November 2, 2010: America Votes

The citizens of the United States of America are voting today. Results, as I write this blog, are not yet in. We do not know who will win yet. But, having 100% faith in the American system of life, whatever the results will be they will be the right ones. America wins regardless of the results tonight

Is There A Conflict of Interest in Medical Research?

The simple answer to this is YES. Most medical research in the United States is a sponsored research type; it is supported by the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical company chooses who will conduct its research on its chemicals (on their way to become drugs), it keeps and controls the data resulting from the research, decides when and where the data will be published, writes the article to be submitted for publication and attaches the names of prominent academic scientists/physicians in the field as "ghost-authors". Negative results never see the light of day, and only those results that support the drug "wanted" action are published and promoted. When the results reach the FDA for a decision, oftentimes sitting on the same panels to decide the fate of the "proposed drug" are physicians/scientists with affiliations to the same sponsor drug company. Once the drug reaches the market, the drug is promoted to physicians to prescribe it, offering free samples and generous gifts and "trips to Honolulu". The Company then injects its "unbiased" sponsoring through the CME (Continuing Medical Education), where it sponsors indirectly educational companies for the purpose of promoting its drug. Although the claim is always that all speakers are not selected by the sponsor company but selected by the educational entity, no education company with a clear mind would choose "speakers" who would not support the drug's actions (not if they want to stay in business). And, the pharmaceutical company, under the disguised of "education", showers "small gifts" on medical students and residents to "help" them with their education. Right, their education! Next time I am window-shopping for a car from a Ford dealer I will ask the salesman if he recommends a Ford car for me to buy. You will never know, perhaps he'll recommend a Honda. When I visit my physician and receive a prescription I often ask myself who was really the writer of the prescription, is it him or the pharmaceutical industry? I would not know, the handwriting is so bad I cannot tell.

Happy Halloween: It Is SUNDS-Day. Be Scared...Be Very Very Scared... It Is Real...It Lives

When I lived in Charles River Park area (Boston, MA), my apartment was located in a high-rise building that was constructed in an area where low-income housing was located. The developer replaced all the low-income housing units by new high-rise buildings. My bedroom had a walk-in closet where I hanged my cloths. Oftentimes during the night I used to "force" myself to wake-up because I used to have this repeated nightmare that an entity would come out of the closet and sit on my chest. It was so heavy that I would not be able to breath at times. I did not tell this story to anyone fearing ridicule, not even to my brothers and sister. After I got married, my younger brother occupied my bedroom, and thereafter he got married and he lived there with his family for few years in the same unit. My brother now lives somewhere else outside Boston. Years after, my brother and I were jocking about ghosts and he began to tell me how he used to wake up at night because this "thing" would come out of the closet and sit on his chest. Like me, he would fight it and try to wake up, a struggle I knew very well. I looked at my brother face and starred for seconds that seemed years and said "oh my God", it is real. Later on, I was reading this book I bought from a "Goodwill" store and was just flipping the pages until something caught my eyes. I stopped reading, I collected myself, and continued reading. The words as I read them were heavy and seemed to last for eternity. The pages in this book were describing a similar experience some Asian immigrant men felt when they moved to this country with their wives and children. The pages continued to reveal these men story about how they felt "less than men" because in this country women liberation allowed their wives to be more vocal and independent. The words kept getting heavier and heavier as I continued reading. These Asian men described an experience of an "entity" sitting on their chest while they are sleepping at night. This entity sits there with its heavy weight on their chest making their breathing almost impossible. They would feel suffocated and try to wake-up, a struggle I knew very well. The book names this condition "SUNDS" or "Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome". Dr. Herbert Benson, the author of this book "Timeless Healing", states that "...SUNDS...affecting 92 per 100,000 ... men...these figures would make it the fifth leading cause of natural death in the U.S. male population." Scary words, isn't it? Dr. Benson believes that SUNDS is related to the emotion of "fear". I do not argue with that at all. It is FEAR alright. If you would like to read more about SUNDS, just click on Dr. Benson's book picture above to get this book (the link is from Amazon.com) (ISBN 0-684-83146-5). Happy SUNDS Halloween.

Colonoscopy and Colorectal Cancer

The overall mortality rate from colorectal cancer was found to be 29% lower in patients who undergo regular colorectal screening than that of the general population. However, for proximal cancer, the mortality rate was estimated to be the same as that for the general population.

Aspirin and Prostate Cancer

The wonder drug Aspirin (ASA) has been found to be useful beyond headaches and fever. New studies point out that patients with prostate cancer also benefit from taking ASA. Those who take ASA can expect a reduced risk from dying from the disease, a reduced risk for the cancer to metastasize, and a lower risk for cancer recurrence after remission.

Voting this Tuesday (November 2, 2010)

Do not forget to vote this Tuesday for the candidates of your choice. It is the American way of exercising our freedom. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, a Tea Party member or Liberal, a Conservative or Libertarian, vote this Tuesday. And, yes, specially if you are Independent, please vote because all the others want you on their side.

Prostate Biopsy

Prostate biopsy is done by a urologist guided by ultrasound. A needle is inserted in different locations to sample tissues from the prostate gland. Some physicians believe that the biopsy procedure itself carries the risk of "spreading" cancer cells to other areas of the body, thus making the situation worse than what it is. Unfortunately, the biopsy procedure is the only "test" possible to confirm or rule out prostate cancer for sure.

The PSA Saga

It seems there is no end to this business about PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). Almost daily, or so it seems, there is a new study coming out either supporting the test or declaring it worthless. A recent study from Cleveland Clinic emphasizes the importance of PSA test on saving the burden of cancer metastasis (spreading of cancer cells to other areas of the body). In this study, researchers have compared patients with prostate cancer before the PSA test was discovered/implemented and after its widespread use in the clinic as a routine screening test. The results showed that patients without the PSA test had 8%-24% higher number of cases with metastatic disease than patients who were tested with PSA.

Cancer Types and Prognosis: The Case for Pancreatic Cancer

Different cancer types differ in their "aggression." For example 100% of prostate cancer patients survive at least 5 years from diagnosis compared to 89% for breast cancer and 65% for colorectal cancer. However, for pancreatic cancer the prognosis is much worse; only 6% survive the 5-year period. New research in this field has pointed out that despite this poor prognosis, pancreatic cancers are "slow growers" lasting about 21 years on average before they become deadly. Thus, early detection is vital for this disease. Currently, persons with a family history of pancreatic cancer are screened with MRI and/or ultrasound. However, a more practical test is needed to allow for routine screening of the entire population. Scientists are hopeful that such a test may be made possible within the next decade.

Morgellons

Chances are that you have not heard of this condition, Morgellons. It is a skin "condition" in which sufferers claim to have fiber-like objects produced/secreted through their skin. The CDC is currently preparing a report on Morgellons which will be published sometimes in 2011. When President Obama was a Senator, he demanded that the CDC initiate medical investigations on this condition. I have seen some videos on YouTube.com about this condition.

Whooping Cough

Whooping cough is on the increase in California. The disease has already claimed the life of 10 infants. The total number of cases infected as of yesterday (October 29, 2010) is 6,257. It is the highest recorded number of cases for over 60 years.

What Is a %?

Oftentimes the symbol "%" is found on labels of botanicals. It is used to express the concentration of a "surrogate" component in the plant available in the formulation. It is a way to standardize the herbal formulations. Say we have on a capsule formulation the term (0.3%) for a specific substance, this means we have 0.3 g of that substance in every 100 g of powder present in the capsule shells. (The symbol percent here means percent by weight.) For example, if the powder inside a capsule weighs 300 mg, this means there is 0.9 mg of the "surrogate" compound per capsule. Other "%" terms are %w/v and %v/v. The former is defined as the number of grams of a substance in 100 milliliters of solution. Whereas, %v/v is the number of milliliters of a component in 100 milliliters of solution. There is also the concentration unit "%mg" which is known as milligram percent. This one is defined as the number of milligrams of a substance in 100 milliliters of solution.

Could the Human Race Be One Day Extinct?

As a species, human could also one day get extinct from planet Earth. It is possible that a major natural disaster such as a large asteroid hitting our planet will result in killing every living thing on Earth. However, our planet has always allowed some sort of life to exist on it. Perhaps a new creation will be born. Perhaps a better one than the human race. We have done so much destruction and caused so much pain that perhaps any other creation would be a better one. Does God have a plan like that for us? Don't tell that to the Dinosaurs, they thought too that they were the "be all end all" until they were gone, all gone, and for good.

Can 40 Equal 60?

It could be if 40 and 60 were averages. Let me illustrate my point. Suppose we measured the weight of 9 pieces of chicken wings and their average weight was 40 g. Also suppose that the normal average chicken wings weight is 60 g with a standard deviation of 25 g. Now, is 40 g as an average statistically different from 60 g? To answer this question we will use the normal distribution (the bell-shape curve) and report our finding with 99% confidence. The estimation goes like that: z-score = (40 - 60)/(25/3) = -2.4; Since the probability of obtaining a z-score of (-2.4) by chance alone is greater than 1%, we declare that the average weight of 40 g for our sample of 9 chicken wings is the same as that of the population (the 60 g average).

How to Convert From Molar Concentrations to Grams Per Liter?

This can be illustrated by the following example: A solution for HCl is labeled as 0.1 M. This means it contains 0.1 mole of HCl per one liter of solution. Since the molecular weight of HCl is 36.5 g/mole, then (0.1 mole/liter) x (36.5 g/mole) = 3.65 g/liter, or can be written as 0.365% w/v. (The symbol %w/v is for percent weight per volume which is defined as the amount of a substance in grams in every 100-milliliter volume of solution. One deciliter is 100 milliliters.)

The pH Scale

The pH scale is used to express the concentration of hydrogen ions (also known as hydronium ions) in solution. The higher the value of the pH the more basic the solution is. Thus, acidic solutions like soda drinks have low pH values. A neutral pH at room temperature equals to 7. The concentration of hydrogen ions is expressed in moles/liter. For example, if a solution contains (E-5) mole/liter of [H+], then the pH of the solution is 5. Inversely, if the pH of a solution were 2, then the concentration of [H+] in solution would be (E-2) mole/liter. Normal blood pH is 7.4. Normal empty stomach juice pH is between 1 and 3, and that of the small intestine is about 5-6. (It is interesting to note that cola drinks have similar pH values as that of stomach juice.) Healthy human skin surface has also a pH between 5-6. Life itself depends on maintaining body fluids' pH constant. A too large deviation from a blood normal pH of 7.4 could result in death. Not only human cannot survive without a healthy pH for his blood, but Earth itself depends on a natural pH of the soil for plants' survivor. The pH scale is indeed a scale for life.

Avogadro's Number: How was It Calculated?

Avogadro's Law for gases states that under the same temperature and pressure the number of molecules of any gas per unit volume is constant. Experimentally, this number was determined to be (2.70 x E22). Also, for ideal gases, the volume of one mole of a gas under 1 Standard atmospheric pressure and at the ice point equals 22.414 liters. If we multiply (2.70 x E22) by (22.414) we would obtain the Avogadro's Number. The currently accepted value for Avogadro's Number is (6.0225 x E23) molecules/mole.

States of Matter

Everyone knows that matter can exist as gas, liquid, or solid. However, a fourth state of matter known as liquid crystal is very abundant in nature. As the name implies, this state is an intermediate state between liquids and solids. Liquid crystalline state is also known as a mesophase. There are three types of mesophase state: Smectic, Nematic, and Cholesteric. They differ in their molecular arrangement of the molecules. Much of the lipids in our body is made of one of these mesophases. Thus, life is rich in mesophase structures. Is not that interesting that liquid crystal is not as popular as the other three? It is time for the mesophases to be recognized for their contribution to life itself and take their rightfull place among the states of matter.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil (TTO) is the essential oil extracted from Tee Tree Plant. This plant is native to Australia and has been used as antiseptic for many years by the Australian natives. It is also an excellent remedy for acne and nail fungal infections. It may be used for yeast and bacterial vaginal infections as well. The oral ingestion of a teaspoonful of TTO is fatal. Thus, the use of TTO in mouthwashes is highly NOT recommended. It is very effective in the treatment of minor cuts and wounds.

Red Yeast Rice

Red Yeast Rice is an excellent natural substance for lowering serum cholesterol level. The normal dose for adults is 1600 mg/day. Consult with your physician before taking Red Yeast Rice as serious side effects may develop from its use.

The Definition of Placebo

Placebo is defined as an inert substance with no pharmacological activity. Yet, the medical establishment has always known the impact of placebo effect on health. Psychiatrists would tell you that 50% of the activity of many medications they use is due to a placebo effect. In Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), we consider "placebo effect" to be a very valuable tool for healing. We consider this effect as a sign that the inner healing power of the body is being awaken. Each one of us possesses this inner power to heal one-self. However, various stressors in life, be it physical or emotional, subdue this inner ability to heal. Botanicals and other CAM modalities cause this inner natural healing power in us to rise again to the surface and does its work to restore us to health. Placebo effect is a real effect; it is our body's own healing power.