Clipmarks | pokkets's 'health' clips

'Human-animal' embryo

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 05:50:59 GMT

clipped by: y_qadash
clipper's remarks: "public were "at ease" with the idea when told it could pave the way for therapies for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease."

That should have read
"The public were at ease with the idea when LIED TO.
www.OkieLogic.com

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Regulators are due to make a decision whether to allow human-animal embryos to be created and used for research.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is expected to give the plan the go-ahead in principle

the public were "at ease" with the idea when told it could pave the way for therapies for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists want to create hybrid embryos by merging human cells with animal eggs in a bid to extract stem cells.

Tags: atheist, bible, disease, bugs, health, hypocrisy, medical, news

The Science of Siesta

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:03:51 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: Research Finds That Napping Improves Brain Functioning..

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Let’s hear it for siesta time. What better news than to hear that taking midday naps are good for your grey matter? Companies that want smarter employees should let them take 90 minute midday nap-time. Researchers at the University of Haifa in cooperation with the Sleep Laboratory at the Sheba Medical Center and researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Montreal recently concluded that a daytime nap changes the course of consolidation in the brain in several positive ways. This research mirrors several other recent studies with similar conclusions.

A ninety-minute daytime nap helps speed up the process of long term memory consolidation

"We still don't know the exact mechanism of the memory process that occurs during sleep, but the results of this research suggest the possibility that it is possible to speed up memory consolidation, and in the future, we may be able to do it artificially,"

What? Artificially? Why do scientist hate REAL sleep so much?

Tags: sleep, napping, health

Threat To Medicines From Plant Extinctions

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:56:55 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: The world's most widely-used cancer drug, is Paclitaxel, which is derived from the bark of several species of yew tree. Its complex chemical structure and biological function has so far made it impossible to produce artificially.
-----
80 per cent of the global population - rely on traditional plant-based medicine as their primary form of healthcare.
-----

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Threat to medicines from plant extinctions

Millions of lives could be at risk because the plants which provide the basis of more than half of all prescription drugs face extinction, a new report warns.

The loss of plants and trees which provide natural medicines could provoke a global healthcare crisis, says Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).

Potential cures for some of the world's deadliest diseases - including currently untreatable cancer - may be lost if the problem is not checked.

70 per cent of all newly-developed drugs in the United States

are derived from natural sources

human health is still overwhelmingly dependent on the plant kingdom.

in many cases it has proved impossible to reproduce the beneficial compounds found in plants.

loss of the world's medicinal plants may not always be at the forefront of the public consciousness, however it is not an overstatement to say

it could destabilise the future of global healthcare

millions of lives at risk.

Tags: health, nature, extinction, medicine

8 U.S. immigrant escapees DEAD: Virus free.

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:10:41 GMT

clipped by: righthand
clipper's remarks: Attempt to escape to China fails. Health scare scaled down. Birth place not certain. Over Taiwan is one possibility. Honolulu disown mice. Chicago claims a mouse could not get by its clapped-out body searcher or dog sniffer.

Clip Source: ap.google.com

Go to Google News

Crew Find 8 Baby Mice Aboard Airplane

A cleaning crew in Beijing discovered eight baby mice aboard a United Airlines plane that landed in the Chinese capital, airline officials said Wednesday

The crew found the mice in a pillowcase that was located in a bin for unused pillows, said Robin Urbanski, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based United. No passengers were on board at the time, she said

The mice were found after United Flight 897 from Washington, D.C., arrived in Beijing on Sunday

"Our customers on this flight were always safe and unaware of the situation," Urbanski said

The airline told local authorities about the mice, which is standard procedure, Urbanski said. The Chinese officials took the mice and "thoroughly inspected (the plane) for a little over two days," she said

The plane was back in service and flew to San Francisco from Beijing on Wednesday, Urbanski said

Chinese authorities did not impose any sanctions or fines on the airline, she said

Tags: china, usa, animals, health, comic

Transplanted Organs "Remember" Their Donor

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 02:25:30 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: Where do memories reside? This is so weird! It's actually pretty creepy, I reckon.

A 29-year-old lesbian and a fast food junkie received a heart from a 19-year-old woman vegetarian who was "man crazy." The recipient reported after her operation that meat made her sick and she was no longer attracted to women. If fact, she became engaged to marry a man.

The whole article is well worth the read.

Clip Source: www.med.unc.edu

Cellular Memory in Organ Transplants

theories of emotions or memories being somehow stored in the tissues of the body and later manifesting in the physical form of pain or disease. What was most striking were the numerous reports of organ transplant recipients who later experienced changes in personality traits, tastes for food, music, activities and even sexual preference. Is it possible that our memories reside deep inside our bodily cells in addition to in our minds?

propose the universal living memory hypothesis in which they believe that "all systems stored energy dynamically . . . and this information continued as a living, evolving system after the physical structure had deconstructed."

After interviewing nearly 150 heart and other organ transplant recipients, Pearsall proposes the idea that cells of living tissue have the capacity to remember.

"Changes in Heart Transplant Recipients That Parallel the Personalities of Their Donors."

The researchers reported striking parallels

Tags: donor, transplants, health, heart, memories, quantum physics

Why We Laugh And Cry

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:28:09 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: I'm the type of person who can laugh and/or cry at just about anything. It makes me happy to do both. Sometimes people can say to me, "Oh, don't cry" but I most often feel and say "Oh don't worry, it's a good cry" and this article explains why it always apparently feels so good afterwards doing either. We have emotions and responses to them for a reason. Use them and we may just live longer, healthier and happier lives because of it!

Clip Source: www.gibbsmagazine.com

As humans we laugh and cry, but seldom do we question how, or why.

With crying, as well as laughter, the body goes through physical or chemical changes. Crying and laughter are beneficial to us both emotionally and physically.

Scientists have discovered that the emotional tears contain higher levels of manganese and the hormone prolactin, and this contributes in a reduction of both of these in the body; thus helping to keep depression away.

Many believe that the body, in times of emotional stress,

release excess amounts of chemicals and hormones, returning it to a stable state.

the benefits of crying seem to suggest that men need to cry more.

"Laughter is the best medicine,"

muscles all get a workout.

Laughter helps promote healing in the body by lowering blood pressure and increasing blood flow. When we laugh, the production of T -cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase, and more Gamma interferon (which is a disease fighting protein) is released.

We need both laughter and tears

Tags: crying, laughter, stress, health, hormones, emotions

Addicted Doctors are allowed to practice

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:07:44 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: An addiction is incurable, with generally the only treatment, apart from medicated withdrawal, being complete abstinence. Before 1980, addicted doctors were struck off the register. If they simply join a treatment program, nothing usually changes, so there is no real reason to fight the addiction when a treatment is over. People generally give up an addiction, because they are determined to do so. I don't think they have the same dedication, if they are giving up because they have been caught. The ability to practice gives doctors direct access to some of the drugs that are prime concerns. Temptation is not what an addict needs. There also should be a distinction between addictions. Each addictive substance has it's own properties, that can have diverse effects, which can both sharpen and dull the knife. Sometimes both at the same time. We shouldn't assume that because they are doctors they should know better, doctors thinking that can be the start of the problem.

Clip Source: www.mail.com

By MARCUS WOHLSEN

Troubling cases in which doctors were accused of botching operations while undergoing treatment for drugs or alcohol have led to criticism of rehab programs that allow thousands of U.S. physicians to keep their addictions hidden from their patients.

Nearly all states have confidential rehab programs that let doctors continue practicing as long as they stick with the treatment regimen. Nationwide, as many as 8,000 doctors may be in such programs, by one estimate.

These arrangements largely escaped public scrutiny until last summer, when California's medical board outraged physicians across the country by abolishing its 27-year-old

program. A review concluded that the system failed to protect patients or help addicted doctors get better.

Opponents of such programs say the medical establishment uses confidential treatment to protect dangerous physicians.

"To hide something from consumers, something so blatant ... it's unconscionable today," Fantozzi said.

Tags: doctor, health, medicine, practice, addiction

Over 35.5 million in US found hungry in 2006

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:05:43 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: 12% Have gone hungry over the past year. The Undersecretary for the Department of Agriculture's Kate Houston said "This is encouraging" I have no idea why she is encouraged. Maybe that she isn't one of them? Perhaps she expected more.
Also "No-one in America should go hungry"
Of course prisoners get three meals a day.
'

Clip Source: www.mail.com

More than 35.5 million people in this country went hungry in 2006 as they struggled to find jobs that can support them, a figure that was virtually unchanged from the previous year, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday.

Single mothers and their children were among the most likely to suffer, according to the study.

The 35.5 million people represented more than 1 in 10, or 12.1 percent, who said they did not have enough money or resources to get food for at least some period during the year, according to the department's annual hunger survey. That is compared with 35.1 million people who made similar claims in 2005.

"This

is encouraging, but we know we have more work to do," said Kate Houston, USDA's deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services

Of the 35.5 million people, 11.1 million reported they had "very low food security," meaning they had a substantial disruption in the amount of food they typically eat.

"No one in America should go hungry," Houston said.

Tags: food, hunger, starvation, health

If Sativex Works, So Does Pot

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:54:54 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.reason.com

A new study reported in the journal Pain finds that Sativex, an orally administered cannabis extract spray, is effective at treating neuropathic pain in patients for whom standard painkillers do not provide adequate relief. During the five-week study, 125 subjects with peripheral neuropathic pain continued to take previously prescribed analgesics and achieved additional relief from Sativex, averaging a reduction of about 1.5 points on a 10-point self-reported pain scale, compared to half a point for the placebo spray. The research is part of GW Pharmaceuticals' efforts to gain wider regulatory approval for Sativex, which is approved for treatment of multiple sclerosis in Europe and for treatment of both cancer pain and M.S.-related neuropathic pain in Canada.

Every study that demonstrates Sativex's medical utility also demonstrates marijuana's medical utility, belying the U.S. government's claim that it has none

Tags: sativex, health, medicine, pain treatment, pot, canabis

Medical Literacy: Read this or Die

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:47:19 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: Literacy! what a concept..

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

What you don't know might kill you—and cost the nation a bundle.

More than one-third of American adults have only basic or below-basic literacy in health matters, which costs the United States upwards of $238 billion in healthcare expenditures, according to a government- and industry-funded study.

And by basic literacy, we're talking about merely being able to read a label to determine if a product is for a head cold or diarrhea, or administer a proper dose to oneself or a child.

The cost of not understanding

Adults with low health literacy are less likely to comply with prescribed treatment and self-care regimens, make more medication or treatment errors, are less likely to use preventive care, and they lack the skills needed to navigate the healthcare system.

Low functional literacy may be responsible for $32 billion to $58 billion in healthcare spending, a substantial part of expenditures financed by Medicaid and Medicare.

High-tech, low-tech

Tags: literacy, health, education, medicine

Senators to Study 'Light' Cigarettes

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:05:16 GMT

clipped by: cpltaiji

Clip Source: hosted.ap.org

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's largest tobacco company knew as early as the 1970s that smokers of light cigarettes took larger puffs that delivered greater amounts of tar, according to a newly released memo.

The 1975 Philip Morris USA correspondence was released by the Senate Commerce Committee in advance of a hearing Tuesday examining the rating system that allows tobacco companies to market cigarettes as regular, light or ultra-light.

The current rating system gives smokers a false sense that cigarettes with less tar and nicotine are healthier, according to a memorandum produced by Democratic congressional staffers.

Tags: research, reality, politics, business, health, medicine

TB - Tuberculosis - dreaded past plague or next one?

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:18:41 GMT

clipped by: nedhamson
clipper's remarks: So you thought TB, like Polio had been eradicated? Not! Wrong on both counts. The "terror" that the world's political leaders should be actively worried and working on to provide security for their peoples are the ancient terrors of disease and hunger! Security from those terrors would be better protection from those who might want to recruit your people to become a "terrorist."

Clip Source: www.thetimes.co.za

The world could be on the brink of a tuberculosis apocalypse unless new ways of fighting the incurable strains of the disease are found.

That grim warning was issued yesterday by Mario Raviglione, the director of the Stop TB department of the World Health Organisation, at an international conference in Cape Town.

He told reporters that 4 percent of tuberculosis cases around the world were currently untreatable — caused by so called multi-drug resistant and extreme drug resistant strains.

But this percentage could grow.

Tags: tuberculosis, plague, health, megadeath, crisis, global

Stage set for first acid trip

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:31:22 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: I never had a problem with it.

Clip Source: www.wired.com

1943: Dr. Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the psychedelic properties of LSD.

Hofmann, a Swiss chemist, was researching the synthesis of a lysergic acid compound, LSD-25, when he inadvertently absorbed a bit through his fingertips. Intrigued by the stimulating effects on his perception, Hofmann decided further exploration was warranted. Three days later he ingested 250 milligrams of LSD, embarking on the first full-fledged acid trip.

I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away."

It is just a tool to turn us into what we are supposed to be."

Tags: 60's, health, science, drugs

Micro-robot that can clear arteries

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:58:42 GMT

clipped by: shunyax

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

A microscopic robot small enough to travel through blood vessels has been built by scientists.

Less than a millimetre in size, the robot walks like a crab on six legs and has been designed to clear blocked arteries.

A microscopic robot small enough to travel through blood vessels has been built by scientists.

Less than a millimetre in size, the robot walks like a crab on six legs and has been designed to clear blocked arteries.

It was produced by researchers at Chonnam National University in Korea, who found the robot was able to travel 55 yards in a week.

Once inside a blocked artery, it is able to release drugs to dissolve blood clots, which are often the cause of heart attacks.

By attaching grafted heart muscle to the legs, the scientists found the legs would bend as the muscle cells contracted. The cells get their energy from sugar in the patient's blood.

That means the robot does not need an external power supply, which are often heavy and cumbersome, if not impractical.

Tags: medicine, health, robotics

Faster Heart care. How North Carolina did it.

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:19:05 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: The patients were sent to hospitals that were better equipped to deal with heart attack victims, and this was said to be despite the loss of revenue to the smaller hospitals. They're remembering that Doctors and hospitals exist for the sake of patients, not the other way around. Or is that only in an ideal world?

Clip Source: www.mail.com

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE

In an ideal world, every heart attack would end like Willard "Ziggy" Hill's. Within 90 minutes of arriving at a small community hospital in North Carolina, he was having a blocked artery reopened at Duke University Medical Center 25 miles away.

"It was like being a car in a pit stop at NASCAR," he said. "I thought 'I am in really good hands.'"

Two years ago, he might not have been. North Carolina was a bad place to have a heart attack, scoring below national norms of fast care. Now it may be one of the best.

The reason is the nation's most ambitious statewide project to redo how serious heart attacks are handled. Paramedics

doctors and 65 hospitals put aside powerful individual interests like money and control, and focused on giving faster care.

Why is this important? Drugs, devices and doctors do no good if they do not reach people quickly, before the heart suffers permanent damage.

55 small hospitals agreed to send

patients to 10 larger ones for angioplasty

Tags: heart, attack, health, care, equipment, speed