Clipmarks | CrazyRedHead's 'health' clips

Singapore Will Study Kidney Trading

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:14:17 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead
clipper's remarks: What do you think? How much would you charge for one of your kidneys?

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

Singapore is considering legalizing kidney trading to help meet demand for kidney transplants, the city-state's health minister said Monday.

"We should not reject any idea just because it is radical or controversial," Khaw said. "We may be able to find an acceptable way to allow a meaningful compensation for some living, unrelated kidney donors, without breaching ethical principles or hurting the sensitivities of others."

"There are desperate patients out there wishing to live and desperately poor people willing to exchange a kidney for a hopefully improved life," he said.

He said about 1,000 new cases of kidney failure are diagnosed every year, with nearly 40 percent unable to survive the first year.

Khaw's comments follow the cases of two Indonesian men who were jailed and fined by a Singapore court earlier this month after being convicted of agreeing to sell their kidneys to two patients in the city-state.

Tags: health, asia, ethics

5 Psychological Experiments That Prove Humanity is Doomed

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:47:30 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead
clipper's remarks: ...Think about that when you're walking around the mall: Eight out of ten of those people you see would torture the sh*t out of a puppy if a dude in a lab coat asked them to.

Clip Source: www.cracked.com

The Asch Conformity Experiment

Subjects were told that they would be taking part in a vision test

everybody else in the room other than the subject was in on it, and they were were told to give obviously wrong answers

32 percent of subjects would answer incorrectly if they saw that three others in the classroom gave the same wrong answer

The Good Samaritan Experiment

subjects would pass a person slumped in an alleyway, who looked to be in need of help.

only 10 percent would stop to give any aid

Bystander Apathy Experiment

Clip Source: www.cracked.com

Stanford Prison Experiment

volunteers were all male college students who were then divided arbitrarily into 12 guards and 12 prisoners.

It took about one day for every subject to suddenly go as insane as a shit-house rat.

Milgram Experiment

The subject was told that whenever the other guy gave an incorrect answer, he was to press a button that would give him an electric shock.

Subjects will mindlessly deliver pain to an innocent stranger

Tags: science, health, mental health, psychology

Can a pet ease depression?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:00:26 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead
clipper's remarks: There is no evidence about which type of pet brings the most relief. It could be a fish, rat, cat, dog or bird; the important thing is that you become involved and engaged in its life.

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

I have a history of depression and have been advised to get a pet. Can you confirm that this would be beneficial?

Nurturing something else and considering its needs will help to shift your focus away from your illness.

Stroking animals is also therapeutic, so make sure you choose a tactile animal that likes human beings.

Pet shop owners say that rats are greatly underrated. They are very clean and can be trained; something that's fun and a focus for the time you spend together.

Another idea is to volunteer to work with animals. This would allow you to test the water first, and to meet people and gain the experience and skills you'll need to look after a pet.

Pets have been shown to have a marked effect on human psychology and wellbeing.

research at the University of Pennsylvania showed that stroke victims had a greater chance of survival if they owned a pet

Some mental health units also have on-site pets.

Tags: animals, health, depression, mental health

Huckabee’s weight loss a scam?

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:52:39 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead
clipper's remarks: (Possible future) Democrat attack ad: “Huckabee’s Arkansas health plan was to secretly have gastric bypass surgery, and then blame Arkansans still obese for high health care costs.”

Clip Source: plutarch01.wordpress.com

Huckabee’s vague history of diet/exercise doesn’t adequately explain his astonishing result.

Massive and persistent weight loss with bariatric surgery is orders of magnitude more common than with diet/exercise.

Huckabee’s weight loss record fits the pattern of gastric bypass surgery exactly for rapidity, amount and maintenance, and not at all like that of diet/exercise.

Just prior to his rapid weight loss he took an unusual vacation with a furtive itinerary and end date.

In 2005 he needed an abdominal hernia repair, an expected complication of bariatric surgery

If Huckabee the nominee is eventually forced to admit that he mischaracterized his weight loss saga, the magnitude of the negative political impact is unknown.

Huckabee the former preacher even now has a perception of being an Elmer Gantry

The Democrats and media will find victims. Obese Arkansans will be interviewed, who felt humiliated for remaining fat after the Governor falsely claimed that his weight loss proved “anyone can”.

Tags: politics, health, hoax

500 Signs of Global Warming

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:57:34 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead
clipper's remarks: Hundreds of things blamed on a 0.006 deg C per year temperature change.

Clip Source: www.numberwatch.co.uk

A complete list of things caused by global warming

Atlantic less salty, Atlantic more salty

brothels struggle, bubonic plague,

circumcision in decline

childhood insomnia,

coral bleaching, coral reefs dying

coral reefs grow, coral reefs shrink

early marriages,

Earth spins faster, Earth to explode, earth upside down

cougar attacks

cremation to end,

diarrhoea

five million illnesses

footpath erosion

Gore omnipresence, grandstanding

human health improvement, human health risk

ice sheet growth, ice sheet shrinkage

lawyers' income increased

polar bears aggressive, polar bears cannibalistic, polar bears drowning, polar bears starve

slow death, smaller brains

spiders invade Scotland

squid population explosion

trees less colourful, trees more colourful,

wine - more English, wine -German boon, wine - no more French ,

wolves eat more moose, wolves eat less,

World in flames,

and all on 0.006 deg C per year!

Tags: global warming, climate change

Junior Giant: a 14lb 8oz baby boy

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:21:50 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

As a first-time mother, Sara Herman thought it was only to be expected that she had an enormous bump after five months.

What she and doctors failed to realise was that the petite mother-to-be, who is only just over 5ft, was expecting a giant.

When Jack eventually arrived at 37 weeks he weighed an astonishing 14lb 8oz.

And now, after health problems kept him in hospital for four months, he is enjoying life at home in Manchester with 37-year-old Mrs Herman and her husband Keith.

"At five months I looked like I was going to give birth at any moment and the size of my bump meant it was difficult for me to get around," said Mrs Herman, a product sourcer.

"But because it was the first time I'd been pregnant, I just thought this was normal."

A scan at 14 weeks showed the baby was growing fast and doctors even thought that the due date was wrong as the baby was so large.

Jack had grown so big because of a condition called hyperinsulism

At the age of 14 weeks he had 95 per cent of his pancreas removed

Tags: children, baby, health

Has your illness been misdiagnosed?

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:19:06 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Trisha Torrey found a golf ball-size lump in her torso. A surgeon removed it and gave her the grim news: cancer.

"The oncologist told me that if I didn't begin chemo immediately," says Torrey, "I would be dead by Christmas."

But something in her gut told her the diagnosis was wrong.

Torrey delayed chemo and went to another oncologist, who sent a tissue sample to the National Institutes of Health. The result: Torrey never had cancer.

The lump was a harmless fatty growth.

misdiagnoses are more common than you might think

red flags -- five reasons for suspecting your doctor might have made the wrong diagnosis.

1. You don't get better with treatment

Sometimes doctors stick to a diagnosis even when multiple treatments aren't working.

2. Your symptoms don't match your diagnosis

This is where the Internet comes in. You don't have to be a medical professional to Google your diagnosis.

3. Your diagnosis is based purely on a lab test

4. Your doctor attributes common complaints to an uncommon ailment

Tags: health, medicine

Parents Neglect Babies to Play Video Game

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 05:29:08 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: images.businessweek.com

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

A couple authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.

Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each of child neglect. Each faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence.

Viloria said the Reno couple were too distracted by online video games, mainly the fantasy role-playing "Dungeons & Dragons" series, to give their children proper care.

"They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games," Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.

Michael Straw

received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television

Tags: babies, children, family, video games, idiots, health

Want to feel fruity? Try oranges for orgasms

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:13:04 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

The news this week that scientific studies show that the herb echinacea really does fight colds came as no surprise to Jayney Goddard, the editor of Complementary and Alternative Health

Goddard discovered many other treatments supported by scientific evidence, which she shares with us below.

1 VITAMIN C FOR INCREASED LIBIDO

In a trial of 42 women, those who were given daily doses of 3,000mg of vitamin C had better libido and orgasms compared with the placebo group.

2 BLACKCURRANTS FOR NIGHT VISION

pilots had a good helping of bilberry jam to improve their eyesight before their night missions.

3 ARTICHOKE FOR HIGH CHOLESTEROL

Total cholesterol fell by 18.5 per cent.

4 NETTLE ROOT FOR ENLARGED PROSTATE

Ditch the prickly bits; nettle root may be good for enlarged prostate

5 DEVIL’S CLAW FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

6 CHILLI PEPPER FOR INDIGESTION

7 PROBIOTICS FOR ECZEMA

8 HAWTHORN FOR HEARTS

9 CHRYSANTHEMUM FOR ROSACEA

10 MAGNESIUM FOR PMS

Tags: health, science, organic, herbs, sex, alternative medicine

Unsolicited retirement advice for Tony Blair

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:07:39 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Keeping the taps running: Already, a third of the world's population endures some form of water scarcity. In addition to being a critical health and environmental issue, competition for fresh, clean water could also spiral into conflict.

Ending micronutrient deficiency: It sounds like a high school science project, but the lack of access to essential vitamins and minerals afflicts over 2 billion people worldwide, and can lead to serious health disabilitie

Saving the fish: The world's oceans could be empty of commercial fish by 2048 if current trends continue. Only one-hundredth of one percent of the world's oceans is fully protected through marine reserves.

Fighting for refugees: More than twenty million people around the world have been displaced from their homes by conflict, human rights abuses, and persecution. Millions languish in refugee camps while the developed world bickers about who's obliged to do what.

Tackling child labor:

Tags: uk, politics

Poland wants more babies, hospitals can't cope

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:59:27 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

When Mrowiec, 27, went into labor, she first made her way to a hospital she had previously chosen as suitable.

"It was the only one I was not scared of. I had met the staff and I was impressed with the conditions there," she said.

But it was full and she was sent away. After a frantic search, her partner got her a place at a hospital in a suburb of Warsaw, where she complains that the care she got was far below standard.

"We know numerous cases of women who were seriously neglected and not cared for properly when in labor,"

Pregnant women are often sent away because the hospitals have already spent all their budget for births, she said.

Hospitals get a pool of money from the state-run health fund to offer services and once the money is gone, the hospital has no other recourse but to cut back services.

Women's organizations advise couples planning babies to try to make sure they are born before the last quarter of the year

Tags: health, poland, babies

Did Syphilis Cause the Holocaust?

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 02:37:48 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

A brief encounter with a Jewish prostitute may have led to Hitler's genocidal Holocaust,

They believe he may have caught the sexually transmitted disease syphilis which, if untreated, can eventually cause madness.

Hitler, who reportedly had sex with a Jewish prostitute in Vienna in 1908, put syphilis high on his political agenda, devoting 13 pages to the disease in his book Mein Kampf.

The job of "combating syphilis - the Jewish disease - should be the task of the entire German nation,"

"The health of the nation will be regained only by eliminating the Jews."

He said well-documented aspects of Hitler's behaviour and health such as mood swings, paranoid rages, rashes and stomach problems were typical of syphilis.

Before antibiotic treatments were developed, syphilis was incurable and could cause madness after a latent stage lasting many years.

Some historians have laid Hitler's health problems partly at Dr Morrell's door, claiming he may even deliberately poisoned his patient.

Tags: health, history, hitler, syphilis, war

Want to Quit Smoking?

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 04:16:50 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

If you're one of the UK's 10 million smokers, you have only 20 days left to light up in comfort. On July 1, the ban on smoking in most enclosed public spaces comes into play, and you'll be banished to pavements - and risk paying an £80 fine.

So now is a good time to quit - but not just because the Government says so. The benefits are undeniable: your health will improve, you'll save money, and you'll even look younger. But you know that already. Chances are, you've tried to give up before.

Now Team Telegraph is helping you to give up for good. Over the next three days, our team of fitness, nutrition and quit-smoking experts will set out a sensible programme that has been devised to help you stub out that last cigarette - without putting on weight.

We will also guide you through alternative methods, telling you all you need to know about everything from acupuncture to Zyban. Good luck!

Day 1: The quit-smoking expert

Day 1: The fitness coach

Day 1: The nutritionist

Day 1: The guinea pigs

Tags: health

Nanny - put a cork in it!

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 12:22:30 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The new anti-alcohol campaign is designed to strike fear into anyone who loves a glass or two of wine.

My freedom to open a second bottle of wine without getting permission, without having to read the content information on the bottle, may not rank very high in the roster of human rights. But it is a freedom I treasure.

The day I never consume more than three alcoholic units, because Nanny forbids it, something important in me will die. Call it my independence. Call it my free, wine-guzzling spirit. “O for a beaker full of the warm south,” wrote Keats in Ode to a Nightingale, “full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene.” If he ordered a beaker of Hippocrene in 2007, he would be asked if he wanted the 175ml or the 250ml beaker and, if the latter, advised that two beakers was the maximum daily intake recommended by the Department of Health.

Tags: society, alcohol, health

Girl Born with Half a Brain

Sat, 19 May 2007 11:49:12 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

She might look and act like any other child her age, but Chase Smith is far from a typical two-year-old.

As this incredible medical scan shows, she was born with only half a brain. While one side is perfectly normal the left side is a black void.

Her condition is so rare that there are only a few known cases worldwide

The amazing discovery was made after Chase was sent for an MRI scan amid concerns over her health.

She had lost the movement down her right side and it was suspected that she had suffered some sort of stroke or bleed on the brain.

"One side was just empty - there was nothing filling the space. The shock and horror I felt is hard to describe.

Chase was born a healthy 8lb 1oz after an uneventful pregnancy. But Miss Jepson, a 21-year-old chef, first suspected something was wrong with her daughter at the age of seven months.

She was sleeping more than normal, her right arm was almost immobile and her right hand was constantly clenched into a fist.

Tags: health, science, kids, children, brain