Commentary
mementomori | June 21, 2007Fellow ScienceBlogger Orac has posted the latest on Abraham Cherrix, the Virginia teenager who rejected conventional medical therapy for his relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma in favor of what we in the business call "spot-weld" radiation therapy, as well as unproven alternative supplements, presumably ingestibles. Since this story has piqued my interest I would like to comment on what appears to be a tragedy in the making.
Mr. Cherrix is back under the care of his radiation oncologist in Mississippi, getting XRT to a "small tumor on his right lung that showed up on a scan taken last week". He gives…
mementomori | June 18, 2007We live in exciting times, and not just because David Hasselhoff is back on prime-time television. GlaxoSmithKline has just announced it is developing five new agents to fight cancer and expects to have them introduced within three years. A story like this has the same effect on oncologists as an unguarded steak does on the family Labrador. I shall try not to salivate as I type this, but it is difficult to contain elation when a deep-pocketed industry giant confesses a craven craving to attack the same disease one has been toiling against for so many years.
The drugs will treat a range of…
mementomori | June 14, 2007Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose in its early stage due to the lack of a highly sensitive or specific screening test. The National Cancer Institute's website summarizes the meager data on screening tests, such as CA-125 levels or pelvic ultrasounds.
Now a coalition of cancer organizations including the American Cancer Society have released four warning signs that may represent the presence of ovarian cancer.
The experts say women should see their doctor if they suddenly experience any of these symptoms daily for at least three weeks:
Bloating
Pelvic or abdominal pain
Difficulty eating…
mementomori | June 11, 2007Most patients want physicians to shake their hands when they first meet, and about half want their first names used in greetings, according to a report in the June 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers at the Norwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine conducted a survey of 415 adults across the United States on their preferences when meeting physicians and also analyzed videotapes of over one hundred new patient visits recorded in 19 different offices in Chicago and Burlington, Vermont. I am thrilled to report that the results justify my own personal belief, namely…
mementomori | June 6, 2007In the following excerpts from a new study on testosterone levels in old men, a certain recurring theme appears. I have placed this notion in italics. Can you guess why this story made me laugh?
"Older Men May Not Live As Long If They Have Low Testosterone"
Low levels of testosterone may increase the long-term risk of death in men over 50 years old, according to researchers with the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
The new study is only the second report linking deficiency of this sex hormone with increased death…
mementomori | June 4, 2007A new drug looks poised to become the first effective treatment for liver cancer, one of the most common and deadliest cancers in the world and one whose incidence has been rising in the United States.
Today at the annual ASCO meeting the results of a clinical trial of 602 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma will be released. The trial compared the oral targeted agent sorafenib to placebo. Not surprisingly, sorafenib was more effective than placebo in producing a benefit for patients. What was this benefit that is getting all the publicity today?
Was it shrinkage of the tumor? Nope -…
mementomori | May 21, 2007Concerned that this country's lackadaisical attention to our environment is a threat to the populace? Interested in forming a new society where human behavior is tightly regulated, so as to not upset the delicate balance of nature on this planet? Looking to grab a few more carbon offsets before jetting off to Venice for the summer?
Hey, that's great - you're a true soldier in this newest global war. Just think twice about relocating certain to socialist countries - if you value your life.
Beijing Blames Pollutants for Rise in Killer Cancers
Foul air, filthy water and contaminated soil have…
mementomori | May 16, 2007We interrupt this program to bring you this special report:
"Study offers hope of remedy for baldness"
Suddenly tens of millions of men in this country stop in their tracks and strain to hear the voice on the radio:
"Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania report in the journal Nature that mice with deep skin wounds can send reprogrammed stem cells to the naked area and actually grow hair once again."
[Fanfare, followed by deafening cheers...]
"For more on this we turn to our male-pattern baldness correspondent, Arlo P. Cia. Arlo?"
"Thank you, Dan. Dr George Cotsarelis, the lead…
mementomori | May 15, 2007 Eating plenty of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids -- such as tuna and salmon -- may reduce the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration [known as neovascular AMD], a new study says.
The study findings are published in the May issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.
Fish, fish, fish! That's all I read in the papers these days - nothing but stories about how piscine-rich diets confer a clearly unfair health advantage over those centered around consumption of flesh from cloven hoofed animals.
What if I'm a hearty meat-and-potatoes type and suddenly I come across this story…
mementomori | May 14, 2007"A baby aspirin a day is healthy; but more than that can be dangerous"
"High Doses Of Aspirin May Reduce Colon Cancer Risk"
Far be it from me to raise the irksome voice of cynicism so often heard emanating from cable television squawkfests these days, but do I detect a contradiction in these headlines? On the one hand we have a meta-analysis performed by researchers at the University of Kentucky (published in the May 9, 2007 issue of JAMA) showing that people who ingest over 81 mg of aspirin a day increase their risk of gastrointestinal bleeding without providing any additional protection…
mementomori | May 4, 2007This has been a sad week in St. Louis. On April 29th at 12:30 AM Josh Hancock, a player for the Cardinals, was killed when his Ford Explorer struck a tow truck in the left hand lane of the highway. The truck was in front of a disabled car and had its emergency lights flashing when Hancock's vehicle hit it, killing the 29 year old relief pitcher instantly.
Today the St. Louis Medical Examiner announced that Hancock was legally intoxicated at the time of his death, and was talking on a cell phone when his SUV hit the tow truck:
Hancock's blood-alcohol level was 0.157, nearly twice Missouri's…
mementomori | May 1, 2007Answer: they are the top two producing areas in the world of a foodstuff that is getting lots of attention lately for its health benefits.
What is this item? Well...
...it originated in the Holy Land and was a favorite of the Queen of Sheba.
...it was first imported to the United States in the 1880s, but didn't really become popular until the early 20th century.
...the first seed planted in America was by a California scientist in 1930, but it didn't mature until twenty years later and wasn't able to be harvested here until 1976!
Can you guess what this amazing member of the Sumac family…
mementomori | April 26, 2007A physician survey published in The New England Journal of Medicine this week reveals that 94% of the respondents from six different specialties (anesthesiology, cardiology, family practice, general surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics) "reported some type of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry, and most of these relationships involved receiving food in the workplace (83%) or receiving drug samples (78%)."
This is news? Doctors have been receiving free items from Big Pharma (hereafter referred to as BP) for decades; why are these researchers wasting our precious natural…
mementomori | April 25, 2007I know we doctors can be absent-minded, but I must be really out of it - I had no idea Vice President Cheney was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower extremity in early March. He had a checkup yesterday which included a check of his INR (measuring the "thinness" of his blood while on warfarin) and a follow-up ultrasound of his leg, which revealed that the clot is "smaller."
Cheney has been taking blood-thinning medication since the clot was discovered in his left leg after he returned from a nine-day trip to Asia more than a month ago.
This is interesting because (as we…
mementomori | April 17, 2007"Doc, my knees hurt all the time."
"I can't hardly climb up the stairs my hip bothers me so much."
"I've had a bad back for years."
Even in my profession I encounter the sorrows of OA (osteoarthritis) all the time. Over 20 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis and the biggest risk factor for the development of this painful condition is aging, followed by obesity. As more and more baby boomers enter their golden years [Don't get personal with me, Bub. -Editor] the effects of years of weight training, organized sports and creeping avoirdupois leave their toll upon the joints. Outside…
neurontic | April 12, 2007I recently landed a gig writing how-to articles aimed at college students for a website that shall remain nameless. The site is predicated on the notion that recent grads are hapless fools, incapable of grappling with real world responsibilities, like renting an apartment or choosing an appropriate 401K plan. As it happens, I really was this clueless at the age of 21. What a brilliant idea, I thought! Sign me up.
The first article I was assigned was called something along the lines of "Online Dating: It's not just for losers anymore." Beyond sending the message that cyber-hookups had gone…
mementomori | April 11, 2007In an interview with Fox News Channel's Neil Cavuto, the former Tennessee senator, 64, said a doctor conducting a physical in 2004 found a bump on his neck, which turned out to be non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He said the disease is in remission with no illness or symptoms...
Cancer is getting quite a bit of attention in the political news these days, what with Elizabeth Edwards, Tony Snow and now another prominent name announcing that he has been treated for what I call the "cowardly affliction." Today possible presidential candidate Fred Thompson revealed that he has been treated with the anti-…
mementomori | April 10, 2007"The superiority of chocolate (hot chocolate), both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain..."
-Thomas Jefferson (1785)
Talk about prescience! How did Mr. Jefferson know the truth back then, and when did he tell Mom about it? Remember those days when you and your friends came stamping in after a shivering January afternoon on the local sledding hill? Didn't your mother have a steaming mug of hot cocoa waiting on the kitchen table - with a plate of cookies, too, if you were lucky? Did you like hot cocoa back…
mementomori | April 4, 2007The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said Wednesday it would spend $500 million over the next five years to combat an "epidemic" of childhood obesity.
This can only be interpreted as good news for those of us who are saddened by the fattening of America's children. Where is the money going?
To halt a trend building over the past four decades, the foundation is offering to fund programs that focus on improving access to affordable healthy foods or on how to increase physical activity in schools and communities
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's new initiative will build on successful…
mementomori | March 29, 2007Obesity boosts prostate cancer mortality
Hmm...rather unusual choice of words in this headline...why would anyone want obesity to "boost" such an unpleasant outcome? Probably would have been better to phrase it thusly: "Obesity decreases survival rate of prostate cancer," or "Portly prostate patients portend pushing up daisies." What meaneth these fair data, anyway?
Obese men diagnosed with prostate cancer are more than twice as likely to die of the disease than their leaner peers, a new study shows. They also have more than triple the risk that the cancer will spread beyond their…