WeirdMedical™

Ah…soon to be springtime! That marvelous time of year when those lovely little darlings throw their hats and coats into piles in the playground at school…

…and bring home head lice, followed by traumatic visits to drug stores and at least one weekend shot to heck fumigating their heads, toys, clothes and entire bedrooms!

(Source WebMD)

And worse yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the first line of defense is a neurotoxin that is losing its effectiveness. Despite being an FDA approved over-the-counter (OTC) active ingredient, pediculicides containing neurotoxic pesticides are creating a strain of lice that is resistant.

So if  neurochemistry does not work, how about “biomechanical topical science?” Good old home remedies such as  mayonnaise, olive oil, and petroleum jelly seem to work initially. But lice cannot be asphyxiated easily so they bounce back to life within the next shampooing.

Clinical research to the rescue! –> In a study published online February 23, 2010 in Pediatric Dermatology, three (3) recent clinical trials studying 700 subjects showed that Benzyl alcohol lotion 5% (BAL 5%), a non-neurotoxic topical treatment successfully kills head lice by suffocating them. According to MedScape Today, “BAL 5% is safe and effective in children as young as 6 months and is the first non-neurotoxic compound to win approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”

Downsides? BAL 5% is:

• Only available by prescription – so you first need to see your pediatrician
• Non-ovicidal (does not kill nits) – requiring a second treatment 7 days later (plan on tying-up 2 weekends in a row!)
• Expensive – requiring multiple bottles for longer hair times two applications

So if your insurance covers it, fret no longer, moms and dads!

BAL 5% is on its way to a drugstore near you to “head lice off at the pass!“

Remember what your dad always told you about grilling in the great outdoors?…thoroughly dowsing the new coals with lighter fluid BEFORE setting them ablaze?

Clearly principles of  physics apply…if you apply more lighter fluid AFTERWARDS the flame can travel up the stream of lighter fluid and set your can (of lighter fluid that is) ablaze as well.

Well, the same applies to urinating on a live electrical wire…it is an unfortunate lesson for all of us. We are saddened for this family’s loss and send them our sympathy – read on.

In the immortal words of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young:

“Teach your children well…” that applies to physics and physiology.

Who would have thought that avoiding osteoporosis would be such yummy fun?

We now have new evidence that beer is more of a health food than originally thought. It’s been discovered that silicon found in commercially produced beer promotes strong bone development.

Researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis have proven there is a relationship between commercial beer production methods and producing a final end product rich in silicon essential for greater bone mineral density.

According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Charles Bamforth, “The factors in brewing that influence silicon levels in beer have not been extensively studied. We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer.”

“Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon,” Dr. Bamforth concluded.   [See February 2010 issue - Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Society of Chemical Industry.]

So beer once again is king...and ounce-for-ounce it’s easier on our budgets than wine!

picture courtesy Sirtified’s Blog

No more wine for our cardiovascular systems…let’s drink a few beers to our skeletal health!

As the one of the more obscure U.S. holidays comes to a close…and with 6 more weeks of winter to endoure…

It is time we all learned more about…you guessed it…Punxsutawney Phil.

Yes, today was Groundhog Day Tuesday, and Phil saw his shadow! But did you know that this little guy is a huge American tradition? The Christian Science Monitor shares with us 5 little known facts about our little PA buddy:

1) Phil is immortal.

2) Phil’s about as accurate as your average meteorologist.

3) Phil’s got competition.

4) Phil’s gone high tech.

5) There’s no Groundhog Day in Alaska.

Hey…this post is fair game. We never promised consistent medical oddities but we always promised consistent weird.

Stay tuned for Fastnacht Day Tuesday – now that IS a medical condition waiting to happen!

Here we go again with fish…can you believe that the fountain of youth is now believed to be found in the sea?…

Researchers recently completed a study that confirms previous findings –> Omega-3 fatty acids promote long, healthy telomeres!

For those who are scratching their heads, telomeres are part of our DNA. They are the “nonsense ends” at the end of our chromosomes that allow accurate, reliable DNA replication (“copying”) during cell division.But repetitive cell division causes these ends to be chewed-up. If they get too short, inaccurate DNA replication occurs. And then…you guessed it…you are more likely to get cancer or other diseases caused by “cellular aging.” More reliable accuracy dictates longevity. So the longer your telomeres are, the better.

“What we’re demonstrating is a potentially new link between omega-3 fatty acids and the aging process,” according to Ramin Farzaneh-Far, a clinical cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. UCSF and other hospitals studied 608 patients and found that those with high omega-3 fatty diets had significantly less telomere shortening over a 5-year period. While they did not distinguish if sources other than specific fishes are best to get your omega-3, they did note that it requires about two (2),  1000 milligram servings a day to have an effect.

Article Source: The Wall Street Journal, Image Source: ABC News, Chicago

Bad news is you will smell a bit fishy…but good news is you will live long to annoy others with it!

“Live long and prosper!” - Spock, StarTrek

Preclinicals – not for just rats, mice and pigs anymore…

Now, zebrafish…For the treatment of Insomnia researchers from Harvard have recently found a new surprising option to aid in therapy development.

Found in tropical regions, this fish proves a worthy test subject in either adult or larvae form. One interesting point noted by the researchers was that zebrafish generally show more relation to humans in sleep patterns than other animals. Also, zebrafish can be cheaply and quickly raised as test subjects. In all, the researchers found 463 sleep altering compounds in the fish, of which many resembled human characteristics.

Sleepy head:
Credit: Albert Pan and Alexander Schier

Having trouble sleeping? Oddly enough you may a sleep study with this fish!

Ready for a weird workout routine for 2010?

The Ross sisters have a weird ability. During the 1940s they performed a unique blend of  acrobatics and contortionism. While they have not performed in years, the Internet has brought them renewed interest with clips of their act appearing on YouTube. In their “Solid Potato Salad” clip they perform one of the most weird displays of motion one can imagine. Named Veda, Dixie, and Betsy Ann, these sisters may look alike but what may really add to their weird and uniqueness is that they are born three years apart from 1926 to 1929.

Biographical Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ross_Sisters, Video Source: That's Entertainment III DVD

You have NO excuses for your 2010 fitness resolution…get off your chair and go workout!

Ready for a 6 hour journey of the emotions?

Funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, a three episode PBS series is exploring research into human emotion. Want to know the secret to happiness? This third episode in the series promises to offer insight provided by cutting edge science on happiness. It will most assuredly provide less weird but more interesting answers…

Source: The Seattle Times

TONIGHT’S EPISODE? –>

“Rethinking Happiness”

Keep an eye on dads as well as the kiddies!

A recent study found that children can consume up to 6,000 calories on Christmas day, December 25. This includes all the snacks, cookies and meals found between family dinners and treats Saint Nick leaves behind. The study was performed by experts for the Carnegie Weight Management based in Leeds Metropolitan University. They found on average, 956 calories for dinner 587 for desserts on top of breakfast lunch and treats. While children were the most indulgent Men were also found to be gluttons. While this may not be the weirdest display of human nature, it is definitely not healthy.

Source: Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1236388/Obesity-warning-children-eat-6-000-calories-Christmas-Day.html)

Note about your family:  Watch-out for each other during this special time of the year!

For most people in today’s reduced-healthcare-cost, right-to-die, euthanasia-friendly culture a persistent vegetative state diagnosis is essentially the final blow if not death sentence…

The human brain is on par with space in terms of what we don’t know. The traditional means of determining consciousness can only measure so much. For one lucky man, science caught up. Rom Houben, now 46, suffered in silence for 23 years until Dr Steven Laureys used state of the art imaging equipment to discover his hidden mind. Just recently disclosed, Dr Laureys plans to use Mr. Houben’s case to highlight what many patients around the world may need.

For Mr. Houben his horror is over. What may be one of the weirdest-nightmare-like experience ever described he “I screamed, but there was nothing to hear…”

Man trapped in 23-year 'coma' reveals horror of being unable to tell doctors he was conscious (Source: Daily Mail, UK)