HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: andrewh@panix.com (Andrew Huie)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Need some info on diabetes and other diseases
Date: 26 Dec 92 20:07:10 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC


I have a few questions concerning diabetes and other diseases which are 
treatable  but not curable (this is  for a writer I know):

1) What causes diabetes?
2) What are the symptoms and effects?  How many of the effects are reversible?
3) What are the usual methods for getting insulin into the body?  How 
frequent can the treatments be?  What happens if the person gets  too  much
insulin?
4) What other diseases exist which are incurable but can be treated by
self-administered injections or skin patches (not orally, nasally,etc.), to
the point where the person can live fairly normal lives; i.e., there is no
serious disfigurement or debilitation.  Please give a description of
the cause(s), effect(s), and  treatment (or if that's not possible, a 
recommended work that a layman can understand will suffice).  I only need a
few examples, not everything that ever existed.

Thanks in advance!
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: jil@donuts0.bellcore.com (Jamie Lubin)
Subject: Re: Sumatriptan
Reply-To: jil@donuts0.bellcore.com (Jamie Lubin)
Organization: Bellcore, Piscataway, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 92 14:30:44 GMT

Caught part of a newscast last night & am preety sure they stated that the
FDA approved Sumatriptan (migraine headache drug) yesterday.
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Human parthenogenesis
From: RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Ruth Ginzberg)
Date: 28 Dec 92 14:13:51 EDT
Distribution: world
Organization: Philosophy Dept., Wesleyan University
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.20In-Reply-To: kfl@access.digex.com's message of 28 Dec 1992 17:17:54 GMTLines: 16

In <1hncs2INN31u@mirror.digex.com> kfl@access.digex.com writes:
> In article <5601@daily-planet.concordia.ca> mckay@alcor.concordia.ca (John McKay) writes:
> > Is there any documented, credible, medical evidence for human
> > parthenogenesis?
> No.  Last I heard, males were still necessary for the continuance of
> the human race.

I don't know how accurate this is, but I seem to remember from some bio class
or another (back in ancient history) that the american wild turkey was the
highest order animal for which there was documented evidence of
parthenogenesis.  Does anyone know if this is still (or ever was) true?


------------------------
Ruth Ginzberg <rginzberg@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
Philosophy Department;Wesleyan University;USA
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Subject: Re: Bashing, truth, etc.
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 18:18:16 GMT


In article <1992Dec23.081154.26096@nuscc.nus.sg> you write:
>I would disagree with Dr. Rubin's statement about credentials and thier
>relavance to competancy. As a general guide, they do serve a purpose.
>The point abou accredition is ensure a minimum level of competancy in
>the chosen field. Of course there will be individuals who do not have
>that level of competance despite having said degree. 

>Still, I would hesitate to discard the system on the basis that only
>competance is the final arbiter for how then is competance to be
>assessed?

Competence, especially in something as complicated as medicine, is 
not a yes/no situation.  It is not even a single number.  What is
competence for an automobile mechanic?  If you merely want a lube
job and an oil change, you do not want to pay a master mechanic,
and you might not even want an engine tune-up specialist, who is
great at that, to work on your car.

Since we must make decisions without being able to have considerable
experience with the "adept", we need information.  This information
should come from assessment by those who are capable of judging the
person, and again this information should be multidimensional.  But
these must be people capable of intelligent judgment, not typical
administrators or bureaucrats, who are incapable of thinking when
a simple number is available.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@snap.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!snap.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
From: David.Bourne@f595.n106.z1.fidonet.org (David Bourne)
Sender: Usenet@f-454.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Nutrasweet/Aspartame
Date: Sat, 02 Jan 1993 00:00:14 -0600

I was wondering if anyone knowsif there has been any research done on the 
effects of this sweetener on the body (specifically brain)...


Newsgroups: sci.med
From: marco@sdf.lonestar.org (Steve Giammarco)
Subject: Re: Getting off Xanax
Organization: Best lil' ol' Pubnix in Texas
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 16:55:39 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.212706.0905072@locus.com> yazz@locus.com (Bob Yazz) writes:
>
>How about duration and severity of that withdrawal?  I don't have an answer
>for you.  A lot of people seem to think that short duration of action is
>what's responsible for withdrawal, so maybe all short duration anxiolytics
>are the problem.  But we also know that Xanax, as opposed to the other
>benzos, works better in Panic Disorder, so there's got to be something
>different about it.

Welp... As one who now has 11 years of Panic Disorder in remission for 2
years, I can tell you this: The side effects of other meds (like Prozac
and tricyclic antidepressants that help with serotonin reuptake) can 
trigger panic attacks. I took Norpramin (desipramine, the next up from
imipramine or Tofranil) and it had some pretty wild side effects. It is
_extremely_ anticholinergic which made me drink a _lot_ of water to feel
hydrated at all. A trip to Denver to attend motss.con had me stopping every
1/2 hr to get something to drink. Of course Denver _is_ the Mile High City.
It also caused retrograde ejaculation several times. It also made my heart
beat faster than normal. If you know anything about patients with Panic
Disorder, you know they're very focused inward to physical maladies,
potentially to the point of hypochondria, if allowed to do so. Every
shift in normal body function is a candidate to trigger another attack.
Desipramine made rising from bed in the morning a dizzying experience on
occasion, and increased the sensation of light-headedness and tunnel-
vision. These are the nemesis of Panic Disorder patients who wish to 
escape the feeling of surreality or "brownouts" that scare them so.

I used Xanax PRN (as needed) at the 0.25mg dose not more than once a day.
While this is not the normal theraputic dosage to _prevent_ attacks, it
did help me especially at work, and I had no problem getting on or off it
as someone who _is_ taking a theraputic preventative dose might experience.
I had no sedative effects that I was aware of. The quick resolution
of attacks in progress or when the "aura" of an attack was warning me of one
coming was one of it's best features. I would imagine that folx at higher
doses might have more difficulty getting off Xanax due to habituation
and possible non-resolution of the originating psychological problems... 

>I suggest you find a colleague whose opinion you trust (this here is
>just "the net", after all), whose specialty is in addiction recovery,
>and ask his or her opinion of Xanax in comparison to the other benzos.
>You may change your prescribing practices as a result.
>
>| Its almost never correct to say never. 
>
>Absolutely.  (:-{)>
>


-- 
Steve Giammarco/5330 Peterson Lane/Dallas TX 75240
marco@sdf.lonestar.org
loveyameanit.
From: brian@ucsd.edu (Brian Kantor)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Deodorants Harmful?
Date: 29 Dec 1992 16:47:53 GMT
Organization: The Avant-Garde of the Now, Ltd.
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu

There is no aluminum in ordinary solder.  Solder is a mixture of lead
and tin, with occasionally small amounts of other materials (copper,
silver, etc) incorporated to alter the working properties of the solder.

Of course lead and tin can contain contaminants such as cadmium,
arsenic, and the like, and the less-critical solders such as those used
in plumbing will not have the high purity of precision electronic solders.

As I understand it, most of the known dangers in soldering come from
the fumes from the lead and contaminants, and from the various fluxes
used to assist the soldering process.

"Silver-solder" is really more of a brazing material than a solder.
	- Brian
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: eclark@gauss.math.usf.edu. (Edwin Clark)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: drug induced caffeine craving?
Date: 24 Dec 92 12:33:33 GMT
Organization: Univ. of South Florida, Math Department


Has anyone seen cases where drugs (esp. say, benzodiazapins)
induce an unusually intense craving for caffeine? If so
is there any literature on the subject?

Edwin Clark


--
W. Edwin Clark
Mathematics Department
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33620-5700
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 11:56:14 EST
From: <DGS4@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: aids testing and insurance
Distribution: usa
 <1992Dec11.104956.517@news.wesleyan.edu> <BzCqso.Gr2@sdf.lonestar.org>
 <1992Dec17.195035.543@news.wesleyan.edu> <24441@alice.att.com>
 <1992Dec19.170750.550@news.wesleyan.edu>

The MIB (Medical Information Bureau) is a private nonprofit company
founded by the Association of Life Insurance Medical Directors in 1909.
MIB rules require that the consumer give permission for release of data
(it's contained in the standard contract) and also give permission for
any information (including refusal to take a test) to be sent to the
MIB regarding the insurance application (read the fine print in the
contract, you'll find it there).  My understanding is that while there
was a big hullaballoo in the 1970s about MIB, nothing was
done after MIB took voluntary action to try to safeguard privacy.
For example, MIB agreed not to release any info to 3rd
parties.  MIB reports are subject to the Fair Credit Standards
Act, I think.  Most of the information above (and more) is available
from the Life Office Management Association in Atlanta GA (I don't
have a better address) or you could probaly ask any insurance
agent friend who would provide further details.


Dennis Shea
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: mrl@nerus.pfc.mit.edu
Subject: Fibromyalgia mailing list.
Organization: MIT PLASMA FUSION CENTER
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 01:23:17 GMT

From: "Fred Davidson, DEIL, UIUC" <DAVIDSON@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject:  FIBROM-L

FIBROM-L, the Fibromyalgia / Fibrosytis electronic discussion
group mail list (bulletin board):  To subscribe to this list, send
a one line e-mail message to:

     listserv@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu

If that address does not work, then use:

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If *all three* of these addresses fail, *then* contact me directly
by e-mail (see my return address below) and  I'll take care of
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the system can automatically detect and use the best return address
from the message header from your subscription message.

Your e-mail need not include a 'from' or 'subject' header unless
required by your local system.  The single line of the message, in
the message text area of your system, should read:

     sub fibrom-l your name

Replace 'your name' with your name.

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by Fred Davidson, FIBROM-L Manager
   davidson@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu                    [or]
   davidson@uiucvmd                             [or]
   davidson@uiucvmd.bitnet                      [whichever works]

Mark London
MRL@NERUS.PFC.MIT.EDU
From: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Adiposity 101
Date: 28 Dec 92 00:36:15 GMT
Reply-To: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <1992Dec14.234410.11534@omen.UUCP> caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg) writes:
>In article <17745@pitt.UUCP> geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:

>>So Chuck, have you tried fenfluramine?  I have, and it isn't a panacea.
>>I admit it does help.  But there are some side effects.  Over the long
>
>I wish I could try it.  Last month I suggested just that to Dr. Herson,
>my Kaiser Permanente endocrinologist.  I had brought with me some of
>the materials I've gathered showing the usefulness of this stuff in
>controlling obesity and insulin resistance.  He declined my offer to
>lend him these materials, stating that he was quite up to date on
>current research.  Herson stated none of this stuff was approved, and
>that was that.  

It is approved.  So why not go to some other physician?  Unless the
law in your state forbids prescription of these drugs for obesity
(some do), you should be able to find a physician who will give them
to you.  This is a further demonstration of the problem with HMOs.

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "I have given you an argument; I am not obliged
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  to supply you with an understanding." -S.Johnson
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: hank@well.sf.ca.us (Hank Roberts)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: post-Prozac reactions
Date: 23 Dec 92 00:33:39 GMT
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link


In re the thread about antidepressants getting people up to a level
of activity where they can actually commit suicide (before they
get the antidepressant effect enough to feel better, I presume):

Is this also what's going on with the high number of suicides while
drunk? antidepressant effect allowing the person to act on the impulse?
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: neville@cs.washington.edu (Dorothy Neville)
Subject: Re: sex, menstruation, endometriosis
Organization: Computer Science & Engineering, U. of Washington, Seattle
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 93 23:21:19 GMT

In article jsb16@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Jennifer S Broekman) writes:

>jgnassi@athena.mit.edu (John Angelo Gnassi) writes:
>>BTW, you mention that orgasm helps menstrual cramps, and I've heard
>>this from several people.  Admittedly, this probably varies a lot
>>from person to person, but does anyone know why this might be so?
>
>I've heard this guess from a couple of people and it seems reasonable to 
>me: intercourse helps cramps because the cervix is massaged. Massage with
>the fingertips works at least as well as intercourse does, at least in my
>experience and that of the other women who suggested this interpretation.

Well not in my experience.  I find that orgasm helps whether or not
any penetration occurs, therefore cervical massage doesn't seem to be
a factor for me.  I seem to recall hearing an explanation having to do
with release of prostaglandins during orgasm, but I don't remember
details.  BTW, I do know women who claim that having an orgasm makes
their cramps worse.
From: mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: What to tell child their taking?
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 92 17:03:32 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: usa

> and stated "she wasn't sick". What do should you tell her the medicine
> is for? Should you tell her that they are vitamins or smart pills
> or try and explain the situation?

I wouldn't tell her they're "smart pills".  That might cause her friends
to want to try them, too.  Or she might get the idea of taking the whole
bottle to see how smart she can get.  I wouldn't tell her they're vitamins,
either.  This would probably be a good time to introduce her to the concept
of drugs and drug overdoses, if for no other reason than to avoid an accident.
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: robert@unlv.edu (Robert Cray)
Subject: Re: Schizophrenia
Organization: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 16:06:25 GMT

In article <1992Dec31.080758.27662@mr.med.ge.com> hinz@picard.med.ge.com (David Hinz Mfg 4-6987 ~BHOSVWZ#097) writes:
>Robert Cray (robert@unlv.edu) wrote:
>Do you know what type of an MRI exam was done on these paients?  What type
>of imaging was used, or spectroscopy, or ???  I work on the technical end
>of the field, and am always interested in learning more applications.
>
>There are some VERY interesting developments that came out at this past RSNA,
>WRT brain activity analysis, etc.

Sorry, haven't a clue.  You might want to contact NIMH (National Institutes
of Mental Health), I'm sure they could direct you to the persons doing the
research.  Or maybe they are on the net and can answer directly...

					--robert

Newsgroups: sci.med
From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Subject: Re: Adiposity 101
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 05:44:35 GMT

In article <1992Dec23.043007.5590@omen.UUCP> caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg) writes:
>Gordon, thanks for reminding me about Rena.  We're still waiting
>for her answers to the legitimate questions already before her.
>The longer she ignores my communications the more concerned I
>become that she is more interested in protecting a diet based
>research establishment than progress toward effective obesity
>treatment.

Dyer's Law strikes again.

Chuck, Rena doesn't participate on sci.med nor is she on the net, so
she isn't under even the most informal obligation to give you the time
of day, let alone "give you her answers to your legitimate questions."
Sheesh.  Does it even cross your mind that if you come off as a
blithering crank here on the net, that the figure you cut out in the
real world when you send out "Adiposity 101" to obesity researchers
might not be very collegial?

>Gordon's other comments clarify the need to add some more basic
>information about current obesity research in Adiposity 101,
>rather than just mentioning it with references to standard works.

You mean "the obesity research which tells me what I want to hear."

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
From: km@ky3b.pgh.pa.us (Ken Mitchum)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Peter Breggin, _Toxic Psychiatry_ (Q)
Date: 24 Dec 92 22:55:00 GMT
Organization: KY3B - Vax Pittsburgh, PA

In article <Bz9Kr3.H04@unx.sas.com>, sasghm@theseus.unx.sas.com (Gary Merrill) writes:

|> If I decide to terminate my chemotherapy for cancer, I can simply
|> do so and walk away from the hospital (suffering whatever consequences
|> there may be).  If I am committed to a state psychiatric institute,
|> am I free to leave when I decide (for whatever reason) to terminate
|> my treatment?  (Notice that the very concept of "committed" seems
|> to imply a certain degree of coercion.)  If you will assure me that I
|> can terminate my psychiatric treatment under the same conditions and
|> with the same freedoms that I can terminate my cancer treatment,
|> I withdraw any complaint.

Of course committing a person involves coercion. The person who is committed gives
up some rights while treatment is initiated. Reasons to commit a person vary from
state to state (and are scary in some places!) but the basic idea is that the
person is considered a threat to him/herself or others. This includes people with
severe depression who are suicidal, who may not fit your (or anyone's) definition
of "crazy" or psychotic. Indeed, a psychotic person who is not a danger to someone
is not commitable. 

The rationale for committing a person has nothing to do with therapy per se, but
is rooted in the idea of preventing harm to people. The criterion for ending the
committment is not whether the person is "treated" or "cured" but whether he/she
is no longer a threat. This is the reason that many patients routinely get released
from the hospital "prematurely". Patients are committed, forcibly treated, and
become normal enough to end the committment and leave, even though the staff know
they will not take medication on the outside, and will be brought in again in a few
days or weeks. It is not unusual to see such patients have a hundred or more
hospital admissions in the course of a few years. These patients are not common,
however, as most psychiatric patients have enough insight to realize they have
a problem, and the come to the hospital voluntarily.

There are actually a few "non-psychiatric" reasons to commit patients. Tuberculosis
is a common one, and there should be others: several years ago I had a patient with
Salmonella sepsis, who also was growing it from an open wound and from the stool
(of course). I tried to commit the patient for a course of IV antibiotic therapy
on the grounds that he was a public health menace. The judge laughed, then yelled
at me for wasting his time, and let the man go spread his Salmonella all over
creation.

-km
From: kenealy_d@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Elevated GGTP enzyme a problem?
Date: 30 Dec 1992 20:14:23 GMT
Organization: Wellington City Council (Public Access), Wgtn, Nz
Reply-To: kenealy_d@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
NNTP-Posting-Host: kosmos.wcc.govt.nz

In article <C00DEw.KrF@techbook.com>, szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo) writes:
>Patient is male, 30, about 80 lbs. overweight, <edited>
 after one night of heavy 
>alchohol consumption  <edited> heartburn, anxiety, apathy, frequent thirst & urination,
>episodes of depression.

Are you sure your person isn't still drinking? You've given a good list of
symptoms for alcohol abuse, have a known past history and a raised GGTP. The
MCV and ALT/AST ratio can also be helpful but some people can get away with
very heavy consumption with surprisingly few signs on biochemical or
haematological testing.
Newsgroups: sci.med,talk.politics.medicine
From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Subject: Physicians' effort  Was: Re: Physician's Incomes
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 14:37:55 GMT

In article <17918@pitt.UUCP> geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:
>In article <92351.153826DGS4@psuvm.psu.edu> DGS4@psuvm.psu.edu writes:

>>>their efforts.  Socialized medicine would encourage mediocrity.

>>What do you mean by socialized medicine?  Do you have any evidence
>>that physicians in Germany, Canada, France, Britain, etc. are mediocre?


>In my experience they aren't much different in competence than US
>physicians.  However, they do not work nearly as hard.  They work
>much more regular hours and have little incentive to do anything
>extra.  There is certainly something to be said for that, from
>the physician's viewpoint.

Frankly, I consider a situation in which ANYBODY has little incentive
to only "do the job" and not do anything extra as anti-human and
highly to be deplored.  This completely considers people as machines.

This is also where the current training of physicians, and indeed of
almost everyone else, is tending.  People should think and innovate,
instead of acting like machines.  
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@snap.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!snap.stat!hrubin(UUCP)