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Docs hide drugs
inside teeth
ST INGBERT, GERMANY
— Who would
have guessed that the future of drug delivery would
see no more pills, syringes, inhalers... just false
teeth? Intellidrug, a small device that fits inside
a fake molar, is designed to provide continuous release
of medicine — useful for people who require a constant
level of medicine in their blood, explained the tooth's
developers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical
Technology. The system features a sensor, electrical
timing mechanism and valve to gradually dissolve two-weeks-worth
of medication inside the hi-tech chomper.
A
rare case of intractable hiccups
ST PETERSBURG,
FL — After three weeks of around-the-clock
hiccupping, Florida teen Jennifer Mee is finally liberated
from the involuntary diaphragm spasms. The girl had
seen a neurologist, an infectious disease specialist,
a chiropractor, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist, none
of whom could help her. The hiccups finally just went
away on their own on February 28. Marc Abrahams, the
editor of the Annals of Improbable Research,
wrote in his blog that he was mildly outraged that no
one bothered to tell the girl (who needed diazepam to
sleep) about the IgNoble Prize-winning study "Termination
of intractable hiccups with digital rectal massage,"
which appeared in the 17 August 1988 edition of the
Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Garlic
health claims minced
PALO ALTO, CA
— Garlic, long-thought to reduce cholesterol
levels, has been shown to have no such effect in a new
Stanford University study in Archives of Internal
Medicine from February. The researchers were surprised
by the results; they had expected garlic to be effective
and initially set out to study the difference in cholesterol-reduction
between fresh garlic and garlic supplements. But the
study showed that garlic in any form was actually worse
for cholesterol levels than a garlic-free diet, calling
into question the healthiness of one of the longest-used
herbal remedies.
Shed
hirsutism with spearmint
ISPARTA, TURKEY
— Drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day
can significantly reduce testosterone in women's bloodstream
and help treat hirsutism, a symptom of polycystic ovary
syndrome, according to a study by Turkish scientists
in Phytotherapy Research published online in
February. The condition, seen in up to 10% of adult
women, causes hair growth on the face and torso and
is believed to be the result of a hormonal imbalance
that puts excess testosterone in the bloodstream.
Nigerian
docs threaten strike
ABUJA, NIGERIA
— Physicians in Nigeria are now refusing
to perform call services in protest of a new salary
structure announced in January. If the government doesn't
repeal its plan, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)
warns a full strike will follow — and this is widely
expected to happen. The government claims that the reforms,
which broadly simplify pay schemes, are designed to
curb tax cheating. The NMA has about 40,000 physician
members, but that number is diminishing as doctors emigrate
to wealthier countries. The average government-employed
doctor in Nigeria makes about $1,150CDN per month.
Prescription
meds top illicit drug list
VIENNA —
With the exception of marijuana, the majority of drug
abuse and trafficking today involve prescription medications,
warns the United Nations' International Narcotics Control
Board in a March 1st report. "Medication containing
narcotic drugs and/or psychotropic substances is even
a drug of first choice in many cases," said the report,
which singles out the fentanyl trade as a troubling
trend. "[When abused] the high they provide is comparable
to practically every illicitly manufactured drug." The
report also warns of a global rise in the abuse of illicit
appetite suppressants — called anorectics —
of the sort that killed Brazilian model Ana Carolina
Reston last year.
Chiropractor
MP's MD claim gets BC resident's back up
NANAIMO —
This month the BC Supreme Court will hear a petition
requesting Conservative Nanaimo-Alberni MP and former
chiropractor James Lunney stop misleading constituents
into thinking he's an MD by calling himself "a doctor."
The petition was filed last year by Nanaimo resident
Robert Pound, whose case against the MP includes campaign
literature where "Dr" Lunney talks about health issues.
The MP, who has a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from
the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, recently
put out a news release on a healthcare bill referring
to himself as "Dr Lunney."
Thermographic
and bothered
MONTREAL —
Thermographic imaging is a useful tool in measuring
sexual arousal, McGill researchers have found. Investigators
obtained baseline arousal measurements by aiming the
cameras at subjects' genitals while they used video-goggles
to view horror films, Mr Bean, and Canadian tourism
promo clips, and then compared that data to the subjects'
genital temperature as they watched Kinsey Institute
porn videos. The technique can be used to study the
"poorly understood" female sexual dysfunction, say the
researchers.
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