Many of us can remember all sorts shenanigans from when we were teenagers, but a 17-year-old Australian lad really pushed the boat out when he was bored. He simply got himself a stethoscope, white coat and some dodgy credentials and proceeded to work in a few hospitals as a doctor!
Tag Archive for doctor
Extremes In Medicine
by Wolfgang K Piller MD •
Medicine, or let’s say the functioning and malfunctioning of human bodies and minds still remains fascinating for me. There is more to it than cholesterol, blood pressure, PSA and mammography; it’s like an old chest in the attic.
Getting High & Preventing Flu
by Axel E. Thieke G.P. •
There are preventative treatments for mountain sickness, but they may have some serious side effects and therefore alternatives have been sought.
Researchers randomized 90 healthy non-acclimated adults to receive 600mg of oral Ibuprofen or placebo every 6 hours, beginning 6 hours before rapidly ascending from an altitude of 1.000 to 4.000 meters. It was measured how often symptoms of acute mountain sickness such as headaches, dizziness, disorientation occurred and how severe they were.
Pro-Probiotics – Anti-Antibiotics
by Axel E. Thieke G.P. •
Bacteria had to compete with a standard antibiotic for the best treatment option of repeated urinary tract infections (UTI).Bacteria had to compete with a standard antibiotic for the best treatment option of repeated urinary tract infections (UTI).
Dutch researchers conducted a randomized placebo-controlled trial that involved 250 postmenopausal women (an age group at higher risk) with histories of at least three UTIs in the previous year. The women received either a standard dose of the antibiotic Trimethprim-Sulfamethoxazole once at night time or a standard dose of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus reuteri twice daily.
Dutch researchers conducted a randomized placebo-controlled trial that involved 250 postmenopausal women (an age group at higher risk) with histories of at least three UTIs in the previous year. The women received either a standard dose of the antibiotic Trimethprim-Sulfamethoxazole once at night time or a standard dose of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus reuteri twice daily.
Health vs Poverty
by Wolfgang K Piller MD •
“Approximately 1.2 billion people in the world live in extreme poverty. Poverty creates ill-health because it forces people to live in environments that make them sick, without decent shelter, clean water or adequate sanitation.” (WHO) This is also the reality in Nicaragua, where I had the opportunity to work in the mountains for six weeks.
Anxiety Sells
by Axel E. Thieke G.P. •
Maybe some can remember (can I ?) the bird and swine-flu hype which made governments spend trillions on supposedly anti-viral medicines, which firstly were never needed, which secondly would have never worked because of a lack of efficacy and which thirdly had to be destroyed at more great expense after the date of expiry. The media were happily fueling this hype and created by this a public pressure on governments with the above mentioned consequences – anxiety sells and I think that after shedding some light on dark banking practices the print and visual media do certainly merit the same treat – anxiety sells. Any room for ethics here ?
Dúrcal’s Health Problem
by Vanessa Bosch •
For the last few months there has been a progressive deterioration in the quality of public healthcare in Dúrcal, many people feel, and the reason is that where there were four doctors in the Centro de Salud, now there are only two, who also have to cover the emergency department.
Triple C…
by Axel E. Thieke G.P. •
In the January issue we were broadcasting doctor’s dislike of vitamins. This time we are in good humour and would like to inform you about what we LIKE: triple C – that is coffee, cocoa and… cholesterol! Yes – you may trust your eyes! This is finally a positive message about western-worlds-worst-health-enemy (WWW.HE): cholesterol. Whilst the manufacturers of cholesterol-lowering-medicines (CLM – modern magazines need abbreviations) are trying to convince the public that everybody should be taking one of their fabulous pills, there is the first signs that their best customers might be dropping out.
Bowel Cancer – Trust The Medics
by Wolfgang K Piller MD •
Last month two meta-analyses were published about health strategies on how to reduce the chances of developing bowel cancer. A meta-analysis is not a new piece of research, but it looks at all the published research on a subject, thus unifying conflicting results and drawing a conclusion out of the whole body of existing evidence.
Doctors Don’t Like Vitamins!
by Axel E. Thieke G.P. •
Evidence is mounting, that vitamin and mineral supplements do have adverse health effects. The latest on the list are calcium and vitamin E.
So far it has been believed(!) that vitamin E and selenium supplementation lower risk for prostate cancer (in men!). However, when early results after 3 years from a large controlled trial showed no fewer cases but even an excess risk for prostate cancer, the trial had to be halted.