MIAMI - D'Zhana Simmons says she felt like a "fake person" for 118 days when she had no heart beating in her chest. "But I know that I really was here," the 14-year-old said, "and I did live without a heart."
As she was being released Wednesday from a Miami hospital, the shy teen seemed in awe of what she's endured. Since July, she's had two heart transplants and survived with artificial heart pumps — but no heart — for four months between the transplants.
Last spring D'Zhana and her parents learned she had an enlarged heart that was too weak to sufficiently pump blood. They traveled from their home in Clinton, S.C. to Holtz Children's Hospital in Miami for a heart transplant.
But her new heart didn't work properly and could have ruptured so surgeons removed it two days later.
And they did something unusual, especially for a young patient: They replaced the heart with a pair of artificial pumping devices that kept blood flowing through her body until she could have a second transplant.
Dr. Peter Wearden, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh who works with the kind of pumps used in this case, said what the Miami medical team managed to do "is a big deal."
The pumps, ventricular assist devices, are typically used with a heart still in place to help the chambers circulate blood. With D'Zhana's heart removed, doctors at Holtz Children's Hospital crafted substitute heart chambers using a fabric and connected these to the two pumps.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Cure For Aids???
BERLIN - An American man who suffered from AIDS appears to have been cured of the disease 20 months after receiving a targeted bone marrow transplant normally used to fight leukemia, his doctors said.
While researchers — and the doctors themselves — caution that the case might be no more than a fluke, others say it may inspire a greater interest in gene therapy to fight the disease that claims 2 million lives each year. The virus has infected 33 million people worldwide.
Dr. Gero Huetter said Wedneday his 42-year-old patient, an American living in Berlin who was not identified, had been infected with the AIDS virus for more than a decade. But 20 months after undergoing a transplant of genetically selected bone marrow, he no longer shows signs of carrying the virus.
"We waited every day for a bad reading," Huetter said.
It has not come. Researchers at Berlin's Charite hospital and medical school say tests on his bone marrow, blood and other organ tissues have all been clean.
For More Info:::
http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/eu_med_aids_treatment.html
While researchers — and the doctors themselves — caution that the case might be no more than a fluke, others say it may inspire a greater interest in gene therapy to fight the disease that claims 2 million lives each year. The virus has infected 33 million people worldwide.
Dr. Gero Huetter said Wedneday his 42-year-old patient, an American living in Berlin who was not identified, had been infected with the AIDS virus for more than a decade. But 20 months after undergoing a transplant of genetically selected bone marrow, he no longer shows signs of carrying the virus.
"We waited every day for a bad reading," Huetter said.
It has not come. Researchers at Berlin's Charite hospital and medical school say tests on his bone marrow, blood and other organ tissues have all been clean.
For More Info:::
http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/eu_med_aids_treatment.html
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Easiest Ways to Burn 100 Calories
These are some of the easiest ways to burn calories in 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 minutes.
10 Minutes
10 Minutes
- Jog around the block
- jump rope quickly
15 Minutes
- Climb up and down your stairs
- Hit some tennis balls
- Go sleding
20 Minutes
- Trim the shrubs
- Weed the garden
25 Minutes
- Rake the lawn and sack the leaves
- Vaccuum rug
- mop bathrooms
- refinish a piece of furniture
30 Minutes
- Wallpaper or paint room
- sweep floors
- wash cars
35 Minutes
- Dust house
- Set table and prepare a meal
- clear table wash everything
40 minutes
- Iron cloths
- Window shop
- unload dryer and fold laundry
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Fast, Full Eaters May Weigh More
Looking to lose some extra weight? Eating more slowly and stopping before you're full might help.
A new study shows that fast eaters who eat until they're full may be three times more likely to be overweight than slow eaters who stop eating before they're full.
That study appears in BMJ, formerly called the British Medical Journal.
Nearly 3,300 Japanese adults took part. They reported how quickly they eat and whether they usually eat until they're full -- and they got their height and weight measured. Most participants weren't overweight. Their average BMI (body mass index, which relates height to weight) was normal.
The odds of being overweight were three times greater for people who reported eating quickly and until full than for people who ate slowly and pushed the plate away before they felt full.
The findings held regardless of factors including participants' age and whether they were said they got regular physical activity. The study only included adults, but it's a good idea to start mellow eating habits in childhood, according to an editorial published with the study.
The editorial encourages parents not to push children to eat more, but to feed their kids in a way that "acknowledges a child's desire to stop eating," starting when the child is a baby.
A new study shows that fast eaters who eat until they're full may be three times more likely to be overweight than slow eaters who stop eating before they're full.
That study appears in BMJ, formerly called the British Medical Journal.
Nearly 3,300 Japanese adults took part. They reported how quickly they eat and whether they usually eat until they're full -- and they got their height and weight measured. Most participants weren't overweight. Their average BMI (body mass index, which relates height to weight) was normal.
The odds of being overweight were three times greater for people who reported eating quickly and until full than for people who ate slowly and pushed the plate away before they felt full.
The findings held regardless of factors including participants' age and whether they were said they got regular physical activity. The study only included adults, but it's a good idea to start mellow eating habits in childhood, according to an editorial published with the study.
The editorial encourages parents not to push children to eat more, but to feed their kids in a way that "acknowledges a child's desire to stop eating," starting when the child is a baby.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Apples vs. Coffee as a Wake Up Call
This blog is going to be mostly written on the information from the t.v. show MythBusters.
History/Background of the Myth:
Many people have been told by others, or told others themselves, that the natural sugars in an apple can wake you up better than the caffeine in a cup of coffee. We all know that after the caffeine wears off and the sugar rush is over you're even more tired than before. So that could be why an apple is better than the coffee in the morning. Plus, with an apple, you don't get those nasty yellowish teeth stains like you do with coffee.
Hypothesis of the Test:
Not a whole lot can go on with this one. The Internet doesn't help much either. I guess the Mythbusters can talk to a professional sleep scientist or something. Instead of doing this individually, like in the hypnotic cure/change myths, 2 of the MB crew will try waking up each morning by eating an apple, and the other 2 with coffee.
It was confirmed by the mythbusters that an apple can wake you up better than coffee.
I don't have much information on this, and neither does the internet. So i'll just give you some sites that say apples are better than coffee.
http://funnyfact.com/general-facts/what-fruit-will-wake-you-up-better-than-coffee/
http://mythbusters-wiki.discovery.com/page/Apple+vs.+Coffee+as+a+Wake+Up+Call?t=anon
History/Background of the Myth:
Many people have been told by others, or told others themselves, that the natural sugars in an apple can wake you up better than the caffeine in a cup of coffee. We all know that after the caffeine wears off and the sugar rush is over you're even more tired than before. So that could be why an apple is better than the coffee in the morning. Plus, with an apple, you don't get those nasty yellowish teeth stains like you do with coffee.
Hypothesis of the Test:
Not a whole lot can go on with this one. The Internet doesn't help much either. I guess the Mythbusters can talk to a professional sleep scientist or something. Instead of doing this individually, like in the hypnotic cure/change myths, 2 of the MB crew will try waking up each morning by eating an apple, and the other 2 with coffee.
It was confirmed by the mythbusters that an apple can wake you up better than coffee.
I don't have much information on this, and neither does the internet. So i'll just give you some sites that say apples are better than coffee.
http://funnyfact.com/general-facts/what-fruit-will-wake-you-up-better-than-coffee/
http://mythbusters-wiki.discovery.com/page/Apple+vs.+Coffee+as+a+Wake+Up+Call?t=anon
Thursday, October 16, 2008
What Causes Bad Breath??
Breath odor is the scent of the air you breathe out of your mouth. Unpleasant, distinctive, or offensive breath odor is commonly called bad breath, or halitosis.
If previously normal breath turns into halitosis , causes could include:
If previously normal breath turns into halitosis , causes could include:
-Food or beverages consumed (such as cabbage, garlic, raw onions, or coffee)
-Vitamin supplements (especially in large doses)
-Poor dental hygiene
-Dentures
-Cavities
-Tobacco smoking
-Alcoholism
-Throat infection
-Sinusitis
-Lung infection
-Gum disease ( gingivitis , gingivostomatitis )
-Abscessed tooth
-Impacted tooth
Diseases that may be associated with breath odor (not presented in order of likelihood -- some are extremely unlikely):
-Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis
-Acute necrotizing ulcerative mucositis
-Acute renal failure
-Bowel obstruction (can cause breath to smell like feces)
-Bronchiectasis
-Chronic renal failure (can cause breath to smell like ammonia )
-Diabetes (fruity or sweet chemical smell with ketoacidosis)
-Esophageal cancer
-Gastric carcinoma
-Gastrojejunocolic fistula (fruity-smelling breath)
-Hepatic encephalopathy
-Diabetic ketoacidosis
-Lung abscess
-Ozena , or atrophic rhinitis
-Periodontal disease
-Pharyngitis
-Zenker's diverticulum
Mouthwash is a temporary fix!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Carcinogens in microwaved food
In Dr. Lita Lee's book, Health Effects of Microwave Radiation - Microwave Ovens, and in the March and September 1991 issues of Earthletter, she stated that every microwave oven leaks electro-magnetic radiation, harms food, and converts substances cooked in it to dangerous organ-toxic and carcinogenic products.
Further research summarized in this article reveal that microwave ovens are far more harmful than previously imagined.
The following is a summary of the Russian investigations published by the Atlantis Raising Educational Center in Portland, Oregon. Carcinogens were formed in virtually all foods tested.
No test food was subjected to more microwaving than necessary to accomplish the purpose, i.e., cooking, thawing, or heating to insure sanitary ingestion. Here's a summary of some of the results:
Microwaving prepared meats sufficiently to insure sanitary ingestion caused formation of d-Nitrosodienthanolamines, a well-known carcinogen. Microwaving milk and cereal grains converted some of their amino acids into carcinogens. Thawing frozen fruits converted their glucoside and galactoside containing fractions into carcinogenic substances. Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked or frozen vegetables converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens. Carcinogenic free radicals were formed in microwaved plants, especially root vegetables. Decrease in nutritional value Russian researchers also reported a marked acceleration of structural degradation leading to a decreased food value of 60 to 90% in all foods tested. Among the changes observed were: Deceased bio-availability of vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals and lipotropics factors in all food tested. The degradation of nucleo-proteins in meats.
In most cases, the foods used for research analysis were exposed to microwave propagation at an energy potential of 100 kilowatts/cm3/second, to the point considered acceptable for sanitary, normal ingestion. The effects noted by both German and Russian researchers is presented in three categories:
Category I, Cancer-Causing Effects
Category II, Nutritive Destruction of Foods
Category III, Biological Effects of Exposure
Further research summarized in this article reveal that microwave ovens are far more harmful than previously imagined.
The following is a summary of the Russian investigations published by the Atlantis Raising Educational Center in Portland, Oregon. Carcinogens were formed in virtually all foods tested.
No test food was subjected to more microwaving than necessary to accomplish the purpose, i.e., cooking, thawing, or heating to insure sanitary ingestion. Here's a summary of some of the results:
Microwaving prepared meats sufficiently to insure sanitary ingestion caused formation of d-Nitrosodienthanolamines, a well-known carcinogen. Microwaving milk and cereal grains converted some of their amino acids into carcinogens. Thawing frozen fruits converted their glucoside and galactoside containing fractions into carcinogenic substances. Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked or frozen vegetables converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens. Carcinogenic free radicals were formed in microwaved plants, especially root vegetables. Decrease in nutritional value Russian researchers also reported a marked acceleration of structural degradation leading to a decreased food value of 60 to 90% in all foods tested. Among the changes observed were: Deceased bio-availability of vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals and lipotropics factors in all food tested. The degradation of nucleo-proteins in meats.
In most cases, the foods used for research analysis were exposed to microwave propagation at an energy potential of 100 kilowatts/cm3/second, to the point considered acceptable for sanitary, normal ingestion. The effects noted by both German and Russian researchers is presented in three categories:
Category I, Cancer-Causing Effects
Category II, Nutritive Destruction of Foods
Category III, Biological Effects of Exposure
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Is Sex A Good Work Out??
Interesting question!
Several recent studies seem to lead to sex as a pretty decent work out, a way to slow the aging process, and a way to stay healthy!
For instance, those crazy nights can double as gym time. At the very core of it, sex is a very pleasurable form of aerobic exercise. Now it won’t replace regular trips to the gym, it might just do more good for your body than you may have thought. Thirty minutes of sex can burn approximately 150 calories – less than the same amount of time on the stair climber, but more than an average yoga class (115 calories). In fact, sex three times a week for a year burns more calories than running 75 miles and, according to the Kinsey Institute, we lose about five pounds a year due to sex alone.
And all that exercise can pay off in your appearance. According to a 1999 study by Scotland`s Royal Edinburgh Hospital, an active sex life can make you look up to seven years younger. Sexual activity increases the flow of blood to your organs and floods your system with fresh oxygen and hormones and the endorphins released by your brain during sex can help relieve stress, alleviate minor pain and even boost your immune system. Damn...
During orgasm, there is a surge of oxytocin, a hormone that may account for both the stronger emotional connection between you and your partner and the tension relief you feel afterward. Oxytocin plays a role in regulating your blood pressure and body temperature and is also thought to have a role in relieving pain and promoting healing. According to Dr. Carol Rinkleib Ellison, psychologist and author of Women`s Sexualities , a satisfying sexual experience can re-boot your body in much the same way you would re-boot your computer.
A recent study published in Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation indicates that women who are sexually active during their periods are less likely to develop endometriosis (a fairly common gynecological condition that occurs when the tissue lining the inside of the uterus grows in other areas, such as on the ovaries or fallopian tubes) than women who avoided sex during their periods. The researchers also found that orgasms during menstruation can further lower endometriosis risk by pushing menstrual debris out of the uterus.
According to a study performed by Dr. David Weeks, a clinical neuropsychologist at Scotland’s Royal Edinburgh Hospital, sex can actually slow the aging process.
This is an article straight from carefair.com. More specifically http://www.carefair.com/Beauty/Lifestyle/Having_Sex_1820.html
Also, check this website out, i'm not really sure how accredited it is, but it's... interesting.
http://www.c4vct.com/kym/humor/csex.htm
And of course, Practice Safe Sex.
Several recent studies seem to lead to sex as a pretty decent work out, a way to slow the aging process, and a way to stay healthy!
For instance, those crazy nights can double as gym time. At the very core of it, sex is a very pleasurable form of aerobic exercise. Now it won’t replace regular trips to the gym, it might just do more good for your body than you may have thought. Thirty minutes of sex can burn approximately 150 calories – less than the same amount of time on the stair climber, but more than an average yoga class (115 calories). In fact, sex three times a week for a year burns more calories than running 75 miles and, according to the Kinsey Institute, we lose about five pounds a year due to sex alone.
And all that exercise can pay off in your appearance. According to a 1999 study by Scotland`s Royal Edinburgh Hospital, an active sex life can make you look up to seven years younger. Sexual activity increases the flow of blood to your organs and floods your system with fresh oxygen and hormones and the endorphins released by your brain during sex can help relieve stress, alleviate minor pain and even boost your immune system. Damn...
During orgasm, there is a surge of oxytocin, a hormone that may account for both the stronger emotional connection between you and your partner and the tension relief you feel afterward. Oxytocin plays a role in regulating your blood pressure and body temperature and is also thought to have a role in relieving pain and promoting healing. According to Dr. Carol Rinkleib Ellison, psychologist and author of Women`s Sexualities , a satisfying sexual experience can re-boot your body in much the same way you would re-boot your computer.
A recent study published in Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation indicates that women who are sexually active during their periods are less likely to develop endometriosis (a fairly common gynecological condition that occurs when the tissue lining the inside of the uterus grows in other areas, such as on the ovaries or fallopian tubes) than women who avoided sex during their periods. The researchers also found that orgasms during menstruation can further lower endometriosis risk by pushing menstrual debris out of the uterus.
According to a study performed by Dr. David Weeks, a clinical neuropsychologist at Scotland’s Royal Edinburgh Hospital, sex can actually slow the aging process.
This is an article straight from carefair.com. More specifically http://www.carefair.com/Beauty/Lifestyle/Having_Sex_1820.html
Also, check this website out, i'm not really sure how accredited it is, but it's... interesting.
http://www.c4vct.com/kym/humor/csex.htm
And of course, Practice Safe Sex.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Young adults who are casual smokers are 16 times more likely than nonsmokers to be hazardous drinkers and five times more likely to have alcohol-use disorders (AUDs), a U.S. study finds.
Sherry A. McKee, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, and her colleagues analyzed data on 5,838 adults, aged 18 to 25, who provided information about their current smoking behavior, weekly consumption of alcohol, frequency of alcohol use, frequency of binge-drinking behavior, rates of hazardous drinking, and rates of AUD diagnoses.
"We anticipated that the associations between alcohol use and smoking would be greatest in non-daily smokers but were surprised by the degree of the associations," McKee said in journal news release about the study. "While casual smoking was more common in college students, the relationships between smoking and drinking behavior were the same for young adults whether they were students or not."
McKee noted that most states have implemented smoking bans that include businesses where alcohol is served.
"Research indicates that smoking bans can reduce alcohol consumption in bars, particularly among heavy drinkers," she said.
Sherry A. McKee, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, and her colleagues analyzed data on 5,838 adults, aged 18 to 25, who provided information about their current smoking behavior, weekly consumption of alcohol, frequency of alcohol use, frequency of binge-drinking behavior, rates of hazardous drinking, and rates of AUD diagnoses.
"We anticipated that the associations between alcohol use and smoking would be greatest in non-daily smokers but were surprised by the degree of the associations," McKee said in journal news release about the study. "While casual smoking was more common in college students, the relationships between smoking and drinking behavior were the same for young adults whether they were students or not."
McKee noted that most states have implemented smoking bans that include businesses where alcohol is served.
"Research indicates that smoking bans can reduce alcohol consumption in bars, particularly among heavy drinkers," she said.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Obesity
America is in the top 10 fattest countries in the world (coming in at number 9). With more than 190 countries, we fall in the top 10....
74.1 % of America is overweight.
There are currently 1.6 billion overweight people in this world, and is expected to grow 40% within the next 10 years. These numbers are only taken from people who are 15 and older. Remember all those Maury shows that talk about the amount of obese children? Add all of those and we would probably have over 2 billion obese people in this world.
I believe that with children under 15 (I'm thinking more along the lines of age 12ish) the parents can mostly be to blame (discounting some deseases that may be cause the weight gain). Stop going to McDonalds every other day!
Most kids over the age of 15 (or 12) are now pretty much eduacted and should be able to control what they eat.
If the rest of the 180ish countries can handle obesity better, why cant we??
74.1 % of America is overweight.
There are currently 1.6 billion overweight people in this world, and is expected to grow 40% within the next 10 years. These numbers are only taken from people who are 15 and older. Remember all those Maury shows that talk about the amount of obese children? Add all of those and we would probably have over 2 billion obese people in this world.
I believe that with children under 15 (I'm thinking more along the lines of age 12ish) the parents can mostly be to blame (discounting some deseases that may be cause the weight gain). Stop going to McDonalds every other day!
Most kids over the age of 15 (or 12) are now pretty much eduacted and should be able to control what they eat.
If the rest of the 180ish countries can handle obesity better, why cant we??
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