissue in approximately six months. The technique works with skin grafts, as well. For more information, see the full report, “Periodontal regeneration” in Australian Dental Journal. (Source: dental blog for dentists about dentistry) dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231673 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:31:14 +0100 3231673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231742&cid=t_101542_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2010%2F02%2Ffive-things-i-learned-about-lyme-disease.html I know, I know, this is a diabetes blog. But those of you who follow me regularly are probably aware that a new chronic illness has entered our lives — Lyme disease. My husband was diagnosed shortly after we returned from Germany last summer, and it’s turning out to be a much more formidable opponent [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231742 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:42 +0100 3231742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231825&cid=t_101542_155_f&fid=38409&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropathologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fbest-post-of-september-09-case-of.html The next in our series of "Best Posts of the Month" is from September 28, 2009:A loyal reader sent in this wonderful photomicrograph from a recent case of cerebral Baylisascariasis (click on the picture to see it up close). A cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, infection with Baylisascaris procyonis is typically characterized by necrosis and eosinophilic inflammation. Larvae are often encapsulated within fibrous tissue (reference 1). Although not particularly neurotropic, the larvae may reach the central nervous system and cause major tissue damage. Baylisascaris procyonis is an intestinal roundworm endemic to the US raccoon population. Humans are infected by ingestion of worm eggs in raccoon feces. The median age for human infection is just over one year old, consistent with the pr... neuropathology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231825 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:26:00 +0100 3231825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3227749&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FE6N0sKOBrLo%2F With all the hand wringing about health care costs, it is possible to cut costs without harming patients. Even better, costs can be reduced while making patients better off. Here’s how. An unspoken truth is that three kinds of medical treatment are provided in the U.S. The first is treatment whose benefit is unquestionable. Surgery to treat a ruptured appendix is an example. Without it, death from life-threatening infection is almost certain. The life-saving medical care being rendered to earthquake victims in Haiti is in this category. A second type of treatment is provided when uncertainty exists about benefits and risks. Doctors and their patients must balance the benefits and risks. The recent mammogram controversy fits into this gray zone. The third type of treatment is when the pos... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3227749 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:16:10 +0100 3227749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3227717&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FR8TMZEqWLQM%2F President Obama’s new budget isn’t due out until later today, but there’s already a bunch of coverage looking at what’s coming. Here are a few things to expect on health spending: The budget includes an extra $25 billion in Medicaid funding for states, the WSJ reports. States share the cost of Medicaid with the feds; the budget includes a six-month extension of the Medicaid funding increase that was part of last year’s stimulus bill. Many states had planned on receiving extra Medicaid funding from the Dems’ big health-care bill, but the future of that legislation has been murky since the Democrats lost their supermajority in the Senate. Funding for the Department of Health and Human Services will increase “in the range of inflation or less,” ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3227717 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:00:02 +0100 3227717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3227953&cid=t_101542_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fits-heart-month.html It’s February. The month of sweet tarts and sweet hearts (and far too much candy being tossed around, if you ask me). Fittingly, it also happens to American Heart Month, a time to call attention to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including stroke, which are our nation’s No. 1 killer (!)  A full 50% of people with diabetes [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3227953 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:00:04 +0100 3227953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3224801&cid=t_101542_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F01%2Finfectious-diseases-caused-grampositive-organisms%2F The infectious diseases caused by gram-positive bacteria are Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) Botulism Diphtheria Gas Gangrene Rheumatic Fever Toxic Shock Syndrome Whipple’s Disease (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3224801 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:36:57 +0100 3224801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3223492&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FOXJ56Txguc8%2F Family Recovery Family recovery is one of the keys to treatment for alcoholism. Alcoholics and alcohol abusers attract more public attention, but their families and friends also suffer long-term effects from alcoholism-and their recovery may be essential to the alcoholic’s recovery, according to a leading researcher in the field. “Alcoholism is a family disease. While it is important for the family to support the alcoholic’s recovery, it is also important for members of the family to get involved in their own recovery. Family recovery decreases the chances that the children of alcoholics will repeat the pattern and engage in unhealthy relationships,” said Robert J. Ackerman, Ph.D., cofounder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics and director of the Mid-Atla... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3223492 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:20:31 +0100 3223492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3223229&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fu2-7GE7UZxQ%2F External fixators — like the rig pictured at right — can work wonders for fractures. But in post-earthquake Haiti, a fixator can also be a liability. A few days ago, a patient showed up at a field hospital near the Port-au-Prince airport with an advanced infection around the pin sites in a fixator in his leg. The leg had to be amputated at the knee. The patient had received the fixator at another facility. Cases like that one are why the field hospital hasn’t been discharging its post-op patients with fixators, said David Pitcher, a University of Miami orthopedic surgeon who is working at the hospital. “We’re not going to drop these people with external fixators and have them walking aroud Port-au-Prince with metal sticking out of them for three months &#821... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3223229 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:26:39 +0100 3223229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3216729&cid=t_101542_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Fis-my-pain-crohns-or-something-else%2F The mystery pain that I had back in Feb 2008 has returned.  Back then, I thought that I had a kidney stone, but the doctors were not so sure.  At the time, I had a lot of pain that felt very similar to a kidney stone – came and went, sharp sometimes and dull achy pain other times.  I did have a stone that was in my kidney but the urologists told me that I shouldn’t have pain with it there – it would only hurt when it made its way to the urethra.   My general doctor thought that it was the stone causing the pain so I never really had a clear answer since no one agreed. Since then, I have had bouts of pain that felt similar but not as severe and they would last only a few days.  Well, I started having pain again on Jan 16th and it got really severe this time.  I was hurting near... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3216729 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:23:51 +0100 3216729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3212607&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FaxhMRhl7mmI%2F Recovery may uncover sexuality issues Many women in recovery find some problems with their sexuality have emerged from the haze of alcoholism or addiction. This may be true for heterosexual and lesbian women. These notes may help. Talk to your doctor if there is any signs apparent. There are four recognised disorders of Female Sexual Dysfunction as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Medical Disorders. These are: Sexual desire disorders – A lack of sex drive or low libido. This is the most common type of sexual disorder among women Sexual arousal disorder – An inability to become aroused or maintain arousal during sexual activity Orgasmic disorder – A persistent or recurrent difficulty in achieving orgasm after sufficient sexual arousal and ongoing stimulation Sexual... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3212607 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:53:00 +0100 3212607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3212609&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FC0AzMtxjw-4%2F occurs when a person with sobriety makes sexual overtures to a newcomer or someone newly sober, sometimes under the guise of "sponsoring" or working with the newcomer. Newcomers are vulnerable and need guidance not exploitation. Thirteenth Stepping violates the principle that we should help others without expectation of reciprocity or return favours, sexual or otherwise. Thirteenth Stepping taints the apparent motives of other AA members who really desire nothing other than to help the newcomer get sober. Thirteenth Stepping can give an entire group the undeserved reputation as a "meat market," and it can deprive the newcomer of the feeling that there is at least one safe place to be. Thoughts Do we at the very least avoid 13th stepping ourselves? Do we help ne... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3212609 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:25:00 +0100 3212609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208104&cid=t_101542_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fhow-is-your-heart-health.html Last week the American Heart Association published its strategic impact goals for the next decade.By 2020 the AHA wants Americans to improve their heart health by 20 percent. It also wants to reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke by 20 percent.Preliminary data indicate that heart disease remained the leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2007. It caused 615,651 deaths.To reach its 2020 goals the AHA is promoting the “Simple 7” steps to better heart health:Get activeEat betterLose weightStop smokingControl cholesterolManage blood pressureReduce blood sugar"These seven factors — if you can keep them ideal or control them — end up being the fountain of youth for your heart," Dr. Donald M. Lloyd-Jones told the AP. He is a cardiologist and was the lead author of the AHA statement.... Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208104 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:45:00 +0100 3208104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208695&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwhat-are-drug-users-looking-for%2F What are drug addicts looking for in treatment; abstinence or harm reduction? In this research we looked at drug users’ aspirations from treatment and consider whether addicts are looking to treatment to ‘reduce’ their risk behavior or to become ‘abstinent’ from their drug use. The research is based on interviews using a core schedule with 1007 drug users starting a new episode of drug treatment in Scotland. Participants were recruited from a total of 33 drug treatment agencies located in rural, urban and inner-city areas across Scotland. Our research has identified widespread support for abstinence as a goal of treatment with 56.6% of drug users questioned identifying ‘abstinence’ as the only change they hoped to achieve on the basis of attending... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208695 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:39:43 +0100 3208695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3205121&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FA-z3s2ROZtE%2F What are drug addicts looking for in treatment; abstinence or harm reduction? In this research we looked at drug users’ aspirations from treatment and consider whether addicts are looking to treatment to ‘reduce’ their risk behavior or to become ‘abstinent’ from their drug use. The research is based on interviews using a core schedule with 1007 drug users starting a new episode of drug treatment in Scotland. Participants were recruited from a total of 33 drug treatment agencies located in rural, urban and inner-city areas across Scotland. Our research has identified widespread support for abstinence as a goal of treatment with 56.6% of drug users questioned identifying ‘abstinence’ as the only change they hoped to achieve on the basis of attending... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3205121 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:39:43 +0100 3205121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208699&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwhat-is-acoa-co-dependency%2F ACOA's often feel frozen in relationships You can talk to a dozen experts, read a dozen books and get a dozen different interpretations of ACOA co-dependency. Many accept it as a disease in as much as it has an onset, is progressive, predictable and in time is potentially fatal, although other causes of death are generally cited. It is assumed that all Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA’s) are co-dependents, but we each act out this illness in a different way.  Basically, there are two general concepts: As children growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home environment, we learned to hide or divorce our feelings, our true selves (also knows as the “Inner Child”) and we adopted a survival role in order to cope with the stresses. The experts in the field of alcohol... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208699 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:38:19 +0100 3208699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3205126&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FRBPnXi-G2p8%2F ACOA's often feel frozen in relationships You can talk to a dozen experts, read a dozen books and get a dozen different interpretations of ACOA co-dependency. Many accept it as a disease in as much as it has an onset, is progressive, predictable and in time is potentially fatal, although other causes of death are generally cited. It is assumed that all Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA’s) are co-dependents, but we each act out this illness in a different way.  Basically, there are two general concepts: As children growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home environment, we learned to hide or divorce our feelings, our true selves (also knows as the “Inner Child”) and we adopted a survival role in order to cope with the stresses. The experts in the field of alcohol... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3205126 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:38:19 +0100 3205126 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3204845&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36941&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mazecordblood.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D389 Today, blood cancers such as leukemia are treated with blood and bone marrow transplants which, as we know, are often difficult to match. Some readers may have heard that umbilical cord blood is being tested against these diseases  because young stem cells often do not generate a reaction from the immune system.   Evenwhen not matched, therefore, they may be accepted by a patient’s system. However, umbilical cord blood is ”far less rich in the stem cells needed to cure the cancer and so takes longer to establish itself in the patient – leaving the patient open to infection and death.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7010490/Blood-breakthrough-for-leukaemia-patients.html Now a team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have come up ... Cord Blood News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3204845 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:32:09 +0100 3204845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3201695&cid=t_101542_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.rawvoice.com%2Fpmn_twiv%2Fwww.twiv.tv%2FTWiV067.mp3 Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Marc Pelletier Vincent, Alan, and Marc talk about chronic wasting disease of deer caused by prions, blocking the semen-derived enhancer of HIV infection with surfen, and making green transgenic rabbits using a lentiviral vector. This episode is sponsored by Data Robotics Inc. Use the promotion code VINCENT to receive $50 off a Drobo or $100 off a Drobo S. Download TWiV #67 (64 MB .mp3, 88 minutes) Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email. Links for this episode: Chronic wasting disease in West Virginia Chronic wasting disease alliance and CDC webpage Semen-derived inhibitor of viral infection (SEVI) Surfen inhibits the action of SEVI Making green transgenic rabbits using simian immunodeficiency vir... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3201695 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:44:22 +0100 3201695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3204824&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D8254 Attention couch potatoes. A recent Aussie study suggests you should get off your butt, watch less TV and exercise more. Common sense right? But the chilling statistics might be just the thing to spur you to do the right thing. MedPageToday reports Too much television watching could be shortening lifespans, a study of Australian adults showed. Aussies who reported watching four or more hours of TV a day were 46% more likely to die during a 6.6-year period than those who watched less than two hours a day, according to David Dunstan, PhD, of Monash University in Melbourne, and colleagues. The risk of dying from cardiovascular disease during follow-up was 80% greater in the excessive viewers, although statistically, the result attained only borderline significance (P=0.05), the researchers rep... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3204824 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3204824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3201899&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2F55LfL-pV_F8%2F CONCLUSIONS: Nicotine dependence represents a general marker of psychiatric comorbidity, particularly of addictive comorbidity. It may be used as a screening measure for psychiatric diagnoses in clinical practice as well as in future trials. Research report; Le Strat Y, Ramoz N, Gorwood P. In Alcohol-Dependent Drinkers, What Does the Presence of Nicotine Dependence Tell Us About Psychiatric and Addictive Disorders Comorbidity? Alcohol Alcohol. 2010 Jan 20. See also; Alcoholic, Addictive Behaviors Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome Are Families Affected by Alcoholism? What are the Styles of Enablers? Hazelden Books and Resources Related Reading: Share/Save (Source: Twelve Step Facilitation.com) Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3201899 Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:55:53 +0100 3201899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3200660&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fnicotine-as-a-marker-for-alcohol-psychiatric-disorders%2F CONCLUSIONS: Nicotine dependence represents a general marker of psychiatric comorbidity, particularly of addictive comorbidity. It may be used as a screening measure for psychiatric diagnoses in clinical practice as well as in future trials. Research report; Le Strat Y, Ramoz N, Gorwood P. In Alcohol-Dependent Drinkers, What Does the Presence of Nicotine Dependence Tell Us About Psychiatric and Addictive Disorders Comorbidity? Alcohol Alcohol. 2010 Jan 20. See also; Alcoholic, Addictive Behaviors Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome Are Families Affected by Alcoholism? What are the Styles of Enablers? Hazelden Books and Resources Related Reading: Share/Save (Source: Twelve Step Facilitation.com) Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3200660 Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:55:53 +0100 3200660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197886&cid=t_101542_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fckqiwvw-OmM%2F And it’s getting closer every minute. Already, we can imagine the long naps that beckon. But what about you? Any interesting plans? Whatever you do, we hope you have a nice time. While you ponder, here are a few items to help you through the end of the week. Enjoy, everyone, and see you soon… Novartis Pushes Fund For Neglected Worm Disease (Bloomberg) Glaxo’s Hussain Discusses Flex Pricing In Diverse Markets (Financial Times) J&J Withdraws European Filing For Epilepsy Drug (PharmaTimes) Glaxo & Genmab Win EU Backing For Leukemia Drug (Reuters) Mississippi Urged To Require Prescriptions For Cold Meds (Associated Press) FDA To Decide On Genzyme Pompe Drug In June (MassHighTech) photo thx to tipiro on Flickr creative commons (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197886 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:03:10 +0100 3197886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3200667&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FPreUvLXkWn0%2F Acceptance People in 12 Step Fellowships often struggle with acceptance. Not just acceptance of powerlessness over their disease but many other things as well. God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. –Reinhold Niebuhr Some things I cannot change I need to accept as is: my age, who my relatives are, my eye color, my height, my childhood experiences, my inborn talents, my nature, someone else’s abuse of alcohol or other drugs, whether the sun will shine, my job history, what I will inherit, how my parents feel, yesterday’s lost opportunities, how long I will live, who forgives me, how my parents treated me, how much I am loved, the past. Some things I can change: the ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3200667 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:54:41 +0100 3200667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3200669&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FkVwChdyh4DQ%2F We drank as heavy drinkers or alcoholics and found these contradictions We drank for happiness and became unhappy. We drank for joy and became miserable. We drank to be outgoing and became self-centered. We drank for sociability and became argumentative. We drank for sophistication and became crude and obnoxious. We drank for friendship and made enemies. We drank for sleep and awakened without rest. We drank for strength and felt weak. We drank for sex drive and lost our potency. We drank for relaxation and got the shakes. We drank for confidence and became doubtful. We drank for warmth and lost our cool. We drank for coolness and lost our warmth. We drank for freedom and became slaves. We drank for power and were powerless. We drank to soften sorrow and wallowed in self-pity. We drank me... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3200669 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:26:42 +0100 3200669 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197890&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwe-drank-for%2F We drank as heavy drinkers or alcoholics and found these contradictions We drank for happiness and became unhappy. We drank for joy and became miserable. We drank to be outgoing and became self-centered. We drank for sociability and became argumentative. We drank for sophistication and became crude and obnoxious. We drank for friendship and made enemies. We drank for sleep and awakened without rest. We drank for strength and felt weak. We drank for sex drive and lost our potency. We drank for relaxation and got the shakes. We drank for confidence and became doubtful. We drank for warmth and lost our cool. We drank for coolness and lost our warmth. We drank for freedom and became slaves. We drank for power and were powerless. We drank to soften sorrow and wallowed in self-pity. We drank me... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197890 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:26:42 +0100 3197890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3193817&cid=t_101542_113_f&fid=35744&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fe-CareManagement%2F%7E3%2FcFR4-o2eoB0%2F Check out the latest Health Wonk Review penned by Dr. Jaan Sidorov over at the Disease Management Care blog. I commend Dr. Sidorov for his selection of a new personal photo on his blog — very handsome, and certainly a better presentation than this earlier photo from his youth.   Tags: disease management (Source: e-CareManagement) e-CareManagement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3193817 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:43:55 +0100 3193817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3193687&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FdzXGuBel-SM%2F Here’s a quick roundup of some news on experimental drugs: Two pills for multiple sclerosis fared well in clinical trials published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. One, Novartis’s fingolimod, was tested against a placebo and against Avonex, a form of interferon sold by Biogen Idec. The other, Merck KGaA’s cladribine, was tested against a placebo. (The main findings of the studies had previously been reported.) Current drugs for MS are given via injection or infusion, so the convenience of oral drugs would be an improvement for patients. But, as the WSJ notes, the studies of fingolimod and cladribine suggested that the drugs may have serious side effects that will have to be weighed against the potential benefits. A new approach to treating clostridium d... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3193687 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:10:23 +0100 3193687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3193663&cid=t_101542_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F01%2F21%2Fbritish-journal-of-hospital-medicine-2009-vol-70-no-12%2F British Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009 (Vol. 70 No. 12) contents page Title: Pulmonary complications in liver disease Skinny: Pulmonary complications of liver disease are poorly understood and often identified late. Article focuses on the two major pulmonary complications – hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension, which differ in their clinical features and management. Includes diagnostic criteria and staging tables. (Print subscription held at Fade Library) Posted in Diagnosis, Diseases and Disorders, Journals Tagged: Diagnostics, Disease Management, Hepatopulmonary Syndrome, Liver Diseases, Portopulmonary Hypertension (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3193663 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:22:56 +0100 3193663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189403&cid=t_101542_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fbc49poq9rio%2F For the past few years, the John Crowley story has been widely circulated. A former financial consultant with two children suffering from Pompe disease, he borrowed $100,000 on his home and 401(k) plan to start a biotech company, raised $27 million in venture capital and later sold his small company to Genzyme. That’s where the drama really begins, as Crowley and Genzyme tussled over the trials and whether his children could participate (more here). The saga is now a movie called ‘Extraordinary Measures,’ which stars Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser (who plays Crowley), and opens this week. You can watch the trailer here and Crowley, who is now ceo at Amicus Therapeutics, was interviewed the other day by CNBC, which you can watch here. (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189403 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:10:29 +0100 3189403 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189224&cid=t_101542_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FzJykYiQ_4Hw%2F One of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease is the slow and stiff gait that people have when they walk. It’s called gait hypokinesia and it can seriously affect the quality of life as people with Parkinson’s limit going out and doing various activities. Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder, meaning that it affects the nerves. In this case, the disorder affects the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. Dopamine is a chemical that helps your body coordinate movements, but in Parkinson’s, the neurons that make the dopamine die, making it difficult, if not impossible, to control movement. Researchers have been looking into using exercise to help people with Parkinson’s maintain their ability to move well, in addition to taking medication... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189224 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:57:27 +0100 3189224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189412&cid=t_101542_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FClRqp2NkoRc%2F Workaholism or Work Addict? Answer yes or no to each question Is your work very important to you? Do you like things done ‘just right’? Do you tend to see things as black or white, not grey? Are you competitive and often determined to win? Is it important for you to be right? Are you overly critical of yourself if you make a mistake? Are you afraid of failing? Are you restless and impulsive and easily bored? Do you drive yourself, and have high levels of energy and stamina? Do you suffer periodic bouts of extreme fatigue? Do you take work home and work nights and/or weekends? Do you feel uneasy or guilty if there is nothing to do? Do you think you are special or different from other people? Do you read work related material when you eat alone? Do you make lists of things to do or keep... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189412 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:00:55 +0100 3189412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3185298&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fduh-study-lost-thoughts-alzheimers%2F This isn’t to make light of memory loss, but it is really a surprise to learn that “cognitive fluctuations, or episodes when train of thought temporarily is lost, are more likely to occur in older persons who are developing Alzheimer’s disease than in their healthy peers”? This was the finding of a study by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine and the results were published in the most recent issue of the journal Neurology. Everyone experiences memory lapses, so having them doesn’t mean that you have Alzheimer’s, but the lapses, staring into space, and daytime sleepiness are found more often in people who are developing Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers studied 511 seniors who were on average about 78 years old. The study... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3185298 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:23:01 +0100 3185298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3185327&cid=t_101542_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FRvNuXS_xZxo%2F My mother’s generation lived in fear of diseases we have the privilege to forget.  She graduated from nursing school 60 years ago, in an era when people died each day from diseases that today are physicians have never seen. Like many from her generation, she is haunted by a sound she will never forget, the sound of an iron lung pushing life into patients crippled from polio who could not breathe on their own. It was a time when polio could not be prevented and the fear of paralysis and death haunted the country. On April 12, 1955, church bells rang out, kids were let out of school, people danced in the streets. It was great news: Salk’s polio vaccine worked! Fifty years later, as my mother strolled through the National Museum of American History’s polio exhibit, she shared with me ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3185327 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:00:41 +0100 3185327