Happy Thanksgiving--November 25, 2010

We have a lot to be thankful for. The Good Book says "thank God for everything." It did not say only for the good stuff; thank God for EVERYTHING. Happy Thanksgiving, as we thank the good Lord for everything He showers on us. Amen

Massage Therapy Business: The Different Factors

Massage Therapists (MTs) are alternative health professionals who are licensed in 42 states. MTs can work under different job umbrellas. One option is to work for a spa-type business. MTs working in a spa expect to receive tips and about 30%-50% of the cost of the session. The remaining percentage goes to the spa. Working in a spa environment is rewarding, but yet physically stressful. The good points of working at a spa are 1) MTs do not have to worry about advertising and marketing, 2) MTs do not have to worry about renting an office and paying rent, and 3) MTs do not have to handle credit cards or payments by clients. Another place for MTs to work is at the chiropractor's office. No tipping occurs at the clinic, and the chiropractors normally pay the MTs by the hour; they are considered as independent contractors. A third option for MTs is to have their own business. However, they have to do everything from marketing to treating to finance handling issues. There are few companies now contract with MTs to have them serve special industries, such hotels and resorts. In this case, the MTs are also considered as independent contractors. Some MTs make a lot of money, and some struggle to make a descent living (barely the minimum wage.) An average massage therapy hour costs $60 (+/- $10). Massage therapy can be rewarding, but it is a lot of work. Thank God for MTs for contributing to the general health of people. Massage therapy is a gift from heaven.

Darvon and Darvocet: Interaction with Caffeine

The anti-pain drugs Darvon and Darvocet were pull off the market by the FDA citing heart problem risks. Caffeine in coffee and other drinks can cause a bad reaction with these two drugs if taken together. The symptoms can be severe enough to mimic a heart attack.

Do You Remember This "Old" Technology: The Diskettes?

Whatever happened to the computer "Diskettes"? I thought they were wonderful. I have so many of them full of data. I cannot open them with my new computer, and I cannot find any computer old enough to open them. I bet I could find an old computer that works with them on ebay. It is worth trying.

Scenes From Washington DC (Spring 2007)

Touch Therapy--Massage Therapy

Perhaps one of the disadvantages of technology is that the loss of human touch. Touch is essential for health. Studies showed that babies who are not cuddled, touched, and loved they just get sick and even die. Touch receptors located on the skin not only to protect us and to warn us about our immediate environment, but also are important to "feel human". The elderly people may be the most in need for touch, and that is why owning a pet (dogs and cats) is therapeutic. Massage therapy is very helpful as a touch therapy as well. It activates the immune system as well as supports a relaxation response which is very healthy by itself. Hug your love ones today; touch your love ones today; act like an Italian for once for goodness sake. It is therapeutic.

The Practitioner Effect

In Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners play a major role in the healing process of the client. Healing begins the moment the client meets with the practitioner. Clients who feel they are helped by a concerned passionate practitioner respond better to therapy and heal faster. This "personal touch" in medicine is lost today. Physicians rely heavily on technology and laboratory results, so it does not matter anymore if the patient is present at the clinic or talking to his physician via e-mail. Physicians often wonder why a particular treatment would not work, forgetting how important and essential the personal touch to healing. CAM modalities work by activating the inner healing power of the body to heal itself. Call it placebo or whatever, it does work. The more the Western Medicine divorces itself from that personal touch the more its therapies become ineffective.

Massage Therapy: Requirements for Practitioners

Massage therapy (MT) is a complementary modality that is gaining main stream acceptance. Almost all states have established licensing requirements for the practice of MT, except for eight. Although these requirements can differ from one state to another, the basic ones are age (18 years or older), a minimum of a high school diploma, a minimum of a 500-hour massage therapy training school diploma, passing a national board exam (there are several that are accepted), an application form and fee. Most states grant the license for two years with the option for renewal if the practitioner has taken at least 12 continuing education credits per year including a minimum of 2 credit hours in ethics. Massage therapist's fee varies among practitioners, however most charge $1/minute. On average, the massage therapist makes $30,000 per year.

Democrats Maintain Leadership in Both the House and the Senate

The Democratic Party will maintain its leaders in the Senate and the House in testimony of the effective leadership and the trust the Democratic Party has in their leaders. Senator Reid and Congresswoman Pelosi will keep serving in leadership positions. We applaud the Democratic Party for their continuous support to their leadership. While Senator Reid remains in his former position, Congresswoman Pelosi will serve as the new Majority Leader.

Miller Looses in Alaska Senate Seat

"Tea Party" candidate Joe Miller lost today to the Republican incumbent in the senate race in Alaska. This is another big loss for the so called "Tea Party".

A Cholera Case was Confirmed in the US

A cholera case was confirmed today in Florida. The case is linked to a woman who had a previous contact about a month ago (before the epidemic began) with relatives in Haiti. Her situation has improved greatly and it is under control.

Reusable Shopping Bags: The Lead Concern

You probably already own one of them. These are the shopping bags promoted at grocery stores as "environmentally friendly" because you can bring them with you to store every time you shop for foods. Have you read the label on the bag? It says "Made in China". Well, this may not be surprising on its own, however recent reports suggest that these bags contain a significantly high amount of lead in them. It is not clear at this time whether lead can leach out of the bag material and contaminate the bag content. Senator Charles Schumer (D, New York) is calling for an investigation into this matter.

Antibiotics and Superbugs

Superbugs, like MRSA, are becoming a public health issue with increasing concerns. It is unfortunate that the pharmaceutical industry appears to not have any interest in producing new antibiotics to fight the ever resistant germs in the environment. The reason is simple. There is no money in developing new antibiotics. Unless the government offers incentives for developing new antibiotics the future to maintain our triumph against infections is fading quickly. We are about to go back to the era where garlic and colloidal silver are few of the infection fighters available to physicians. In fact, natural health professionals are calling to the re-institution of colloidal silver in the fight against microbes. (The list of germs that are affected by colloidal silver includes MRSA---according to promoters of this preparation.) Echinacea, goldenseal, and tea tree oil are just a few more examples of the anti-germs herbal armament. A sign of the time is the use of anti-bacterial products all over the places. They marketed to moms and dads convincing them that the way to protect their children is to keep them in a sterile environment. Really? Since when playing in the dirt, football, basketball, baseball, or soccer makes our kids more vulnerable to infections. It is on the contrary. The more they are exposed to natural environment the more their immune system becomes ready to fight these germs. The "anti-germ" industry has done a good job in convincing the public that using their products would protect us from germs. How could we hide from germs? They are everywhere. There isn't enough "anti-germ" products available on the market to destroy any significant amount of germs anywhere. In fact, healthy environment requires the presence of germs. It is unfortunate that these products are becoming the norm in our daily life. Human being is supposed to be a part of the environment and not isolated from it. We belong to nature as is and we ought not to destroy it. Otherwise, the consequences of such damage to the environment is severe. MRSA and its sisters and brothers are just the beginning. Isn't time for human to begin nurturing the environment instead of destroying it?

Garlic

Garlic is a famous herb in gourmet foods. One serious interaction of garlic with drugs is with oral anti-diabetic medications. Garlic can, on its own, decrease blood sugar, and thus it enhances the action of these medications leading to hypoglycemia.

Ginseng

Ginseng is a tonic herb. It should be avoided in a couple of situations. Ginseng should not consumed by pregnant women nor should it be taken by patients who suffer from high blood pressure.

December 21, 2012

This date is becoming as familiar as Sunday to Christians. The importance of 12.21.2012 is the fact that it may the beginning of the end of planet Earth. Whether a man-made disaster (nuclear war), a comet hitting the planet, or other natural disasters (earthquakes, coastal flood, etc.) no one exactly knows. In fact, it is still debatable that 12.21.2012 is the doom day. I have heard preachers talking about it, philosophers, astronomers, professors, butchers, and milkmen. What it tells me that there is a universal anguish about this date. With the exception of one zero, the date is made-up of ones (3 ones) and twos (4 twos). I wonder if that of any significance. I am certain someone will have an explanation to these ones and twos. I am also certain it will be a depressing explanation.

Gold, Silver, or Dollars

I am not an economist. I am not an expert in gold, silver, or money either. More and more people are telling me to convert my cash (dollars) into gold or silver. (Most are advocating gold over silver.) The premise for that is the dollar power is diminishing because the government is printing money that is not necessary backed by gold. More cash floating on the market may stimulate the economy, but at the same time reduces the power of the almighty dollar. Their solution: convert your dollar into gold. Gold prices are rising daily and are keeping up with the economy. More money on the market means it cost more to buy foods, gas, cloth, etc... It also means that minimum wages must rise to meet the pressure of inflated prices. I have not panicked yet because I do not think this will happen. However, teachers, pastors, radio-talk shows, and others have been on the bandwagon preaching and advocating the case of gold. Unfortunately, the price of gold has been rising at a rate that the average American cannot afford it. Perhaps this will bring down the price of gold, and with the economy is recovering fast, the almighty dollar rules.

Acetate Buffer with a Buffer Capacity of 0.05 and a pH of 4.76: Calculations

In making buffer solutions, the buffer capacity of the solution is usually kept between 0.01 and 0.1. The maximum buffer capacity is observed at pH = pKa. For example, for an acetate buffer with a maximum buffer capacity of 0.05, the quantities of sodium acetate and acetic acid proceeds as follow: the pH of the buffer is 4.76 which is equals the pKa value. Thus, equal molar concentrations of the salt and the acid are used. The maximum buffer capacity = 0.05 = 0.576 C. Therefore, C = 0.0868 M. Thus, (0.5) (0.0868) = 0.0434 M of acetic acid and 0.0434 M of sodium acetate are used to produce an acetate buffer with a pH of 4.76.

Statins and Cancer Development

Statins are a group of drugs that reduce blood cholesterol level. In a recent study done by the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that the rate of cancer was 11.3% for patients taking statins for at least five years. This cancer rate was similar to that of the population, specifically for cancer of prostate, bladder, kidneys, pancreas, colon and rectum, lung, or breast. A piece of good news emerged from the ACS analysis; the cancer rate for the deadly skin disease melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and endometrial cancer were all reduced for patients taking statins (for a minimum of 5 years).

Racial Differences for Lung Cancer

According to reports from the CDC, black and white patients suffer the most from lung cancer than other racial groups. Black patients had the highest prevalence for the disease followed in a decreasing order by whites, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. It is unclear at this point why a racial difference exists with respect to lung cancer.

Who Pays for Drug Review Done by the FDA?

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged in approving pharmaceutical products to be placed on the market. The main two components of this FDA approval are the Safety and Efficacy of the product. There is no such chemical that does not cause side effects if taken internally. However, the FDA considers in its approval process a balance between these two factors. A drug with a poor safety profile would never reach the market despite its efficacy. Or would it? Drugs are routinely removed from the market by the FDA for safety reasons. In fact, more than 6,500 pharmaceutical products are pulled out the pharmacy shelves since 1975! The process of FDA approval is tedious and requires experts panels to make a "recommendation" whether a pharmaceutical product should be available to the public. The decision is not always a straight forward one, and oftentimes the line between approval and denial is blurred. Surveys have revealed that "experts" sitting on these FDA panels oftentimes have ties to the pharmaceutical industry, and even ties to the same company its product is under review. Moreover, the Congress has passed laws to require that the cost of pharmaceutical products' review be paid, in part, by the pharmaceutical company sponsoring the submission. The FDA is being paid by the same sponsor to review the sponsor's product?! The Congress had good intention to shift the burden of cost from the taxpayer to the pharmaceutical industry, however by doing so has created a "conflict of interest". I propose a solution to this dilemma. Perhaps we can keep the burden of cost for review on the pharmaceutical industry, however the FDA will hire a private agency to submit the recommendation to it for approval. The private agency will be paid by the FDA, and decisions on the product rest solely with the private agency. As a requirement, the private agency's employees must have no ties with the pharmaceutical industry. And, for the FDA to over rule the recommendations of the private agency, the FDA has to come up with scientifically good reasons reviewed and approved by the Institute of Medicine. The system as it is now does not protect the consumer from "bad drugs". The recent cases with the COX-2 inhibitor drugs (anti-inflammatory agents) and their dangerous side effects on the heart muscle beg the question: Who is really watching out for us when it comes to drug safety?