Archive for the ‘Medical’ Category
February 13th, 2008 | Author: Kapt Kaos
Found in a press release from Media-Newswire.
“We’ve all heard the stories: Someone’s great-uncle has smoked three packs of cigarettes since he was 14, and now, at the age of 88, he’s living a fine, healthy life,†said Arthur Moss, M.D., Director of the Heart Research Follow-up Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “Contrast that with the 52-year old neighbor, who also was a heavy smoker, and just last week, dropped dead from a heart attack. Why is it that some smokers seem unaffected by their habit and even outlive the healthiest individuals, while many other smokers suffer significant cardiac events at a relatively young age? We think we now know why.â€
According to Moss, the answer lies is a common deviation of the gene CETP ( cholesteryl ester transfer protein ), a protein found in all people that controls cholesterol metabolism. Smokers with a common form of this gene are likely to suffer a heart attack 12 years earlier than a non-smoker, while smokers who do not carry this variant appear to be “protected†and have the same risk of heart attack as non-smokers.
Posted in 
Tags: 
April 5th, 2007 | Author: Kapt Kaos
I was just reading an article about how ADHD can have adverse effects on job and/or relationships. OK, this may be a shocker to some of you that do not deal with ADHD but for those of use that do, this is no brainer. Just in case you think I am being a little harsh here is a bit of the article.
According to the April issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, more than half of children with ADHD can expect to contend with the condition as adults. ADHD in adults often is more subtle than in children, but still can be troublesome. It usually presents itself in one of two ways or a combination:
Inattention: Prioritizing and focusing on tasks can be enormous challenges. Organizing work or following instructions may be more difficult than it is for others.
Excessive levels of activity or difficult-to-control impulses: Adults with ADHD aren’t likely to be as physically active as hyperactive children with ADHD. Instead, adults may experience ongoing feelings of restlessness or have trouble relaxing. An adult may always feel the need to be on the go. Impulsivity may show up as impatience, mood swings, intense anger outbursts or trouble with relationships.
Yes, all of this is good info to have if you know nothing about ADHD. But having lived with this all of my life I just had to laugh when I read it.
April 4th, 2007 | Author: admin
Chronic constipation affects 15 to 20 percent of the U.S. population. Nearly one-third of affected people have dyssynergic defecation, in which muscles used for bowel movements do not work well, but there’s some good news. University of Iowa research shows biofeedback treatment can successfully retrain muscles.
The biofeedback approach was better than standard treatment of laxatives, diet and exercise or another treatment (sham) that included muscle relaxation and coping strategies. The findings appear in the March issue of the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Many people with dyssynergic defecation have life-long constipation and experience significant difficulty with passing stools but are unaware that they have this particular type of chronic constipation, said Satish Rao, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.