HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: drinking urine
Date: 12 Jan 93 20:18:38 GMT
Reply-To: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <43044@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> wsun@jeeves.ucsd.edu (Fiberman) writes:
>Hello netter,
>
>I am a skinny guy trying to gain some weight.  A friend
>suggested that I drink a cup of my own urine every morning, the
>idea that most of the nutrients not absorbed by my intestine is
>in the urine.  Before I try this, I want to know if there are
>any health hazards, especially long term ones, from drinking
>urine.  I would appreciate any information.
>

As long as you only drink a small fraction of your urine output,
there are no significant health hazards.  What your friend
told you about nutrients is bogus, however.  Only those with
serious kidney disease or who are overdosing themselves with
vitamins have any significant nutrients in their urine.  How
could it possibly get into your urine if it wasn't absorbed
by your intestine in the first place?  In that case, the nutrients
will be found in your feces, and I don't advise you to eat that!


-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: kevin@asstdc.oz.au (Kevin Mann)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: The senses
Date: Sat, 09 Jan 1993 10:43:39 +1100
X-FTN-To: All

In a msg on <Jan 06 08:19>, Ron Williams of ron@syacus.acus.oz.au  writes:

 RW> clarity and equanimity _anywhere_. There is a saying that a 
 RW> saint is able to live in serenity in the midst of the deepest 
 RW> hell.

Almost any form of (self?) anaesthesia would bestow a similar ability on a
non-saint. 

 
RW> I am not a practising Buddhist, and would certainly not swallow 
 RW> any belief system whole, but I feel that the practices 
 RW> described in the above two books _are_ useful. 

I believe that the exagerated 'inward searching' (that plays such a significant
role in 'Eastern' Religions) to the exclusion of a wider contemplation, has had
a stiffling effect on those cultures in which such philosophies predominate.
Better to dream about what you can achieve in the widest sense, rather than
focus on what you are ? 

Regards,
Kevin Mann <kevin@asstdc.oz.au> Fidonet 3:711/430.0


Newsgroups: sci.med
From: mparks@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (michelle.lim)
Subject: Softened water
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 02:24:14 GMT
Keywords: soft water health


We have a water softener in our house.  It was
in the house when we purchased it, and I think
it's connected to the kitchen faucet as well as
the bathrooms.   How do you tell if the water  is
too high in sodium for your health?  Do filtration
systems take out sodium and any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

Michelle
From: Robert.Lewy.MD@f9453.n106.z1.fidonet.org (Robert Lewy MD)
Sender: Usenet@f-454.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Breast Implant Info Needed
Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1993 11:37:06 -0600

Start with Cronin et al, in Transactions of the 3rd Intnational Congress of
Plastic abd Reconstructive Surgery.
(Excerpta Medica 1964:41)- the original article
Then, Human Adjuvant Disease: A review of the literature: Plastic Reconstr Sur
1984; 78:104-114.Then,
Safety of Breast Implants Questioned, The New York Times- Tuesday, Sept 17,
1991

Should doctors really be personally accountable? I see these folks all the time
(the patients, that is) and while they are
miserable, and some recent suits have been VERY large and in favor of the
patient, they have been against the
manufacturer. No doctor can really be knowlegeable about this kind of
biochemistry research, but if the makers have
withheld data, thats another story.
Good Luck

Newsgroups: sci.med
From: markmc@halcyon.com (Mark McWiggins)
Subject: Re: Colds & toothbrushes
Organization: Northwest Nexus Inc. (206) 455-3505
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 11:05:46 GMT

I'm pretty sure I saw a report a while back (Science News?) that people
tossing out their toothbrushes at the onset of a cold had less
intense/shorter colds.

I could be wrong about this, but that's the way I remember it. Maybe
toothpaste is a mutagen for viruses? :-)
-- 
Mark McWiggins        Hermes & Associates		+1 206 632 1905 (voice)
markmc@halcyon.com    Box 31356, Seattle WA 98103-1356  +1 206 632 1738 (fax)
From: pburch@roc.mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Paula Burch)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Migraine Medication
Date: 5 Jan 1993 18:07:40 GMT
Organization: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tx
Distribution: world
Reply-To: pburch@bcm.tmc.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: roc.mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu
Originator: pburch@roc.mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu


In article <17943@pitt.UUCP>, geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:

> In my experience, propranolol is more effective than verapamil, although
> more people have side effects.

How do these compare to taking Midren as a prophylactic against migraines?
Side effects, cost?

(I don't remember what drugs are in Midren--acetaminophen plus a sedative
plus something to supposedly do something vascular.)

Paula Burch
pburch@bcm.tmc.edu
From: sfm@manduca.neurobio.arizona.edu (Stephen Matheson)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Huntingtons Korea/Chorea - any information?
Date: 8 Jan 93 04:19:48 GMT
Organization: University of Arizona UNIX Users Group

From article <1993Jan7.201008.13911@bnr.uk>, by kmcgee@bnr.ca (Kenneth McGee):
> Has anyone got any information or be able to give me referneces (books,
> organizations etc) on the disease HUNTINGTONS KOREA/CHOREA?

I'd be happy to get you started: I'm at home and so my best reference
is my oft-unreliable memory.

The disease is Huntington's chorea, or just Huntington's disease.
A good general source of information would be Scientific American.
Depending on your background, you might learn a lot from _Principles
of Neural Science_ by Kandel, Schwartz and Jessel (3rd ed. or 2nd is fine).

> It attacks the whole nervous system, and has symptoms similar to Parkinsons.

Hmmm.  I think you're wrong on both counts.  First, while there is massive
neuronal degeneration in at least the more advanced stages of the disease,
there is striking specificity: the striatum is devastated, as is the
frontal cortex.  Second, the symptoms of Parkinson's and Huntington's
are roughly opposites: Parkinson's is characterized by *difficulty* in
moving, while Huntington's is characterized by *uncontrollable*
movement.  Mental deterioration is more prominent (and earlier in
onset) in Huntington's than in Parkinson's.

Huntington's disease is a genetic disease, a pure dominant lethal mutation.
Parkinson's disease has no known cause.

> Any information will be very much appreciated.

Hope this helps get you started.  I'd be happy to contribute further
with the help of my references.

--

Steve Matheson   Program in Neuroscience   University of Arizona
sfm@neurobio.arizona.edu
Xref: sparky sci.med:23750 sci.med.occupational:198 comp.human-factors:2954 news.answers:5058
From: howard@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM (Howard Steel)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Sea water consumption
Date: 8 Jan 93 20:41:58 GMT
Organization: Imaging Systems Division, NCR Corp, Waterloo, Ont., CANADA


Can someone please tell me why drinking sea-water is not good. Let me clarify
the question. I am looking for detail (not just there is too much salt). I know
that the adrenal glands produce Aldosterone which controls the reabsorbtion of
sodium ions and water, and that this exchange takes place in the loop of Henle
but what I don't know (or won't sink in) is the mechanics behind the exchange.
Will the fluid surrounding the tissue be drawn out into the blood stream?
Will the blood be forced by osmotic pressure out of the capillaries and into
the intestines?
Thanks in advance.

--
Howard.Steel@Waterloo.NCR.COM		NCR Canada Ltd.
Product Safety				E & M Waterloo
(519)884-1710 Ext 570			580 Weber St.N Waterloo, Ont., N2J 4G5
(519)884-0610 Facs			
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: jgnassi@athena.mit.edu (John Angelo Gnassi)
Subject: Re: Hypothyroidism
Keywords: squat broadbilled avian behavior
Organization: Massachusetts General Hospital - Lab of Computer Science
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 15:07:07 GMT

In article <1993Jan11.222905.9161@island.COM> green@island.COM (Robert Greenstein) writes:
>In article <1ikh6eINN2qr@im4u.cs.utexas.edu> turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) writes:
>>If the answers to these questions are "no," then let's put it
>>simply: traditional Chinese medicine didn't understand
>>hypothyroidism and had no way of knowing the effects of their
>>remedies on this problem.  And if this is so, anyone who applies
>>traditional Chinese medicine today in the treatment of
>>hypothyroidism is a dangerous quack.
>
>This is wrong. CHinese medicine certainly knows the effects of the remedies.
>THe signs and symptoms improve, and the patient gets better. WHy is 
>that such a difficult concept to grasp?

Because you claim that a particlar kind of therapy treats
hypothyroidism without any evidence.  That's quack medicine.

Show us patients with hypothyroidism.  Treat them with Chinese
medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, levothyroxin, placebo, and lemonaid.
Then let's reevaluate their thyroid levels and symptoms of
hypothyroidism, and see which group did better.  Complain
intelligently to us of flaws in the studies of levothyroxin already
conducted.  But don't just disregard the evidence for thyroid
preparations, which is pretty certain therapy, and recommend 
unproven (and perhaps even unevaluated) therapies.

--
     John Angelo Gnassi                 Lab of Computer Science
   jgnassi@hstbme.mit.edu               Massachusetts General Hospital
     "Eternal Student"                  Boston, Massachusetts, USA
     "The Earth be spanned, connected by a Network" - Walt Whitman
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: sck@epg.harris.com (Sharon C.Kelly)
Subject: Alternatives to Breastfeeding
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 21:02:44 GMT
Organization: Harris Semiconductor, Melbourne  FL


Does anyone know of sources of breast milk if the mother cannot breastfeed?

I'm 4 months pregnant with my 3rd child and won't be able to breastfeed
her because I had bilateral total mastectomy for breast cancer 7 years
ago.  I appreciate the many benefits of breastfeeding; I nursed my other
other two for a year each 12 and 15 years ago.

Before I approach my doctors or our hospital, I'd appreciate any insight or
suggestions any of you in this newsgroup could give me.


Thanks --

Sharon Kelly
sck@epg.harris.com
From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: drinking urine
Date: 5 Jan 93 03:21:12 GMT
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA

In article <43044@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> wsun@jeeves.ucsd.edu (Fiberman) writes:
>I am a skinny guy trying to gain some weight.  A friend
>suggested that I drink a cup of my own urine every morning, the
>idea that most of the nutrients not absorbed by my intestine is
>in the urine.

A milkshake of ice cream or ice milk, milk, skim milk powder, your favorite
fruits or other flavorings sounds more appetizing and has quite a few more
calories than urine.  Try that first.

If that doesn't work out, I have some friends I could introduce you to.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: seanna@bnr.ca (Seanna Watson)
Subject: Re: Ecxema
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 19:45:00 GMT

In article <1993Jan11.163812.3900@spdcc.com> dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
>In article <1993Jan11.155501.14337@bcrka451.bnr.ca> seanna@bnr.ca (Seanna Watson) writes:
>
>>Around here, excema is generally cured when spring comes, no matter
>>what treatment is applied.  Fond hopes that the kids have outgrown it
>>have so far been dashed each December.
>
>Sounds more like really bad dry skin to me.
>
Well, you may be right--I don't know how to tell the difference.  One
doctor said it was eczema (that's better than how I was spelling it
before), and one said it was psoriasis.  (One was a GP and one a derm-
atologiest, but I can't remember which said which.) But we also all have
dry skin, which shows up as large rough/slightly red areas, which is 
distinguishable from the smaller, redder, itchy patches which I had assumed 
were the eczema.  Is it possible that the dry skin is more susceptible
to eczema, and that is why it shows up in the winter?
-- 
Seanna Watson   Bell-Northern Research, 
(seanna@bnr.ca) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Opinions, what opinions?  Oh *these* opinions. | It's hard to seize the
No, they're not BNR's, they're mine.           | day when you must first
I knew I'd left them somewhere.                | grapple with the morning.
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: laura@TASVAX.NSWSES.NAVY.MIL
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Advice on contact lenses wanted (especially on disposable ones)
Date: 5 Jan 93 21:21:29 GMT
Reply-To: laura@TASVAX.NSWSES.NAVY.MIL
Organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division

In article <1i8hjoINN86t@agate.berkeley.edu>, werner@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu (John Werner) writes:
>In article <1773@emoryu1.cc.emory.edu> splee@pd.org writes:
>>
>>hard lenses :	The original, harder to adapt to, and have to be taken out
>>   		for cleaning every night
>>soft lenses :	Easier to adapt to, more prone to infections? Not suitable
>>		for people with astigmatism. Some are extended wear.
>>disposable:	Wear for two weeks and throw away. This is the one she

>A few comments on soft lenses:

>...I kind of doubt
>the "more prone to infections" bit, but I'm not sure...

>Most soft lenses are supposed to be taken out for cleaning every
>night, plus weekly enzyme treatments.  But I don't take care of mine
>nearly as well as I should, and the current pair has lasted about 2
>years.  They're Bausch & Lomb "Ultima" soft torics, if anyone cares.

>There are some extended wear soft lenses, but my optometrist says
>they're mostly a good way to get an eye infection.  He says even the
>disposable ones should be taken out at night.

My doctors (I've had a few) have also told me not to keep a pair of lenses
for more than one year.  Also, if you do not take care of your lenses, you
can really hurt your eyes.

I used to be very careless about my contact lenses.  It was a *huge* mistake.
I had extended wear lenses, and I'd forget to clean them.  I would frequently
leave them in for 6 weeks.  Also, I would keep the lenses for about 1.5 years.

Now, my eyes show evidence of oxygen deprivation, my eyelids are all torn up,
and I require deposit-reistant lenses (if a doctor will prescribe them at all).

For the last couple of years, I've been wearing my glasses.  Contact lenses
may not even be an option for me anymore.  It's my own fault, and I'm not
complaining.  I just want to warn other contact lens wearers to follow their
doctor's instructions exactly.

Laura

laura@tasvax.nswses.navy.mil                      I speak only for myself.
Mom to Maryrose Nadine McGovern - born 8-5-92
From: nyeda@cnsvax.uwec.edu (David Nye)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Breast implants and Breast Feeding
Date: 11 Jan 93 02:16:53 -0600
Organization: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

[reply to thuyan@ravel.udel.edu]
 
>With Breast implants, I was wondering if someone can still breast feed.
 
Yes.
 
>So, what are the dangers (besides silicone leakage)?
 
None.  Silicone is very unlikely to get into the breast milk.

David Nye
nyeda@cnsvax.uwec.edu
From: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Non-physician bashing
Date: 4 Jan 93 15:43:16 GMT
Reply-To: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <esther.725149226@sarge> esther@verdix.com (Esther Lumsdon) writes:


>This is not really surprising.  One can go through an undergraduate
>degree and medical school, and residency, and still lack the skills
>for critical thought.  
>-- 

While I'm categorizing, here's another set:

There is the quack MD who is a renegade.  He lacks critical thinking
facilities or has a big enough ego to think that whatever therapy
he comes up with must be super.

There is the quack MD who is an out and out charlatan.  He knows that
his therapy is worthless, but it is very lucrative.  These can be
spotted by the magnitude of their fees and their demand (often) for
cash in advance.

There is the quack MD who is insane.  There are more of these than
you want to know about.
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: owens@gargoyle.uchicago.edu (Christopher Owens)
Subject: Re: Heating milk in microwave for babies??
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 20:13:52 GMT

In <1ikad5INN3pp@early-bird.think.com> rpalmer@Think.COM (Ralph Palmer) writes:


> [...] potential hot spots in the milk.  Microwave ovens
> do not always heat evenly and although you may think the milk 
> is ok there might be a hot spot that could scald the child.

Even if you are careful to eliminate the hot spots by shaking the
bottle after heating, you face the problem of having overheated some
of the milk (i.e. that portion that was in the hot spots), thereby
reducing its antibody effectiveness.  Somewhere I remember reading
that temperatures of 110 F (43C), which only feels a little hotter
than body temp, had been shown to inactivate some of the antibodies in
breast milk.
From: lc2b+@andrew.cmu.edu (Lawrence Curcio)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: AIDS and Transplants
Date: 10 Jan 93 05:52:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.UfI4MZ600YUnQ2=4tH
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Recent announcements regarding the baboon liver transplant patient got
me wondering. Are AIDS patients especially good candidates for
transplants because of their damaged immune systems?
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller)
Subject: Re: Physicians' effort  Was: Re: Physician's Incomes
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 20:13:07 GMT

In article <17957@pitt.UUCP> geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:
>In article <Bzz4n7.3xw@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) writes:
>>>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.  
>
>Well, I didn't mean they weren't creative or innovative.  That part
>is fun, and this definitely occurs in Britain and Denmark, where
>I've observed first hand.  What suffers is boring dogwork, like
>seeing extra clinic patients.  Here, the physician does it because
>he gets paid for doing it.  There, they go home at 5, regardless,
>and the patient just gets a longer wait for any non-emergency care.
>The physician is really more like a machine here, having less
>time for personal pursuits.  A money-generating machine, actually.
>However, if you want to see a physician next week, it is definitely
>to your advantage to live here (provided you have money or insurance).
>-- 

I agree with Gordon, based on personal experiences in the USA and
the UK.  I wanted to reply to the posting by Herman, but wasn't sure
if I wanted to reply to any more straw men set up by people who are
just guessing about the subject.  Medical care is different in the UK, but 
it certainly isn't substandard.   I had arguments with my mother when I
said I was going to England with my daughter, because she's read too many
Time and Newsweek articles about how "terrible" the medical services are
in the UK.  Other people have made similar comments to me.  I lose patience
over this, because the UK is the ONLY place I've ever lived where doctors
make midnight house calls.

Even if non-emergency patients *might* have to wait an extra day (we never
experienced this, but we have here in the US - just the luck of the day)
people with genuine difficulties get seen right away.  And you don't have to 
drag sick children or or your sick self out to an emergency room.

I had more trouble adjusting to the over the counter medications in the
UK.  Linctus?  Where's the cough syrup??  :-)
From: green@island.COM (Robert Greenstein)
Subject: Re: Hypothyroidism
Organization: Strawman Incorporated
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 22:29:05 GMT

In article <1ikh6eINN2qr@im4u.cs.utexas.edu> turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) writes:
>In article <1993Jan8.170551.1747@island.COM> green@island.COM (Robert Greenstein) writes:
>> Xiao Yao Wan ... is an old and very effective formula for treating
>> certain syndromes which according to traditional Chinese medical
>> theory, may or may not include hypothyroidism. ...
>
>Such a long sentence to say nothing!  Tell us, Robert, had 
>traditional Chinese medicine even characterized the biochemical
>function of the thyroid?  Did they have any way to measure 
>thyroid function?  Did they distinguish hypothyroidism from 
>other diseases with similar symtoms?  Did they know anything of
>its causes? 

No. No. No. and No. THe Chinese medical system does not treat "Western" 
diseases. That is, diseases with Western medical labels attached to them. 
It treats a set of signs and symptoms which form a syndrome. For 
example, Deficient Kidney Yang. Various Western medical diseases may
fall into this category. Or they might fall into several categories
because the underlying etiology can be different in different people.
So no, hypothyroidism is not treated as such. Which is not to say that
it is not treated at all.                                              

>If the answers to these questions are "no," then let's put it
>simply: traditional Chinese medicine didn't understand
>hypothyroidism and had no way of knowing the effects of their
>remedies on this problem.  And if this is so, anyone who applies
>traditional Chinese medicine today in the treatment of
>hypothyroidism is a dangerous quack.

This is wrong. CHinese medicine certainly knows the effects of the remedies.
THe signs and symptoms improve, and the patient gets better. WHy is 
that such a difficult concept to grasp?

Quack, quack.

>> Acupuncture can definitely be used to stimulate a low-acting 
>> thyroid, as well as to treat hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's, etc.
>
>Do you have *any* evidence of this?

Sure. Check out the latest issue of NEJM :-)
-- 
******************************************************************************
Robert Greenstein           What the fool cannot learn he laughs at, thinking
green@srilanka.island.com   that by his laughter he shows superiority instead
                            of latent idiocy - M. Corelli
Xref: sparky sci.med:23779 sci.skeptic:22308