Jetlag death

I admit this title is a little misleading, but now since you're reading...

So, I'm on call tonight. Typical disrupted night of sleep, and usually takes me a day or two to recover. I'm now learning that in animal experiments, those subjects who experienced changes consistent with jetlag or shift work changes had increased rates of mortality. (BBC News)

We all know that the body has a certain sleep/wake cycle called the circadian rhythm. And, those who cross more than one time zone traveling, or those who work different shifts, or those who may be up all night on call, or those who actually stay up to watch tv for the US election results (me), or those who call themselves bloggers, may have difficulty sleeping. Our bodies are used to a certain length of time with daylight and a certain length of time with darkness.

Researchers at the University of Virginia put mice to this test. They put some mice's clocks forward and other mice's clocks behind by altering their sleep/wake cycles.

Separate groups of young and old mice had normal [sleep] cycles. Younger animals appeared unaffected by alterations to their schedule. But only 47% of the older mice whose "nights" were shortened survived, compared with 68% of those whose nocturnal time was lengthened and 83% of those who remained on a normal schedule.

Yeesh! The only thing I can gather from this data is this -- Glad that I'm not an older mouse! I wonder if they have any data on lice or chickens, or the fly? (oh my!)

Fowl foam

Breaking news out of Washington, DC. Not to worry, if the United States happens to have a bird flu outbreak (I personally think it's not going to happen), now we have a way to limit it. (Chicago Tribune)

The US Agriculture Department approved a firefighting foam to kill chickens quickly if an outbreak happens in commercial poultry. This is an alternative to using carbon dioxide gas because gassing involves more workers and potentially more exposure to infected birds. Of course, peta prefers gassing verses foaming fowl because it's more humane (They're chickens, not humans - Sheesh!)

Why am I mentioning this story? Just another example of the priorities of the federal government. I'm glad they are concerned about bird flu, but why can't I still get human flu vaccine for all of my patients? Why can't they still fix the broken Medicare system? Why are they're still 45 million uninsured Americans (some of them going overseas for their health care)?

Sorry for the rant. For those in the US, don't forget to vote today!

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds 3.7 is up and running at MSSP Nexus Blog. Here's my contribution:

Dr. Anonymous joins the Walmart Free Antibiotics discussion and reminds docs to have the courage to 'just say no' to unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, and patients to hold back their wrath if you don't get the prescription you were hoping for.

Check it out! It is the best the medical blogsosphere has to offer. Next week, Grand Rounds will be hosted by The Rumors Were True. That is an interesting blog, if you haven't already had the chance to check it out.

Peace on Earth

Since it is November 7th in most parts of the world, I thought I would make my post a little early (at least in my time zone). Peace on Earth is more than just a day someone picked out and a graphic that you put on your blog. Yes, it's idealistic, but it's an idea of hope - In a world that needs all the hope that it can grasp. Thanks Mimi for your leadership in all of this - for having an idea and passionately making sure that it is followed through. I'm looking forward not only to seeing this graphic scattered all over the blogosphere, but also, hopefully, someday, seeing your dream come true of Dona Nobis Pacem -- Peace on Earth.

Got lice?

Are you sick and tired of meticulously combing out all the lice from your child's hair? Are you sick and tired of using those messy lice lotions and shampoos? Well, have I got the solution for you.

Dale Clayton from the University of Utah has found a unique way to get rid of nits without the muss and fuss. His solution? A hairdryer. Yes, a hairdryer. It is called the LouseBuster and it blows air heated to 140F/60C to kill the critters. A "rake-like attachment" is then used to comb out the lice. Here is the detailed explanation below -- picture and article from Times Online.

Now, when I saw this concept, it seemed vaguely familiar to me. Before I started blogging, I did a lot of television watching late at night - mainly infomercials. And, I vaguely remember the Flowbee Vacuum Haircut System. This is a vaccum cleaner thing that also cuts hair. Yes, I'm serious. This is so funny, I even remember seeing this talked about on an episode of Friends. Here's the promo picture (what would Chandler say about this?).

Conincidence? You be the judge! How about taking this concept to the next level? You know, I'm such the enterperneur -- in the spirit of The Apprentice (the first season is still my fave). Why not combine both of these products? What would you call it? Of course, the Flowbee LouseBuster! Remember, you heard it here first. Get rid of your kid's lice while giving him a trendy haircut. Call right now! Tell your friends and neighbors! Operators are standing by.... HA!

Addendum: Welcome to all of you from the WeKnow Parenting Forum! I heard I was linked there. If you liked this, then feel free to check out the rest of my blog. You might like it!

The Fly

Remember this annoying movie starring Jeff Goldblum in the mid-80s? Like many other of his movies, he plays an annoying scientist guy. But in this movie, his character's genetic makeup accidentally gets combined with that of a fly. Why am I telling you this? Because this is what I thought of when I read this next story.

Apparently, St. Georges Hospital in south London has become infested with flies. Yes, flies. (Guardian) Apparently, this has been going on for at least three months - and the hospital knew about it! Sheesh!

A hospital spokesman said: "We have had a problem with small flies in the unit recently and suspect it has to do with recent building work nearby. Our engineers and cleaners have been trying to identify the source of the problem and we hope to have eliminated it very soon. We would like to apologise to any patient who has been worried by it."

And, some people in this country would like the British model of medical care to come here? Can you imagine receiving dialysis three days a week for three months and knowing that you're going to see flies? What an odd situation.

Medical marijuana

Happy Birthday Prop 215! Don’t know what this is? This was the first medical marijuana law in the United States. It was passed in California a decade ago. (Mercury News)

Call me old fashioned, but I don’t think that marijuana should be used in the medical setting whatsoever. However, I have read and reviewed some of the medical studies which state that there could be a benefit in conditions such as cancer, anorexia, and AIDS.

The legal controversy is a little more interesting. The California law states that marijuana can be used not only for the above conditions but also "where medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person's health would benefit."

What does that mean? Potentially, you could get a “prescription” for marijuana for just about any reason. For example, that bunion would feel so much better if you had some pot, wouldn’t it?

The California Medical Board has tried to set up guidelines, but these will undoubtedly make their way through the courts. It may be another ten years until all that is sorted out.

Finally, did you know that there is a state funded research center at the University of California, San Diego, doing clinical trials for marijuana use?

Igor Grant, director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, said the results have been promising, in reducing inflammation and muscle spasms and treating conditions such as high blood pressure and multiple sclerosis. By studying the brain receptors that stimulate appetite when exposed to the chemicals in marijuana, scientists even are looking into possible treatments for obesity.

I think I’m having second thoughts on this. At least in California, I can’t get sued for improper use of marijuana, right? Maybe I’ll move there. NAH!

Random

This post will wander, so bear with me today...

Shopping: My dress shoes are on their last legs. So, today, I went out to the local shoe warehouse to find a nice new pair of work shoes. OMG! I can't believe all the choices out there. One thing that is good about this store is that I could roam around and try things on. I never like those stores where the clerks, er, associates (that's the PC term, right?), stalk you around the store just to get their commission. I have kind of wide feet, so it's always tough for me to find a comfortable pair of shoes. But, finally, what felt like hours later, I found a nice pair of wingtips. At least it will be months until I have to do this again. Sheesh!

Voting: I finally filled out my absentee ballot and put it in the mailbox. I kind of like it a little better, because I could at least think about the issues and the candidates a little bit more than when I was in that voting booth. I still cannot take these political ads anymore - AHHH!

Welcome to my Blog: Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you return again! Welcome to those of you from NaBloPoMo! I'm starting to see some referrals from them now. As always, I appreciate the traffic from Bobby Griffin's site (even though he's having some computer problems today - Hope you're up and running again soon, Bobby).

Blogroll Maintenance: I'm always amazed and honored by those of you out there who place me on your blogroll. I’m adding some new people today. I’ve also started to receive some spam comments. I might have to moderate comments if this is increasing. Just wanted to give all of you a heads-up if this happens this week.

Go governor

Finally, a "political" story that I can get behind. On many of the news shows this morning, I saw an interview with Governor Mike Huckabee from Arkansas. Instead of the typical partisian politics and talking points, the governor talked about running the New York City marathon this weekend. (New York Newsday)

Huckabee, who lost more than 100 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes, has run in three marathons in the last 18 months, with his time improving to 4:26:05 this March in his second Little Rock Marathon.

He talked about how he was able to lose the weight and train for marathons despite sometimes working 16-20 hour days. He said that even with his scheduled speeches and other responsibilities being governor, just put on your own schedule what you think is important -- like exercise.

The story really inspires me. His "before" and "after" pictures are fairly impressive. I guess it would be with more than 100 pounds. Maybe I can use some of his tips in my own life. Good luck Governor Mike!

Fishy situation

I think that I might have said this during my blogcast, but I love fresh seafood. When I went to San Francisco last week, I had seafood every single day - and probably every meal if I could.

Data from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (we know how reliable the UN is, right?), estimates that about one-third of edible fish and seafood species have been virtually been wiped out in the past 50 years. At this rate, all edible fish will be gone by 2048.

Fishing was only one human factor affecting marine biodiversity. Pollution, habitat destruction and climate change all took their toll of fish species. Loss of fish from oceans also had harmful repercussions, including a deterioration of water quality, less protection of shorelines, oxygen depletion, and higher numbers of toxic algal blooms.

Personally, I don't really know if I believe this. It kind of smells like the global warming debate - except that the environmental debate shifts from the air to the sea. I see this as a push from the that political group to try to further their agenda.

However, the best thing and the funniest thing about this story is the title of the article from The Age in Australia: "Get Your Fish'n'Chips Now!" HA!