HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Yocon
Date: 9 Jan 93 19:14:48 GMT
Reply-To: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Organization: COMANDOS Project, Glesga Yoonie

dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) wrote:
> Yocon is yohimbine, a centrally-acting alpha-2-adrenergic antagonist which
> blocks the actions of central inhibitory synapses, and therefore increases
> the general sympathetic activity coming from the brain to the rest of your
> body.  Apparently the increase in sympathetic outflow is somehow wired to
> the male genitalia, that it helps in maintaining an erection.

I haven't heard of Yocon but I tried yohimbe bark infusion for fun many
years ago.  It seemed to have more sensory effect than Steve's suggesting -
an intensification of some kinds of erotically pleasurable tactile sensations
and a general feeling of physical warmth.  The effect was quite unlike what
I expected a reputed aphrodisiac to do but way too powerful to be placebo.

Given the general naughtiness of its action I am nothing short of amazed
that it's still legal.  What is its exact status in the US?  I don't think
it's available in the UK: muirapuama used to be in the British
Pharmacapoeia as an aphrodisiac - does that act on the same receptors?

The effect the stuff had on me was sufficiently generic that I'd expect it
to be just as effective on women, though its original use in Africa seems
to have been exclusively by men. 

-- 
--  Jack Campin    room G092, Computing Science Department, Glasgow University,
17 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, Scotland   TEL: 041 339 8855 x6854 (work)
INTERNET: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk or via nsfnet-relay.ac.uk    FAX: 041 330 4913
BANG!net: via mcsun and uknet     BITNET: via UKACRL    UUCP: jack@glasgow.uucp
From: Alan.Holmes@brunel.ac.uk (Alan J Holmes)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Need some info on diabetes and other diseases
Date: 5 Jan 93 14:33:18 GMT
Organization: Brunel University, West London, UK

My mother suffered from diabetes during the last years of her life
and it was controlled by tablets.

Regards

Alan Holmes
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: med50003@nusunix1.nus.sg (WANSAICHEONG KHIN-LIN)
Subject: Re: Ventolin
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 19:04:25 GMT

My apologies for my prior post about terfenadine. As correctly pointed
out, terfenadine is an anti-histamine. The drug in question escapes my
mine at the moment but it was a recent beta agonist introduced into New
Zealand so that's why the study was done.

A useful article may be

Asthma : a follow up statement from an international paediatric asthma
consensus group
Archives of Disease in Childhood 1992, 67:240-248

gervais

Newsgroups: sci.med
From: kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad)
Subject: Re: resisting electromagnetic radiation
Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering
Distribution: sci.med, sci.med.physics, sci.engr.biomed, misc.health.alternative
Date: 8 Jan 93 11:25:01 CST

In article <1993Jan8.082352.12105@mr.med.ge.com> hinz@picard.med.ge.com (David Hinz (hinz@picard.med.ge.com)) writes:
>Denise M. Cuevas (denise@isl.stanford.edu) wrote:
>: 
>: Has any research been done on blocking electromagnetic radiation? I
>: assume that planting trees between my house and the power lines
>: would be ineffective. How about buttressing the walls of my house with
>: some sort of repulsing material?
>
>A Faraday cage is used to block RF leakage, can't really speak for 60Hz 
>though.  Basically, what you need is a conductive box, with no gaps,
>surrounding that which you want to keep  the RF out of (or in).

That's the right idea.  You want to use a big box that "looks" like a solid
metal conductor to the incoming radiation.  There are a lot of geometrical
dependencies that come in here, but in general, if the spacing between
holes in a perforated metal sheet is considerably less than the wavelength
of the radiation, the perforated sheet will "look" almost like a solid
metal sheet.

This is how those grills on microwaves work: The little holes in the grill
are spaced closer together than the wavelength of the microwaves, so the
microwaves stay inside and don't fry you.  On the other hand, light has a
much much higher frequency than microwaves, so the wavelength is much much
shorter, so the grill doesn't look like a conductor at all, and light
passes through the grill very much unaffected, so that you can watch your
turkey roast.

Unfortunately (from your perspective), the wavelength of 60Hz is absolutely
huge, and you're going to need a solid metal box to keep it out.

						---Joel Kolstad
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Ventolin
From: RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Ruth Ginzberg)
Date: 7 Jan 93 11:48:48 EDT
Distribution: world
Organization: Philosophy Dept., Wesleyan University
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.20In-Reply-To: (MJ)'s message of 7 Jan 93 13:14:52 GMTLines: 30

In <4262@eastman.UUCP> (MJ) writes:

> Question:  Is there any evidence of negative long term effects in the
> regular use of Ventolin?  If so please point me towards the sources. 
> Thanks.

Geez, lots of folks have been using ventolin since it first came out & think it
is a real blessing.  It is *certainly* more effective & with fewer side effects
than the stuff you can get OTC, like "Primatine Mist" or "Bronkaid", & it beats
spending 1/2 the night coughing & wheezing by a long shot.

If your son is *regularly* needing to use ventolin at night, his pediatrician or
allergist might want to try one of the more prevention-oriented asthma
regimens, like cromolyn and/or azmacort (non-steroid, & steroid,
anti-inflammatory inhalers, respectively).  But for an occasional night-time
wheeze, I can't imagine anything better than a nearby Ventolin inhaler.

BTW, I grew up with mild exercise-induced asthma, & I grew up in a family which
had the attitude of Don't-Use-A-Drug-If-You-Can-Possibly-Get-Along-Without-It. 
The result was that I grew up avoiding exercise like the plague, & it took me
years to come to (a) not feel guilty for taking a puff of Ventolin even if I
wasn't on Death's doorstep, but just to be able to breathe better; and (b) not
fear getting out & moving around vigorously.  I often wonder how much less of a
couch potato I'd be now if I hadn't been an adult before I learned how to avoid
asthma, rather than just "putting up with it."
 

------------------------
Ruth Ginzberg <rginzberg@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
Philosophy Department;Wesleyan University;USA
From: mjk@icf.hrb.com (Michael J. Kelley)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Heating milk in microwave for babies??
Date: 8 Jan 93 05:23:40 EST
Organization: HRB Systems, Inc.

My wife fell asleep one night while heating a bottle of milk in a soup pan. 
She set of the smoke detector once the bottle started to burn. She now wants 
to heat the bottle of milk in the microwave. Is it safe to do this???  

A concerned father.						
                 
                                                              Mike Kelley
                                                             

###############################################################################
DoD # 645              Go Nittany Lions !!!             
###############################################################################
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: graham@venus.iucf.indiana.edu (JIM GRAHAM)
Subject: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy..Does it spread?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   
Reply-To: graham@venus.iucf.indiana.edu
Organization: Indiana University Cyclotron Facility, Bloomington, Indiana
Distribution:  world
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 02:01:52 GMT

Nine months ago, I was diagnosed as having RSD.

I have been through the "standard" treatments, and seen appropriate
specialists, hoping to rid myself of this syndrome.

Unfortunately, it is measurably "spreading", and I see no end in sight.

I am now very, very confused.

I would like to know, once and for all, whether or not RSD actually
"spreads".  I personally believe that it does, because I have it, and
have watched the symptoms peculiar to it slowly move up the affected
limb.

Recently, I hired a physician who _appears_ to have quite a bit of
experience with RSD, and I thought that he may be able to help in 
some way, even if it means amputation to stop the spread.

However, I just heard from another patient of his today, which happens
to be my mother.  She claims that during a conversation about me,
he told her that there's nothing to worry about because RSD does _not_
"spread".

Now I'm lost.  I literally do not know who to believe anymore.

Would some kind soul please at least _try_ to clarify this question
for me?

I would be elated to have references for or against, cited.  I need
this info ASAP, especially if RSD does spread, as I have another
appointment with the doctor next week, and I would like to try
to "educate" him.

I have been in contact with a few people who have or have had RSD, who
claim that it spreads.  Some of those people are now amputees, and glad
they elected amputation.

I also have some information from the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Association, and that literature states that RSDS does indeed, spread.

On the other hand, a neurosurgeon that examined me at a pain clinic
told me that I needn't worry about the RSD spreading.  Now, my current
doctor has apparently said the same thing.

Who is right?

Thank you in advance, 

Jim Graham 

        -> ->Disclaimer: I do not speak for my company. <- <-
                          Neither do they speak for me.
 ______________________________________________________________________
| Internet: graham@venus.iucf.indiana.edu                              |
|           dolmen!jgraham@moose.cs.indiana.edu                        |
| BBS:      The PORTAL DOLMEN BBS/ParaNet ALPHA-GAMMA (sm) (9:1012/13) |
|            (812) 334-0418, 24hrs.                                    |
|______________________________________________________________________|
From: wright@duca.hi.com (David Wright)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Questions about Reynaud's Syndrome
Date: 5 Jan 1993 15:04:57 -0000
Organization: Hitachi Computer Products, OSSD division
NNTP-Posting-Host: duca.hi.com

In article <1993Jan5.180157.4314@island.COM> green@island.COM (Robert Greenstein) writes:
>
>What crap this is. In the first place, very few MD's in clinical practice 
>would qualify as a scientist.

This, I think I'd agree with.

>Modern medicine is not a science. Its an art.
>Otherwise you could very easily replace the MD with a computer. 

I have a lot of trouble with this one.  I tried rewriting it as
"Modern physics is not a science.  Its [sic] an art.  Otherwise you
could very easily replace the physicist with a computer."  I had even
more trouble with that one.

>Secondly,

Try "second."

>are you seriously suggesting that a well-trained herbalist bases his
>treatment on rumors? Just because an herbal remedy has not been 
>evaluated in a university or pharmaceutical firm does not mean that
>there is no basis for prescribing it.

Doesn't mean that there is, either.  There are plenty of nice,
dangerous herbs out there, in addition to some that doubtless work
just fine.  (Not to mention problems with dosage, potency, etc. etc.)

  -- David Wright, Hitachi Computer Products (America), Inc.
     wright@hicomb.hi.com
     Not an official spokesperson for Hitachi
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Monday, 4 Jan 1993 11:20:50 EST
From: Susan F. Riley <SFR@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Astigmatism in Children

I need some reassurances, knowledge, advice, etc...

I took my 6 year old son for an eye exam on the recommendation of the
school nurse.  She tested him at 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other.
We had been noticing for a year or so that he squinted at times but when
we took him to the pediatrician, he tested 20/20 in both eyes, although
he had to really study the chart to do so.  It appeared that his eyes
were a little slow to focus.

The optometrist confirmed the school nurse's results but said he had
astigmatism in both eyes, slight in the 20/20 eye.  He now has to wear
glasses.  It nearly broke my heart to see how sad he looked when we went
to pick out his glasses.  He did find a pair that he seemed comfortable
with but we haven't picked them up yet.  I just hope he takes care of
his glasses better than he does his sunglasses.

I know that astigmatism is an improper curvature of the eyeball but what
causes that to occur?  No one in my family or my husband's family wears
glasses, except when old age comes into play.  We were quite surprised
then that he would have problems with his eyes at such a young age.  Can
astigmatism be corrected any other way except glasses?  Does astigmatism
get worse and worse or do glasses stop it from getting worse?  He is
very active is sports.  Will wearing glasses make it hard for him to be
active?

Susan F. Riley
University of Maine System
Computer and Data Processing Services
Orono, Maine 04469
(207)581-3530
From: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Request for information on herniated disk
Date: 5 Jan 93 15:59:53 GMT
Reply-To: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <1992Dec29.031556.27222@cs.ucla.edu> jha@maui.cs.ucla.edu (Vikas Jha) writes:

>1. detailed information about the herniated disk condition, 

There are books devoted to this topic.  I suggest your medical
library.

>2. current surgical and non-surgical methods of treatment,
>   and their effectiveness,

Surgical=remove the disk.  Non-surgical is mainly rest
in bed and hope the disk will move away from the nerve roots.
Often it does.  There is also injection of the disk with
a digestive enzyme, chymopapain, but misadventure here can
be utterly disastrous.

>3. issues to think about in choosing between surgery and
>   non-surgery,

Can you afford to spend a week or two in bed?  What kind of job
do you have?  Can you avoid physical labor?  Presence of motor
weakness or intolerable pain.  Demonstration of a definite
lesion on an imaging study (surgery should *never* be a
fishing expedition).

>4. issues of concern (risks etc) in the surgical procedure 
>   itself,

Anesthesia, unskilled surgeon, other illnesses that might
make surgery dangerous, like heart or lung problems.

>5. post-surgery convalescence: time spent in hospital, time
>   immobile, time displaced from work etc.
>

Few days in hospital, not immobile.  Off work depends on what
kind of work you do.
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Hypothyroidism
Date: 7 Jan 93 01:10:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: spdcc.1993Jan7.011054.8502
Distribution: usa
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA

In article <1993Jan6.170821.25083@ncar.ucar.edu> donnam@niwot.scd.ucar.edu (Donna Melle) writes:
>I work with a woman who has recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism.
>Prior to beginning a synthyroid prescription from her medical doctor, she
>decided to check out her medication options with a chinese herbologist.
>He claims to be able to permanently "cure" the hypothyroidism without the
>use of synthyroid.  The entire process will take several months.
>[list omitted]
>Does anyone know what these ingredients are and how they could be used to
>effectively treat hypothyroidism?

They don't.

>Can acupuncture stimulate and regulate a low-acting thyroid?

Not as far as I know.

>Does synthyroid have any side effects?

Synthroid is pure levo-thyroxine, the major thyroid hormone, and works
eminently well in cases of hypothyroidism, regardless of the cause.
When thyroid is administered as replacement therapy at the appropriate
dosage, it is without side effects.  It might take a little while to find
the dose which makes her euthyroid (normal) again.  If someone had an extremely
low thyroid for a prolonged period of time (a clearly life-threatening
condition, most unlikely in this case, seeing as she's still able to walk
to visit a quack), the prescribed dose of thyroid hormone would initially be
very low, to avoid side effects resulting from correcting the condition too
quickly.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
Xref: sparky sci.med:23739 sci.skeptic:22274
From: swf@tools3teradata.com (Stan Friesen)
Newsgroups: sci.med,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: Characterization of quack theories
Date: 10 Jan 93 19:01:33 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: NCR Teradata Database Business Unit

In article <1iifmgINNkfc@duca.hi.com>, wright@duca.hi.com (David Wright) writes:
|> 
|> Lest we go overboard, I would have trouble with an argument that said
|> "there's no need to investigate *any* traditional remedies because
|> those primitives have nothing to teach us."  I mean, God knows what we
|> might be overlooking. 

I quite agree.  In fact this is why many scientists did do experiments on
such things as acupuncture.

And herbal remedies often *are* effective - plants tend to have lots of odd
chemicals in them that do powerful things to animals and/or microbes.
Of course I prefer the approach of identifying the active compound or compounds
and using purer, dose-controlled, preparations.  [Actually this comes under
the 'deepening knowledge' heading of the original posting - if a plant really
does have a medicinal effect further study should be able to determine how it
occurs, or at least what causes it].

-- 
sarima@teradata.com			(formerly tdatirv!sarima)
  or
Stanley.Friesen@ElSegundoCA.ncr.com
From: westes@smurf.sti.com (Will Estes)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Source For HEPA Air Filter Systems?
Date: 8 Jan 1993 18:54:58 -0800
Organization: Mail Group
NNTP-Posting-Host: smurf.sti.com

Does anyone know of a few good commercial sources for High-Efficiency
Particulate Air (HEPA) filters?  I've seen a few advertisements for such
filters that claim to remove 99.7% of airborne particles .3 microns or
larger going for around $269.  I'm looking for something cheaper.  If
you know of a good HEPA filter system please let me know of the source.
I'm looking for something that at least come close to the cleaning
specifications that I mention above; I am not interested in the many
systems sold at department stores that do a far less thorough job of
cleaning the air.  Any info is appreciated.  The system will be used to
help with allergy symptoms. 

-- 
Will Estes		Internet: westes@netcom.com
From: chroma@hoptoad.uucp (Steve XI The Entity_Attache')
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Electrocardiogram question
Date: 11 Jan 93 01:21:52 GMT
Reply-To: chroma@hoptoad.UUCP (Steve XI The Entity_Attache')
Distribution: na
Organization: Skyline Genetic Engineering

Automatic Equipment can do some pretty scary things, when it
does automatic intepretation. To speak in analogy, often such
equipment does not distinguish between the automotive equivelent
of "there's a slightly funny sound, go to the mechanic in the
next week" and "Your Very Low Oil Pressure Light JUST WENT ON, 
pull over NOW and DON'T DRIVE ANY FARTHER UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS
FIXED."  Or even worse "YOUR ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE GET HELP NOW."
I don't know if even the rudiments of reasonable EKG interpretation
is done these days automatically. I know that an intelligent
and trained human cacan do so. It is one of those standard med
board questions, show an EKG readout with appropriate other info,
and ask "What is going on here??" It has been done multiple c
and is a pretty vanilla thing.


			be seeing you,
			   steve


chroma@toad.com 

Newsgroups: sci.med
From: avg@litwin.com (Anil Gokhale)
Subject: What is the latest on treatment for GLIOBLASTOMA ?????
Summary: What is new? How Good is it?
Keywords: Glioblastoma, brain_tumor
Organization: Litwin Process Automation
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 21:52:13 GMT

I am trying to learn about various options for treating malignant brain
tumors.  In particular, Glioblastma (astrocytoma Grade III-IV).

Is there any new research going on? My understanding is that
Radiation/Chemotherapy has not made much progress in the prognosis.

What about the 'gene therapy' work?  Are there any positive results? 
Any other glimer of hope?   I have just heard about the San Diago Cancer 
research center work, rat experiments at Case Western, and a very little
about the studies at Bathesda. 

Any pointers to published research, or other sources of information will be
very much appreciated.  I am not a medical doctor. So a somewhat layman
explaination will help.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Dr. Anil Gokhale
Litwin Process Automation                                  avg@litwin.com
1250 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. South          ...!uunet!dynsim1.litwin.com!avg
Houston, Texas 77042, U.S.A.                               1-713-268-8209
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: km@ky3b (Ken Mitchum)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Nicotine Withdrawal Help Needed
Date: 6 Jan 93 17:21:29 GMT
Organization: KY3B-Vax Pittsburgh, PA

In article <1992Dec30.184833.16038@spdcc.com| dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
|In article <1992Dec30.123043.560@news.wesleyan.edu| RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Ruth Ginzberg) writes:
||I believe there have been some - at least - anecdotal stories about small doses
||of Prozac being useful in helping some folks quit smoking.  (I would imagine
||this might be true if there is an OCD component to the smoking behavior;  don't
||know, just a guess.)
|
|I'd heard it was clonidine, but it only worked in women or something.
|Thank God I don't smoke, that's all I can say.

I quit smoking eight years ago, before the patch, using clonidine. I had
tried several times before and had always had severe withdrawal problems,
but had absolutely no problems with clonidine. I went from smoking over
a pack a day to no cigarettes over a three day period, and continued
the clonidine for another week or so.

There have been studies with clonidine, and they are equivocal. But I
think it works in some people, and may be worth a try, assuming you
are not hypotensive (clonidine lowers blood pressure) and can tolerate
the sedation that clonidine will bring. It should only be administered
under the care of a physician.

-km