All Scrubbed Up

I think that this post should be a warning to all that not all medical information available on the web is true. I constantly have patients bringing me the latest information that they have downloaded from the web about their particular condition. 90% of the time, it is rootin tootin junk. It requires great diplomacy to explain that to them, since these web pages usually gives them false hope about the treatments that they may need (or may be able to avoid). CLAIM: According to a university study, oral sex may significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer in women. No, this wasn't a real CNN page (or Associated Press article), nor did North Carolina State University perform a study on the connection between fellatio and breast cancer. (If nothing else, the names of the doctors cited in the article — "Dr. B.J. Sooner," "Dr. Inserta Shafteer," "Dr. Len Lictepeen" — should have given it away as a hoax.) More info here ... Sies!

Recently reported by The Daily Maverick... The Australian Medical Association ran an advertisement in newspapers offering a bounty of A$3,000 (just over R20,000) to anyone who persuades a foreign doctor to work in that country. We're short 2500 doctors in this bloody country. Oz should leave ours alone!

I've been engaging a lot recently with the notion of an electronic health record. For those of you who don't know, this is usually an online version of collated data to do with your health. Simply - your pathology, your doc notes, all the hospital visits, illnesses and drug usage are kept in one secure place. You can access it and most of the time, so can a healthcare provider. For those of you that are not in tune with the medical world - this is something you have to know about as it is the backbone of the Obama administration. By having an electronic health record, there is a saving on administration as well as all the good things a centralised database brings. eg. Less duplication of tests and better management of healthcare. Discovery Health in South Africa is launching one next year. It'll be interesting to see how the "population" engages with it. This blog is very interesting in that it clearly outlines the fact that your medical records belong to YOU. M...

It’s a problem that still plagues most third world countries because the level of awareness is pretty low, because the people are not educated enough, and because HIV/AIDS is still rampant. The most important thing on an HIV positive pregnant woman’s mind is the fear that she will pass on the dreaded disease to her unborn child, and most women opt for an abortion rather than put their child through the same torment that they undergo every day. But the truth is, if you follow the right precautions, babies with HIV mothers are unaffected by this virus. Combination antiretroviral therapy must be provided to the mother during pregnancy and during labor, and to the child after birth. Breastfeeding must be avoided as much as possible, and if the mother insists on it or if the child is allergic to other forms of sustenance, they can try the preventive method suggested by a study conducted by the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. According to this study, providing the infant wit...

Quick excerpt here from a 2001 study that proves tobacco laws reduce smoking. This is damn old. We're getting better at it. The source site is also great for other South African public health statistics . Tobacco consumption declines by Mokgadi Pela 2001-03-16 Tobacco consumption in South Africa has fallen for eight consecutive years since 1991, a meeting to discuss the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control heard in Sandton, Johannesburg, on the 12th of March. Delivering the keynote address, Dr Derek Yach, of the World Health Organisation, said this was a result of sustained tobacco control measures. He said in 1998-99 more than 30 billion cigarettes were released for consumption, down by 17 percent from the 36 billion released in 1993-94. The work of public health advocates in South Africa thrived. Led by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South Africa's tobacco control story is now a shining example for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of public excellence...

For those of you who don't know... Smoking laws are getting stricter. YES! Good on ya, South Africa. If only they'd extend it to alcohol (btw, when is SAB going to STOP making quarts in glass bottles? Have you SEEN Friday night at Bara??) Although he pokes fun and says that smoking laws do nothing - this is not true. There have been large changes in the prevalence of smoking of the first set of laws were passed in South Africa. Same for you overseas? Another post on this soon. More on iMod .

Great article on understanding hospitals, the do's, don'ts, knows and nots. While hospitals can provide a secure refuge when you are seriously ill, remember that hospitals can be scary places! For one thing, the very fact that your doctor wants you to be admitted into hospital means that he thinks you are quite ill and this in itself can generate considerable anxiety! Even worse, hospitals can be very unfriendly places. Not only do hospitals strip you of all your dignity (having to wear a half-open hospital gown which barely covers your body properly does not do much good to your ego!), but also they subject you to painful routines and humiliating rituals performed by a retinue of strangers. Moreover, you could be woken up at any time of the day, (or night), deprived of your privacy, forced to eat unpalatable food, cut off from friends and family, and denied a lot of the independence which you take so much for granted in daily life. Also, remember that hospitals can be danger...

Beware of those basic principles of medical tests! *ANC YL FULLY BEHIND SOUTH AFRICA¹S GOLDEN GIRL MOKGADI CASTER SEMENYA* *11 September 2009* The African National Congress Youth League is fully behind the International Athletics Associations Federation (IAAF) World Championships Gold Medallist, Caster Semenya amidst the malicious rumour of a medical report from the IAAF. The ANC YL has interacted with Athletics South Africa and established that there was never a legitimate test conducted on Caster Semenya and all basic principles of medical tests are grossly violated. The ANC YL calls on the IAAF to distance itself from the Australian Media reports, and in line with basic medical ethics illegitimate any test done on Caster Semenya without her concern. Even if a test is done, the ANC YL will never accept the categorisation of Caster Semenya as a hermaphrodite, because in South Africa and the entire world of sanity, such does not exist. The basic, traditional and known method to determi...

Death count... wait for it... 2. Some say, a flash in the pan. Others say, this is how it starts. We really dunno. SA Doc thinks the pandemonium is a bit OTT (over the top).

The human body is a fascinating and intricate construction, and there are many reasons to learn more about it. You may want to know how it works so that you can better understand your own, and thereby make the best decisions possible in regards to good health and maintenance. You may want to understand how it works so that you can move into a profession that works to restore it to health. You may just be curious. Whatever the reason, these 7 excellent open courseware collections to learn about the human body are a great place to begin or to continue your study of the human body. General Human Anatomy General Human Anatomy takes a general look at the structure of the body and all its systems. This is a cursory examination of the human body as a structure provided by UC Bekeley and is the perfect start to any study of the human body. Human Anatomy Human Anatomy, provided by Emory University, takes the investigation a step farther examining the systems of the human body. It takes ...

What the hell. “I do not know where family doctors acquired illegibly perplexing handwriting nevertheless, extraordinary pharmaceutical intellectuality counterbalancing indecipherability, transcendentalizes intercommunications incomprehensibleness”. This is a sentence where the Nth word is N letters long. e.g. 3rd word is 3 letters long, 8th word is 8 letters long and so on.

From GraphJam . Hilarious. All they forgot was the seizures. Why is it that there is at least ONE seizure per episode of House. SA Doc tells me it's a lot more exciting than real life. Even the Baragwanath pit.

Opium for new-borns I'm sure this would make them sleep well (not only the Opium, but 46% alcohol!)

A double bill for you today. Amazing that these "medicines" existed. Oh but for the old days eh? Cocaine tablets (1900) All stage actors, singers teachers and preachers had to have them for a maximum performance. Great to "smooth" the voice. Cocaine drops for toothache Very popular for children in 1885. Not only they relieved the pain, they made the children happy!

Opium? Really? Awesome.

A paper weight A paper weight promoting C.F. Boehringer & Soehne ( Mannheim , Germany ). They were proud of being the biggest producers in the world of products containing Quinine and Cocaine.

Maltine Produced by Maltine Manufacturing Company of New York . It was suggested that you should take a full glass with or after every meal. Children should take half a glass .

Mariani wine Mariani wine (1875) was the most famous Coca wine of its time. Pope Leo XIII used to carry one bottle with him all the time. He awarded Angelo Mariani (the producer) with a Vatican gold medal.

Coca Wine Metcalf Coca Wine was one of a huge variety of wines with cocaine on the market. Everybody used to say that it would make you happy and it would also work as a medicinal treatment.

Bayer's Heroin A bottle of Bayer's heroin. Between 1890 and 1910 heroin was sold as a non-addictive substitute for morphine. It was also used to treat children with strong cough.

Har! Har! From AHAJokes ...

Har! Har! Also from CartoonStock .

Har. Har. From CartoonStock .

Found on Consent Care . com Came across this website the other day, thought it was fantastic. If only this was available before. It makes surgeon's lives so much easier - and medical liability less of an issue. By the way... I see it was developed by a bunch of surgeons in Cape Town. Long live the UCT clan!

What the hell is the world coming to? By LUCY HAGAN Published: 13 Feb 2009 BOY dad Alfie Patten yesterday admitted he does not know how much nappies cost - but said: "I think it's a lot." Baby-faced Alfie, who is 13 but looks more like eight, became a father four days ago when his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman gave birth to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne. He told how he and Chantelle, 15, decided against an abortion after discovering she was pregnant. This story from the SUN UK took another twist when it was discovered that another 14 year old was actually the Dad . What is going on in the UK? We've previously blogged on a boy. And yes, I refuse to call him a man, who already had 3 kids at the age of 21 . Now... to read about this 13 year old (nay, 14 - love triangle) who is happy to be a father to a child just blows my mind. It's not the "he's trying to be responsible argument". It's the fact that he was actually having SEX. UNPROTECTED SEX. At that age...

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer’s research. This means that by 2040, there will be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

Horrid disease! Turns a perfectly cute bouncin' baby into THIS...

90 people get the Swine Flu and everybody wants to wear a mask. A million people have AIDS and no one wants to wear a condom. Ironic.

Har! Har!

Sad they we all end up on a drip. We should reverse the process!

VS... We're going into trouble for this - aren't we?

Journal article from Student BMJ: The Dangers of Facebook Posted 12/29/2008 Neil Graham; Philippa Moore Abstract Increasing numbers of doctors and medical students are turning to websites such as Facebook to make friends, chat, and organise social events. These innovations have made some aspects of life easier and are a powerful tool for communication, but they also blur the line between our personal and professional personas. With the veneer of friendship that's offered on these sites, it's all too easy to reveal more information than is appropriate. If this information falls into the wrong hands, problems can arise about your integrity, employment, and fitness to practise medicine. Introduction In a recent study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Facebook profiles of a group of medical students in Florida were scrutinised with the aim of establishing how dangerous Facebook could be in the intersection of personal and professional identities. The study found some...

OH MY GOD! That picture I used in the last post led me to this book . WTF. New Revised! Including new research and findings showing what the true causes of HIV & AIDS are and lead directly to their cure! 53 CURED Cases The First Year Cure, not treatment, is the subject of this book. In 1991 Dr. Clark discovered the source of HIV. Once the source became clear the cure became obvious. but would it work? After curing 53 cases in a row, all who used this method, Dr. Clark could wait no longer to present these findings. Since that time many more have been cured, too many to be added to this book. Most important is adding yourself to that list! Electricity can now be used to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites in minutes, not days or weeks as antibiotics require. If you have been suffering from HIV infection or AIDS related illness, learn to build the electronic device that will stop it immediately. It is safe and without side effects ad does not interfere with any treatment you are now...

Sometimes, "lost in translation" can be bloody dangerous. See this site . "What is this HIV Cure meant for?- This cure for HIV is a holistic HIV cure with A bio Magnetic Cards / Bio Magnetic Tablets and immune enhancing herbal medicines. No side effects in this. This s purely ethical and most successful treatment in the history of HIV. Very easy to use -Even a 10 year old boy can use this. This is most potent HIV cure available. What is the procedure of action of treatment? Bio Magnetic Cards Or Bio Magnetic Tablets will perform as very strong fusion inhibitor (entry inhibitor) that completely stop HIV cure from entering CD4 Cells. by creating a negative charge CD4 which will repel negatively charged HIV and prevent it from attaching the surface of CD4. So HIV can not complete its life cycle. Thus it will die in due course and will be expelled from body through excretion like that of urine etc. What will be result-? HIV will be destroyed and soon the body will start ...

Are you lost? Think you have a rare tropical disease? Which site do you trust? The Aussie Government launched this initiative : The Fifty-first World Health Assembly (Resolution WHA51.9, May 1998) requested the Director-General of WHO to develop a guide on medical products and the Internet. The guide was intended to serve as a model for Member States to adapt into locally meaningful advice for Internet users in order to help them to obtain reliable, independent and comparable information on medicinal products. The guide in this booklet has been prepared to meet the Health Assembly request. It has been developed in consultation with drug regulatory authorities, drug information experts, consumer organizations, and the pharmaceutical industry. It is a model guide, designed to be translated into national languages and modified as the local situation may require. WHO would be grateful to receive any comments on experience gained from the practical use of the guide which would help in devel...

Stumbled across an old, but interesting post . Excerpt below: "Experts warn there is a great deal of false and misleading information on the Internet. That’s true – I learned the hard way that eating a bucket of chocolate pudding doesn’t alleviate a headache. But, for me, the outright quackery was far less damaging than the cold, hard, accurate facts. There is no more devastating statistic than a Survival Rate. That number rattles around your brain like it’s the solution to an equation that could save your life. You massage it, you toy with it… “If 75.2% survive, that means 24.8% don’t… and if 24.8% don’t that means almost 1 in 4…” There’s no better, darker way to learn math." All to often in practice you get patients who come in and tell YOU what they have. They Google'd it and now know that they have some bacterial infection, or rare intestinal disease or worse. They want "augmentin" or something else they read up about... You smile as a doctor, say yo...

Yikes. Click on the image to enlarge.

We received this mail a while ago from Dan Jeffers... While reviewing blogs and Web sites that discuss blood disorders, I noticed that yours seems to be well-read and well-informed. Your readers may be interested in the recent clinical practice guidelines for von Willebrand Disease (VWD) offered by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. These are the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder. The guidelines include recommendations on screening, diagnosis, disease management, and directions for future research. An extensive article on the guidelines is published online Feb. 29 in the journal Haemophilia. “These are the first guidelines on von Willebrand Disease published in the United States and we are pleased to offer clinicians science-based recommendations in the evaluation and treatment of patients,” said NHLBI Dire...