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 'good news'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:10:28 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181816&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1837 I think a lot about the slow, certain dissolution of medicine as we know it.  Mental health issues crowd emergency departments, as few mental health clinics are available.  Psychiatrists are in short supply.  Drug abuse overwhelms the medical system, with either patients seeking pills or patients families hoping to get them off of pills. Persons with little interest in their own health continue to smoke and drink, use Meth and eat poorly.  Disability claims are skyrocketing as younger and younger individuals confabulate their misery in hopes of attaining a check, paid for by someone else. The poor, with genuine medical problems, have increasing difficulty finding care as jobs, and insurance, fade away.  Politicians, eager to be re-elected, eager to be loved, promise more and supply le... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181816 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:14:08 +0100 5181816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174627&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1829 This is my column in yesterday’s Greenville News.  A direct link requires a subscription, so I reprinted it here. Thanks! Being ‘hung up’ about sex isn’t so horrible One of the chief objections to Christianity is that it meddles in people’s personal lives. This is a curious objection, in some ways. Christianity has fairly little to say about food or drink, except to advocate moderation. And very little to say about clothing, except that modesty is appropriate. It’s silent on computers and automobiles. And it generally advocates discipline couched in love where children are concerned. What its detractors mean often comes down to this: ‘Christianity has something to say about sex, and we don’t like it one bit.’ Typically, one hears that ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174627 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:10:39 +0100 5174627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159021&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1818 , no matter what the season This is my column in today’s Greenville News I am sitting here, looking into the sky and out into the yard. The clouds are hanging low over Tamassee. They are pregnant, but not so much with rain as with change. I can see, in their fullness and varied shades of blue and gray, that Autumn is lurking, and waiting eagerly to descend. Most years, there is a weekend in September that blows in cool, with low humidity and breezes. I mark the end of summer by that event, and often in years past would note it as I drove home from my night-shift in the emergency room. The air through my car windows had a chill, and as I slept off the night’s work, I would revel in warmth, not cool. This time, while not as cool, it came in August. Frankly, anything less than a h... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159021 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 19:56:57 +0100 5159021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036240&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1726 Church Camp Helps Kids Learn How to Choose This is my column in today’s Greenville News. My wife and I just returned from helping to chaperone 20 middle and high-school students at a church camp populated by a total of 600 youth. We were at SummerSalt, the flagship camp of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, located near Winnsboro, SC at White Oak Conference Center. (Actually, I’ve always referred to it as ‘Hotternhades, South Carolina,’ but that’s just me.) Since it is a Southern Baptist Camp, let me immediately set fire to the standard ’straw-man’ stereotypes leveled at our denomination; and indeed, at evangelicals in general. We did not spend our time making lists of all the people we believed were going to hell. We did not meet secretly to d... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036240 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:59:47 +0100 5036240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992699&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1711 This is my column in July’s EM News.  Have a restful day! http://journals.lww.com/em-news/Fulltext/2011/07000/Second_Opinion__A_Rest_for_the_Heart.10.aspx We travel to Hilton Head, SC, every spring for an ‘end of school-year’ vacation. It is a tradition that started several years ago; one which our family treasures. We plan months ahead, when we arrange lodging. Then, as the date draws closer we have to restrain ourselves from jumping up and down at odd, inappropriate times. The beach calls to us in an inexplicable way. We live in a beautiful county, surrounded by mountains and lakes. It is, in itself, a worthy destination, perfect for biking, hiking, fishing and/or kayaking. But when May rolls around, our eyes turn to the east, and we long for the sand and sea. It is on... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992699 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:24:09 +0100 4992699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893469&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1653 Dear friends, Jan is doing wonderfully, and her recovery from both her cancer therapy, and her pulmonary embolus, has been nothing short of miraculous.  I am so thankful for God’s grace and mercy, and for the skill of those whose treatment of my wife honored the One who called them into medicine.  (Whether they knew it or not!) She has been eating better every day, working out, mowing the lawn and organizing our lives like normal.  I’m very proud of the courage, fortitude, love and patience she has shown throughout her ordeal.   And of the faithfulness in trial that our amazing children displayed. Monday June 6 is the day of her follow-up PET scan and pharyngoscopy at MUSC.  Please pray that her cancer is completely gone.  Her scan is early, I think at 7 am, and her exam... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893469 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 02:17:19 +0100 4893469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734117&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1532 Sinner is my denomination. Here in the homeland of all things Southern Baptist, the appearance of faith has a shiny veneer. There are things that have been accepted tenets of Southern Christian life for generations. Two services and Sunday school on Sunday, Wednesday Bible Study, Thursday choir practice. Women’s Mission teas, and various types of training during the week, from Kids for Christ to Bible Drill to adult discipleship classes. Long, imploring altar calls that tug at the heart of the most hardened sinner, and rattle the comfort of the holiest saint. (No matter how much they want to go to lunch). There’s a consistency to it, an entrenched Protestantism with the unique flavor of iced tea and fresh biscuits, the smell of Magnolia and honeysuckle. It is pervasive. It is especial... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734117 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:44:03 +0100 4734117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696640&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1503 This is my column in today’s Greenville News. Acting helps us see we’re part of a great drama I like a well-executed play. I’ve been awed on Broadway, and humored in Las Vegas. I have laughed at local community productions of comedies. I respect the talent involved in taking a story and portraying it live. I have never been particularly interested in acting myself. (Although, I think I know the lines from Young Frankenstein well enough to play several roles.) Still, I can’t pass up the opportunity to be involved in the Passion Play at my church, College Street Baptist, in Walhalla. It’s an old tradition in the church. In Medieval times, church members often performed in community dramas known as ‘Morality Plays,’ based on Biblical stories. Given th... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696640 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:37:19 +0100 4696640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653379&cid=t_120003_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F29%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-march-29-2011%2F As a dental hygienist, my mom not only cleans people’s teeth, but listens to do them as she does so every day. And like hair stylists and therapists, she often hears their problems too. One of the most valuable advice she has ever given me is to not judge what other people are going through. “You never know what you would do in that situation unless it happened to you.” Our posts this week makes me think about what she said. You may have lived through difficulty, failure, loss of self-respect. You may, in fact, be going through this right now. If so, remember to find the people in your life who won’t judge you, but have compassion for your situation. That person may even be you. I hope you will enjoy our top posts this week! There are some good ones everything from ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653379 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:31:31 +0100 4653379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580908&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1460 So again, thanks for all of your prayers and concern!  Thanks to those who have encouraged us, who have fed us amply, who have just spoken kind words or told their own story!  I have held so many of you in my own prayers. Tomorrow, it will be two weeks since Jan’s last radiation, and 11 days since her last chemotherapy.  She is better every day, and looks great despite her obvious fatigue.  She continues to be plagued by thick secretions, although to my eye they seem a little less frequent.  But then, I’m not the one trying to cough that stuff up! I wondered tonight, is there a special prayer for phlegm?  Is there a patron saint of secretions?  Bless her heart, it’s miserable.  And it causes such  nausea, as if the doctor were tickling your uvula with a tongue de... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580908 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 02:42:37 +0100 4580908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565911&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1458 Thank you, first of all, for your prayers and love.  Jan’s last radiation therapy was last Monday and her last chemotherapy was last  Thursday.  While those are happy, hopeful things, she still feels miserable.  She is having copious secretions from her throat, vomits periodically and is extremely weak as yet.  However, she did get up today and do our bills…which probably made her want to faint dead away! One of her chemo nurses said that after this therapy, the subsequent two weeks can still be pretty tough.  It appears she was absolutely right.  I hate that Jan is still nauseated and fatigued, but I believe that better days are coming.  It’s a horrible feeling, this sense of being powerless to stop the  misery of one we love.  As a ‘fixer,’ it&#821... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565911 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:15:30 +0100 4565911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4527740&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1453 This is my column in today’s Greenville News. Sickness can show the depth of a couple’s love When I met my wife at a college Halloween Party, we were 19 years old. She was a black-haired, blue eyed beuaty dressed as a mime. I was dressed as a doctor. (I was a big pre-med nerd.). After the party, our group of friends spent all of our free-time together, in and around our dorm at Marshall University. Several months later, after a day when the school was closed by snow and we went sledding, a fire began to flicker between us. Soon we went on our first date. We were poor, skinny college kids who loved to laugh and eat cheap pizza. We went to free movies on campus and met one another between classes. I still see her, bouncing across the grass, a red hat and cape on a cold day, wal... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4527740 Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:42:03 +0100 4527740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450301&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1444 Here’s my column in Sunday’s Greenville News.  I hope you enjoy it! Kitchen provide a refuge when life get’s stormy I have long loved kitchens. The kitchen of my childhood home was cozy, with a small bar where I ate my breakfast and where my sleepy brain came around in preparation for school, to the background of the radio built into the wall. My parents passed through hurriedly, kissing and feeding me as they entered their own worlds until evening. I well remember the layout of my grandmother’s kitchens. Both were small, with dark wood and thin tables set against a window. From those kitchens emanated wonderful smells, laughter and love. In summer they could swelter, but in winter! In winter they were havens of warmth. Their ovens heated the room, and warm buttere... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450301 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:02:21 +0100 4450301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419147&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1442 Dear friends, First, let me praise God for all his blessings and mercy in our difficult time!  Since the first day when we were stunned by Jan’s cancer diagnosis, we have had hopeful news that her condition is treatable.  We are thankful for that.  With each and every test along the way, when I anticipated more bad news, the results were better than I hoped, and I am thankful to the Almighty for His grace and healing power. Thank you for your intercession for us, and for the encouragement you daily have sent our way!  Your prayers have helped to result in the progress Jan has made, I’m certain of that.  And the words (and food) of many have lifted us up. For example, Jan was initially terrified of the radiation therapy frame, which pressed tightly on her face and locked he... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419147 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:04:46 +0100 4419147 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419148&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1439 It’s Probably Nothing! The lessons of bad news, fear, love and hope. http://journals.lww.com/em-news/blog/BreakingNews/pages/post.aspx?PostID=25 It’s probably nothing. That’s what we heard over and over. My wife, Jan, had a swollen lymph node on the left side of her neck, just under the angle of her mandible. That’s what I told myself when she first complained of it a few months ago. A tender, swollen lymph node after all of us had colds, sore throats, and fever. Probably nothing. In November, it was more painful. (Painful node; probably nothing, right?) So it was off to the ENT. A cautious, competent surgeon, he said it was probably nothing, but it needed to be evaluated. The CT scan showed an enlarged node. Nothing else was visible. No other adenopathy. We figure... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419148 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 01:43:49 +0100 4419148 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382770&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1425 You might like this interview I recently did with Christian Devotions.  Thanks to Scott McClausey, who graciously invited me and let me speak about my faith, my family, my career and writing! http://christiandevotions.us/2011/01/18/christian-devotions-speak-up-with-dr-edwin-leap/ (Source: edwinleap.com) edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382770 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:50:16 +0100 4382770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377575&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1420 This is my article in the Baptist Courier today.  We underestimate our prayers. http://www.baptistcourier.com/4836.article Here’s the text: Prayer is a fire, not a flower Never in my life have I understood, so personally, what it means to pray, and have others pray for, my family. You see, my wife Jan was recently diagnosed with a cancer in her throat. What began as a swollen lymph node, which was ‘probably nothing,’ became a terrifying diagnosis and the beginning of a journey in which we still find ourselves. From the first doctor’s visit, to the CT scans, biopsies, surgery and other evaluations, we have learned to lean on prayer. We have cried out to God for courage, for healing, for good news, for direction, for wise physicians, for miracles, for our children, ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377575 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:17:14 +0100 4377575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349662&cid=t_120003_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fmore-wait.html The world is kind of gray today and I woke up in a haze emotionally. We live in a an either-or world. There isn't an ambivalent middle ground, because even the ambivalent middle ground has been earmarked as a political stance in and of itself. I always feel out of sorts and pensive when I wake up gray. Give me fear, anxiety, anything! But I got nothin', walking in to this appointment. Five minutes for a doctor to explain the next 4 years of your life.So her I am in the ambivalent moment. My doctor reads off the latest test results: minimal uptake in the neck region, some in the salivary glands, update elsewhere within normal limits. No evidence of recurrent metastatic disease. Okay. That is good. There are no pictures of tumors anywhere in my body. Now come the lab results. Last December, ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349662 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:47:00 +0100 4349662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281320&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1391 This is my column in last Sunday’s Greenville News.  Merry Christmas to all. Christmas brings hope and joy amidst life’s pain. (And life can really punch you in the gut!) This is one of our favorite seasons as a family. One Sunday, we put up all our decorations in a frantic three hour effort between morning and evening church activities. As usual, my wife has made the place beautiful by directing all of us the way a conductor directs the orchestra. ‘No, those lights here. No, there’s a gap in the tree. Yes, put the couch here, and the nativity set on that table.’ Her tastes are exquisite. We have done most of our shopping. (Much of it accomplished on recent kid-free date night in Greenville.) The trees are lit, the children well. We have already enjoyed Chri... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281320 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:01:30 +0100 4281320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4249064&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1383 So, Jan’s tonsil fragment was not malignant, so we don’t know where the primary site is.  It isn’t showing up on any of her biopsies, except in some lymph nodes on the left (all of which appear intact on the pathology report…that is, they haven’t spilled out locally). Therefore, it will be a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, then frequent follow-up for a primary site to manifest itself.  Then, possibly more surgery. I knew most of it already.  I was happy the nodes were intact, and had prayed hard for good news today.  I feel as if I received some, and I’m glad we now have a plan. Still terrified, but confident that God will provide.  We are hopeful and prayerful and believe in healing miracles.  In Psalm 103, it says it is God ‘who ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4249064 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:47:50 +0100 4249064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241730&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1381 For those of you unaware, Jan had surgery Monday for a swollen lymph node in her neck.  It turned out to be a metastatic squamous cell cancer.  Usually only found in elderly men who smoke and/or drink excessively.   The primary appears to have been some leftover tonsil tissue at the base of her tongue.  (Tonsillectomy at age seven.) Her surgeon, the excellent Dr. Charles Theivagt, feels that he removed all of the primary, as well as the affected node and everything else in her left neck.  (She had a modified radical neck procedure.  Her comment?  ‘I look like Frankenstein!’  She said it with a smirk.  I think she looks just beautiful.) She spent seven hours in surgery Monday.  She came home yesterday.  She is doing well, in great spirits.  As you know, she hates to ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241730 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:03:10 +0100 4241730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214129&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1373 Gifts for my colleagues, near and far This is my column in December’s EM News Merry Christmas! I like to think back on favorite Christmas gifts I have received down the years. I don’t think I can do any better than the children of mine who were born around Christmas. Three of the four came within one month of Christmas day. One came on December 23rd;. What wonderful presents! Going farther back, I recall sitting by the Christmas tree at my childhood home, or the homes of my grandparent’s. I found toy soldiers, toy horses, Matchbox cars, pocket-knives and many other little boy wonders. I remember the beautiful wooden stock and golden trigger of my first shotgun, and how it pulled me irresistably into a sense of impending manhood to know that my father and mother trusted m... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214129 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:37:03 +0100 4214129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190165&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1367 Here is my column in yesterday’s Greenville News. This Thanksgiving we will have 32 guests at the table; rather, at the tables we scatter about the dining room…and living room…and kitchen. At our house, food is practically a sacrament. And obviously, Thanksgiving is the high holiday of American eating. So we will be honoring the tradition by feeding everyone as much as we can. Because the guests are all beloved to us, we will also have a variety of foods, in a variety of presentations. For instance, there will be fresh cranberries for organic purists, as well as a maroon gelatinous mass of cranberries for those who feel that cranberries indeed spring from aluminum. The turkeys will be divided perfectly among dark and light meat lovers. And for the carb-loving, there wil... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190165 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 01:55:38 +0100 4190165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4179327&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1352 Recently I drove the church bus for a short trip with our youth group.  It’s the first time I’ve been trusted with the bus since I tried to drive it under the church rain-shelter (which was several feet shorter) a few summers ago.  Trusted with the bus once more, I was elated!  I had outlived my unfortunate nickname:  ‘Crash.’ However, despite the excitement I was later deflated.  A bus full of teens is always overflowing with energy, laughter and gentle teasing.  But the bus on the way home was filled with the sounds of anger and taunting.  There were shouts and accusations, threats and counter-threats.  I maintained control (of the bus and my temper).  We made it back to the church without blood loss or law-enforcement involvement. The regular members of... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4179327 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:18:02 +0100 4179327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4118953&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1331 This is my column in this weeks SC Baptist Courier.  The link isn’t up yet online, but it’s in the print version. Didn't sing Kum ba ya even once! Most of us spend our time dealing with the consequences of life on this planet. I practice emergency medicine, so I’m busy treating chest pain, closing wounds, opening abscesses, dealing with car crashes, violence, overdoses and all the rest. Attorneys occupy themselves attempting to ensure justice, keeping humans from taking unfair advantage of one another, and trying to see that evil has an earthly consequence. Builders make shelter for us, because it is difficult and unpleasant to spend all of one’s time outside. Businessmen make and sell products that we need, because all of our needs are not instantly met in t... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4118953 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:27:59 +0100 4118953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097954&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1312 Many mornings, Jan and I make breakfast for the children.  Because they are home-schooled, we have the time to eat with a bit of leisure.  Today, as so often, we had chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and (for the Mama) a BLT.  Cups of hot tea followed. It is a small thing, breakfast, and food in general; but not so small.  One of the things I was taught in my training was to offer food or drink to agitated or mentally unstable patients.  I’ve done it many times, and have had remarkable success. Sometimes, a soda, a cup of coffee, some crackers and peanut-butter have as much benefit as any pharmaceutical product ever could.  In the midst of their anger, their frustration, I get up to leave the room to order labs or make phone-calls and I turn, ‘can I get you some coffee?  So... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097954 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:45:27 +0100 4097954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980835&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1282 This is my column in today’s Greenville News.  It’s a follow-up to a recent column I wrote on the mental health ‘crisis’ in America, as seen in our emergency rooms. My last column addressed the unfortunate truth of the overwhelmed mental health system in South Carolina, and indeed in much of the US. While I lament the fiscal condition of our mental health system, and while I feel for those who truly need the help we are often powerless to supply, I would be a poor observer if I didn’t report the truth. And the second truth we must face is that much of what we call mental illness is neither truly ‘mental,’ nor even ‘illness.’ Let me first state the obvious; the brain is an organ. It is incalculably complex and truly a wonder of design and engineering. But... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980835 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:04:41 +0100 3980835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899403&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1250 Last week a trailer less than a mile from our house experienced a small explosion.  Trailers, which seldom explode on their own (without undiscovered volcanoes or CIA drones with missiles) was concealing a Meth lab. What can you say?  If I weren’t an emergency physician, I’d say ‘Shocking!  Ghastly!  Unbelievable!’  But I do what I do, so I say, ‘huh, how about that.” I’ve lost much of my capacity to be shocked.  I have seen Meth users, and probably Meth dealers.  I’ve known and enjoyed the company of alcoholics and Valium addicts.  I’ve cared for murderers and the murdered (albeit briefly in the case of the latter).  I’ve been involved in the evaluation of sexual assault victims, car thieves, drunk drivers and child-abus... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899403 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:40:40 +0100 3899403 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3845110&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1239 Last night, my friend died. Dr.  Howard Leslie was 49-years-old and lost a long battle with melanoma.  We had been partners in practice for 17 years.  It’s hard for me to imagine that he will not be back in the ER, joking and laughing, eating pretzels, practicing medicine with talent and compassion and fuming at injustice, drug seekers and all who wasted his time without actually wanting his help. A practice is like that; it leaves us connected, feeling that all is well as long as the others can share the load with you.  Well, a proper practice, anyway.  It’s a family, in which good things and bad things occur.  Your brothers and sisters sometimes bug you and you bug them; but you see them for the amazing people they are.  And woe to anyone who messes with ‘the fir... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3845110 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:47:24 +0100 3845110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3823127&cid=t_120003_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fparticles-of-sacrifice-reveal-untold.html Northern lights in the middle of the sky above rural Wisconsinon August 3, 2010; visible due to an explosion on the sun's surface.A storm opens our eyes to see, our hands to receive the starry nights that follow.  An explosion - damaging, fire-gushing, volcanic, erupting - on the sun's surface sent billions of particles toward earth.  (A damage, painful explosion above the Cross snuffed the life out of the Son of God.)  As the particles of that great light-filled body in the heavens float through the galaxies down to Earth's atmosphere, the northern lights become visible all the way down to parts of New England where they are never seen.  (So grace felt like a million drops onto my soul, revealing hidden beauty beneath the scars of sin as Christ's light reflected there ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3823127 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:06:00 +0100 3823127 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790712&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1216 Here’s my column in yesterday’s Greenville News; online access requires a subscription. Repentance My last column was about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. If you didn’t read it, I mentioned the various ways we could have prevented the problem over the years, and the way that individuals can’t just blame governement or oil companies, but must share some of the responsibility for it, since we all use petroleum. Unfortunately, I made a mistake. I alleged that the main reason oil platforms were in deep water was so that coastal views wouldn’t be affected. Turns out, while aesthetics have been discussed, the largest reserves seem to be in deeper water. I’m sorry to have taken such a position for doctrinaire reasons, rather than on fact. I am forced... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790712 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:41:24 +0100 3790712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3740797&cid=t_120003_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fsome-news-i-can-use.html Here's some news I can use 'Living Well Could Quash Cancerous Tumors'. Now it was a mouse test and the mice were giving scientifically induced cancers and then some were given an enriched mouse life which means toys, play mates, hiding places, and exercise wheels. So there are a lot of points of contention here: - mice vs. people - would people react the same? Lots of things never get past the mouse test but this isn't an FDA treatment being tested but a lifestyle change that people can do on their own.- scientifically induced vs. naturally occurring cancer - would the cancers react the same? Cancers in different organs respond differently to different treatments- a rich life for a mouse vs. a rich life for a person - there is a big difference here. But if it is defined as getting out a do... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3740797 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:36:00 +0100 3740797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702940&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1192 Some of my favorite rants and tirades in emergency medicine have to do with things my patients do that are just stupid.  Years ago, I saw someone who was playing with a rattlesnake and suffered a life-altering bite.  Recently, I saw someone whose friend offered to help him with the pain of an injured hand…by injecting cocaine into it.  Once I saw a young man with part of his forearm missing…because he was ‘making firecrackers,’ aka pipe-bombs.  And of course, there was the fellow feeding his dog bacon from his own lips. I was thinking about this the other day, and feeling superior.  I mean, look at me!  I’m a doctor who uses good judgment!  I think ahead, I plan, I never, ever do anything stupid…or do I? I can just imagine Jesus bending over the g... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702940 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:20:30 +0100 3702940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526750&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1098 The moral implications of health-care reform.  My column in today’s Greenville News. http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100502/OPINION/305020027/1016/Ed-Leap-Let-s-talk-about-what-s-moral How many health-care dollars would we save if children were all born within the confines of marriage? If their biological fathers were fathers in every sense? Evidence suggests that children with fathers involved in the home, in intact families, are not only economically more secure but healthier, safer and experience greater educational success. And how many health-care dollars would we save if men and women did not have serial sexual partners, did not contract and spread the many sexual transmitted infections that plague the country? We would certainly reduce the amount of money spent on... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526750 Mon, 03 May 2010 00:40:36 +0100 3526750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524127&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1083 Many of you are busy folks.  You’re in the car and on the go with jobs and children.   Sometimes, for those of us who want to read scripture, it can be difficult.  Lately, I’ve spent some time listening to the Daily Audio Bible on mp-3.  Check out the link.  If you have an mp-3 player/i-Pod, you can download readings that will take you through the Bible in one year.  It’s also available in several languages and there’s a kid’s version. I should take more quiet time for devotions and reading.  But since I haven’t been diligent in that area, God seems to have reminded me that there’s always a way to hear the Word. http://dailyaudiobible.com/ God bless you all this weekend! Edwin (Source: edwinleap.com) edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524127 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:58:55 +0100 3524127 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139221&cid=t_120003_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FWd_nm4D2JIM%2Fcelebrating-good-caner-news I got good news at my doctor appointment three weeks ago.  I feel deeply relieved for the first time in almost a decade.  I’m rid of the 2 ton weight that has long been chained to my shoulders and I’ve stopped calling my mom with 4AM panic attacks. In Everything Changes, I interviewed Nora, a lymphoma patient, who was talking about marking her progress during chemo: “ I don’t know if I ever really celebrated any of my good news.  Every time I get a good report I always feel like the hammer has just been held up a little while longer.  So it’s hard to celebrate. It’s just realism actually. I’m at higher risk for infertility, heart disease, lung cancer, leukemia.” Feeling the relief of my recent good news is a first for me.  In nine years of cancer, I’ve rarely receive... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139221 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:58:53 +0100 3139221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079545&cid=t_120003_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FdtEdW1PlX9U%2Fsenator-debbie-stabenow-michigan.html It will take you less than four minutes to tell your Senators and Congressperson that you believe legislation to support Alzheimer's caregivers is important. Four minutes to make a difference. Or you can sit back and do nothing. Are you the one that makes the difference?.... Thank you . . . . . . for contacting me to support funding for Alzheimer's disease research. I share your support for increased federal resources to fight this devastating disease. That is why I have requested that the Senate Appropriations Committee support a significant investment in Older Americans Act programs that include Alzheimer's disease research grants to states. In addition, this year's budget includes a $443 million increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which will help continu... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079545 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:24:27 +0100 3079545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3063449&cid=t_120003_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FYp2cCh7XSn4%2Falzheimers-clock-draw-test-detect-signs.html Drawing a clock by hand is one of several useful screening tools that can help to detect mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer's..... They say... Hard to do, worth the effort. Comments and reactions welcome. (Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The) Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3063449 Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:52:17 +0100 3063449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2766281&cid=t_120003_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alzheimers.org.nz%2Fassets%2FNewsletter%2FAlzheimers-News-September-2009-low-res-copy-for-web.pdf Me? Not yet. But, The Alzheimer's Reading Room made it into the Alzheimer's News--New Zealand. The Alzheimer's News is a quarterly publication of Alzheimer's New Zealand (ANZ). Alzheimer's New Zealand is a charitable organisation with 23 Alzheimers member organisations located throughout the country. ANZ has a very good newsletter that is full of helpful insights and advice. The News published an edited version of one my tips on Alzheimer's communication. This reminded that I received 14 emails about my Forehead technique. Some of the readers were a bit frustrated that it didn't work effectively immediately. I now realize I should have done a better job describing the technique, and offered a more complete description--expect that soon. It didn't work for me right away either. I will ... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2766281 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:08:04 +0100 2766281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2283410&cid=t_120003_177_f&fid=38134&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabybound.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F18%2Fandbreath-out%2F I have great news.  (I never get to say that!) My days as a hospital performer are about to end.  Mark is out and Grandpa is moved out of ICU to a regular bed.  Mark’s hand is still healing and I’m still nursing - although not really the kind I would like to be doing.  I haven’t been light headed cleaning out his wound in the last 4 days which I’m pretty sure means I’m almost a doctor now.  I’ve been hardened. My Grandpa is able to stick out his tongue, say no, lift his arms and legs, grope nurses and be sarcastic.  Yes, these are all things I know can be normally associated with my daily life, but for my Gpa, its massive improvement. With all this weight lifted off my shoulders, what ever is a girl to do with her spare time?  Take up knitting?  ... B a b y B o u n d blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2283410 Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:08:11 +0100 2283410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2262791&cid=t_120003_177_f&fid=38134&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabybound.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F11%2Fmark-must-have-caught-the-wwii%2F I got to bring Marky home today.  Turns out he had GANGRENE!  Who gets gangrene in 2009?!?  Wow when they say everything old is new again, they really do mean everything don’t they? Mark is very lucky.  We caught it in time and he doesn’t have to have surgery, lose a hand, or die.  In fact, he is expected to have a full recovery.  If we had waited just one more day to go in however, this conversation would be having a very different tone to it.  One that included words like f., amputation, f., disability, f., he’s going to die, f. and f..  O and f..  Oops, I forgot f.. I get to spend the next few weeks pretending that I am a nurse.  And for once, its not the kind in the cute little miniskirt and sexy red heels.  His wound has to be dressed twice a day and I hav... B a b y B o u n d blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2262791 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:29:30 +0100 2262791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1158220&cid=t_120003_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2008%2F01%2Fi-have-a-new-gr.html Angela and I had nine children. The two youngest were killed in 1993 in a drunk driving crash. Brigid was 5 and Ryan was 8. That was fourteen years ago, fifteen on March 11, 2008. This was a life shattering experience for our family, and yet life goes on. Angela and I divorced in 2000 after 34 years of marriage. Our seven living children are doing well and they are the joy of my life. Recently my daughter Maureen and her husband, Rodney, had their second child, a little girl, on Monday, January 7, 2008, at Albany Medical Center, and they named her Donavan Elizabeth. This is my 10th grandchild and  6th granddaughter. Two of my other daughters are pregnant. Katie is due with a little girl in March, and Mary with a little boy due in May. I am a very blessed man. God has not only bless... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1158220 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:09:34 +0100 1158220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1152631&cid=t_120003_93_f&fid=36200&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.jammedph.com%2Fglobalpandora-pandora-for-non-us-residents%2F I found this good news from Hezron Mariano’s blog while blog hopping through Pinoy Entrecards. Remember Pandora? A friend of mind recommended it to me and I got to listen to some songs before it was restricted to US residents only. Pandora radio is the personalized internet radio service that helps you find new music based on your old and current favorites under the Music Genome Project. Well, here’s the good alternative to all non-US residents. The box is open! You can now listen to your favorite songs through GlobalPandora. Note: After about 30 minutes of free music listening, you are still required to open your account and sadly it’s still exclusive for US residents. But here’s what I did to make a free account: 1. I filled up the signup form. 2. Since I am n... Jammed: Full into Capacity blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1152631 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:04:22 +0100 1152631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1118242&cid=t_120003_93_f&fid=36200&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.jammedph.com%2Fwatch-radiohead-concert-online-for-free%2F Radiohead recently released their latest album “In Rainbows” as digital download where customers and fans can download their copies from their website at whatever price they want! The move was applauded by some marketing gurus as a good strategy for higher sales when it was officially released in discs. (Note: In Rainbows is no longer available as a download.) Here’s another good news to the fans again. The band will be performing an exclusive live US TV performance of their new album “In Rainbows” on Current TV, all commercial free as another way to promote their album. Logon to Current TV on December 31, 2007 at midnight (12 AM EST, 9 PM PST) and watch them online for free! Tags:Good News, Internet, Music, Technology Read 18 times by 7 visitors (Source: ... Jammed: Full into Capacity blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1118242 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:52:58 +0100 1118242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=909394&cid=t_120003_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F09%2Fdoing-business-.html I love NPR's StoryCorps series. These are real stories told by real people and it has helped restore my faith in human kind. It has reminded me that the important things that happen in life happen between every day people who are kind to each other. One such story is the story about Cronig's Market and the relationship which developed between Robbie Cronig and Stever Bernier. It would be a far different world if people operated this way every where. Robbie Cronig took over his father and uncle's market, Cronig's Market, on Martha's Vineyard which had been started in 1917. After working at the store his whole life he sold it to Stever Bernier who had worked at the store for years. It was sold on a handshake something very rare these days. Here is part of what it says on the StoryCorps web ... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=909394 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:51:45 +0100 909394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=907061&cid=t_120003_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F09%2Fthe-sweetest-wo.html Another great StoryCorps story is the story which Kristi Hager told StoryCorps volunteer, Cherie Newman, about her mother, Norine. Kristi describes herself, when 9, laughing with her mother in deep and resonating ways, and when she describes her last meeting with her mom, when her mom said, "Kristi, it's been really nice knowing you," Kristi says, choking up as she weeps, "It was the sweetest thing I ever heard." I was listening in the car and it brought tears to my eyes. This is one of the most moving mother-daughter stories I have ever heard. I highly recommend it. It takes about 4 minutes. Click on the link below to go to the NPR StoryCorps web site where you can listen. Link: NPR : A Fit of Laughter That Lasts Today. (Source: Markham's Behavioral Health) Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=907061 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 02:21:24 +0100 907061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=889617&cid=t_120003_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F09%2Fpeace-day---sep.html International Peace Day was established by the United Nations in 1981 and celebrated for the first time in 1982. So International Peace Day is 25 years old tomorrow. Unfortunately, the United States which prides itself disengenuously as standing for peace and democracy is engaged in an illegal and immoral war perpetrated by a pre-emptive strike on a nation that posed no immediate threat to the United States. According to the Bush administration and the right, the United States is now engaged in a perpetual war on terrorism which like the war on poverty and the war on drugs will be a permanent state of affairs for future generations of Americans as long as they are willing to be led by the nose by politicians bought and paid for by the corporatocracy. The corporatocracy owns the five majo... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=889617 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:13:30 +0100 889617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=880186&cid=t_120003_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F09%2F191-countries-o.html While global warming is still a huge issue which needs immediate attention, it is reassuring to know that we humans can work together to improve the quality of life on our planet when we choose to. 191 countries came together 20 years ago to agree to the Montreal Protocol to discontinue the use of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer. It appears that the efforts are making a difference and the ozone hole is healing. A brief blurb from the 09/17/07 article on the sustainablebusiness.com web site says:The Earth's ozone layer is on track to heal, thanks to the work of dozens of countries that signed a landmark international environmental agreement initiated 20 years ago. Known as the "Montreal Protocol," this ambitious treaty requires countries to phase out production and use of... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=880186 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 02:38:48 +0100 880186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=874945&cid=t_120003_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F09%2Fcongresswoman-b.html The only congressperson to vote against the resolution authorizing President Bush to go to war in Iraq was congresswoman Barbara Lee who voted against the resolution 6 years ago today on September 15, 2001. The measure passed the Senate 98-0 and in the House of Representatives 420-1. Congresswoman Barbara Lee seems to be our only representative with the wisdom, good judgment, and conscience to see through the farce being perpetrated against the American people and the world. She is a saint among us and should be admired as a person of virtue, integrity, and courage."It was a vote of conscience," says California Democratic Representative Barbara Lee. On September 15, the US Congress approved a resolution authorizing President Bush to use "all necessary and appropriate for... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=874945 Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:35:35 +0100 874945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=874586&cid=t_120003_109_f&fid=34949&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbehavioralhealth.typepad.com%2Fmarkhams_behavioral_healt%2F2007%2F09%2Ftown-ditches-tr.html What would happen if a city got rid of its stop lights and traffic signs? Would it increase crashes or decrease them? A Dutch traffic specialist has developed the idea of "shared space". His idea appears to be that if you remove traffic control devices that people will have to be more sensitive, more aware of others, and a kinder gentler human environment is created. It seems to have worked in one city in the Netherlands and now is being tried in Germany. What about in the United States? Are we ready for something like this? It might change the tone and style of our communal interaction.A town council in Germany has decided the best way of improving road safety is to remove all traffic lights and stop signs downtown. From September 12, all traffic controls will disappear from ... Markham's Behavioral Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=874586 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:12:40 +0100 874586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=624474&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=35612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheknifeman.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fshe-comes-in-colours-evrywhere.html Or... "Flail of The Century"No medical gib follows. Be warned and stop now if you have no interest in what I got up to in a field this weekend.Pictures to follow - as usual I took a very expensive camera, and no pics. But plenty of others did, and with luck, thru the magic of digital media...So, it was the wedding of one of greatest friends this weekend. In fairness, of two of my friends, but the Groom I have known for 20 years, and we've been through a lot of 'formative' shit together (I certainly wouldn't have been a doctor without him), and his fiance - now wife! - I have only known a few years, so although I consider her a dear friend, it is perhaps not the same thing. Whatever.Thursday saw me at a dance / drama performance, a first for me. A slightly alien media to me. It was interest... The KnifeMan blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=624474 Sun, 13 May 2007 19:31:00 +0100 624474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=624484&cid=t_120003_88_f&fid=35612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheknifeman.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Fheartwarming.html The news today is full of a story concerning an off licence use of Viagra (sildenafil) to further the recovery of a premie baby.This use is not really news. I'm sure you all know what Viagra is used for now, but it was intended as a drug to lower blood pressure. And it has found use in treating pulmonary hypertension in newborns before.This provoked much controversy.I must confess to being unaware of this potential use for Viagra before today, but received the news with great joy. Not just because a baby is alive who might otherwise be dead. But also because it does a little to restore my faith in medicine. There is a grand tradition of using unorthodox treatment in medicine. I remember my first boss reacting angrily when told by a drug rep that he couldn't use a particular medication in t... The KnifeMan blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=624484 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:27:00 +0100 624484