Medic-ALL

Keto Diet, Ketosis and Keto breath!

2019-03-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

Everything comes with a price, even diets -KK

Ketogenic Diet (or keto diet) is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet designed to help you achieve ketosis.

What is Ketosis?

Ketosis is a natural metabolic state that occurs when the body is forced to resort to burning fat stores as a source of energy due to depleted glucose stores (the main source of which are usually derived from carbohydrates). Healthy persons normally experience mild ketosis during periods of fasting, overnight or following strenuous exercise.

With the consumption of ketogenic diets becoming popular as part of weight-loss regimens all over, several theories on how ketogenic diets promote weight loss have been proposed including decreased food cravings due to the high-fat diet, reduction in the appetite stimulating hormones, promotion of fat loss secondary to low insulin levels and increased burning of calorie from fat conversion to produce energy.

Medically speaking!

Historically ketogenic diets have been prescribed to reduce epileptic seizures in children with difficult-to-treat epilepsy. This is possible because with little carbohydrate remaining in the diet and the liver converting fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. This ketone bodies pass into the brain to replace glucose as an energy source resulting in reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures.

Around half of children and young people with epilepsy who have tried some form of this diet saw the number of seizures drop by at least half, and the effect persists even after discontinuing the diet.

Ketogenic diets have also been tested and used in closely monitored settings in diabetics, Alzheimer’s disease, polycystic ovary syndrome and cancer patients

Despite the various medical and weight loss benefits of ketogenic and other low-carb diets. One of the characteristic indications of ketosis is however the “keto breath”, call it an unwanted side effect if you like. Keto breath or odor is different from halitosis or the normal bad breath. It is more of a distinct metallic, fruity smelling, nail-polish remover-like, strong odor or taste in the mouth.

Why the Keto breath?

With the body breaking down fat to produce energy, fatty acids are converted into ketones, which are natural chemicals your body produces when you burn fat for energy. These include beta hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, and acetone (an ingredient of nail polish).

Though ketones are usually harmless and released from the body through exhalation and urination, your breath smelling like nail polish-remover in particular, as unpleasant as that may be is a good indicator of ketosis.

What to do?

A few things can probably help in reducing the bad odor, including practicing good oral hygiene, masking the odor with mints, increasing your water-intake, eating less protein or unfortunately, if it's really bad… just stopping the diet!

Medic-ALL 2019

Treadmill vs Outdoor running

2018-09-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

"Runs end, Running doesn't" - Nike

Treadmill running vs Outdoor running: Sounds like a debate we've either heard or been involved in before. Certainly both are worthy "heart-healthy" exercises that are tremendously beneficial to the muscles and the body as a whole.

They are in fact the same kind of activity in different settings! But yea ,there's more!

People will tell you that running outdoors improves stability by forcing you to navigate ever-changing terrains while others will claim that a treadmill forces you to sustain speed and performance levels that might other lag outdoors.

Ultimately, both settings surely have their pros and cons based on the training needs and goals of the individual.

Treadmills

If you can enjoy a good run and multitask while at it, why not?
Treadmill running does provide a good an effective avenue to exercise and maximize your indoor workout time.

The same way the airport escalators propel you, the treadmill probably propels your running in a manner that is different from how you propel yourself when running outdoors.

While some may look down on treadmill running as a second class form of running, it definitely can help runners get the best of their time, when weather or environmental conditions don't permit.

Treadmill running has many advantages.

Advantages of Treadmill running

Treadmills are one of the most popular pieces of cardiovascular equipment in gyms all over the world these days.While treadmills are considered the safer option for running exercises by most users, large numbers of treadmill-related injuries running into thousands are reported yearly. Injuries in form of sprains, falls, head injuries, and even cardiovascular events in people who might have pushed too hard are among the most commonly reported.

Outdoor Running

There really is something special about lacing up your trainers and heading into the Great Outdoors (sense the bias?). There is certainly a physiologic difference between both exercises. Some experts believe that by running outdoors, you are stimulating the muscles in your feet and legs in a different way, getting a more well-rounded workout for your legs and ankles actually. Outdoor running also allows you engage different muscles groups by running downhill and uphill which most treadmills don't allow to.

While elite athletes will use a treadmill as part of their training routine, they will do the majority of their running outdoors on tracks, trails, or pavement.

Advantages of Outside running

Which do you benefit the most from?

Basically the amount of effort you apply determines how much you get from a running workout or most workouts for that matter. You can get the same workout whether running on a treadmill or outside as long as you maintain the same effort level. But "effort," in and of itself, is a highly variable measure.

Medically speaking, effort is based on your heart rate and a phenomenon known as perceived exertion. Perceived exertion refers specifically to how "hard" you consider an activity to be, irrespective of how your body responds to that activity.

For example, the perceived exertion of running indoors will generally be less than running outdoors on a rainy day even if you burn more calories or have a faster heart rate. Even on a sunny day, the very act of running up a hill may be perceived to be "harder" than running at the same incline and distance on a treadmill.

The harder we perceive a workout to be, the sooner we tend to give up.This psychological component tends to influence how much we get out of one exercise compared to the next.

Our Verdict

So it all depends on what you intend to gain from running. If your sole intention is to meet and maintain your cardiovascular fitness goals, then a treadmill should suffice.

On the other hand, if you are training for a race you will clearly benefit more from running outside, and you may incorporate treadmill running to train your endurance and improve your cardio health.

And it may just be down to which environment you prefer!

Medic-ALL 2018

Don't Miss A Stroke! Save a Life

2018-08-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

One out of Six people will suffer a Stroke during their lifetime!

A Stroke or Cerebrovascular accident is caused by an interruption in the blood supply to the brain resulting either from the bursting of a blood vessel or the blockage of a vessel by a clot.

The major symptoms of a stroke include a sudden weakness of usually one side of the face, arm or leg (could involve all at once), numbness, confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech; it could also cause a difficulty seeing with one or both eyes; difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; severe headache with no known cause; vomiting; fainting or unconsciousness.

One of the key ways to "save a life" or help facilitate timely medical attention in someone suffering from a stroke is to know what a stroke looks like by becoming familiar with the symptoms listed above. Such knowledge will enable you "act fast" to save a co-worker, friend, or relative. Although stroke risk increases with age, strokes can—and do—occur at any age.

To prevent strokes, physical activity and healthy eating play a huge role. Keeping a good watch on vascular disease and stroke risk factors such as elevated blood pressure(hypertension), high blood sugar or diabetes and high cholesterol levels are also very important in every part of the world.

Here are some of the latest recommendations by the World Health Organization to stress these prevention measures

Eat a healthy diet: A balanced diet is crucial to a healthy heart and circulation system. This should include plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish and pulses with restricted salt, sugar and fat intake. Alcohol should also be used in moderation.

Eating foods high in cholesterol can build up fatty deposits, called plaque, on the walls of your blood vessels. These deposits can block the flow of blood to the brain, causing a stroke

Take regular physical activity: At least 30 minutes of regular physical activity every day helps to maintain cardiovascular fitness; at least 60 minutes on most days of the week helps to maintain healthy weight.

Being overweight or obese can raise total cholesterol levels, increase blood pressure, and lead to diabetes

Avoid tobacco use: Tobacco in every form is very harmful to health - cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or chewable tobacco. Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke is also dangerous. The risk of heart attack and stroke starts to drop immediately after a person stops using tobacco products, and can drop by as much as half after 1 year.

Smoking cigarettes also raises your blood pressure!

Check and control your overall cardiovascular risk: An important aspect of preventing heart attacks and strokes is by providing treatment and counselling to individuals at high risk (those with a 10 year cardiovascular risk equal to or above 30%) and reducing their cardiovascular risk. A health worker can estimate your cardiovascular risk using simple risk charts and provide the appropriate advice for managing your risk factors.

Know your blood pressure: High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but is one of the biggest causes of sudden stroke or heart attack. Have your blood pressure checked and know your numbers. If it is high, you will need to change your lifestyle to incorporate a healthy diet with less salt intake and increase physical activity, and may need medications to control your blood pressure.
Know your blood lipids: Raised blood cholesterol and abnormal blood lipids increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Blood cholesterol needs to be controlled through a healthy diet and, if necessary, by appropriate medications.
Know your blood sugar: Raised blood glucose (diabetes) increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. If you have diabetes it is very important to control your blood pressure and blood sugar to minimize the risk.

Medic-ALL 2018

Ref: WHO

Whats in your cup of coffee?

2018-07-26T06:33:00.002-07:00

Humanity runs on coffee - Unknown

In the midst of all the addictions our world has to offer, coffee is one that has certainly stood the test of time across generations. Coffee has become both the "waker" and "day-starter" for most in different parts of the world.

But seriously speaking..whats in that cup of coffee?

Of course, the active ingredient , Caffeine, which is a stimulant that acts in the brain by blocking an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. Caffeine is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world today, taking only about 15-20 minutes to get into the bloodstream, reaching its peak level in 30-60 minutes and effects lasting up to 6-10hours.

A cup of Coffee is more than just black water with a rich smell.

A single cup of coffee contains several important nutrients, including Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.

Certainly it has it benefits, but as with everything in life, moderation is key! even with coffee consumption. Some studies have shown that drinking coffee regularly in moderation reduces the risk of heart failure for example.

Still on Caffeine...

Coffee containing caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness and restlessness, stomach upset, nausea and vomiting, increased heart and breathing rate, and other side effects. Consuming large amounts of coffee might also cause headache, anxiety, agitation, ringing in the ears, and irregular heartbeats.

The Benefits!

The caffeine in a cup of coffee might help small blood vessels work better. Coffee consumption has been linked with a lower incidence of heart rhythm disturbances in both men and women, and lowered stroke risk for women. Among 13,000 people, those who drank one to three cups every day were 20 percent less likely to go to the hospital for arrhythmias than abstainers.

Lowers Diabetes Risk

Coffee has also proved beneficial in the context of cardiovascular disease risk factors like Diabetes. Recently, Australian researchers found a correlation of about 7% drop in the odds of having type II diabetes for every additional cup of coffee drunk daily following 18 studies of nearly 458,000 participants. Six to seven cups of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee tanked the chance of getting the disease by a third.

It is important to add however, that regular coffee, contains caffeine which can raise the blood pressure, as well as blood levels of the fight-or-flight chemical epinephrine (also called adrenaline),

While it is known that caffeine intake reduce the risk of forming gallstones,study reports have also indicated that coffee protects against liver cirrhosis (Link)

Other Benefits of Coffee

Cancer

Though, the evidence of a cancer protection effect of coffee is weaker than that for type 2 diabetes, the drink has proven to be more effective against liver cancer, where it lowers the chances of developing the disease by half. There is also a link between coffee and lung cancer, but only those who got the disease because they smoked. On the other hand, drinking it was actually found to be a protectant for non-smokers with lung cancer.

Keeps the Brain Sharp

Coffee has also been linked to lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. That characteristic mental jolt coffee provides which most medical students and doctors can relate with may extend a lifetime. Recent studies have shown that Parkinson’s, age-related cognitive decline, and maybe even Alzheimer’s could be kept at bay by coffee. The Alzheimer’s and dementia risk may be lowered by an amazing 65 percent thanks to coffee! (link)

Helps You Withstand Pain
Interestingly, coffee may be the answer to mild pain relief. This is according to a national study done in Norway, in which coffee-takers in an office reported a lower pain-intensity level when compared with those who abstained. Other studies have shown linked caffeine with reducing muscle pain after working out (Link)

Most Importantly, Lowers Death Risk

This is according to a meta-analysis of 20 studies with 1 million participants carried out by the National Institutes of Health. They found that coffee somehow helped lower ones chances of dying from any cause. The AARP Diet and Health study showed that men can lower their chance of dying by 6 percent with just a cup a day. The more they drank, the lower that chance went — five cups, of course, was the maximum recommended.

After all said....Lets Drink it up..but in moderation

To be continued.....

Athritis: Challenging the Pain!

2018-06-01T21:56:00.002-07:00

Physical activity-even if you don't lose an ounce you'll live longer, feel healthier and be less likely to get cancer, heart disease, stroke and arthritis. It's the closest thing we have to a wonder drug. - Tom Frieden

An approximate staggering 350 million people (young and old) worldwide suffer from some kind of athritis! Call it a global epidemic if you like, but even more intriguing is the role that regular exercises and maintenance of optimal body weight can play reducing the risk of developing athritis and towards attaining a "pain-free life".

What is Athritis?

It is the inflammation of any joint that is commonly associated with pain and stiffness.

Regular effective exercise is vital for arthritis patients

Though there are more than a 100 types of athritis (CDC 2016) each with its own causes, symptoms and complications.

Osteoathritis and rheumatoid athritis are 2 of the most common types.

Osteoathriritis(OA) is the most common joint disorder worldwide which occurs due to aging and wear and tear on a joint that could result from obesity, excessive use in certain occupations/sports and advancing age is known to be one of the strongest risk factors.

Rheumatoid athritis (RA) on the other hand is an autoimmune athritis resulting from the body's own immune cells mistakenly attacking the tissues of the joint lining resulting in stiffness, swelling and pain. Patients with RA may manifest with dry eyes, dry mouth, swollen digits and eye symptoms.. Though it may occur in anyone, it is more common in women and older adults.

The key differences between both conditions is in how the symptoms present. The pain of OA is worse with activity and relieved by rest in contrast to the pain of rheumatoid athritis. Whilst morning stiffness experienced in OA resolves within 30 minutes, it lasts longer in rheumatoid arthritis.Also, RA is also found to be symmetrical in that it tends to affect the same joint on both sides of the body.

Treatment of both OA and RA consists of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physical therapy, use of corticosteroids and even surgery. While RA treatment also involves the use of anti-thematic and biologic agents in addition to the above.

The role of physical therapy in the management of joint problems cannot be over-emphasized. Physical therapy helps to restore the use of the joints by improving mobility, increasing the strength of the muscles around the joints and maintaining fitness.

Athritis may be not curable, but surely it is manageable, even more manageable when the patient is involved.

So how well can the patient be involved?

Exercise, regular effective exercise is vital for patients with athritis, and non-drug treatment options are an integral part in the management of the condition. This have been shown to improve symptoms in many patients.

As important as exercise, is weight loss (some amount of weight loss is always great). Being overweight has been linked to the development of athritis of the knee and its worsening, hence weight loss can help to reduce pain particularly in the knees and hips as well as lower the risk of OA even in advancing age.

Though the development of many kinds of athritis is strongly associated with aging, here are some signs to be on the look out for that may necessitate scheduling an appointment with your doctor.

Pain, swelling or stiffness in one or more joints
Warm or reddish discoloration around a joint
Difficulty moving a joint or doing daily activities
Any concerning joint symptoms

Finally, exercise and physical therapy with gentle muscle-strengthening exercises are always helpful as is range of movement exercises to maintain flexibility and good posture.

Medic-ALL 2018

Ref: www.athritis.org

The Burden of Infertility; What you need to know

2018-05-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

...with a baby or without, you are valuable, you are whole and you matter...

Recent data available shows that nearly 50 million couples worldwide experience infertility and nearly 50 percent of gynecology outpatient consultations in countries all over the world are infertility related.

Many homes continue to experience the agony of childlessness and the accompanying turbulence that comes with infertility in some parts of the world. While some couples enjoy the privilege of becoming parents, the same is not the case for many who continue to hope they will one day experience the joy of parenthood.

Infertility is defined as the inability to achieve a clinical pregnancy despite having frequent, regular (up to 3 to 4 times in a week) unprotected sex for at least a year. The inability to become pregnant or the inability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth is considered, primary infertility. On the other hand, the inability to become pregnant or the inability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth following either a previous pregnancy or a previous ability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth, is classified as secondary infertility.

Infertility may be due to a single cause in either partner, or a combination of factors that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring or continuing. Fortunately, there are many safe and effective therapies for overcoming infertility. These treatments significantly improve the chances of becoming pregnant.

As the burden continues to stare many couples in the face, seeking early counselling, towards a diagnoses of the problem is very important for couples and treatment is often available.

The methods within infertility treatment have improved immensely over the last 2 decades even though there remains an inequitable degree of access and varying affordability to treatment modalities such as assisted reproductive techniques (in vitro fertilization) in many developing countries. This is a huge reproductive health concern.

Causes of infertility can more or less be divided into 3 equal parts. A female part, a male part and a third unexplained part.

Common causes in men include;

Abnormal Semen due to a medical condition, infection, hormonal imbalance, or ejaculation disorders, medications which can reduce sperm count, Mumps, radiation exposure and even mental stress.

Common causes in women include ovulation disorders/hormonal imbalance, anatomic problems which affect the uterus or fallopian tubes, other medical conditions and medications. Advancing age, excessive exercise, sexually transmitted infections (STIs),smoking, alcohol consumption and mental stress are also risk factors in women

The main sign of infertility is the inability of a couple to get pregnant. There may be no other obvious symptoms.

In some cases, an infertile woman may have irregular or absent menstrual periods. An infertile man may have signs of hormonal problems, such as changes in hair growth, sexual function, reduced sexual desire, or problems with ejaculation. He may also have small testicles or a swelling in the scrotum.

When should you consider seeing a doctor

In general, you may consider seeing a doctor about infertility if you and your partner have been trying regularly to conceive for at least one year.

You may consider being seen earlier if you're a woman and:

You're age 35 to 40 and have been trying to conceive for six months or longer
You're over age 40
You menstruate irregularly or not at all
You have known fertility problems
You've been diagnosed with endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease
You've had more than one miscarriage
You've had prior cancer treatment

If you're a man, you may wish to be evaluated sooner if you have:

A low sperm count or other problems with sperm
Swelling in the scrotum (see 'varicocele' below)
You have had a previous vasectomy
Undergone prior scrotal or inguinal surgery
Small testicles or problems with sexual function or desire
Had prior cancer cancer treatment
Desire to know your fertility status.

Medic-ALL 2018

Nurses Week: The Angels called Nurses

2018-05-11T23:46:00.002-07:00

The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity taking a place beside the Physician and the the Priest...- William Osler

National Nurses week in the United States , May 6th-12th

Thriving in one of the hardest professions in the world, being in the front line on a daily basis attending to patients' issues with care, patience, a nurturing smile (in the midst of toughness) and trusting demeanor is more than enough reason to celebrate nurses, not just in the U.S but globally.

The ridiculous assumption that nursing is just an alternative for those who found it too hard to be doctors has become an incentive for nurses to show how much of a difference the skill set of nurses make in the care of patients. Nursing can truly be considered the backbone of the healthcare system.

"What will I do without nurses?"

Those were often my words as a medical student and intern! Yes I argued with nurses on a number of occasions, but I learnt a whole lot from nurses over the years..from the surgical theatre to the bedside..Nurses impacted my training and those of my colleagues in no small way. How can I forget the generous "heads up" on my clinical exam days by those motherly nurses, or the regular guidance during my obstetric rotations from the vastly experienced nurses...to mention a few.

When you're a nurse, you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.

Nurses are gifted in forming bonds with patients. Without a prescription, they dispense compassion, a sense of care and trust. How many times have doctors had to return to the patient's bedside to ask more questions or elicit signs because of something the patient felt comfortable enough to share with his/her nurse.

Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God's spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts." - Florence Nightingale

Truly an art, and why not, if nurses have to cope with working with the sometimes "not so humble" physicians or try to decipher the "pseudo-calligraphic" handwritings in the doctors' notes on a daily basis. To be bound by paperwork, short on sleep and energy and yet still manage a smile of reassurance to that worried patient is an art.

Nurses are great at dishing out constructive criticism that actually encourages the patients to be keen on doing the right thing. Of course they only take so much crap from "troublesome" patients before they "nicely" put them in line. Angels all the way!

Someone said a nurse is ;
just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate anything and soft enough to understand anyone." Being a nurse is definitely a position of responsibility that is bound to come with frustration and invariably fulfilment for those who love what they do.

You’re going to be there when a lot of people are born, and when a lot of people die. In most every culture, such moments are regarded as sacred and private, made special by a divine presence. No one on Earth would be welcomed, but you’re personally invited. What an honor that is. – Thom Dick

This and every aspect of dealing with humans in their most fragile moments is truly a privilege that doctors and nurses share.

As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul and body of our patients, their families and ourselves. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou, author, poet, and civil rights activist

Finally, the next time you find yourself around a nurse , remember to let them know how much you appreciate what they do and how they manage to do what they do in spite of all the challenges they face on the job daily and nightly! And if you are a Nurse reading this...Thank you for all you do!

Happy Nurses Week!!!

Medic-ALL 2018

E.Coli infection linked to romaine lettuce claims one life

2018-05-02T17:47:00.002-07:00

Sadly, on Wednesday May 2nd , the CDC reported that one person has died in California from the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region in the United States.This is the first known fatality from the outbreak.

The CDC also reported 23 additional cases of illness from 10 states, bringing the total number of cases 121 since March. Kentucky, Massachussets and Utah are the new states with reported cases.

There are concerns that the strain of E.Coli identified is particularly virulent and and associated with more complications and hospitalizations.

Read PREVIOUS

World Asthma Day 2018: Chronic but Manageable

2018-05-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Never too early, never too late, it's always the right time to address airway disease.

Tuesday, May 1st 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the World Asthma Day. The World Asthma Day is an annual event organized by the global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.

Medic-ALL joins the rest of the world in this effort towards raising awareness on a manageable chronic disease and support people with asthma and organizations dedicated to providing education to ensure improved quality of lives for everyone living with asthma

Resources
https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/world_asthma_day.htm

Read MORE HERE

Cell Phones and Cancer Risk

2018-04-30T18:20:00.003-07:00

Precaution is better than cure

There seems to be clear evidence showing that cell phone radiation is linked to cancers based on Draft technical reports on cell phones and health concern released by the The National Toxicology Program(NTP).

Cell phones are known to emit a form of non-ionizing radiation (radiofrequency energy), from their antennas. Tissues nearest to the antenna can absorb this energy. It is known that ionizing radiation such as x-rays can increase cancer risk but there has not been substantial nor consistent evidence to show that non-ionizing radiation has a similar effect.

The NTP (The National Toxicology Program (NTP) Chronic Carcinogenicity Studies of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Radiation) recently released its Draft Technical Reports Peer Review on cell phones and health concerns based on 10 years of research.

Highlights of the report as summarized by experts:

1. Exposure to cell phone radiation led to an increase in certain types of tumors in the brain (gliomas) and the heart (schwannomas).

2. There was an increase in tumors found in the adrenals, prostate, pancreas, pituitary, and liver.

3. There was an increase in glial cell hyperplasia of the brain, which is a precursor or precancerous state to the type of brain cancer – malignant glioma.

4. Damage to DNA was found in both rats and mice involved in the study. DNA damage to the hippocampus (memory center) of the brain was identified in the male animals.

5. There were heart changes or cardiomyopathy identified in male rats.

6. Exposure during pregnancy affected the rat pups with lower survival rates and lower birth weights.

7.Male animals had an increased incidence of benign heart, brain, and prostate tumors.

8. Female animals had an increased incidence of benign brain tumors.

Undoubtedly, more research is needed to validate these findings, it however is important that these pointers help raise some awareness on the risks faced with the use of this devices and help individuals and families take the necessary precautions with the hope of avoiding months or years of tending to a sick loved one in the hospital.

Experts recommend reducing and maintaining a distance from the device, especially with children. Avoid sleeping with your phone close to your head. Use speakers, wired headsets and keep the phone away from your body. Unplug your wireless routers at night or use other wired technology. Consider the use electromagnetic radiation protective clothing, bedding and devices if possible.

Medic-ALL

Latest: More E.Coli cases linked to Romaine Lettuce

2018-04-26T03:23:00.001-07:00

Thirty-one more persons from 10 states have been reported ill from the romaine lettuce infection, taking the count to 84 cases (41 hospitalizations) from 19 states since the last update on April 18, 2018.

Colorado, Georgia, and South Dakota make up the 3 additional states with cases.

According to the CDC website, age of infected persons range from 1 to 88 years and most recent illness started on April 12, 2018.

Due to the time between when a person becomes ill with E. coli and when the illness is reported to CDC , illnesses that occurred in the last couple of weeks might not have been reported.

For now, taking necessary precautions and checking the source of your lettuce is strongly recommended.

Read original post HERE

Medic-ALL 2018

Outbreak: Eat your Greens, Beware of Lettuce

2018-04-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you never blame the lettuce- Thich Nhat Hanh

Fifty-Three cases of Escherichia coli infections across 16 states in the United States, linked to romaine lettuce consumption led to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issuing warnings to consumers last week.

All the lettuce contaminated with the E.coli O157:H7 strain has so far been traced to Yuma, Arizona and the public are advised not to buy or consume any lettuce except it has been confirmed that it was not grown there. The warning includes whole heads and hearts of romaine lettuce, in addition to chopped romaine and salads and salad mixes containing romaine.

Although no deaths have been reported, 31 of the 53 cases of E.coli infections required hospitalization. The infected states include Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, Missouri, Louisiana, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Alaska.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a Shiga-toxin producing strain which causes hemolytic uremic syndrome with symptoms of bloody diarrhea, decreased frequency of urination, paleness and lethargy.

Meanwhile, the CDC continues to investigate and monitor the outbreak and more information on the warning and latest updates are available on the CDC website.

https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-04-18/

Medic-ALL 2018

Ref: CDC Website

Celebrating Doctors! National Doctors' Day

2018-03-30T07:26:00.001-07:00

In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men." — Marcus Tullius Cicero

Its National Doctors Day today, the 30th of March in the U.S and there truly is a lot to celebrate about the profession that makes it absolutely necessary to have a day set aside. The day is also a perfect day for doctors all across the nation to reflect on the evolution of the practice, appreciate the quality of care they are presently able to offer , recognize their privileged position of service to humanity and re-evaluate the present challenges of the field.

Doctors have come a long way from the ancient healers they once were thousands of years ago. The profession has survived many transformations with the unfailing commitment to maintaining and improving human health.

The U.S. Senate and House officially declared March 30 as National Doctor’s Day in 1990, however, it’s been celebrated for decades longer, according to the website. In 1933, Dr. Charles B. Almond’s wife Eudora recognized the dedication, discipline, and aptitude that was required of her husband and his colleagues every day in their practice. Though, it is supposed to celebrated by patients and healthcare benefactors, it is usually celebrated by hospitals and healthcare organizations.

When you feel sick or in pain, whether it's the body or mind, you seek doctors to restore you back to health. Doctors improve the quality and length of life through helping to manage and defeat the many diseases and conditions that plague people all over the world. Docre and empathize with the "sickest" of patients and comfort those in the most broken conditions. It has to be one of the most difficult jobs anywhere in the world.

There are challenges facing the world of medicine and particularly doctors today especially as It concerns certain medical conditions with no known cure, but such challenges can only demand more of medicine. It has taken thousands of years to accumulate the knowledge doctors have today, and modern medicine will continue to improve and ensure a better living and healthier future.

Ref:Medical Daily

Latest Health News Buzz

2018-03-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

Recent studies report that e-cigarettes may be doing more harm than good by encouraging non-smoking young adults to take up conventional smoking. This is in addition to other studies that have suggested that the devices may predispose users to cancers and cardiovascular diseases on the long run- Read more https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321205.php

New Alzheimer's Drug; Game Changer?

2016-09-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

In what has been described as a possible game changer for patients suffering Alzheimer's disease, an experimental drug aducanumab given once a month for a year to patients in a clinical trial was found to clear the brain of protein (amyloid) plaques which are believed to play a key role in disrupting cellular processes and nerve cell communication processes in the brain. These plaques are commonly seen in aging brains but Alzheimer’s patients tend to have much more of these plaques.

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation
of amyloid plaquesbetween nerve cells (neurons) in the brain

The study included 165 participants divided into 4 groups and treated with an intravenous infusion of either aducanumab or a placebo for over 54 weeks. The 4 groups of patients received 4 different doses of the experimental drug and PET brain scans showed reduction in plaques at all doses and duration with the greatest reduction observed in the highest dose group.

Of course, the fact that the study involved just a handful of patients is something to be mindful of before making any firm conclusions, as well as how much this plaque reduction translates to cognitive benefit for the patient. The researchers are mindful of the fact that many other Alzheimer’s drugs have appeared promising but never lived up.

It is known that these plaques begin to build up in Alzheimer’s patients’ years before the onset of symptoms. It is therefore encouraging that the plaques in the patients observed to have taken 20 years to accumulate were removed in a 12 month period.

Larger trials of drugs involving Alzheimer’s patients are in progress and are scheduled to run until 2020.

Medic-All 2016

The Physician, The Leader!

2016-06-22T10:47:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been exposed like never before to the diversity of roles available in a medical team in a developed country like the United States and this has made me wonder even more about the role of the Physicians as the "Head of the medical team" and leaders in the medical sector and the responsibilities that come with such leadership positions that most physicians have to imbibe rather than learn.

As Physicians, do we have to master all, to lead all?

I came across this interesting article on the "proper way for physicians to be leaders" by a Pathology resident one KevinMD.com, one of my favorite medical blogs and I thought i should share

via Kevinmd.com, by Benjamin Mazer MD, MBA

In medical school, you learn very quickly that you can’t know everything. By the end of your first-year anatomy course, you’ll probably give up on learning the names of every part of the body, let alone the intricacies of how they function. As physicians, we must grow comfortable with our limitations. We seek help from our colleagues and try not to let our egos get in the way of patient care. We accept that no physician will ever master the entirety of his or her discipline.

But are physicians now expected to master other disciplines, such as software engineering and social work? If you read the popular press and even academic journals you may think so. I like to call this phenomenon, this growing body of subjects doctors “should” master, “Hippocratic capture.”

I was reminded of this new pressure most recently while reading this article in a New York Times blog. The author makes some excellent points. Medical curricula are relatively stagnant while our world rapidly changes. The best medicine will incorporate modern technology and respect for the socioeconomic factors that influence patients’ health. The author also complains that he sometimes feels as if he has only one tool in his toolbox: the biomedical framework. For many health problems, this feels like simply not enough.

It’s hard to imagine any physician not empathizing with this struggle. But is the solution for medical students to take design courses from a fine arts school, as the new Dell Medical School is planning (according to the NY Times blog)? Should doctors also become designers?

Doctors face the paradox of being among the most visible and respected members of the health care field. While this authority provides many rewards, it also places an enormous expectation on us as leaders of health care. Doctors are expected to heal the sick (and we want to). If socioeconomic struggles are leading to sickness, doctors are expected to fix that. If technology provides the opportunity to democratize health care, then doctors are expected to lead the charge. We’re even supposed to design better hospital gowns according to Dell Medical School’s example of its innovative new curriculum.

But to point out the obvious: We can’t do it all! Doctors have already come to terms with our inability to master the entirety of biomedical knowledge, and we need to come to terms with our inability to personally fix every social determinant of health or poorly-designed health system. In fact, we can better provide these influencers of health the respect they deserve by allowing the true experts to take charge.

There are millions of social workers, public health professionals, software engineers, designers, and others who have the ability and desire to improve people’s health through their respective disciplines. The solution isn’t for physicians to master yet another subject; it’s to build powerful interdisciplinary teams that can address these aspects of health care in an egalitarian manner by including many kinds of experts. Doctors and other providers can no longer be the only ones responsible to the public for creating the best possible health care system. This physician-dominant model is regressive and inefficient.

I am not suggesting that doctors should ignore problems outside of the biomedical framework. I personally attended business school in addition to medical school because I was excited by the opportunity to improve patients’ health through innovative health care delivery. But I went to business school precisely because I didn’t expect the intricacies of management and economics to be taught in medical school. I don’t expect all physicians to master this part of medicine.

I am suggesting that if doctors are expected to master the multitudinous disciplines that are relevant to health then eventually the biomedical aspect of medicine will suffer. After all, despite the need to address the social determinants of health, you still need someone who knows how to take out an appendix. In forward-thinking health circles, the “biomedical framework” has become an epithet. It represents the myopia of past physicians, who thought scientists in a lab would cure every disease, ignoring issues of poverty, education, and behavior. But biomedicine is still a vital part of good care delivery and should remain at the center of medical education.

While many types of professionals can address health care policy, good design, and innovative technology, only physicians have the duty to provide medical care under the biomedical framework. When someone requires a surgery or drug for their illness, it is doctors who are responsible for ensuring the proper selection and delivery of that type of care. We can dilute our education, but we cannot dilute that responsibility.

Doctors should have some familiarity with the many disciplines that affect health. This isn’t a new idea, despite what the popular press would lead you to believe. I attended the University of Rochester’s medical school, which since the 1970’s has been home to the “biopsychosocial model” of medicine. I greatly value the broad experiences I received from learning under this medical model. Even in this environment, however, I spent plenty of time learning the pathophysiology and technical skills that are traditional parts of medical education.

I personally look forward to addressing the business side of health care in addition to providing good medical care under the biomedical framework. When I do work on issues outside of this framework, however, I expect to succeed not by knowing everything there is to know about health care delivery, but by engaging administrators, engineers, and others through interdisciplinary teamwork. If physicians are expected to be leaders of the health care system, then this is the proper way to lead. Hippocrates, after all, didn’t need an MBA or MSW to be a good doctor.

Benjamin Mazer is a pathology resident and can be reached on Twitter at @BenMazeror at his self-titled site, Benjamin Mazer, MD, MBA.

Medic-ALL 2016

First U.S Uterus Transplant Fails

2016-03-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

Medic-ALL (03:09:2016)

The first attempt at a womb transplant in the United States has failed after a sudden complication forced its removal about 2 weeks after the initial surgical operation.

The recipient, the 26 year old Lindsey, is however recovering well according to reports.

The technique is a new frontier that would hopefully one day offer woman born without a uterus or who lost their uterus to disease a chance of getting pregnant.

The failed transplant was the first of 10 planned by the Cleveland Clinic in a clinic trial, and the hospital said the study is continuing.

Medic-ALL Inc 2016

First Womb Transplant in the U.S

2016-02-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

Medic-ALL (02-26-2016) MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS

About 5 months after the first baby was born from a transplanted womb in Sweden, a team of doctors at the Cleveland Clinic performed the first successful uterus transplant in the United States.

On Wednesday, February 24, a 26 year old woman received the new womb courtesy of a deceased organ donor in a 9 hour operation. The womb will be removed once she has one or two babies. This will enable her to stop the medications she has to be on to prevent her body from rejecting the foreign organ-this is a huge risk that has led to failed procedures in the past. Her previously impossible pregnancy will now rely on in vitro fertilization (IVF), using her eggs (harvested prior to the transplant) that have been fertilized with her husband's sperm and then frozen.

As at Thursday, the patient was in stable conditions and will have to wait for about a year for the healing process to be complete before she has the IVF procedure. Also, a cesarean section will probably be the right option for delivery when the time comes to prevent any injury either to the mother or child.

Ref: CNN, Cleveland Clinic

Related Posts; Medical Miracle: First Womb Transplant Baby Born

Medic-ALL Inc 2016

What About the Zika Virus?

2016-01-30T13:53:00.002-08:00

Medic-ALL (01-30-2016) DISEASES
by Kayode Kuku

I am probably not the only one to have noticed that the "short-named" viruses seem to be making all the headlines over the cancers and "mouthful-named" diseases. From the Ebola virus to Lassa, the last couple of years have witnessed deadly outbreaks of these viral hemorrhagic fevers in different parts of the world...meaning we should be taking them seriously.

Humans are infected through the bite of an infected Aedes Mosquito

What about the Zika virus?

Over the last couple of weeks, the Zika virus has been spreading aggressively throughout Latin America and with global infection rates rising, the world is very much at alert to learn more about the emerging disease.

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne viral disease that was first identified in rhesus monkeys in Uganda, East Africa in 1947 through a monitoring network set up for yellow fever at the time (Zika belongs to the same viral family-Flavivirus as the yellow fever and dengue virus). It was subsequently found in humans in Uganda and Tanzania 5 years later. Since then outbreaks have been recorded in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

It is spread primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito (which usually bites during the morning and late afternoon/evening hours.

Playing odds... you probably would not know if you were bitten and got infected, because only 1 out of 5 people develop symptoms...How Nice! The incubation period is thought to be about a few days and those who develop symptoms get fever, red eyes, rash, headache joint pain, and malaise which resolve within a week.Oh then, Whats all the noise about right??

Not as friendly in Pregnant women

Micocephaly is a devastating condition

The Zika virus has been associated with miscarriages and birth defects, specifically microcephaly which is characterized by severe mental and physical disability in the newborn. That to me would mean, that ladies who are pregnant or intend to get pregnant should not be heading towards countries like Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico at this time.

Precautions however

First is to do all you can not to get bitten by a mosquito. Application of insect repellents as well as wearing of protective clothing, (since Aedes bites in daylight as well) will definitely be beneficial if travelling to the tropics or any of the affected nations. Your Doctor may also consider prophylactic medications.

Those infected are advised to get plenty of rest , drink adequate amount of fluids and treat pain and fever with common medications. No vaccines are available presently.

More to learn

Even though Zika is not some new virus, there is still a lot to learn regarding our understanding of the virus, its association with other medical conditions and other dangers to pregnancy especially with its continuing spread to new areas and rising worldwide concerns.

Medic-ALL Inc. 2016

Refs: KevinMD, WHO

Lassa Outbreak in Nigeria..Months and counting

2016-01-25T11:38:00.002-08:00

Medic-ALL (01-25-2016) DISEASE

by Kayode Kuku

Just less than 2 years after the Ebola virus hit the Nigeria and other countries in the West African region, Lassa fever, another viral hemorrhagic fever, with similar symptoms as Ebola broke out in the country.

Lassa fever is an acute viral illness first discovered in Nigeria in 1969 when 2 missionary nurses died from the disease. The virus was subsequently named after the town in Borno State, Nigeria where the first cases occurred. The virus belongs to the virus family, Arenaviridae, a single stranded RNA virus which is animal borne and usually associated with rodent transmitted diseases in humans.

It is endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia and Nigeria notably but the risk is spread throughout the region where the disease vector, the multimammate rat (Mastomys Natalensis) is distributed.

Lassa virus is transmitted to humans by contact with excreta or urine of infected rats.

Lassa virus is transmitted to humans by contact with food or household items which have been contaminated with excreta or urine of infected rats. Since the disease is endemic in rodent population, it tends to affect communities with poor sanitation and crowded living conditions the most. Hence it is sometimes referred to as a "disease of the poor".

The present outbreak of Lassa Fever broke out in Nigeria, August 2015 and reports show that it has claimed up to 63 lives as at the January, 24, 2016 out of over 200 suspected cases spread across 17 states in the country including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Nigeria's Health Minister, Professor Isaac Adewole, stated that 212 suspected cases have been reported in the last 3 months.

While the world's most populous black nation was praised for its prompt containment of Ebola in 2014, things appear a little more complicated in the case of Lassa , as many stakeholders including specialists have raised concerns ranging from ignorance of the disease among the vulnerable communities, leading to under-reporting of the cases and under-mining the scale of the outbreak , and even the capacity of the country's healthcare system to deal with the outbreak at this time.

These are valid concerns, considering the "skeletal" state of the country's primary health care system and the lack of access to adequate health care in the vulnerable regions. The country reported 112 deaths and over 1700 cases of Lassa fever in 2012, yet in a population of over 170 million people, there is only one research center in the country to cater for Lassa fever research.

As far as comparison with Ebola goes, Lassa fever is not necessarily as deadly, but it spreads faster.

Meanwhile, while Lassa fever has exposed the level of preparedness of the nation's health care system to cope with such outbreaks, the WHO and US CDC are working with Nigeria Health Ministry in containing the outbreak.

Medic-All Inc. 2016

Refs: CDC, Punch Nigeria

Getting Started as a Physician Entrepreneur

2016-01-18T16:28:00.001-08:00

Medic-ALL (01-18-2016) FEATURED POST
By Arlen Myers MD, Edited by Kayode Kuku

Medicine and entrepreneurship are not two words you will commonly find in the same sentence, but whether we like it or not Medicine and Healthcare are essential fields of human existence and hence should call for "good business" for stakeholders. This featured post highlights tips that can make a successful Physician Entrepreneur out of most.

Physician entrepreneurship has thankfully gone mainstream, to the benefit of patients, physician employers and other innovation stakeholders. While most physicians lack an entrepreneurial mindset, several are realizing their innerpreneur and want to take the next steps.But, like having a good idea, they don't know what to do next. Here are 10 tips that can help you on your journey:

1. Connections are Everything: Connect to the right people and organizations in the nearest innovation ecosystem and begin to research potential areas of interest and opportunities. Seek partnerships at every stage of your career, they will come in handy in the future

2. Build a Brand: Start a personal branding campaign using social media and communication tools to make people aware of your interests and skills so they can find you. You have to be known for something. Doctors specialize for a reason

3. Acquire Knowledge: Arm yourself with the education, resources, networks, mentors and experiential learning you will need to advance your entrepreneurial career

4. Be a Business-man: Set yourself up as a business entity and separate your personal finances from your business finances and activities

5. Small Beginnings: Don't be scared to start right where you are.

6. New ways: Seek new and more efficient ways. There are many ways to practice physician entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship, so take a high level view. Create user defined values not companies.

7. Consult with networks: Engage others who are like minded in your region to develop a community of interest. Talk to business schools, medical associations, economic development professionals,venture or angel networks, industry associations or patient groups interested in advancing biomedical and clinical innovation and entrepreneurship

8. Mentoring: Those who have gone ahead and succeeded, do have a lot to share. Find a mentors or probable sponsors.

9. Learn the Ropes: There are always more brain cells to engage. Get as much business "clinical" experience as possible, realizing that the initials after your name really do not mean much. Start to come down off the mountain.

10. Pass it forward: Train others

Don't expect everyone to welcome you with open arms. People WILL FEAR YOU OR HATE YOU.

So, may feel threatened , but as long as that little voice in your head whispering entrepreneurial sweet nothings seems to be getting louder and louder, take the next steps and enjoy the journey. With any luck, it will be a lengthy and successful one.

Edited by Kayode Kuku, MD, CEO Medic-ALL blog

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs at www.sopenet.org

Medic-ALL Inc. 2016

STROKE! BECAUSE WE CARE

2015-10-29T17:28:00.003-07:00

Medic-ALL (OCT 29 2015) DISEASE

One out of Six people will suffer a Stroke during their lifetime! That's a pretty scary statement, but one that can become even more alarming without a day like today. The 29th October is the day observed worldwide as the World Stroke Day, it was established 9 years go by the World Stroke Organization to underscore the seriousness and high rates of the disease worldwide, raise awareness on the prevention and treatment of the condition and ensure better care and support for survivors.

This year, the World Stroke Organization is introducing a new slogan for this important health observance: “Because I care…” This theme reminds us that caring about ourselves, our families, and our friends is the key to preventing strokes and to helping those who experience a stroke.

A Stroke or Cerebrovascular accident is caused by an interruption in the blood supply to the brain resulting either from the bursting of a blood vessel or the blockage of a vessel by a clot. The major symptoms include a sudden weakness of usually one side of the face, arm or leg (could involve all at once), numbness, confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech; it could also cause a difficulty seeing with one or both eyes; difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; severe headache with no known cause; vomiting; fainting or unconsciousness.

The Slogan for this year's World Stroke Day seeks to emphasize the fact that the condition is preventable. One of the best ways to help save lives from stroke is to know what a stroke looks like (see common symptoms above) . Learning about stroke can help you act fast to save a co-worker, friend, or relative. Although stroke risk increases with age, strokes can—and do—occur at any age.

To prevent strokes, physical activity and healthy eating play a huge role. Keeping a good watch on vascular disease and stroke risk factors such as elevated blood pressure(hypertension), high blood sugar or diabetes and high cholesterol levels are also very important in every part of the world.

Here are some of the latest recommendations by the World Health Organization to stress these prevention measures

Eat a healthy diet: A balanced diet is crucial to a healthy heart and circulation system. This should include plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish and pulses with restricted salt, sugar and fat intake. Alcohol should also be used in moderation.

Eating foods high in cholesterol can build up fatty deposits, called plaque, on the walls of your blood vessels. These deposits can block the flow of blood to the brain, causing a stroke

Take regular physical activity: At least 30 minutes of regular physical activity every day helps to maintain cardiovascular fitness; at least 60 minutes on most days of the week helps to maintain healthy weight.

Being overweight or obese can raise total cholesterol levels, increase blood pressure, and lead to diabetes

Avoid tobacco use: Tobacco in every form is very harmful to health - cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or chewable tobacco. Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke is also dangerous. The risk of heart attack and stroke starts to drop immediately after a person stops using tobacco products, and can drop by as much as half after 1 year.

Smoking cigarettes also raises your blood pressure!

Check and control your overall cardiovascular risk: An important aspect of preventing heart attacks and strokes is by providing treatment and counselling to individuals at high risk (those with a 10 year cardiovascular risk equal to or above 30%) and reducing their cardiovascular risk. A health worker can estimate your cardiovascular risk using simple risk charts and provide the appropriate advice for managing your risk factors.

Know your blood pressure: High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but is one of the biggest causes of sudden stroke or heart attack. Have your blood pressure checked and know your numbers. If it is high, you will need to change your lifestyle to incorporate a healthy diet with less salt intake and increase physical activity, and may need medications to control your blood pressure.
Know your blood lipids: Raised blood cholesterol and abnormal blood lipids increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Blood cholesterol needs to be controlled through a healthy diet and, if necessary, by appropriate medications.
Know your blood sugar: Raised blood glucose (diabetes) increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. If you have diabetes it is very important to control your blood pressure and blood sugar to minimize the risk.

Stay Healthy...See you next year...Oct 29, 2016!

Medic-ALL.Inc 2015

Sources: WHO website, World Stroke Organization, Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Pathological Hazard! Patient wakes up at Post-Mortem

2015-10-13T04:14:00.002-07:00

Medic-ALL (10:13:2015) via AFP

A homeless Indian man who had been pronounced dead woke up on an autopsy table, shocking hospital staff who were about to begin a post-mortem, authorities said Tuesday.

Police in Mumbai said they found the man, who has not been named, unconscious and suffering from multiple infections on Sunday morning and took him to the local hospital.

A doctor at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital certified the man as dead and sent the body for autopsy, Ashok Dudhe, Mumbai Police deputy commissioner told AFP.

"As the autopsy was about to begin, the man awoke triggering chaos after which the doctors rushed to the room. Then they snatched the death certificate from my staff and tore it up," Dudhe said.

The Dean of the Hospital, Dr Suleman Merchant said the police forced the error by asking doctors to examine the man on the road outside the hospital, because they were busy with security arrangements for a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"They forced my doctor to examine the patient on the roadside as they wanted to rush back to the prime minister's security duty," Merchant said.

"Had the police allowed my staff to take the man indoors, they might have been able to do a better job," he said.
The man is being treated in the hospital for severe malnutrition, suspected alcoholism and substance abuse, Merchant said.
"He is delirious still and we are trying to stabilise him. Let's hope the damage from his past can be tackled," the dean said.
Police officer Dudhe called the suggestion police were responsible for the mix-up "ridiculous" and said the hospital was "trying to cover up their negligence".

The police have finished an internal enquiry into the incident and a report has been sent to the commissioner's office, he added.

Mumbai's police are regularly faced with unclaimed dead bodies and media reports have suggested mortuaries are running out of space to hold the corpses.

Source:AFP

Medic-ALL.Inc 2015!

MSF: Medico-Humanitarian Giants!

2015-10-04T15:52:00.001-07:00

Medic-ALL(10:04:2015) via AFP

Doctors Without Borders (MSF), whose Kunduz hospital in Afghanistan was hit by a suspected US air strike on Saturday, is one of the largest medical charities in the world, counting more than 36,000 volunteers working in 60 countries.

MSF was founded on December 21, 1971 when a team of French medics and journalists, including humanitarian icon Bernard Kouchner, denounced what they described as a genocide in secessionist Biafra, in Nigeria.

The non-profit provides emergency medical care in war zones, during epidemics and in the wake of natural disasters, and is a self-governed group of 24 associations worldwide, based in Switzerland.

Its stated commitment to caring for patients regardless of race, religion or political affiliation and reputation for working in the toughest of conditions saw it awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

In 2014, the charity oversaw 384 projects worldwide, 31 percent of which were linked to armed conflict.

Operations in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Niger, Liberia, Ethiopia and Iraq take up just over half of the organisation's total spending.

On its website, MSF says it "rejects the idea that poor people deserve third-rate medical care and strives to provide high-quality care to patients", and is well known for bringing the public's attention to forgotten conflicts through its work.

Last year, the organisation treated more than half a million patients in clinics and hospitals across 63 countries, including 2,200 suffering from the Ebola virus.

It works to combat the spread of diseases such as malaria, with 2.1 million patients treated last year, as well as HIV and cholera, according to a report by the charity.

Another focus is malnutrition. MSF doctors cared for more than 200,000 severely underfed children in 2014.

MSF is funded overwhelmingly by a network of 5.7 million private donors, who provided 89 percent of its $1.44 billion budget last year.

MSF has inspired a number of imitations -- including Hospitals Without Borders and Reporters Without Borders -- groups which set out to improve hospitals in developing countries and to campaign against ill-treatment of journalists respectively.

Medic.ALL.Inc 2015

Coffee Love On World Heart Day!

2015-09-29T12:09:00.001-07:00

Medic-ALL(09:29:2015) WORLD HEART DAY, NATIONAL COFFEE DAY

In the midst of all the coffee freebies around today, it is certainly not my intention to crash the “coffee party”, why would I anyway? , especially having being been a proud caffeine-addict myself over the years. But it’s certainly a perfect occasion, the National Coffee day which happens to coincide with the World Heart Day. Great for me, a lover of the heart and a coffee die-hard!

World Heart Day takes place on this day every year offers an opportunity for people across the globe to take part in the world’s biggest intervention against cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Watch World Heart Day Video

Coffee; Not a bad heart-choice!

The focus for this World Heart Day is on creating heart-healthy environments. By ensuring that people are able to make heart-healthy choices wherever they live, work and play, the World Heart Day encourages us all to reduce our cardiovascular risk, towards promoting a heart-healthy planet for those around us.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in the world today: over 17.3 million people die from cardiovascular disease every year.

What about Coffee?

For your information; A cup of Coffee is more than just black water with a rich smell.

A single cup of coffee contains several important nutrients, including Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.

So far, studies have shown that drinking coffee regularly in moderation reduces the risk of heart failure.

Plain coffee is calorie free, which makes it a better beverage choice than others, even when low-fat milk is added. However, adding cream, whipped cream and sugars (including flavored syrups) fills them with unneeded calories.

The Benefits!

The caffeine in a cup of coffee might help small blood vessels work better. Coffee consumption has been linked with a lower incidence of heart rhythm disturbances in both men and women, and lowered stroke risk for women. Among 13,000 people, those who drank one to three cups every day were 20 percent less likely to go to the hospital for arrhythmias than abstainers.

Lowers Diabetes Risk

Coffee has also proved beneficial in the context of cardiovascular disease risk factors like Diabetes. Recently, Australian researchers found a correlation of about 7% drop in the odds of having type II diabetes for every additional cup of coffee drunk daily following 18 studies of nearly 458,000 participants. Six to seven cups of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee tanked the chance of getting the disease by a third.

It is important to add however, that regular coffee, contains caffeine which can raise the blood pressure, as well as blood levels of the fight-or-flight chemical epinephrine (also called adrenaline),

Other Benefits of Coffee

Cancer

Though, the evidence of a cancer protection effect of coffee is weaker than that for type 2 diabetes, the drink has proven to be more effective against liver cancer, where it lowers the chances of developing the disease by half. There is also a link between coffee and lung cancer, but only those who got the disease because they smoked. On the other hand, drinking it was actually found to be a protectant for non-smokers with lung cancer.

Keeps the Brain Sharp

Helps You Withstand Pain

Interestingly, coffee may be the answer to mild pain relief. This is according to a national study done in Norway, in which coffee-takers in an office reported a lower pain-intensity level when compared with those who abstained

Most Importantly, Lowers Death Risk

This is according to a meta-analysis of 20 studies with 1 million participants carried out by the National Institutes of Health. They found that coffee somehow helped lower ones chances of dying from any cause. The AARP Diet and Health study showed that men can lower their chance of dying by 6 percent with just a cup a day. The more they drank, the lower that chance went — five cups, of course, was the maximum recommended.

After all said....Lets Drink it up #CoffeeLove!

Sources: World Heart Day, WebMD, The Inquisitr

Medic-ALL.Inc.2015

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Medic-ALL (03:09:2016)

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Pathological Hazard! Patient wakes up at Post-Mortem

Medic-ALL (10:13:2015) via AFP

A homeless Indian man who had been pronounced dead woke up on an autopsy table, shocking hospital staff who were about to begin a post-mortem, authorities said Tuesday.

MSF: Medico-Humanitarian Giants!

Medic-ALL(10:04:2015) via AFP

Coffee Love On World Heart Day!

Medic-ALL(09:29:2015) WORLD HEART DAY, NATIONAL COFFEE DAY

Medic-ALL (01-30-2016) DISEASES
by Kayode Kuku