HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: tas@pegasus.com (Len Howard)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: resisting electromagnetic radiation
Summary: keep your job to keep your coverage
Date: 12 Jan 93 14:17:47 GMT
Followup-To: sci.med
Distribution: sci.med, sci.med.physics, sci.engr.biomed, misc.health.alternative
Organization: Pegasus,  Honolulu

In article <kendall.114@sceng.ub.com> kendall@sceng.ub.com (Greg Kendall) writes:
>In article <DENISE.93Jan7124423@isl.stanford.edu> denise@isl.stanford.edu (Denise M. Cuevas) writes:
>
>>Call me an ignorant, radical fool, but the fact remains that I want to
>>decrease my exposure to electromagnetic radiation. d the
>>most noticeably from powerlines near my house and computer terminals
>>and copiers in my office.
>>I've heard of people using some device which sprays negative ions in
>>the air, I believe, in order to reduce the hazard. This doesn't make a
>>lot of sense to me and leads to the question - is a spray of negative
>>ions dangerous? 
>>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?

Denise, If you are serious about this and live under or adjacent, and
are as worried about it as you obviously are, one contribution would
be to move to a home that was as distant from the power lines as you
can get since the effect of the emf (if any) is reduced by the square
of the distance from it.
 >
>>I would like to get pregnant soon, so I'm wrestling with whether I
>>should quit my job (to reduce my exposure to the copiers and
>>computers) and lose my medical coverage.
>
Now I have some solid fact for you on this one, Denise.  In any number
of large studies, the most important single factor in the outcome is
the utilization of early, and even preconceptual, prenatal care.  If
it makes you feel any better, I have been caring for pregnant women
for the last 34 years, both BC and AC (before computers and after) and
have noticed no difference in those women working with or around
computers except maybe a slight increase in carpal tunnel syndrome of
pregnancy in the computer users due to the repeated small stress
movements.  NO difference in the product of the pregnancies.  So by
all means keep your coverage.  And try to keep all these risks in
proportion.  Just avoiding cigarette smoke will decrease your risk to
your infant by a factor of 1000 compared to emf exposure.  We KNOW
that cigarette smoke is harmful.  And we KNOW there is a positive
correlation between early prenatal care and good outcome.  So don't be
worried about the things that -might- somehow cause problems.
Shalom, Denise,                     Len Howard MD
From: rmandel@bu.edu (Richard Mandel)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Can a person "sense" a cholesterol problem?
Date: 13 Jan 93 02:18:04 GMT
Distribution: usa
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Often opthamologists detect cholesterol problems in patients during
routine eye examinations.  If you have high levels of cholesterol
often there will be yellow spots in the eye.  Of course a 
subsequent blood test reveals the actual level of cholesterol.

Rich

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Mandel			|	E-mail address: rmandel@acs.bu.edu
Boston Univ. School of Medicine	|	Phone No. 617-638-4512	
Boston, MA 02118		|	Fax No. 617-638-4085
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: amt@linus.mitre.org (Anne Tallant)
Subject: Sumatriptan
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 17:43:25 GMT


On December 30 the FDA approved sumatriptan (produced by Glaxo Holdings
under the brand name imitrax?).  Is this medication taken prophylactically
for migraines?   If so, is it taken when migraine warning symptoms arise
or irregardless of symptoms?

Thanks in advance,
Anne
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Anne Tallant                                      amt@linus.mitre.org
From: gary_crum@next.com (Gary Crum)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Ricola throat drops -- usage limit
Date: 12 Jan 93 17:44:15 GMT

I see on a package of Ricola natural lemon-mint herb throat drops that one  
should "not use more often than 2 days".  Does anyone know if using Ricola  
throat drops for more than 2 days would actually do harm, with all other  
things constant (such as not seeing a physician).  Or, is the 2-day limit  
warning on the package solely to explain that the throat drops are not  
intented to keep people from seeing a physician to treat a persistent sore  
throat?

Similarly, could problems result from taking throat drops more frequently  
than suggested, e.g. 20 drops in an hour instead of the 2 drops every two  
hours as recommended.

This is off the subject, but can someone be hurt by eating too many  
good-tasting vitamins, like crunchy Vitamin C tablets or Flinstone's  
vitamins?  I've always wondered.

Thanks for any info,
Gary
From: eepee@polaris.utu.fi (Esa-Pekka P{lvim{ki)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: drinking urine
Date: 10 Jan 93 13:11:21 GMT
Organization: University of Turku, Finland

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.

I recommend a glass of milk instead. Much richer in nutrients, let alone
energy, which urine just about lacks.

/ep
From: lashman@next4.uafcs.alaska.edu (Lakshman)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Skin Problem.
Keywords: Skin problem.
Date: 4 Jan 93 23:04:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: raven.1993Jan4.230419.5143
Organization: University of Alaska Computer Network

Hello reader,
 I am new to this group. But some one told me that any general health
questions can be posted in this group. 

 Anyway, my question is :
The skin below my eyes are black. It looks something like a Black Ring
around the eyes. Most of them whom I ask say that it is because I dont get  
enough sleep. And I do get enough sleep ( 8 or 9 or 10 ) hours every day.
Can anyone help me in this ?. 
				Thanks. 
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: daviess@gov.on.ca (Stephen Davies)
Subject: Blood cholesterol & wine/grape juice
Summary: Relationship between wine/grape juice consumption & levels of blood cho
Keywords: cholesterol wine grape juice
Organization: Government of Ontario
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 20:48:55 GMT

I've heard of a relationship concerning lowered blood levels of
cholesterol as a result of drinking wine or grape juice.  I'd be
interested in any technical reference or other literature that anyone
might know of concerning this topic.  Please email me or post to sci
med.  Thanks in advance for anything that you might have!

daviess@gov.on.ca
From: sbishop@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Huntingtons Korea/Chorea - any information?
Date: 9 Jan 93 11:43:31 EST
Organization:  Wright State University 

In article <1993Jan8.041948.18496@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu>, sfm@manduca.neurobio.arizona.edu (Stephen Matheson) writes:
> 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.
> 

Just one correction.  Parkinson's CAN be 'uncontrollable' movement.  I have
an aunt who has uncontrollable thrashing in one arm at times, due to 
Parkinsons.

> 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
From: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Adiposity 101
Date: 6 Jan 93 14:56:47 GMT
Reply-To: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <1993Jan01.012918.4555@omen.UUCP> caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg) writes:
>
>The papers describing surgical fat removal usually report
>permanent weight reduction.  There have been anecdotal reports
>of weight increase after love handle removal, but these may have
>involved previous dieting.  I am unaware of any reports of
>weight rebound caused by fat removal surgery itself - perhaps
>Gordon has some documentation he can share with us????????
>
As far as I know, lipectomy is so rare that there are no good
long-term studies.  There are no studies whatever that determine
the cause of weight rebound.  As I have said before, your theory
that the diet causes the weight rebound is speculative.  A
more likely cause is the same cause that caused the person to
get fat in the first place.  Removal of the bulk of a person's
fat cells surgically would be well-neigh impossible, in my
opinion.  If all the abdominal fat cells were removed, you'd
just pack fat into your legs.  That wouldn't be the case if fat
cells had a definite size, but they seem to be able to expand
to great size, so you can get plenty fat on only half as many
cells as you normally have.


-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg)
Subject: Re: Adiposity 101
Organization: Omen Technology INC, Portland Rain Forest
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 1993 08:59:43 GMT

In article <1993Jan4.002227.12156@spdcc.com> dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
>In article <1993Jan03.131036.23291@omen.UUCP> caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg) writes:
>>>How can you call the surgery described there "love handle removal"?
>>>You're removing the steamer trunk, not the handles.
>>
>>The one report of post liposuction weight gain I've read
>>concerned an increase in breast size following, yes, "love
>>handle removal".  It is possible the breasts atrophied while
>>subjects crash dieted in an attempt to rid themselves of their
>>love handles; after the liposuction and cessation of crash
>>dieting the breasts would return to normal size.
>
>Liposuction is not a method for weight loss; it merely removes local
>fat deposits which are thought to be unsightly.  I think only about
>one, er, quart of, er, stuff can safely be removed at a time, and that's
>a maximum.  This is a much different procedure than large scale fat removal.

Steve, did you ever bother to read Adiposity 101?  It very clearly
states that currently accepted fat removal surgery is quite limited
in the amount of fat that can be removed. 

>You seem to come to some very peculiar conclusions from what you read.

It was clearly labeled as speculation.

>Why an increase in breast size after liposuction would be interesting
>either way isn't immediately obvious, nor are the conclusions to draw
>from such an increase obvious.

It is a bit confusing, isn't it?  Should I take it out of the
next edition of Adiposity 101?

>
>>Steve, can you cite some refereed papers in the scientific
>>literature, or is this another "tabloid factoid"?
>
>I've seen it cited frequently enough in the obesity literature, as evidence
>that new adipocytes can be formed in response to eating.  I don't have any
>references handy.  Even without trying to have an explanation in hand, it
>stands to reason that people will still gain weight if they eat too much.

I'm sure the usual suspects would have flooded us with abstracts
from Medline by now if any such studies did exist.

Steve, I suspect studies demonstrating a net increase in fat
cell numbers from fat removal surgery are a figment of your
imagination.

-- 
Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX          ...!tektronix!reed!omen!caf 
Author of YMODEM, ZMODEM, Professional-YAM, ZCOMM, and DSZ
  Omen Technology Inc    "The High Reliability Software"
17505-V NW Sauvie IS RD   Portland OR 97231   503-621-3406
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: szikopou@alfred.carleton.ca (Steven Zikopoulos)
Subject: Re: 5-HT1A Agonist Anxiolytics (was Re: Xanax...)
Organization: Carleton University
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 01:13:35 GMT

In <1993Jan10.225201.15384@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu> bwhite@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (William E. White ) writes:

>In article <C0IDsA.CCu@acsu.buffalo.edu> oispeggy@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Peggy Brown) writes:

>>o At the end of the 8 weeks, 78 percent of peole taking Xanax 
>>  were panic-free, complared with 81 percent of those opn 
>>  imipramine and 75 percent of the people on placebo - virtually 
>>  identical numbers.

I agree.  I'm sure you're aware that individuals who respond best to
anxiolytic medication are also those individuals who are more likely
to show placebo effect.

>Imipramine for anxiety?  Yowch!  Sorta the shotgun effect; maybe what we
>need is a rifle instead?  I saw some interesting results on 5HT1a agonists
>as antianxiety drugs -- very good results, not always quite so powerful
>as benzodiazepines, but with a *lot* fewer side effects (and given the
>specificity, probably much fewer side effects than fluoxetine, and heaven
>knows fewer than a MAOI.  Besides, cheese is good food).  Look in MEDLINE
>for references -- hopefully 5HT1a agonists will turn out to be as good as
>they look on paper .

Your comments with respect to the efficacy of 5HT1a agonists leaves me
a bit confused.  One common 'side' effect (come on an effect's an
effect) obsrved in people taking is an INCREASE in aniREASE or
exacerbation of already existing anxiety.  As far as I know,
fluoxetine pots serotonin activity by blocking reup and nptake--which
is not the same as stimulating 5HT recetors with an agentI'll ask
ask anyway.how can something which potentiaiates 5HT activity be an
anxiolytic when (in the case of fluoxetine at lea we have evidence of
5HT potentiating agenincreasing anxiety?

What agents were they? I'm interested.  I hope you're not talking
about Bupirone because it also mediates DA activity.

Your discussion also talks of anxiety as something that is independent
of depre  Most cases of depresssion are mixed. (anxiety and depression)


Forason the net's not cooperating with me right now, so I'dow so I'd
better sign off.
Steven Zikopoulos
Carleton University
szikopou@ccs.carleton.ca

P.S. It always looks better on paper!
From: das@canctr.mc.duke.edu
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re:  Nicotine Withdrawal Help Needed
Date: 4 Jan 93 14:17:43 GMT
Reply-To: das@canctr.mc.duke.edu
Organization: Duke U. Med. Ctr., Durham, NC

Regarding the question of the nicotine patch, which seems to have dominated
the discussion, my taking it was never really an option because of other
medical considerations.  I know because I called my doctor and asked her 
after reading the first few posts.  :-)

I sincerely hope anybody considering the patch read the entire discussion
(although I admit I have only skimmed it) as I would hate for anybody to 
be cutting the patch or otherwise reducing the surface area without giving 
it careful consideration.  And I (ouch) would feel somewhat responsible 
if someone got hurt that way.  (What can I say, overdeveloped sense of guilt)

Again, thank you for all the wonderful advice!

Lora M. LeMosy
71544,467 CompuServe (preferred)
steege@bchm.biochem.duke.edu
das@canctr.mc.duke.edu

/
From: marco@sdf.lonestar.org (Steve Giammarco)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Allergic - Moving to Texas
Keywords: Allergy, Asthma, Environment, Texas, Austin
Date: 9 Jan 93 14:36:57 GMT
Organization: sdf public access Unix, Dallas -- 214-436-3281

In article <1993Jan7.133406.28225@sei.cmu.edu> mz@sei.cmu.edu (Mary Zoys) writes:
>I'll agree, I was born and raised in Dallas, TX (3 hours north of Austin) and
>have had allergies all my life. Cedar especially. A friend of mine moved to
>Waco, TX, never having had allergies and developed them within 2 years. 
>

And I'll second that....  I lived in Rapid City South Dakota from 1973 to 1986
with only an allergy to to fresh cut grass.  Moved to Dallas, and rapidly 
became allergic to the various allergens here.  I have problems year-round.
If you "stay ahead" of infections by treating the initial symptoms, you might
be able to sustain a better quality of life.  Be prepared to wake up stuffy
and with headaches almost _every_ morning, tho.... :(

-- 
Steve Giammarco/5330 Peterson Lane/Dallas TX 75240
marco@sdf.lonestar.org
loveyameanit.
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: garys@teal.csn.org (Gary F. Stevens)
Subject: Re: Stroke
Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc.
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 17:44:53 GMT

In article <F1H8wB3w165w@jupiter.spk.wa.us> pwageman@jupiter.spk.wa.us (Peggy Wageman) writes:
>I know somebody that was recently diagnosed as possibly having a slight
>stroke, this individual is only 35 years old.  How common is that?  I had
>always assumed that strokes occurred primarily in people over 50.  Could 
>somebody explain to me what a stroke is and what causes them.  Any 
>information would be appreciated.  Thanks,  Peggy Wageman
>

A cerebrovascular accident (stroke) can occur any time in life. It involves
damage to the brain because of impaired blood supply. This causes sudden, 
nonconvulsive malfunction of the brain.

It is the third leading cause of death. About one fourth of all nursing
home patients are stroke victims. 

Stroke victims are generally elderly people with degeneration of blood
vessels, but children and young adults can have a stroke. Risk factors
are age, gender (men have more CVA's), diabetes, prior stroke, family Hx.
Controllable risk factors are hypertension, heart disease, smoking, high
cholesterol, high red blood cell count. Women who use oral contraceptives
tend to have more strokes.

Strokes can be caused by ischemia (blockage of an artery) or by cerebral
hemorrhage. 

Most CVA's are caused by ischemia (about 63%). The artery is blocked by
atherosclerosis or by an embolus. 

Hemorrhage accounts for about 22% of all strokes. Apoplexy (hypertension)
(10% to 15%), aneurysm (5% to 7%), bleeding into a tumor (3% to 5%), and
generalized bleeding (1% to 2%) are the major type of hemorrhage. 

There are many books about strokes and recovery from them in most public
librarys. I hope this was helpful.
From: rind@enterprise.bih.harvard.edu (David Rind)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Sea water consumption
Date: 11 Jan 93 16:13:55 GMT
Organization: Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston Mass., USA

In article <10364@ncrwat.Waterloo.NCR.COM> howard@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM
 (Howard Steel) writes:
>Can someone please tell me why drinking sea-water is not good. Let me clarify

>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?

You cannot drink sea water to survive (though ingesting small amounts
is certainly safe).  The problem is that humans need water and lose
significant amounts each day, and so need to replenish that water.
The physiologic concentration of plasma is far below that of sea water,
so if you ingest sea water, you would need to extract less concentrated
saline from it in order to have a useful fluid for your body.  The maximum
concentration power of the human kidney is not high enough to produce
sufficiently dilute saline from sea water, so ingesting sea water will
actually draw water out of the body, not add water to the body.

This is simply a physiologic limitation.  There are mammals that can
live on sea water (some specied of rats, I think) by having kidneys
that can attain extremely high concentrations and can thus dilute
out saline to physiologic levels.
-- 
David Rind
rind@binoc.bih.harvard.edu
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: mdkline@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Mark D. Kline)
Subject: Re: Castration
Keywords: ouch! 
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 20:33:45 EST

In article <1993Jan4.185847.13412@ee.ryerson.ca> elf@ee.ryerson.ca (luis fernandes) writes:
>(Certainly outside the realms of medical science, nevertheless...)
>
>A while back, I read (in _The_Globe_and_Mail_)that until the 1600s,
>choirboys were castrated to maintain their high voices.
>Do the effects of castration manifest themselves psycologically, or
>is there a physical connection ?

Among the many effects of increased testicular androgen production at
puberty is enlargement of the larynx, which results in a bigger "adams
apple" and a deeper voice.  When adult males are castrated, as they
sometimes are (either chemically or surgically) for the treatment
of prostate cancer, their voices do not get higher, since their
larynx doesn't shrink.
From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Xanax...what Consumer Reports said...
Date: 9 Jan 93 04:26:42 GMT
Article-I.D.: spdcc.1993Jan9.042642.18340
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA

In article <1993Jan09.022453.927061@locus.com> yazz@locus.com (Bob Yazz) writes:
>Can you tell us what serious drawbacks they are referring to in the
>above?  Other than than the symptoms-between-doses quoted below, did
>CU have anything else that they specifically called a serious drawbsack?

Gad, why don't you run down to the corner store and BUY the f'ing magazine?
They need the $$$ anyway.

Where's my Valium...

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: green@island.COM (Robert Greenstein)
Subject: Re: Herbs for Menopause
Organization: Strawman Incorporated
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 21:25:20 GMT

In article <C0DAJw.2v6@athena.cs.uga.edu> mcovingt@aisun3.ai.uga.edu (Michael Covington) writes:
>An obvious point about herbs which people seem determined to overlook:
>
>  Like all drugs, they are either ineffective, or potentially dangerous.
>
>Why do people assume that if a drug is found in a plant it must
>be "all natural" and ipso facto harmless?
>
>I'm not going to put stuff in my body that nobody knows the probable
>effect of.

SOME people assume herbs are all harmless. They're wrong. And SOME people
assume that professionally trained herbalists don't know harmful herbs 
from harmless ones. They're also wrong.
-- 
******************************************************************************
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