Outdoorsmen come in all shapes and sizes, from all eras and walks of life. It is only fair to say that most of these gentlemen have varying degrees of faults, as well.
300_advertisement_header.gif
Most men of adventure have at least one or two flaws, and in some cases their liabilities outweigh their accomplishments, but we won't dwell on that too much. I have attempted today to select the cream of the crop and have tried to place some historical perspective on it by choosing from as many different periods of time as possible.
With that said let's get down to it.
No. 10: Marco Polo (1254-1324 A.D.): An Italian explorer who tramped all over Asia - most notably China.
Got to hand it to him, it's a long way from Italy to China whether you are walking, riding a horse or perched atop a camel. Bonus points for the camel riding part. Saddling up between those double humps has to be rough on the hemorrhoids.
His claim to fame was that he became close friends with Kublai Khan, no small feat considering Khan's notorious penchant for making foreign trespassers walk over hot coals before beheading them.
No. 9: Leif Eriksson (975-1020 A.D.): An Icelander noted for his seagoing adventures.
The famous Viking first sailed from Iceland to Norway to in an attempt to find the home of his ancestors. Later on his way back to Iceland decided to try to venture further west to Greenland, but missed the mark by a wide margin and bumped into North America instead.
Although an eminent adventurer and sailor of the northern seas he was not noted for his navigational skills. He was the son of Eric the Red, who was also a dyslexic map reader.
No. 8: Ponce De Leon (1460-1521): Spanish explorer who made his claim to fame by being the first European to set foot in what is today Florida.
He had to be a brave guy to put up with all those Indians, snakes and obnoxious Gator fans even though their football team in the 1500s was of little note. He also traipsed around looking for the Fountain of Youth. Must not have found it because he died at the age of 61 from a poisoned arrow wound, but gets an "A" for creative exploration.
No. 7: Augustus (Gus) McCrae (Circa 1890): The fun loving Texas Ranger and star of Lonesome Dove was a man's man. He could drive cattle, kill outlaws, eat rattlesnakes for breakfast, rescue damsels in distress from wild Indians and cook biscuits over a fire.
On the other hand, he enjoyed skinny dipping in the creek before breakfast with only his boots on, wooing the ladies and cutting the cards with ladies of the night.
Was known to say "It's not dying I'm talking about, it's living." Died because he wouldn't let a surgeon cut off the only leg he had left. You gotta love him.
No. 6: Dr. David Livingstone (1813-1873): Scottish missionary who was one of the first Europeans to wander around in the jungles of Central and South Africa.
He is credited with being the first white man to see Victoria Falls. A really nice person who was thoughtful enough to take his entire family with him on a crossing of the infamous Kalahari Desert.
Livingstone had a notorious aversion to backtracking and thus his most famous comment was "I am prepared to go anywhere provided it is forward." Spoken like a true man of adventure.
No. 5: Roald Amundsen (1872-1928?): This Norwegian was a polar explorer extraordinaire.
He was the first man to reach the South Pole, first to take a ship voyage through the Northwest Passage and first to fly over North Pole from Europe to Alaska. Needless to say the boy had plenty of cold weather gear at his disposal.
Rumors still fly that he only saw the sun come up three times in his life. Amundsen died in a plane accident attempting to rescue the engineer that built that same specialized aircraft. Oh the irony of that friendship.
No. 4: Jeremiah Johnson (Circa 1870): The star of that movie portrayed by Robert Redford left society forever to be a mountain man. Now there's a real outdoorsman's label for you.
This mountain man could hunt, trap, survive the cold winters of the Rocky Mountains and cook up a scrumptious rabbit over the fire. Additionally, he was capable of building a log cabin, taking lethal revenge on those who harmed his family and could even defeat an onslaught of Crow Indians intent on seeing to his demise. A real man.
No. 3: Daniel Boone (1734-1820): Born to Quaker parents, Boone took a right turn away from his heritage by donning a coon skin hat and became the ultimate symbol for frontier heroes.
He blazed a trail through the wild country of the Cumberland Gap, lived with the Indians for a time and later moved on westward because he wanted to live in unpopulated areas. Some reports of his death indicate that the famous marksman died at the ripe old age of 84 under the claws of a bear when Boone's aim failed him for the first time.
No. 2: Neil Armstrong (1930-Present): You gotta give it up for a guy who went to the moon. How are you going to beat that? I mean that's the very definition of outdoor adventure. He drove through outer space, got in a little pod and landed in place called the Sea of Tranquility. Bet he wouldn't have much trouble handling a four-wheeler over muddy roads to get to his deer stand.
No. 1: Davy Crockett (1786-1836): Perhaps the most colorful of our top 10, Crockett was a hunting and storytelling legend.
2011年6月29日星期三
Herbal drug: Also a health booster
Even though any time general hospital doctors’ engage in a face-off with the government, millions of their patients’ headache worsens, their temperature boil, their blood pressure shoots high and their heartbeats become abnormal; it however turns a blessing to their ‘friends,’ the herbal medicine practitioners, who see it as the appropriate opportunity to advertise their local trade.
Lagos State, despite being the most industrialised and socially viable in Nigeria, herbal medicine men have boldly come out from the cocoons of their simple ‘clinics’ and to now gain street limelight by promoting many products, which gained new heights in patronage by people of different ages, gender, education and income levels.
At Mushin, Agege, Ojo, Badagry and Mile 12, areas which Daily Independent has visited, scores of herbal drug traders daily display processed and semi-processed medicines which they claim could cure pile, hypertension, diabetes, malaria, hernia, diarrhoea, gonorrheoea, infertility and many other ailments.
Sanusi Mainasara, indigene of Tsafe, Zamfara State, who has been marketing herbal drugs in Lagos since 2000, in a discussion with Daily Independent boasted the power of his herbs to cure all ailments. According to the 30-year-old herbalist, who said he gained knowledge about traditional medicine from his grandfather,“herbal medicines can cure irregular menstruation, ovarian cysts, tooth ache, deafness, skin diseases, fibroids and barreness.” Confidently, he spoke: “I can use the root of plantain, extracts from cabbage leaves and bitter leaf to treat obesity and diabetes.”
No one among the herbal medicine sellers fails to advertise bottles filled with pieces of wood and medicinal powder which they stated if blended with water, lime, lemon juice, citrus or strong spirit become therapeutic wonder.
A co-trader, whose shop is at the popular Mile 12 Market, is Ibrahim Muhammed from Borno State, who explained that the bark, wood and latex of Iroko, a popular tree in the rain forest of Nigeria, can be used for the treatment of hernia while its powdered bark is used as antiseptic or for wound or dressing. Bark of oak, teak, acacia, bramble, nim, shea butter and rubber trees are said to be raw materials for health-giving drugs.
At Ajangbadi, Ojo, Lagos, a fortnight ago Daily Independent accosted middle-aged Rose Nwanko holding a jar of herbal drug called ‘Akiika’ bought from one of the local drug producers. The mother of four disclosed that her ailment was painful monthly periods which western medicine could not correct satisfactorily. “But since I started taking this herb about two months ago, I have been enjoy comfort and peace whenever my ‘visitor’ arrives,” she said.
But Olabisi Adenusi’s medical challenge is not related with body pain, but infertility, an emotional trauma, especially in a society such as ours that cherishes children and considers infertile women almost second-class citizens. Even though the 38-year-old, who lives at Ojuelegba, Lagos, had bought a herbal drug, she confided in the reporter that she just wanted to experiment or test its efficacy because doctors had tried their best possible to improve her health in the past eight years, but no positive result yet. “I have been married for eight years now, but I have never been able to conceive despite visiting many hospitals and doing many tests which have proved that my general condition was satisfactory, my pelvic examination normal; even my husband’s semen analysis showed no abnormality,” she sadly told Daily Independent.
Not only trado-medical practitioners believe that herbs can correct infertility in a woman, but men of God quote Ezekiel 47:12, Genesis 1:29 and Revelation 22:2, verses of the holy book that attest that plant are created for sustenance and improving health. In his book on the efficacy of herbs in healing entitled Nature Power, Reverend Father Anselm Adodo stated that kola pods, raw eggs, juice of lime, water and honey can be used to produce herbal remedy for infertility. Some herbalists have also claimed that the seed of cherry can be useful in curing impotence.
Lagos State, despite being the most industrialised and socially viable in Nigeria, herbal medicine men have boldly come out from the cocoons of their simple ‘clinics’ and to now gain street limelight by promoting many products, which gained new heights in patronage by people of different ages, gender, education and income levels.
At Mushin, Agege, Ojo, Badagry and Mile 12, areas which Daily Independent has visited, scores of herbal drug traders daily display processed and semi-processed medicines which they claim could cure pile, hypertension, diabetes, malaria, hernia, diarrhoea, gonorrheoea, infertility and many other ailments.
Sanusi Mainasara, indigene of Tsafe, Zamfara State, who has been marketing herbal drugs in Lagos since 2000, in a discussion with Daily Independent boasted the power of his herbs to cure all ailments. According to the 30-year-old herbalist, who said he gained knowledge about traditional medicine from his grandfather,“herbal medicines can cure irregular menstruation, ovarian cysts, tooth ache, deafness, skin diseases, fibroids and barreness.” Confidently, he spoke: “I can use the root of plantain, extracts from cabbage leaves and bitter leaf to treat obesity and diabetes.”
No one among the herbal medicine sellers fails to advertise bottles filled with pieces of wood and medicinal powder which they stated if blended with water, lime, lemon juice, citrus or strong spirit become therapeutic wonder.
A co-trader, whose shop is at the popular Mile 12 Market, is Ibrahim Muhammed from Borno State, who explained that the bark, wood and latex of Iroko, a popular tree in the rain forest of Nigeria, can be used for the treatment of hernia while its powdered bark is used as antiseptic or for wound or dressing. Bark of oak, teak, acacia, bramble, nim, shea butter and rubber trees are said to be raw materials for health-giving drugs.
At Ajangbadi, Ojo, Lagos, a fortnight ago Daily Independent accosted middle-aged Rose Nwanko holding a jar of herbal drug called ‘Akiika’ bought from one of the local drug producers. The mother of four disclosed that her ailment was painful monthly periods which western medicine could not correct satisfactorily. “But since I started taking this herb about two months ago, I have been enjoy comfort and peace whenever my ‘visitor’ arrives,” she said.
But Olabisi Adenusi’s medical challenge is not related with body pain, but infertility, an emotional trauma, especially in a society such as ours that cherishes children and considers infertile women almost second-class citizens. Even though the 38-year-old, who lives at Ojuelegba, Lagos, had bought a herbal drug, she confided in the reporter that she just wanted to experiment or test its efficacy because doctors had tried their best possible to improve her health in the past eight years, but no positive result yet. “I have been married for eight years now, but I have never been able to conceive despite visiting many hospitals and doing many tests which have proved that my general condition was satisfactory, my pelvic examination normal; even my husband’s semen analysis showed no abnormality,” she sadly told Daily Independent.
Not only trado-medical practitioners believe that herbs can correct infertility in a woman, but men of God quote Ezekiel 47:12, Genesis 1:29 and Revelation 22:2, verses of the holy book that attest that plant are created for sustenance and improving health. In his book on the efficacy of herbs in healing entitled Nature Power, Reverend Father Anselm Adodo stated that kola pods, raw eggs, juice of lime, water and honey can be used to produce herbal remedy for infertility. Some herbalists have also claimed that the seed of cherry can be useful in curing impotence.
2011年6月26日星期日
Cancer surgeons encourage screenings
Dr. David Sheldon and Dr. Sydney Lillard say that universal screenings such as colonoscopies would drastically change their patient numbers.
“About 85 percent could be prevented if we saw it (cancer) when it was a polyp,” Sheldon said.
Both fellowship-trained in surgical oncology, Sheldon and Lillard are the only such specialists in Montana. Practicing as Northwest Montana Surgical Associates-Surgical Oncology, the two surgeons see too many patients who weren’t screened for colon cancer at the recommended age of 50.
“I see a fair amount of more advanced stage,” Lillard said.
Sheldon said some Montanans just don’t have easy access to these screenings. He pointed out that people living along the Hi-Line don’t have any gastroenterologists in their area.
Lillard added that the stoic character of hard-working Montanans sometimes causes them to brush off symptoms. When these include changes in bowel habits, particularly bleeding, doing nothing is the worst course of action.
“A lot of people attribute the bleeding to hemorrhoids,” Lillard said. “If you are over 50 and having bleeding, you should have it checked.”
Sheldon said if you notice that you don’t feel right, you should have it checked out to eliminate the possibility of some type of cancer. Symptoms are all too often nonspecific, Lillard added.
When Sheldon arrived in August 2009, Kalispell Regional Medical Center began attracting cancer surgery patients from a wide area. No one had anticipated just how many patients were seeking surgery for more complex cancers in centers in Spokane, Salt Lake City, Seattle or the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
“Typically when you have a new surgeon come with a new skill set, you have a ramp-up phenomenon,” Sheldon said. “Within a month, I was booked out several months.”
Lillard described it as more of a launching pad than a ramping up. Within a year, she joined the practice to help shoulder the demand for the new cancer treatment-at-home option.
She said many patients with gynecological cancers who were seeking treatment out of state now are choosing surgery here.
“Even some with basic skin cancer were leaving,” Lillard said.
She and Sheldon have credentials that give patients confidence that surgical techniques here equal those in larger centers for cancers including esophageal, lung, colorectal, liver, pancreas, skin and melanoma, ovarian, lymph node and endocrine gland.
After receiving his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Sheldon completed a general surgical residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. He was awarded a fellowship in surgical oncology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York.
His expertise in cancer surgery includes gastrointestinal cancers, melanoma skin cancers and endocrine tumors. Sheldon also has mastered advanced laparoscopic and minimally invasive techniques.
Ryan Solum, a native of Kalispell now living in Texas, recently benefited from Sheldon’s experience and skill when he had his colon removed. (See side story.)
Lillard earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center and spent her residency in general surgery at the University of Washington. She also completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and a gastric cancer fellowship at Seoul National University Hospital in Korea.
Since moving here, Lillard said she has been extremely impressed by the nurses. She said some have pursued or are pursuing additional certifications in oncology nursing.
“I find the nursing care here fantastic,” she said.
Both surgeons would like to see cancer eliminated but statistics don’t suggest that will happen any time soon. With screenings and sophisticated diagnostic techniques, patients have the opportunity to catch breast, cervical and colon varieties early.
With the two surgical oncology-trained physicians, Kalispell Regional Medical Center has added a new choice for people dealing with the one of the most dreaded diseases.
“We’re an option now for the patient to stay in Montana,” Sheldon said. “There’s a tremendous amount of stress and logistical problems for people with a sick family member finding a place to stay and navigating in the city and big hospitals.”
Retired anesthesiologist Dr. Dudley Page was so impressed with his cancer surgery that he made a video testimonial to share his experience. He was one of the rare candidates for surgery to treat pancreatic cancer.
Sheldon said about 35,000 people a year receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and only about 3,500 can benefit from surgery. He said a CAT scan determines if the tumor may safely be removed.
“We’ll handle 20 to 25 a year,” he said.
Page said an anesthesiologist friend suggested that he go to Virginia Mason for the surgery. But when he learned that Sheldon trained at that facility, he chose to have the surgery closer to Finley Point where he lives with his wife, Ann, a retired RN.
Sheldon described the procedure he needed in detail.
“He explained it was a very difficult piece of surgery that took some five to six hours, called the Whipple procedure,” Page said.
Called “the surgery of a thousand steps,” the procedure involves partial removal of organs and complex blood vessel rerouting. As an anesthesiologist, Page points out he was closely associated with the medical field, particularly surgery.
“I was dumbfounded by the quality of care at this hospital,” he said.
Ann said she was, as a nurse, prepared to strongly advocate for the care of her husband but found she didn’t have to because the staff gave him such good care. She said staying in the Flathead Valley was a great choice because friends were able to come and support her as well as her husband.
Page agreed, adding that they also saved a considerable amount of money by having all of his treatment here.
“I’m sure it was done just as well here as it would have been done in Seattle or any other major center in the United States.”
“About 85 percent could be prevented if we saw it (cancer) when it was a polyp,” Sheldon said.
Both fellowship-trained in surgical oncology, Sheldon and Lillard are the only such specialists in Montana. Practicing as Northwest Montana Surgical Associates-Surgical Oncology, the two surgeons see too many patients who weren’t screened for colon cancer at the recommended age of 50.
“I see a fair amount of more advanced stage,” Lillard said.
Sheldon said some Montanans just don’t have easy access to these screenings. He pointed out that people living along the Hi-Line don’t have any gastroenterologists in their area.
Lillard added that the stoic character of hard-working Montanans sometimes causes them to brush off symptoms. When these include changes in bowel habits, particularly bleeding, doing nothing is the worst course of action.
“A lot of people attribute the bleeding to hemorrhoids,” Lillard said. “If you are over 50 and having bleeding, you should have it checked.”
Sheldon said if you notice that you don’t feel right, you should have it checked out to eliminate the possibility of some type of cancer. Symptoms are all too often nonspecific, Lillard added.
When Sheldon arrived in August 2009, Kalispell Regional Medical Center began attracting cancer surgery patients from a wide area. No one had anticipated just how many patients were seeking surgery for more complex cancers in centers in Spokane, Salt Lake City, Seattle or the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
“Typically when you have a new surgeon come with a new skill set, you have a ramp-up phenomenon,” Sheldon said. “Within a month, I was booked out several months.”
Lillard described it as more of a launching pad than a ramping up. Within a year, she joined the practice to help shoulder the demand for the new cancer treatment-at-home option.
She said many patients with gynecological cancers who were seeking treatment out of state now are choosing surgery here.
“Even some with basic skin cancer were leaving,” Lillard said.
She and Sheldon have credentials that give patients confidence that surgical techniques here equal those in larger centers for cancers including esophageal, lung, colorectal, liver, pancreas, skin and melanoma, ovarian, lymph node and endocrine gland.
After receiving his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Sheldon completed a general surgical residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. He was awarded a fellowship in surgical oncology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York.
His expertise in cancer surgery includes gastrointestinal cancers, melanoma skin cancers and endocrine tumors. Sheldon also has mastered advanced laparoscopic and minimally invasive techniques.
Ryan Solum, a native of Kalispell now living in Texas, recently benefited from Sheldon’s experience and skill when he had his colon removed. (See side story.)
Lillard earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center and spent her residency in general surgery at the University of Washington. She also completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and a gastric cancer fellowship at Seoul National University Hospital in Korea.
Since moving here, Lillard said she has been extremely impressed by the nurses. She said some have pursued or are pursuing additional certifications in oncology nursing.
“I find the nursing care here fantastic,” she said.
Both surgeons would like to see cancer eliminated but statistics don’t suggest that will happen any time soon. With screenings and sophisticated diagnostic techniques, patients have the opportunity to catch breast, cervical and colon varieties early.
With the two surgical oncology-trained physicians, Kalispell Regional Medical Center has added a new choice for people dealing with the one of the most dreaded diseases.
“We’re an option now for the patient to stay in Montana,” Sheldon said. “There’s a tremendous amount of stress and logistical problems for people with a sick family member finding a place to stay and navigating in the city and big hospitals.”
Retired anesthesiologist Dr. Dudley Page was so impressed with his cancer surgery that he made a video testimonial to share his experience. He was one of the rare candidates for surgery to treat pancreatic cancer.
Sheldon said about 35,000 people a year receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and only about 3,500 can benefit from surgery. He said a CAT scan determines if the tumor may safely be removed.
“We’ll handle 20 to 25 a year,” he said.
Page said an anesthesiologist friend suggested that he go to Virginia Mason for the surgery. But when he learned that Sheldon trained at that facility, he chose to have the surgery closer to Finley Point where he lives with his wife, Ann, a retired RN.
Sheldon described the procedure he needed in detail.
“He explained it was a very difficult piece of surgery that took some five to six hours, called the Whipple procedure,” Page said.
Called “the surgery of a thousand steps,” the procedure involves partial removal of organs and complex blood vessel rerouting. As an anesthesiologist, Page points out he was closely associated with the medical field, particularly surgery.
“I was dumbfounded by the quality of care at this hospital,” he said.
Ann said she was, as a nurse, prepared to strongly advocate for the care of her husband but found she didn’t have to because the staff gave him such good care. She said staying in the Flathead Valley was a great choice because friends were able to come and support her as well as her husband.
Page agreed, adding that they also saved a considerable amount of money by having all of his treatment here.
“I’m sure it was done just as well here as it would have been done in Seattle or any other major center in the United States.”
Socialism or death?
To be sure, Spain is a modern country with excellent medical care. On the other hand, if you're a rich European with a life-or-death medical condition, you're probably going to fly to New York City -- not Madrid. But at least one of Spain's top surgeons was good enough for whatever problem Castro had. But what about sophisticated cancer surgery and subsequent treatment?
In the U.S., Chavez would be under the care of miracle workers: brilliant physicians utilizing the most sophisticated equipment, and carrying out the most dazzling medical procedures -- heart transplants, face transplants, and all manner of sophisticated cancer treatments, including for prostate cancer. And such medical care is available at major cities across the country: Washington, New York, Cleveland, Houston, Phoenix; they're just a few names that come to mind with legendary medical centers.
Ironically, this high-quality care is possible thanks to something that Chavez, Fidel, Michael Moore, and other leftists won't admit -- it's due to American capitalism. Free-enterprise is why we have the medical miracles that we do - from cutting-edge technology and pharmaceuticals to medical centers staffed by the world's best physicians.
Interestingly, Chavez also could get First World medical care in Caracas at a few top-notch medical clinics, including at the venerable Clinica de Caracas. That's the where I went for routine care (and once for stitches to my forehead) when working in Venezuela as a foreign correspondent; this was during the years Chavez came to power. My personal physician was trained at a top-notch U.S. medical school -- Ivy League or something in that category. And like more than a few of the clinic's able physicians he was Jewish. To Chavez, however, Clinica de Caracas is bourgeois, and given his anti-Semitism he probably wouldn't be keen on visiting a medical center he considered too Jewish. No, Chavez wouldn't be caught dead at Clinica de Caracas; no pun intended.
Whether Chavez lives or dies, it's likely his medical condition will always remain a mystery. It would be out-of-character for Venezuela and Cuba's information ministries to be transparent -- tell the truth as in a democracy. Even when President Jimmy Carter had hemorrhoids, it was a matter of public information -- and the butt of jokes on "Saturday Night Live." But authoritarian governments don't announce that sort of thing. It's because at bottom they are not strong but insecure. Cuba never reveled anything about the medical condition afflicting Fidel Castro; it was regarded as a "state secret." Cubans couldn't be trusted with such details.
Speaking of political insecurity, there's plenty of it in Venezuela right now due to uncertainty over Chavez's health -- and what the future holds if he dies. Chavez surrounds himself with "yes" men and has no credible successor. In true narcissistic fashion, he always fancied that he would rule forever -- and to ensure that happened he pushed through constitutional changes ending presidential term limits. "I need more time in the presidency to finish this," Chavez gushed, when campaigning for the end of term limits so that he could bring full-blown socialism to Venezuela. "We are only beginning. Maybe until 2020 or 2027. I'd be old if I'm still alive."
Finally, if Chavez dies, don't expect a timely announcement of his passing from Caracas or Havana. Before making any announcement, they'll be scrambling to determine how they'll maintain their grip on power in Venezuela, where thousands of Cuban security agents are operating.
In the U.S., Chavez would be under the care of miracle workers: brilliant physicians utilizing the most sophisticated equipment, and carrying out the most dazzling medical procedures -- heart transplants, face transplants, and all manner of sophisticated cancer treatments, including for prostate cancer. And such medical care is available at major cities across the country: Washington, New York, Cleveland, Houston, Phoenix; they're just a few names that come to mind with legendary medical centers.
Ironically, this high-quality care is possible thanks to something that Chavez, Fidel, Michael Moore, and other leftists won't admit -- it's due to American capitalism. Free-enterprise is why we have the medical miracles that we do - from cutting-edge technology and pharmaceuticals to medical centers staffed by the world's best physicians.
Interestingly, Chavez also could get First World medical care in Caracas at a few top-notch medical clinics, including at the venerable Clinica de Caracas. That's the where I went for routine care (and once for stitches to my forehead) when working in Venezuela as a foreign correspondent; this was during the years Chavez came to power. My personal physician was trained at a top-notch U.S. medical school -- Ivy League or something in that category. And like more than a few of the clinic's able physicians he was Jewish. To Chavez, however, Clinica de Caracas is bourgeois, and given his anti-Semitism he probably wouldn't be keen on visiting a medical center he considered too Jewish. No, Chavez wouldn't be caught dead at Clinica de Caracas; no pun intended.
Whether Chavez lives or dies, it's likely his medical condition will always remain a mystery. It would be out-of-character for Venezuela and Cuba's information ministries to be transparent -- tell the truth as in a democracy. Even when President Jimmy Carter had hemorrhoids, it was a matter of public information -- and the butt of jokes on "Saturday Night Live." But authoritarian governments don't announce that sort of thing. It's because at bottom they are not strong but insecure. Cuba never reveled anything about the medical condition afflicting Fidel Castro; it was regarded as a "state secret." Cubans couldn't be trusted with such details.
Speaking of political insecurity, there's plenty of it in Venezuela right now due to uncertainty over Chavez's health -- and what the future holds if he dies. Chavez surrounds himself with "yes" men and has no credible successor. In true narcissistic fashion, he always fancied that he would rule forever -- and to ensure that happened he pushed through constitutional changes ending presidential term limits. "I need more time in the presidency to finish this," Chavez gushed, when campaigning for the end of term limits so that he could bring full-blown socialism to Venezuela. "We are only beginning. Maybe until 2020 or 2027. I'd be old if I'm still alive."
Finally, if Chavez dies, don't expect a timely announcement of his passing from Caracas or Havana. Before making any announcement, they'll be scrambling to determine how they'll maintain their grip on power in Venezuela, where thousands of Cuban security agents are operating.
2011年6月22日星期三
Healthy Eating Beyond Meat and Potatoes
Preventing Heart Failure — A Serious and Increasingly Common Chronic Disease
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Heart failure happens when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. The American Heart Association says heart failure is a growing epidemic. The June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers some reasons for the increased prevalence of heart failure and options to help prevent it.
Heart failure often develops after the heart has been damaged or weakened by other conditions. The dramatic increase in heart failure coincides with an aging population, more people with heart disease and increased survival rates for those who experience heart attacks.
Over time, a heart that is compromised by underlying disease changes and loses function. The ventricles, the main pumping chambers, may become stiff and not fill properly between beats. The heart muscle may weaken. The ventricles can stretch, decreasing pumping efficiency. High blood pressure, faulty heart valves, abnormal heart rhythms, diabetes and other factors also can contribute to heart failure. Signs and symptoms of heart failure can include shortness of breath and leg swelling.
Medication may be necessary to treat underlying conditions that increase the risk of heart failure. There are many options, including:
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors — These medications relax the blood vessels to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow and decrease the heart’s workload. Examples include enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) and captopril (Capoten).
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) — ARBs offer many of the same benefits as ACE inhibitors and are an option when ACE inhibitors aren’t well tolerated. Options include losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan) and others.
- Digoxin (Lanoxin) — This medication improves the strength of heart muscle contractions and tends to slow the heartbeat.
- Beta blockers — These drugs slow the heart rate, reduce blood pressure and may reduce the risk of some abnormal heart rhythms. Examples include bisoprolol (Zebeta), carvedilol (Coreg) and metoprolol (Lopressor).
- Diuretics — These medications cause frequent urination, keeping fluids from collecting in the body. Examples include bumetanide (Bumex), furosemide (Lasix) and hydrochlorothiazide.
Adopting a healthier lifestyle can help prevent heart failure. Important lifestyle factors include avoiding tobacco, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a heart-healthy diet, limiting alcohol and staying physically active
Heart failure is a serious chronic disease. The rate of death five years after diagnosis is 50 percent in men and 46 percent in women.
Fall Prevention: Out with the Old Shoes, Old Habits
ROCHESTER, Minn. — The right choice of indoor and outdoor shoes can help keep older adults on their feet, according to the June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Surveys show that old shoes and old habits can contribute to falls in older adults.
Older adults who wear athletic shoes around the house are much less likely to fall than those who go barefoot, wear socks alone or wear slippers. Outside of the home, older adults often opt for slip-on shoes without snug fasteners or laces. Lace-up or strap-on shoes with a snug fit offer the most support.
Surveys have shown that older adults often wear shoes that are worn out and have lost their cushioning or even have flopping parts. Or, some people persist in wearing shoes that are too small or narrow. Feet tend to elongate with age, and a bigger shoe size may be necessary. Poor-fitting or worn-out shoes increase the risk of falls and can contribute to foot problems such as bunions, corns, or pain under the base of the toe joints (metatarsalgia).
Older adults have many shoe choices, including the traditional rocker bottom shoes with a mostly flat sole and upward curve at the toes. There are many newer trends, including double rocker bottom shoes, foot gloves and shoes with negative heels.
Double rocker bottom shoes feature a sole that curves up at the toes and the heel. The sole looks like the bottom of a rocking chair. They can be effective for people with a fused ankle joint or advanced arthritis of the foot or ankle. Mayo Clinic doctors urge caution with this choice, as they require a level of balance that many older adults don’t have, increasing the risk of falling.
Foot gloves fit the foot like a glove and imitate aspects of going barefoot, but with protection from stepping on sharp objects. Originally designed for runners, they are increasingly popular for casual or around-the-house wear. Again, Mayo Clinic doctors urge caution for older adults. Natural foot cushioning diminishes with age, and it’s possible these products could raise the risk of injury in older adults.
Negative heels feature a heel lower than the toe box. For most people, this shoe design stretches the Achilles tendon more than normal with every step, potentially leading to discomfort and injury. Mayo Clinic doctors say the risk of injury from a negative heel shoe outweighs any potential benefits.
Good shoes that fit well aren’t the only factor in preventing falls, but selecting the right footwear can make a difference.
Healthy and Delicious Eating Beyond Meat and Potatoes
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy should be the star attractions of a healthy diet, with only cameo appearances by meat. A special section in the June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, called “Beyond Meat and Potatoes, The Art of Eating Well,” offers ideas and recipes for an appealing, nourishing diet.
Here are some healthy eating tidbits from the Special Report:
Be a new omnivore: No need to swear off meat altogether. But because of the health risks associated with higher cholesterol and saturated fat, it’s best to limit meat consumption to less than six ounces a day.
Don’t forget the fiber: Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, includes all parts of plant food that the body can’t digest or absorb. It passes through the digestive tract relatively intact. So why bother? Because fiber aids bowel function (and reduces the risk of hemorrhoids), lowers cholesterol levels, helps regulate blood sugar levels, and helps with weight loss. High-fiber foods generally require more chewing time, giving the body time to register that it’s full.
Savory not salty: Limiting salt can help keep blood pressure under control, which may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and kidney problems. Instead of reaching for the salt, consider adding dried or chopped fresh herbs to soup, salads or sandwich fillings. Flavor boosters such as garlic, fresh ginger, citrus zest and juices or flavored vinegars can lift foods from flat to interesting.
Pounds and calories: It takes about 3,500 calories above a person’s daily calorie needs to gain a pound of body fat. Likewise, it takes about 3,500 calories under the daily needs to lose a pound of body fat. But a few calories more or less every day start to add up. A person who eats just 100 extra calories a day can gain 10 pounds in one year. Conversely, by eating 100 fewer calories a day, a person can lose 10 pounds in one year.
What’s for dinner? The Special Section features 10 easy-to-prepare recipes that go beyond meat and potatoes. Options include broiled trout with tomato and red onion relish, sugar snap peas with fresh marjoram, spicy beef kabobs, grilled pineapple and fresh mixed berries with ginger sauce.
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Heart failure happens when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. The American Heart Association says heart failure is a growing epidemic. The June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers some reasons for the increased prevalence of heart failure and options to help prevent it.
Heart failure often develops after the heart has been damaged or weakened by other conditions. The dramatic increase in heart failure coincides with an aging population, more people with heart disease and increased survival rates for those who experience heart attacks.
Over time, a heart that is compromised by underlying disease changes and loses function. The ventricles, the main pumping chambers, may become stiff and not fill properly between beats. The heart muscle may weaken. The ventricles can stretch, decreasing pumping efficiency. High blood pressure, faulty heart valves, abnormal heart rhythms, diabetes and other factors also can contribute to heart failure. Signs and symptoms of heart failure can include shortness of breath and leg swelling.
Medication may be necessary to treat underlying conditions that increase the risk of heart failure. There are many options, including:
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors — These medications relax the blood vessels to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow and decrease the heart’s workload. Examples include enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) and captopril (Capoten).
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) — ARBs offer many of the same benefits as ACE inhibitors and are an option when ACE inhibitors aren’t well tolerated. Options include losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan) and others.
- Digoxin (Lanoxin) — This medication improves the strength of heart muscle contractions and tends to slow the heartbeat.
- Beta blockers — These drugs slow the heart rate, reduce blood pressure and may reduce the risk of some abnormal heart rhythms. Examples include bisoprolol (Zebeta), carvedilol (Coreg) and metoprolol (Lopressor).
- Diuretics — These medications cause frequent urination, keeping fluids from collecting in the body. Examples include bumetanide (Bumex), furosemide (Lasix) and hydrochlorothiazide.
Adopting a healthier lifestyle can help prevent heart failure. Important lifestyle factors include avoiding tobacco, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a heart-healthy diet, limiting alcohol and staying physically active
Heart failure is a serious chronic disease. The rate of death five years after diagnosis is 50 percent in men and 46 percent in women.
Fall Prevention: Out with the Old Shoes, Old Habits
ROCHESTER, Minn. — The right choice of indoor and outdoor shoes can help keep older adults on their feet, according to the June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Surveys show that old shoes and old habits can contribute to falls in older adults.
Older adults who wear athletic shoes around the house are much less likely to fall than those who go barefoot, wear socks alone or wear slippers. Outside of the home, older adults often opt for slip-on shoes without snug fasteners or laces. Lace-up or strap-on shoes with a snug fit offer the most support.
Surveys have shown that older adults often wear shoes that are worn out and have lost their cushioning or even have flopping parts. Or, some people persist in wearing shoes that are too small or narrow. Feet tend to elongate with age, and a bigger shoe size may be necessary. Poor-fitting or worn-out shoes increase the risk of falls and can contribute to foot problems such as bunions, corns, or pain under the base of the toe joints (metatarsalgia).
Older adults have many shoe choices, including the traditional rocker bottom shoes with a mostly flat sole and upward curve at the toes. There are many newer trends, including double rocker bottom shoes, foot gloves and shoes with negative heels.
Double rocker bottom shoes feature a sole that curves up at the toes and the heel. The sole looks like the bottom of a rocking chair. They can be effective for people with a fused ankle joint or advanced arthritis of the foot or ankle. Mayo Clinic doctors urge caution with this choice, as they require a level of balance that many older adults don’t have, increasing the risk of falling.
Foot gloves fit the foot like a glove and imitate aspects of going barefoot, but with protection from stepping on sharp objects. Originally designed for runners, they are increasingly popular for casual or around-the-house wear. Again, Mayo Clinic doctors urge caution for older adults. Natural foot cushioning diminishes with age, and it’s possible these products could raise the risk of injury in older adults.
Negative heels feature a heel lower than the toe box. For most people, this shoe design stretches the Achilles tendon more than normal with every step, potentially leading to discomfort and injury. Mayo Clinic doctors say the risk of injury from a negative heel shoe outweighs any potential benefits.
Good shoes that fit well aren’t the only factor in preventing falls, but selecting the right footwear can make a difference.
Healthy and Delicious Eating Beyond Meat and Potatoes
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy should be the star attractions of a healthy diet, with only cameo appearances by meat. A special section in the June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, called “Beyond Meat and Potatoes, The Art of Eating Well,” offers ideas and recipes for an appealing, nourishing diet.
Here are some healthy eating tidbits from the Special Report:
Be a new omnivore: No need to swear off meat altogether. But because of the health risks associated with higher cholesterol and saturated fat, it’s best to limit meat consumption to less than six ounces a day.
Don’t forget the fiber: Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, includes all parts of plant food that the body can’t digest or absorb. It passes through the digestive tract relatively intact. So why bother? Because fiber aids bowel function (and reduces the risk of hemorrhoids), lowers cholesterol levels, helps regulate blood sugar levels, and helps with weight loss. High-fiber foods generally require more chewing time, giving the body time to register that it’s full.
Savory not salty: Limiting salt can help keep blood pressure under control, which may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and kidney problems. Instead of reaching for the salt, consider adding dried or chopped fresh herbs to soup, salads or sandwich fillings. Flavor boosters such as garlic, fresh ginger, citrus zest and juices or flavored vinegars can lift foods from flat to interesting.
Pounds and calories: It takes about 3,500 calories above a person’s daily calorie needs to gain a pound of body fat. Likewise, it takes about 3,500 calories under the daily needs to lose a pound of body fat. But a few calories more or less every day start to add up. A person who eats just 100 extra calories a day can gain 10 pounds in one year. Conversely, by eating 100 fewer calories a day, a person can lose 10 pounds in one year.
What’s for dinner? The Special Section features 10 easy-to-prepare recipes that go beyond meat and potatoes. Options include broiled trout with tomato and red onion relish, sugar snap peas with fresh marjoram, spicy beef kabobs, grilled pineapple and fresh mixed berries with ginger sauce.
the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Pain Associated With Chronic Anal Fissures
ProStrakan Group plc, a subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd., and an international specialty pharmaceutical company, today announces that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Rectiv™ (nitroglycerin) Ointment 0.4 % for the treatment of moderate to severe pain associated with chronic anal fissures. Rectiv will be the only FDA approved prescription product for patients with this condition.
"The pain associated with anal fissures can be unrelenting and debilitating. Prompt initiation of treatment by primary care practitioners, gynecologists, gastroenterologists and surgeons alike is critical to a patient's wellbeing," said Scott Berry MD, FACS, colorectal surgeon and the principal investigator on one of Rectiv's clinical trials.
"Now we have an effective and easy-to-use topical ointment which allows grateful patients to resume their daily lives."
Anal fissures are fairly common, with approximately 700,000 people in the U.S. receiving a diagnosis or treatment for an episode each year. An anal fissure is a small tear in the skin that lines the anus, and can occur in a number of ways such as passing large or hard stools, straining during a bowel movement, or following an episode of diarrhea. When an anal fissure occurs, it typically causes severe pain and bleeding with bowel movements. Chronic anal fissure has been shown to impact significantly on patients' quality of life. An episode can take six to eight weeks to heal; and if healing does not occur then surgery may be required.(i -x)
Peter Allen, Chairman of ProStrakan, said:
"The market in the U.S. for a prescription medicine to treat chronic anal fissure pain is significant and, having successfully marketed this product in Europe for some years, we are pleased that it will now be made available to patients in the U.S."
"We will now evaluate the most efficient way of bringing this product to market and making it available as widely as is necessary."
ProStrakan expects Rectiv to be available in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2012. Marketed under the name Rectogesic®, the product is already approved in the EU and marketed by ProStrakan in all major European countries, where sales grew by 15% in 2010 to $14.4 million (9.3 million Pounds Sterling). The product has also been out-licensed outside Europe by ProStrakan to commercial partners in 34 countries worldwide.
"The pain associated with anal fissures can be unrelenting and debilitating. Prompt initiation of treatment by primary care practitioners, gynecologists, gastroenterologists and surgeons alike is critical to a patient's wellbeing," said Scott Berry MD, FACS, colorectal surgeon and the principal investigator on one of Rectiv's clinical trials.
"Now we have an effective and easy-to-use topical ointment which allows grateful patients to resume their daily lives."
Anal fissures are fairly common, with approximately 700,000 people in the U.S. receiving a diagnosis or treatment for an episode each year. An anal fissure is a small tear in the skin that lines the anus, and can occur in a number of ways such as passing large or hard stools, straining during a bowel movement, or following an episode of diarrhea. When an anal fissure occurs, it typically causes severe pain and bleeding with bowel movements. Chronic anal fissure has been shown to impact significantly on patients' quality of life. An episode can take six to eight weeks to heal; and if healing does not occur then surgery may be required.(i -x)
Peter Allen, Chairman of ProStrakan, said:
"The market in the U.S. for a prescription medicine to treat chronic anal fissure pain is significant and, having successfully marketed this product in Europe for some years, we are pleased that it will now be made available to patients in the U.S."
"We will now evaluate the most efficient way of bringing this product to market and making it available as widely as is necessary."
ProStrakan expects Rectiv to be available in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2012. Marketed under the name Rectogesic®, the product is already approved in the EU and marketed by ProStrakan in all major European countries, where sales grew by 15% in 2010 to $14.4 million (9.3 million Pounds Sterling). The product has also been out-licensed outside Europe by ProStrakan to commercial partners in 34 countries worldwide.
2011年6月19日星期日
‘Sputnik,’ ‘Bahala Na’ gang members share cells with Maguindanao massacre detainees
After a heavy wave of public criticism over special treatment allegedly given to high-profile Maguindanao massacre detainees, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has reacted by instituting “reforms" at the detention facility where they are being kept.
Senior Inspector Bernardino Edgar Camus, officer-in-charge jail warden of the Quezon City Jail Annex in Taguig City, said one of the most obvious changes he had introduced since taking the post last month was “segregating" the more than 80 massacre detainees there.
While they used to be staying together inside the jail facility, the massacre detainees have now been spread out to several cells, according to Camus.
“At least kapag magkakahiwalay sila, hindi sila makakapag-usap-usap kasi may mga accusations before na baka nagpa-plano sila habang nasa loob ng kulungan," Camus said in an interview.
(At least with them separated, they can no longer confer with each other. This will put an end to accusations that they are hatching plans while in detention.)
Camus follows a long list of jail officials who had taken the helm of the Quezon City Jail Annex inside Camp Bagong Diwa. The BJMP regularly re-shuffles jail officials at the facility every three months to prevent them from getting too acquainted with the inmates and prevent giving detainees any special treatment.
Camus’ predecessor, Chief Inspector Glennford Valdepeñas, was sacked in May after Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto’ Mangudadatu revealed photographs — taken in secret — of Andal Ampatuan Sr. seemingly getting special treatment at the facility such as being able to go out of his detention cell, receiving more than three visitors at the same time, and having servants.
BJMP Director Rosendo Dial already dismissed the photos, saying these depict nothing “irregular". An investigation by the Department of Interior and Local Government later revealed that the photographs had been taken in 2009, when Valdepeñas had not yet been assigned to the facility.
Sputnik, Bahala Na gangs
An added feature of Camus's segregation system is that other accused facing charges in different criminal cases have already been mixed and thrown in with the massacre suspects.
For instance, suspended Gov. Rizaldy “Zaldy" Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has earlier been taken out of Cell Number 1, where his fellow massacre detainees are, and has been transferred to a separate cell.
At his new area at Cell Number 6, Zaldy is now joined by three of his co-accused in the massacre case but at the same time shares it with three other detainees, who face charges in separate criminal cases.
Camus said suspected members of notorious gangs like “Sputnik" and “Bahala Na" have already been placed together with the massacre suspects.
Considered two of the biggest organized crime groups in the Philippines, the “Sputnik" and “Bahala Na" gangs are said to be involved in drug trafficking, murder, carjacking, kidnapping, and other crimes.
“At least, mas mababantayan namin ang galaw nila kapag may nakahalong ibang mga preso [It's easier to monitor the movements of the massacre detainees by mixing them with other accused with other pending cases]," the warden said.
Remaining at Cell Number 1, where Zaldy originally used to stay, are clan patriarch Andal Sr. and his sons Andal Jr., Sajid, as well as his son-in-law Akmad Ampatuan Sr. They share Cell Number 1 with five other detainees.
Camus admitted that some lawyers of the massacre detainees objected to the segregation but the warden said he had explained to the lawyers that this was for their clients’ own interests. “So far, I think the changes I made are effective," he said.
Senior Inspector Bernardino Edgar Camus, officer-in-charge jail warden of the Quezon City Jail Annex in Taguig City, said one of the most obvious changes he had introduced since taking the post last month was “segregating" the more than 80 massacre detainees there.
While they used to be staying together inside the jail facility, the massacre detainees have now been spread out to several cells, according to Camus.
“At least kapag magkakahiwalay sila, hindi sila makakapag-usap-usap kasi may mga accusations before na baka nagpa-plano sila habang nasa loob ng kulungan," Camus said in an interview.
(At least with them separated, they can no longer confer with each other. This will put an end to accusations that they are hatching plans while in detention.)
Camus follows a long list of jail officials who had taken the helm of the Quezon City Jail Annex inside Camp Bagong Diwa. The BJMP regularly re-shuffles jail officials at the facility every three months to prevent them from getting too acquainted with the inmates and prevent giving detainees any special treatment.
Camus’ predecessor, Chief Inspector Glennford Valdepeñas, was sacked in May after Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto’ Mangudadatu revealed photographs — taken in secret — of Andal Ampatuan Sr. seemingly getting special treatment at the facility such as being able to go out of his detention cell, receiving more than three visitors at the same time, and having servants.
BJMP Director Rosendo Dial already dismissed the photos, saying these depict nothing “irregular". An investigation by the Department of Interior and Local Government later revealed that the photographs had been taken in 2009, when Valdepeñas had not yet been assigned to the facility.
Sputnik, Bahala Na gangs
An added feature of Camus's segregation system is that other accused facing charges in different criminal cases have already been mixed and thrown in with the massacre suspects.
For instance, suspended Gov. Rizaldy “Zaldy" Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has earlier been taken out of Cell Number 1, where his fellow massacre detainees are, and has been transferred to a separate cell.
At his new area at Cell Number 6, Zaldy is now joined by three of his co-accused in the massacre case but at the same time shares it with three other detainees, who face charges in separate criminal cases.
Camus said suspected members of notorious gangs like “Sputnik" and “Bahala Na" have already been placed together with the massacre suspects.
Considered two of the biggest organized crime groups in the Philippines, the “Sputnik" and “Bahala Na" gangs are said to be involved in drug trafficking, murder, carjacking, kidnapping, and other crimes.
“At least, mas mababantayan namin ang galaw nila kapag may nakahalong ibang mga preso [It's easier to monitor the movements of the massacre detainees by mixing them with other accused with other pending cases]," the warden said.
Remaining at Cell Number 1, where Zaldy originally used to stay, are clan patriarch Andal Sr. and his sons Andal Jr., Sajid, as well as his son-in-law Akmad Ampatuan Sr. They share Cell Number 1 with five other detainees.
Camus admitted that some lawyers of the massacre detainees objected to the segregation but the warden said he had explained to the lawyers that this was for their clients’ own interests. “So far, I think the changes I made are effective," he said.
Alumni talk, recipes and hound's tongue
The highlight of this week was the annual Argyle Central School Alumni Association banquet. Elevating it to this status was not done for the typical reasons, because few of the typical things occurred.
My perceptions remained accurate for the evening because when I went to get a glass of wine for a couple of ladies, including Dr. Wifey, instead of goblets, it was presented in water glasses, rendering my dear spouse incapable of designated driver duty. I, therefore, remained adult and responsible throughout the evening. Thus the women that were interesting in school were all still interesting and the men were all balder.
I was not accosted by any crazed horse ladies, I did not get elected to any offices, I remembered both verses of alma mater and my singing voice did not improve. No, the fact it was a highlight came the next day when someone from the class of 1961, who all gathered at the Attitude Cafe for breakfast, left me a couple of pages copied from a book. I cannot give appropriate credit because the identity of my benefactor was garbled, so if anyone can help out with that, it would be appreciated. The book was entitled the New England Farrier and Family Physician published in 1823 by Jacob Richardson in Exeter, New Hampshire. This Richardson is likely a relative of mine and his book is a compendium of what he calls “receipts,” but we would call recipes.
I am not sure just which receipt was being recommended to me, probably the one about fall ploughing, but some of the others were very enlightening. Did you know that if your butter goes rancid, you have only to toast four slices of bread, cover every exposed surface of the butter, and wait two minutes. “The butter will lose its disagreeable odour, but the bread will be found foetid.”
Similarly, if you have maggots in your bacon (I hate it when that happens) simply crush some elderberry leaves in a bit of water, apply it to the bacon, letting some run into all the crevices, and the maggots and skippers will soon quit their habitations leaving the bacon completely palatable.
Even better, I learned from the pages passed to me that a grain of flax seed would possess all the valuable properties of the eye stone. For those unfamiliar with the term, an eye stone is the operculum of a small marine snail (the hard flap that covers the hole in the shell when the snail closes up.) When you have something in your eye, this hard bit of snail shell is inserted under the lid at the inner point of the eye, then the sufferer blinks until the eye stone emerges at the outer part of the eye, supposedly bringing the offending debris along with it. I do not know what might do more damage to an eye, a hunk of snail shell or a hard, scratchy flax seed.
One of the “receipts” that might have had some efficacy had to do with driving rats and mice from barns, homes and granaries by placing a plant called dog’s tongue, smashed with a hammer, all around the building. This plant does seem to have an odor that repels rodents, for a short while when it is freshly crushed. Unfortunately for a New England publication, the dog’s tongue that has this property was native to China and the only place in the United States where it exists is in Florida and Hawaii, where it is classified as a noxious invasive.
The European dog’s tongue, more often called hound’s tongue, dog borage, or wild buckwheat, that was brought over by colonists and has spread widely in North America, seems to have none of these repellent properties. However, the European colonists were nothing if not prone to identify native plants in colonial areas with names of European species. Thus, we have over 75 species that are identified with the name “dog’s tongue” or “hound’s tongue.”
I became curious about hound’s tongue when I was fairly young. My grandmother told me it was named because the leaves looked like a dog’s tongue. It certainly did not appear thus to my eye. It was years later I discovered that putting a decoction of the leaves and stem on your shoes was supposed to keep neighborhood dogs from barking at you, i.e., giving tongue. By the way, that does not work.
The plant Gram identified as hound’s tongue got to be about 3 feet high with rough bristly leaves, reddish purple flowers, and small triangular seed pods covered with burrs. These are especially terrible in long-haired hunting dogs taking some really dramatic efforts to dislodge them from the coat. She said it was used to treat dog bites and hemorrhoids. Interestingly, it does have some interesting properties.
Hound’s tongue contains several active agents that depress central nervous system activity. It was once widely prescribed by herbalists for the treatment of tumors and cancers. Overdosing leads to a narcotic effect and hallucinations, so for a few years it was greatly touted by hippie culture herbalists. However, it has been found to also be carcinogenic, leading to some issues to those seeking a “natural high.” Guess I will leave off chasing away dogs and treating piles and go drive the worms out of my bacon.
My perceptions remained accurate for the evening because when I went to get a glass of wine for a couple of ladies, including Dr. Wifey, instead of goblets, it was presented in water glasses, rendering my dear spouse incapable of designated driver duty. I, therefore, remained adult and responsible throughout the evening. Thus the women that were interesting in school were all still interesting and the men were all balder.
I was not accosted by any crazed horse ladies, I did not get elected to any offices, I remembered both verses of alma mater and my singing voice did not improve. No, the fact it was a highlight came the next day when someone from the class of 1961, who all gathered at the Attitude Cafe for breakfast, left me a couple of pages copied from a book. I cannot give appropriate credit because the identity of my benefactor was garbled, so if anyone can help out with that, it would be appreciated. The book was entitled the New England Farrier and Family Physician published in 1823 by Jacob Richardson in Exeter, New Hampshire. This Richardson is likely a relative of mine and his book is a compendium of what he calls “receipts,” but we would call recipes.
I am not sure just which receipt was being recommended to me, probably the one about fall ploughing, but some of the others were very enlightening. Did you know that if your butter goes rancid, you have only to toast four slices of bread, cover every exposed surface of the butter, and wait two minutes. “The butter will lose its disagreeable odour, but the bread will be found foetid.”
Similarly, if you have maggots in your bacon (I hate it when that happens) simply crush some elderberry leaves in a bit of water, apply it to the bacon, letting some run into all the crevices, and the maggots and skippers will soon quit their habitations leaving the bacon completely palatable.
Even better, I learned from the pages passed to me that a grain of flax seed would possess all the valuable properties of the eye stone. For those unfamiliar with the term, an eye stone is the operculum of a small marine snail (the hard flap that covers the hole in the shell when the snail closes up.) When you have something in your eye, this hard bit of snail shell is inserted under the lid at the inner point of the eye, then the sufferer blinks until the eye stone emerges at the outer part of the eye, supposedly bringing the offending debris along with it. I do not know what might do more damage to an eye, a hunk of snail shell or a hard, scratchy flax seed.
One of the “receipts” that might have had some efficacy had to do with driving rats and mice from barns, homes and granaries by placing a plant called dog’s tongue, smashed with a hammer, all around the building. This plant does seem to have an odor that repels rodents, for a short while when it is freshly crushed. Unfortunately for a New England publication, the dog’s tongue that has this property was native to China and the only place in the United States where it exists is in Florida and Hawaii, where it is classified as a noxious invasive.
The European dog’s tongue, more often called hound’s tongue, dog borage, or wild buckwheat, that was brought over by colonists and has spread widely in North America, seems to have none of these repellent properties. However, the European colonists were nothing if not prone to identify native plants in colonial areas with names of European species. Thus, we have over 75 species that are identified with the name “dog’s tongue” or “hound’s tongue.”
I became curious about hound’s tongue when I was fairly young. My grandmother told me it was named because the leaves looked like a dog’s tongue. It certainly did not appear thus to my eye. It was years later I discovered that putting a decoction of the leaves and stem on your shoes was supposed to keep neighborhood dogs from barking at you, i.e., giving tongue. By the way, that does not work.
The plant Gram identified as hound’s tongue got to be about 3 feet high with rough bristly leaves, reddish purple flowers, and small triangular seed pods covered with burrs. These are especially terrible in long-haired hunting dogs taking some really dramatic efforts to dislodge them from the coat. She said it was used to treat dog bites and hemorrhoids. Interestingly, it does have some interesting properties.
Hound’s tongue contains several active agents that depress central nervous system activity. It was once widely prescribed by herbalists for the treatment of tumors and cancers. Overdosing leads to a narcotic effect and hallucinations, so for a few years it was greatly touted by hippie culture herbalists. However, it has been found to also be carcinogenic, leading to some issues to those seeking a “natural high.” Guess I will leave off chasing away dogs and treating piles and go drive the worms out of my bacon.
2011年6月14日星期二
Think BFF Stands For Best Friends Forever?
BFF. Best Friends Forever? Well, not exactly. For some of us, BFF stands for Body Function Freak-out.
Chalk it up to a mix of post-WWII culture, religion, and family, but I learned early on that some body parts and functions were okey-dokey, others not so much. Heartbeat, blinking and hearing -- God’s handiwork. But stinky feet, earwax, and gas? Oh, the hot coals of shame!
Puberty was a minefield beginning with “training bras.” What exactly were we training, our bosoms? Behind-the-back finger dexterity? Our patience?? I suspect the label was just a marketing ploy to wean us prematurely from our favorite undershirts. Patent leather shoes really were forbidden, and we had to wear blouses under our sweaters, lest we become “occasions of sin.” Dang! My one chance to be an “occasion,” and I missed it.
Barraged by hormones and social pressure, girls wandered clueless through changes that required using various “feminine hygiene” products. As I recall, boys needed only one “male hygiene” product, called SOAP.
Shopping was excruciating. Too often the clerk turned out to be the cute boy from English class, and I died again when the loudspeaker blared, PRICE CHECK ON JUMBO KOTEX SUPER MAXI PADS! If we’d had VISA and the internet, you can bet your Lucky Charms that an unmarked semi would’ve pulled up to the house one time with a shipment of Kotex to last until menopause.
Over time, the neurosis has blossomed nicely, thank you. When hanging laundry on a line, sheets on the outside! True, the wind can’t reach anything hung on the inside lines, but the world must never suspect that we wear and wash underwear, no matter how boring it may be.
Going to a Laundromat? Never fold undies on the counter! Pull them directly from the dryer into the clothes basket, and cover with towels. Then, to repel any creeps loitering nearby, top off the basket with a pair of size 13 men’s boots. Return home and fold the wrinkled mess, with the door locked and shades pulled, of course.
Checking out with BFF products? Find a female checker, hopefully wearing a blouse under her sweater. Use caution when making last-second lane changes. I once did a snappy u-turn to avoid a male employee, and threw my back out.
Many BFF items of the past have lost their power, such as acne ointments, dandruff shampoo, and tampons. Unfortunately, a new and deadly “older” crop has emerged for treating constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and toe fungus.
My advice? (1) Buy in BFF stuff in bulk. Then, as you unload the three heaping shopping carts onto the belt, whine to the clerk about managing the area’s largest assisted living complex. (2) Negate the BFF effect with a pile of celebrity workout DVDs, Gatorade, and a case of rainbow Trojans. (3) Divert attention from BFF stuff by also purchasing large or unusual items: the runway-size sheet cake, outdoor grill, or inflatable Sponge Bob wading pool.
Chalk it up to a mix of post-WWII culture, religion, and family, but I learned early on that some body parts and functions were okey-dokey, others not so much. Heartbeat, blinking and hearing -- God’s handiwork. But stinky feet, earwax, and gas? Oh, the hot coals of shame!
Puberty was a minefield beginning with “training bras.” What exactly were we training, our bosoms? Behind-the-back finger dexterity? Our patience?? I suspect the label was just a marketing ploy to wean us prematurely from our favorite undershirts. Patent leather shoes really were forbidden, and we had to wear blouses under our sweaters, lest we become “occasions of sin.” Dang! My one chance to be an “occasion,” and I missed it.
Barraged by hormones and social pressure, girls wandered clueless through changes that required using various “feminine hygiene” products. As I recall, boys needed only one “male hygiene” product, called SOAP.
Shopping was excruciating. Too often the clerk turned out to be the cute boy from English class, and I died again when the loudspeaker blared, PRICE CHECK ON JUMBO KOTEX SUPER MAXI PADS! If we’d had VISA and the internet, you can bet your Lucky Charms that an unmarked semi would’ve pulled up to the house one time with a shipment of Kotex to last until menopause.
Over time, the neurosis has blossomed nicely, thank you. When hanging laundry on a line, sheets on the outside! True, the wind can’t reach anything hung on the inside lines, but the world must never suspect that we wear and wash underwear, no matter how boring it may be.
Going to a Laundromat? Never fold undies on the counter! Pull them directly from the dryer into the clothes basket, and cover with towels. Then, to repel any creeps loitering nearby, top off the basket with a pair of size 13 men’s boots. Return home and fold the wrinkled mess, with the door locked and shades pulled, of course.
Checking out with BFF products? Find a female checker, hopefully wearing a blouse under her sweater. Use caution when making last-second lane changes. I once did a snappy u-turn to avoid a male employee, and threw my back out.
Many BFF items of the past have lost their power, such as acne ointments, dandruff shampoo, and tampons. Unfortunately, a new and deadly “older” crop has emerged for treating constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and toe fungus.
My advice? (1) Buy in BFF stuff in bulk. Then, as you unload the three heaping shopping carts onto the belt, whine to the clerk about managing the area’s largest assisted living complex. (2) Negate the BFF effect with a pile of celebrity workout DVDs, Gatorade, and a case of rainbow Trojans. (3) Divert attention from BFF stuff by also purchasing large or unusual items: the runway-size sheet cake, outdoor grill, or inflatable Sponge Bob wading pool.
Is Laser Surgery For Hemorrhoids A Good Choice?
It is understandable how people will feel once people learn that they are suffering from hemorrhoids. Social stigma in the workplace, school and even at home can occur because of the prejudices and notion that people associate with hemorrhoids. But the sad truth is, even person who may look at you differently because you have hemorrhoids may also be suffering from the same condition, though not to his or her knowledge.
It’s true—hemorrhoids can occur to anyone—any people, for that matter, of any age. Hemorrhoids are more common in the elderly and among women in the peak of their child-bearing age since delivery and labor can lead to hemorrhoids of varying degrees. Hemorrhoids affect many people and most of them are even undiagnosed by doctors.
Hemorrhoids Defined
Simply defined, a hemorrhoid is a swollen and inflamed part of the anal stricture due to pressure in the said area when the person strains in episodes of constipation, defecation, labor and delivery and other means. Also, people who engage themselves in non-conventional methods of sexual intercourse like anal sex are prone to developing hemorrhoids. There are two main forms of hemorrhoids—one is referred to as internal hemorrhoids, since these are located inside the anal cavity. Internal hemorrhoids most often do not give rise to any symptoms. The other form is external hemorrhoids, which is the usual type of hemorrhoid people are knowledgeable of.
There are many forms of treatment aimed at completely removing the hemorrhoid tissues to prevent discomfort and possible infection of the said area. One of the growing methods of dealing with hemorrhoids is through hemorrhoids laser surgery.
It’s true—hemorrhoids can occur to anyone—any people, for that matter, of any age. Hemorrhoids are more common in the elderly and among women in the peak of their child-bearing age since delivery and labor can lead to hemorrhoids of varying degrees. Hemorrhoids affect many people and most of them are even undiagnosed by doctors.
Hemorrhoids Defined
Simply defined, a hemorrhoid is a swollen and inflamed part of the anal stricture due to pressure in the said area when the person strains in episodes of constipation, defecation, labor and delivery and other means. Also, people who engage themselves in non-conventional methods of sexual intercourse like anal sex are prone to developing hemorrhoids. There are two main forms of hemorrhoids—one is referred to as internal hemorrhoids, since these are located inside the anal cavity. Internal hemorrhoids most often do not give rise to any symptoms. The other form is external hemorrhoids, which is the usual type of hemorrhoid people are knowledgeable of.
There are many forms of treatment aimed at completely removing the hemorrhoid tissues to prevent discomfort and possible infection of the said area. One of the growing methods of dealing with hemorrhoids is through hemorrhoids laser surgery.
2011年6月12日星期日
What Can I Do To Avoid Symptoms of Constipation?
Difficulty in Passing Out Stool. Since the stool of a constipated person is hard and feels impacted, there will definitely be too much discomfort when passing out stool. Straining is also very common in people with constipation with the desire to expel such fecal matter. Too much straining can lead to bleeding and to serious hemorrhoids. Even more so, the appearance of your stool may appear darker than usual, since it has been stuck and without movement for several days.
Loss of Appetite. Practically, when too much is inside your intestines, you will not feel the urge to further fill it with foods. This leads to the loss of appetite with people with constipation commonly feel.
Feeling of Fullness. Another in the list of common symptoms of constipation is a feeling of fullness or a feeling that something is still left inside after defecating. This is attributed to the remaining fecal materials which may have not been eliminated fully.
There are numerous things which you can do to prevent this from constantly bugging you. First is that you have to maintain an active lifestyle—our colon needs more than the energy that the foods give in order to efficiently work. It also needs a jolt and that we can give through exercising and living an active lifestyle. Also, drinking at least eight to ten glasses a day can help soften your stool. Drinking more than the recommended amount will greatly help if you are frequently constipated. More than that, you also need to be watchful of the foods that you eat and make sure they won’t lead you constipated.
Loss of Appetite. Practically, when too much is inside your intestines, you will not feel the urge to further fill it with foods. This leads to the loss of appetite with people with constipation commonly feel.
Feeling of Fullness. Another in the list of common symptoms of constipation is a feeling of fullness or a feeling that something is still left inside after defecating. This is attributed to the remaining fecal materials which may have not been eliminated fully.
There are numerous things which you can do to prevent this from constantly bugging you. First is that you have to maintain an active lifestyle—our colon needs more than the energy that the foods give in order to efficiently work. It also needs a jolt and that we can give through exercising and living an active lifestyle. Also, drinking at least eight to ten glasses a day can help soften your stool. Drinking more than the recommended amount will greatly help if you are frequently constipated. More than that, you also need to be watchful of the foods that you eat and make sure they won’t lead you constipated.
What Not to Do with Someone Else’s Phone
Because I do not live in the 20th century, I keep photos of my baby on my phone, not in my wallet. Which is a problem: While you probably wouldn't rifle through my wallet, you happily invade my phone. Dick.
To wit: Often when I show someone a picture of my kid, they immediately begin scrolling around, looking for others. Okay, sure: She's cute. And I've got hundreds. But that's some serious bullshit.
When someone hands you their phone to view a picture, they're really handing you their trust. They're handing you permission to see one particular thing. It's not like you have to fire up their email to violate that. All you need to do is flip just one photo over without asking.
When you start viewing other photos without permission, or God forbid, exit their library and peruse their apps, it's an invasion of privacy just as surely as if I let someone take a piss in my bathroom and they used that as an invitation to poke through my medicine cabinet, looking at my pills and crémes.
Uncool! I do not want you knowing about my Xanax habit and hemorrhoids. Metaphorically speaking.
Our phones are just as personal—probably more so—and it goes way beyond the photo album. They are our diaries, our photo albums, our financial planners, our therapists. They have the potential to reveal our most damaging, or at least embarrassing, secrets.
We keep apps on our phones to help us fight our addictions, live with deeply personal health issues, meet anonymous sexual partners. Our libraries have naked photos of ourselves and our significant others (or even more damagingly: people who are not our significant others.) You can ruin someone's life by idly flipping just one screen over from the one that was handed to you.
Again, this is why you ought keep your phone locked, and teach others to do the same.
Just like I trust you not to fire up my email and read it, or for that matter cram it in your filthy mouth and slobber all over it, I also trust that you won't do anything other than look at the one photo, or web page, or video, or app that I give you to look at. Just stick to the cute baby photo I show you.
It works better for all of us that way. I get to keep my privacy intact, and you don't have to see any pictures of my fat ass.
To wit: Often when I show someone a picture of my kid, they immediately begin scrolling around, looking for others. Okay, sure: She's cute. And I've got hundreds. But that's some serious bullshit.
When someone hands you their phone to view a picture, they're really handing you their trust. They're handing you permission to see one particular thing. It's not like you have to fire up their email to violate that. All you need to do is flip just one photo over without asking.
When you start viewing other photos without permission, or God forbid, exit their library and peruse their apps, it's an invasion of privacy just as surely as if I let someone take a piss in my bathroom and they used that as an invitation to poke through my medicine cabinet, looking at my pills and crémes.
Uncool! I do not want you knowing about my Xanax habit and hemorrhoids. Metaphorically speaking.
Our phones are just as personal—probably more so—and it goes way beyond the photo album. They are our diaries, our photo albums, our financial planners, our therapists. They have the potential to reveal our most damaging, or at least embarrassing, secrets.
We keep apps on our phones to help us fight our addictions, live with deeply personal health issues, meet anonymous sexual partners. Our libraries have naked photos of ourselves and our significant others (or even more damagingly: people who are not our significant others.) You can ruin someone's life by idly flipping just one screen over from the one that was handed to you.
Again, this is why you ought keep your phone locked, and teach others to do the same.
Just like I trust you not to fire up my email and read it, or for that matter cram it in your filthy mouth and slobber all over it, I also trust that you won't do anything other than look at the one photo, or web page, or video, or app that I give you to look at. Just stick to the cute baby photo I show you.
It works better for all of us that way. I get to keep my privacy intact, and you don't have to see any pictures of my fat ass.
2011年6月8日星期三
Treatment Options For People With Hemorrhoids
When we hear about hemorrhoids—what we can initially think of is pain and discomfort especially during elimination of wastes… and that is TRUE! Hemorrhoids can be very annoying and discomforting for a person. Apart from that, knowledge of other people about you having hemorrhoids can lessen your self esteem! This makes the condition less consulted to and diagnosed by physicians at a global level owing to the fact that many people may feel shy about it.
One overwhelming fact about hemorrhoids is that this condition, in varying degrees, affects about half of all people in the US by the age of 50. Hemorrhoids occur most commonly due to straining. When a person strains, the veins around the anal orifice dilate and may possibly bleed. With the presence of hemorrhoids pain during defecation and bleeding may occur and this should be consulted to a qualified doctor for remedy and intervention.
Hot Sitz Bath. A hot sitz bath includes sitting in a basin with warm water for about 15-20 minutes and should be done at least thrice a day and is considered one of the most common treatments for hemorrhoids. Doing this will relieve the discomfort brought about by these hemorrhoids by lessening the inflammation and vascularity of the veins in such areas. Remember to wipe off the affected area and keep it dry after this procedure to prevent itching and irritation. Application of hemorrhoid creams is best done after drying.
Hemorrhoid Creams. As mentioned above, putting on hemorrhoid creams are known treatments for hemorrhoids. These creams have pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects thereby lessening the soreness and pain of the area. These creams are available in the drug stores upon prescription of the physician.
Stool Softeners or Laxatives. One aspect which physicians will look into in the treatment of hemorrhoids is preventing further damage and pressure to the affected area. This can be carried out by promoting the stool’s softness and easy passage. Stool softeners like laxatives are best remedies for a softer stool and lesser chances of straining.
Dietary Modifications. Treatments for hemorrhoids may also include modifying one’s diet in order to prevent the stool from being too hard to be passed out. Increasing fluid intake will definitely soften the stool, and taking in more dietary fiber will promote a finer means of eliminating the stool. By keeping a soft and manageable elimination manner, pressure on the hemorrhoids due to constipation may be avoided.
Surgery. In very severe cases, surgical interventions may be necessary in order to sever the hemorrhoids and prevent the tissues from dying and affecting the adjacent areas. This procedure is referred to as hemorrhoidectomy. This is a procedure which will be performed via regional anesthesia and will require the patient to be confined for several days succeeding the procedure.
Hemorrhoids can be very disheartening and getting treatments for hemorrhoids the earliest period possible can lead to effective and timely recovery from the said condition. Do not be embarrassed in discussing this condition with a physician because definitely, this will be kept in the strictest confidence. Now you can live a healthy and pain-free life!
One overwhelming fact about hemorrhoids is that this condition, in varying degrees, affects about half of all people in the US by the age of 50. Hemorrhoids occur most commonly due to straining. When a person strains, the veins around the anal orifice dilate and may possibly bleed. With the presence of hemorrhoids pain during defecation and bleeding may occur and this should be consulted to a qualified doctor for remedy and intervention.
Hot Sitz Bath. A hot sitz bath includes sitting in a basin with warm water for about 15-20 minutes and should be done at least thrice a day and is considered one of the most common treatments for hemorrhoids. Doing this will relieve the discomfort brought about by these hemorrhoids by lessening the inflammation and vascularity of the veins in such areas. Remember to wipe off the affected area and keep it dry after this procedure to prevent itching and irritation. Application of hemorrhoid creams is best done after drying.
Hemorrhoid Creams. As mentioned above, putting on hemorrhoid creams are known treatments for hemorrhoids. These creams have pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects thereby lessening the soreness and pain of the area. These creams are available in the drug stores upon prescription of the physician.
Stool Softeners or Laxatives. One aspect which physicians will look into in the treatment of hemorrhoids is preventing further damage and pressure to the affected area. This can be carried out by promoting the stool’s softness and easy passage. Stool softeners like laxatives are best remedies for a softer stool and lesser chances of straining.
Dietary Modifications. Treatments for hemorrhoids may also include modifying one’s diet in order to prevent the stool from being too hard to be passed out. Increasing fluid intake will definitely soften the stool, and taking in more dietary fiber will promote a finer means of eliminating the stool. By keeping a soft and manageable elimination manner, pressure on the hemorrhoids due to constipation may be avoided.
Surgery. In very severe cases, surgical interventions may be necessary in order to sever the hemorrhoids and prevent the tissues from dying and affecting the adjacent areas. This procedure is referred to as hemorrhoidectomy. This is a procedure which will be performed via regional anesthesia and will require the patient to be confined for several days succeeding the procedure.
Hemorrhoids can be very disheartening and getting treatments for hemorrhoids the earliest period possible can lead to effective and timely recovery from the said condition. Do not be embarrassed in discussing this condition with a physician because definitely, this will be kept in the strictest confidence. Now you can live a healthy and pain-free life!
Are Internal Hemorrhoids Curable?
Hemorrhoids may be considered as one of the most common conditions which are least reported. Needless to say, confiding with someone, even with the closest person on earth a person has, can still elicit shyness and awkward feelings. How much more if you have to consult a complete stranger about it? Still—hemorrhoids need to be addressed immediately because it can bring about a long list of complications one may suffer from in the long run.
Hemorrhoids are lesions in the anal orifice due to excessive strain a person exerts while defecating. As such, this is common especially when a person is frequently constipated. Also, this can happen to women as a result of natural childbirth where women exert too much effort in pushing the baby out of the womb. Diarrhea can also lead to hemorrhoids because of the projectile and forceful blow of the stool into the thin and sensitive anal lining.
There are actually two forms of hemorrhoids based on medical books. First is internal hemorrhoid—as the term suggests, these arise from the dilated veins inside the anal orifice. Tiny internal hemorrhoids may be indistinguishable but as time passes, these may grow large and protrude. External hemorrhoids on the other hand, are located outside the anal canal and may look like a normal part of the outer anal area.
Drugs For Internal Hemorrhoids Treatment
There are many drugs that can be used in order to manage the signs and symptoms, including the discomforts of having a hemorrhoid. However, these drugs are not expected to directly heal the hemorrhoids as these are simply symptomatic forms of management for Internal Hemorrhoids Treatment.
Topical creams may be applied and these creams may contain medications which can lessen pain by leaving the affected area numb and anesthetized, i.e. lidocaine, benzocaine, benzyl alcohol and the likes. These may come in the form of creams or gels that need to be inserted into the anus.
Vasoconstrictors are those drugs which lessen the vascularity of the veins in the anus. By this, it reduces swelling and inflammation. Phenylephrine and epinephrine are some of the common vasoconstrictors that can be applied.
In terms of protective layers and coverings, like what many creams do, the following can be applied: aluminum hydroxide, lanolin and glycerin. These substances provide a protective sheath above the inflamed blood vessels thereby lessening the pain and contact of these hemorrhoids to materials like fecal matters.
Medical and Surgical Procedures for Internal Hemorrhoids Treatment
Sclerotherapy involves the injection or incorporation of a drug or chemical that will cause inflammation and scarring of the vascular veins. Once these tissues have scarred, hemorrhoids will be gone. Apart from that rubber band ligation is another modality wherein a band is placed around the hemorrhoids to prevent blood circulation in the areas of the hemorrhoids. This will lead to the death of the excluded tissues and subsequently leads to scarring of the tissues.
Internal hemorrhoids treatment may vary depending on the severity and assessment of the hemorrhoids as observed your physician. Thus, it is always best to seek for his or her medical advice the earliest time possible.
Hemorrhoids are lesions in the anal orifice due to excessive strain a person exerts while defecating. As such, this is common especially when a person is frequently constipated. Also, this can happen to women as a result of natural childbirth where women exert too much effort in pushing the baby out of the womb. Diarrhea can also lead to hemorrhoids because of the projectile and forceful blow of the stool into the thin and sensitive anal lining.
There are actually two forms of hemorrhoids based on medical books. First is internal hemorrhoid—as the term suggests, these arise from the dilated veins inside the anal orifice. Tiny internal hemorrhoids may be indistinguishable but as time passes, these may grow large and protrude. External hemorrhoids on the other hand, are located outside the anal canal and may look like a normal part of the outer anal area.
Drugs For Internal Hemorrhoids Treatment
There are many drugs that can be used in order to manage the signs and symptoms, including the discomforts of having a hemorrhoid. However, these drugs are not expected to directly heal the hemorrhoids as these are simply symptomatic forms of management for Internal Hemorrhoids Treatment.
Topical creams may be applied and these creams may contain medications which can lessen pain by leaving the affected area numb and anesthetized, i.e. lidocaine, benzocaine, benzyl alcohol and the likes. These may come in the form of creams or gels that need to be inserted into the anus.
Vasoconstrictors are those drugs which lessen the vascularity of the veins in the anus. By this, it reduces swelling and inflammation. Phenylephrine and epinephrine are some of the common vasoconstrictors that can be applied.
In terms of protective layers and coverings, like what many creams do, the following can be applied: aluminum hydroxide, lanolin and glycerin. These substances provide a protective sheath above the inflamed blood vessels thereby lessening the pain and contact of these hemorrhoids to materials like fecal matters.
Medical and Surgical Procedures for Internal Hemorrhoids Treatment
Sclerotherapy involves the injection or incorporation of a drug or chemical that will cause inflammation and scarring of the vascular veins. Once these tissues have scarred, hemorrhoids will be gone. Apart from that rubber band ligation is another modality wherein a band is placed around the hemorrhoids to prevent blood circulation in the areas of the hemorrhoids. This will lead to the death of the excluded tissues and subsequently leads to scarring of the tissues.
Internal hemorrhoids treatment may vary depending on the severity and assessment of the hemorrhoids as observed your physician. Thus, it is always best to seek for his or her medical advice the earliest time possible.
2011年6月6日星期一
Reno Relay for Life event features giant colon replica
For kids under about age 4, CoCo the Colossal Colon is a colorful 4-foot-high, 40-foot-long tunnel with holes in the top that taller kids could pop out of, and an odd assortment of vividly colored figures embedded in the inside walls.
For older people, Coco's purpose is deadly serious.
CoCo came to Northern Nevada for the annual Relay for Life Walk of the American Cancer Society, which raises money for cancer research. The overnight relay walk attracted 95 teams made up of people who walked around the track at Bishop Manogue Catholic High School on Saturday, through a rainy Saturday night and into a wet Sunday morning.
Sunday's portion of the relay raised about $10,000, said Michelle Hale, event chairwoman. Overall, this year's efforts have brought in about $120,000, she said, with fundraising to continue into August.
"Fifty percent of our teams are new this year," she said. "They have amazing enthusiasm; even with the rain they're still smiling."
Teams pitched tents overnight on the school football field or camped out in vehicles in the school parking lot. Members took turns walking, keeping up the relay all night.
"This is the first year for CoCo," Hale said.
The colossal colon was on tour in the area and made a stop in Reno for the walk, she said.
As the relay was winding down on Sunday, families were stopping to check out CoCo, which was on display from Saturday morning through Sunday noon. While the kids chased each other through the horseshoe-shaped plastic colon, adults took pictures, accepted literature about colon cancer and gave sidelong glances to the disturbing reproductions of colon diseases.
Inside, and in some cases outside, of CoCo visitors got a look at disease effects on the display's walls ranging from bulbous exterior hemorrhoids, the deep gashes of Crohn's disease, the holes of diverticulitis, the knobs of precancerous polyps and the red/black masses of colon cancer that also crept onto CoCo's outside walls.
"There's a lot of yucky stuff, like the color of blood," said Enzo Slater, 6, after examining CoCo.
For older people, Coco's purpose is deadly serious.
CoCo came to Northern Nevada for the annual Relay for Life Walk of the American Cancer Society, which raises money for cancer research. The overnight relay walk attracted 95 teams made up of people who walked around the track at Bishop Manogue Catholic High School on Saturday, through a rainy Saturday night and into a wet Sunday morning.
Sunday's portion of the relay raised about $10,000, said Michelle Hale, event chairwoman. Overall, this year's efforts have brought in about $120,000, she said, with fundraising to continue into August.
"Fifty percent of our teams are new this year," she said. "They have amazing enthusiasm; even with the rain they're still smiling."
Teams pitched tents overnight on the school football field or camped out in vehicles in the school parking lot. Members took turns walking, keeping up the relay all night.
"This is the first year for CoCo," Hale said.
The colossal colon was on tour in the area and made a stop in Reno for the walk, she said.
As the relay was winding down on Sunday, families were stopping to check out CoCo, which was on display from Saturday morning through Sunday noon. While the kids chased each other through the horseshoe-shaped plastic colon, adults took pictures, accepted literature about colon cancer and gave sidelong glances to the disturbing reproductions of colon diseases.
Inside, and in some cases outside, of CoCo visitors got a look at disease effects on the display's walls ranging from bulbous exterior hemorrhoids, the deep gashes of Crohn's disease, the holes of diverticulitis, the knobs of precancerous polyps and the red/black masses of colon cancer that also crept onto CoCo's outside walls.
"There's a lot of yucky stuff, like the color of blood," said Enzo Slater, 6, after examining CoCo.
2011年6月1日星期三
Ride Your Bike Decrease Heart Disease in Half
Just twenty miles a week of cycling can cut the risk for coronary heart disease in half according to the British Medical Association.
A large study conducted among 10,000 civil servants had suggested that those persons who cycled twenty miles a week had half the risk of enduring heart disease in comparison to those who did not cycle.
With the summer month’s now getting ready to roll in it is a great way to experience nature and get some fresh air. Your daily stresses will be on the back burner of your mind and it will enliven your soul, at least which is what many bikers believe.
The health benefits in which you receive are numerous:
Shed Unwanted Pounds
Consistent cycling allows you to burn off 300 calories an hour. Just thirty minutes each day of the week gives you eleven pounds of fat burned off for the year.
Want to tone the muscles, cycling can not only tone up the legs but also tones every part of the body. It will build it gradually without the strain and there is very little risk of over exercise. When you cycle on a regular basis it will aide in keeping the knee joints and hip mobile.
There have been studies conducted in which have advocated that cycling is one of the few exercises that can decrease cellulite from the thigh area.
Hectic week days compiling that stress level? Go for a bike ride it is great to reduce that stress and depression.
When cycling the weight of your body is not loaded on the back. So it makes it a great exercise for those suffering from spinal disorders. Among those who are suffering with bad posture and excessive weight.
If you happen to suffer from asthma or chronic bronchial, this type of physical activity increases respiratory capacity while it improves functioning of the tree bronchial.
Please keep in mind there are certain situations when cycling is not suggested:
Inflammatory disease such as acute and chronic external genitalia and urinary. Along with the presence of hemorrhoids, disc herniaion and lombosciatalgie in acute phase.
A large study conducted among 10,000 civil servants had suggested that those persons who cycled twenty miles a week had half the risk of enduring heart disease in comparison to those who did not cycle.
With the summer month’s now getting ready to roll in it is a great way to experience nature and get some fresh air. Your daily stresses will be on the back burner of your mind and it will enliven your soul, at least which is what many bikers believe.
The health benefits in which you receive are numerous:
Shed Unwanted Pounds
Consistent cycling allows you to burn off 300 calories an hour. Just thirty minutes each day of the week gives you eleven pounds of fat burned off for the year.
Want to tone the muscles, cycling can not only tone up the legs but also tones every part of the body. It will build it gradually without the strain and there is very little risk of over exercise. When you cycle on a regular basis it will aide in keeping the knee joints and hip mobile.
There have been studies conducted in which have advocated that cycling is one of the few exercises that can decrease cellulite from the thigh area.
Hectic week days compiling that stress level? Go for a bike ride it is great to reduce that stress and depression.
When cycling the weight of your body is not loaded on the back. So it makes it a great exercise for those suffering from spinal disorders. Among those who are suffering with bad posture and excessive weight.
If you happen to suffer from asthma or chronic bronchial, this type of physical activity increases respiratory capacity while it improves functioning of the tree bronchial.
Please keep in mind there are certain situations when cycling is not suggested:
Inflammatory disease such as acute and chronic external genitalia and urinary. Along with the presence of hemorrhoids, disc herniaion and lombosciatalgie in acute phase.
Bowel cancer strikes early - strikes hard
Recent figures show that the incidence of bowel cancer in young people has surged in the past decade, more than doubling in some age categories. But doctors have been unable to explain the increase.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare analyzed data and found that bowel cancer in men under 25 increased by more than 160 per cent in the five years to 1996 and the same period a decade later. In women of the same age, the increase was more than 75 per cent. Mortality in young men is also higher because patients tend to seek help only with late-stage symptoms. The reasons for the rise, however, are not known.
Graham Newstead, a member of the board of Bowel Cancer Australia said, “'A lot of meat, a lot of obesity, a lot of alcohol are all parts of modern life and so we have to be careful with that when it comes to epidemiology…If you have some bleeding don't just assume - or let your GP assume - that it's hemorrhoids. You need to be investigated and you need to know your family history … There are 4,400 deaths from bowel cancer a year, and it's a preventable illness.” The same analysis, performed by Bowel Cancer Australia, shows an increase in bowel cancer rates of about 40 per cent for men and women between the ages of 25 and 34. Overall rates increased by about 12 per cent. “In the past the only people who got bowel cancer at youth were those who had a genetic background [predisposed to the illness],” Professor Newstead said. “Now we're all seeing young people with bowel cancer.”
Bowel cancer screening programs in Australia focus on those aged over 50. It is recommended this age group has a check-up every two years.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare analyzed data and found that bowel cancer in men under 25 increased by more than 160 per cent in the five years to 1996 and the same period a decade later. In women of the same age, the increase was more than 75 per cent. Mortality in young men is also higher because patients tend to seek help only with late-stage symptoms. The reasons for the rise, however, are not known.
Graham Newstead, a member of the board of Bowel Cancer Australia said, “'A lot of meat, a lot of obesity, a lot of alcohol are all parts of modern life and so we have to be careful with that when it comes to epidemiology…If you have some bleeding don't just assume - or let your GP assume - that it's hemorrhoids. You need to be investigated and you need to know your family history … There are 4,400 deaths from bowel cancer a year, and it's a preventable illness.” The same analysis, performed by Bowel Cancer Australia, shows an increase in bowel cancer rates of about 40 per cent for men and women between the ages of 25 and 34. Overall rates increased by about 12 per cent. “In the past the only people who got bowel cancer at youth were those who had a genetic background [predisposed to the illness],” Professor Newstead said. “Now we're all seeing young people with bowel cancer.”
Bowel cancer screening programs in Australia focus on those aged over 50. It is recommended this age group has a check-up every two years.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)