President Dwight D. Eisenhower

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the originator of the Constitution Week (September 17-23). President Eisenhower was a republican and served in office from 1953 to 1961. He was the 34th President of the United States.

The Origin of AIDS Virus: Where Did It Come From?

New research in this field has confirmed that the virus causing AIDS, or HIV, has originated from SIV-the virus causing similar infection in African monkeys, but in a much milder manner. The SIV is indeed very old virus, and is believed to be at least 32,000 years old or may be as old as 75,000 years. Human contact with monkeys has permitted the transfer of SIV to human, which resulted in the virus mutation into its new form, the HIV.

Wisdom

"What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens." Benjamin Disraeli

Attitude of Clinicians Is For The Birds

It is without a doubt that clinicians nowadays hate to spend the time to really find out about the patient's conditions. While visiting a clinic today for an "abnormal test" I had recently, the PA (Physician Assistant) did not even bother to check a condition that I had for at least two weeks now, even though I repeatedly stated my discomfort and concern about it. Because my condition is worsening by the day, I m going to visit tomorrow another clinic to specifically address this issue. They say that the current health care is expensive. No wonder why! If each one of us has to visit several clinicians to get them to work, the cost of treatment is going to be several folds higher than what it should be. If I did that in my own profession I would have been fired long time ago. In my opinion medical schools should start training their students how to care for their patients rather than teaching them how to avoid treating their patients.

PSA IS DECLARED USELESS

Very recent clinical reports on PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen) declared the test to be worthless. According to these reports, the PSA test does not reduce the number of prostate cancer cases nor the number of deaths from prostate cancer. Moreover, the test subjects the patients to unnecessary further diagnostic tests that carry the risk of infections or even impotence.

6C Homeopathic Preparation

A 6C homeopathic preparation is made by taking one part of the herbal extract and diluting it with 9 parts of alcohol. Then, one part of the resulting solution is mixed with another 9 parts of alcohol. This is repeated four more times. During the preparation, the homeopathic doctor shake the preparation to increase its "healing energy". The more diluted the preparation is the more powerful it is in its action.

New Trend in Health Care

A new trend in health care is emerging. Physicians are now relying heavily on medical laboratory tests to make a decision on patient's state of health. A new definition of health is emerging. This defines health as "a state whereas all laboratory tests are deemed normal." For all patients who are suffering from unusual symptoms despite of your "normal' laboratory values, YOU ARE NOT DREAMING. Because laboratory values are not necessary you. They are part of you, but not the entire you. This new trend is replacing people by numbers obtained by instruments. There is no need anymore for anyone to go and see a physician. They will not listen to you anyway. They are busy reading your lab results.

Labor Day

Today was the Labor Day in USA. With approximately 15 million Americans are out of work, this day was not a very happy day for many. We hope that by the next Labor Day the economy has reached a point of stability and prosperity. Happy Labor Day.

Bony Structures

The human spine is composed of five regions: Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacrum, and Coccyx. The Cervical bones are 7, the Thoracic bones are 12, the Lumber bones are 5, the Sacrum is composed of 4-5 fused bones, while the coccyx is made of 3-4 fused bones. The coccyx constitutes the remaining "tail" that human lost during evolution (it is about an inch long). There are 4 major curvatures of the spine: The cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, and the sacral. Kyphosis or "hunchback" is the result of an exaggerated lumbar curvature. The bony shell of the spine houses the spinal cord and the spinal fluid. Kyphosis occurs gradually with aging and with bad posture. The sacrum and coccyx are also parts of the pelvic girdle, whereas the Thoracic vertebrates are part of the torso "the ribcage". There are 12 ribs in human. Ribs 1-7 are known as true ribs, ribs 8-10 are false ribs, and ribs 11-12 are floating ribs. The center part of the ribcage is a bone known as the sternum. The upper part of the sternum is joined with the clavicles on both sides. In turn, the clavicles are attached to the shoulder girdle with the scapula and the humerus. The humerus forms the elbow with the forearm bones (radius and ulna). In turn, the forearm bones join the carpal bones (8 on each side) to form the wrist. There are 5 metacarpal bones and 14 phalanges in each hand. The feet also have 14 phalanges each, 5 metatarsal bones, and 7 tarsal bones. The tarsal bones are attached to the lower leg bones (fibula and tibia). The knee is located between the femur (the largest and strongest bone in the body) and the lower leg bones. The femur articulates (attaches) to the pelvis. The skull is composed of many bones and is joined with the Cervical bones at C1 vertebrae (the atlas). Top of the skull are the two parietal bones, the sides are made of the temporal bones, the front is where the frontal bone is found, and at the back of the skull the occipital bone is located. The orbits are the eye sockets, the nasal bones, the zygomatic bones (cheeks), and the maxillary bones are found in the anterior part of the skull. The jaw or the mandible is a necessary bone for chewing foods. The masseter muscles (two of them) are said to exert together a force equivalent to 150 pounds every time the jaw is closed while chewing (or biting). No wonder biting is a dangerous thing to do. And lastly, but not the least, the hyoid bone which holds the tongue in place. An interesting fact about the hyoid bone is that it is the only bone in the human body that does not articulate with any other bone. All in all, there are 206 bones in the human body. (I heard some people may have an extra vertebra or two!) And one more thing, the reason human can move is because of the articulations between the bones that are called joints. Without joints, bones and muscles would be useless on their own to make movements. So here you have it, when you dance thank your joints and not your bones or muscles for the dance.

Chronic Lyme Disease

Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD) is a condition that most physicians do not believe it exists. The State of Connecticut, where this disease is prevalent, only 2% of the physicians surveyed treat CLD, 50% do not believe CLD exists, and 48% think that CLD is not a "valid condition" to treat. On the opposite side, most (if not all) Complementary and Alternative Medicine practitioners handle this disease very seriously.

Are You Taking Drugs To Strengthen Your Bones?

Many physicians are now on the bandwagon prescribing the relatively newly commercialized drugs for bone strength. The advertisement are mainly targeted to elderly women, using well-known actresses or "elderly" women in the ads. They tell you not to lay down on your back for a period of time (usually 30 minutes) after taking the dose. Well, it turned out that new research in this area (not widely advertised for an obvious reason, the all-mighty dollar) is pointing toward severe adverse events that are, to say the least, scary. One adverse event states that these drugs increase the likelihood for the person taken them to break their femur (the large leg bone). Of course for some of the very elderly this may be deadly. Other research is pointing out the increase risk of esophageal cancer, a very painful cancer that has extremely poor prognosis. Talk to your physician about these risks. Tell them that YOU KNOW these bad scary adverse effects of these drugs. (Do not expect your physician is going to tell you to stop taking them.) When we get older, we all have fragile bones, and the reason we have fragile bones is not because we do not have enough of these drugs in our system. It is simply that we have to eat a much better balanced diet, eat fruits and vegetables, drink non-homogenized milk, and exercise (walking). Eating your apple or spinach would not break your femur nor give you esophageal cancer.

Why the Republicans Are Mad?

The Republican Party is loosing its soul. They are mad because they are loosing everywhere. They have been the party of Opposition with a big "O". Their party is now being held hostage to a minority group of bitter people. They claim they love this country, but in reality their actions speak the Opposite, also with a big "O". The Republican/Tea Party has been for a while now a party of haters, birthers, Islamophobes, Arabophobes, colorophobes, homophobes, Latinophobes, and foreignophobes. They have a tribe mentality. They hate the United Nations just because it is filled with people who either don't look like them, speak like them, or angry like them. And, most of all, because the UN really does good work around the world instead of sitting in trailers listening and brain-washed daily for 12 consecutive hours by the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world. They have been nothing but angry, bitter, and mad people since they've lost the elections in 2006 and 2008. Grow up and go pound some sand, because we are going to be here for a while, perhaps for at least the next 14 years, and may be longer, much much longer. We have accomplished a lot despite your Opposition to us. We have passed the National Health Care to everyone in this country, we Ended the War in Iraq, we are Winning in Afghanistan, and the lousy economy you handed to us, we are Nursing it Back to Health. We still have a lot to accomplish and build this country to meet the 21st Century demands. We are the future; you are the past. Have a nice day =).

Alcohol and Breast Cancer

Recent findings from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute indicated that women who drink alcohol are at a significantly higher risk of developing invasive lobular carcinoma.

Some Calm Reflections on Summer 2010

This summer is almost over, at least from the point of view of vacations. The kids are going back to school this Wednesday (August 25), that's why you see a lot of parents smiling. This summer was a hot one, but not hotter than the one before it. I actually thought it was a bit cooler this year, may be perhaps I finally fixed my broken air-conditioning in my 18 years old car (I had driven this car for the last four years without air-conditioning). There were less cars on the roads and fewer school buses. I am not looking forward to drive behind one of them at all. I usually budget an extra 10 minutes for my trip to work just in case I get stuck behind a school bus (or two). The summer was a dry one; we did not get as much rain as we wanted, but it poured today for at least 15 minutes. I hope we get more of those passing clouds daily. We could not afford a family vacation this summer, but Holly Springs (NC) was as beautiful as ever and I did not mind it to stay home. Home Sweet Home, Holly Springs, North Carolina, I am really blessed to be living here.

Predictions for November 2010

This mid-term election is going to be interesting. Everyone is predicting that the Republican Party is going to gain more seats in both houses. I beg to differ. I estimate that the Democratic Party shall keep control on both houses, gaining many more seats in the Senate to a minimum of 63 seats majority. Moreover, the Republican Party will loose seats not only to the Democratic Party but also to the Independents.

Prostate Cancer

Men whose brothers have already developed prostate cancer are at a higher risk of developing the disease according to new research done at the National Research Institutes (NIH). Frequent screening of those individuals is highly recommended.

West Nile Virus

The West Nile Virus has been detected in mosquitoes and birds in the greater Chicago area, Newton (Massachusetts), and San Bernardino County (California). In the latter, the virus has already infected one woman.

The Decline in the Economy Appears Flat?

The last three years (June 30, 2007 to June 30, 2010), the total accumulations remained unchanged, however that corresponds to a decline in economy since additions are being made to the total to maintain its "flatness". In other words, anything added is consumed by the system to maintain the status quo.

No Jewish Temples Are Allowed Here!

If you visit countries like Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, etc. you will notice very interesting thing. There are no Jewish Temples outside where the Jewish Communities reside. It is simply cannot be done. Do you really want to add New York City to the above list? The headline reads "Muslim Mosques Are Not Welcome Here." Why is that strange, asked the man in Lebanon? We don't allow Jewish Temples to be built here either. The man added, "perhaps we can invite New York to join the Arabs League. They think like us now."

Suddenly My Life Changed

Life does throw at you curves from time to time. "Black Swans" do exist, and they can affect individuals, families, nations, or the entire world. No one can predict "Black Swans" in your life. No statistics, no previous history, no similar past events, nor your own instinct can tell you they are coming. "Black Swans" events are intended to divert your life permanently. The 9/11 event in the United States was a "Black Swan". No one saw it coming. Yet, it affected everyone's life in the United States and the entire world. If you do not believe me, try to pass the airport security without taking off your shoes; good luck! Actually, the last time I was at the airport I had to take off my shoes, belt, watch, and everything was in my pockets. Then I was passed through the x-ray machine. Actually, come to think about it, it was not that unpleasant. There is an excellent book written on this subject called "The Black Swan" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I highly recommend reading it. A Lebanese descendant, Talib now calls New York home.

Panax Ginseng As a Currency?

Countries deal with real currency when it comes to economical interchange among them. Don't tell that to North Korea! The Dear Leader has proposed to the Czech Republic to pay them back on an old military loan in Panax ginseng, a 20-ton of it. The North Koreans owe the Czech Republic some $10 million in debt and they offered to pay back this loan in ginseng roots (worth of half a million dollars). Of course Czechoslovakia declined the offer. I guess it will take the Czech Republic people about 15 years to consume this much ginseng in their tea. P. ginseng is a very revered herb around the world, especially in Asia. Ginseng possesses tonic and immune stimulating activities among many other important effects.