List of states and rates of depression—ranked from the least depressed to the most depressed

How about “one for the road”? Researchers from Canada reported in the December 2006 issue of the Archives of Surgery, found that blunt head-trauma patients with low-to-moderate blood alcohol levels had a lower risk of dying compared with those with either no alcohol in the blood or too much alcohol in the blood. Whoa…does this mean that a quick Jack before driving home might actually SAVE you if you have had a severe traumatic brain injury in a car accident? Absolutely not. No one is suggesting a quick shot before heading out, but the study implies that there may be a role for alcohol-based resuscitation fluid in improving outcomes in adequately resuscitated patients with severe head injury. Of course, more studies are necessary to prove their hypothesis.

Why is olive oil so GOOD for you? Olive oil contains a compound called oleocanthal that behaves like ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, in the body. Oleocanthal reduces inflammation which plays a major role in cardiovascular disease and of course, certain pain syndromes. (Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia)

Contaminated keyboards in hospitals. Computers are making life easier for hospital personnel, but they are making life more dangerous for the patients. Some hospitals now have computers in every patient room and this just might be hazardous to their health. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago found that the types of bacteria commonly found in hospitals—such as MRSA, methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus—can survive on a hospital keyboard for 24 hours. Simply cleaning the keyboard with soap and water did not kill the bacteria. Using a strong disinfectant DID kill the bacteria but it also ruined the computer in the process. So pouring bleach onto a computer keyboard ISN’T the answer, obviously. It looks like keyboards and computers in patients rooms are here to stay, so the responsibility lies with the physicians and nurses to WASH THEIR HANDS vigorously and OFTEN, to prevent hospital-acquired infections in their patients.

A Florida middle school science student found that 70 percent of her local fast-food restaurants had more bacteria in their soft-drink ice than in the water from their toilets. Yuck. (March 3, 2006—The Week)

From yesteryear

For more than five millennia, human beings have treated their ailments with extraordinary creativity. For example, in 2000 bc, Assyrian and Babylonian doctors used a salve made of frog bile and sour milk for treating infected eyes, but this concoction was considered effective only after the patient took a swig of beer chased by a slice of onion.

A brief history of enemas. Ancient Egyptians were deathly afraid of rotting food in their gastrointestinal tract; hence, their adamant belief in enemas three days a month. They believed that enemas were invented by a god, Thoth. Royalty were especially cognizant of the importance of the bowel—the Pharaoh had his own “Keeper of the Royal Rectum.” And, of course, we all have heard the stories about Louis XIII, the King of France from 1610 to 1643. He had an average of 212 enemas every year. Individuals who were not lucky enough to be a Pharaoh or a King had their enemas administered by pharmacists who were dubbed limonadiers du posterior (or to put it bluntly, lemonade-makers of the rear-end).

Acid suppression and hip fractures. How many of your patients are taking PPIs for gastric acid suppression due to GERD? PPI users have a significantly increased risk of hip fractures. In fact, they are 34% more likely to incur a hip fracture than patients who use other acid suppressive agents such as the H2 blockers—Tagamet, Pepcid, Axid, and Zantac. Risk increases with dose and duration of PPI use. High-dose PPI use and use by persons with chronic GERD are the highest risk groups. It’s important to emphasize to your patients taking the PPIs that they need to increase their consumption of calcium-containing foods from dairy sources and make sure that if they are taking calcium supplements that they do so with meals for better absorption.

Speaking of hip fractures.  A single, 15-minute infusion of zolendronic acid (Reclast) given once a year can cut the risk of spinal fractures by 70 percent and the risk of hip fractures by 41 percent, according to a new three-year study in the New England Journal of Medicine. It has been approved for the treatment of Paget’s disease and is seeking approval for the treatment of osteoporosis.

Overweight women and unplanned pregancies.  Yes, it is an established fact. Overweight women have a higher-than-normal incidence of unintended pregnancies, despite taking oral contraceptives. This most likely occurs because OCs are partly absorbed by body fat, and thus become less available for pregnancy prevention in overweight women. (PDR 2007) Of course, this would especially be true if the woman was taking low-dose combined oral contraceptives, so the obvious remedy would be to give overweight women a combined oral contraceptive with higher estrogen doses.

Fish facts: Americans consume 5 billion pounds of seafood per year, or an average of 16 pounds per person per year.

The “Lance Armstrong effect.” We have all undoubtedly read about the “miracle” of Lance Armstrong—not only his Tour de France winnings, but also his survival from metastatic testicular cancer. He may be the most famous survivor of testicular cancer in the world but his is, by no means, the only survivor of metastatic testicular cancer. In fact, when testicular cancer has metastasized at diagnosis, 72% of men are still alive 5 years later. In contrast, 5-year survival rates for metastatic breast cancer are only 26%.

So, is there a distinct advantage to surviving testicular cancer, even thought it has spread to the liver, lungs, bone, and even brain? And, if so, what is it? Researchers are convinced that the answer lies in thermal differences in cancer cells and body tissues. The testicles live in the scrotal sac for a reason. The scrotum is 3° F cooler than the rest of the body, providing a perfect environment for testicular function and the production of sperm. When testicular cancer cells metastasize to the rest of the body, the higher temperatures of other organ systems, such as the liver, lungs, bone and brain, put cancer cells at a disadvantage, weakening and marking them unusually responsive to chemotherapy.

This temperature disadvantage is known as the “Lance Armstrong” effect. It could easily be called the “Scott Hamilton” effect as well, since Scott Hamilton also survived metastatic testicular cancer and continues to twirl and pirouette on ice rinks throughout the world.

Of course, the big question begs to be asked…can this effect be used to treat other cancers? Prostate cancer becomes more responsive to treatment when it is simultaneously treated by focused microwaves and treated with radiation and chemotherapy. Just how does hyperthermia help? Researchers are not quite sure, but they are always willing to propose theories. One such theory is obvious—increasing heat results in vasodilation, increased tumor blood flow and subsequent increased delivery of chemotherapy to the tumor. Increased blood flow also delivers more oxygen making the radiation therapy more effective. Oxidation helps kill cancer cells. A second theory is that heat also deforms certain proteins that are necessary for cellular function. Once the proteins change shape they are no longer able to function appropriately. Heat also revs up the function of the immune system—especially the dendritic cells and macrophages.

This boost in immune power may fight off tumor growth. In addition, hyperthermia damages the nuclear material of the cell. Once damaged and then subsequently zapped with chemo or radiation, the cell is no longer capable of translating genetic information into proteins necessary for cell function.

Twins and drinking cow’s milk. Drinking cow’s milk increases the risk of having twins. Huh? Researchers at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York compared birth data from women who regularly eat meat and dairy products to vegans. Women with the meat and milk diet had twin babies approximately five times more often than vegan women. This twinning effect is most likely due to bovine growth hormone in U.S. beef and especially in cow’s milk. When women consume BGH it stimulates the release of follicle stimulating hormone, which stimulates the ovaries to release more than one egg with ovulation. (Gary Steinman, Scientific American)

Ovaries in overdrive = twins. Using ultrasound to monitor the growth of ovarian follicles, researchers found that of the 105 women (out of 507) who produced multiple eggs in one cycle, 95% were older than 30. The so-called “older women” also had increased levels of FSH. Women who produced multiple eggs had the highest levels of FSH.