Controversial Commercial

The National Association of Mental Illness is furious about a commercial General Motors ran during the Super Bowl that depicted a GM manufacturing robot taking a suicidal leap from a bridge because it had made a mistake on the assembly line. The robot is fired because of GM's "obsession" with quality.

In a letter to GM on February 7, NAMI warned that concerns over depictions of suicide in mass media have been raised in the past by the U.S. Surgeon General, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institute of Mental Health -- as well as groups like NAMI -- because of the risk of "suicide contagion," the clinical term for "copy cat" suicides.

'She likes to say she's a tough cookie'

A few months after my surgery, I went to visit Ruth Jacobi. My roommate from the hospital lives at Kensington Gardens, on College St. in downtown Toronto. It's a long-term care facility that evolved out of the old Doctor's Hospital.

John Jacobi, her son, led me upstairs to his mother's room. It was decorated with family photographs and furniture, including a beautiful old carved wooden cabinet. (When you visit a "home," it's easy to see who has family to help them and who doesn't. Some rooms are depressingly barren; the resident sits alone, usually with a TV blaring in the corner. The average length of stay in a long-term care facility is two years, followed by death. Ruth Jacobi has lived at Kensington Gardens for five years.)

Signs and Symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer

I was sitting in my home office furtively scratching a rash on my swollen left breast when an email arrived from an old friend. The subject line screamed, “URGENT WARNING! OPEN IMMEDIATELY!” Annoyed because it was just another “pass on” message, I pointed my mouse to the delete button – then hesitated. On the outside chance she had included a personal message, I opened it.

Staring from the monitor was the photo of a woman’s breasts, frighteningly similar to the reflection in my bathroom mirror a few hours ago. One breast was swollen with an angry red crescent around the edge of a dimpled nipple – just like mine. The title on the article read “Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC).

Health Benefits of Taking a Nap

What will be more likely to give you a better boost – taking a nap or drinking a cup of coffee? Sleep experts say, in almost every instance, a short snooze is the winner.

The fable afternoon siesta has a rotten reputation as the refuge of the lazy and weak-willed, but the reputation is undeserved. Napping is actually normal, healthy behavior, a natural response to human body rhythms that society has suppressed in all except babies and seniors. Harry S. Truman was a well-known napper as was Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and John F. Kennedy.

A short break can dissipate tress, increase alertness, and even boost productivity. As researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found, people were better able to solve mathematical problems after a brief rest.

Cloning debate slow

Whether a United Nations body will recommend that some human cloning be allowed is -- at this point -- still too close to call, according to a Canadian researcher who just returned from Paris where the group is meeting.

"It could go either way," Rosario Isasi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre de recherche en droit public at the University of Montreal and a law and bioethics expert, told me this afternoon.

Isasi, who had to return to Canada before the International Bioethics Committee could make a decision, has been working the phones and sending e-mails to find out what happened. No announcement has been made by the committee, which is part of UNESCO.

Babies abroad

France is revisiting its limits on in vitro fertilization, or IVF, in the wake of stories about a 59-year-old woman who sidestepped national regulations by going to Vietnam for the treatment.

She is expecting triplets.

IVF in France is only available to women 43 years old and younger. Unwilling to accept that, the woman went to Vietnam for the treatment. She is now being treated under France's medicare system at Cochin Hospital in Paris.

French bioethicists condemned the woman's actions.

"Certainly we are seeing a change in society where the age to get pregnant naturally is rising but everyone must understand that you cannot have a child at any age," said Sadek Beloucif, president of the ethics board of the l'Agence de la Biomédecine.

Foods That Do a Heart Good

We're tempted by high-calorie foods, but they should always be an occasional treat, not everyday fare. Eating too many foods high in fat and sodium can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and men in the United States.

The American Heart Association says a heart-healthy diet is rich in vegetables and fruits, with whole grains, high-fiber foods, lean meats and poultry, fish at least twice a week, and fat-free or 1 percent fat dairy products.

"Most of us want to keep our hearts healthy," registered dietitian Fran Williams said. "But the question remains, how do we do that?"

Health professionals to get wider powers

The province has unveiled reforms that will enable physiotherapists to order X-rays, midwives to use breathing tubes on struggling newborns and pharmacists to refill prescriptions without doctors' orders.

The changes are part of a Liberal initiative to ease long hospital wait times and address the provincial doctor shortage. About 850,000 Ontarians need a family doctor.

In the Legislature yesterday, Health Minister David Caplan introduced amendments to expand the scope of practice for 14 health professions. "Some people will say we have gone too far; others that we have not gone far enough," he said.

Joint Replacement: Solution for Your Everyday Aches & Pains?

It used to be that doctors would say you should wait for as long as possible to have joint replacement surgery. But now, in order to improve their patients' quality of life and reduce pain, some doctors are recommending joint replacement surgery at a younger age. Surgery is done on everything from fingers and wrists to knees, ankles, hips, shoulders and elbows.

The factors that influence a doctor's decision to recommend joint replacement surgery are the degree of pain you're experiencing, if the pain is restricting your daily movement, and if the pain is keeping you from going out and enjoying your life. If you've already tried a series of medications for the pain but have not found relief, surgery might be your next option.

British fertility bill delayed

A British bill that would allow researchers to take tissue from the mentally ill and Alheimer's patients to use in animal/human hybrid experiments may not be voted on today, as expected, as the bill's sections on abortion continue to cause controversy.

The bill, among other things, would liberlize abortion laws in the country -- leading activists on both sides of that debate to demonstrate outside Parliament today.

Procedural delays today, however, have led to speculation the broad-based fertility bill may be shelved for up to two years.

Baroness Ruth Deech, former chairwoman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said said the abortion reform should be treated under separate legislation.

Medical tourism growing fast

Medical tourism, already a big industry, is on the cusp of really taking off.

Just a few minutes ago, David Williams, a medical tourism consultant in Massachusetts, opened the Health Care Globalization Summit here is Las Vegas with an overview of the industry and made a few predictions of where it's headed.

U.S. medical insurance companies, he said, will start providing medical tourism policies later this year. Small and medium-sized forms will likely be first, offering policies to the millions of Americans with no health insurance. With U.S. health costs so hight, they simply can't afford the insurance. With medical tourism offering care at 10 to 25 per cent of the cost, some of those people might now be able to afford insurance. "These are really people on the cusp" of affording health insurance, he said.

Exhausted? Short of Breath? It Could Be Anemia

What You Should Know

Feeling tired is not unusual. Many people don't get enough sleep. Others work on their feet all day. Some people don't eat wisely or exercise enough. These conditions are usually temporary.

Sometimes being tired is more serious than a lack of sleep or a hard day at work. When there are not enough red blood cells in your blood, it lack the iron-rich protein (hemoglobin) that carries oxygen to your organs and muscles. This condition is called anemia. Anemia can make you feel exhausted and short of breath.

Signs of anemia may include pale skin, cold hands and feet and brittle nails. Some people with iron shortage may eat ice or crave unusual foods. Some patients may have irregular heartbeats. The heart may need to pump harder to distribute oxygen throughout the body; this may cause the heart wall to thicken.

Floxin

Floxin

Generic Name: ofloxacin (oh FLOX a sin)

Brand Names: Floxin

What is Floxin?

Floxin is in a group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. This group of antibiotics is used to fight bacteria in the body.

Floxin is used to treat bacterial infections that cause bronchitis, pneumonia, chlamydia, gonorrhea, skin infections, urinary tract infections, and infections of the prostate.

Floxin may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Important information about Floxin

You should not use Floxin if you are allergic to ofloxacin or similar antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), norfloxacin (Noroxin), lomefloxacin (Maxaquin), and others.

On the Economic Burden of Health Inequities

The Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies, a leading think-tank on health inequities and the SDOH (they co-sponsored Unnatural Causes), commissioned a paper on the economic burden of health inequities. The paper, produced via a collaboration between researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan is available open-access here (PDF). Here is the delightfully succinct Executive Summary:

We estimated the economic burden of health disparities in the United States using three measures: (1) direct medical costs of health inequalities, (2) indirect costs of health inequalities, and (3) costs of premature death. Our analysis found:

Burn victims exposed to superbug

Did you know?

On healthzone.ca, you can view a map of walk-in clinics in your area

In the past two years, 28 burn patients were sent to hospitals in New York State because there were not enough beds in Ontario and nearly all of them returned infected with the deadly superbug MRSA, according to Canada's largest burn centre.

Patients with severe burns and open wounds are vulnerable to blood infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a hospital superbug that can cause nasty complications and lengthen hospital stays. MRSA is a strain of S. aureus that is resistant to a large group of antibiotics.

Keeping Your Brain Trained

One of the most complex organs in the human body is the brain. It holds our memories, hopes and dreams. As we age, so does our brain.

It does not, however, have to age badly, because, like our body, if we take care of our brain it will last a little longer.

One of the things that researchers say can ward off or may mitigate dementia in older people is to constantly keep thinking and using their minds.

It is never too late to pull out a crossword puzzle and give your brain a challenge.

"Basically, there is some research that the brain can continue to form new connections even when you are older, so the best way to do that is to give your brain something to work on," said Anne Glass, assistant director at the Institute of Gerontology at the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia.

Animal/human hybrids, saviour siblings OK in UK

In an overwelming vote, Britain's House of Commons has voted to allow the creation of animal/human hybrids and paved the way for tissue from the mentally ill and Alzheimer's patients to be used in the experiments.

The vote was 355 to 129.

The controversial Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill was only able to pass after sections that would liberalize access to abortion were set aside following a wave of protest. The new abortion laws could now be delayed up to two years.

A last minute amendment to the bill would allow researchers to take tissue from the infirm to create the animal/human hybrids, which would then be used for medical research.

Canada under attack

Canada's health care system came under attack in Las Vegas this afternoon at the Health Care Globalization Summit.

Sally Pipes, a Canadian researcher and writer who has long been a critic of health care in Canada, said the system is expensive and leads to long waiting lists.

"We have rationed care. We are told that at a certain age there are some procedures you can't get," she told the conference. She relayed the story of her aging mother, who was told she was too old to get an MRI. "This is not the kind of care Americans want," she said.

She was also sharply critical of the health care plans of the two Democratic presidential candidates, saying both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are proposing plans for universal care that will one day lead to Canadian-style single-payer (ie, government) medicine.

Experts: Over-55s Should Take Blood Pressure Drugs

Everyone aged 55 and over should be taking drugs to lower their blood pressure, even if their current reading is normal, an expert said.

Publishing a review of almost 150 studies, Professor Malcolm Law said the drugs lowered the risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke, regardless of somebody's current reading.

He and colleagues published their findings from the largest review yet of clinical trials involving blood pressure drugs in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

They found most types of drugs to treat blood pressure had similar effects, cutting the risk of heart attacks and heart failure by around a quarter and the risk of stroke by about a third.

Hard choices loom on health care

One of the unwritten rules of provincial budgeting is that medicare is sacrosanct.

Governments may warn that health spending is growing at an unsustainable rate. They may promise to rein it in. But they almost never do.

When the Liberals took power five years ago, they told Ontarians: "Health-care costs cannot continue to grow faster than the economy. This can only lead to the continued crowding out of available funding for other priorities."

They vowed to curb the rate of increase in their first budget. At that time, Ontario was spending $28.1 billion a year – 38 cents out of every tax dollar – on health care. Today, the province is spending $40.5 billion a year – 42 cents out of every tax dollar – on health care.

How to Prevent Osteoarthritis With a Healthy Diet

It may not be great for your breath, but according to researchers at King's College, in London, a diet rich in garlic, onions and leeks could reduce your risk of developing the most common form of arthritis. According to the findings of the study, women who ate a lot of allium vegetables (those in the garlic family) had significantly lower incidence of hip osteoarthritis (OA).

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in adults. One in two Americans will get some form of OA in their lifetime – or 27 million adults. Women are more likely to develop it than men. OA is a painful joint disease that can place severe limits on daily activity and the quality of life. OA, which is the most common form of arthritis, often causes weakness and disability, interferes with people’s ability to work, and results in costly joint replacements.

How the waiting lists work

Matching donor and recipient is an inexact science, but it does lean heavily on mathematics.

When an organ becomes available in Ontario, a complex computer program uses blood type, age, body size, genetics, medical severity, presence of certain antibodies (protein substances made by the body’s immune system) length of time on the waiting list and geographic area to select the most suitable people at the top of the lists.

There is a significant amount of scientific judgment at play,” says Frank Markel, president of Trillium Gift of Life, the provincial agency that oversees the procurement, distribution and delivery of donated organs and tissue.

Access to health care

The Ontario Physicians Poverty Working Group has released a controversial new study that is sparking a fair bit of interest.

In it, the doctors chronicle the poorer health of those with lower income, saying they have less access to the health care system. Canada's universal medicare, they say, is not really all that universal. It's more accessible for the rich, so the rich have better health. They can also eat better and exercise more, so they stay healthier.

That's an over simplification, but you get the idea. It's an argument that's been made before, and few that I have seen seem to be questioning that the richer you are the healthier you are likely to be.

Learn to Love Your Cardio

Cardio workouts are essential to your health, fitness, and well-being. The problem is that most people don't really enjoy doing cardio exercises. Personal trainer Rob Land (admittedly a cardio junkie himself) explains why you need cardiovascular exercise, how to get your cardio workouts, and how you might just come to love them as much as he does.

Rob gets to the gym in the morning at a time many people still consider "nighttime." He runs. He's on the elliptical. He bikes.

"I don't have a good day unless I exercise," he said with a shrug on a recent Friday.

On a good day, Land can cram in about four hours of cardiovascular exercise -- and still wishes he had time for six.

Toothpaste "Breakthrough" For Sensitive Teeth?

Dental News

Colgate-Palmolive has introduced a new toothpaste called "Colgate* Sensitive Pro-Relief" which for people who suffer from tooth sensitivity. Colgate* Sensitive Pro-Relief is currently available only in major retailers across Canada.

Colgate-Palmolive claims that the new Colgate* Sensitive Pro-Relief is the first and only toothpaste clinically proven to deliver instant and lasting sensitivity relief. While most of the sensitive toothpastes currently marketed primarily numb sensitivity pain, Colgate* Sensitive Pro-Relief formula effectively plugs the channels that lead to sensitive tooth nerves, thereby blocking the transmission of heat, cold, air and pressure that stimulate pain receptors within teeth.

Symptoms & Prevention Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

You first notice your fingers have a sensation as if they are “falling asleep” and then at night they become numb. When you wake in the morning, they are tingling and numb, and maybe there’s a burning pain and a numb feeling running up the middle of your forearm -- sometimes as far up as your shoulder. At first you think you might have slept on your arm and you try not to worry too much. But the symptoms start developing during the day and now you’re wondering – could this be arthritis?

The answer is -- NO. All these symptoms indicate you have Carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS). CTS is a chronic irritation that occurs when the median nerve in the arm becomes compressed and pushes against the ligament above it.  When it’s constantly constricted it can deteriorate. This results in a marked slowing of nerve impulses, which can cause loss of feeling in the fingers and a loss of strength and coordination at the base of the thumb.

Stroke patients 12% more likely to die if admitted on weekend

Stroke victims are 12 per cent more likely to die within seven days if they arrive at the hospital on the weekend, according to a study of more than 20,000 Ontario patients.

The study, published today in Neurology, found that patients received the same major interventions — brain scans, clot-busting medications and admission to stroke units — regardless of when they were admitted.

Dr. Moira Kapral, a researcher at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and one of the study’s authors, says it is possible that the weekend effect is caused by “an accumulation of small deficiencies in care” — including secondary treatment that is nonetheless crucial for recovery.

Sleep Challenge 2011: Women, It's Time to Sleep Our Way to the Top. Literally.

As women, we make a lot of New Year's resolutions-"lose 10 pounds" and "finally write that novel" and "lose 10 pounds-seriously." But this year, the two of us (that's HuffPost's Arianna Huffington and Glamour's Cindi Leive) are suggesting you make a New Year's resolution that could improve the status of all women in this country, starting with you. Nope, we're not talking about universal child care or even banning Tiger Woods from ever texting again. If you ask us, the next feminist issue is sleep. And in order for women to get ahead in this country, we're all going to have to lie down and take a nap.

Man donates part of his liver to stranger

The double doors into the operating rooms are about to open. The anaesthetist is wheeling John Cooper down the hall as his wife walks quickly beside the gurney, trying to keep up.

The couple has already said their goodbyes, whispered in the pre-dawn dark of their 23rd-floor hotel room. Cooper has told his two adult daughters that he loves them. They, in turn, have told their dad how proud they are of him.

There are no regrets. And yet this moment still seems to have come too soon.

As the anaesthetist ties on her mask, John and Deb grasp hands one last time. Deb leans down to kiss her husband. They look at each other and say a final “I love you.

Heparin

Heparin

Generic Name: heparin (HEP a rin)

Brand names: Hep-Pak, Heparin Lock Flush, Hep-Pak CVC, Hep-Lock, Heparin Sodium ADD-Vantage

What is heparin?

Heparin is an anticoagulant (blood thinner) that prevents the formation of blood clots.

Heparin is used to treat and prevent blood clots in the veins, arteries, or lung. Heparin is also used before surgery to reduce the risk of blood clots.

Heparin may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

Important information about heparin

Before using heparin, tell your doctor if you have high blood pressure, an infection involving your heart, hemophilia or other bleeding disorder, a stomach or intestinal disorder, liver disease, or if you are on your period.

Study Links Cigarette Changes to Rising Lung Risk

WASHINGTON -- It may be riskier on the lungs to smoke cigarettes today than it was a few decades ago -- at least in the U.S., says new research that blames changes in cigarette design for fueling a certain type of lung cancer.

Up to half of the nation's lung cancer cases may be due to those changes, Dr. David Burns of the University of California, San Diego, told a recent meeting of tobacco researchers.

It's not the first time that scientists have concluded the 1960s movement for lower-tar cigarettes brought some unexpected consequences. But this study, while preliminary, is among the most in-depth looks. And intriguingly it found the increase in a kind of lung tumor called adenocarcinoma was higher in the U.S. than in Australia even though both countries switched to so-called milder cigarettes at the same time.

Nurses around the world can share ideas online

When he started his undergraduate degree four years ago, Robert Fraser was obsessed with downloading podcasts to his iPod and listening to lectures.

But the Ryerson University nursing student couldn't find any about his chosen field or health care in general. That's when Fraser first had the idea to start his own website, www.Nursingideas.ca.

As a student, I was very new to the profession, so I didn't have the subject matter expertise,” says Fraser. “But what I did have, through student leadership, was access to researchers, leaders and innovators in nursing and health care.

He launched the site in 2008 after recording his first interview by propping his laptop up on a pile of books and using the built-in webcam. “You can hear my computer fan in the background,” he laughs.

Healthy & Hearty Winter Soup Recipes You'll Love

There's nothing that can cheer you up on a cold winter's day like a hearty bowl of soup. And we've got some soup recipes that will have you wishing it was winter all year round!

About 100 people submitted their favorite soup and stew recipes, but these eight soups were the ones that made us want to lick the bowls. There's a little something for everyone, from a creamy squash crab soup for seafood lovers to a tomato-basil soup for vegans.

One was inspired by a restaurant in Switzerland; another, from an Oklahoma resident who misses Tex-Mex. One's a version of an authentic Chinese soup.

Have leftover beer from your Super Bowl party? Pour it into some Riverside pork stew. That random can of pumpkin or coconut milk in the pantry? Perfect for the spicy pumpkin soup recipe. Love French onion soup with all that melted cheese on top? Try this cabbage version.

New anti-cholesterol drug appears safe, effective

CHICAGO—An experimental Merck drug safely boosted good cholesterol to record highs while dropping bad cholesterol to unprecedented lows in a study that stunned researchers and renewed hopes for an entirely new way of lowering heart risks.

We are the most excited we have been in decades” about a novel drug, said the study’s leader, Dr. Christopher Cannon, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

This could really be the next big thing.

The drug, anacetrapib, won’t be on the market anytime soon. It needs more testing to see if its dramatic effects on cholesterol will translate into fewer heart attacks, strokes and deaths. Merck & Co. announced a 30,000-patient study to answer that question and it will take several years.

No consensus on who gets care

Hospitals in Britain each seem to have their own ways of deciding who get access to the limited resources within the health care system, a new study in the Journal of Medical Ethics has found.

In surveying 22 people responsible for deciding who gets care at their local hospitals, the researchers found 14 different factors being used to decide which patients to treat, and which not. The top factors were cost effectiveness, clinical effectiveness, equality and total cost.

"No one reason was considered dominant," the report found.

Past Canadian Medical Association president Brian Day has identified access to health as one of the top emerging issues facing health care in this country, a point the study reiterates.

Bone Tumor– Treating Bone Tumor - Diseases Treatment - Symptoms, Causes and Cure for Diseases on A to Z

Bone Tumor - How to Cope up with Bone Tumor?

What do doctors call this condition?

Sarcoma of the bone, bone cancer, primary malignant bone tumor

What is this condition?

Most bone tumors are caused by the spread of cancer from another part of the body (secondary tumors).

Tumors that originate in the bones themselves (primary tumors) are rare, accounting for less than 1 % of all malignant tumors. Primary tumors are more common in young males, but may affect individuals between ages 35 and 60 as well.

What causes it?

The causes of a primary malignant bone tumor are unknown. Some researchers suspect that the tumor arises in areas of rapid body growth because children and young adults with such tumors seem to be much taller than average. Additional theories point to heredity, trauma, and excessive radiation therapy.

Heart Disease Is Still Country's No. 1 Killer

We all know that heart attacks are the worst possible outcome for heart disease patients. But there are many things related to coronary heart disease that people don't know. One is that coronary heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. It accounted for about 1.2 million coronary attacks in 2009. Another is that women are just as likely to be heart attack victims as men. And too many people also don't know the symptoms of heart disease or how to prevent a heart attack.

The good news is, Americans can fight back by taking control of their lifestyles with exercise, healthier eating and by avoiding tobacco.

Wellcome Trust Announces Medical Humanities Funding

Across the pond, Giskin Day brings word of funding specifically targeted for the medical humanities via the fabulous Wellcome Trust. Here is some basic information:

The Medical Humanities can be described as the 'exploration and explanation of human experience with respect to medicine and health' and involves the application to medical education and medical practice of a multidisciplinary field of humanities.

The Wellcome Trust is keen to support research in the field of medical humanities to explore the human experience of medicine, offering perceptions on medicine from beyond the world of science. The Wellcome Trust expects applications to be multidisciplinary drawing on the disciplines from the humanities such as philosophy, literature studies, history, religion, social sciences, law and the arts (theatre, film and visual arts).

What Does 'Sugarless' Really Mean?

A survey done in the mid-1990s found that the average American consumes 20 teaspoons of sugar a day - nearly half a cup! You may think you can protect your teeth by eating more "sugarless" foods, but not all "sugarless" foods are really sugarless. Currently, with more awareness about obesity and emphasis on nutrition and fitness, almost 80% of adults consume some "sugarless" products.

Are Sugarless Or Sugar-Free Foods And Beverages Always Safe For Your Teeth?

No, they're not. The label "sugarless" food sometimes means that no sugar was added during processing, but these foods may not be sugar free. They may contain natural sweeteners, such as honey, molasses, evaporated cane sugar, fructose, barley malt or rice syrup. Natural sweeteners have the same number of calories per serving as sugar does, and they all are harmful to the teeth.

Sweden Bans All Mercury Fillings

Sites Environmental Reasons For Eliminating Dental Amalgam Use

The Swedish government said it has decided for environmental reasons to ban use of all mercury fillings in the country effective June 1, 2009. The ban includes dental amalgam. The Swedish government statement says that alternative techniques will have to be used in dental care as well as chemical analysis and the chloralkali industry. The statement from Sweden does not list what those alternatives are.

Such a ban is not necessary in the United States, said the American Dental Association in a statement issued January 16, 2009. The ADA statement notes that U.S. dentists already capture nearly 80 percent of waste amalgam with standard equipment in their practices, and an increasing number of dentists have added the use of amalgam separators, which can increase the capture rate up to 99 percent.

New Therapy Helps Those With Heart Failure

Heart failure is a scary diagnosis for most people, but it's not a death knell. There's a new technology that can help people with heart failure live longer, more comfortable lives.

Frederick Memorial Hospital in Frederick, Md., has a new system called Aquapheresis therapy that helps patients get rid of the fluid buildup caused by heart failure. It makes patients more comfortable and eases one of the most dangerous side effects of heart failure.

Heart failure was once known as congestive heart failure. While it is still called that in many circles, cardiologists prefer to use the phrase heart failure.

Study suggests link between hearing loss and dementia

When elderly patients with dementia have difficulty communicating, it’s important to rule out whether hearing loss is an exacerbating factor, says a specialist at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.

Communication can become very difficult for patients with dementia. In order to set the patient up for success, difficulty with communication should prompt a hearing evaluation,” Dr. Tiffany Chow, a senior clinician-scientist, said Tuesday.

She was commenting on new research that suggests a link between dementia and hearing impairment. The study, which appears in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, shows that the risk of dementia appears to rise as hearing declines.

The Real Reason Oprah, You and I Keep Getting Fat

Oprah is mad as hell and she isn't going to take it anymore.  Once again she lost a bunch of weight, looked good and felt great.  And once again she put on a bunch of weight, looked fat and felt awful.  She's certainly not alone.  Studies show that in our lifetime 7 out of 10 women and 9 out of 10 men will become overweight.  We've all been on the latest diet, taken off some poundage and promptly put it back on again.  But if Oprah, with all her high-tech trainers can't keep the weight off, what hope is there for us?

I was watching Larry King last night as Oprah's personal "dream" team of experts talked about the courage Oprah has shown in being open about her weight gain and frustration that "weight" is still an issue for her.  We heard from her personal trainer, Bob Greene.  We heard from her personal physician, Dr. Mehmet Oz.  We heard from her personal spiritual advisor Michael Bernard Beckwith.  All three are absolutely tops in their field.  If this team can't help Oprah keep her weight under control, two conclusions seem logical.

Ottawa signs deals to supply pandemic flu vaccine

The federal government has announced a new 10-year pandemic flu vaccine contract with GlaxoSmithKline, valued at more than $425 million, as well as a deal with a backup supplier, Sanofi Pasteur.

The contracts are intended to ensure a secure supply of vaccine for Canadians in the event of a future influenza pandemic and to reduce the possibility of delays in delivery and distribution.

Vaccine production is fickle,” said Dr. John Spika, director general of the centre for immunization and respiratory infectious diseases at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

You never know when something could happen, so just from a supply standpoint it’s always nice to know that you have another supply to turn to if problems should arise.

Guidelines for Usage Of Teracyclic Compounds

Dosage is individualized. Take exactly as prescribed.

*

Do not stop taking or change the dose unless directed by your doctor.

*

Maprotiline - May be given as a single daily dose or in divided doses.

*

Mirtazapine - Take in a single dose, preferably at bedtime. May be taken without regard to food.

*

Remeron SolTabs- Open tablet blister pack with dry hands and place the tablet on the tongue. The tablet will disintegrate rapidly and can be swallowed with saliva. No water is needed. Do not chew the tablet, split the tablet, or store the tablet for later use.

*

If a dose is missed, take it as soon as possible. If several hours have passed or it is nearing time for the next dose, do not double the dose to catch up, unless advised to do so by your doctor. If more than one dose is missed or it is necessary to establish a new dosage schedule, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

Learn Your Cholesterol Levels & How to Manage Them

What You Should Know about Cholesterol

Too much cholesterol in your blood, organs and arteries increases your health risks.

Your body automatically makes cholesterol -- a waxy, fatlike substance in the blood. Some people naturally produce more cholesterol than other people. Your liver and other cells in your body make about 75 percent of blood cholesterol.

About 25 percent of our cholesterol comes from the foods we eat. High-fat and high-cholesterol foods add more cholesterol to our blood than we need.

Cholesterol can build up in your arteries. The buildup is called plaque. Plaque can break loose or cause inflammation in blood vessels. A heart artery blocked by plaque can result in a heart attack. Hardened arteries with plaque can also lead to blood clots, high blood pressure, strokes and dementia. Most gallstones are also made of cholesterol.

Concepts of Disease and Health

Readers of this blog should be interested in a recent entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) on the "concepts of disease and health." It is written by Dominic Murphy, author of a very important book, Psychiatry in the Scientific Image (2006). The latter offers a "qualified defense of the medical model, which says psychiatry is a branch of medicine dedicated to uncovering the neurological basis of disease entities." In other words, for Murphy, psychiatry is best understood as "clinical cognitive neuroscience."

As things stand today, Murphy explains, psychiatry relies on four criteria to validate a diagnosis: natural history (of a syndrome: its characteristic clinical course and outcome); family history (including genetics); differential response to treatment; and laboratory findings. The problem with these criteria, notes Murphy, as emblematically enshrined in the DSM, is a failure to give pride of place to "causal information," apart from the lack of explicit reference to requisite normative considerations (e.g., a model of rationality). We are left, in other words, with the picture of valid syndrome on the order of a "collection of symptoms that cluster together" but without the kind of information essential to a medical (or biological) model of psychiatric disease/disorder. Put differently, "The concepts of clinical phenomenology are notoriously vague, imprecise, unquantified. By limiting the data gathered in diagnosis to the salient and easily identifiable signs and symptoms of clinical phenomenology, the DSM-IV-TR [fourth ed., revised text] scheme ignores a wide range of other data about mental functioning that can be gathered by psychometric techniques and by methods used in cognitive science and neuroscience."

Sex can kill you, U.S. study shows

CHICAGO—Sudden bursts of moderate to intense physical activity—such as jogging or having sex—significantly increase the risk of having a heart attack, especially in people who do not get regular exercise, U.S. researchers said Tuesday.

Doctors have long known that physical activity can cause serious heart problems, but the new study helps to quantify that risk, Dr. Issa Dahabreh of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The team analyzed data from 14 studies looking at the link between exercise, sex and the risk of heart attacks or sudden cardiac death—a lethal heart rhythm that causes the heart to stop circulating blood.

Tests Show More Swine Flu Immunity in Older Folks

ATLANTA -- New test results show what scientists have suspected -- people in their 60's and older have signs of greater immunity to the new swine flu virus.

Scientists think it's because older people have been exposed to other viruses in the past that are more similar to swine flu than more recent seasonal flus.

But the results come from complicated lab work and calculations, and it's not yet clear how safe older people actually are from the new infection, federal officials said.

"We can't say," said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So older people are advised to take the same precautions as their children and grandchildren.

Sightless, but Not Walking Blindly?

After two strokes, he was completely blind, dependent on his cane and his wife's arm to safely walk down the street. But researchers had a hunch: They suspected that, unconsciously, the man might be sensing the world around him through his eyes better than anyone realized.

So the neuroscientists devised a simple experiment: They asked the man to walk down a long hallway unaided by his cane or anyone else -- without telling him they had turned the corridor into a makeshift maze by randomly placing boxes, chairs and other objects in his path.

To their astonishment, the man deftly maneuvered past every obstacle. Then he turned around and did it again, prompting the stunned researchers to burst into applause.

Plumber Swindon: No More Dripping

Not all trades people are cowboys. You may have gotten that impression after one unpleasant encounter, but there are ways to check if your plumber Swindon is the real deal.

Just go to websites to see if companies and their employees are insured, registered and trained to do what you need doing in the home or office.

Many sites show testimonials from customers who enjoyed satisfaction from the firm. There are some with reputations spanning two decades, a sign which can reassure: this means a reputation is on the line, and staff will endeavour to preserve it.

Whatever you do, leave any tough, wet jobs to the hands that know what they are about.

Out of the factory, into the heat

For Nathan Kelly, it’s been trial by fire.

The 34-year-old recent nursing grad from Brock University in St. Catharines arrived in Haiti on April 20 to work in a field hospital outside Port-au-Prince. It’s his first practical experience as a registered nurse.

The disaster down here is immense,” says Kelly, speaking on a satellite phone near the Canadian Medical Assistance Teams (CMAT) field hospital in Pétionville. “The Haitians were in need before this; now they are in greater need. It is heartbreaking to see this kind of thing.

CMAT moved its temporary hospital to the former golf course on March 15, after working in Léogâne for several weeks immediately after the massive quake.

5 Practical Ways To Check A Used Car

The amount of people buying used cars has grown to unprecedented heights the past few years. In fact, surveys show that the number of people who buy used cars is almost tripled when compared to the number of people who buy new cars.

Buying a used car is no longer something unusual and downgrading to do; in fact, it is becoming quite a popular trend.

However, it does not necessarily mean that buyers will just take the process of selecting used cars for granted. Hence, it is important to take note of the ways to check the car prior to the closure of the deal.

Therefore, for people who wish to know the different ways on checking the condition of the used car, here are some pointers:

Trazodone - Uses and Side Effects

Type of Drug:

Antidepressant; mood-elevating agent.

How the Trazodone Works:

It is not known how trazodone works to relieve depression. It is believed trazodone modifies the chemical balance in the brain, which changes behavior. It does not stimulate the brain.

Uses of The Trazodone:

To relieve mental depression.

Unlabeled Uses: Occasionally doctors may prescribe trazodone for cocaine withdrawal, to manage aggressive behavior when used with other medications, and to treat patients with panic disorder or agoraphobia (fear of open or public places) with panic attacks.

Precautions:

Do not use in the following situations: Allergy to trazodone or any of its ingredients.

Types of Food Poisoning

Most of us choose to eat what tastes good to our personal palates, but too often our choices promote neither health nor well-being. A decade ago when the National Consumers League asked its members if they had once been a victim of food poisoning, 44 percent responded yes. And it’s only gotten worse. Even foods that aren’t tainted cause ill effects. Skin irritation, sluggishness, chronic constipation, impatience, and depression all are symptoms of our body’s reaction to food. Think about how you felt the last time you succumbed to a fast food fix or finished off a bag of chips. Were you edgy? Depressed? Angry? Craving more? Sick to your stomach? Or … worse.

Is Nurse Jackie for real? Not entirely

Dianne Martin recalls the time her daughter Kaitlin was getting ready to go out to a Halloween party and her friend showed up in a sexy nurse costume.

She took one look at her friend and said, ‘Well, you might as well come in and have a conversation with my mom.'

There are too many stereotypes in pop culture working against nurses, says Martin, a 31-year veteran of nursing and executive director of the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario. And TV writers aren't doing much to help the problem, she says.

It's hard enough as a nurse to get treated as a professional. I've been touched inappropriately by a male patient before — I grew up in an era where men believed if you can't get a date, get a nurse,” she says.

On Smaller Class Size

Via Slate comes word of a new study released in the November 2007 issue of American Journal of Public Health. The study tracked the role of class size on a number of outcomes including projected earnings, welfare payments, crime costs, quality-of-life scores, and mortality.

Remarkably, the authors found that, when targeted to low-income students, smaller class size produced savings of approximately $200,000, and a net gain of 1.7 QALYs.

Notwithstanding my dislike of QALYs, this study concludes that reducing class-size could conceivably have a greater effect on socioeconomic disparities and on mortality than most acute care interventions. I have been beating the drum on this general point for some time now, that increasing access to acute care interventions is not an evidence-based way of improving health and ameliorating illness.

The Benefits of Vitamin C and Vitamin D

When you’re on medication, whether it’s prescription or over-the-counter. Some drugs, as a side effect, block the absorption of nutrients in our diets, so it’s wise to understand how what you’re taking -- affects what you’re eating.

For example, constant use of aspirin can rob the body of iron and may interfere with folic acid and vitamin C levels. Potassium and calcium are depleted by diuretics. And if you take mineral oil for constipation, it’s likely you’ll require vitamin D.

The problem is especially acute for seniors, most of who are on some kind of medication. Many for example, take aspirin for arthritis – and should eat a diet high in iron to compensate for the loss they suffer. And you’ll probably need vitamin C and folic acid, too. Many elderly also take laxatives, which may decrease vitamin D absorption and it may also deplete phosphorous from the bones which can aggravate the tendency towards osteoporosis.

Province to hospitals: stop threatening $1,800 fees

Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews has ordered Ontario hospitals to stop threatening elderly patients with daily charges of up to $1,800 to “coerce” them to move to the first available nursing home bed.

It is completely inappropriate and unacceptable for any individual in this province in a hospital waiting for long-term care to be charged more than $53.23 per day,” she told the legislature Tuesday.

Hospitals are allowed to charge people $53.23 a day while they are waiting to get into a nursing home, but no more. As the Star has revealed in its ongoing Begging for Care series, hospitals have been threatening patients with charges of up to $1,800 in an attempt to free up hospital beds.

"Hey, That Hurts!"

Every once in awhile I will come across a visitor to my web site who asks me if I can refer a dentist to them who practices something known as Sedation Dentistry, a.k.a., general anesthesia, which basically is sedating the patient without using local anesthesia. Apparently there are some people who are overly sensitive to the least bit of dental pain (poor bastards) and are even known pass out at the site of a dentist's chair.

Types of Sedation Dentistry

Some of the more popular choices in sedation dentistry available are as follows:

Nitrous Oxide Gas - Often referred to as laughing gas, they use nitrous oxide gas in sedation dentistry to make a patient feel extremely relaxed and less tense. The dentist still administers a local anesthetic during sedation dentistry, as nitrous oxide does not stop pain.

Tetracyclic Compounds - An Antedepressant Agent

Type of Drug:

Antidepressant; mood-elevating agent.

How the Drug Works:

The exact mechanism of action is not known. It is believed that tetracyclic antidepressants adjust or balance how the brain and nervous system produce and respond to natural chemicals (neurotransmitters) that elevate mood.

Uses:

Maprotiline: To treat depressive illness in patients with depressive neurosis (dysthymic disorder) and manic-depressive illness (major depressive episode).

Mirtazapine: To treat depression.

Unlabeled Uses: Maprotiline is also effective for the relief of anxiety associated with depression.

Precautions:

Do not use in the following situations:

Treatments for Arthritis: Which are Fact or Folklore?

For the millions of Americans who suffer from arthritis, managing joint and muscle pain can be a daily struggle. There are several methods of treating arthritis, from lifestyle changes to prescription medications to herbal supplements. Choosing the best treatment plan depends on separating fact from fiction. The following guide outlines some of the most common treatments for arthritis.

Analgesics

The Claim: Analgesics are some of the most common treatments for arthritis related pain. Analgesics, like acetaminophen, inhibit the body's pain receptors and reduce the experience of arthritis-related pain.

Daughter copes at home with two ailing parents

Did you know?

On healthzone.ca, you can view a map of walk-in clinics in your area

Ted Bosak was an architect, a father, and a proud, independent man.

At the age of 86, Bosak was living in a Stouffville retirement community bungalow, taking care of his wife Nadia, who suffered from dementia.

Mentally, he was sharp, still in possession of his precise architect’s mind but physically, Bosak was growing frail. His daughter, Susan, liked to say that between her two parents, there was one healthy person.

On May 18, 2009, Bosak awoke early in the morning, as he always did, walked to the kitchen and made himself breakfast. At some point, while his wife slept, Bosak had a severe stroke and fell to the floor.

Desmopressin Acetate Guidelines of Usage

Type of Drug:Human antidiuretic hormone (ADH).

How the Drug Works:

A hormone which makes the kidneys reabsorb (retain) water and increases the concentration/activity of certain blood factors necessary for normal blood clotting.

Uses:

DDA VP: As antidiuretic hormone replacement therapy in the management of central cranial diabetes insipidus and for temporary excessive urination and excessive thirst following head injury or surgery in the pituitary region. This will allow return to a more normal lifestyle with decreased urinary frequency and nighttime urination.

To treat nighttime bed-wetting (nasal solution only). May be used alone or in combination with behavioral conditioning or other non medicinal intervention.

The Gene That Could Make You Immune to Obesity

An obesity "master switch" has been found that makes it possible to feast on junk food without getting fat.

The discovery in mice could lead to new slimming treatments for humans within 10 years, scientists believe.

A U.S. study found that mice lacking the IKKe gene became effectively immune to obesity.

It meant the animals could eat a super-fatty diet and still stay slim.

They were also protected against chronic inflammation, a condition known as "fatty liver," and the first signs of diabetes.

Deleting the gene appeared to release the "brakes" on energy expenditure, generating heat.

Mice on the "junk" diet were fed a type of lard with 45 percent of its calories derived from fat.

Young people most at risk for radiation cancer

Thyroid cancer for sure. Leukemia, probably. Too much radiation can raise the risk of developing cancer years down the road, scientists agree, and the young are most vulnerable. But just how much or how long an exposure is risky is not clear.

Those are among the unknowns scientists are contemplating as the crisis unfolds at Japan’s stricken nuclear power plant.

In Japan, the Science Ministry said radiation levels about 30 kilometres northwest of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant rose at one point Friday to 0.15 millisieverts per hour, about the amount absorbed in a chest X-ray. But levels have been fluctuating, and radiation at most sites that distance from the facility have been far below that.

Sulfonylureas and its Description

Type of Drug:

Oral antidiabetic agents for use only as an adjunct to diet and exercise in the management of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus.

How the Sulfonylureas Works:

The sulfonylurea hypoglycemic agents appear to decrease blood sugar by stimulating the release of insulin from the pancreas. Sulfonylureas may also decrease the amount of sugar that is dumped into the blood from the liver and may increase the sensitivity of fat and muscle tissue to the action of insulin. By increasing the amount of insulin or The effectiveness of insulin, blood sugar levels are lowered. Sulfonylureas do not work in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in which the pancreas is not capable of manufacturing or releasing insulin.

The Secrets You Reveal In Bed

Even if you don’t talk in your sleep, you’re still saying something in bed – because your favorite sleeping position reveals secrets about how you see yourself and the world around you. “Observational studies on thousands of subjects, indicates that our personal sleep positions translate into a silent body language that offers real clues into our personality,” confirms Samuel Dunkell, M.D. director of New York’s Insomnia Medical Services and author of Sleep Positions: Night Language of the Body.

Find your most frequent sleep position and uncover your personality strength.

ON YOUR STOMACH

Surveys show most high-level managers sleep on their stomach – and with good reason. “Stomach-sleepers tend to be grounded, organized, perfectionists who like to stay in control of their activities,” says Dr. Dunkell. That’s why, whether you’re sprawled on the bed or hugging a pillow to your chest, you sleep best when you’re in full, face-to-face contact with the bed – your activity of the moment. With a strong will and solid character, once you set your mind to something, it’s as good as done.

Bringing health care right to your door

A knock on the door can be a cause of concern for many elderly people living alone. But in Milton, it can be the welcome signal that Julie Cordasco is paying a visit.

A veteran registered nurse, Cordasco is part of a new provincial program that aims to bring health services right to the door of seniors, offering checkups in the comfort of their own homes.

Under the trial, Cordasco works two half-days a week as Milton's first Aging at Home visiting nurse. Her mission is to bring health care to seniors over 80 who are not physically mobile or cannot get transportation to visit Milton's Family Health Team clinic, where Cordasco works.

Seniors Largely Spared of Swine Flu

MIAMI -- Seniors who for years have made flu shots a fall ritual are being sent to the end of the line for the swine flu vaccine. And the reason -- their age group seems to have a bit of immunity -- appears to have warded off most potential grumbling.

"I don't worry about getting it," said 89-year-old Robert Goodman, a Boca Raton retiree. "At this age, who the hell cares? You take it as it comes."

Across Florida, a retirement dreamland that is home to about 3.2 million people 65 and older, seniors who are typically plagued by nearly any spreadable illness are just happy they appear to have been given a reprieve from the new flu virus that has run rampant through schools, colleges and campsites.

Errors of Refraction – Treatment Options Available for Curing it Fast - Diseases Treatment - Symptoms, Causes and Cure for Diseases on A to Z

The way that light from objects is focused through the eye into an image on the retina is called refraction. In a normal eye, the point where the light focuses is exactly at the retina, and it is this precise focusing that assures that a clear image is seen. In some eyes, however, the eye focuses the light either behind or in front of the retina, so that the image is blurred.The four most common disorders of refraction are nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hypermetropia), astigmatism and presbyopia. Any of these disorders can be present in one or both eyes.

Vitamin A and Vitamin B Drug Information

Content in the table above is given per serving of capsule, tablet, or teaspoon (5 milliliters). Products containing the greatest amount of Vitamin B 1 are listed first.

Type of Drug:

Vitamin combinations.

Uses:

Dietary supplement

Guidelines for Use:

Dosage will be individualized.

Do not exceed the recommended dose, unless advised to do so by your doctor.

Most people on regular diets do not need vitamin supplements.

Sotre at controlled room temperature (59 degree to 86 degree F). Protect from moisture.

Doses:

Type

Vitamin 8 Combinations

Brand Name Examples

B1(mg)

B2(mg)

B3(mg)

B5(mg)

B6(mg)

B12(mg)

otc

Neurodep-Caps Capsules

More Reasons to Quit Smoking

Above and beyond being the obvious cause of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer, the reasons for quitting cigarette smoking are becoming even clearer. There are many health conditions that have been directly linked over the past few years to cigarette smoking. If you smoke or have someone in your family who does, you should make sure that they're aware of these other important reasons to quit - among the most prominent being that it will be more difficult to get a life insurance quote or policy. Reading this may just be the kick in the pants they need to stop harming themselves and those around them.

When Are Healthy Foods Not So Healthy?

It's no secret that healthy foods are the key to a healthy body. So we diligently study nutrition labels as we walk through the grocery story and we stock up on low-fat, low-sodium, and low-calorie foods. We're always counting calories and trying to eat high-protein foods. But are we fooling ourselves? Would we be just as healthy chowing down on an ice cream sundae? Maybe...

You probably feel very proud of yourself when, after a good workout, you try to replenish your system with a handful of trail mix, a protein bar or some whole-grain crackers. But you may not know that just one serving of trail mix has the same number of calories as four bite-sized Snickers bars. A high-protein Carb Solutions Chocolate Fudge Almond bar has 230 calories -- the same amount as a bag of M&Ms. And those reduced-fat Wheat Thins with 11 grams of whole grain per serving? Nearly 300 milligrams of sodium -- more sodium than one serving of Original Fritos Corn Chips.

Health-care workers to get broader powers

Ontario is about to move ahead with plans to allow pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other health-care professionals to provide some services now performed by doctors, Premier Dalton McGuinty says.

Pharmacists would, for instance, be able to extend prescription refills, one of a series of moves aimed at easing long waits for health care, said McGuinty.

The necessary legislative changes will be made "very soon," he said.

"Our government plans to better utilize your skills and maximize your contributions," McGuinty told the annual general meeting of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario in Markham. "Families seeking health care will experience the difference."

Hizentra

Hizentra

Generic Name: immune globulin (subcutaneous) (im MYOON GLOB yoo lin (sub koo TANE ee us))

Brand Names: Hizentra, Vivaglobin

What is Hizentra?

Hizentra (immune globulin) is a sterilized solution made from human plasma. It contains the antibodies to help your body protect itself against infection from various diseases.

Hizentra subcutaneous (for injection under the skin) is a prescription treatment used for replacement therapy in patients with primary humoral immunodeficiency.

Hizentra may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Important information about Hizentra

Perimenopause and Weight Gain in Women

I have an acquaintance – I’ll call her Erika – who was, frankly, a trophy wife. Now she is nearing 50, but you would never know it. Erika used to dance professionally, so she is used to long workouts and little food. If you offer her a cracker, she’ll say, “I’m watching my figure so others will.” She does Pilates as well as running and cycling, and she added kickboxing to her schedule because she thinks the instructors are cute.

Money is not an issue, so Erika has the best in skin care, hair care, Botox injections, spa vacations, and of course, fabulous clothes. She has very little body fat, so – as many celebrities do – she gets injections in her cheeks to keep her face from looking too gaunt.