One of our esteemed editors David Bunnell posted this on FB: “Google has been reading Death is Obsolete.” You speak the truth David! He is referring to the latest Time magazine cover story that starts… In person, it can be a little hard to hear Larry Page. That’s because he has nerve damage in both vocal cords: one was paralyzed about 14 years ago, the other left with limited movement after a cold last summer. This rare condition doesn’t slow him down, though it has made his voice raspy and faint. You have to listen carefully. But it’s generally worth it. Read more:...
Nasal spray makes snake bites survivable...
posted by Andy Walker
A new nasal spray may give snake bite victims at shot at survival. As many as 125,000 people die each year from from venomous snake bites. The challenge? Getting to a hospital in time to get a dose of anti-venom. Most victims die on the way. Drugs used to treat snakebites aren’t easy to use in the wild. So researchers developed a nasal spray to deliver anti-venom drugs (anticholinesterase agents such as neostigmine.) They have been used for decades on snake bite victims, but the challenge is they have to be administered with a needle. In April 2013, researchers from the California Academy of Sciences and the University of California, San Francisco tested delivery of the life saving medicine via nasal spray. In India a doctor has since successfully used the spray to reverse facial paralysis in a patient who had been bitten by a krait, a common venomous snake found in Indian and south Asian jungles. One bite from a krait has enough venom to kill two grown men. The patient recovered from the facial paralysis in half an hour, and was back on their feet within two...
Heart replacement device from Texas...
posted by Andy Walker
Two doctors have invented a heart replacement device that is keeping a man alive without a heartbeat. The gadget which replaced his failing heart pushes blood like water through a garden hose. So there is no heartbeat. Amazing. See how it was done in this short (under 4 minute) mini documentary. Heart Stop Beating is the story of Billy Cohn and Bud Frazier, two doctors from the Texas Heart Institute, who in the spring of 2011 replaced a dying man’s heart with the device they developed, demonstrating that life is possible without a pulse or a heart beat, with the right technology. The documentary is called: Heart Stop Beating (click the link to see it now). ...
Bacon is good for your waistline (and won’t kill you)...
posted by Andy Walker
If you think eating bacon will kill you, think again. According to health and fitness guru Mina Yun: 1) Bacon fat is 50% monunsaturated (the same kind as olive oil), and has antioxidants that are more powerful than vitamin E. 2) Bacon from pastured pigs that forage in the sun is also a good source of vitamin D. 3) Bacon is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, but that doesn’t matter because there’s nothing wrong with saturated fat and cholesterol. (read: “The Cholesterol Myths” by Uffe Ravnskoff.) 4) Bacon’s high-fat content keeps you satisfied and levels out your blood sugar, which will keep you from eating that donut later on, which will help you lose weight. 5) Sodium nitrite – a traditional curing salt for bacon, as well as a growing health concern – might not be such a bad thing, afterall. 6) Not all bacon is created equal. Choose wisely. Don’t believe it? Read Mina’s post here:...
Cancer breakthroughs: Here come drugs that block tumors...
posted by Andy Walker
Cancer breakthroughs in June have stunned the medical world and cleared the way for development of drugs that halt cancerous growths in their tracks and prevent their spreading. The new science gives millions of people suffering from the disease hope and a new tool to fight for their lives. A summary of the new research from the University College London: Researchers say they’ve observed for the first time how cancer spreads throughout the body and metastasizes. Cancerous cells tend to follow healthy cells through the bloodstream. The infected cell sniffs out healthy cells by sensing the chemical makeup of its environment. The discovery means drugs that disrupt this interaction would essentially prevent (the spread of cancer cells). It will take several years before scientists have a handle on a therapy based on the research. Breast Cancer Breakthrough Another major breakthrough brings hope to breast cancer patients. Researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute announced a drug already on the market in Europe, approved to treat osteoporosis, can also stop late-stage breast cancer. The drug bazedoxifene binds to the estrogen receptor and interferes with its activity and degrades the receptor to get rid of it. The drug affects cancerous cells dependent on estrogen and cells that have developed a resistance to the most frequently-used drugs designed to treat breast cancer. Click HERE to read...
