Dear Dr. Donohue: I am 67 and wear glasses. I woke up three weeks ago with double vision. I can see with either eye only if the other eye is covered. My eye doctor said a muscle wasn't working, and that usually the double vision self-corrects, but it may take a few months. She sent me for an MRI and blood work. I don't have a brain tumor or an aneurysm. Right now, a prism has been put in one of my glasses' lenses so I can function. Does my doctor's prognosis seem sound? — B.F.
Reply: Your doctor has told you the truth. Our two eyes view things from a different point of reference. If the eyes are not properly aligned, the brain gets two confusing images that it cannot merge into a single image. You have binocular diplopia (double vision); when both eyes are opened, your brain receives two pictures.
Diabetes, high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid gland, injury to the brain, myasthenia gravis (a nerve condition), a stroke and a ruptured brain aneurysm (an artery bulge) are some of the causes of binocular double vision. You have no other signs of those illnesses.
Your tests were normal. Your two eyes are not working together, perhaps from a temporary glitch in blood supply to one of the eye muscles. This sort of double vision almost always resolves in a couple of months.
You acted wisely. You saw your eye doctor immediately. The more dangerous causes of double vision have been ruled out.
Dear Dr. Donohue: I visited my doctor three times in one month because of what I thought were hemorrhoids. My doctor gave me Anusol suppositories for it. Yesterday, I saw the doctor again. He suspects I have an anal fissure, not hemorrhoids. When he asked if I was bleeding, I said there are signs of blood on the tissue, but I don't appear to be bleeding like when you cut yourself. He recommends I take Metamucil and continue with the suppositories. Is there something else I can do? — B.
Reply: An anal fissure is a tear in the lining of the anal canal. Such a tear makes elimination of stool painful, and the pain can remain for some time after a bowel movement. Frequently it produces bright-red bleeding. Constipation is the leading cause for an anal fissure.
Sitz baths help healing. Fill a tub with about 5 inches of warm water, enough to cover the buttocks and hips. Squat in the water for 10 or 15 minutes and do this two or three times a day.
Ointments applied to the torn anal lining help. Nitroglycerin ointment is one such preparation, the same medicine used for the chest pain of angina. Diltiazem ointment is another that produces good results with fewer side effects than nitroglycerin does. If the fissure hasn't healed in another month, you might need surgery.
Dear Dr. Donohue: I have been having a lot of headaches and wonder if it could be due to cataracts. — B.
Reply: The lens of the eye is a clear, oval-shaped structure behind the pupil. It focuses incoming light on the retina to produce a visual image.
A cataract is a clouding of the lens like a smudge on a window. The smudge interferes with vision. Central vision becomes fuzzy. Night vision is poor. The smudge is a clumping of proteins inside the lens and comes about from aging.
Headaches from cataracts? Anything is possible, but cataracts don't usually cause them or eye pain.
Your doctor has to look for other causes for your headaches.
2011年4月28日星期四
“Dog Wars” disappears, comes back
Has “Dog Wars” bitten the dust?
ABC4 in Salt Lake City says so. So does Best Friends, and All Things Digital.
But those reports were apparently based solely on the dogfighting game app temporarily disappearing from the Android Marketplace, Google’s online store.
Like a bad case of hemorrhoids, it’s back.
Unconfirmed reports say the app was temporarily removed from Google’s online market over concerns about copyright infringement — as opposed to the formidable and still growing opposition being voiced about it by dog lovers and animal welfare organizations.
Developed by Kage Games, the free app allows players to train and fight pit bulls, accumulating money and “cred.”
It has been roundly criticized by, among others, the Humane Society of the United States, PETA, numerous state and local humane societies, actress Alicia Silverstone and football quarterback Michael Vick, who served 21 months in prison for operating a dogfighting ring.
The creators of Dog Wars, in response to criticism, have added some explanation to the Android Marketplace page on which the app is offered.
“We’ve heard thoughts from many dog and animal lovers about our app and first we, as dog owners and dog lovers ourselves, would like to thank you for your thoughts and for the work many of you do on behalf of our canine friends. We DO NOT CONDONE violence towards animals or humans, and we are confident in humankind’s ability to distinguish between a rudimentary game and the consequences of real life.
“We are confident this game will be a net benefit to dogs as it has been in our operating agreement from the start of this project that a portion of the proceeds go to animal rescue organizations. Further, this is a satire about the ridiculousness of dogfighting and we believe in the power of a modern media tool to educate and raise awareness of the real horrors.
“There are hundreds of games on the Google Android market as well as any other popular game platform which, if acted out in real life, would be illegal. What makes the Google Android platform special is it gives the freedom and responsibility to the individual users to decide what to put on their phones as opposed to the phone carriers and app stores making value judgments on our behalf … Please remember that censorship is a very slippery slope.”
ABC4 in Salt Lake City says so. So does Best Friends, and All Things Digital.
But those reports were apparently based solely on the dogfighting game app temporarily disappearing from the Android Marketplace, Google’s online store.
Like a bad case of hemorrhoids, it’s back.
Unconfirmed reports say the app was temporarily removed from Google’s online market over concerns about copyright infringement — as opposed to the formidable and still growing opposition being voiced about it by dog lovers and animal welfare organizations.
Developed by Kage Games, the free app allows players to train and fight pit bulls, accumulating money and “cred.”
It has been roundly criticized by, among others, the Humane Society of the United States, PETA, numerous state and local humane societies, actress Alicia Silverstone and football quarterback Michael Vick, who served 21 months in prison for operating a dogfighting ring.
The creators of Dog Wars, in response to criticism, have added some explanation to the Android Marketplace page on which the app is offered.
“We’ve heard thoughts from many dog and animal lovers about our app and first we, as dog owners and dog lovers ourselves, would like to thank you for your thoughts and for the work many of you do on behalf of our canine friends. We DO NOT CONDONE violence towards animals or humans, and we are confident in humankind’s ability to distinguish between a rudimentary game and the consequences of real life.
“We are confident this game will be a net benefit to dogs as it has been in our operating agreement from the start of this project that a portion of the proceeds go to animal rescue organizations. Further, this is a satire about the ridiculousness of dogfighting and we believe in the power of a modern media tool to educate and raise awareness of the real horrors.
“There are hundreds of games on the Google Android market as well as any other popular game platform which, if acted out in real life, would be illegal. What makes the Google Android platform special is it gives the freedom and responsibility to the individual users to decide what to put on their phones as opposed to the phone carriers and app stores making value judgments on our behalf … Please remember that censorship is a very slippery slope.”
2011年4月26日星期二
FDA Says Vertex Drug a Wee Bit More Effective Than Advertised; Stock Climbs
The FDA often finds a few flies in the ointment when it digs through new drug applications, but in the case of Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX), its new hepatitis C drug looks a bit better under close scrutiny. Shares of Vertex climbed more than 10 percent after FDA briefing documents on the new treatment were posted online this morning.
The U.S. drug regulator said today that its analysis of data submitted from Vertex said the cure rate climbed to as high as 79 percent among patients getting their first-round of treatment with Vertex’s telaprevir and two standard drugs—a smidge higher than the 75 percent cure rate previously reported by the company. That finding, from a study known as Advance, was released in a briefing document posted online by FDA staff ahead of a public advisory committee in Silver Spring, MD this Thursday. The FDA did, however, cite two main side effects—rash and anemia—in its safety review, and a question about the rash side effect is the first one that FDA is asking its expert advisory panel on Thursday.
The FDA’s detailed review, and the input from the advisory panel, are pivotal events in the history of Vertex, which has spent more than 20 years on its fabled quest to create what one author famously described as a “billion-dollar molecule.” If Vertex can persuade the FDA that its new medicine for hepatitis C deserves a spot on the market—and most analysts predict it will—then it will be in position to make billions of dollars and change the standard of care for this chronic liver infection that affects an estimated 3 million people in the U.S. Vertex has studied telaprevir in more than 40 studies involving 4,000 patients. It lost more than $700 million last year as part of its pre-launch push, which analysts expect will yield more than $2 billion in U.S. sales within a couple years.
Vertex shares rose $6.28, or about 13 percent, to $54.32 a share at 10:50 am Eastern time today after the FDA documents were made public. The FDA has until May 23 to make its decision on whether to clear the Vertex drug for sale in the U.S., so investors are clearly wagering based on the staff review that the new drug will soon get the green light.
The agency did hone in on side effects, but not in nearly as harsh a way as it often does with applications from other companies. Rash was reported in 56 percent of patients on the Vertex drug and a combination of two other standard meds, while only 32 percent had rash on the other two drugs alone, the FDA said. The rash was mostly mild to moderate, the FDA said, although it was severe 1 percent of the time, and caused 6 percent of patients in clinical trials to quit taking the new therapy. Many patients took antihistamines or topical steroids to manage the rash effect, but there wasn’t really data to assess how well that worked, the agency said. Researchers still don’t know why the drug is associated with rash.
Anemia, a condition which causes weakness and fatigue, was found in 36 percent of patients on the Veretx drug in tandem with the standard meds, while that effect was seen in just 15 percent of patients on the two standard treatments alone, the FDA said. The effect was mostly managed through reducing the dose of one of the standard medications—ribavirin—the agency said. Researchers also said patients on the new drug had a higher incidence of rectal side effects, like hemorrhoids and inflammation. Patients also experienced fatigue, nausea, headache, and diarrhea at higher rates on the Vertex drug—all pretty common stuff for many new drugs.
The FDA staff’s conclusion was about as kind as these documents get. It said Vertex submitted “substantial” evidence for its drug’s toxicology, clinical pharmacology, clinical virology, and clinical trial data. “We look forward to an interactive and productive discussion of the data,” FDA staff said.
The U.S. drug regulator said today that its analysis of data submitted from Vertex said the cure rate climbed to as high as 79 percent among patients getting their first-round of treatment with Vertex’s telaprevir and two standard drugs—a smidge higher than the 75 percent cure rate previously reported by the company. That finding, from a study known as Advance, was released in a briefing document posted online by FDA staff ahead of a public advisory committee in Silver Spring, MD this Thursday. The FDA did, however, cite two main side effects—rash and anemia—in its safety review, and a question about the rash side effect is the first one that FDA is asking its expert advisory panel on Thursday.
The FDA’s detailed review, and the input from the advisory panel, are pivotal events in the history of Vertex, which has spent more than 20 years on its fabled quest to create what one author famously described as a “billion-dollar molecule.” If Vertex can persuade the FDA that its new medicine for hepatitis C deserves a spot on the market—and most analysts predict it will—then it will be in position to make billions of dollars and change the standard of care for this chronic liver infection that affects an estimated 3 million people in the U.S. Vertex has studied telaprevir in more than 40 studies involving 4,000 patients. It lost more than $700 million last year as part of its pre-launch push, which analysts expect will yield more than $2 billion in U.S. sales within a couple years.
Vertex shares rose $6.28, or about 13 percent, to $54.32 a share at 10:50 am Eastern time today after the FDA documents were made public. The FDA has until May 23 to make its decision on whether to clear the Vertex drug for sale in the U.S., so investors are clearly wagering based on the staff review that the new drug will soon get the green light.
The agency did hone in on side effects, but not in nearly as harsh a way as it often does with applications from other companies. Rash was reported in 56 percent of patients on the Vertex drug and a combination of two other standard meds, while only 32 percent had rash on the other two drugs alone, the FDA said. The rash was mostly mild to moderate, the FDA said, although it was severe 1 percent of the time, and caused 6 percent of patients in clinical trials to quit taking the new therapy. Many patients took antihistamines or topical steroids to manage the rash effect, but there wasn’t really data to assess how well that worked, the agency said. Researchers still don’t know why the drug is associated with rash.
Anemia, a condition which causes weakness and fatigue, was found in 36 percent of patients on the Veretx drug in tandem with the standard meds, while that effect was seen in just 15 percent of patients on the two standard treatments alone, the FDA said. The effect was mostly managed through reducing the dose of one of the standard medications—ribavirin—the agency said. Researchers also said patients on the new drug had a higher incidence of rectal side effects, like hemorrhoids and inflammation. Patients also experienced fatigue, nausea, headache, and diarrhea at higher rates on the Vertex drug—all pretty common stuff for many new drugs.
The FDA staff’s conclusion was about as kind as these documents get. It said Vertex submitted “substantial” evidence for its drug’s toxicology, clinical pharmacology, clinical virology, and clinical trial data. “We look forward to an interactive and productive discussion of the data,” FDA staff said.
Active Pregnancy Benefits Baby's Heart
It's been known for a long time that exercising during pregnancy is beneficial for moms.
It prevents excessive weight gain, wards off gestational diabetes, reduces the need for instrument interventions during delivery, makes it easier to return to pre-pregnancy weight and reduces back pain, leg cramps, hemorrhoids... the list goes on.
And while fit mom = fit baby may seem logical, and has scientific validity in the first trimester - not much research has been done into long-term benefits for the babies' cardiovascular health.
A 2008 pilot study conducted by Linda May and her collaborators at the Kansas City University of Medicine collected noninvasive fetal heart measurements from 66 fetuses when their mothers reached 28, 32 and 36 weeks of a typical 40-week pregnancy. Some of the mothers engaged in moderate to vigorous aerobic activity for 30 minutes at least three times a week; others didn't exercise.
May and her team found that pregnant women who exercised at least 30 minutes three times a week had fetuses with lower heart rates (a sign of heart health) during the final weeks of development.
At 32 weeks, researchers started to see changes in heart response in the fetuses of the exercising moms. By 36 weeks, they noted what May calls a "big, significant change" -- lower heart rate and increased heart rate variability (beat-to-beat fluctuations in the rhythm of the heart - an indirect measure of heart health.)
The study results are being presented at the Experimental Biology 2011 annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
This is an encouraging study that perhaps confirms what many have suspected. Still it does provided some extra incentive to get moving and keep moving throughout the pregnancy. Sadly enough, our own health doesn't even provide enough incentive to get active. Perhaps studies like this will help spark some extra motivation in mothers-to-be.
It prevents excessive weight gain, wards off gestational diabetes, reduces the need for instrument interventions during delivery, makes it easier to return to pre-pregnancy weight and reduces back pain, leg cramps, hemorrhoids... the list goes on.
And while fit mom = fit baby may seem logical, and has scientific validity in the first trimester - not much research has been done into long-term benefits for the babies' cardiovascular health.
A 2008 pilot study conducted by Linda May and her collaborators at the Kansas City University of Medicine collected noninvasive fetal heart measurements from 66 fetuses when their mothers reached 28, 32 and 36 weeks of a typical 40-week pregnancy. Some of the mothers engaged in moderate to vigorous aerobic activity for 30 minutes at least three times a week; others didn't exercise.
May and her team found that pregnant women who exercised at least 30 minutes three times a week had fetuses with lower heart rates (a sign of heart health) during the final weeks of development.
At 32 weeks, researchers started to see changes in heart response in the fetuses of the exercising moms. By 36 weeks, they noted what May calls a "big, significant change" -- lower heart rate and increased heart rate variability (beat-to-beat fluctuations in the rhythm of the heart - an indirect measure of heart health.)
The study results are being presented at the Experimental Biology 2011 annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
This is an encouraging study that perhaps confirms what many have suspected. Still it does provided some extra incentive to get moving and keep moving throughout the pregnancy. Sadly enough, our own health doesn't even provide enough incentive to get active. Perhaps studies like this will help spark some extra motivation in mothers-to-be.
A brief history of shambolic royal weddings
“I, Diana Frances, take thee, Philip Charles …” With these words, Princess Di wed Charles Philip, who in turn promised, “all thy goods I share with thee” — instead of his own goods, that is. The Archbishop of Canterbury, presiding, overlooked the couple’s flubs, unsurprised that the stars of Britain’s biggest-ever nuptials should be suffering from jitters. Their slip-ups were minor, in the context of the Royal Family’s history: much worse things have happened at their weddings.
It’s hard to imagine, what with the minute-by-minute stage-managing of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s upcoming ceremony, but Royal weddings were once shambolic, and sometimes dangerous for those involved.
At age 19, on his wedding night, Alfred the Great, having prayed to God to replace his hemorrhoids with something less painful, was struck by a worse illness (undiagnosed at the time, but likely Crohn’s disease); it plagued him for the rest of his life. “If only I’d stuck with the hemorrhoids!” he is said to have lamented.
In 1042, King Harthacanute was drinking to the health of a bride at a wedding when he had a convulsion, keeled over and died. In 1285, at Jedburgh Castle, a ghost is said to have appeared at the feast of Alexander III’s second wedding — never a good sign in Scotland — and a few months later, when the king was riding home to his wife, he was thrown off his horse and perished.
Other Royal weddings have gone wrong because of misrepresentation. In 1307, Edward II made no pretence of caring for his new 12-year old bride, Isabella, and he upset her relatives and his own barons when he openly kissed the knight Piers Gaveston. (Twenty years later, Isabella would get her revenge and depose him.) Henry VIII felt he’d been hoodwinked by Hans Holbein’s rather-too-flattering portrait of his betrothed, Anne of Cleves, when he actually met her in 1540. Nonetheless, he went ahead with the marriage so as not to cause an international incident, but skipped the traditional bedding ceremony and later had the union annulled.
When introduced to Caroline, his bride-to-be, for the first time in 1795, George IV retreated to his apartments for brandy, feeling “unwell” from the sight of her; apparently she, in turn, was unimpressed with his girth. Lady Jersey, one of George’s many lovers, was appointed Caroline’s lady-in-waiting; she purposely made her mistress look ridiculous. On the day of their wedding, George got so plastered he had to be supported by two dukes during his vows, and he wept balefully during the ceremony. That night, he passed out by the fireplace — but not, apparently, before siring a daughter.
At least George had been able to calm his nerves. Not so with his grandmother, Augusta Saxe-Gotha, when she wed Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1736: the smallpox-marked 16-year-old, who had just arrived from Germany that day, apparently clutched the queen’s skirt in terror, and then vomited on it. At the feast afterwards, Frederick ate copious amounts of jelly (apparently believing it to be an aphrodisiac), and at the bedding ceremony — a public preparation for consummation — he wore a nightcap taller than a grenadier’s hat; perhaps his efforts were in vain, as Augusta is said to have slept well.
Frederick’s son, George (later George III), also married a teenager on the first day she arrived from Germany; Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz grew frightened when she saw his palace, but at least George spared his shy bride the public bedding.
Thankfully for William and Kate, these days, the nation has no place in the bedrooms of the state. And they’re both old enough, wise enough, and — let’s hope — in love enough that they know what they’re getting into. But any mishaps will be repeated immediately and endlessly on the Web. At the time of writing, one betting firm is giving 19-to-1 odds that William will drop the wedding ring — not really that high for a right royal screw-up. No pressure, young Wills: only the world is watching.
It’s hard to imagine, what with the minute-by-minute stage-managing of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s upcoming ceremony, but Royal weddings were once shambolic, and sometimes dangerous for those involved.
At age 19, on his wedding night, Alfred the Great, having prayed to God to replace his hemorrhoids with something less painful, was struck by a worse illness (undiagnosed at the time, but likely Crohn’s disease); it plagued him for the rest of his life. “If only I’d stuck with the hemorrhoids!” he is said to have lamented.
In 1042, King Harthacanute was drinking to the health of a bride at a wedding when he had a convulsion, keeled over and died. In 1285, at Jedburgh Castle, a ghost is said to have appeared at the feast of Alexander III’s second wedding — never a good sign in Scotland — and a few months later, when the king was riding home to his wife, he was thrown off his horse and perished.
Other Royal weddings have gone wrong because of misrepresentation. In 1307, Edward II made no pretence of caring for his new 12-year old bride, Isabella, and he upset her relatives and his own barons when he openly kissed the knight Piers Gaveston. (Twenty years later, Isabella would get her revenge and depose him.) Henry VIII felt he’d been hoodwinked by Hans Holbein’s rather-too-flattering portrait of his betrothed, Anne of Cleves, when he actually met her in 1540. Nonetheless, he went ahead with the marriage so as not to cause an international incident, but skipped the traditional bedding ceremony and later had the union annulled.
When introduced to Caroline, his bride-to-be, for the first time in 1795, George IV retreated to his apartments for brandy, feeling “unwell” from the sight of her; apparently she, in turn, was unimpressed with his girth. Lady Jersey, one of George’s many lovers, was appointed Caroline’s lady-in-waiting; she purposely made her mistress look ridiculous. On the day of their wedding, George got so plastered he had to be supported by two dukes during his vows, and he wept balefully during the ceremony. That night, he passed out by the fireplace — but not, apparently, before siring a daughter.
At least George had been able to calm his nerves. Not so with his grandmother, Augusta Saxe-Gotha, when she wed Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1736: the smallpox-marked 16-year-old, who had just arrived from Germany that day, apparently clutched the queen’s skirt in terror, and then vomited on it. At the feast afterwards, Frederick ate copious amounts of jelly (apparently believing it to be an aphrodisiac), and at the bedding ceremony — a public preparation for consummation — he wore a nightcap taller than a grenadier’s hat; perhaps his efforts were in vain, as Augusta is said to have slept well.
Frederick’s son, George (later George III), also married a teenager on the first day she arrived from Germany; Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz grew frightened when she saw his palace, but at least George spared his shy bride the public bedding.
Thankfully for William and Kate, these days, the nation has no place in the bedrooms of the state. And they’re both old enough, wise enough, and — let’s hope — in love enough that they know what they’re getting into. But any mishaps will be repeated immediately and endlessly on the Web. At the time of writing, one betting firm is giving 19-to-1 odds that William will drop the wedding ring — not really that high for a right royal screw-up. No pressure, young Wills: only the world is watching.
2011年4月24日星期日
Health Canada issues warning about benzocaine
Health Canada says it is taking a closer look at the safety of benzocaine products, in light of reports of odd and sometimes dangerous reactions to the pain reliever.
It's also reminding caregivers about risks associated with use of topical benzocaine products, including a rare but potentially serious blood condition known as methomoglobinemia.
Benzocaine is found in some common over-the-counter anti-itch creams, sprays to relieve pain from sore throats, creams to relieve the pain of burns, insect bites, and hemorrhoids, as well as in mouth gels for teething and toothache pain as well as canker sores and irritation of the mouth.
They are also used during surgical and dental procedures to numb the mouth and throat.
The agency says it first warned about the small but serious risk of methemoglobinemia, or MetHb, in November 2006. MetHb is a condition in which red blood cells suddenly lose the ability to deliver oxygen throughout the body. In the most severe cases, methemoglobinemia can result in death.
Health Canada says it has since received seven reports of serious adverse reactions linked to topical benzocaine -- including four reports of MetHb.
It warned caregivers and users of benzocaine products to watch for the signs and symptoms of MetHb, which can include pale, grey- or blue-coloured skin, lips, or nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; nausea; and change in heart rate.
"These symptoms can appear within minutes or one to two hours after benzocaine use, and can occur after the first or several uses. In rare severe cases, MetHb can progress to stupor, coma and possibly death," the agency said in a statement Tuesday.
Other reported side effects associated with topical benzocaine products include breathing or swallowing difficulties, a swollen tongue or mouth, irregular heartbeat, malaise, body twitching, hypersensitivity, burning, redness, itching, rash and irritation at the site of administration.
These side effects can occur to anyone who is sensitive to benzocaine, and can occur regardless of the type of product used or the strength of the benzocaine concentration.
Anyone experiencing symptoms is advised to seek medical attention, Health Canada said.
To report suspected adverse reaction to these or other health products, please contact Health Canada's Canada Vigilance Program toll-free at 1-866-234-2345, or complete a Canada Vigilance Reporting Form
The Food and Drug Administration issued a similar warning earlier this month when it noted that it continues to receive reports of MetHb.
It's also reminding caregivers about risks associated with use of topical benzocaine products, including a rare but potentially serious blood condition known as methomoglobinemia.
Benzocaine is found in some common over-the-counter anti-itch creams, sprays to relieve pain from sore throats, creams to relieve the pain of burns, insect bites, and hemorrhoids, as well as in mouth gels for teething and toothache pain as well as canker sores and irritation of the mouth.
They are also used during surgical and dental procedures to numb the mouth and throat.
The agency says it first warned about the small but serious risk of methemoglobinemia, or MetHb, in November 2006. MetHb is a condition in which red blood cells suddenly lose the ability to deliver oxygen throughout the body. In the most severe cases, methemoglobinemia can result in death.
Health Canada says it has since received seven reports of serious adverse reactions linked to topical benzocaine -- including four reports of MetHb.
It warned caregivers and users of benzocaine products to watch for the signs and symptoms of MetHb, which can include pale, grey- or blue-coloured skin, lips, or nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; nausea; and change in heart rate.
"These symptoms can appear within minutes or one to two hours after benzocaine use, and can occur after the first or several uses. In rare severe cases, MetHb can progress to stupor, coma and possibly death," the agency said in a statement Tuesday.
Other reported side effects associated with topical benzocaine products include breathing or swallowing difficulties, a swollen tongue or mouth, irregular heartbeat, malaise, body twitching, hypersensitivity, burning, redness, itching, rash and irritation at the site of administration.
These side effects can occur to anyone who is sensitive to benzocaine, and can occur regardless of the type of product used or the strength of the benzocaine concentration.
Anyone experiencing symptoms is advised to seek medical attention, Health Canada said.
To report suspected adverse reaction to these or other health products, please contact Health Canada's Canada Vigilance Program toll-free at 1-866-234-2345, or complete a Canada Vigilance Reporting Form
The Food and Drug Administration issued a similar warning earlier this month when it noted that it continues to receive reports of MetHb.
2011年4月23日星期六
What you need to know
There are few things more beautiful than a pregnant woman -- from a distance. Once you get closer, you tend to notice most expectant mothers are covered with bristly hairs, blotchy patches and a multitude of skin tags. As wondrous and miraculous as pregnancy may be, it also ushers in changes so intense they make puberty look like a cakewalk. Come along as we examine the many terrifying ways your wife's body will change during her pregnancy.
She'll turn into a gasbag
You know the way you feel after eating five pounds of bratwurst? Your wife will likely feel the same way during the duration of her pregnancy as she combats excessive bloating and rising gas levels. The average person passes gas 14 to 23 times a day, but pregnant women often double that odiferous output thanks to higher-than-usual levels of progesterone. This hormone relaxes smooth muscle tissue in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby making your wife sound -- and smell -- like she's just returned from a chili-eating contest. Complicating matters further is the fact that a woman's growing uterus crowds her abdominal cavity, slowing digestion and causing painful bloating.
She'll drool
It's every man's dream to have women drooling all over him, and in pregnancy, that's precisely what happens. Many pregnant women suffer from ptyalism, a hormonal condition that leads to excessive saliva production. Ptyalism occurs most often during the first trimester, but it does affect some women during the full duration of their pregnancy, making their saliva almost as hard to swallow as your story about where you were until 3:00 am.
She'll gain weight
It's perfectly natural for a woman to gain weight during pregnancy, but some men aren't adequately prepared for the sheer number of pounds their spouse packs on. According to the latest data from the Institute of Medicine, the average healthy woman should gain between 25 to 35 pounds during her pregnancy. Approximately seven of those pounds should be the baby itself, with the rest of the weight divided among the placenta, the amniotic fluid, the muscle layer of the uterus, additional fluid and blood, and the 57 pints of Chunky Monkey she ate during her last trimester.
She'll experience hemorrhoids
Pregnancy can be challenging at the best of times, but for many women, it's literally a pain in the ass. That's because a woman's growing uterus puts pressure on her pelvic veins, thereby slowing the return of blood from the lower half of her body and increasing the pressure on the veins beneath her uterus. This causes the veins to become more dilated and can result in painful hemorrhoids and constipation. This problem is further complicated by the pressure exerted on a woman's rectum from her growing baby. Add it all up, and it's easy to see why so many women have difficulty getting comfortable during the later stages of their pregnancy.
She'll develop hobbit feet
You know what they say about men with big feet? Of course you do. You've been saying it ever since you noticed you had the largest feet among all your friends. But do you know what they say about women with big feet? They're probably pregnant. That's because pregnant women suffer from edema, an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin. This condition can cause swelling of the hands and face, but it's especially evident in a pregnant woman's feet and ankles since her rapidly growing uterus puts pressure on her pelvic veins causing blood to pool in her lower extremities. Edema generally occurs during the third trimester and is at its worst in warm weather and at the end of the day. The swelling usually disappears after childbirth, but some women find that their feet never return to their original size.
She'll develop a mask
Many men believe their wives have two faces, and in pregnancy, they often do. Pregnant women frequently experience something called chloasma, which is the appearance of brownish or yellowish patches on the forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks. Often referred to as "the mask of pregnancy," chloasma occurs when a woman's hormones prompt the melanin cells in the skin to produce more pigment but fail to distribute it uniformly, making it look as though they've applied their makeup in the dark. This condition generally subsides a few months after pregnancy and is far more likely to affect women with dark hair and darker complexions.
She'll become a marked woman
The same factors that produce chloasma also produce linea nigra, a dark line that runs from a pregnant woman's bellybutton to her pubic bone. The line eventually fades a few months after pregnancy, but until that time, it tends to look as though your wife has been drawing on her belly with a magic marker.
Her boobs will take on a life of their own
Nearly every man trembles with anticipation when he imagines how robust his wife's breasts will become during pregnancy. And rightly so. Most women do jump up one or two cup sizes. But not all of the changes to your wife's bikini stuffers are welcome. For starters, pregnancy causes prominent bluish veins to appear under the skin's surface, making your wife's breasts look like a road map of Tennessee. The areola also darkens and increases in size, the nipples become distended and the breasts often begin leaking a thick yellowish liquid called colostrum. Most of these symptoms subside after a woman stops breastfeeding, but it generally takes a while before your wife's perky little blouse bunnies return to their natural size and shape.
She'll break out
Pregnant women produce higher levels of hormones called androgens, which boost production of an oily substance called sebum. This, in turn, causes acne, thereby making your wife look like a knocked-up high-school student. Approximately 1% of pregnant women also experience red pimply eruptions on their abdomen, thighs and extremities. This rather unseemly condition is called pruritic urticarial papules, and it tends to disappear post-pregnancy.
She'll develop skin tags
Personal growth is usually a good thing, but not when it comes to skin tags. Many pregnant women develop these tiny flesh-colored polyps in areas where skin rubs together, like under their breasts, in their armpits and between neck folds. These harmless protrusions are caused by the growth of a superficial layer of skin, but unlike hemorrhoids and darkened areolas, they don't always disappear post-delivery.
She'll spend half of her day in the washroom
Remember the good old days when your wife could go hours at a time without using the washroom even once? Those days are long gone. The amount of blood in a woman's body increases exponentially when she becomes pregnant, leading to plenty of extra fluid passing through her kidneys and ending up in her bladder. As the baby grows larger, your wife's bladder will also begin holding less urine, making frequent dashes to the ladies' room an absolute necessity. On the positive side, it does allow you to seize the remote control while she dashes to the loo.
She'll turn into a gasbag
You know the way you feel after eating five pounds of bratwurst? Your wife will likely feel the same way during the duration of her pregnancy as she combats excessive bloating and rising gas levels. The average person passes gas 14 to 23 times a day, but pregnant women often double that odiferous output thanks to higher-than-usual levels of progesterone. This hormone relaxes smooth muscle tissue in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby making your wife sound -- and smell -- like she's just returned from a chili-eating contest. Complicating matters further is the fact that a woman's growing uterus crowds her abdominal cavity, slowing digestion and causing painful bloating.
She'll drool
It's every man's dream to have women drooling all over him, and in pregnancy, that's precisely what happens. Many pregnant women suffer from ptyalism, a hormonal condition that leads to excessive saliva production. Ptyalism occurs most often during the first trimester, but it does affect some women during the full duration of their pregnancy, making their saliva almost as hard to swallow as your story about where you were until 3:00 am.
She'll gain weight
It's perfectly natural for a woman to gain weight during pregnancy, but some men aren't adequately prepared for the sheer number of pounds their spouse packs on. According to the latest data from the Institute of Medicine, the average healthy woman should gain between 25 to 35 pounds during her pregnancy. Approximately seven of those pounds should be the baby itself, with the rest of the weight divided among the placenta, the amniotic fluid, the muscle layer of the uterus, additional fluid and blood, and the 57 pints of Chunky Monkey she ate during her last trimester.
She'll experience hemorrhoids
Pregnancy can be challenging at the best of times, but for many women, it's literally a pain in the ass. That's because a woman's growing uterus puts pressure on her pelvic veins, thereby slowing the return of blood from the lower half of her body and increasing the pressure on the veins beneath her uterus. This causes the veins to become more dilated and can result in painful hemorrhoids and constipation. This problem is further complicated by the pressure exerted on a woman's rectum from her growing baby. Add it all up, and it's easy to see why so many women have difficulty getting comfortable during the later stages of their pregnancy.
She'll develop hobbit feet
You know what they say about men with big feet? Of course you do. You've been saying it ever since you noticed you had the largest feet among all your friends. But do you know what they say about women with big feet? They're probably pregnant. That's because pregnant women suffer from edema, an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin. This condition can cause swelling of the hands and face, but it's especially evident in a pregnant woman's feet and ankles since her rapidly growing uterus puts pressure on her pelvic veins causing blood to pool in her lower extremities. Edema generally occurs during the third trimester and is at its worst in warm weather and at the end of the day. The swelling usually disappears after childbirth, but some women find that their feet never return to their original size.
She'll develop a mask
Many men believe their wives have two faces, and in pregnancy, they often do. Pregnant women frequently experience something called chloasma, which is the appearance of brownish or yellowish patches on the forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks. Often referred to as "the mask of pregnancy," chloasma occurs when a woman's hormones prompt the melanin cells in the skin to produce more pigment but fail to distribute it uniformly, making it look as though they've applied their makeup in the dark. This condition generally subsides a few months after pregnancy and is far more likely to affect women with dark hair and darker complexions.
She'll become a marked woman
The same factors that produce chloasma also produce linea nigra, a dark line that runs from a pregnant woman's bellybutton to her pubic bone. The line eventually fades a few months after pregnancy, but until that time, it tends to look as though your wife has been drawing on her belly with a magic marker.
Her boobs will take on a life of their own
Nearly every man trembles with anticipation when he imagines how robust his wife's breasts will become during pregnancy. And rightly so. Most women do jump up one or two cup sizes. But not all of the changes to your wife's bikini stuffers are welcome. For starters, pregnancy causes prominent bluish veins to appear under the skin's surface, making your wife's breasts look like a road map of Tennessee. The areola also darkens and increases in size, the nipples become distended and the breasts often begin leaking a thick yellowish liquid called colostrum. Most of these symptoms subside after a woman stops breastfeeding, but it generally takes a while before your wife's perky little blouse bunnies return to their natural size and shape.
She'll break out
Pregnant women produce higher levels of hormones called androgens, which boost production of an oily substance called sebum. This, in turn, causes acne, thereby making your wife look like a knocked-up high-school student. Approximately 1% of pregnant women also experience red pimply eruptions on their abdomen, thighs and extremities. This rather unseemly condition is called pruritic urticarial papules, and it tends to disappear post-pregnancy.
She'll develop skin tags
Personal growth is usually a good thing, but not when it comes to skin tags. Many pregnant women develop these tiny flesh-colored polyps in areas where skin rubs together, like under their breasts, in their armpits and between neck folds. These harmless protrusions are caused by the growth of a superficial layer of skin, but unlike hemorrhoids and darkened areolas, they don't always disappear post-delivery.
She'll spend half of her day in the washroom
Remember the good old days when your wife could go hours at a time without using the washroom even once? Those days are long gone. The amount of blood in a woman's body increases exponentially when she becomes pregnant, leading to plenty of extra fluid passing through her kidneys and ending up in her bladder. As the baby grows larger, your wife's bladder will also begin holding less urine, making frequent dashes to the ladies' room an absolute necessity. On the positive side, it does allow you to seize the remote control while she dashes to the loo.
Health Canada reminds Canadians of health risks associated with topical benzocaine products
Health Canada continues to receive reports of benzocaine-related adverse reactions, including MetHb. We continue to evaluate the safety of benzocaine products in light of these reports and will take appropriate regulatory actions as warranted.
Topical benzocaine products are available over-the-counter in various concentrations and formulations, including sprays, gels, liquids and creams, and are used to relieve pain from a variety of conditions such as sore throats, teething, toothache, canker sores, irritation of the mouth and gums, burns, insect bites, itching, and hemorrhoids. They are also used by healthcare practitioners during surgical, dental and other medical procedures to numb the mouth and throat.
MetHb reduces the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout the body. Signs and symptoms of MetHb include pale, grey or blue-coloured skin, lips, or nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; nausea; and change in heart rate. These symptoms can appear within minutes or one to two hours after benzocaine use, and can occur after the first or several uses. In rare severe cases, MetHb can progress to stupor, coma and possibly death.
Other reported side effects associated with topical benzocaine products include breathing or swallowing difficulties, a swollen tongue or mouth, irregular heartbeat, malaise, body twitching, hypersensitivity, burning, redness, itching, rash, and irritation at the site of administration. These effects can occur with any topical benzocaine product, regardless of product type or benzocaine concentration, in sensitive individuals.
As with any health product, Canadians are reminded to carefully read and follow the instructions for product use. If you think you or your child may be experiencing a side effect, including signs or symptoms of methemoglobinemia, seek medical attention. If you have questions or concerns about a topical benzocaine product, speak to a healthcare practitioner.
Health Canada first communicated the risk of MetHb in a Public Advisory and Notice to Hospitals in November 2006. Since that time, Health Canada has received seven reports of serious adverse reactions involving topical benzocaine, four of which were reports of benzocaine-induced MetHb in adults.
Topical benzocaine products are available over-the-counter in various concentrations and formulations, including sprays, gels, liquids and creams, and are used to relieve pain from a variety of conditions such as sore throats, teething, toothache, canker sores, irritation of the mouth and gums, burns, insect bites, itching, and hemorrhoids. They are also used by healthcare practitioners during surgical, dental and other medical procedures to numb the mouth and throat.
MetHb reduces the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout the body. Signs and symptoms of MetHb include pale, grey or blue-coloured skin, lips, or nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; nausea; and change in heart rate. These symptoms can appear within minutes or one to two hours after benzocaine use, and can occur after the first or several uses. In rare severe cases, MetHb can progress to stupor, coma and possibly death.
Other reported side effects associated with topical benzocaine products include breathing or swallowing difficulties, a swollen tongue or mouth, irregular heartbeat, malaise, body twitching, hypersensitivity, burning, redness, itching, rash, and irritation at the site of administration. These effects can occur with any topical benzocaine product, regardless of product type or benzocaine concentration, in sensitive individuals.
As with any health product, Canadians are reminded to carefully read and follow the instructions for product use. If you think you or your child may be experiencing a side effect, including signs or symptoms of methemoglobinemia, seek medical attention. If you have questions or concerns about a topical benzocaine product, speak to a healthcare practitioner.
Health Canada first communicated the risk of MetHb in a Public Advisory and Notice to Hospitals in November 2006. Since that time, Health Canada has received seven reports of serious adverse reactions involving topical benzocaine, four of which were reports of benzocaine-induced MetHb in adults.
The Great American Trance
A while back I was talking about Alcoholics Anonymous to someone who'd been mandated to attend a DWI program, and he said with righteous conviction, "I hate A.A. It's all brainwashing."
I looked at his Hummer, his expensive, name-brand watch, and then at him. "And you don't think you're brainwashed now?" I asked.
He didn't answer. But as we walked down the street, our conversation was forcibly interrupted by bus-stop billboards, ads stapled to telephone poles, and posters in store windows pushing products that will make us happier, wealthier and more virile. Nearly everyone was on cellphones, hooked to iPods, or texting. It occurred to me that it wasn't just him. We're all walking in trance. We're so inured to being sold that we don't even know it's happening because most of it occurs below the level of consciousness.
It was not the first time the thought occurred to me, but it was the first time it really concerned me. Americans are in a deep state of trance. And it's not a good one. For the most part, we are benumbed, befuddled or afraid.
Considering the state of our economy, our bungled and cowering political presence in the world, and the simple fact that we are at war, a trance of that sort is precisely the opposite state of mind we need to cultivate.
This cultural trance is made vivid in my work. I can only do so much with a person who comes to me complaining about poor self-esteem, when everything in our culture tells her that she truly is nothing if she's not high-breasted, full-lipped and simultaneously powerful and oh-so down-homey.
In contemplating my conversation with the fellow who loved his Hummer but hated brainwashing, I came up with several pathologies that have come to characterize American culture and may offer some explanation as to why our economy is failing and our political presence in the world is a joke.
Trance #1: The Next Osama Syndrome
The trance of viral fear is the drive shaft of the American Economy. It tells us that the next catastrophe is right around the corner, unless...
It's a simple formula: We buy things (even though it puts us in debt) because we believe we need them. We believe we need them because we're afraid of something terrible happening if we don't have them. We get convinced that not having them puts us at grave risk -- for attack, hemorrhoids, loneliness, heart failure or social scorn. We pour more pharmaceuticals into our bodies than ever, yet we have more heart disease, autism, panic attacks, isolation and asthma in this country than ever before. And with all the surveillance, bombs and barricades we've erected around us, we are still the most frightened we've ever been -- and the most vulnerable. It is an awful irony how little all that fear has done to actually protect us.
The problem is this: When we're afraid in that way (chronically, pervasively and pointlessly), we're needy. And when we're needy like that, we'll buy anything, including bad ideas, such as Chamberlain's idea to carve up Czechoslovakia so that Hitler wouldn't be so mad at us: "If we just give him what he wants, he'll leave us alone." That's not diplomacy or statesmanship. And it wasn't just stupid; it was cowardly. And it led to the deaths of nearly 55 million people, with most of Europe flying the swastika. Fear has an enormous price tag spiritually, emotionally and, yes, politically, in real, concrete terms.
This is the trance of "I need more." It is unrestrained consumption and growth. We guzzle without compunction. On the physical level, we are a country overflowing with cancer, psoriasis and diabetes. We are collectively more entitled than ever, more comfortable than any other group of people in history. Our garages are filled to overflowing, but on the emotional and spiritual level, we are becoming bankrupt.
The origin of it is subtle. You -- me -- we identify with what we have more than with who we are and what we offer our communities, each other and God. If we don't have the clothing, the car or the house that reflects our chosen image to the world, we have nothing. Worse, we are nothing. (It is a unique form of idolatry in the history of humanity. We have come to idolize our own images.)
Because of our need for more, our whole culture is now based on one of the few economic devices the Bible disallows: usury. Yet, we can't stop putting things on credit no matter what the interest. We can't stop buying. This is not just greed or gluttony, although greed and gluttony are certainly part of the picture. It is pure delusion on a pervasive scale.
Trance #3: The Eruption Of Ugly
There has never been a nation of more deliberately sculpted beauty (except, perhaps, Rome) or a culture that has spent more money on beauty because it is convinced that it is ugly.
Women starve themselves, men fill themselves with toxins, people of all ages spend hours in front of mirrors terrified of being unattractive, as if our sexual desirability determined our worth in the world. So many of my patients, who are in reality quite beautiful, believe themselves to be monstrous, unlovable, deformed. That is a true torture.
The truth is that we haven't a clue about what is really attractive or beautiful. And we miss all the real opportunities for love and worthiness, which has far less to do with plumped lips or six-pack abs than service, humility and kindness. One of the most beautiful people I know has a profound deformity because of scoliosis. But because of her kindness, her open heart and her sense of humor, she shines in a way few others do.
Finally, we have the deepest expression of all this pathology. Because of all these other pathologies, we're also exceedingly self-centered. We're simultaneously insecure and entitled. And when we don't get what we want -- because we have no center, believe that we need the next it-thing to fill up that empty space and are afraid and self-loathing -- we become violent. Rage is the American pastime. One spin of the remote control is all the demonstration you need to verify that.
What can we do with this?
First things first: We wake up. We start to pay proper attention to the media in which we are bathing and the suggestions we are swallowing heedlessly. We look and see. We listen and hear. We are touched and we feel. Trance makes us insensate. A firm, intrapsychic pinch would be good for us.
Secondly, we return to spiritual basics. We cultivate a stable center; we look up with awe instead of at ourselves in the mirror or at the stuff we've accumulated. We remind ourselves that we are not the center of the universe. Something else is and that it centers us.
For me, the third is faith. When I can put my faith in something beyond myself, there is nothing to fear. When I can trust that a benevolent Creator is running the show, I can relax in the moment. This includes an understanding that I have a beginning and an end here, that I am mortal, and that one way or another this train will pull into the last station. For me, with faith, that is more than a statement of fact. It is a promise of something better. Other people have other spiritual platforms, but it eventually brings us to the same ground wire. With a bigger context for our existence, we can relax. We are not our stuff. We don't have to buy anything. We don't have to run away anymore. And we can be prepared and present instead of paralyzed with panic. Besides cowardice, the other thing Chamberlain showed when he gave up Europe to a maniac was a profound lack of faith in righteousness.
The fourth and perhaps most difficult for Americans is a correctness of desire. The medicine for unrestrained want is gratitude. That means we have to do a reality check when we pull out our credit cards and ask ourselves: Do we need this? What is it that we are really longing for? When is it enough?
To try to address this, to adjust our perspectives, my husband and I make a point of sitting with each other and the dogs quietly, especially in the warmer weather, where we are outside. We don't have an agenda. We don't wear watches. We just sit. And we are grateful beyond words. (He thinks it is an especially good thing when I am "beyond words.")
We are creatures of culture, but the good news is that our culture is created in equal proportion by us. While "As above, so below" is true, it is equally true to say, "As below, so above." We can't blame this on our leaders or lack thereof. This is us. We still have time to wake up America, even if it's one person at a time.
I looked at his Hummer, his expensive, name-brand watch, and then at him. "And you don't think you're brainwashed now?" I asked.
He didn't answer. But as we walked down the street, our conversation was forcibly interrupted by bus-stop billboards, ads stapled to telephone poles, and posters in store windows pushing products that will make us happier, wealthier and more virile. Nearly everyone was on cellphones, hooked to iPods, or texting. It occurred to me that it wasn't just him. We're all walking in trance. We're so inured to being sold that we don't even know it's happening because most of it occurs below the level of consciousness.
It was not the first time the thought occurred to me, but it was the first time it really concerned me. Americans are in a deep state of trance. And it's not a good one. For the most part, we are benumbed, befuddled or afraid.
Considering the state of our economy, our bungled and cowering political presence in the world, and the simple fact that we are at war, a trance of that sort is precisely the opposite state of mind we need to cultivate.
This cultural trance is made vivid in my work. I can only do so much with a person who comes to me complaining about poor self-esteem, when everything in our culture tells her that she truly is nothing if she's not high-breasted, full-lipped and simultaneously powerful and oh-so down-homey.
In contemplating my conversation with the fellow who loved his Hummer but hated brainwashing, I came up with several pathologies that have come to characterize American culture and may offer some explanation as to why our economy is failing and our political presence in the world is a joke.
Trance #1: The Next Osama Syndrome
The trance of viral fear is the drive shaft of the American Economy. It tells us that the next catastrophe is right around the corner, unless...
It's a simple formula: We buy things (even though it puts us in debt) because we believe we need them. We believe we need them because we're afraid of something terrible happening if we don't have them. We get convinced that not having them puts us at grave risk -- for attack, hemorrhoids, loneliness, heart failure or social scorn. We pour more pharmaceuticals into our bodies than ever, yet we have more heart disease, autism, panic attacks, isolation and asthma in this country than ever before. And with all the surveillance, bombs and barricades we've erected around us, we are still the most frightened we've ever been -- and the most vulnerable. It is an awful irony how little all that fear has done to actually protect us.
The problem is this: When we're afraid in that way (chronically, pervasively and pointlessly), we're needy. And when we're needy like that, we'll buy anything, including bad ideas, such as Chamberlain's idea to carve up Czechoslovakia so that Hitler wouldn't be so mad at us: "If we just give him what he wants, he'll leave us alone." That's not diplomacy or statesmanship. And it wasn't just stupid; it was cowardly. And it led to the deaths of nearly 55 million people, with most of Europe flying the swastika. Fear has an enormous price tag spiritually, emotionally and, yes, politically, in real, concrete terms.
This is the trance of "I need more." It is unrestrained consumption and growth. We guzzle without compunction. On the physical level, we are a country overflowing with cancer, psoriasis and diabetes. We are collectively more entitled than ever, more comfortable than any other group of people in history. Our garages are filled to overflowing, but on the emotional and spiritual level, we are becoming bankrupt.
The origin of it is subtle. You -- me -- we identify with what we have more than with who we are and what we offer our communities, each other and God. If we don't have the clothing, the car or the house that reflects our chosen image to the world, we have nothing. Worse, we are nothing. (It is a unique form of idolatry in the history of humanity. We have come to idolize our own images.)
Because of our need for more, our whole culture is now based on one of the few economic devices the Bible disallows: usury. Yet, we can't stop putting things on credit no matter what the interest. We can't stop buying. This is not just greed or gluttony, although greed and gluttony are certainly part of the picture. It is pure delusion on a pervasive scale.
Trance #3: The Eruption Of Ugly
There has never been a nation of more deliberately sculpted beauty (except, perhaps, Rome) or a culture that has spent more money on beauty because it is convinced that it is ugly.
Women starve themselves, men fill themselves with toxins, people of all ages spend hours in front of mirrors terrified of being unattractive, as if our sexual desirability determined our worth in the world. So many of my patients, who are in reality quite beautiful, believe themselves to be monstrous, unlovable, deformed. That is a true torture.
The truth is that we haven't a clue about what is really attractive or beautiful. And we miss all the real opportunities for love and worthiness, which has far less to do with plumped lips or six-pack abs than service, humility and kindness. One of the most beautiful people I know has a profound deformity because of scoliosis. But because of her kindness, her open heart and her sense of humor, she shines in a way few others do.
Finally, we have the deepest expression of all this pathology. Because of all these other pathologies, we're also exceedingly self-centered. We're simultaneously insecure and entitled. And when we don't get what we want -- because we have no center, believe that we need the next it-thing to fill up that empty space and are afraid and self-loathing -- we become violent. Rage is the American pastime. One spin of the remote control is all the demonstration you need to verify that.
What can we do with this?
First things first: We wake up. We start to pay proper attention to the media in which we are bathing and the suggestions we are swallowing heedlessly. We look and see. We listen and hear. We are touched and we feel. Trance makes us insensate. A firm, intrapsychic pinch would be good for us.
Secondly, we return to spiritual basics. We cultivate a stable center; we look up with awe instead of at ourselves in the mirror or at the stuff we've accumulated. We remind ourselves that we are not the center of the universe. Something else is and that it centers us.
For me, the third is faith. When I can put my faith in something beyond myself, there is nothing to fear. When I can trust that a benevolent Creator is running the show, I can relax in the moment. This includes an understanding that I have a beginning and an end here, that I am mortal, and that one way or another this train will pull into the last station. For me, with faith, that is more than a statement of fact. It is a promise of something better. Other people have other spiritual platforms, but it eventually brings us to the same ground wire. With a bigger context for our existence, we can relax. We are not our stuff. We don't have to buy anything. We don't have to run away anymore. And we can be prepared and present instead of paralyzed with panic. Besides cowardice, the other thing Chamberlain showed when he gave up Europe to a maniac was a profound lack of faith in righteousness.
The fourth and perhaps most difficult for Americans is a correctness of desire. The medicine for unrestrained want is gratitude. That means we have to do a reality check when we pull out our credit cards and ask ourselves: Do we need this? What is it that we are really longing for? When is it enough?
To try to address this, to adjust our perspectives, my husband and I make a point of sitting with each other and the dogs quietly, especially in the warmer weather, where we are outside. We don't have an agenda. We don't wear watches. We just sit. And we are grateful beyond words. (He thinks it is an especially good thing when I am "beyond words.")
We are creatures of culture, but the good news is that our culture is created in equal proportion by us. While "As above, so below" is true, it is equally true to say, "As below, so above." We can't blame this on our leaders or lack thereof. This is us. We still have time to wake up America, even if it's one person at a time.
Guaranteed Treatment for Easing Comforts Over Agonizing Painful Hemorrhoids
Many people are now victims of some kinds of hemorrhoids with every busy life schedule and hectic eating disorders. The painful agonies associated with particular kinds of hemorrhoids are most common among the sufferers. Burning, itching, bleeding along with physical discomforts are more common symptoms which diverts attention and the sufferer feels much depression as a result.
With the development of Medicinal Science and associated innovations, hemorrhoids are still best treated with natural treatments. Not only this natural flavinoids and astringents provide ample of relief from the physical discomforts associated with hemorrhoids. Anti-inflammatory properties associated with naturally available herbs and shrubs come to great relief for treatments of painful and bleeding hemorrhoids. With intrinsic research and combination of 10 naturally active ingredients Hemmorx has developed a new line of guaranteed solutions for treatment of painful hemorrhoids. Any sufferer can enjoy no more pain, no more inflammation, no more swelling or even no more painful lumps with this revolutionary product. Developed with careful and pertinent research over 14 months, the treatment offered by Hemmorx can be as a boon for all hemorrhoid sufferers.
With revolutionary blend of naturally active ingredients and minerals this particular treatment can come as a handy help for the victims of hemorrhoids. With efferent solutions and a great product, any person can expect ample of comfort within 48 to 72 hours of treatment. Being natural extracts, this product has little side effects and there by one looses nothing except the pain and discomfort. The treatment is guaranteed for results and even proffered with 120 days money back guarantee over non-satisfaction. One forgets the agonizing symptoms of burning, itching and bleeding within hours. This comes as a real boon in disguise for all sufferers of unfamiliar and unwanted hemorrhoid discomforts.
Offering their break-through solutions for active treatment of hemorrhoids, a spokesperson from Hemmorx explains, - “We offer all natural treatments for bleeding and itching hemorrhoids. Our product is completely safe for human consumption and guaranteed for optimum results within hours. The natural flavinoids and anti-inflammatory products as ingredients selected from renowned species of herbs and shrubs from around the world we offer a great deal of comfort for any hemorrhoid victims. Our treatment products are field tested for guaranteed satisfaction and even if you become unsatisfied for any reason we have amazing 120 days money back assured on return. We have great deal of faith on our product and we profusely announce effective treatment for this utter discomfort. In recent times, being a victim of hemorrhoids is quite common and with our treatment we ensure reliable and comfortable treatment with active results.”
With the development of Medicinal Science and associated innovations, hemorrhoids are still best treated with natural treatments. Not only this natural flavinoids and astringents provide ample of relief from the physical discomforts associated with hemorrhoids. Anti-inflammatory properties associated with naturally available herbs and shrubs come to great relief for treatments of painful and bleeding hemorrhoids. With intrinsic research and combination of 10 naturally active ingredients Hemmorx has developed a new line of guaranteed solutions for treatment of painful hemorrhoids. Any sufferer can enjoy no more pain, no more inflammation, no more swelling or even no more painful lumps with this revolutionary product. Developed with careful and pertinent research over 14 months, the treatment offered by Hemmorx can be as a boon for all hemorrhoid sufferers.
With revolutionary blend of naturally active ingredients and minerals this particular treatment can come as a handy help for the victims of hemorrhoids. With efferent solutions and a great product, any person can expect ample of comfort within 48 to 72 hours of treatment. Being natural extracts, this product has little side effects and there by one looses nothing except the pain and discomfort. The treatment is guaranteed for results and even proffered with 120 days money back guarantee over non-satisfaction. One forgets the agonizing symptoms of burning, itching and bleeding within hours. This comes as a real boon in disguise for all sufferers of unfamiliar and unwanted hemorrhoid discomforts.
Offering their break-through solutions for active treatment of hemorrhoids, a spokesperson from Hemmorx explains, - “We offer all natural treatments for bleeding and itching hemorrhoids. Our product is completely safe for human consumption and guaranteed for optimum results within hours. The natural flavinoids and anti-inflammatory products as ingredients selected from renowned species of herbs and shrubs from around the world we offer a great deal of comfort for any hemorrhoid victims. Our treatment products are field tested for guaranteed satisfaction and even if you become unsatisfied for any reason we have amazing 120 days money back assured on return. We have great deal of faith on our product and we profusely announce effective treatment for this utter discomfort. In recent times, being a victim of hemorrhoids is quite common and with our treatment we ensure reliable and comfortable treatment with active results.”
2011年4月21日星期四
How to Know If You're Suffering from Hemorrhoids Read more on Newsmax.com: How to Know If You're Suffering from Hemorrhoids Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!
Hemorrhoids are a painful condition and one that many people do not feel comfortable discussing. The following symptoms could be a good indication that you have hemorrhoids and may need to see a doctor or seek treatment:
1. Blood in your stool is one of the first indicators that there is a problem. Blood masses under the skin make a hard painful lump that can be felt when sitting for long periods or straining to pass a bowel movement. This is normally the case with external hemorrhoids. However, in internal hemorrhoids, you may find bright streaks of blood on your toilet paper or in the toilet bowl after passing a normal bowel movement. You may also see blood on the surface or inside your stools.
2. Itching and Skin Irritation are two of the most common symptoms one possesses when they're suffering from hemorrhoids. Because the internal hemorrhoid secretes a mucus, it often dries on the anal skin and causes irritation and itching.
3. Digestive Discomfort is very common when one has hemorrhoids. While you may have just had a bowel movement, you may feel the strong impulse to go again. This is caused because the bulging hemorrhoid is at the edge of the large intestine and your body feels the need to pass it, which of course, it can't. The bigger the hemorrhoid, the more discomfort you'll encounter.
4. Pain can accompany hemorrhoids, although this is rarely the case with internal hemorrhoids. If the hemorrhoid is large, it may be squeezed by the anal muscles, causing pain.
There are other conditions that have similar symptoms to hemorrhoids, such as anal fissures, colon polyps, and inflammatory bowel disease, so you should not self treat this problem the first time around. Instead, see your doctor if the symptoms do not pass within a week. Bleeding from the rectum, pain, and recent changes to the bowel passing process can indicate cancer, so if you're over 50 or have a history of colon cancer in your family, you should definitely see a doctor about your symptoms.
1. Blood in your stool is one of the first indicators that there is a problem. Blood masses under the skin make a hard painful lump that can be felt when sitting for long periods or straining to pass a bowel movement. This is normally the case with external hemorrhoids. However, in internal hemorrhoids, you may find bright streaks of blood on your toilet paper or in the toilet bowl after passing a normal bowel movement. You may also see blood on the surface or inside your stools.
2. Itching and Skin Irritation are two of the most common symptoms one possesses when they're suffering from hemorrhoids. Because the internal hemorrhoid secretes a mucus, it often dries on the anal skin and causes irritation and itching.
3. Digestive Discomfort is very common when one has hemorrhoids. While you may have just had a bowel movement, you may feel the strong impulse to go again. This is caused because the bulging hemorrhoid is at the edge of the large intestine and your body feels the need to pass it, which of course, it can't. The bigger the hemorrhoid, the more discomfort you'll encounter.
4. Pain can accompany hemorrhoids, although this is rarely the case with internal hemorrhoids. If the hemorrhoid is large, it may be squeezed by the anal muscles, causing pain.
There are other conditions that have similar symptoms to hemorrhoids, such as anal fissures, colon polyps, and inflammatory bowel disease, so you should not self treat this problem the first time around. Instead, see your doctor if the symptoms do not pass within a week. Bleeding from the rectum, pain, and recent changes to the bowel passing process can indicate cancer, so if you're over 50 or have a history of colon cancer in your family, you should definitely see a doctor about your symptoms.
2011年4月20日星期三
SFIFF bonus blurb: British comedy "The Trip"
Eclectic British director Michael Winterbottom (2002's 24 Hour Party People) rebounds from sexually humiliating Jessica Alba in last year’s flop The Killer Inside Me to humiliating Steve Coogan in all number of ways (this time to positive effect) in this largely improvised comic romp through England’s Lake District.
Well, romp might be the wrong descriptive — dubbed a “foodie Sideways” but more plaintive and less formulaic than that sun-dappled California affair, this TV-to-film adaptation displays a characteristic English glumness to surprisingly keen emotional effect. Playing himself, Coogan displays all the carefree joie de vivre of a colonoscopy patient with hemorrhoids as he sloshes through the gray northern landscape trying to get cell reception when not dining on haute cuisine or being wracked with self-doubt over his stalled movie career and love life.
Throw in a happily married, happy-go-lucky frenemy (comic actor Rob Brydon) and Coogan (2008's Tropic Thunder, TV’s I’m Alan Partridge), can’t help but seem like a pathetic middle-aged prick in a puffy coat. Somehow, though, his confused narcissism is a perverse panacea. Come for the dueling Michael Caine impressions (“She was only 16 years old!”) and snot martinis, stay for the scallops and Brydon’s “small man in a box” routine.
Well, romp might be the wrong descriptive — dubbed a “foodie Sideways” but more plaintive and less formulaic than that sun-dappled California affair, this TV-to-film adaptation displays a characteristic English glumness to surprisingly keen emotional effect. Playing himself, Coogan displays all the carefree joie de vivre of a colonoscopy patient with hemorrhoids as he sloshes through the gray northern landscape trying to get cell reception when not dining on haute cuisine or being wracked with self-doubt over his stalled movie career and love life.
Throw in a happily married, happy-go-lucky frenemy (comic actor Rob Brydon) and Coogan (2008's Tropic Thunder, TV’s I’m Alan Partridge), can’t help but seem like a pathetic middle-aged prick in a puffy coat. Somehow, though, his confused narcissism is a perverse panacea. Come for the dueling Michael Caine impressions (“She was only 16 years old!”) and snot martinis, stay for the scallops and Brydon’s “small man in a box” routine.
2011年4月19日星期二
Health Canada evaluates safety of benzocaine products, link to rare blood condition
Health Canada says it is continuing to evaluate the safety of benzocaine products in light of reports of adverse reactions linked to the pain reliever.
It's also reminding parents and caregivers about health risks associated with use of the topical products, including a rare but potentially serious blood condition known as methomoglobinemia.
The products are used to relieve pain from sore throats, teething, toothache, canker sores, irritation of the mouth and gums, burns, insect bites, itching and hemorrhoids.
They are also used during surgical and dental procedures to numb the mouth and throat.
Health Canada says topical benzocaine products are available over-the-counter in a variety of formulations, including sprays, gels, liquids and creams.
The agency says it first issued an advisory about the risk of methomoglobinemia, or MetHb, in November 2006, and has since received seven reports of serious adverse reactions linked to topical benzocaine — including four reports of MetHb.
MetHb reduces the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout the body, Health Canada said.
"Signs and symptoms of MetHb include pale, grey- or blue-coloured skin, lips, or nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; nausea; and change in heart rate," the agency said in a statement Tuesday.
"These symptoms can appear within minutes or one to two hours after benzocaine use, and can occur after the first or several uses. In rare severe cases, MetHb can progress to stupor, coma and possibly death."
Other reported side-effects associated with topical benzocaine products include breathing or swallowing difficulties, a swollen tongue or mouth, irregular heartbeat, malaise, body twitching, hypersensitivity, burning, redness, itching, rash and irritation at the site of administration.
Anyone experiencing symptoms is advised to seek medical attention, Health Canada said.
It's also reminding parents and caregivers about health risks associated with use of the topical products, including a rare but potentially serious blood condition known as methomoglobinemia.
The products are used to relieve pain from sore throats, teething, toothache, canker sores, irritation of the mouth and gums, burns, insect bites, itching and hemorrhoids.
They are also used during surgical and dental procedures to numb the mouth and throat.
Health Canada says topical benzocaine products are available over-the-counter in a variety of formulations, including sprays, gels, liquids and creams.
The agency says it first issued an advisory about the risk of methomoglobinemia, or MetHb, in November 2006, and has since received seven reports of serious adverse reactions linked to topical benzocaine — including four reports of MetHb.
MetHb reduces the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout the body, Health Canada said.
"Signs and symptoms of MetHb include pale, grey- or blue-coloured skin, lips, or nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; confusion; headache; lightheadedness; nausea; and change in heart rate," the agency said in a statement Tuesday.
"These symptoms can appear within minutes or one to two hours after benzocaine use, and can occur after the first or several uses. In rare severe cases, MetHb can progress to stupor, coma and possibly death."
Other reported side-effects associated with topical benzocaine products include breathing or swallowing difficulties, a swollen tongue or mouth, irregular heartbeat, malaise, body twitching, hypersensitivity, burning, redness, itching, rash and irritation at the site of administration.
Anyone experiencing symptoms is advised to seek medical attention, Health Canada said.
2011年4月18日星期一
Ventrus Biosciences Inc (VTUS) Posts Large Volume Increase, Hits $14.82
Shares of Ventrus Biosciences Inc (VTUS) saw unusually high trading volume on Monday. Approximately 91,941 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 20.13% from the previous session. The stock last traded at $14.82.
Separately, analysts at Rodman & Renshaw initiated coverage on shares of Ventrus Biosciences Inc in a research note to investors on Wednesday, February 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Also, analysts at National Securities initiated coverage on shares of Ventrus Biosciences Inc in a research note to investors on Friday, January 28th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.
Ventrus Biosciences, Inc. (Ventrus) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of late-stage prescription drugs for gastrointestinal disorders, specifically hemorrhoids, anal fissures and fecal incontinence. Its product candidate portfolio consists of three late-stage drugs intended to treat these conditions: one new chemical entity (NCE) and two previously approved molecules that will have market exclusivity for new and patentable topical gastrointestinal indications. The Company’s three late-stage product candidates are Iferanserin ointment (VEN 309) for the treatment of hemorrhoids, Diltiazem cream (VEN 307), a treatment for the relief of pain associated with anal fissures and Phenylephrine gel (VEN 308) for the treatment of fecal incontinence associated with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA).
Ventrus Biosciences Inc has a 52 week low of $5.75 and a 52 week high of $15.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $10.87 and its 200-day moving average is $8.42. The company has a market cap of $100.0 million.
Stay on top of analysts' coverage with American Banking & Market News' daily email newsletter that provides a concise list of analysts' upgrades, analysts' downgrades and analysts' price target changes for each day.
Separately, analysts at Rodman & Renshaw initiated coverage on shares of Ventrus Biosciences Inc in a research note to investors on Wednesday, February 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Also, analysts at National Securities initiated coverage on shares of Ventrus Biosciences Inc in a research note to investors on Friday, January 28th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.
Ventrus Biosciences, Inc. (Ventrus) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of late-stage prescription drugs for gastrointestinal disorders, specifically hemorrhoids, anal fissures and fecal incontinence. Its product candidate portfolio consists of three late-stage drugs intended to treat these conditions: one new chemical entity (NCE) and two previously approved molecules that will have market exclusivity for new and patentable topical gastrointestinal indications. The Company’s three late-stage product candidates are Iferanserin ointment (VEN 309) for the treatment of hemorrhoids, Diltiazem cream (VEN 307), a treatment for the relief of pain associated with anal fissures and Phenylephrine gel (VEN 308) for the treatment of fecal incontinence associated with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA).
Ventrus Biosciences Inc has a 52 week low of $5.75 and a 52 week high of $15.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $10.87 and its 200-day moving average is $8.42. The company has a market cap of $100.0 million.
Stay on top of analysts' coverage with American Banking & Market News' daily email newsletter that provides a concise list of analysts' upgrades, analysts' downgrades and analysts' price target changes for each day.
2011年4月17日星期日
Spilled Milk, Broken Vases… “The Sting of a Child’s Memory” part 2
And to prove that he, indeed, was Lord of his castle and Master over his simple-minded and fearful subjects, he would arrive home with drinking compadres, demanding Canela cook-up a meal—like she were one of his maids, and not the Señora of her own home, for what it was worth. That would usually mean scrounging-up their measly leftovers and giving away their food—their last piece of meat, couple of tortillas and rice and beans. Fearful for her children, desperate to protect them, she would run to hide or throw away his reserved stash of booze, in hopes that they wouldn’t have much to drink.
Canela, at these uncertain times—trembling and fearful—would clasp her hands together, raise them high towards heaven, and with tears in her eyes would earnestly pray, appealing to God that Oracio might find someone else, a more tolerant woman—perhaps one with a more sinful past and therefore more deserving of this preview of hell—and to mercifully and finally abandon her and the children for good.
Dulcenia, too, would pray, on her knees, in the secret corner of her room, asking God that her Papá would not come home—at all!—pleading to God that He would allow something very bad to happen to him, something that would prevent his ever coming home again. Then he would never again shame them, or beat and bruise their Mamá—beating her as if she were an animal, humiliating her with insults, as was his habit to do, blatantly before family and friends. And then they would finally be free from the daily terrors—an unhappy and uncertain life.
But then, later, in her innocent child’s heart, guilt would wash over her, and she would silently weep, and ask God’s forgiveness, forgiveness for the hatred she felt growing in her heart like a seed, and the harm she so desperately wished would pour, like an avalanche, upon her Papá; a man impotent to love, and void of natural affection; empty to the core.
And since Dulcenia, his only daughter, couldn’t hide her obvious fear and well-grounded revulsion of him, and because at his approach she would cringe and cry and push his arms away, refusing his love and affection, he would later take it out on Canela, cursing and accusing her of saying things against him. That, rather than take responsibility for his own doing.
The things that Canela had to put up with…for too long…. The outright abuses: the lies, the cheating, the beatings, the mind control; the being made to feel less than human—that no one should ever have to.
Oracio would one day realize that Canela was the only good thing he could have had in his miserable life, but certainly much too late to be sorry. Blessings are gifts from God, and too often they are disregarded and thrown back at God’s face. Because of his self-seeking, self-indulgent, and self-centered life, his heart was hardened. His last days were lived as an empty soul, blindly stumbling through life aimlessly; and all efforts to have a meaningful existence simply landed him face down, in a pool of mud.
Canela, at these uncertain times—trembling and fearful—would clasp her hands together, raise them high towards heaven, and with tears in her eyes would earnestly pray, appealing to God that Oracio might find someone else, a more tolerant woman—perhaps one with a more sinful past and therefore more deserving of this preview of hell—and to mercifully and finally abandon her and the children for good.
Dulcenia, too, would pray, on her knees, in the secret corner of her room, asking God that her Papá would not come home—at all!—pleading to God that He would allow something very bad to happen to him, something that would prevent his ever coming home again. Then he would never again shame them, or beat and bruise their Mamá—beating her as if she were an animal, humiliating her with insults, as was his habit to do, blatantly before family and friends. And then they would finally be free from the daily terrors—an unhappy and uncertain life.
But then, later, in her innocent child’s heart, guilt would wash over her, and she would silently weep, and ask God’s forgiveness, forgiveness for the hatred she felt growing in her heart like a seed, and the harm she so desperately wished would pour, like an avalanche, upon her Papá; a man impotent to love, and void of natural affection; empty to the core.
And since Dulcenia, his only daughter, couldn’t hide her obvious fear and well-grounded revulsion of him, and because at his approach she would cringe and cry and push his arms away, refusing his love and affection, he would later take it out on Canela, cursing and accusing her of saying things against him. That, rather than take responsibility for his own doing.
The things that Canela had to put up with…for too long…. The outright abuses: the lies, the cheating, the beatings, the mind control; the being made to feel less than human—that no one should ever have to.
Oracio would one day realize that Canela was the only good thing he could have had in his miserable life, but certainly much too late to be sorry. Blessings are gifts from God, and too often they are disregarded and thrown back at God’s face. Because of his self-seeking, self-indulgent, and self-centered life, his heart was hardened. His last days were lived as an empty soul, blindly stumbling through life aimlessly; and all efforts to have a meaningful existence simply landed him face down, in a pool of mud.
2011年4月14日星期四
Honey and the Next Generation of Skincare: Cosmeceuticals Company Builds Honey-Based Skincare Line
The ages-old effort by human beings to prolong and enhance their own lives has taken a major step forward with one company’s radically new approach to skincare. After years of researching the many therapeutic uses of honey, Greg Martin, founder of Rene Derme Skin Creams, has turned this natural product into a line of skincare products that he maintains can help people protect their health. Rene Derme Skin Creams is a member of TNNWC Group, LLC.
“I believe our customers can do without certain surgeries or at least recover more quickly than with other remedies with these skin creams,” Martin asserts. He cites his own experience in 1990 when his granddaughter burned the bottom of her foot on a hot charcoal. Her great grandmother recommended honey, which he applied to his granddaughter’s foot at bedtime. “Her foot looked almost normal the next morning,” Martin says. He also cites his own experience with hemorrhoids. “I recalled that one of the benefits of honey was its anti-inflammatory properties,” Martin says. He applied commercial honey on the infected area. “Within three days, all pain, inflammations and infections disappeared.”
Martin then began intensive study into the properties of honey and developed his own line of commercial skin creams. “The secret is the honey,” Martin says, “And its antimicrobial properties.” He notes bacteria cannot grow or reproduce in honey, a characteristic that makes this therapeutic agent especially effective in promoting healing from injuries and in treating infections and inflammations.
“We are very excited that Greg has chosen TNNWC to help him grow his business,” Douglas Castle, chairman and CEO, says. “Greg personifies the type of entrepreneur we want to help: A visionary who has an idea or a product that can benefit a great number of people but who needs some ‘marketing magic’ to help them succeed.” TNNWC will help Rene Derme Skin Creams with a strategic barrage of marketing tactics, including social media.
“I know my skin creams can help many, many people who are suffering from all types of injuries, but they also can help promote skin development and health,” Martin says.
“I believe our customers can do without certain surgeries or at least recover more quickly than with other remedies with these skin creams,” Martin asserts. He cites his own experience in 1990 when his granddaughter burned the bottom of her foot on a hot charcoal. Her great grandmother recommended honey, which he applied to his granddaughter’s foot at bedtime. “Her foot looked almost normal the next morning,” Martin says. He also cites his own experience with hemorrhoids. “I recalled that one of the benefits of honey was its anti-inflammatory properties,” Martin says. He applied commercial honey on the infected area. “Within three days, all pain, inflammations and infections disappeared.”
Martin then began intensive study into the properties of honey and developed his own line of commercial skin creams. “The secret is the honey,” Martin says, “And its antimicrobial properties.” He notes bacteria cannot grow or reproduce in honey, a characteristic that makes this therapeutic agent especially effective in promoting healing from injuries and in treating infections and inflammations.
“We are very excited that Greg has chosen TNNWC to help him grow his business,” Douglas Castle, chairman and CEO, says. “Greg personifies the type of entrepreneur we want to help: A visionary who has an idea or a product that can benefit a great number of people but who needs some ‘marketing magic’ to help them succeed.” TNNWC will help Rene Derme Skin Creams with a strategic barrage of marketing tactics, including social media.
“I know my skin creams can help many, many people who are suffering from all types of injuries, but they also can help promote skin development and health,” Martin says.
2011年4月13日星期三
Greg Lowe: How to deal with Bangkok’s illegal financial advisors
It would plain wrong to accuse all so-called “independent financial advisors” operating in Thailand of being low-life, scum-sucking, rip-off merchants; heels who divide their time between skanking people out of their hard-earned cash and selling grannies.
So let’s be fair and accurate: I’m only talking about 90 percent of the IFAs that I’ve had dealings with in Bangkok.
I’m sure there’s at least a handful of decent professional firms out there that offer sound investment advice, operate according to strict ethical standards and, as a result, have a growing list of happy clients who willingly recommend their advisors to friends. But then, they’re not the tossers who keep cold-calling you at work and refuse to take no for an answer, are they?
Almost all English-speakers who have worked in Thailand for more than three days have had run-ins with these telephone stalkers, armed with an uncanny ability to sniff out new prospects like maggots seeking rotting flesh.
The process goes something like this: First, within days of starting a new job you get a load of promotional guff sent to you by post or email that sets out compelling arguments for why you should stop thinking about actually earning a living and instead get rich quick by investing whatever savings you have into a number of “lucrative mechanisms” with “squintillion-percent guaranteed annual returns.”
After all, you’d be mad not to invest in the Footballers With Hemorrhoids GoldDust 17X, Selling Sand to Arabs or Madoff-Ponzi Surefire Fortune funds, right?
Second, after you’ve deftly consigned the catalog of needlessly slaughtered trees to the dustbin, you receive a call from your friendly advisor, checking that you’ve received said information and wanting to set up a face-to-face meeting to discuss your investment and savings plans.
Third, the process of cold calls continues month-in, month-out: like Groundhog Day without the fun of shooting yourself in the head.
For a while I thought the evil geniuses at Mordor Central who run the, ahem, “reputable businesses” that are probably located above some grimy rub shop off Sukhumvit Road, gave their boiler room merchants phones with no earpiece. That was the only logical reason why they couldn’t hear replies, such as “No,” “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”, “How should I invest my monthly savings of 323 baht?” and “@#?! off.”
But now I know the truth -- most of these people are either desperate backpackers or the result of some heinous experiment to splice bad DNA from estate agents, lawyers and arms dealers and combine it with evil juice extracted from the corpses of Vlad the Impaler and Fu Manchu.
But how do you stop the incessant calls? Is it really possible?
Well, the answer is yes, probably. And if you can’t stop them then you can at least get even.
So stop dreaming of "saving, 5,000 baht, so you can 'invest'” in the local motorbike taxi driver who manages the Kneecapping Cold-Calling IFAs Fund (Bangkok), as there is a much more simple, legal solution.
Just follow these simple steps. I’ve tried them. They work.
1. When they call, say thanks and write down their name, phone number and email.
2. Tell them, “I have a policy or refusing advice from IFAs who cold-call me. If you have to hard-sell your products and services they clearly can’t be any good.”
3. Ask them what the regulations are for IFAs operating in Thailand.
The typical reply is that Thailand is an “open market.” This means they are either lying or misinformed, because the selling and marketing of all financial services is strictly regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In fact, the SEC has one really good regulation that must be followed by all financial firms: no cold-calling.
That’s right. It’s illegal. Point this out to them.
The Nuremberg Trials proved that “I’m just doing my job” doesn’t cut it as a decent excuse. So show no mercy to the snake oil merchant who insists on pestering you by phone.
So let’s be fair and accurate: I’m only talking about 90 percent of the IFAs that I’ve had dealings with in Bangkok.
I’m sure there’s at least a handful of decent professional firms out there that offer sound investment advice, operate according to strict ethical standards and, as a result, have a growing list of happy clients who willingly recommend their advisors to friends. But then, they’re not the tossers who keep cold-calling you at work and refuse to take no for an answer, are they?
Almost all English-speakers who have worked in Thailand for more than three days have had run-ins with these telephone stalkers, armed with an uncanny ability to sniff out new prospects like maggots seeking rotting flesh.
The process goes something like this: First, within days of starting a new job you get a load of promotional guff sent to you by post or email that sets out compelling arguments for why you should stop thinking about actually earning a living and instead get rich quick by investing whatever savings you have into a number of “lucrative mechanisms” with “squintillion-percent guaranteed annual returns.”
After all, you’d be mad not to invest in the Footballers With Hemorrhoids GoldDust 17X, Selling Sand to Arabs or Madoff-Ponzi Surefire Fortune funds, right?
Second, after you’ve deftly consigned the catalog of needlessly slaughtered trees to the dustbin, you receive a call from your friendly advisor, checking that you’ve received said information and wanting to set up a face-to-face meeting to discuss your investment and savings plans.
Third, the process of cold calls continues month-in, month-out: like Groundhog Day without the fun of shooting yourself in the head.
For a while I thought the evil geniuses at Mordor Central who run the, ahem, “reputable businesses” that are probably located above some grimy rub shop off Sukhumvit Road, gave their boiler room merchants phones with no earpiece. That was the only logical reason why they couldn’t hear replies, such as “No,” “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”, “How should I invest my monthly savings of 323 baht?” and “@#?! off.”
But now I know the truth -- most of these people are either desperate backpackers or the result of some heinous experiment to splice bad DNA from estate agents, lawyers and arms dealers and combine it with evil juice extracted from the corpses of Vlad the Impaler and Fu Manchu.
But how do you stop the incessant calls? Is it really possible?
Well, the answer is yes, probably. And if you can’t stop them then you can at least get even.
So stop dreaming of "saving, 5,000 baht, so you can 'invest'” in the local motorbike taxi driver who manages the Kneecapping Cold-Calling IFAs Fund (Bangkok), as there is a much more simple, legal solution.
Just follow these simple steps. I’ve tried them. They work.
1. When they call, say thanks and write down their name, phone number and email.
2. Tell them, “I have a policy or refusing advice from IFAs who cold-call me. If you have to hard-sell your products and services they clearly can’t be any good.”
3. Ask them what the regulations are for IFAs operating in Thailand.
The typical reply is that Thailand is an “open market.” This means they are either lying or misinformed, because the selling and marketing of all financial services is strictly regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In fact, the SEC has one really good regulation that must be followed by all financial firms: no cold-calling.
That’s right. It’s illegal. Point this out to them.
The Nuremberg Trials proved that “I’m just doing my job” doesn’t cut it as a decent excuse. So show no mercy to the snake oil merchant who insists on pestering you by phone.
2011年4月12日星期二
The best external hemorrhoid treatment is the ligation
Hemorrhoids which are also called as piles are the projection or pouching of veins in the anal canal. These pouches may sometimes bleed and create a lot of pain especially during passing stools. In extreme cases, these pouches come out from the anal canal. The hanging of these pouches outside the anus is called as External Hemorrhoids. It is necessary to get the external hemorrhoid treatment, since they can rupture and bleed. Additionally they develop a lot of pain.
The best way to treat the external hemorrhoid is to modify the dietary habits. A person is required to take plenty of water and fiber. The use of fiber increases the intestinal movement and water makes the stools soft. Hence a person does not get pain while passing feces.
The best external hemorrhoid treatment is the ligation. In this procedure, a ring band is applied over these hemorrhoids. These bands shrink the neck and hence the pouches start disappearing. In order to get the ligation, a person is required to visit a General Surgeon, who after examination performs this procedure. This is a simple process and could be completed within limited time duration. There are no complications of this procedure and gives instant recovery from pain and swelling.
There are certain ointments that could be applied to the external hemorrhoids and which decrease the intensity of pain and swelling. School softeners should be used in case of constipation and difficulty in passing feces.
Nowadays certain other methods are also being used in order to treat the external hemorrhoids. Heat, laser and electric current are used in order to decrease the size of hemorrhoids. However, the applications of these procedures are limited, and could not be used in all cases.
For those external hemorrhoids, that could not be corrected by conventional measures should be treated by means of surgery. The operations become mandatory in those cases where an individual gets a lot of pain and other symptoms. However, the preferred methods are conventional and homemade in order to avoid invasive procedures like surgery.
The home external hemorrhoid treatment includes blotting of anal area after passing stools with toilet paper soaked with water. Some cleansing agents like Balneol could also be applied. A person should avoid rubbing the area and usage of soaps and perfumes. Some hemorrhoid ointments and preparations could also be used for getting relief.
The best way to treat the external hemorrhoid is to modify the dietary habits. A person is required to take plenty of water and fiber. The use of fiber increases the intestinal movement and water makes the stools soft. Hence a person does not get pain while passing feces.
The best external hemorrhoid treatment is the ligation. In this procedure, a ring band is applied over these hemorrhoids. These bands shrink the neck and hence the pouches start disappearing. In order to get the ligation, a person is required to visit a General Surgeon, who after examination performs this procedure. This is a simple process and could be completed within limited time duration. There are no complications of this procedure and gives instant recovery from pain and swelling.
There are certain ointments that could be applied to the external hemorrhoids and which decrease the intensity of pain and swelling. School softeners should be used in case of constipation and difficulty in passing feces.
Nowadays certain other methods are also being used in order to treat the external hemorrhoids. Heat, laser and electric current are used in order to decrease the size of hemorrhoids. However, the applications of these procedures are limited, and could not be used in all cases.
For those external hemorrhoids, that could not be corrected by conventional measures should be treated by means of surgery. The operations become mandatory in those cases where an individual gets a lot of pain and other symptoms. However, the preferred methods are conventional and homemade in order to avoid invasive procedures like surgery.
The home external hemorrhoid treatment includes blotting of anal area after passing stools with toilet paper soaked with water. Some cleansing agents like Balneol could also be applied. A person should avoid rubbing the area and usage of soaps and perfumes. Some hemorrhoid ointments and preparations could also be used for getting relief.
The Taboo Behind Anal Cancer--An Editorial
When AIDS became an epidemic back in the 1980s it was something that people simply did not want to talk about. It was as though even discussing the subject somehow put one at risk for contracting the newly discovered virus, and it took quite a number of years before even the news media seemed comfortable discussing the subject.
This ArticleVote Improved My Health Vote Changed My Life 1 Vote Saved My Life The same is true now with respect to anal cancer. As a survivor of anal cancer (twice) I tend to pay particular attention to media accounts, print or otherwise, of this disease.
In the case of Farrah Fawcett, who passed away from anal cancer in June 2009, there were very few reporters who even used the word anal. In most cases it was referred to as colon cancer which a totally separate disease. Those who did report it as anal cancer appeared visibly uncomfortable even using the word.
HPV (human papillomavirus) is responsible for greater than 90 percent of anal cancers, a disease all too often misdiagnosed as bleeding hemorrhoids. In addition to the protection offered against cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancer in women and penile cancer in men, the United States Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the Gardasil vaccine for use in the protection against anal cancer as well.
We cannot adequately address the subject when there is difficulty even mentioning it. This needs to be viewed for what it is, simply another body part. It is unfortunate that most people who have even heard of HPV make no other connections beyond that of cervical cancer.
I believe this is due in large part to the Gardasil commercials which first introduced most people to the term HPV. At that time, the vaccine was only approved for protection against cervical cancer, however much has changed in the five years since Gardasil became available. Unfortunately, there has not been another wave of commercials updating people regarding the many other cancers which HPV has now been shown to cause, and many physicians do not provide this information to their patients either.
The Centers for Disease Control estimated that some 20 million Americans have HPV.
This ArticleVote Improved My Health Vote Changed My Life 1 Vote Saved My Life The same is true now with respect to anal cancer. As a survivor of anal cancer (twice) I tend to pay particular attention to media accounts, print or otherwise, of this disease.
In the case of Farrah Fawcett, who passed away from anal cancer in June 2009, there were very few reporters who even used the word anal. In most cases it was referred to as colon cancer which a totally separate disease. Those who did report it as anal cancer appeared visibly uncomfortable even using the word.
HPV (human papillomavirus) is responsible for greater than 90 percent of anal cancers, a disease all too often misdiagnosed as bleeding hemorrhoids. In addition to the protection offered against cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancer in women and penile cancer in men, the United States Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the Gardasil vaccine for use in the protection against anal cancer as well.
We cannot adequately address the subject when there is difficulty even mentioning it. This needs to be viewed for what it is, simply another body part. It is unfortunate that most people who have even heard of HPV make no other connections beyond that of cervical cancer.
I believe this is due in large part to the Gardasil commercials which first introduced most people to the term HPV. At that time, the vaccine was only approved for protection against cervical cancer, however much has changed in the five years since Gardasil became available. Unfortunately, there has not been another wave of commercials updating people regarding the many other cancers which HPV has now been shown to cause, and many physicians do not provide this information to their patients either.
The Centers for Disease Control estimated that some 20 million Americans have HPV.
2011年4月11日星期一
Enjoy eating again
Digestive enzymes aren't silver bullets and indigestion can certainly be a symptom
of a much more serious digestive disease, such as Crohn's disease, acid reflux or
GERD, and irritable bowel syndrome.
So in addition to eating healthy and taking a digestive enzyme supplement, don't
forget to check with your physician if you have frequent episodes of indigestion.
Eat plenty of fiber every day
Fiber is not only key to keeping indigestion at bay, but it is essential for your
overall health. Unfortunately, a lot of men's diets consist of junk and fast foods,
red meat, and meals that are high in fat certainly a recipe for indigestion.
A high-fiber diet is an important part of healthy eating — in addition to helping
digestion, it can also help prevent diabetes, coronary heart disease, hemorrhoids,
colorectal cancer, and other diseases.
On average, American men eat only 10 to 15 grams of fiber, or half of the
recommended daily intake.
Increasing your daily fiber intake is usually synonymous with eating healthier,
considering vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereals, and nuts contain plenty of
fiber. It doesn't even have to be painful — you can choose high-fiber cereals for
breakfast, eat whole-wheat bread instead of white, and snack on air-popped popcorn
instead of candy.
Avoid foods that can give you gas — these include broccoli, baked beans, cabbage,
cauliflower, and carbonated drinks. For some men, starches — such as wheat, oats
and potatoes — can also lead to excess gas. If you are lactose intolerant, then lay
off dairy products or take lactase enzymes to help with digestion.
Also, remember to drink plenty of water, since it can lubricate food in the
digestive tract, help dissolve minerals, vitamins and nutrients for easier
absorption, and keep stool moist to prevent constipation.
Chew your food & eat less of it
Chewing is one of the most important parts of digestion, yet it is probably the most
forgotten. Chewing not only helps break down food, it also signals the salivary
glands, stomach and the small intestine to start releasing digestive enzymes.
On a related note, try not to overeat. Your body has only so many digestive enzymes
to go around. Also, a bigger meal means that your stomach must produce more acid to
help digest that food, which will increase your chances of getting heartburn and
indigestion.
of a much more serious digestive disease, such as Crohn's disease, acid reflux or
GERD, and irritable bowel syndrome.
So in addition to eating healthy and taking a digestive enzyme supplement, don't
forget to check with your physician if you have frequent episodes of indigestion.
Eat plenty of fiber every day
Fiber is not only key to keeping indigestion at bay, but it is essential for your
overall health. Unfortunately, a lot of men's diets consist of junk and fast foods,
red meat, and meals that are high in fat certainly a recipe for indigestion.
A high-fiber diet is an important part of healthy eating — in addition to helping
digestion, it can also help prevent diabetes, coronary heart disease, hemorrhoids,
colorectal cancer, and other diseases.
On average, American men eat only 10 to 15 grams of fiber, or half of the
recommended daily intake.
Increasing your daily fiber intake is usually synonymous with eating healthier,
considering vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereals, and nuts contain plenty of
fiber. It doesn't even have to be painful — you can choose high-fiber cereals for
breakfast, eat whole-wheat bread instead of white, and snack on air-popped popcorn
instead of candy.
Avoid foods that can give you gas — these include broccoli, baked beans, cabbage,
cauliflower, and carbonated drinks. For some men, starches — such as wheat, oats
and potatoes — can also lead to excess gas. If you are lactose intolerant, then lay
off dairy products or take lactase enzymes to help with digestion.
Also, remember to drink plenty of water, since it can lubricate food in the
digestive tract, help dissolve minerals, vitamins and nutrients for easier
absorption, and keep stool moist to prevent constipation.
Chew your food & eat less of it
Chewing is one of the most important parts of digestion, yet it is probably the most
forgotten. Chewing not only helps break down food, it also signals the salivary
glands, stomach and the small intestine to start releasing digestive enzymes.
On a related note, try not to overeat. Your body has only so many digestive enzymes
to go around. Also, a bigger meal means that your stomach must produce more acid to
help digest that food, which will increase your chances of getting heartburn and
indigestion.
2011年4月7日星期四
Did you know you can treat your hemorrhoids at home?
One thing you need to be aware of. If this is the first time you have had rectal bleeding, it is critical that you pay a visit to your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. If he tells you the bleeding is indeed coming from hemorrhoids then you can research ways to eliminate this problem. This is where bleeding hemorrhoids treatment.) comes in very handy. This site will give you great tips on what to do to stop your bleeding hemorrhoids in their tracks.
Did you know you can treat your hemorrhoids at home? You may already have the ingredients for home treatment of hemorrhoids in your kitchen right now. You don't have to worry about being embarrassed at the drug store when you buy hemorrhoid creams. No one has to know when you use a home remedy. You can find a great bleeding hemorrhoids treatment that will fit your .
It is important that you find the causes of your bleeding hemorrhoids if you want to stop them. This site will help you determine why you have bleeding hemorrhoids. There are various causes. Constipation and passing hard stools is the most common reason for bleeding hemorrhoids. The pressure applied to the pelvic veins as you strain to move your bowels will cause the hemorrhoid tissue to bulge outward from the rectal lining. Hard stools can actually scrape the lining and cause it to begin bleeding.
The great thing about this site is it will recommend a good homeopathic cure for your hemorrhoids. Not everyone wants to try a home remedy. Some individuals will just not respond to these home remedies. If this sounds like you then you can find a great homeopathic treatment for your hemorrhoids. These treatments are effective and very safe because they contain nothing but natural ingredients that have been proven to be effective at eliminating hemorrhoids.
Did you know you can treat your hemorrhoids at home? You may already have the ingredients for home treatment of hemorrhoids in your kitchen right now. You don't have to worry about being embarrassed at the drug store when you buy hemorrhoid creams. No one has to know when you use a home remedy. You can find a great bleeding hemorrhoids treatment that will fit your .
It is important that you find the causes of your bleeding hemorrhoids if you want to stop them. This site will help you determine why you have bleeding hemorrhoids. There are various causes. Constipation and passing hard stools is the most common reason for bleeding hemorrhoids. The pressure applied to the pelvic veins as you strain to move your bowels will cause the hemorrhoid tissue to bulge outward from the rectal lining. Hard stools can actually scrape the lining and cause it to begin bleeding.
The great thing about this site is it will recommend a good homeopathic cure for your hemorrhoids. Not everyone wants to try a home remedy. Some individuals will just not respond to these home remedies. If this sounds like you then you can find a great homeopathic treatment for your hemorrhoids. These treatments are effective and very safe because they contain nothing but natural ingredients that have been proven to be effective at eliminating hemorrhoids.
2011年4月6日星期三
Hemorrhoids Treatment: Cures Hemorrhoids in 48 Hours
Hemorrhoids Treatment: Products are discovered through many ways as the story of Hemorrhoid Miracle clearly demonstrates. With the gist behind its discovery tied with Holly Haden's personal experience going further to confirm the well-known adage that necessity is the mother of invention.
Hemorrhoids Treatment might never have been conceived if Holly Haden never suffered from hemorrhoids. It was her suffering and the fear of surgical complications that made her to frantically search for alternative remedies which she thankfully found in Hemorrhoid Miracle.
According to the owner of the program, her own pains led her to the doctor after trying loads of creams and other remedies to no avail. And, the doctor's recommendation to have laser surgery done finally dashed her hopes and led her to start asking questions.
The questions got answered in Hemorrhoid Miracle, a complete Hemorrhoids Treatment which claims to solve the hemorrhoids problem with shrinkage occurring within 48 hours-sounds really crazy but true as testified to by many.
The real bit that catches the imagination about the Hemorrhoid Miracle is not just the fact that it cures hemorrhoids within a short period nut that it gives a whole library of other home remedies which are worth a lot quid in their own right.
While the Hemorrhoid Miracle has been testified to by many with a stated success rate of 96%, it was made clear that its creator is not a health professional necessitating the need for medical consultation before and while using the program.
Hemorrhoids Treatment
The best part is the money back guarantee that comes with Hemorrhoid Miracle. There is a full 60 day Guarantee that comes with the product therefore anyone who gets Hemorrhoids Treatment could enjoy a cooling-off period of two months.
Hemorrhoids Treatment might never have been conceived if Holly Haden never suffered from hemorrhoids. It was her suffering and the fear of surgical complications that made her to frantically search for alternative remedies which she thankfully found in Hemorrhoid Miracle.
According to the owner of the program, her own pains led her to the doctor after trying loads of creams and other remedies to no avail. And, the doctor's recommendation to have laser surgery done finally dashed her hopes and led her to start asking questions.
The questions got answered in Hemorrhoid Miracle, a complete Hemorrhoids Treatment which claims to solve the hemorrhoids problem with shrinkage occurring within 48 hours-sounds really crazy but true as testified to by many.
The real bit that catches the imagination about the Hemorrhoid Miracle is not just the fact that it cures hemorrhoids within a short period nut that it gives a whole library of other home remedies which are worth a lot quid in their own right.
While the Hemorrhoid Miracle has been testified to by many with a stated success rate of 96%, it was made clear that its creator is not a health professional necessitating the need for medical consultation before and while using the program.
Hemorrhoids Treatment
The best part is the money back guarantee that comes with Hemorrhoid Miracle. There is a full 60 day Guarantee that comes with the product therefore anyone who gets Hemorrhoids Treatment could enjoy a cooling-off period of two months.
2011年4月5日星期二
Plastic Surgery and...Leeches?
You've probably heard the old Bible verse, "there is nothing new under the sun." While just a moment's reflection reveals that the phrase is not really accurate, it may seem otherwise when you read about the comeback leeches are making in medical applications.
Several years ago, it, a website that presents news on science, technology and medicine in an accessible format, reported that both maggots and leeches were again being used by doctors to treat wounds that weren't healing properly and during surgical procedures that were likely to cause blood to pool and restrict healthy circulation.
LiveScience noted that in centuries past, leeches took on all kinds of health challenges from headaches to hemorrhoids--the dubious to the logical, you might say. Today they're most often used to "drain blood from swollen faces, limbs and digits after reconstructive surgery."
You're not alone if the thought grosses you out. You might feel slightly better to know that in 2004 the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the marketing of maggots and leeches for medicinal use in the U.S. and regulates them as they do other "medical devices." Also, today's medical grade leeches are raised in a clean environment, not harvested from muddy rivers and stagnant swamps.
In plastic surgery applications, leeches have several advantages. The first is their efficiency in helping blood to drain from small body parts where veins are easily clogged. The many proteins secreted in leech saliva also help numb pain. All this and a potentially modest price tag too: the article posted on the LiveScience website reported that 500-1,000 medical-grade leeches cost about $70 in 2004.
Plastic surgeons are starting to use leeches more often as a way to promote healing after reconstructive surgery. The creatures, technically segmented worms with the scientific name Hirudo medicinalis, are used primarily after surgery on areas where the blood vessels are small, such as fingers, hands and ears. Leech therapy can also be effective in cases involving skin flaps transplanted from one part of the body to another.
Several years ago, it, a website that presents news on science, technology and medicine in an accessible format, reported that both maggots and leeches were again being used by doctors to treat wounds that weren't healing properly and during surgical procedures that were likely to cause blood to pool and restrict healthy circulation.
LiveScience noted that in centuries past, leeches took on all kinds of health challenges from headaches to hemorrhoids--the dubious to the logical, you might say. Today they're most often used to "drain blood from swollen faces, limbs and digits after reconstructive surgery."
You're not alone if the thought grosses you out. You might feel slightly better to know that in 2004 the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the marketing of maggots and leeches for medicinal use in the U.S. and regulates them as they do other "medical devices." Also, today's medical grade leeches are raised in a clean environment, not harvested from muddy rivers and stagnant swamps.
In plastic surgery applications, leeches have several advantages. The first is their efficiency in helping blood to drain from small body parts where veins are easily clogged. The many proteins secreted in leech saliva also help numb pain. All this and a potentially modest price tag too: the article posted on the LiveScience website reported that 500-1,000 medical-grade leeches cost about $70 in 2004.
Plastic surgeons are starting to use leeches more often as a way to promote healing after reconstructive surgery. The creatures, technically segmented worms with the scientific name Hirudo medicinalis, are used primarily after surgery on areas where the blood vessels are small, such as fingers, hands and ears. Leech therapy can also be effective in cases involving skin flaps transplanted from one part of the body to another.
2011年4月1日星期五
Helping truck drivers get healthy
We all know how hard it can be to find time to exercise and eat healthy. Now imagine if your life were on the road for week, sometimes months at a time. The trucking profession can breed can unhealthy lifestyle, but now a new website is rolling out to change that.
Commercial truck drivers spend hours on the road. "On average 11 hours a day," one driver told us while he took a break to re-fuel at the TA truck stop in in Botetourt County, Virginia. Others quickly agreed. One driver is behind the wheel eight to ten hours a day. Another told us he drives about 12 hours a day.
It's mentally exhausting. It's physically exhausting," said Michael Curenton, a driver from Montgomery, Alabama. A driver from Abingdon, Virginia conceded, it's hard to be healthy. "It's very easy to be sedentary in this job," Hank Dobbs said.
When it comes to eating, the choices are sometimes limited. Fast foods make the most sense, simply because they're fast. Driver Joe Berg pulled two hot dogs from a hot dog rack at the TA truck stop and wrapped them in foil to go.
"Any truck stop you have has a hot dog rack on morning, noon or night. (you) can't always have time to sit down and eat," Berg said.
Curenton knows the drill. He's been trucking for three years and it's already taking a toll on his health. "I'm 28 years old, on blood pressure medication and I've gained like 60 pounds in three years," Curenton said.
Curenton, like most truckers, sleeps in his truck's cab, eats in the cab, and works in the cab. It's his home away from home. "After pulling 700 miles you're more than ready for bed at the end of the day. Walking is the last thing on your mind," he said.
The trucking lifestyle contributes to these statistics: 28 percent of truckers are overweight. More than half are obese. That can lead to sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and some serious safety issues.
"If you have sleep apnea for instance it's possible for you enter what's called a micro sleep where you fall asleep very briefly behind the wheel," said Justin Morgan, a research associate with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Morgan was a key player in designing a new website meant to help drivers develop healthy lifestyle habits. "What we're doing is providing guidance for drivers," Morgan explained.
The website offers tips on healthy eating on the road and exercising on the roads well as information on sleep disorders, back problems and hemorrhoids, which are all medical conditions that can come with driving.
It also has a new Facebook page and Twitter site that allow drivers to communicate with each other about what works for them.
Driver Clyde Jackson from Fontana, California runs at least three miles a day. He carries running shoes in his truck's cab and goes on his daily run at rest stops across the country.
"I think personally it's easy to stay in shape out here. It's about being strong," Jackson said. He also buys fruits and vegetables at grocery stores along his route.
It's a lifestyle you could say more truckers are now driven to, including Dobbs who took up running to stay in shape while on the road. "It's easy to sit there and get fat and eat fast food and not take care of it, but if you're really determined you can do it, " Dobbs said.
Commercial truck drivers spend hours on the road. "On average 11 hours a day," one driver told us while he took a break to re-fuel at the TA truck stop in in Botetourt County, Virginia. Others quickly agreed. One driver is behind the wheel eight to ten hours a day. Another told us he drives about 12 hours a day.
It's mentally exhausting. It's physically exhausting," said Michael Curenton, a driver from Montgomery, Alabama. A driver from Abingdon, Virginia conceded, it's hard to be healthy. "It's very easy to be sedentary in this job," Hank Dobbs said.
When it comes to eating, the choices are sometimes limited. Fast foods make the most sense, simply because they're fast. Driver Joe Berg pulled two hot dogs from a hot dog rack at the TA truck stop and wrapped them in foil to go.
"Any truck stop you have has a hot dog rack on morning, noon or night. (you) can't always have time to sit down and eat," Berg said.
Curenton knows the drill. He's been trucking for three years and it's already taking a toll on his health. "I'm 28 years old, on blood pressure medication and I've gained like 60 pounds in three years," Curenton said.
Curenton, like most truckers, sleeps in his truck's cab, eats in the cab, and works in the cab. It's his home away from home. "After pulling 700 miles you're more than ready for bed at the end of the day. Walking is the last thing on your mind," he said.
The trucking lifestyle contributes to these statistics: 28 percent of truckers are overweight. More than half are obese. That can lead to sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and some serious safety issues.
"If you have sleep apnea for instance it's possible for you enter what's called a micro sleep where you fall asleep very briefly behind the wheel," said Justin Morgan, a research associate with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Morgan was a key player in designing a new website meant to help drivers develop healthy lifestyle habits. "What we're doing is providing guidance for drivers," Morgan explained.
The website offers tips on healthy eating on the road and exercising on the roads well as information on sleep disorders, back problems and hemorrhoids, which are all medical conditions that can come with driving.
It also has a new Facebook page and Twitter site that allow drivers to communicate with each other about what works for them.
Driver Clyde Jackson from Fontana, California runs at least three miles a day. He carries running shoes in his truck's cab and goes on his daily run at rest stops across the country.
"I think personally it's easy to stay in shape out here. It's about being strong," Jackson said. He also buys fruits and vegetables at grocery stores along his route.
It's a lifestyle you could say more truckers are now driven to, including Dobbs who took up running to stay in shape while on the road. "It's easy to sit there and get fat and eat fast food and not take care of it, but if you're really determined you can do it, " Dobbs said.
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