HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Adiposity 101
Date: 28 Dec 92 00:46:58 GMT
Reply-To: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <1992Dec16.204156.0904966@locus.com> yazz@locus.com (Bob Yazz) writes:
>geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:
>
>| Even if the obese don't eat more, they are eating too much for them.
>
>And I suppose diabetics are just taking in too many carbohydrates?  I
>mean, if you don't take in any, you won't need to take insulin anymore,
>right?
>
>Why, Gordon, do you continue to insist that the solution to obesity
>lies NOT in fixing the metabolic processing of what's eaten, but
>rather with merely reducing the amount eaten (whether by life-long
>willpower or some future pharmacological intervention that affects
>appetite)?
>

Because I don't know how to fix the metabolic processing (other
than by exercising more) of what's eaten, and neither do you.  I do know how 
to diet.  And I never insisted that dieting was *the* solution
to obesity.  It is a solution for some, but not a very satisfactory
one.  Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for a better one.  I don't 
know whether you have a weight problem or not, but believe me, those
of us who do would be very pleased to have a better solution than
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond)
Subject: Re: Physician's Incomes
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 23:29:49 GMT
Organization: Dixie Communications Public Access.  The Mouth of the South.

rtoptan@lucpum.it.luc.edu (Richard Z Toptani) writes:

>In addition, PhD's do not have to pay the large malpractice premiums, or 

Probably 'cuz PhDs don't harm as many people as MDs.

>incur the massive educational debt that many medical students accumulate.
>When I graduate from medical school, my educational loans will be
>$150,000+. Most of the loans are market-rate variable-interest loans,
>which compound pretty quickly. My estimated loan payments will be
>around $2,000 a month, and maybe even more if interest rates rise!
>I would also point out that this debt is entirely from medical
>school. I paid off all of my undergrad loans before I started!

In the venerable words of someone, "Tough shit, son".  Your personal
financial situation is of no concern to your prospective patients and 
should certainly not be of concern to those who now set reimbursement 
rates.

If you don't like the debt load or can't afford the bill, perhaps you 
could do the same thing the  rest of us do - alter your lifestyle
accordingly.  You COULD work your way through school. Or you could
take a conventional job for a few years between undergrad and med school.
(that was my brother's approach).  That you choose to hock your ass up
to your gills is YOUR problem.  *I* think you are a fool and would
question your professional judgement based on your acquiring that kind
of debt.

John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC               |Interested in high performance mobility?  
Performance Engineering Magazine(TM) | Interested in high tech and computers? 
Marietta, Ga                         | Send ur snail-mail address to 
jgd@dixie.com                        | perform@dixie.com for a free sample mag
Need Usenet public Access in Atlanta?  Write Me for info on Dixie.com.
From: fulk@cs.rochester.edu (Mark Fulk)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Schizophrenia
Date: 3 Jan 93 19:07:02 GMT
Organization: University of Rochester

In article <1992Dec31.160625.11240@unlv.edu> robert@unlv.edu (Robert Cray) writes:
>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...

I saw the same special.  The main medical expert, and one of the investigators
in the twin study, was E. Fuller Torrey at NIMH.  He is very well known for
his work in this area.

Both MRI and PET scans were used in the twin study.  MRI usually showed
frontal lobe atrophy; PET more often showed low frontal lobe activity,
and lower cerebral activity generally, if I remember correctly.

The thing that sticks in my mind from the special was the main male patient,
who lived in NYC.  After the show was finished, but before I saw it, he
apparently suffered some exacerbation of his symptoms and sought help; a
friend helped him apply to some clinics.  Unfortunately, he was not admitted
immediately; a few days later his body was found in the East River, the
implication being made that he had committed suicide.  This was related in a
postscript to the special.  Coming after I had spent an hour being shown this
man's life, and having come to care for him to a considerable extent, it was
a great shock.

Mark
-- 
Mark A. Fulk			University of Rochester
Computer Science Department	fulk@cs.rochester.edu
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: alto@pegasus.com (Andrea Ostensoe)
Subject: Severe Acne Help!
Organization: Pegasus,  Honolulu
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 92 20:55:33 GMT

My daughter has suffered from acne since about the age of 13 and
recently it has gotten worse.  We have been to many dermatologists and she is very careful about what she eats and follows all medical advice to the letter.

She is so depressed about this problem at the moment that she is becoming
suicidal.  

Is there any *new* research, medical info in this area..some new
approach..nothing has worked from antibiotics to Retin A

She is 21 now and I had hopes that as she entered her twenties it would
subside.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

p.s.  Ignore my sig..it follows me around from another newsgroup;-)

-- 
**************************************************************************
"I don't ask for much..just your heart on a silver platter;-)"
						-Kali
**************************************************************************
From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Non-physician bashing
Date: 22 Dec 92 22:02:12 GMT
Article-I.D.: spdcc.1992Dec22.220212.3580
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA

In article <1992Dec22.095756.12170@vms.eurokom.ie> mdebuitlear@vms.eurokom.ie writes:
>> I don't think Ken Mitchum was implying a conspiracy among those
>> who embrace quack theories.
>I think that, in the context of his original post, he was.

A conspiracy of ignorance; a confederacy of dunces.
This is known as metaphor.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
From: rind@binoc.bih.harvard.edu (David Rind)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Strep Throat
Date: 28 Dec 92 01:04:17 GMT
Organization: Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston Mass., USA

In article <1992Dec25.044247.2681@newshub.ccs.yorku.ca>
 wc4209@writer.yorku.ca (Irene Berkovich) writes:
>There are certain features of a cold/sore throat which can help
>differentiate strep throat from viral infections.

Generally, even in an adult who has all the predictive features of 
strep, Group A strep is only present in about half the cases.

>To be absolutely certain though, a throat culture is needed.

It's worth remembering the sensitivity of throat cultures is not
100%.  Most experts feel that in people with a high likelihood
of strep (such as the 50% likelihood in adults with fever,
lymphadenopathy, and exudates) it makes sense to treat for strep
no matter what the throat culture shows.




-- 
David Rind
rind@binoc.bih.harvard.edu
From: nyeda@cnsvax.uwec.edu (David Nye)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Herbs for Menopause
Date: 31 Dec 92 01:33:08 -0600
Organization: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

[reply to ctobias@violet.ccit.arizona.edu]
 
>I would like to learn about herbs which women can take for menopausal
>symptoms.
 
If you don't get an answer here, ask over in talk.health.alternative, a
new newsgroup split off from sci.med just for these sort of questions.
Most of the folks remaining here are advocates of scientific as opposed
to folk or alternative medicine.

David Nye
nyeda@cnsvax.uwec.edu
From: wright@duca.hi.com (David Wright)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Severe Acne Help!
Date: 30 Dec 92 10:59:16 GMT
Organization: Hitachi Computer Products, OSSD division
NNTP-Posting-Host: duca.hi.com

In article <1992Dec29.205533.28549@pegasus.com> alto@pegasus.com
(Andrea Ostensoe) writes: 
>My daughter has suffered from acne since about the age of 13 and
>recently it has gotten worse.  We have been to many dermatologists
>and she is very careful about what she eats and follows all medical
>advice to the letter.  
>
>She is so depressed about this problem at the moment that she is becoming
>suicidal.  
>
>Is there any *new* research, medical info in this area..some new
>approach..nothing has worked from antibiotics to Retin A
>
>She is 21 now and I had hopes that as she entered her twenties it would
>subside.
>
>Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Has she tried Accutane?  I did, about 5 years ago (I was about 30),
and my skin has been nearly flawless since.  It's still oily, but only
breaks out when I'm under major stress for an extended period.  (And
even then, the lesions clear up fast.)  My acne was never severe, but
even high doses of antibiotics never cleared it up completely.
Retin-A didn't help much either.

I've known a number of people who tried it, and it worked for all of
them (OK, one guy did have to go through it twice).  It seems to work
better the worse your acne is, interestingly.

It's a pretty fierce drug and can have significant side effects, but
by golly, it works!

  -- David Wright, Hitachi Computer Products (America), Inc.
     wright@hicomb.hi.com

"When you're out in your car, did you ever notice that anyone driving
slower than you is an idiot?" -- George Carlin
From: turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Immunotherapy
Date: 26 Dec 1992 09:48:05 -0600
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
NNTP-Posting-Host: im4u.cs.utexas.edu
Summary: Hi, ho, and away!

-*----
In article <1992Dec23.104948.12174@vms.eurokom.ie> mdebuitlear@vms.eurokom.ie writes:
> People who are going to die don't really give a damn about scientific
> evidence. ** As long as the suggestions don't do any harm and don't cut 
> across conventional treatment **, they have nothing to lose. If Robert 
> knows of a few people whose lives have been saved by some _safe_ treatment
> and witheld that information from someone who requested it, it would be a 
> far greater crime, IMHO.  

Even more, I have nothing against people who are suffering
disease making an informed choice to try treatments that are
unproved, potentially dangerous, or used instead of treatments
with some known efficacy.  There are a variety of reasons one
might choose to do this, and it is not my place to set the course
of another person's life.  

What I oppose is deceit.  Many people who advocate quack
treatments advertise them dishonestly.  (Often with good intent
and out of ignorance rather than malice, but the effect is the
same nonetheless.)  Robert Greenstein did not say that he knew of
an unproved treatment, but rather, that he knew of a treatment
that saved lives.  For all we know, the treatment is disproved or
dangerous.  (Do you think Robert Greenstein would know these
things were they the case?)

So yes, I will continue to warn readers when writers like Robert
Greenstein advocate treatments from a stance of ignorance.  If
they decide hunt the wild goose, that is their choice.  But let
them have at least a warning of the quality of information on
which they are making such decisions.

> Think about it, if you had inoperable stomach cancer and were given 
> two months to live and someone told you that they knew several
> people who had reversed similar conditions by drinking large
> amounts of carrot juice, would you try it ? 

If I had two months left to live, I would not want to waste it
trying every cure that someone alleges saved another from the
same condition.  One could easily consume all of one's remaining
time on such things.  Indeed, there are people dying of cancer
who spend their last year or two engaged in nothing but a frantic
search for something that will cure them.  I think this is
pitiful.  I can think of better ways to live, even if it is only
for a short time.

Russell
From: nyeda@cnsvax.uwec.edu (David Nye)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Reporting Symptoms
Date: 2 Jan 93 23:46:09 -0600
Organization: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

[reply to jsb16@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu]
 
>I have a question about reporting symptoms. How do I know what I need
>to report for my doctor? I often end up leaving the doctor's office with
>the feeling that I've forgotten to mention something which might be
>important. [Description of symptoms omitted].
 
Tell her you think you have fibromyalgia.  I'll send you some stuff on
it.  Also consider joining FIBROM-L@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU.  In general, when
seeing a doctor, it is not a good idea to take in a list of symptoms.
The doctor will often take this to mean that your symptoms are so vague
that you can't remember them without the list.  The best way to get your
story straight is to do just what you have done:  tell it to someone
else first.  In the case of fibromyalgia, the problem is that the
manifestations are so protean that many patients resist mentioning all
their symptoms for fear that they will be labeled a hypochondriac.
Your doctor will be able to confirm the diagnosis by finding multiple
tender points in characteristic locations.
 
One note of caution:  despite fibromyalgia's frequency, the majority of
physicians know little about it and deal with it poorly.  If you find
that you are getting nowhere, see an expert.  A university clinic near
you probably has a fibromyalgia clinic.

David Nye
nyeda@cnsvax.uwec.edu
Newsgroups: sci.med,misc.health.alternative
From: markmc@halcyon.com (Mark McWiggins)
Subject: Survived melanoma? How did you do it?
Organization: Northwest Nexus Inc. (206) 455-3505
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 04:34:31 GMT

I'm sitting here with a dear friend whose husband has been diagnosed
with stage IV melanoma. We're not done with him yet, so we wonder:

If you or someone you know survived this condition, how did they do it?

Please e-mail all relevant details, and I'll post a summary if there's
interest.

Thanks in advance; this is, of course, urgent.

-- 
Mark McWiggins        Hermes & Associates		+1 206 632 1905 (voice)
markmc@halcyon.com    Box 31356, Seattle WA 98103-1356  +1 206 632 1738 (fax)
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: lamontg@stein.u.washington.edu (Lamont Granquist)
Subject: Re: post-Prozac reactions
Organization: 'Operation: Mindcrime'
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 14:26:15 GMT

cash@convex.com (Peter Cash) writes:
>Well, depression is often said to have anger as a component (though the
>anger is usually turned inward). It seems reasonable to me to suppose that
>as the drug lifts your depression and you become more extroverted, your
>anger is directed outside of yourself. (Perhaps at someone who genuinely
>makes you angry, perhaps at an inappropriate target.) This is only a guess,
>of course.

Wasn't it.  I nearly blew up.  It *felt* like a chemical flood, much in
the same way that a panic attack does.  I had the latter awhile later in
response to the prozac, and it *definitely* wasn't something internalized
coming out -- I even felt uncomfortably stoned...  the anger (more like
rage) had a similar feel to it.  It was detatched from "me" and felt
chemical...  its kinda hard to explain without experiencing it... 

And Prozac didn't lift my "depression", so that couldn't have been it no
matter what...

All I'd do is caution people about Prozac, and suggest that if they're
feeling psychiatrically weird on it, to switch to a different SSRI like
Zoloft...  (which pretty much is advice that goes for any of these drugs...).

>>Nortryptyline didn't do anything like this, Wellbutrin didn't do anything
>>like this... 
>
>Did they work as well? If so, why not switch back if Prozac causes
>problems?

None of the above works.  Only phenelzine works, and only 50%...

-- 
Lamont Granquist  lamontg@u.washington.edu
  "When dogma enters the brain, all intellectual activity ceases."
                                      -- Robert Anton Wilson
From: km@ky3b.pgh.pa.us (Ken Mitchum)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Non-physician bashing
Date: 31 Dec 92 23:49:47 GMT
Organization: KY3B - Vax Pittsburgh, PA

In article <1992Dec22.095756.12170@vms.eurokom.ie>, mdebuitlear@vms.eurokom.ie writes:
|> In article <1gvpgsINNm32@im4u.cs.utexas.edu>, turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) writes:
|> > -*----
|> > 
|> > Those who embrace quack theories (including most conspiracy
|> > theories) are not themselves a conspiracy; they are merely less
|> > than well educated or lacking in the skills for critical thought
|> > in the area concerned.  A conspiracy implies some level of
|> > coordinated intent and understanding of purpose.  Quack theories
|> > are merely memes that appeal to those who are susceptible.  
|> > 
|> 
|> I agree fully, but my list of quack therapies may not match yours exactly,
|> (although they would, no doubt, have common entries).
|> 
|> > I don't think Ken Mitchum was implying a conspiracy among those
|> > who embrace quack theories.
|> > 
|> 
|> I think that, in the context of his original post, he was.
|> 
|> > Russell
|> 
|> Micheal.

Think again. I am at least astute enough to recognize that most of the proponents
of these theories on the net are highly individualistic people, who likely pride
themselves on their ability to think independently. That is, I suspect, one of the
reasons they so distrust traditional medicine, and doctors who they perceive as
wanting to do their thinking for them. In addition, I think that perceptive readers
of sci.med will realize that there is no "party line" of thinking that is common
among the different posters. The only commonality is what I've already eluded to:
the perception that conventional medicine itself is some type of conspiracy. This
commonality is not in itself a "conspiracy" but a necessary assumption that these
people must make to reject conventional medicine, because if one accepts the
notion that physicians try to act in the patient's interest, and are honestly
interested in helping patients get well and stay free of disease, one is awfully
close to accepting the notion that some of what physicians do and believe in may
actually be beneficial. 

I am not, by the way, an apologist for all the assholes who hold medical degrees
and treat their patients like shit, or who make jillions of dollars doing
unncessary things. I am an apologist for those who went into medicine for the
right reasons, and are trying to do their jobs and help their patients. At last
count there were over a dozen of these people.

-km
From: mckay@alcor.concordia.ca (John McKay)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Human parthenogenesis
Date: 28 Dec 92 04:28:39 GMT
Organization: Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
Originator: mckay@alcor.concordia.ca


Is there any documented, credible, medical evidence for
human parthenogenesis? 
Today, can such be verified by DNA analysis?

Newsgroups: sci.med
From: rp@llex.ll.mit.edu ( Richard Pavelle)
Subject: antiperspirants/deodorants
Originator: rp@llex
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 01:05:19 GMT


Some queries:
How do these aluminum-based chemicals work? 
Do they actually clog the pores and prevent perspiration?
Why does the deodorant action occur?
Are there any non-aluminum-based chemicals that are available
for these purposes?
From: nyeda@cnsvax.uwec.edu (David Nye)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Tuberculosis
Date: 1 Jan 93 00:00:28 -0600
Organization: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

[reply to Fulk%Cs.Rochester.Edu@f595.n106.z1.fidonet.org]
 
>Second, since he told me this, I've been hesitant to visit them.  I'm
>running out of excuses why I can't come over.  Is it as contagious as
>I think it is.  Am I being overly cautious by not visiting there?
 
>If the case is inactive, you probably don't have anything to worry
>about.  If her case is active, however, you should be somewhat worried.
>TB is not as contagious as a cold, but it is contagious.
 
It's contageous enough that OSHA now makes us wear respirators that make
us look like Darth Vadar when we encounter known TB cases in the ER.
Caveat respiror.

David Nye
nyeda@cnsvax.uwec.edu
From: mjc+@cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: treating Lyme
Date: 30 Dec 92 22:13:55 GMT
Article-I.D.: NL.mjc.725753635
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

I seem to have overcome one of the bigger hurdles with Lyme Disease; my
doctor actually agrees that I have it, unreliable tests and all.  
(Unfortunately, those unreliable tests have cost me time; I contracted
Lyme in mid-August and I'm still in the initial phases of fighting it off.)

However, what do we do about it?  We did Doryx (100 mg 2x/day) for a month,
and there was no change in my symptoms.  (There was then an inconclusive
test followed by another positive one.)  I'm now halfway through a month
of amoxicillin (1g 3x/day), and my primary symptom has gotten *worse* during
this time.  Unfortunately, my primary symptom is muscle/joint problems in my
right hand and wrist, where I also have a history of tendonitis, but the 
tendonitis pain is different from the Lyme pain and this definitely feels
more like the latter.  Even without this symptom to help track the disease,
I gather I shouldn't trust the tests -- but in this case it looks to this
layman like the tests won't tell us anything we don't already know.

What's the next step in the treatment if the amoxicillin doesn't work?  I've
been pretty much driving the discussions on treatment; my doctor seems to be
basically competent but not as informed as I would like.  I'd like to know
what to ask him questions about next.

Oh, my doctor has said on a number of occasions that the symptoms will
persist for "a while" after the disease is gone.  Is this right?  Is there
any harm in taking antibiotics for longer than the disease is actually
present?  How else should we determine that it's gone, if not from symptoms?

Thanks for your help!

Monica