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Scott Reuben and the poison in medicine’s well

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In a stunning piece of timing after yesterday’s epiphany, this crossed my wire today:

“A Medical Madoff: Anesthesiologist Faked Data in 21 Studies” – Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-medical-madoff-anesthestesiologist-faked-data

“Beginning in 2000, Reuben, in his now-discredited research, attempted to convince orthopedic surgeons to shift from the first generation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to the newer, proprietary COX2 inhibitors, such … Continue reading.. →

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Refocus on what works: In memoriam

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Debbie died yesterday. She was a never-failing source of encouragement and intelligent support on one of my key online CRPS support groups.

She died on the table, while undergoing a medical procedure. I don’t know exactly what it was, and given my respect for patient confidentiality, it’s none of my business.

She’s the first person to die of my disease, … Continue reading.. →

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Facial recognition is wholistic

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This blog has been on hiatus as I’ve been dealing with a body-hostile healthcare system, insurance sociopaths and delusionally self-infatuated doctors, and I didn’t want to take it out on the science.

This charming study turned up today and led me back here:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202155755.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmind_brain+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Mind+%26+Brain+News%29

‘ScienceDaily (2011-12-02) — “Face recognition is an important social skill, but not all of … Continue reading.. →

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Assumptions & memory: elders are sharper than we think

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I’m intrigued by how much more capable the elderly are than we’ve been led to believe. Since only the luckiest and most sensible of us will even survive to be old, that makes a certain amount of sense.

CRPS, which typically attacks people in their “most productive” years (implicit assumption alert!), has shown us that many medications useful in … Continue reading.. →

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Vascular growth and brain protection

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“A nourishing protein that promotes the growth of neurons and blood vessels appears to stop the progression of a genetic disease that causes degeneration of the cerebellum, according to new preclinical research. The disease, spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, typically strikes people in the 30s and 40s and eventually causes death.”

The key protein is called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, VEGF. … Continue reading.. →

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SSRI can improve cognition after a stroke

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This came out 2/2010, right in the middle of my being horribly overdosed on SSRI and SNRI medications:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201171523.htm

(This is where I give myself points for not being violently and irrationally opposed to the class of drugs that did me, personally, so much harm. It’s important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.)

129 patients were … Continue reading.. →

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Warning: Starvation and alcoholism don’t mix

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The latest candidate for Dept. of the Blitheringly Obv.: Young people eating too little and drinking too much is worse than doing either alone. No, really??

Lasting damage to memory and thinking, more bad choices, and increased likelihood of developing chronic conditions later in life, are far more likely because the damage from each form of fashionable self-abuse compounds the … Continue reading.. →

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Re-myelination from stem cells

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Scientists at Case Western Reserve have found a way to persuade pluripotent stem cells to become the specific type of cell that produces myelin and to re-myelinate living mice:

Mice stem cells guided into myelinating cells by the trillions

For once, I’ve got no logical criticisms to make. This is brilliant work which fills me with hope for … Continue reading.. →

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