Medical Blog, News and Information

Although illegal, marijuana (also known as cannabis) is widely smoked and has attained a degree of social acceptability. While many people believe that marijuana is a benign drug which promotes relaxation, there are several known detrimental side effects. Tetrahydracannabinol (THC), which is found in marijuana, is an immunosuppressive substance. Heavy users can suffer from a [...]

Lumbar puncture or spinal tap A lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, is the method used to obtain a sample of cerebrospinal fluid for testing. Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear liquid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. In a lumbar puncture, which is usually done in the hospital, a needle is [...]

Bronchitis may be thought of as a cold that spreads to the windpipe (trachea) and to the air passages leading into the lungs (bronchial tubes). It may start with signs of a common cold, with nasal congestion and discharge, sneezing, watery eyes, and scratchy throat. Bronchitis may also develop without any cold symptoms appearing first. [...]

Air pollution causes heart disease The burning of fossil fuels is thought to increase your risk of heart disease. Tiny airborne particles that are released from power stations, motor vehicles, burning wood and steel and cement plants are light and can travel 2000 to 3000 kilometers in air currents. According to Markus Amann, from the [...]

Bank your genes. To get the benefits of having a Junior to carry on your genes, without all the 5:00 A.M. feedings and Saturday soccer practices, you might consider making a donation at a sperm bank, where they freeze your sperm for women and couples seeking artificial insemination. You’ll get immortalized DNA, no added responsibilities, [...]

What people do about their health depends more on what needs they feel they have than upon what they know. So the best doctor-patient relationship stems from a real understanding of the patient’s needs and perceptions of the situation rather than from a doling out of knowledge from one who ‘knows’ to one who ‘doesn’t’. [...]

The value of support groups for members of families of patients with dementia is now proved beyond any doubt. As everybody reading this book will be aware, caring for a demented family member creates tremendous practical, psychological, and social problems. Carers will talk of a lack of support and information from doctors, poor understanding of [...]

Nearly all those suffering from a dementing illness will eventually lose control of their bowels and their bladder. When this problem first arises, with bed- or seat-wetting, it is essential that it is brought to the attention of the general practitioner as there are many causes of incontinence apart from dementia that older people in [...]

Many people with dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease, become restless, anxious, and agitated. They may pace nervously up and down, talk incessantly, or fidget. This can be very wearing to carers. Sometimes it is a side-effect of medicines, but not very often. The medicines most commonly responsible are sedatives that belong to the group known as [...]

There have of course been many other approaches to developing diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease. Several of these approaches have been widely reported in the media in recent years and none more so than techniques which involve an analysis of the electrical activity of the brain. Most people are familiar with the ECG (electrocardiograph), which [...]