Purple Medical Blog

VISION LOSS AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES FOR VISION LOSS THAT WORK BETTER THAN MAGNIFYING GLASS

2008-05-25T09:50:00.017-05:00

VISION LOSS AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES FOR VISION LOSS THAT WORK BETTER THAN MAGNIFYING GLASS

For people with vision loss especially the most common vision loss called macular degeneration everyday tasks that require reading become challenging. You can buy magnifying glasses and use large print text to help you read when you have visison loss due to macular degeneration. However, magnifying glasses help with macular degeneration only up to a point. There are large electronic magnifying machines available but they are not portable. Now portable electronic magnifiers for people with macular deneration which you can carry around like a magnifying glass but which are even more powerful and useful are being sold.

"Dr. Bruce P. Rosenthal, chief of low-vision programs at Lighthouse International in Manhattan, which offers services for people with vision loss, said the portable magnifiers, with their built-in illumination and powerful electronics, have many advantages over traditional optical devices like magnifying glasses. “Optical devices can’t increase the contrast like these devices,” he said. “Loss in contrast causes as many problems as loss of visual acuity.”"

"One new portable device is the Quicklook Focus ($995), which weights 8.8 ounces. It has a camera head that sends digital video to the display, where the image is magnified, said Fergal Brennan, a design engineer at Ash Technologies outside of Dublin, the manufacturer. Users can pass the camera over a document they want to read, or hold it up at arm’s length to read the print on more distant objects".

"The Quicklook Focus should be available by mid-June, said James McCarthy, president of Freedom Vision, the Mountain View, Calif.-based distributor for Ash in North America (www.freedomvision.net). Another new device, the SenseView Duo ($1,299), available at the end of this month, has two cameras — one for close-up reading of text, the other for viewing objects eight feet or farther away, like classroom blackboards, said Doug Geoffray, co-owner of GW Micro, the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based distributor of the devices in North America (www.gwmicro.com). The product is made by the HIMS Company of South Korea".

Purple Medical Two Types of Macular Degeneration Most Common Cause Vision Loss

The Magnifying Glass Gets an Electronic Twist

DRUG ERRORS MEDICATION MISTAKES WAYS TO DECREASE MISTAKES AND A WEB SITE WITH PICTURES OF MEDICATION PILLS AND DRUG INTERACTIONS

2008-05-24T22:27:00.032-05:00

DRUG ERRORS DRUG MISTAKES WAYS TO DECREASE MISTAKES AND A WEB SITE WITH PICTURES OF MEDICATION PILLS AND DRUG INTERACTIONS

Many times when a doctor asks a new patient what medications they are using, the new patient will say "I don't know the name but there is a red pill and a green pill" or something along those lines. Considering the medication goes into your body, knowing exactly the how what and why of your medications is crucial. Drug safety and medication safety is an important problem especially if it is your medication! Unfortunately prescription errors are not rare.

Doctors are human and like all humans mistakes can be made. Ditto for pharmacists. Never assume anything. Make sure that you and your doctor understand each other. Make sure you understand medications instructions. Don't be shy your life could depend on it. Make sure the doctor writes clearly. Question the pharmacist as to the drugs you are taking.Verify color, dosage, shape and size of pills and liquids.

People sometimes seem to know more about how their car works then how the medication and drugs they take work. Since medications you take work in your body it behooves you to spend some time to understand exactly what the drug you take is for, what it is supposed to do, how often and. possible drug and food interactions.

Click Read About Grapefruit and Drug Interactions

Some tips to increase medication safety include:

Know your drug and food allergies

Be informed

Realize that over the counter drugs are still drugs and can be as dangerous as prescriptions

Communicate with your doctor, your pharmacist, your family

Check your medicine

Use your medicine correctly

Be aware

Keep good records

Express scripts has a web site with information about drug interactions, pictures of medication pills and more.

Seven Steps to Medication Safety

WHY STEM CELLS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE HOW DO STEM CELLS KNOW WHAT TO BECOME

2008-05-24T19:02:00.018-05:00

WHY STEM CELLS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE HOW DO STEM CELLS KNOW WHAT TO BECOME

Stem cells maintain a built in variability that nature can harness for change under the right conditions

Stem cell breakthrough! Stem cell controversy! Stem cells are cells that can turn into any cell in the body. You may be surprised to hear that stem cells have been used to replace tissue in the body for many years. Bone marrow stem cells are used to treat leukemia,for example. The problem is that the bone marrow cells pretty much form only blood tissues. Why are stem cells so important and the potential to cure disease so great? Some people swear by stem cells others swear at them. But what are stem cells? Why are they so important and controversial? Are there different types of stem cells? And what kinds of things are researchers hoping to learn about by doing “stem cell research”? If we understood how stem cells are guided to become part of the brain, the eye, the arm then perhaps we would be able to "tell the stem cells" what to become and so create or replace damage.

But "how does a stem cell decide what specialized identity to adopt or simply to remain a stem cell? That's the 64 million dollar question! A new study suggests that the conventional view, which assumes that cells are "instructed" to progress along prescribed signaling pathways, is too simplistic. Instead, it supports the idea that cells differentiate through the collective behavior of multiple genes in a network that ultimately leads to just a few endpoints--just as a marble on a hilltop can travel a nearly infinite number of downward paths, only to arrive in the same valley"".

The findings, published in the May 22, 2008 issue of Nature, give a glimpse into how that collective behavior works, and show that stem cell populations maintain a built-in variability that nature can harness for change under the right conditions. The findings also help explain why the process of differentiating stem cells into specific lineages in the laboratory has been highly inefficient".

What are Stem Cells Why Stem cells Will Change Your Life

Many Paths Few Destinations How Stem Cells Decide What They'll Be

THE TWO FORMS OF MACULAR DEGENERATION AND THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF VISION LOSS

2008-05-23T07:20:00.019-05:00

THE TWO FORMS OF MACULAR DEGENERATION AND THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF VISION LOSS

There are two forms of macular degeneration. Age related macular degeneration is the leading cause of untreated vision loss in aging Western societies. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss among the elderly. In macular degeneration, central vision is lost, but peripheral vision almost always remains intact.The macula is located in the center of the retina. It is the area providing the clearest vision. If you look directly at something, the light from that object forms an image on the macula of the retina. The retina is the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, sort of like the electronic pixels in a digital camera or the film in a regular camera. The retina converts light, into electrical impulses and sends these impulses to the brain. Scientists have been searching for ways to prevent and cure this very common and sometimes insidious eye problem.

Click and Read About the Studies of Lutein and AREDS to Help Prevent Vision Loss

There are two forms of macular degeneration. In people with the dry form of macular degeneration, which is more common, the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. In the wet form of macular degeneration abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow under the macula. These new blood vessels tend to be very fragile and often leak blood and fluid. The blood and fluid raise the macula from its normal place at the back of the eye.

National Eye Institute on AREDS

BRAIN DIFFERENCES MEN VS WOMEN VIDEO WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES REALLY

2008-05-20T21:14:00.015-05:00

BRAIN DIFFERENCES MEN VS WOMEN VIDEO WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES REALLY

A VIDEO EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BRAIN OF MAN AND WOMAN

According to a book about the differences between men and women's brains "the most solid research is on the physiological differences between men's and women's brains. Men's brains are larger and, with age, shrink faster. Women's brains run hotter -- that is, they employ more glucose; and for a given task, women use more of their brains.

When one part of the hypothalamus is removed in male animals, they lose interest in copulation. Another part is larger in male animals than in females, but its removal has no effect on behavior. In sum, Blum writes, the differences between men's and women's brains ''are few, they are slight; we don't know what causes them, and in many cases we don't know what they do.'' So much for the physiological research". "Women read facial expressions better; men read maps better. Groups of men and male primates jockey for position; groups of women and female primates network. Men are better at math; women are better at words. The most fanciful theorists try to explain how all this behavior evolved.

Women are better communicators, it is said, because in some prehistoric polygamous societies they stayed home and taught the young to survive. Men are better map readers and competitors because in those same societies, they wandered around picking fights and looking for women. Never mind that these prehistoric societies left no evidence whatever of polygamy".

But Mark Gungor in Tale of Two Brains has a video that really explained the differences between the brains of men and women. I saw this first at The Blog That Ate Manhattan.

Video The Difference Between Men and Women's Brain Click the Arrow to Start

How to Tell Men From Women

Blog That Ate Manhattan

HOW HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE GOT AL CAPONE WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ITS CONSEQUENCES AND TREATMENT

2008-05-20T12:05:00.013-05:00

HOW HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE GOT AL CAPONE WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ITS CONSEQUENCES AND TREATMENT

It wasn't just the Feds that were after Al Capone. It is an important lesson about the importance of blood pressure and controlling blood pressure. Most doctors will diagnose a person with high blood pressure on the basis of two or more readings, taken on several occasions. A consistent blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high blood pressure,called in medical terms hypertension and need blood pressure treatment.

Your doctor does not know why you have high blood pressure. Don't look for a new doctor because they don't know why your blood pressure is high either (an exaggeration, sometimes there is an identifiable cause) but in 80 to 90 percent of cases people have what is called essential hypertension.

HOW HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE GOT AL CAPONE A VIDEO Click the Arrow to Start

Just "as with cholesterol levels, the concept of a normal blood pressure has fallen strikingly as doctors learn what it takes to preserve good health. Lacking good treatments for hypertension, no doctor was concerned when, at age 57, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s blood pressure was 170/90. And so the president’s blood pressure rose inexorably over the next six years, and on April 12, 1945, at age 63 and with a pressure of 200/110, he died of a brain hemorrhage caused by severe hypertension".

VIDEO OF ALTERNATIVE TO BOTOX TECHNIQUE TO SMOOTH FACIAL WRINKLES USING RADIO WAVES GFX RADIO FREQUENCY ABLATION TO SMOOTH WRINKLES

2008-05-20T00:39:00.013-05:00

VIDEO OF ALTERNATIVE TO BOTOX TECHNIQUE TO SMOOTH FACIAL WRINKLES USING RADIO WAVES GFX RADIO FREQUENCY ABLATION TO SMOOTH WRINKLES

Watch a Video Contrasting Botox with Radiofrequency Nerve Ablation for Wrinkles

There is a new method to try and smooth wrinkles on the face using radio frequency energy. You can watch a video in which a doctor discusses a new technique for wrinkle removal called radio wave ablation. In the video he contrasts Botox with GFX. Radio wave energy has been used in various medical procedures previously. Botox is a well known chemical method to temporarily smooth wrinkles on the face by carefully calibrated injections of Botox botulinum toxin that paralyze the muscles in the face. Now a procedure has been approved by the FDA to smooth wrinkles using radio waves called GFX. The radio waves target the nerves attached to muscles associated with facial expression wrinkling.

Video About GFX RADIOWAVE ABLATION OF WRINKLES COMPARED WITH BOTOX Click the Arrow to Start

The process is called Percutaneous Selective Radiofrequency Neuroablation (PSRN). Radio waves have been used in other medical procedures, for example in the heart but this is the first I have heard of them being used to smooth wrinkles."GFX is FDA cleared as a subcutaneous lesion generation system utilizing bipolar radio frequency technology to target motor nerves".

GFX for wrinkles,is a new procedure.One advantage touted is that the effects of GFX may last one or two years rather than several months as is the case with Botox. The GFX pen is held by the treating doctor and placed under the skin through a single puncture site. The doctor then delivers the energy selectively resulting in an immediate relaxation of the tense frowning muscles of the forehead. It would probably be difficult to find many dermatologists or plastic surgeons who practice it currently since it is so new. The manufacturer is Advanced Cosmetic Intervention, Inc.

FLYING WITH EAR INFECTION SINUSITIS NOT A GOOD IDEA POSSIBLE EARDRUM PAIN PROBLEMS

2008-05-19T12:39:00.012-05:00

FLYING WITH EAR INFECTION SINUSITIS NOT A GOOD IDEA POSSIBLE EARDRUM PAIN PROBLEMS PRESSURE DIFFERENCES

As a general rule flying with an ear infection, a cold, certain allergies or sinusitis is NOT a good idea. This is because the pressure in an airplane changes with altitude changes. Ascending and descending result in pressure changes that are manifested in your ear. If the tube that connects your middle ear with your throat, the eustachian tube, is blocked than the pressure on either side of your eardrum can't equalize and the potential exists for ear pain, possibly severe pain or even rupture of the eardrum.

The Parts of the Ear and the Tube That Gets Blocked

If you buy a light for looking into the ear, an otoscope, and look into someone's ear, you will see a long narrow chamber or tunnel. That's the outer ear canal. The disc like membrane you see at the end of the tunnel is the ear drum, the tympanic membrane. Behind the eardrum , is another chamber, the middle ear. In order for you to hear normally, the ear drum has to be able to vibrate like the membrane on a drum. If there is something, such as fluid pushing on the ear drum from the inside than it can't vibrate properly and you don't hear as well.

There is a long tube that connects to the middle ear, the eustachian tube. To hear well and for the ear to function correctly the eustachian tube needs to be open so fluid can drain from the middle ear. People with ear infections, colds and some allergies may have that tube blocked. If it's blocked the fluid builds up in the middle ear.

Any Medical Condition Affecting Ear Patency Might Be a Problem

"Because of the rapid cabin pressure changes normally encountered even in commercial flight operations, any medical condition affecting the patency of the eustachian tube or sinus ostia could lead to complications during flight. Negative pressure in the middle ear created by blockage creates a partial vacuum, leading to pain and possibly tinnitus, vertigo, hearing loss or even rupture of the ear drum, tympanic membrane. Failure to equilibrate pressures in the middle ear (barotitis media) or paranasal sinuses (barosinusitis) typically occurs on descent and may be caused by a variety of conditions, including middle ear infections, effusions, acute or chronic sinusitis, or allergies or infections creating nasal congestion".

What is Barotrauma of the Ear

Flying can be a pain in the ear

You may want to look at this interesting article for doctors that appeared several years ago

Medical Advice for Commercial Air Travelers.

Obviously, the thing to do when you have a cold, ear infection or ear problem is SEE YOUR DOCTOR. Ask your doctor about steps such as using a decongestant. A caveat is that decongestants have the potential to raise blood pressure. Chewing something that may help to open the eustachian tube.

A VIDEO ABOUT THE MAMMOGRAM DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIAGNOSTIC AND SCREENING MAMMOGRAM

2008-05-18T09:42:00.016-05:00

A VIDEO ABOUT THE MAMMOGRAM DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIAGNOSTIC AND SCREENING MAMMOGRAM

Mammograms.Do you know the difference between a screening and diagnostic mammogram? For a test that is supposed to clarify things, the whole topic of mammograms and what they are used for is rather opaque.

"Mammography can show changes in the breast up to two years before a patient or physician can feel them. Cure rates are much higher when the breast cancer can be found at this stage. Current guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) recommend screening mammography every year for women, beginning at age 40".

Read Possible Connection Between Vitamin D Deficit and Breast Cancer?

Watch a Video Explaining Mammogram How Mammogram works Click the Arrow to Start

What is a screening mammogram?

A screening mammogram is an x-ray of the breast used to detect breast changes in women who have no signs or symptoms of breast cancer. It usually involves two x-rays of each breast. Mammograms make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt. Mammograms can also find microcalcifications (tiny deposits of calcium in the breast) that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer.

How are screening and diagnostic mammograms different?

A diagnostic mammogram is an x-ray of the breast that is used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of breast cancer has been found. Signs of breast cancer may include pain, skin thickening, nipple discharge, or a change in breast size or shape. A diagnostic mammogram also may be used to evaluate changes found during a screening mammogram, or to view breast tissue when it is difficult to obtain a screening mammogram because of special circumstances, such as the presence of breast implants. A diagnostic mammogram takes longer than a screening mammogram because it involves more x-rays in order to obtain views of the breast from several angles. The technician may magnify a suspicious area to produce a detailed picture that can help the doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

When does the National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommend that women have screening mammograms?

Women age 40 and older should have mammograms every 1 to 2 years.

Women who are at higher than average risk of breast cancer should talk with their health care providers about whether to have mammograms before age 40 and how often to have them. What are the factors that place a woman at increased risk of breast cancer?

The risk of breast cancer increases gradually as a woman gets older. However, the risk of developing breast cancer is not the same for all women. Research has shown that the following factors increase a woman’s chance of developing this disease:

Personal history of breast cancer—Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to develop a second breast cancer.

Family history A woman’s chance of developing breast cancer increases if her mother, sister, and/or daughter have a history of breast cancer (especially if they were diagnosed before age 50).

Certain breast changes on biopsy A diagnosis of atypical hyperplasia (a noncancerous condition in which cells have abnormal features and are increased in number) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) (abnormal cells found in the lobules of the breast) increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer. Women who have had two or more breast biopsies for other benign conditions also have an increased chance of developing breast cancer. This increased risk is due to the condition that led to the biopsy, and not to the biopsy itself.

Genetic alterations (changes)—Specific alterations in certain genes (BRCA1, BRCA2, and others) increase the risk of breast cancer. These alterations are rare; they are estimated to account for no more than 10 percent of all breast cancers.

Reproductive and menstrual history. Women who began having periods before age 12 or went through menopause after age 55 are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Women who have their first child after age 30 or who never have a child are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Long-term use of menopausal hormone therapy. Women who use combination estrogen-progestin menopausal hormone therapy for more than 5 years have an increased chance of developing breast cancer.

Breast density. Breasts appear dense on a mammogram if they contain many glands and ligaments (called dense tissue), and do not have much fatty tissue. Because breast cancers tend to develop in the dense tissue of the breast (not in the fatty tissue), those older women whose mammograms show more dense tissue are at an increased risk of breast cancer. Abnormalities in dense breasts can be more difficult to detect on a mammogram.

Radiation therapy ("x-ray therapy") Women who had radiation therapy to the chest (including the breasts) before age 30 are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer throughout their lives. This includes women treated for Hodgkin lymphoma. Studies show that the younger a woman was when she received her treatment, the higher her risk of developing breast cancer later in life.

DES (diethylstilbestrol) The drug DES was given to some pregnant women in the United States between 1940 and 1971. (It is no longer given to pregnant women.) Women who took DES during pregnancy may have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. The possible effects on their daughters are under study.

Body weight. Studies have found that the chance of getting breast cancer after menopause is higher in women who are overweight or obese.

Physical activity level. Women who are physically inactive throughout life may have an increased risk of breast cancer. Being active may help reduce risk by preventing weight gain and obesity.

Alcohol. Studies suggest that the more alcohol a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer. "The National Cancer Institute (NCI) adds that women who have had breast cancer and those who are at increased risk due to a genetic history of breast cancer should seek expert medical advice about whether they should begin screening before age 40 and about the frequency of screening"

A DETAILED VIDEO LECTURE EXPLAINING WHAT CAUSES BACK PAIN TESTS FOR BACK PAIN AND TREATMENT

2008-05-17T22:00:00.017-05:00

A DETAILED VIDEO LECTURE EXPLAINING WHAT CAUSES BACK PAIN TESTS FOR BACK PAIN AND TREATMENT

The second most common reason for someone to go to the doctor is back pain. Two out of three Americans will have back pain at some time. The most common cause of back pain is muscle strain. Here is a video lecture about low back pain and the conservative management of low back pain. You will learn a lot from this comprehensive (if somewhat slow moving) discussion of low back pain by a professor at Stanford. If you pay attention you will get a very detailed view of what are the causes of low back pain, tests for low back pain and how back pain can be treated. Some common causes of low back pain include muscle strain,herniated disc, spinal stenosis which a narrowing of the spinal canal and osteoarthritis which is growth of new bone.

Back pain is a symptom of a medical condition, not a diagnosis itself. Although the causes of back pain are usually physical, it is important to know that emotional stress can play a role in how severe back pain is and how long it lasts. Stress can affect the body in many ways, including causing back muscles to become tense and painful.

It could actually be dangerous to not see a doctor for back pain. For example, in some cases back pain may have nothing to do with a "pulled muscle" or a "slipped disc" and could actually be caused by a tumor or other serious condition. Even though the natural history of back pain is favorable, it is important not to miss red flags for potentially very dangerous problems. One of the goals of the clinical examination of back pain is "to identify patients who require immediate surgical evaluation and those whose symptoms suggest a more serious underlying condition such as malignancy or infection".

Video about Back Pain Click the arrow to start you may need to click the arrow more than once if play stops

Click for Purple Medical Blog Detailed Information About Back Pain Causes and Treatment

COMPUTER VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH VIDEO CALLS THE FUTURE IS HERE SKYPE VIDEO ITS CHEAP AND IT WORKS WATCH A DEMONSTRATION

2008-05-16T23:45:00.016-05:00

COMPUTER VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH VIDEO CALLS THE FUTURE IS HERE SKYPE VIDEO ITS CHEAP AND IT WORKS WATCH A DEMONSTRATION

I have been using Skype video. You live in Denver and your son and daughter in law who live in Chicago just had a baby boy! Wow if you could only see little Bartholemew. (I didn't say they had good taste in names) You can see them and talk to them on Skype video! It is a way to talk and see the people you are talking to aka video conferencing. The videophone, video conferencing has arrived. I have been using Skype video recently and I think it fits the bill to help video conferencing especially for individuals and families finally make prime time. By the way, I have no affiliation with Skype video I am just an impressed user. To quote a recent newspaper article by an amazed grandfather who had just seen and heard his grandchild on the video link "It isn’t exactly free. You have to have a broadband Internet connection and a computer with an up-to-date operating system and a camera. But what an astonishing addition this is to a far-flung family’s ability to stay in touch".

With video calls, the future is here

Video demonstrates Skype video call Click the arrow to start

You can always find someone to tell you why something won't work and or is not needed. When cell phones came out I remember people said who needs it? They would ridicule men in supermarkets calling their wives to discuss what food to buy. Now everyone and his brother (and sister) has a cell phone and use it. I have recently been using Skype video.

The first half of this video demonstrates Skype video Click the arrow to start

LOW VITAMIN D AND BREAST CANCER STUDY REPORTS POSSIBLE CONNECTION

2008-05-15T21:31:00.023-05:00

LOW VITAMIN D AND BREAST CANCER STUDY REPORTS POSSIBLE CONNECTION

Could Vitamin D Levels Be Associated With Breast Cancer Prognosis?

"Women who have a vitamin D deficiency when they are diagnosed with breast cancer were 94% more likely to have their cancer metastasize and 73% more likely to die within 10 years, Canadian researchers have reported. The study represents "the first time that vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer progression," said Dr. Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, who led the study". Vitamin D has been in the spotlight a number of times as having a possible relationship to cancer. For example,in 2006 Harvard and Northwestern scientists illuminated a possible benefit of vitamin D against pancreatic cancer in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. The researchers wrote "We observed that a higher intake of vitamin D was associated with a decreased risk for pancreatic cancer in two large U.S. cohorts". (A cohort is a group of people who share a common characteristic or experience within a defined period (e.g., are born, leave school, lose their job, are exposed to a drug or a vaccine, etc.)

Researchers Looked At Vitamin D Levels

"Women who have a vitamin D deficiency when they are diagnosed with breast cancer were 94% more likely to have their cancer metastasize and 73% more likely to die within 10 years, Canadian researchers reported Thursday.In the abstract they wrote "Vitamin D acts through a nuclear transcription factor to regulate many aspects of cellular growth and differentiation. Low levels have been associated with increased breast cancer risk". We examined Vitamin D levels and prognostic effects in an existing breast cancer cohort".(A cohort is a group of people who share a common characteristic or experience within a defined period (e.g., are born, leave school, lose their job, are exposed to a drug or a vaccine, etc.) The team also found that only 24% of the women in its study had what are normally considered adequate levels of vitamin D at the time of the diagnosis".

"The study represents "the first time that vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer progression," said Dr. Pamela Goodwin of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, who led the study.The results are "very provocative," said Dr. Joanne Mortimer, a breast cancer specialist at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, who was not involved in the study. "There is some evidence that some of the drugs we use to treat breast cancer, such as aromatase inhibitors, need vitamin D to be activated and metabolized.""

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Breast Cancer Study Finds

Frequency of vitamin D (Vit D) deficiency at breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and association with risk of distant recurrence and death in a prospective cohort study of T1-3, N0-1, M0 BC.

Purple Medical on the Northwestern and Harvard Study on Vitamin D and Pancreatic Cancer

WHAT IS CORONARY ARTERY BLOCKAGE AND A VIDEO ILLUSTRATING ANGIOPLASTY

2008-05-15T11:28:00.032-05:00

WHAT IS CORONARY ARTERY BLOCKAGE AND A VIDEO ILLUSTRATING ANGIOPLASTY

Sometimes Doctors Use Only Medicine to Treat a Blockage Watch a Video that Shows How Coronary Angioplasty is Done

The heart is a muscle and like all muscles the heart needs it's own blood supply. The heart gets oxygen and nutrition through it's own blood vessels called coronary arteries. The coronary arteries can become narrowed or blocked by deposits called plaque. Coronary artery plaque is made up of fat and cholesterol that builds up on the inside of the artery walls. This condition is called atherosclerosis . If the coronary artery blockage is not too severe, an angioplasty procedure can be used to open the artery. Angioplasty is used sometimes to open a blockage but not always. Factors involved in deciding to use angioplasty include how stable the heart disease is and how many coronary arteries have blockage. Sometimes just using medications may be sufficient to treat the coronary artery blockage. Read

Can You Treat Coronary Artery Blockage With Medicine

This Video Explains and Illustrates Coronary Angioplasty Click the Arrow to Start

HOW THEY DO CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY

The first heart angioplasty was done in the late 1970s. Angioplasty involves the use of a balloon catheter which is a small, hollow, flexible tube that has a balloon near the end of it.The doctor makes a small incision, usually near the groin, and inserts a catheter into an artery. Then x-rays are used to look at your heart and arteries. Dye is injected to highlight blood flow through the arteries. This helps reveal any blockages in the vessels leading to the heart. The balloon catheter is moved into or near the blockage, and the balloon on the end is inflated. This opens the blocked vessel and restores proper blood flow to the heart.

In some cases, a device called a stent is also placed at the site of narrowing or blockage in order to keep the artery open. A common type of stent is made of self-expanding, stainless steel mesh. Rarely, a special device with a small, diamond tip is used to drill through the hard plaque and calcium that are causing the blockage. This is called rotational atherectomy.

CAN YOU TREAT CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE HEART ARTERY BLOCKAGE WITH MEDICINE IT DEPENDS

2008-05-14T22:41:00.028-05:00

CAN YOU TREAT CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE HEART ARTERY BLOCKAGE WITH MEDICINE IT DEPENDS

THE DOCTOR FOUND A BLOCKAGE ON AN ANGIOGRAM

How do you treat people with stable coronary artery disease,that is they have some blockages in the arteries that supply the heart muscle(coronary arteries) but they are generally doing well? A New England Journal article said "it remains unclear whether an initial management strategy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)(that is doing something like angioplasty to open up the artery) with intensive pharmacologic therapy and lifestyle intervention (optimal medical therapy) is superior to optimal medical therapy alone in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events.

Click to Watch a Video Illustrating Coronary Angioplasty and What is Coronary Artery Disease

YOU MEAN YOU DIDNT PUT IN A STENT?

In the very interesting blog of an interventional cardiologist she writes about a conversation she had with a patient after she examined his coronary (heart) arteries with an angiogram and found some blockage. "A conversation after I perform a coronary angiogram: Me: You have a blockage in your artery. Patient: So you put in a stent? Me: No. Patient: You didn't open the blockage? Me: No. You will do better with medicine. Patient: The blockage is still there? Me: Yes. But it was a complicated blockage, and putting a stent in it just wouldn't be the right thing to do. Medication is a better way to treat this. Patient: Medicine? For a blockage?

"It seems intuitive -- Find blockage, open blockage, patient all better. It doesn't quite work that way. In fact, there's a medical trial published last year called the COURAGE trial that found that many patients with stable coronary disease do better with medicines than with angioplasty. There are definitely situations where angioplasty is the right thing to do, but there are others where medicines or surgery are better options".

"Further, any time we place wires, balloons, and stents in a coronary artery, there is a risk. We could tear the artery. We could puncture a hole in the artery, causing blood to accumulate in the pericardium, the sac around the heart. And the dye that we use can cause injury to the kidneys. These are just some of the many possible life-threatening complications.I'm sure there may be a few unscrupulous cardiologists out there who would be willing to put a stent in just about anything. The patient knows the blockage is open and does well, perhaps just as well as if no stent had been deployed, and yet an unnecessary risk has been taken".

Not Quite Common Sense

Optimal Medical Therapy with or without PCI for Stable Coronary Disease

MEDTRONIC SPRINT FIDELIS IMPLANTABLE DEFIBRILLATOR VIDEO UPDATE AND WHAT IS IT

2008-05-13T23:41:00.020-05:00

MEDTRONIC SPRINT FIDELIS IMPLANTABLE DEFIBRILLATOR VIDEO UPDATE AND WHAT IS IT

Watch a Video About Medtronic Implantable Defibrillator

The scientific marvel, implantable defibrillators are helping many (Vice President Cheney has one). But like many things in life, problems can arise. It's now been six months since Medtronic's recall of their 7-French Model 6949 Sprint Fidelis defibrillator lead in October 2007. Medtronic had announced that "We have found that there is a small chance of fractures in particular locations on the Sprint Fidelis lead" of the Medtronic defibrillator. What is the lead? "The wire that connects the heart to a defibrillator, a device that shocks faltering hearts back into normal rhythm. The company urged all of the estimated 235,000 patients with the Fidelis, to see their doctors to make sure it has not developed a fracture that can make the device to misread heart-rhythm data.

Video from the FDA About Sprint Fidelis Recall Click the Arrow to Start

According to the blog of a prominent cardiologist "The first update of the Sprint Fidelis lead performance arrived in my office this week, dated 7 May 2008 . With this letter came the first trending data of the failure rates as determined by evaluation of Medtronic's Carelink follow-up database and Returned Product Analysis reports as well".

"While the number of lead failures remains relatively small and current follow-up recommendations have not changed, the failure trends, albeit early, remain concerning. It appears that a continued number of failures throughout the life of the lead can be expected. By Medtronic's analysis of a typical 1,000-patient ICD clinic, over the next 12 months, nine (9) patients can be expected to have an anode or cathode failure and half of those patient's will have little warning of an impending fracture".

Medtronic Defibrillator Sprint Fidelis Lead Update

What Should I Do About the Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator

WHAT CAUSES BACK PAIN WHAT ARE TESTS AND HOW DO THEY TREAT BACK PAIN

2008-05-13T11:21:00.019-05:00

WHAT CAUSES BACK PAIN WHAT ARE TESTS AND HOW DO THEY TREAT BACK PAIN

WHAT ARE CAUSES OF BACK PAIN: IS BACK PAIN DANGEROUS

Back pain has a variety of causes from the benign but uncomfortable to the dangerous. When you come to see the doctor about back pain he or she will ask a lot of questions about the history surrounding your back pain complaints as well as doing an exam and this will enable the doctor to form a differential diagnosis, a list of possible explanations that might explain the back pain. The doctor may ask questions like:

When did the back pain start?

What were you doing?

Any pain in the legs?

Any numbness?

What makes it better or worse?

Back pain is a symptom of a medical condition, not a diagnosis itself. Although the causes of back pain are usually physical, it is important to know that emotional stress can play a role in how severe back pain is and how long it lasts. Stress can affect the body in many ways, including causing back muscles to become tense and painful.

Medical problems that can cause back pain include the following:

Mechanical problems: A mechanical problem is a problem with the way your spine moves or the way you feel when you move your spine in certain ways. Perhaps the most common mechanical cause of back pain is a condition called intervertebral disc degeneration, which simply means that the discs located between the vertebrae of the spine are breaking down with age. As they deteriorate, they lose their cushioning ability. This problem can lead to pain if the back is stressed. Other mechanical causes of back pain include spasms, muscle tension, and ruptured discs, which are also called herniated discs.

Injuries: Spine injuries such as sprains and fractures can cause either short-lived or chronic pain. Sprains are tears in the ligaments that support the spine, and they can occur from twisting or lifting improperly. Fractured vertebrae are often the result of osteoporosis, a condition that causes weak, porous bones. Less commonly, back pain may be caused by more severe injuries that result from accidents and falls.

Click Here for an excellent Comprehensive Video Lecture About back Pain at Purple Medical Blog

Acquired conditions and diseases: Many medical problems can cause or contribute to back pain. They include scoliosis, which causes curvature of the spine and does not usually cause pain until mid-life; spondylolisthesis; various forms of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis; and spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column that puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. While osteoporosis itself is not painful, it can lead to painful fractures of the vertebrae. Other causes of back pain include pregnancy; kidney stones or infections; endometriosis, which is the buildup of uterine tissue in places outside the uterus; and fibromyalgia, which causes fatigue and widespread muscle pain.

Infections and tumors: Although they are not common causes of back pain, infections can cause pain when they involve the vertebrae, a condition called osteomyelitis, or when they involve the discs that cushion the vertebrae, which is called discitis. Tumors, too, are relatively rare causes of back pain. Occasionally, tumors begin in the back, but more often they appear in the back as a result of cancer that has spread from elsewhere in the body.

It could actually be dangerous to not see a doctor for back pain. For example, in some cases back pain may have nothing to do with a "pulled muscle" or a "slipped disc" and could actually be caused by a tumor or other serious condition. Even though the natural history of back pain is favorable, it is important not to miss red flags for potentially very dangerous problems.One of the goals of the clinical examination is "to identify patients who require immediate surgical evaluation and those whose symptoms suggest a more serious underlying condition such as malignancy or infection".For example, there is an uncommon problem called Cauda Equina Syndrome. Cauda Equina Syndrome occurs when the nerve roots are compressed and paralyzed, cutting off sensation and movement. Nerve roots that control the function of the bladder and bowel are especially vulnerable to damage. Patients with signs of Cauda Equina Syndrome, such as bowel or bladder dysfunction, both sided sciatica or leg weakness, or numbness in a saddle distribution, require urgent surgical referral.

Among the tests that might be ordered are

an xray

ct scan

mri.
They all have their strengths and shortcomings. For example, an xray is not very good at finding a herniated disc. In a herniated disc, the disc that separates two bones of the spine, the vertebra, is herniated so that the disc can push out and put pressure on the nerves. You've probably heard of sciatica. In sciatica there is pressure on the nerves that come out at the lower vertebra L4, L5 level and run into the legs. That's why a disc in the back can cause pain or numbness into the legs.

Treatments for Back Pain

Among the treatments doctors use for back pain are

Physical therapy

Anti inflammatory medicines

Muscle relaxer medicines

Pain medicine

Osteopathic manipulation

Exercise

Surgery

Acupuncture

Rest

Evaluation and Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain

The statistics above were quoted from Healing a Bad Back Is Often an Effort in Painful Futility, an article that appeared in the New York Times. Further, they quote Dr. Richard Deyo of the University of Washington as saying, "a variety of studies have suggested that in 85 percent of cases it is impossible to say why a person's back hurts". That really seems like a very high number. What's clear is that alot of people do get relief from seeing a doctor and getting treated.

LOOKING AT MEDICAL INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET A BORED ATTORNEY CRITIQUES MEDICAL BLOGS

2008-05-11T00:46:00.024-05:00

LOOKING AT MEDICAL INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET A BORED ATTORNEY CRITIQUES MEDICAL BLOGS

Purple Medical Blog, this blog, is a medical blog. I want to help you cut thru the piles of medical journals and reports written in technical jargon to find medical knowledge you can use. There are many many medical blogs on the Internet. There is so much medical information available on and off the Internet that no one, not even doctors can keep up with all of it. Many doctors nurses and medical personnel have been bitten by the writing bug. And in one case an attorney has decided to write about medical blogs. The blog called Addicted to Medblogs is a blog about medical blogs written by a "bored attorney who spends too much time reading medical blogs at work."

In addition to insight about medical blogs you find entertaining "lawyer jokes of the day. "A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of all the best efforts of the pilot the plane continued to rapidly lose altitude. Realizing the situation was hopeless, the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had all better jump, and bailed out of the plane himself. Unfortunately, with all four of the passengers still on board, there were now but three parachutes left. The doctor stood up, grabbed one of the parachutes, and said "I am a doctor, I save lives, so I must live," and jumped out the door. The lawyer saying, "I, of course, being the smartest man in the world, also deserve to live!", stood up, grabbed a parachute and jumped out of the plane. The priest looked down at the little boy and said sadly, "My son, I have lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Pray, take this last parachute and go and live in peace". The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said "Not to worry, Father. We'll be fine. I am guessing that right about now the smartest man in the world is still trying to find the rip-cord handle ...on my backpack."

Addicted to Medblogs

PAP SMEAR LIFE SAVER FOR WOMEN WHO SHOULD GET A PAP SMEAR

2008-05-10T12:21:00.008-05:00

PAP SMEAR LIFE SAVER FOR WOMEN WHO SHOULD GET A PAP SMEAR

Cervical Cancer Different Than Ovarian

The Pap smear is one the most important tests to prevent cancer that has ever been developed. The Pap smear is an especially great test because it can pick up pre-cancerous cells in the cervix.The cervix is the "neck" of the woman's uterus aka the womb. By getting regular pap smears a woman increases the chances of finding precancerous cells and getting rid of the risk before the cancer can spread.

Some women avoid getting the pap smear test because of the embarrassment or perceived potential discomfort. But if you look at it on a risk reward ratio the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of getting the test. There is little if any downside and a tremendous upside. Not having a pap smear can literally be the mistake of a person's life. If you don't like or have confidence in a health care provider than go elsewhere for the pap smear but get a pap smear!

What are some risk factors for cancer of the cervix in women? Women who are at increased risk of developing cervical cancer include:

women with many sexual partners, or whose partners have had many partners

women who smoke are about twice as likely to develop the disease as non-smokers

women who had sexual intercourse at a younger age have a higher risk

Pap Smears: What They Are and What the Results Mean

The Pap Test from Women's Health Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the development of cervical neoplasia are strongly associated.

WHAT IS GRADUATE SCHOOL MEDICAL SCHOOL REALLY LIKE THE CARTOON KNOWS

2008-04-30T23:28:00.017-05:00

WHAT IS GRADUATE SCHOOL MEDICAL SCHOOL REALLY LIKE THE CARTOON KNOWS

Life is hard sometimes. O.K. lots of times. Somebody once said "Laughter is the best medicine" or maybe I read it on a gum wrapper. Anyway, it's true that humor helps us get through tough times and things that seemed awful may seem less so when we can laugh at them. Case in point, when you read about science, biology and medical Graduate School you envision working with rats on treadmills. When you actually get to Graduate School and experience the competition to achieve, the stress and the long hours you find yourself starting to identify with the rats.

Alexander Dent is a medical scientist who is also a talented cartoonist.He writes "These cartoons started from my trials and tribulations as a post-doctoral biomedical researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland from 1992-1997. Most of these cartoons were published in the NIH Catalyst newsletter..I continued to produce cartoons sporadically for the Catalyst until about 2002. I have not done any cartooning since 2002". I think he ought to start cartooning again. These cartoons are wonderful, entertaining, funny and get (uncomfortably) close to home.

Dent Cartoons

In a similar vein, look at this Video Introduction to Medical School Matrix 101: The Medical School Click the Arrow to Start

A VIDEO OF A MIND POWER GAME AND THE REAL BRAIN POWER WHO DEVELOPED IT KAWSHIMA AND THE NINTENDO BRAIN GAME

2008-04-30T13:06:00.006-05:00

A VIDEO OF A MIND POWER GAME AND THE REAL BRAIN POWER WHO DEVELOPED IT KAWSHIMA AND THE NINTENDO BRAIN GAME

GAMES AND VIDEO GAMES THAT AIM TO EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN

You have heard of playing smart and now we have games you play to get smart. Brain exercise and brain power fitness games are increasingly popular. It doesn't take a lot of brain power to see that. Nintendo has sold millions of copies of it's Nintendo DS brain training games. As I discussed previously researchers have reported that a computer based brain training method designed to improve working memory also increased scores in "fluid intelligence", or general problem-solving ability. I am fascinated by the games and Internet web sites that provide games and tests to work on your intelligence and various assorted brain power skills. In Nintendo's case, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? sees players follow a daily regime of brain-enhancing exercises.

The brain training software, incorporates quizzes and other simple mental stimulation and is credited with introducing a new demographic to video-game machines as older people try to prevent senility. Players are given a brain age reflecting their performance. Over time, they suggest your "brain age" should get younger as you achieve better scores.

Watch this Video of a Brain Training Game See How You Do Click the Arrow to Start

Ryuta Kawashima, the scientist behind the Nintendo "brain training" games is a kind of living example of brain power. He turned down the chance to become a millionaire, saying he'd rather work for a living.

According to an article about him, he "says he has no time for games, even his own, he is instead busy at his job, trying to come up with new inventions aimed at Japan's growing elderly population." Kawashima pours his portion of the royalties from his work into funding research. He has built a 300-million-yen laboratory at his university's Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer where he works.

Read Purple Medical Blog New Research says Brain Training Can Improve Intelligence

"People can train their brains just as they do their bodies, Kawashima says. He no longer uses his own software to keep his own brain nimble, he says, confident that his research work is enough. Now in the fourth year of an education ministry funded project looking at youngsters' brain development, he says he does not yet know how children's minds are affected by long hours playing video-games".

"Despite developing software for Nintendo, Kawashima banned his four sons, now aged 14 to 22, from playing video-games on weekdays, with only one hour allowed at weekends, and once destroyed a disc when they broke the rules".

Brain games aim to boost your IQ

'Brain training' Dr Kawashima has no time for games

Brain training games do work, study finds

NEW RESEARCH SAYS PLAYING BRAIN POWER GAMES EXERCISE DOES INCREASE BRAIN POWER

2008-04-29T19:45:00.043-05:00

NEW RESEARCH SAYS PLAYING BRAIN POWER GAMES EXERCISE DOES INCREASE BRAIN POWER

Fluid Intelligence Is Increased with Brain Games and Transfers To Other Tasks

A new study has found that improving brain power by training working memory does work. "It may be possible to train people to be more intelligent, (as by playing brain power games) increasing the brainpower they had at birth. In the new study called Improving Fluid Intelligence with Training on Working Memory, researchers describe a method for improving this skill, along with experiments to prove it works". Many games to improve brain power includes games to improve working memory. Working memory is one of the most important components of brain power.

Some games to improve brain power work specifically on working memory. Working memory can be thought of as the ability to hold and use pieces of information in our heads for a short amount of time while working on a task or solving a problem like using a phone number or following a set of directions. In many games you have to remember information like positions of game pieces. However the amount of information we can hold is limited and the information itself is very unstable - a sudden distraction and the information is lost and you have to start again from scratch.

"The key,the intelligence researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory — the kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it. This type of memory is closely related to fluid intelligence, according to background information in the article, and appears to rely on the same brain circuitry. So the researchers reasoned that improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence".

Read Purple Medical Blog Video of Brain Power Game and the Real Brain Power Who Developed It

"They trained each in a complicated memory task, an elaborate variation on Concentration, the child’s card game. The game was set up so that as the participants succeeded, the tasks became harder, and as they failed, the tasks became easier. This assured a high level of difficulty, adjusted individually for each participant, but not so high as to destroy motivation to keep working".

"Martin Buschkuehl is a psychology researcher based at the University of Bern, Switzerland. It was assumed that fluid intelligence was immutable. Fluid intelligence measures how people adapt to new situations and solve problems they've never seen before. Fluid intelligence differs from crystallized intelligence, which takes into account skills and knowledge that have been acquired -- like vocabulary, grammar and math".

34 test subjects significantly better at answering IQ test questions after training them on a completely separate memory task

"It's not hard, for example, for students to improve their IQ scores by taking lots of IQ tests. Trouble is, learning how to take IQ tests doesn't improve the underlying smarts. The students just get better at taking tests. In practical terms, people can get better at taking tests, but in daily life, don’t have a blazingly quick new brain. And that's where Buschkuehl's research, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, claims to be groundbreaking. In a limited trial, he and his team were able to make 34 test subjects significantly better at answering IQ test questions after training them on a completely separate memory task".

Read Purple Medical Games to Improve Brain Power

"Why did the training work? The authors suggest several aspects of the exercise relevant to solving new problems: ignoring irrelevant items, monitoring ongoing performance, managing two tasks simultaneously and connecting related items to one another in space and time".

Memory Training Shown to Turn Up Brainpower

Forget Brain Age: Researchers Develop Software That Makes You Smarter

Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory

WHAT ARE STEM CELLS HOW AND WHY STEM CELLS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

2008-04-28T21:53:00.032-05:00

WHAT ARE STEM CELLS HOW AND WHY STEM CELLS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Will it take a genius like da Vinci to unlock the secrets of stem cells

The newspaper headlines scream out at you stem cell breakthrough! stem cell controversy!. Some people swear by them others swear at them. But what are stem cells? Why are they so important and controversial? Are there different types of stem cells? And what kinds of things are researchers hoping to learn about by doing “stem cell research”? In his excellent blog, Dr.David Loeb talks about stem cells. What are they and where are we going?

"First of all, what is a stem cell? To answer that, I’ll start with one of the main principles of modern biology: in every organ in your body, there are cells that are fully developed (differentiated is the term scientists use), and cells that sit in reserve to replace the differentiated cells as they age. Those cells that sit in reserve are unique in their ability to both create copies of themselves (called self-renewal) and to create “daughter cells” that are more differentiated. These “daughter cells” are stem cells".

"Stem cells come in two varieties: the ones that are found in mature organs (like bone marrow) and the ones that are found in a developing embryo and give rise to the entire body. So what are the controversies that surround stem cells? Well, the major controversy is over the source of stem cells that scientists use for their experiments. For example, most people are not concerned about stem cells that are harvested from bone marrow, but they do object to embryonic stem cells that require the destruction of an embryo. I guess it’s obvious why some people find that objectionable but others do not".

"What good are stem cells, anyway? What kinds of things do scientists think they can do with stem cells? I study stem cells. I know many other people who study stem cells. No one I know wants to do what the loudest anti-stem-cell-research voices are shouting about – clone a human. What we do want to do is exploit the potential of these cells to replace broken cells and cure human disease". Read more at:

Stem Cells or A Rose By Any Other Name

Read Purple Medical Yamanaka and Thomson Turn Skin Cells into Stem Cells

Watch the Video Everything You Wanted To Know About Stem Cells

Everything You Wanted to Know About Stem Cells Click the arrow