Author Archives: health

Smoking and Obesity

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The media keeps saying that today’s kids are obese and that today’s parents may be the first generation in history to outlive their children. Yet, in the United States and Canada, smoking and lung cancer are on the decline, which makes me wonder whether cigarettes would keep our teenagers and twenty-somethings slim, allowing them to outlive their parents (rather than the other way around), even though they eventually die of smoking-related illnesses.

Desert Venom

Although a number of medical professionals still recommend applying a tourniquet to rattlesnake bites (and then briefly releasing the tourniquet every 15 to 20 minutes), Tony Nester, the author of Desert Survival Tips, Tricks, & Skills (Flagstaff: Diamond Creek Press, 2003), writes that most of the doctors he spoke to advise against applying a tourniquet (it simply concentrates the venom in the tissues immediately adjacent to the bite). Your best treatment is to get to a hospital or clinic as quickly as possible: do not delay. read more

Hiking in Arizona

When you look up a hike in one of the many popular books on the subject or you find a good reference on the Internet (for example, http://www.toddshikingguide.com), keep in mind that if you are over 40 and have not regularly worked out for at least a year of two, you should choose the easiest (and shortest) trails. And irregardless of your age (you might be 18 or 52), your best estimate of the time it will take to complete a hike is to double the times reported in the various paper and online publications, because it seems that many of these top-notch hikers and outdoors writers treat their outings as workouts, and push hard, and do not often stop to enjoy the views and the endless allure of nature in the wild. read more

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Information

We often hear of opportunists building rather shallow web sites around mesothelioma and asbestos so that they might obtain top dollar from contextual pay-per-click Google Adsense advertisements (Google crawls participating web sites and serves ads that match each site’s content). Or the myth is that content related to mesothelioma will bring webmasters some of the best paying Google Adsense ads.

The mesothelioma information site, www.mayoclinic.com/health/mesothelioma/DS00779, tells victims and victims’ families (and other interested parties) all about mesothelioma: what it is, how and why individuals fall victim to the disease, and the symptoms and procedures leading to diagnosis. The writers go on to point out the products that contain asbestos and the jobs that lead to asbestos exposure, and provides links to cancer centers that treat individuals suffering with mesothelioma. Available treatments (including nutritional and alternative therapies) are enumerated and explained. read more

Science, Ethics, and Abuse

Here is the statement I gave to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and then e-mailed to President Bush:

One of my present concerns is that science (both in government and academia) attracts (and subsequently recruits) sinister political hacks and abject academic lackeys. I recently expressed my concern to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy:

[originally addressed to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy]

In your U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Preliminary Report you state,

“The education of the 21st century ocean-related workforce will require not only a strong understanding of oceanography and other disciplines, but an ability to integrate science concepts, engineering methods, and sociopolitical considerations. Resolving complex ocean issues related to economic stability, environmental health, and national security will require a workforce with diverse skills and backgrounds. Developing and maintaining such a workforce will rely, in turn, on programs of higher education that prepare future ocean professionals at a variety of levels and in a variety of marine-related fields.” read more

It Serves You Right?

So your grandparents passed down one or two genetic vulnerabilities and you have become ill with a genetic disease (maybe arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, or breast cancer). And you know that you did not bring on your condition, you know that it is not your fault, and your doctors and friends know that much, too. Yet all the neurotic busybodies are saying, “It serves you right.”

Well, think of the bright side: the mean-spirited gossips (particularly those living in rainy climates) have once again shown off their ignorance. They live in the dark, like rodents. Because what they have really said is that you are the blame for your grandparents’ genes, that you got what you deserved the day you were born. read more

Rotator Cuff

Today my doctor told me that I had pinched one of the shoulder muscles attached to my rotator cuff and that the muscle is swollen. I’m supposed to stay away from the computer because holding my arm horizontally in ways that allow gravity to pull on it will just make my injured muscle swell more. More swelling = more pinching = more swelling. I’m supposed to ice the shoulder 5 times each day.

You ask what happened. When I woke up Monday morning, a sharp pain occurred right when I first moved my left arm as part of the movement of getting out of bed. read more

Signs of Ovarian Cancer – Important Information

This e-mail was forwarded to me:

> I considered not forwarding this info. I had it in my inbox for months.
>
> SIGNS OF OVARIAN CANCER (even in the absence of Ovaries) THIS IS A
> MUST TO READ TO THE END. . . .
>

Basically, it was a new form of a discredited e-mail that has been circulating for years. Its main thrust is that you must have regular CA-125 blood tests. However, quite a few Web sites cast doubt on this e-mail’s story/testimonial. Take a look at Trend Micro’s summary at Hoaxes. read more