Sponge-worthy again
LONDON AND WASHINGTON — The legend of the contraceptive sponge started back in 1995, when it was pulled from the market and the popular sitcom Seinfeld first aired an episode about it. In “The Sponge,” Elaine was hoarding her favourite form of contraception and judging potential lovers by their “sponge-worthiness.” The episode created a myth that many women were also keeping reserves of the contraceptive since its disappearance from the market after a manufacturing problem. Well, Anglo-American sponge aficionados need no longer worry — the product will be back on shelves in the US and UK this summer (the sponge has been available in Canada since 2003).

British surgeons’ “humble” origins
LONDON — In Britain, surgeons are addressed as Mr or Miss rather than Dr. This tradition dates back to the bad old days when surgeons actually weren’t MDs. Nowadays many fellow physicians consider the humble title ‘inverse snobbery.’ But changes may be afoot within the surgeon community. In the May issue of the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons, Dr, er, Mr Hugh Phillips wrote that the practice can stress out patients, causing them to wonder if the “Mr” or “Miss” wielding the scalpel is actually a doctor. He urges his fellow surgeons to take the Dr title like “the rest of the world.”

Artificial retina restores some sight
LOS ANGELES — Six patients who were previously blind have had their sight partially restored with a novel retinal prosthesis called ‘artificial retina.’ The patients, who all suffered from retinitis pigmentosa, could discern movement, shapes, objects and light just five months after receiving the implant. Researchers from the University of Southern California and the Doheny Retina Institute presented these findings on May 2 at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. It’s hoped that the artificial retina device might help the millions of people suffering from age-related macular degeneration regain some sight.

Surgeon undergoes ‘feminist’ conversion
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The man largely credited with convincing the FDA to limit silicone gel breast implant sales has changed his mind. Back in 2003 Dr Thomas Whalen, a pediatric surgeon in New Jersey, was chairman of an FDA expert panel on the implants. While a majority voted in favour of them, Dr Whalen persuaded the FDA that the manufacturers hadn’t made a strong case for safety. With a new review of the enhancement devices underway, the surgeon has surprised the FDA with an about-face — coming out in support of the implants. He explained his new attitude thusly: “...to not allow these devices for women who knowingly make the choice to have them is sexist.”

Ravers’ high slows cancer growth
BIRMINGHAM, UK — A study published online May 3 in the FASEB Journal shows that a popular street drug, as well as a common anti-depressant, could slow cancer growth. Researchers looked at 17 samples of multiple myeloma and lymphoblastic leukemia exposed to either amphetamine derivatives like ecstasy or anti-depressants like fluoxetine. They found that cancer growth was slowed in nine out of 17 samples when anti-depressants were used, and 11 out of 17 when an amphetamine derivative was used. The researchers caution that even though the ecstasy group saw more positive results, the dose used was so high it could kill patients.

Designer diet hits Paris catwalks
PARIS — What happens when a fashionista designs a diet? The new “Karl Lagerfeld Diet,” which comes out in book form this month, may hold the answer. The German designer, famous for his ever-present shades and black fan, lost over 36kg on the diet, which recommends Camembert, duck, rabbit and horsemeat, among other things. “Fashion is the healthiest motivation for losing weight,” claims Mr Lagerfeld, whose regime was actually developed by diet guru Dr Jean-Claude Houdret. The distinctly French diet gives lobster and quail flambé an enthusiastic ‘oui’ and an indignant ‘absolument, non’ to gyms. Exercise, it seems, has the negative effect of making you hungry. To burn those calories try shopping instead, suggests the good doctor.

French surgeons ‘exiled’ to UK
LONDON — France was 300 surgeons poorer for several days in May. The medics piled into a specially-chartered Eurostar train and went into voluntary exile at a holiday camp in the southern British seaside resort of Camber Sands. The private sector surgeons were protesting pay and work conditions. It seems they chose England for neither weather nor food, but because it has “a system where the doctor is at the centre of the picture,” according to one of the protestors. The surgeons say a deal brokered with the government last year to allow them to raise their fees by 12-15% has not been honoured.

Brit GPs’ salaries reach £250,000
LONDON — France’s exiled surgeons may be longing for Riviera sun and foie gras, but some of the UK’s homegrown GPs are quite happy indeed with their lot. The British Association of Independent Medical Accountants has just released some heartwarming figures for the realm’s family docs; nowadays their salaries can reach a cool £250,000 ($585,000 CDN). But don’t pack your umbrella just yet — only about 6% of British GPs earn more than £150,000 ($350,000 CDN), with the majority earning between £100,000 ($234,000 CDN) and £150,000. With a detached home in Britain now averaging £288,791 ($675,000 CDN), you may want to hold off trading your mukluks in for a pair of wellies.

Hearts in nirvana
FAIRFIELD, IA — Transcendental meditation (TM) — made famous in the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Beatles — extends lifespan and reduces heart disease risk, claims a US study in the May 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology. The theory is that TM reduces stress in individuals with hypertension thereby driving down their blood pressure, which in turn protects them from cardiovascular disease and slows down their aging process. Two hundred and two prehypertensive subjects with a mean age of 66 were enrolled in the trial. The subjects who practiced TM exhibited a 23% drop in all-cause mortality and a 30% decrease in cardiovascular mortality after 18.8 years of followup. Dr Taylor’s pet issues range from his very liberal support for medical cannabis to a more conservative stance on the issue of sexual orientation.

 

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