Beware Untested Side Effects Of Herbal Medicines

by admin Posted on April 14, 2012

“Alternative” doesn’t mean better for you – it can be a prescription for disaster

Unregulated and untested, herbal medicines are often unreliable. A study in the Journal of Forensic Sciences found arsenic in 36 of 251 Asian herbal products on US shelves; mercury was in 35 and lead in 24. Another example of risky potion is Chan Su, which is used to treat cold throats, boils and heart palpilations. It contains the venomous secretions of Chinese toads, which can cause cardiac arrest or even comas.

“There’s a false perception that herbal remedies are safer than manufactured medicines,” says study author Roger Byard, a professor of pathology at Australia’s University of Adelaide. These substances may exacerbate health problems or result in death. and there can be fatal consequences when herbal medicines interact with prescription drugs.

The professor urges caution, noting that other side effects of herbal medicines can include liver, renal and cardiac failure, heart strokes, movement disorders, muscle weakness and seizures.

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Relieve Back Pain With Exercise

by admin Posted on March 20, 2012

Don’t let back pain get you down in the dumps, Relieve Back Pain with Exercise! Resisting the temptation to pull the covers over your head is hard, but exercise has been medically proven to put you back in charge of your back! So why is exercise so good for your bad back?

Toning your stomach and back muscles help support your perfect posture.

Strong muscles give you more control over movement.

Being fit improves blood circulation, essential in relieving your bad back.

Stretching not only increases your flexibility, it improves your posture for sitting and lifting.

Exercise makes you happy! And therefore less lazy and likely to fall back in to bad habits, like slouching.

So why not start relieving your bad back today with some gentle exercises and start living your life? With back pain being one of the leading causes of disability and time lost from work all over the world, you can deal with it head-on by committing to a few hours of exercise a week, and in the process, increase you energy levels and get fit!

But before you start back pain relief with exercise, remember to:

Choose an exercise that you like, and that you will be able to continue without being bored!

Start slowly, and gradually increase your level of fitness exercise. There’s no rush!

Avoid impact sports, which may put more stress on your back.

When lifting, be sensible with the weight and ensure the correct posture.

Wear supportive trainers to reduce the impact of movements.

Don’t over do it! Stop if an exercise is causing pain and slow down your pace until you are fitter.

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Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome

by admin Posted on February 19, 2012

Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome is a disorder which causes when there is a mutation in the gene which is known as the WAS Gene. This is mainly an immune deficiency disorder that is mostly seen in children. This starts to appear in an early stage and it continues till adulthood at times. Since this is an issue related to the genetics, it can be carried forward to the next generation. Genetic problems are such that does not have a specific reason for the inception. Once it starts, it may go on.

The main cause for this is the immune disorder. The effects of WAS is that most of the patient produce very little T and B cells which is very important for the body. When there is mutation in any of the genes then Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome is noticed. A gene is the essential part of the body, which decides the cell formation and growth of the body. The mutation, which is caused in the gene, affects the X chromosome of the male. The female has two X chromosomes where the mutation does not really take place.

Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome

The female may not have the mutated gene but she can still be the carrier of the mutated gene. She can also pass this gene to her children and this is how it gets transferred to generations. There is basically no such specific cause for which this mutation might take place but once it starts it can be passed on from one generation to the other.

The mutation of the WAS gene affects mainly the WAS protein which in turn affects the B and T cells. This is when the platelet count decreases and all the symptoms start showing up. The symptoms may include bleeding and bruises, eczema, ashes all over the body, very dry skin and also infections. When there is a mutation in these WAS genes then the cells stop multiplying and thus the immune system remains very weak. Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome can be fatal at times, if it is not treated from an early stage. If the problem persists till adulthood, then this disorder may pass on to the next generation and mainly the male member is affected. The mutation of the X chromosome in male genes causes WAS. Make sure when you notice the symptoms, start the treatment as early as possible so that the condition can be made less severe.

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Cyber Security Compliance In Medical Field

by admin Posted on January 27, 2012

The medical field is at the greatest cybersecurity risk with millions of Americans’ personal information being stored on computers. President Barack Obama recently announced that cybersecurity is one of the most serious and economic challenges we face as a nation and stressed the importance of cyber security certifications and information security training for professionals in medical field.

Here are just a few examples of security threats in the medical field:
• Express Scripts, Inc. – Hackers accessed millions of records and threatened to hold them ransom unless a large sum was paid.
• University of California Berkley- Hackers exposed records of 160,000 college students.
• Virginia Prescription Monitory Program- 8 million patient records were exposed and also held for ransom.

Due to increased threats in cybersecurity, the Health and Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 provides national standards for electronic records, which limits exclusions for preexisting medical conditions and governs hiring protection.

The Health and Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 is divided into physical, safety, and technical standards.
Technical standards:
• Different levels of software access and audit controls.
Physical standards:
• Minimal access to records within buildings and offices.
Safety standards:
• Video camera surveillance, badges, and locks.

Practices recommended by ONC for small businesses in regards to cyber security in medical field:
• Install a firewall- A firewall’s job is to prevent intruders from entering. A firewall can come in the form of software or hardware. A firewall usually blocks intrusions coming in from the LAN (Local Area Network).
• Basic Maintenance- Disable user accounts for employees that are no longer with the company. If someone is terminated, disable their account before termination is given to them. Remove all items from the computer’s harddrive. Never just delete them. Proper guidelines can be found in the NIST Publication, “Guidelines for Media Sanitation”. Software not needed should also be uninstalled.
• Safeguard mobile devices- Mobile devices are more likely to be exposed to EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference). This usually occurs when paths are crossed with hospital machines such as MRI machines. By this interference, information can be lost. If possible try not to bring mobile devices into a medical setting. Aside from EMI set the auto-lock feature on your mobile device.
• Access Controls- Many mobile devices are not equipped with access controls. Mobile devices should be password protected. If a handheld device comes with password protection, set a password. A strong password should be at least 8 characters long and contain upper, lower case letters, one number, and one special character. They should also be changed often.

Knowledge and compliance with the requirements above will increase cyber security awareness and reduce cyber security risk for organizations in the medical field.

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Virtual Worlds Give Insignts Into Real-World Addictions

by admin Posted on December 9, 2011

Virtual worlds offer millions of online visitors the chance to ride a dragon or build a fake real state empire. Addiction researchers have discovered that these communities can also produce something very real – drug cravings – which may help scientists to develop and test new treatments for substance abuse.

Researchers have struggled for decades with the problem of reproducing so-called environmental cues within the confines of a sterile lab environment. These reminders – a rolled-up dollar bill, the smell of cigarette smoke – make users crave their drug of choice. The investigators stroke powerful cravings in their subjects to better understand the psychology of addiction and reliably test whether a new drug or behavioral therapy can prevent relapse.

Chris Culbertson, a doctoral student in neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles, had read reports of alcoholics and smokers developing cravings while visiting virtual worlds devised by addiction researchers. He decided to use one of the largest online community, Second Life, to study another intractable problem: addiction to the psychostimulant methamphetamine. Culbertson created a virtual meth house, a place where addicts gather, and invited 17 meth users to U.C.L.A. to test it out. To determine their levels of craving, Culbertson had the addicts fill out questionnaires and measured their heart rates as they navigated via computer through the meth house on Second Life.

A recent study in Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior showed that Cilbertson’s virtual-reality meth house bested other imagery in eliciting cravings, including a video of actors pretending to use the drug.

For nor, Culbertson says, his meth house is off-limits to the generic public while further experiments are under way.

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