Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'medical' clips

Vote to Decide on Lethal Meds for Dying Patients

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:06:05 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

The emotionally charged battle over end-of-life decisions has taken to the airwaves as Washington state voters decide whether to allow doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients.

Recent TV and radio ads by opponents feature actor Martin Sheen, who calls the measure a "dangerous idea" that could be used by the most vulnerable in society. Supporters are on TV with an ad spotlighting a widow who says it lets those who are suffering have control over their final days.

The measure would allow physicians in Washington state to help terminally ill patients end their lives. Oregon, where voters first approved the idea in 1994, is the only state with such a law.

"It really is a matter of personal decisions and having the freedom to make your own decisions about end-of-life care," said Anne Martens, spokeswoman for Yes on I-1000.

The measure is strongly opposed by religious groups, and Catholic church officials said their opposition shouldn't surprise anyone.

Tags: suicide, death, health, terminal illness, medical, law, legal

Anonymity online can turn nice people nasty

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:21:05 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

One minute, they’re nice, normal people. The next, they’re frothing at the mouse.

“It’s mind-boggling the things people will say and even the things I will say,” says Catherine McIntyre, a 38-year-old medical billing specialist from Houston. “People who’d never say something horrible in real life will do it again and again and again online. It’s like the behavior of crowds, or those mass beatings where no one gets blamed because everyone’s at fault.”

Hello. You have reached the split personality zone. Press 1 to melt down. Press 2 to hang up and act like a normal person again.

not only have we developed an abrupt, abbreviated way to chat (IMHO), but our technological advances have spawned new psychological terms such as “online disinhibition effect” to explain our tendency to open up — in both good ways and bad — when we’re sitting in front of a screen.

Tags: online, internet, social, social networking, behavior

Dalai Lama Hospitalized Following Checkup

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:31:53 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

The Dalai Lama was hospitalized in New Delhi, his spokesman said early Friday, just days after a medical checkup cleared the Tibetan spiritual leader to resume foreign travel.

Tenzin Taklha told The Associated Press that the Dalai Lama was admitted to a New Delhi hospital for "further consultations with doctors."

In August, the 73-year-old Dalai Lama was admitted to a Mumbai hospital and underwent tests for abdominal discomfort. Doctors advised him to cancel a planned trip to Europe and rest, saying he was suffering from exhaustion.

Taklha in September said that the spiritual leader was in good condition but doctors had advised him to rest as much as possible.

Tags: tibet, dalai lama

Long invisible, gay seniors seek respect

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:32:25 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: msnbcmedia1.msn.com

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

These are typical faces of the gay and aging—a growing population often overlooked by mainstream advocates. Gerontologists haven't traditionally viewed sexual orientation as relevant to their work—and, according to a study by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, most national health surveys of elderly citizens fail to assess sexual orientation. But gay seniors confront unique challenges: they're twice as likely as straights to live alone, and 10 times less likely to have a caretaker should they fall ill. Older gay men are at high risk for HIV, and many suffer the psychological effects of losing friends to the AIDS crisis. (See our report on HIV and aging.) Many face discrimination in medical and social services, and on top of it all, they're less likely to have health insurance: one survey, by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law, at UCLA, estimates that gay seniors are half as likely to have coverage as their straight counterparts.

Tags: gay, gay marriage, senior, age

Burning incense may spark respiratory cancers

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:33:22 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Burning incense may create a sweet scent, but regularly inhaling the smoke could put people at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract, researchers reported Monday.

In a study of more than 61,000 ethnic Chinese living in Singapore who were followed for up to 12 years, the investigators found a link between heavy incense use and various respiratory cancers.

The findings are published in the medical journal Cancer.

Incense is usually derived from fragrant plant materials, like tree bark, resins, roots, flowers and essential oils. Past research has found that burning these materials can produce potentially cancer-causing substances, including benzene and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

However, no studies until now had linked the practice of burning incense to an increased cancer risk over time,

the researchers followed 61,320 Singapore Chinese men and women

Over the next 12 years, 325 men and women developed cancer of the upper respiratory tract,

Another 821 developed lung cancer.

Tags: cancer, respiratory, incense

Babe Ruth was cancer research guinea pig

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:39:36 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: nbcsports.msnbc.com

The story of Babe Ruth's bittersweet farewell at Yankee Stadium has been part of sports lore for generations. Shockingly stooped and frail, the slugger came to the Bronx ballpark on June 13, 1948, to put on the pinstriped uniform a last time and hear the roar of the faithful once more.

He died only two months later, on August 16, at age 53, by most accounts of throat cancer, brought on at least in part by a well-chronicled fondness for tobacco and liquor. But that's all wrong, says a Westchester County, N.Y., dentist with a passion for baseball history. And he's trying to set the record straight.

Maloney uncovered little-known information about the experimental treatment that the doomed baseball titan agreed to take part in, the kindness Ruth showed toward medical staff during his difficult final days and the rare form of cancer he actually died from, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (it causes less than 1 percent of the cancer deaths in the U.S. today).

Tags: sports, cancer, celebrity, baseball, babe ruth, history, medical

Doctors Can't Deny Lesbians Care on Religious Grounds

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:56:45 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

The California Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that doctors cannot cite their religious beliefs as grounds to deny gay and lesbian patients medical care.

Justice Joyce Kennard ruled that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian couple cannot claim a free speech or religious exemption from California's anti-discrimination law.

The ruling extends a state law barring sexual orientation-based discrimination to the medical profession.

In 1999, after a year of surgeries and hormone treatments — all covered by insurance — Benitez was finally ready to get pregnant. But at the crucial moment, her doctor refused to do the procedure for "religious" reasons.

Benitez is a lesbian and sued her doctors under California's civil rights laws, charging that they discriminated against her because of her sexual orientation.

Tags: medical, gay, lesbian, religion, belief, discrimination

Dozens blinded in India looking for Virgin Mary in the sun

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:47:42 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

At least 50 people have lost their sight after staring at the sun hoping to see an image of the Virgin Mary, according to reports.

Alarmed health authorities in India's Kottayam district have set up a sign dispelling rumours of a miraculous image in the sky and warning of the dangers of looking into direct sunlight.

Forty-eight cases of sight-loss, allegedly caused by photochemical burns on the retina, have been recorded at St Joseph's ENT and Eye hospital in the region since Friday.

Despite warnings, and the potentially harmful effects of their actions, believers are allegedly still flocking to a hotelier's house in Erumeli near where the divine image is said to have appeared.

The hotelier, who has since moved, had claimed that statues of the Virgin Mary in his house have been crying honey and bleeding oils and perfumes.

Tags: india, christian, health, sun, medical

Fact Check Calls BS on McCain Ad

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:34:20 GMT

clipped by: Wisco
clipper's remarks: The piece goes on:

Reporters were not allowed to accompany him when he visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Medical Center on June 28. The small "protective pool" of reporters that routinely accompanies him was told by Obama's staff to remain outside, in the van, according to a reporter covering the campaign. Similarly, Obama visited wounded troops in Baghdad earlier in his overseas trip, but he did so without reporters and "without a lot of fanfare, just to say 'Thanks'," according to Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who accompanied Obama.

In short, McCain's "straight talk express" once again takes a detour through liar country.

Clip Source: www.factcheck.org

A new McCain ad says Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras."

McCain's facts are literally true, but his insinuation – that the visit was canceled because of the press ban or the desire for gym time –

is false. In fact, Obama visited wounded troops earlier – without cameras or press – both in the U.S. and Iraq. And his gym workouts are a daily routine.

The Obama campaign canceled the visit with wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Obama says, when he learned that the Pentagon would not allow him to bring along a retired Air Force major general who is serving as a foreign policy adviser to the campaign. Obama says that "triggered then a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political."

Tags: news

Legislation against home births?

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:27:27 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

The American Medical Association has agreed to support proposed legislation that, some physicians say, could make make having a planned birth in one's home difficult, to virtually impossible.

As of now, no actual legislation has been drawn up, but the AMA has agreed to back a measure called "Resolution 205," a request to support the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG) position that home births are not safe.

AMA board member Steven Stack, MD, wrote that the AMA "stresses that the safest setting for delivering a baby is in the hospital or a birthing center within a hospital complex."

The influential medical groups -- AMA and ACOG -- now find themselves at odds with those who say women should have the choice to give birth at home or in a hospital.

The American College of Nurse-Midwives has issued an unequivocal statement in support of planned home births, citing a study in the British Medical Journal that showed home births to be no riskier than hospital births.

Tags: birth, pregnancy, babies, home, children, women, medical, health, law

Burned Iraqi boy smiling again

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:31:47 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

A year ago, Youssif barely spoke to his parents in Arabic, let alone in English; he had retreated into sullen isolation after being terribly burned when masked men doused him in gasoline and set him on fire in Baghdad in January 2007.

Youssif has been in California for 10 months, undergoing facial reconstruction surgery and receiving other treatment for his burns.

As his scars heal, his self-assurance has returned. He is full of animation and laughter. His right dimple is ever present, and his eyes seem to smile with every word.

The foundation has been treating Youssif over the last year, thanks in part to hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from people moved by his story when CNN first reported it.

With every step, Youssif's father and mother say they are grateful to the CNN viewers who responded to Youssif's plight and who have cared about their boy since then.

Tags: child, burn, muslim, iraq, health, medical

World's oldest mom age now 72

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:21:15 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

A 72-year-old woman who has two children and five grandchildren has given birth to twins, making her the world's oldest mother.

Omkari Panwar delivered twins, a boy and a girl, by Caesarean section last week.

Singh was reluctant to speak because he has received negative publicity for his wife's having children at such an advanced age.

"The desire for a male child has always been there, but God did not bless us with a male child," he said of the son who is a product of in vitro fertilization. "Now, we are very grateful to God, who has answered our prayers."

The septuagenarian couple spent their life savings and took out a loan from the bank for Panwar to undergo in vitro treatments. For the couple, the desire to have a son was most important because they wanted to carry on the family name. They know that their son may never be able to care for them in the traditional way because of the age gap.

Tags: children, elderly, pregnancy, old, woman, twins, medical, health

Brain Implants May Let 'Locked-In' Patients Speak

Fri, 23 May 2008 04:51:31 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Imagine being trapped in your own body, aware of what's going on around you but unable to move or even speak.

Thanks to a modern technological innovation known as a neural interface — a direct link between the human brain and a computer — there may be hope for sufferers of what's commonly known as "locked-in syndrome."

As portrayed in the 2007 movie "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," locked-in patients are conscious, but fully paralyzed except for their eyes.

A major breakthrough for these patients occurred in December 2004, when a neural interface consisting of a few thin electrodes was implanted in the brain of 24-year-old Erik Ramsey, who was "locked in" at age 16 when a car crash triggered a brain-stem stroke.

Dr. Frank Guenther and his team put the device, developed by Neural Signals Inc. near Atlanta, into Ramsey's speech-motor cortex, allowing him a chance to communicate for the first time in nine years.

Tags: medical, health, brain, technology

Giving biometrics a hand

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:06:06 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Palm-reading system used to safeguard patient records

Bryn Nelson

Columnist

A perceptive palm reader is helping one of the largest healthcare systems in the U.S. divine the true identities of its patients, ushering in a new era of biometric identity verification.

The device, resembling a small black cube and manufactured by Tokyo-based Fujitsu Corp., uses a vascular pattern recognition system to accurately identify people while they hold their palm just above the cube. The scan, requiring less than a second, captures the unique branching pattern of blood veins and instantly converts key data points into a numerical code that can be compared with other palm scans to identify matches. The miniaturized device can plug into a laptop computer via a USB port, while an alternative version released last year incorporates the palm scanner into a computer mouse to facilitate secure logins.

At its core, the palm-reading system works by recording subdermal vein patterns.

Tags: medical, security, biology, health, healthcare

Russian Spa Opens Monument To The Enema

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:46:34 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

A monument to the enema, a procedure many people would rather not think about, has been unveiled at a spa in the southern Russian city of Zheleznovodsk. The bronze syringe bulb, which weighs 800 pounds and is held by three angels, was unveiled at the Mashuk-Akva Term spa, the spa's director said Thursday.

"There is no kitsch or obscenity, it is a successful work of art," Alexander Kharchenko told The Associated Press. "An enema is almost a symbol of our region."

The Caucasus Mountains region is known for dozens of spas where enemas with water from mineral springs are routinely administered to treat digestive and other complaints.

Kharchenko, 50, said the monument cost $42,000 and was installed in a square in front of his spa on Wednesday. A banner declaring: "Let's beat constipation and sloppiness with enemas" _ an allusion to a line from "The Twelve Chairs," a famous Soviet film comedy _ was posted on one of the spa's walls.

Tags: medical, health, strange, art