HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: phr@soda.berkeley.edu (Paul Rubin)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Depression: Nutritional treatments
Date: 9 Sep 92 13:14:50
Organization: CSUA/UCB
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: white@cattell.psych.upenn.edu's message of 9 Sep 92 15:03:42 GMT

There seems to be considerable agreement that amino acid supplements
(specifically L-phenylalanine and to a lesser extent tyrosene)
help certain kinds of depression.  I haven't heard of tryptophan
being used that way.  The usual explanation is that L-phenylalanine
is a norepinepherine precursor.  _Life Extension_, by D. Pearson and 
S. Shaw, has more info and pointers into the "legitimate" literature.
This info is from a friend of mine whose blood chemistry is screwed
up and uses L-ph. to help depression caused by n.e. depletion.
She says it is way better than the Imipramine she used to use.
From: white@cattell.psych.upenn.edu (Janet White)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Depression: Nutritional treatments
Date: 9 Sep 92 15:03:42 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

Does anyone have any information/experience re: nutritional treatments
for depression? Patricia Slagle, M.D., a psychiatrist at UCLA, wrote
a book called "The Way Up From Down" dealing with a treatment approach
for depression using amino acids and vitamin/mineral supplements
instead of antidepressant medications. It sounds very interesting
and potentially helpful. Any comments on an amino acid angle in
the treatment of depression (specifically, tryptophan and tyrosine)?
From: km@cs.pitt.edu (Ken Mitchum)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: [Prescription Privileges]
Date: 14 Sep 92 13:12:25 GMT
Reply-To: km@cs.pitt.edu (Ken Mitchum)
Distribution: na
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

I am opposed to psychologists being able to prescribe medications for
numerous reasons which I do not have time to go into. But the most
important one is the problem of responsibility: One can only
prescribe a medication when he or she is capable of assuming full
responsibility for the outcome of that decision, and in the case of
psychologists, their training does not make that possible. 

I went to graduate school in psychology before going to medical
school. Admittedly, I was in experimental psych (behavior genetics)
and not clinical psych, and I stopped with a masters, but I certainly
had opportunity to see most of the curriculum that was there, and
it did not even approach what would be adequate to prescribe
medication. Certain things require a medical education and experience,
period.

That being said, I agree with whoever said that it is only a matter of
time before psychologists will be allowed to prescribe. They will find
some institutional way to dump the responsibility off on physicians.


 -km


Newsgroups: sci.med
From: dedmunds@selkirk.sfu.ca (Darran Edmundson)
Subject: What is Lupus?
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 17:56:20 GMT

A friend has recently been diagnosed as having Lupus.  Can someone tell me
a little bit about this disease?  Thanks in advance.
-- 

Darran Edmundson
darran@chaos.phys.sfu.ca

Newsgroups: sci.med
From: gcr@pacific.uucp ()
Subject: Tyroid and HMO
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 16:57:42 GMT

I don't know if this is the right group, but I'll try.
A few weeks ago I went in for a physical and the company
doctor said it looked like my tyroid was enlarged.
I already had an appointment with a doctor through my
HMO, so I decided I'd have her advise me. She said yes
it appeared  there was an enlargement. Next, I had an
ultrasound exam and the radiologist said again yes there
was an enlargement and that the doctor would get back to
me. I have now been scheduled for an uptake and scan to
see if the tyroid is functioning properly. I've already
had a blood test and that was OK. During the ultrasound
they found a 'nodule', whatever that is. When I call the
doctor's office I never seem to get anyone who knows anything.
And people keep telling me there is nothing to be alarmed about.
As soon as I get the opportunity I'm changing from this HMO.
Am I worried for no reason ? Or is there something to be
concerned about ? Please e-mail me directly if you have an
input.

Greg
From: geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: APOLOGY
Keywords: ineffective   empirical research
Date: 15 Sep 92 22:31:11 GMT
Organization: Decision Systems Laboratory, Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA.

In article <1992Sep13.025505.12673@news.Hawaii.Edu> lady@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Lee Lady) writes:
>
>Thank you for this clarification, Sean.  In light of these remarks, I
>realize that probably what Dr Wurtman meant above is that no research
>has been done on Hydergine.  I incorrectly interpreted his statement to
>mean that clinical trials had been done and the claimed benefit had
>failed to manifest itself in a statistically significant way.
>
Actually, in the case of Hydergine, clinical trials have been done
and it proved to be completely ineffective.  It formerly was
one of the most heavily prescribed drugs for dementia patients,
but its use is dropping off fast now.  Many trials have been
done with choline and lecithin also.  Choline makes you smell
like fish, but doesn't do much for the patient's memory.


-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  it is shameful to surrender it too soon." 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: headaches (was Re: Xanax)
Date: 10 Sep 92 18:41:01 GMT
Organization: Decision Systems Laboratory, Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA.

In article <NAU.92Sep9214128@frabjous.cs.umd.edu> nau@frabjous.cs.umd.edu (Dana Nau) writes:

>
>Personally, I don't find that very convincing.  At one time or another
>when I've had headaches, various people have put me through the kind
>of "cure" you described---and it never worked for me.
>--

Maybe it's because you didn't *BELIEVE*.  Or else didn't pay enough
for the "seminars".  People who have sunk good money into scientology
or NLP or EST or whatever find it hard to admit they've been scammed.
Better to say they're cured.


-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  it is shameful to surrender it too soon." 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: headaches (was Re: Xanax)
Date: 15 Sep 92 16:08:50 GMT
Organization: Decision Systems Laboratory, Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA.

In article <pkvnrb#.strnlght@netcom.com> strnlght@netcom.com (David Sternlight) writes:
>
>From his other literate and thoughtful posts, I know Gordon Banks
>knows better than to lump NLP and est with Scientology, and post
>such a "guilt by association" smear.
>

As I said, the method of high priced "courses" in self-improvement
is shared by EST NLP and Scientology.  I consider this a highly
negative fact about all 3 systems.  I didn't say anything about
criminal activities, nor imply it.  I wish people wouldn't
get so hysterical.  Don't read into it something that isn't
there.  I would have far more respect for NLP and EST if
they behaved more like a branch of science and less like
a business venture.  

>associated with the "movement" as has Scientology. I'd like
>to know if reputable MDs and Ph.Ds in universities and elsewhere
>are associated with Scientology as they are with NLP and est.

Actually, there have been MDs and PhDs taken in by scientology.
It didn't do much for their reputations, I grant you, but
having an advanced degree doesn't confer immunity from getting
fooled.  Look at what Uri Geller did to those Stanford physicists.
I believe that neither NLP nor EST is recognized by a significant
fraction of academic psychologists as being valid systems, in general.


-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  it is shameful to surrender it too soon." 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Politics and sci.med (was: unc health care study)
Date: 15 Sep 92 16:02:25 GMT
Organization: Decision Systems Laboratory, Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA.

In article <BuDy8t.A8B@wpg.com> russ@wpg.com (Russell Lawrence) writes:

>It'd be nice if you could learn to share facts and reasons with 
>other posters without the flames, Gordon.  If you're going to
>pontificate about "drivel", however, try not to forget the 
>opinionated crap that you yourself frequently post on topics that 
>appear to lie outside your field of expertise such as law, 
>automotive engineering, political science, etc.
>
I love you too, Russ.  Don't forget, appearences may be
deceiving.





-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  it is shameful to surrender it too soon." 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.med,misc.consumers,misc.kids
From: jimm@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (james.mumper)
Subject: HELP! Info on Lung Cancer Needed!
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 17:34:51 GMT
Followup-To: poster
Summary: See Body of Message

First, I apologize to anyone who considers this to be cross-posted incorrectly.
I am in need of information and am posting where I feel it will do the most
good.

My wife's father has been told that he has lung cancer and will require an
operation.  He is 76 years old, very active, stopped smoking 27 years ago,
but is not the best consumer in the world.  He put off telling us for about
two months and now he's ready to go ahead with the surgery.  We need info,
advice, and your experiences to help us along.

We are concerned that he may be plunging in without getting a second opinion,
or understanding what all the treatment options are.  He's sort of an "old
boy network" kinda guy, so he'll go to the first doctor his golfing buddies
tell him to go to.  We want to make sure that he get's the very best diagnosis,
treatment, and care that are possible, but we know very little about lung
cancer right now.

The kind of information we are looking for is any experience you have with
a family member or friend who has had lung cancer.  Also, any knowledge you
have about methods of diagnosis, treatment, recovery, prognosis, would be
useful.  Other than the library and the American Cancer Society and the 
American Lung Association, do you know where we can look for pertinant info
on the subject?

Also, if you have been through this with someone, what information did you
not have that you wished you did?  Are there things we ought to know about
before the surgery?  After?

I truly appreciate any help that you can provide.

Sincerely,

Jim Mumper
From: phr@soda.berkeley.edu (Paul Rubin)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Earplugs
Date: 9 Sep 92 19:07:12
Organization: CSUA/UCB
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: srivastava@idicl1.idi.battelle.org's message of 28 Aug 92 11:33:27 EST

I advise against using earplugs.  I have used them a few times and
gotten ear infections and tinnitus as a result of using them.
Nowadays I use muff-type hearing protectors.  These are less
convenient and less comfortable but at least I'm not sticking
something in my ears.  The doctor I went to for my plug-related
ear infection said there was a saying in his med school,
"never put anything in your ear that is smaller than your elbow".
(I.e. don't put anything in your ears).
From: ron@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Ron Miller)
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 13:51:47 GMT
Subject: Re: Earplugs
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: sci.med

> In-reply-to: srivastava@idicl1.idi.battelle.org's message of 28 Aug 92 11:33:27 EST
> 
> I advise against using earplugs.  I have used them a few times and
> gotten ear infections and tinnitus as a result of using them.
> Nowadays I use muff-type hearing protectors.  These are less
> convenient and less comfortable but at least I'm not sticking
> something in my ears.  The doctor I went to for my plug-related
> ear infection said there was a saying in his med school,
> "never put anything in your ear that is smaller than your elbow".
> (I.e. don't put anything in your ears).

Ear muffs don't work inside a motorcycle helmet!

Perhaps some people are more susceptible to infection than others.

And dispose of those disposable plugs on a frequent basis.

(Excellent hearing in spite of noisy environments.....)
Ron
From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Prostatitis
Date: 15 Sep 92 22:47:20 GMT
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA

In article <1992Sep15.180812.11342@cs.mcgill.ca> storm@cs.mcgill.ca (Marc WANDSCHNEIDER) writes:
>Does anybody know if there are any diseases quite similar to Prostatis as
>far as symptoms go, but will not respond to medicine intended for it?
>I have been diagnosed three times now with this condition, and all three
>medicines did zip.  I will be seeing a urologist soon, but I was just wondering
>if anybody had any thoughts on the matter...

I am led to understand that the prostate is rather poorly accessible
to many antibiotics, so that it's difficult to achieve adequate levels
of the drug in the gland.  There are also conditions (hematospermia,
blood in the semen) which are sometimes casually diagnosed as a chronic
prostatitis, but which may not be associated with an infection.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: M20614@mwvm.mitre.org (Hugh Pritchard)
Subject: Re: Tyroid and HMO
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean VA 22102
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 20:12:02 GMT

[Bad Email address -- couldn't get through to gcr@pacifica.uucp or
gcr@jato.jjpl.nasa.gov]
 
In article <1992Sep8.165742.15234@jato.jpl.nasa.gov>
gcr@pacific.uucp () writes:
 
>A few weeks ago I went in for a physical and the company
>doctor said it looked like my tyroid was enlarged.
 
That's "thyroid" with a tee-aitch.
 
Your thyroids are endocrine (means "hormone-producing") glands
on each side of your neck.
 
Look up (in an encyclopedia, if nowhere else) "thyroid glands"
and "endocrine system."
 
>.... During the ultrasound
>they found a 'nodule', whatever that is.
 
Fancy word for "lump."  Just means they see something which reflects
sound waves.  They didn't say any more because they don't know any more.
 
> When I call the
>doctor's office I never seem to get anyone who knows anything.
 
Doesn't the doctor herself call you back?
 
>And people keep telling me there is nothing to be alarmed about.
 
Perhaps there isn't -- yet.  You have a whiny, clueless tone of voice,
even in Email.  No wonder the doctor's office staff don't want to be
bothered.
 
Wait for the results of the nuclear medicine scan (they'll inject a
radioactive isotope; wait for it to be taken up by the thyroid; then
look at where it settled with a "gamma camera").  Then the doctor
will form an impression about your condition, and whether anything
can (or should) be done aboout it.
 
>Am I worried for no reason ?
 
Maybe.
 
> Or is there something to be
>concerned about ?
 
Maybe.  Wait for the doctor to form an impression.  She has seen
cases of enlarged thyroid before; that's what residency is all about.
 
> Please e-mail me directly if you have an
>input.
 
Many readers of sci.med can't be bothered doing anything other than
posting to sci.med.  Why don't you watch the traffic on sci.med for
at least a week?
 
**  Hugh A. Pritchard,  703/883-6616,  hapritch@mitre.org
From: phr@soda.berkeley.edu (Paul Rubin)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: 15 min phobia cures (was Re: Xanax)
Date: 10 Sep 92 10:59:42
Organization: CSUA/UCB
	<h0rn7xh.strnlght@netcom.com> <1992Sep9.164508.2773@newstand.syr.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: mdkline@rodan.acs.syr.edu's message of Wed, 9 Sep 92 16:45:08 EDT

	Has Tony Robbins written any books?

I read a Tony Robbins book called "Unlimited Power" a few years ago.
It was a mixture of worthwhile insights, schlocky marketing, and
random self serving crap.  I felt it was worth looking at but not
suitable for use as gospel.
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Cops & Radar
From: Kurt.Ullman@p0.f290.n231.z1.fidonet.org (Kurt Ullman)
Date: 2 Sep 92 05:00:07 GMT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:231/290.0 - The RoadHouse BBS (, Indianapolis IN

MJ>From: jensen@unlinfo.unl.edu (michael jensen)
MJ>Kurt.Ullman@p0.f290.n231.z1.fidonet.org (Kurt Ullman) writes:

MJ>>Does anybody out there have any SCIENTIFIC studies on the
MJ>>the relationship between traffic radars and cancer.  There is a great
MJ>>deal of controversy, but little evidence either way.  My trip through
MJ>>MEDLARS yielded nothing.

MJ>My question revolves around the nature of the "little evidence either
MJ>way." Since there exists a defined group who use the guns, and since
MJ>figures of frequency etc. can be ascertained, why is it difficult to
MJ>generate a control group of similarly aged, similarly sedentary people
MJ>to determine if there *is* a relationship between radar gun use and
MJ>odd, unusual cancers? Why is this hard?

        It does not seem to be hard. It just seems that it hasn't been
done or hasn't passed through the peer reviewer gauntlet and into
publication. Actually one of the problems may be frequency figures
(assuming you are talking about frequency of use and not radio frequency
of the radar). Relatively few officers run radar every day during the
entire shift. Most do at the very least traffic accidents and many
others are required to address any run that comes down the pike.  Thus,
there may be great difficulty in deciding what expsoure really took
place.
        The other interesting thing is why use sedentary. As noted, even
traffic officers seldom sit and run radar all day. Due to the desire of
cities to keep the officers in shape for health and disability
insurance reasons, this population is more active than it used to be.

 

--  
Internet: Kurt.Ullman@p0.f290.n231.z1.fidonet.org
From: km@cs.pitt.edu (Ken Mitchum)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Allopurinol
Date: 14 Sep 92 12:52:56 GMT
Reply-To: km@cs.pitt.edu (Ken Mitchum)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <1992Sep11.173439.25854@spdcc.com> dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
>Allopurinol is generally pretty well tolerated, but I get the
>impression from talking to Ken Mitchum and a few other doctors I know
>that its use is somewhat deprecated these days, at least for mild
>gout.  Allopurinol can occasionally cause a variety of hypersensitivity
>reactions, and it may be that it's less risky overall to simply
>suppress the occasional attacks of acute gout by taking low doses of
>colchicine daily.  Or course, there are some people who produce so much
>uric acid that they're at risk of joint damage and kidney problems, and
>in such cases allopurinol is definitely indicated, and I'm sure no one
>would hesitate to use it.

The hypersensitivity reactions were one reason to downplay allopurinol
over the years, but there are others as well. Allopurinol was sometimes
prescribed inappropriately without working up the type of uric acid
problem (overproduction vs. underexcretion), but more importantly, was
used in thousands of people who either had hyperuricemia without gout,
whose "gout" was either never proven by joint aspiration, or who did
have gout but with attacks so infrequent as to not justify daily therapy
in between attacks. Gout is infrequent even among people with high
uric acid levels, and the incidence of "pseudogout" is significant as
well: just because someone with a high uric acid has a swollen joint
does not mean he/she has gout. Among people with gout, if the attacks
occur at something like a yearly interval, it makes more sense to
simply treat the attacks in many cases. Some of these people can sense
an attack coming on, and begin Indocin or colchicine.

The problem, quite simply, was that there lots of patients with uric
acid levels of around 11 or so who were put on allopurinol and kept
on it for long periods of time without real justification. It was
a case of treating an easily discovered laboratory abnormality
without a definite disease in many cases, or in overdiagnosing a
disease without proper evidence (gout), or in overtreating a disease
with only intermittant problems (gout).

I think the general consensus today is to not treat uric acid levels
per se, unless they are very high, such as associated with high
cell turnover states in certain malignancies and in patients undergoing
chemotherapy, i.e. uric acid levels in the high teens or so. For lower
levels, it makes sense to adjust obvious causes of hyperuricemia
(diet, drugs). Perhaps someone who has more expertise in this area
has some data on negative effects of lower levels of hyperuricemia
that might influence this position.

 -km