HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Electric Blankets
From: king@reasoning.com (Dick King)
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 19:01:43 GMT
Organization: Reasoning Systems, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
Keywords: Electric Blanket Sterility

In article <16153@pitt.UUCP> geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks) writes:
>In article <1992Aug19.171954.17546@uniwa.uwa.edu.au> gude@uniwa.uwa.edu.au (David J W Emrich) writes:
>>The idea is this...
>>Recently, I heard a theory that Electric Blankets ...
>>	      if the user sleeps on one all night for some period of
>>time, it can cause sterility, in people (of both sexes) who are already
>>pre-disposed to sterility.  THere is also some notion that they can
>>cause cancer.
>>
>There is sporadic evidence that high EM fields can cause increased
>incidence of cancer.  Being under an electric blanket is a good
>way to get high EM field exposure.

Not really.

Electrons must be inserted into and removed from an electrical device, which is
why power cords have two wires.

You can design a blanket so current flows in one corner, travels in a SINGLE
zigzag path through the blanket, and comes out in that coner or another corner,
but they seem not to do that these days.  Instead, the current comes in and
goes out the same corner, and also travels through the blanket in a zigzag PAIR
of wires.  If you are buying a blanket and you care about this matter, palpate
the wires.

The two wires are close to each other, and carry equal currents in opposite
directions.  The EM field is almost completely cancelled.

The reason for this is so the halves of the blanket can easily be independently
controlled, and the PARTS of the blanket can have separate thermostatic control
[ie., more heat for the feet than chest].  The problems avoided are analogous
to series vrs. parallel wiring; it's well known that some strings of christmas
tree lights goes out when a single bulb blows, wheras the various lights in
your house can be turned on and off, or "burn" out, independently.  Inexpensive
thermostats work by turning the controlled circuit on and off, and if there
were only a single wire in the blanket the sections could not be turned off
independently. 

Disclaimer:  I looked at some blankets in the store, but did not do any survey,
a couple of years ago when the goo about EM fields causing cancer was first
beginning to hit the streets.

Disclaimer: I'm jewish, and don't really know anything about christmas tree
lights, except for their use in the folklore explaining the difference between
a series and parallel circuit.  ;-) 


-dk
From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: L. day, md
Date: 23 Aug 92 23:23:26 GMT
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA

In article <10466.2A96523D@stjhmc.fidonet.org> Eugene.Bartley@f10.n3630.z1.fidonet.org (Eugene Bartley) writes:
>Looking for information concerning recent book by Dr. Laraine Day about 
>AIDS/HIV and alleged government (USPHS,CDC) censorship. Has anyone read this 
>book? Please post or netmail me.

More FIDOnet crap.  THIS is one place where sci.med could be improved:
shut the FIDOnet feed off for good.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: robert@unlv.edu (Robert Cray)
Subject: Re: wisdom teeth removal
Organization: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 92 16:58:12 GMT

>>>does anybody have any wisdom to offer to a 27 year old who has to have
>>>all 4 wisdom teeth removed?
>> 
>> 
>out all 3 at the same time.  I just had shots of novocaine for 
>the pain.  Didn't feel a thing, but it gave me a lot of 
>anxiety because I could hear snapping and crunching.  All and all 
>the surgery was much easier than I anticipated.

I had 3 impacted wisdom teeth removed a few years ago.  I got sodium
pentathol (sp?) and perhaps the ever popular versed.  All I remember was
seeing a nurse type person and wondering when they were going to get on
with it and pull them - except they already had.  I took nothing for the
pain and rode my bike 7 miles to school that day (I was told not to drive).  
Much less traumatic than a cavity with novacaine...

					--robert
From: oispeggy@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Peggy Brown)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: wisdom teeth removal
Date: 2 Sep 92 16:00:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <des.24@helix.nih.gov>, des@helix.nih.gov (David E. Scheim) writes...
>In article <KPC.92Sep1172935@zog.arc.nasa.gov> kpc@pluto.arc.nasa.gov (k p c) writes:
> 
>>does anybody have any wisdom to offer to a 27 year old who has to have
>>all 4 wisdom teeth removed?
> 
> 
>I was told by several dentists in my 20s, 20 years ago, to have my wisdom 
>teeth removed.  I ignored them and my teeth have been fine all these years.  
>I'm sure there are times when it's a good idea to preempt later problems by 
>removing wisdom teeth but I suspect some dentists are a bit overzealous and 
>may create problems where none exist.
> 

I had the same experience.  From my late teens to mid-30's 
several dentists tried to talk me into having my wisdom teeth 
removed.  I refused.  At age 30 I let a dentist pull 1 wisdom 
tooth.  It had broken through the surface of the gum, and 
although not decayed, he convinced me it was likely to decay 
since its harder to keep it clean.  Piece of cake.  It was out in 
2 seconds; I felt nothing; and there was little pain afterwards.

My other 3 were deeply impacted below the gumline and sideways.  
Recently an oral surgeon scared the sh*t out of me by saying that

  1.) He could guarantee the teeth would cause me problems and
      an infection in one is very painful, and the older you get
      the worse it is to recover from the surgery.  He had 
      removed them in people over age 50 and its just that much
      more miserable.

  2.) The longer you let it go the more it messes up the *bone*
      underneath the teeth and the more likely the bone won't
      fill in and you'll lose the molar preceding the wisdom
      tooth too.

  3.) For some reason, they seem to act up often in pregnant 
      women.  Something about increased swelling of tissues.

Anyway, he sufficiently scared me so I let him take them out.  I 
wanted all 3 out at once.  He said he'd do one side, and see how
I was before deciding about the other side.  I'm easy to work on, 
and they weren't as bad to remove as he'd anticipated, so he took
out all 3 at the same time.  I just had shots of novocaine for 
the pain.  Didn't feel a thing, but it gave me a lot of 
anxiety because I could hear snapping and crunching.  All and all 
the surgery was much easier than I anticipated.

The recovery was awful.  I swelled up enormously and took lots of 
pain medication.  The first medication, with codeine, made me 
throw-up the first time I took it, which is just great after oral 
surgery.  The swelling was bad for 3 days and I kept ice on it 
nearly the entire time and it finally started to go down.  Now I 
feel fine.  

If your wisdom teeth have broken through the gum it may not be so 
bad.

Good luck,

- Peggy -
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: yazz@locus.com (Bob Yazz)
Subject: Re: Unorthodox treatments are *not* the problem  (was: ... name right!)
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 21:30:46 GMT

turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) writes:

| Willow bark tea was useful and
| valuable centuries before we had any understanding of how it
| worked.

For those who don't know, willow bark contains something very close to
aspirin.

| What may be fairly inferred from my post is that I don't
| find very useful any ancient theory that willow bark tea exerts
| an analgesic effect because of the willow's graceful shape.

Russ, I don't find that the graceful shape of the willow tree helps
my Bayer aspirin to work any better either.  But medicine is a lot
older than modern science, and a story told by a healer to a patient
about the willow's graceful shape could certainly improve the tea's
perceived effectiveness.  Pharmaceutical salespeople attempt the same
thing with doctors -- they try to improve a doc's opinion of the drug
they're selling.  They're more likely to point out things like "The
Phase III trials were done at Harvard, you know," rather than spending
much time glorifying the pretty shape and color of the pill, tho when
the doc deals with a patient, such things might hold more sway.

| What has been found to work best (so far) is a particularly
| careful kind of observation of nature, together with an
| understanding of how to formulate and criticize theories that
| incorporate these observations, i.e., science.

I wouldn't say "so far", I'd say "of late", referring to the past
century or two.  If the active compound in willow tree bark were
equally available from a vicious, thorny weed, then a healer's choice
of which one to use for which patient -- including what kind of story
to tell with it -- is more obviously art.

Similarly, a pharmaceutical rep might opt to point out that "The
Phase I trials were done in Portugal," if the particular doc had
some special tie to that country.  (Of course, the FDA doesn't accept
studies done in other countries, but that's a different story.)


Despite the enormous amount science has contributed to medicine (and
despite the name of this newsgroup), doctors are still referred to as
practitioners of the Medical Arts, not the Medical Sciences.


Another point about the various schools of medical thought: There have
been multiple schools of thought for centuries, each attempting to
legally ban the other, each dismissing the relevance of the other.

When I was a child growing up in Massachusetts, one had to go to another
state to visit a chiropractor.  (Actually, I've still never visited one,
tho I would if I got a lower-back-pain flareup like I did a few years
ago.)  That was an example of one medical school of thought successfully
banning another, via the Massachusetts legislature.

In sum, "school of thought" bashing is centuries old, not modern.

And no matter how much science contributes, Medicine will remain, in
substantial measure, an Art.

Best Wishes

== Bob Yazz ==
-- 

"You can put lipstick on a hog, and call it 'Monique', but it's still a pig."

-- Ann Richards, the wildly popular, Harley Riding Governor of Texas
From: kevin@msa3b.UUCP (Kevin P. Kleinfelter)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: MIGRAINE
Date: 4 Sep 92 11:36:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: msa3b.1928
Organization: Dun and Bradstreet Software, Inc., Atlanta, GA

geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks) writes:

>Reminds me of the definition of "idiopathic".  The patient is pathetic
>and his doctor is an idiot.  You need a neurologist.  

I went to a neurologist for a sleep disorder (I was waking about twice an hour).
He prescribed Pamelor (an antidepressant), for the sleep disorder, and
casually mentioned that it might reduce my headaches.  A common cause of
migraines is simply stress.  In 10 months of Pamelor I've had only 2 bona-fide
migraines (markedly less than before).

While your GP may not be an idiot, he simply cannot know as much about
specialties as a specialist.  Ask him/her to refer you to a neurologist,
or just look in the yellow pages.

-- 
Kevin Kleinfelter @ DBS, Inc (404) 239-2347   ...gatech!nanovx!msa3b!kevin
Dun&Bradstreet Software, 3445 Peachtree Rd, NE, Atlanta GA 30326-1276
WARNING: I have been advised that email to kevin@msa3b.UUCP may bounce.
It looks like email will have to go via 'gatech' because that is well-known.
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: popetz@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Clinton C. Popetz)
Subject: Re: MIGRAINE
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 19:17:50 GMT

Don.Hayes@f914.n714.z3.fidonet.org (Don Hayes) writes:

>Are there any migraine sufferers out there?? In trying to get a better 
>understanding of my own affliction I'd be interested in your experiences so 
>perhaps I can stop my attacks.


Well, there are the lists of foods that trigger migraines.  After going through
the huge ordeal of testing for hundreds of different possibilities, and having
the doctor finally shrug his shoulders and say "it must be migraines.  there is
little that can help you."  I started reading up and figuring out what foods
affected me badly.

Chocolate and caffeine on an empty stomach are bad.  

Other than that, all I have is guesswork.
From: peerson@neyman.ucdavis.edu (Jan Peerson)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Do "deodorant rocks" contain aluminum?
Date: 31 Aug 92 17:13:33 GMT
Distribution: na

My apologies if this is not the appropriate newsgroup for this
question.

My sister has seen advertisements for some sort of rock which
is supposed to replace deodorant or anti-perspirant.  Apparently
one moistens the rock and applies it to the underarms (armpits
if one is male!).

She would like to get away from aluminum-containing anti-perspirants,
but does not know if the effective ingredient of this rock is
aluminum.

Has anyone ever heard of this?  Thanks in advance for your answers.

-- Jan Peerson
From: bjm@altair.csustan.edu (Barb Moose)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: thanks CFS info
Date: 29 Aug 92 01:52:46 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: California State University, Stanislaus
Originator: bjm@ceti.csustan.edu

Thank you to everyone that sent me the info on CFS.  You are all good
people!

-- 
       ______
       \    /  bjm@ceti.csustan.edu
        \  /   Barb Moose
	 \/
From: collene@unisql.UUCP (Collene Pearce)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: fastin - what is it?
Date: 25 Aug 92 17:48:07 GMT
Reply-To: collene@unisql.UUCP (Collene Pearce)
Distribution: sci
Organization: UniSQL, Inc., Austin, Texas, USA

I was recently told by a acquaintance that her doctor prescribed a drug
called "fastin" (or something like that), for her for weight loss.  She
also saw the resident dietician for behavior modification input, as well.
Apparently, the diet was successful.  Lost about 50lbs and hasn't gained
it back.

Can anyone tell me what this drug is, how it works, side affects and if
there are other, similar drugs available?  How long can one take this
drug?  What is the expected rate of weight loss?


-- 

********************* #include <std_disclaimer.h> **********************
* A. Collene Pearce (512-343-7372, x114) * Organization: UniSQL, Inc.  *
*                                        * Austin, TX                  *
* unisql!collene@cs.utexas.edu           * 512-343-7297 or 7383(fax)   *
************************************************************************
From: sss@netcom.com (Small Systems Solutions)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: The dangers of a low cholesterol level
Date: 2 Sep 92 16:48:21 GMT
Article-I.D.: netcom.kvkns5g.sss
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <john.715441732@spssig.spss.com> 
	john@spss.com (John Przyborowski) writes:

>A NY Times article from August 19 outlined some research that was being 
>done with "low" cholesterol levels.  Researchers claimed that they have 
>founds links between low cholesterol levels and violent death, ie. suicide,
>murder, accidents.  These folks were also supposed to be subject to violent
>mood swings and liver problems.  I happen to have a low cholesterol level
>(145) and do not, I REPEAT DO NOT HAVE VIOLENT OUTBURSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>This research team's conclusion strikes me as so much skewed horseshit.  

Probably because you misread the article :-)

The article was clear to state that the causal relationship between
certain diseases and low cholesterol was uncertain -- and in the case
of alcoholism, etc. it was probably that the low cholesterol level was
caused by the disease.

The one disturbing aspect of the report is that, while mortality
due to coronary artery disease decreases as cholesterol levels decrease,
overall mortality does not.  And there is probably a causal link between
low cholesterol ( < 160 mg/dl )  and leukemia, non-malignant lung disease,
etc.

The advice to those with elevated levels ( > 240 ) especially those with
low HDL, is to lower their cholesterol.  What is unclear, as it is with
so many things we measure, is what the optimal level of this stuff is.

-- 
Small Systems Solutions                   1563 Solano Avenue, Suite 123
sss@netcom.com                                  Berkeley, CA 94707-2116

The above-expressed opinions aren't necessarily
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: eepmatt@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Matthew Friedman)
Subject: ? re: cartilege. PLEASE HELP.
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 03:12:42 GMT

I am in desperate need of help verifying a piece of trivia I heard some time
ago. Specifically, I was told that the cartilege in the human nose is the only
tissue in the human body which never stops growing in mass. Is this true? Or
are the ears included as well. Are these the only two tissues that do this?

Thanks very much in advance,
From: cuegf@dcatla.uucp
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Xanax
Date: 28 Aug 92 16:01:56 GMT
Organization: Digital Communications Associates, Alpharetta, GA

In article <1992Aug24.141401.11022@apgea.army.mil>, sjnaccar@apgea.army.mil (Susan J. Naccarato <sjnaccar>) writes:
(stuff about two friends on Xanax, requesting info)




Xanax is a short-acting benzodiazepine which is used generally to 
treat anxiety disorders.  It is the only benzodiazepine with a
known anti-depressant effect, although it is seldom prescribed for
depression alone.  The primary side effect is sedation, anyone who
wants to expand on that list is welcome.

If you want to get information on psychotropic drugs that doesn't
disappear on a computer, consider getting or borrowing from the 
library a guide on psychotropic drugs, like Gorman's "The Essential
Guide to Psychiatric Drugs" or Stuart Yudofsky's book (Can't
recall the title.

Gorman recommends that a psychotropic drug not be prescribed by a
non-psychiatric physician for more than two weeks.  A lot of 
problems are caused by non-psychiatric physicians prescribing these
drugs with insufficient training and clinical experience, although
some are careful to refer a patient to a psychiatrist when 
indicated.


Ed Francell
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: lady@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Lee Lady)
Subject: Re: Moderation (was: UGH. (Was B12
Followup-To: sci.med
Summary: Yes, listening to opposing views is aggravating, but ...
Organization: University of Hawaii (Mathematics Dept)
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 22:15:06 GMT

In article <16222@pitt.UUCP> km@cs.pitt.edu (Ken Mitchum) writes:
>                               ...  Perhaps dividing
>up sci.med into groups with common underpinnings would help.
>The alternative medicine people could have their group, the
>conventional medicine could have their group, etc. and there
>would be a lot less adversity and misunderstanding.

The adversity and misunderstanding can certainly be aggravating.  But I
think that exposing people to other viewpoints is one of the important
functions of sci.med, and in fact of usenet in general.  

As a layman who believes it worthwhile to give serious consideration to
some of the "alternative" therapies, I would not like to see information
about them relegated to a group where their claims would be free from
criticism by medical experts.  If these therapies are going to win
general acceptance, they have to be able to withstand intelligent,
informed criticism and they have to be shown to be ultimately not
incompatible with existing scientific knowledge.  

What I do not find useful is broad sweeping generalized criticism of all
alternative approaches or all megavitamin therapy or whatever presented
without any factual or scientific basis.  (As a layman, I don't
necessarily insist on details.  Even a statement like "What you're saying
contradicts everything I know about neurology" carries weight with me
when it comes from Gordon Banks.  "These people are all quacks and
charlatans" does not.)  

What especially annoys me is the catch 22 argument that a particular
approach can't be any good because it's not supported by good empirical
studies.  Steve Dyer and Gordon Banks have now both agreed with me that
for practical purposes it's simply infeasible for alternative
practitioners to carry out studies that will be accepted by the
scientific community.  And the medical establishment says it's not
willing to do such studies because the therapies are worthless, and it
knows the therapies are worthless because there are no studies.  

(As Steve has pointed out, those who are raking in money selling "secret
bug juice" (in Gordon's phrase) through the mail might be able to afford
to pay to have a competant study done.  But they're not likely to do that
because they have everything to lose and nothing to gain.)  

I've also realized that the term "alternative" therapy is perhaps not
totally felicitous because it suggests something to be used *instead of.*
"Supplemental" therapy would agree more with the way I think of these
approaches, but somehow that term doesn't seem to quite work either. 

--

Imagination is greater than knowledge.  -- Einstein 

lady@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu         lady@uhunix.bitnet
From: geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: MIGRAINE
Date: 2 Sep 92 15:21:29 GMT
Organization: Decision Systems Laboratory, Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA.

In article <Btwyy4.DIL@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> popetz@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Clinton C. Popetz) writes:

>Well, there are the lists of foods that trigger migraines.  After going through
>the huge ordeal of testing for hundreds of different possibilities, and having
>the doctor finally shrug his shoulders and say "it must be migraines.  there is
>little that can help you."  

Reminds me of the definition of "idiopathic".  The patient is pathetic
and his doctor is an idiot.  You need a neurologist.  



-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  it is shameful to surrender it too soon." 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.med