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Mobile Machine Saves Lives

There is now a new machine that has the ability to add oxygen a patient's blood stream suffering from smoke inhalation. This added oxygen can help prevent organ failure and save lives. The machine, called Cardio Help, can help any patient whose blood is not getting enough oxygen. Cardio Help helps enrich the blood with oxygen, thus giving patients a better chance to recover from smoke inhalation, infections, and much more. Check out the video above to see this small machine with big life saving potential.

Credits:
"Medical Technology at the Medical Trade Fair in Düsseldorf/G". Youtube.com. 25 November 2008. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CllYxHrX3G8&feature=PlayList&p=CEE20E07AC0E6CEF&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=45>. 13 August 2009.

Can digital health protect your privacy?

As patients` records making their way to the digital world did you think how it will affect your privacy?
Digital record is a good idea say experts, what do you think?

http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/11/technology/electronic_health_records_privacy/?postversion=2009081115

Work Cited:

David Goldman, CNNMoney.com staff writer, “Can digital health protect your privacy”, August 11, 2009: 3:27 PM ET

TED Talks: Eva Vertes

An interesting video that features Eva Vertes talking about medical breakthroughs that might lead to the cure of Alzheimer's. She is a microbiology prodigy, at the age of 17 she found a compound that stops fruit-flies brain cells from dying. It has been regarded as a step towards the cure of Alzheimer's. She continues to research the roots of such diseases as cancer and Alzheimer's. Fully understanding these diseases may lead to cures.

Practicing Medicine in the Web 2.0 Era

Practicing Medicine in the Web 2.0 Era

View more documents from Bertalan Mesko.

This video peaked my interests simply becasue of the title of it. Right after I finished my paper on Web 2.0 I began to surf the web looking for interesting medical things to post on my blog. And this is what I found, it ties in perfectly to what we were researching in class. It shows a real life application of Web 2.0. An internet that collects data, provides services, and practicall thinks for itself. Enjoy!

The Future, Personalized Medicine

When Steven Burrell addressed the AdvaMed 2008 conference, a medical technology conference in Washington, it would seem that he was writing part of a plot to the movie. He said that medicine will soon be so advanced that you will walk into a Wal-Mart like store, give a sample of your blood, and leave with a bag that contains the cures for everything that could be wrong with you. This of course is a very general idea, but one that may be plausible. Medicine has advanced at an alarming rate in the past 50 years, and if it continues along the same evolutionary path will one day reach this potential. He said that soon our cloths will be filled with senors and probes that will monitor our health. Most of the technology is already around, people just need to find a cheap and practical use for it. Nike has already partnered with Apple to create a senor that fits in some Nike brand shoes that monitors different things when your running. The possibilities for this new industry are endless, and will undoubtably lengthen the life expetency around the world.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/28/AR2008092802482.html

Microchips, Can They Cure Diseases?

Scientific researchers at the University of Florida have recently received a $2.5 million grant to be used for researching microchips. These microchips are supposed to be implanted into the brain and will help cure some human illnesses. Initially they are looking to cure epilepsy and paralysis, but as all evolution goes one day they may be able to cure almost anything. The mini computers that they are going to be implanted into the brain and meant to interpret the signal being sent out and correct it.

There researchers feel extremly confident that within the next four years they will have a prototype to test on humans beings, they are currently testing on rats. Much of the technology is already there, scientists have been able to decode brain activity for years. They do feel however that more work needs to be done, scientists will need to pinpoint exact casuses of diseases before they can be fixed.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070724145124.htm

The Future of Artificial Limbs

The future of prosthetic legs that look and feel like actual limbs may be soon realized. The big problem with replicating a human limb is that there are so many things that the human arm can do. Many people take it for granted but the potential uses of a humans limb is almost unlimited. Trying to make sure a prosthetic limb can do all of these actions is hard. Its like building a machine that can do 100,000 things.

This recent surge in necessity for prosthetic limbs has been caused by the war in Iraq. Thousands of U.S. soldiers have lost a limb. Many of these soldiers are young and still have a long life to live. Scientists are trying to provide them a means to live a normal life. These new prosthetic limbs are going to be fused to the bone and completely controlled by the brain.

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2006-07/waiting-arm-and-leg?page=2

Proton Power Beats Cancer Better

For many years, doctors have been treating cancer patients with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is based on using X-rays to destroy cancer cells in the patients body. However, there is another type of treatment for cancer that is more effective than radiation. With traditional radiation therapy, doctors use kind of a blanket shot of radiation at an area of a patient's body affected by cancer. Proton-therapy allows doctors to accurately target cancer in the body and then release the radiation energy within the tumor. This therapy is called Proton-therapy and it has been around since the 1950's. Now you're probably wondering why I am including a treatment that has been around for over half a century in the future section of this blog. The reason for that is because it has not been very widely used up to this point. The equipment for Proton-therapy is incredibly expensive and there are only five locations in the United States that offer the treatment as of 2007. However, advances in technology will one day make the equipment for Proton-therapy more affordable, thus making the therapy itself more affordable. Hopefully, this powerful treatment will be able to defeat cancer one day and make the world a much happier and healthier place in the process.

Credits:

Layton, Julia. "Is proton therapy better than traditional radiation for cancer treatment?." 10 March 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. 11 August 2009.

http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060822/060822_proton_therapy_vlrg_9a.widec.jpg (picture)

Robots Are Taking Over the Operating Room

The future of medical technology sees robots as champions of precision surgery. In this video, advanced robots developed by a company called Quanser are redefining minimally-invasive surgeries. These robots can be connected to advanced sensors that allow them to perform surgery with more precision than even a human surgeon may be capable of. The same equipment that is used to control the robots in surgery also has applications for helping stroke victims regain thier motor skills. By participating in interactive video exercises on a computer monitor, patients can manipulate a cursor to different parts of the screen to practice regaining their motor skills. Many people picture robots taking over the world in the future, but for now it would seem that they are just stuck helping people get better.

Credits:
Digital Journal. Inside the Robotic Operating Room of the Future. Youtube.com. Toronto, 9 October 2007. . 8 August 2009.

Meeting of the Minds

America's health care system is on the verge of a massive transformation, fueling a debate that has pitted neighbor against neighbor, patients against insurers, and the haves against the have-nots. We've demanded reform, but now that reform is raising more questions than answers.In "Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Health Care" hosted by CNBC's Maria Bartiromo, CNBC assembles some of the biggest names in the industry and government to advance the conversation and propose solutions to America's health care crisis. Will universal access lead to lower quality of care? Will our efforts to health care for all stifle business and put America at a disadvantage in the global arena? And what will American health care look like for the next generation?"Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Health Care" will crystallize what's at stake in this great debate and get to the heart of what reform will mean for America.

Visit the website:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/30582844/

Future Of Health Care Reform

President Barak Obama is talking about the future of health care.

->How to focus financial resources on medicine that does cure instead on the one that doesn’t prove itself as effective?
->Who is a good physician?
->Does only outcomes counts?
->What it the better route to take?
End one life? Is that a personal choice?

And many more…

10 Coming Trends in Healthcare

Ten 10-Year Trends for the Future of Healthcare: Implications for Academic Health Centers

1. More Patients
2. More technology
3. More information
4. The patient will be the ultimate consumer
5. Different delivery model
6. Opportunity for innovation
7. Costs will increase
8. Uninsured will increase
9. Providers will be paid less
10. Need for a healthcare reform

To expand on these trends visit the website:

http://www.ochsnerjournal.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1043%2F1524-5012(2001)003%5B0010%3ATYTFTF%5D2.0.CO%3B2&ct=1


Work cited:

Garson Jr Arthur, MD, MPH1 and Steven A. Levin2 “Ten 10-Year Trends
For the Future of Healthcare: Implications for Academic Health Centers”. The Ochsner Journal. Pg 10- 15. Volume 3, Issue 1 (Winter 2001). Aug 7 2009.

Explore New Ideas

HealthcareSpeakers.net is designed to quickly give you a sense of the most exiting topics and speakers on the scene. The speakers are sharing ideas, new possibilities that you cannnot find somewhere else. It is a great opportunity to explore different points of view. Many of the topics deal with the future and innovation of medicine. Enjoy and take a look of what other brilliant individuals have to share…

Visit: http://www.healthcarespeakers.net/

The Personalized Future of Medicine

Drug treatments tailored to match individual patients' genes sound like science fiction -- except, in a limited way, they're already here

“Some day, genomics might give doctors a way to predict with a much higher degree of accuracy which medicines you should take and those that be avoided….”

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/aug2001/nf20010816_538.htm

Work cited:
David Shook .”The Personalized Future of Medicine”. THE BIOTECH BEAT. Businessweek online Journal. AUGUST 16, 2001

Human Cloning: Playing God or Helping Others Continued

Here is the second part of the last post on human cloning. Again, please watch the video and come up with your own conclusions to this critical debate in medical research both today and in the foreseeable future.

Credits:
Dixon, Patrick Dr. Human cloning - part two - why investors don't like cloning. 14 June 2007. Youtube.com. London, UK. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yU99-QlDLc&NR=1>. 05 August 2009.

Human Cloning...Playing God or Helping Others

Whether you are for or against it, human cloning seems to have a place in the future of medical research and technology. I invite you to watch this video and the second part of it which will be in another post and develop you own opinion as to whether or not you believe that human cloning has any place in the world.

Credits:
Dixon, Patrick Dr. Human cloning - part one - who is doing human cloning. Future of human cloning and why few clones have been made for medical research. Reasons / arguments for and against human cloning. Cloning animals and biotechnology. 14 June 2007. Youtube.com London, UK. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfLyOGQ3TpA>. 05 August 2009

New Insight From a New Researcher

Here is another great TED Talks video about a brilliant young girl who has noticed some stunning breakthroughs in the field of cancer research. Her discoveries are bound to be at the forefront of fighting cancer in the future. Even though the video is long, it is very interesting to hear Ms. Vertes' new insight into this disease which has plagued mankind for far too long. In fact, you can actually skip a few minutes into the video if you want to, because she starts off with a personal story. I hope everyone enjoys this video and finds something interesting along the way.

Credits:

TED.com. Eva Vertes: The Future of Medicine. Moneterey, CA, February 2005. 5 August 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YesVOFjZGcs.

Hope for the Future: HIV Vaccine Research

As the medicine keeps moving forward many new diseases could be prevented. Maybe in the future HIV could be prevented...

Possible Cure for Cancer in the Future

Eva Vertes -- only 19 when she gave this talk -- discusses her journey toward studying medicine and her drive to understand the roots of cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Althoug the talk is long it is one that WORTH to hear!!!

About Eva Vertes
Eva Vertes is a microbiology prodigy. Her discovery, at age 17, of a compound that stops fruit-fly brain cells from dying was regarded as a step toward curing Alzheimer's. Now she aims to find…

The Truth About Aspartame

FDA allows aspartame in different foods and beverages while many researchers have proven that it is toxic to the human body. The public is just not aware to what it can do to them. Watch the video and get educated about what can harm you.

Controversial Issue

I am amazed of what I find lately about vaccines. As a new parent I also face the question whether to vaccinate my little baby boy. The video raises once again the question: Is MMR shot causes autism in children? Two parents tell their story….

Moden Beauty

Thanks to the modern medicine it was never easier to get rid of extra fat with short time recovery. In the video Dr.Thomas P. McHugh describes who the right candidates for the procedure of smart lipo operation are.

New Drug May Slow Aging Process

A new drug has been found that may actually slow down the rate that our bodies age. It is called Rapamycin and it is found in the South Pacific on Easter Island. Studies have shown that the drug actually increased the life span of mice 28-38%. Now this may be extremely different for humans because of our increased size and complexity but it still is incredible to think about. All the added things a person could complete with 15-20 years of extra life. This would allow people to live longer and healthier and would make it possible for older people to express themselves more. Life gives people a great wealth of knowledge, why not allow them to share that with the world.

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20090710/drug-has-potential-to-slow-aging

Fish Oil May Boost Memory

New research shows that fish oil supplements may actually boost memory in aging adults. Fish oil has been known for many other great things it can do, well I guess its time to add another to the list. Although is can have some anti-social side effects, such as causing your skin to give off a less than attractive odor, it is overall a very beneficial thing to consider. Participants in this research were asked to take either fish oil or placebo every day for six months. Then they were given tests that was similar to simon says. The ones that took the first oil scored much better than the participants that took the placebo. Overall I think this is a great breakthrew in the medical field. It is just one more thing that can help Americans live a healthier and longer life.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20090713/fish-oil-supplements-boost-memory

Cursing May Ease Pain

Their is new research that shows that cursing may actually ease someones pain. Undergraduates at the Keele University's School of Psychology were asked to put their hands in freezing cold buckets of water. The first time that they did this they were asked to yell curse words as loud as they can, the second time they were asked to just say neutral words. The study found that the first time, when the students were yelling obscene words, that they were able to endure the pain of the cold water for longer. Now this is not suggesting that everyone runs around screaming curse words all day, that would just decrease the worlds opinions of Americans. It is, however, suggesting that cursing may be a good way to release pain and maybe some anxiety.

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20090713/go-ahead-and-curse-it-may-ease-your-pain

Alzheimers Gene Testing

There have been many medical breakthroughs in the past one hundred years, one of which has been pinpointing the gene that causes Alzheimer's Disease. Medical professionals, however, say that this test should not be administered to anyone. There is no guarantee that if one posses this gene that they will later be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. If the test were to come back positive it would solve nothing and may make the person clinically depress or extremely anxious. Society must remember that all medical breakthroughs are not good, they have other harmful side effects, and must be taken with caution.

http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20090715/alzheimers-gene-test-no-harm

Testosterone Gel: is it Safe?

In the FDA's continued fight to keep the products we buy safe for everyone the new line of products, testosterone gel, have come under some scrutiny. Testosterone gel is aimed to help younger children by providing a balanced and adequate amount of testosterone in their bodies. However, this gel is extremely potent and if proper precautions are not taken then they may have some extremely harmful side effects. The FDA is trying to make sure that people using these products gain the benefits and don't have to worry about some of the risks involved. AndroGel 1% and Testim 1% are the two leading providers of testosterone gel and will now be required to put more warning labels on their boxes. The FDA is continuing to try to keep their products safe for everyone.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm151396.htm

Infections improving health?

There is new research to indicate that hookworms may actually improve the overall health of your body. This is because a hookworm in your system forces your bodies defenses to activate and adapt. There is new research coming out of Nottingham University in England that would suggest this. The outcome that they are hoping for is that the research will prove that microscopic parasites such as hookworms can help the body fight against multiple sclerosis. There has already been a case in Argentina that showed that hookworms can help fight against asthma.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025596_immune_system_doctors_medicine.html

The Virtual World Enters Our Own

From the labrotories at NASA to hospitals everywhere, the ARTEMIS is the most advanced X-ray machine the world has ever seen. The ARTEMIS combines modern CAT scans with virtual computer generated images to give doctors a whole new perspective inside the human body. ARTEMIS first uses images from a CAT scan to generalize a virtual model of the patient. Then, using a special pair of goggles, doctors can look at computerized still images of the patient that are flashed in each lense of the goggles. These images are synchronized so that while they are flashing, it appears to the doctor that they are really looking at the inside of the patient's body. ARTEMIS will help make surgeries safer, more efficient, and more effective in the future. The future is now with the advanced technologies provided to doctor's by NASA, and the world can thank them for moving the field of medical surgery further.

Credits:
Destination Tomorrow. "Advances in Medical Technology." 20 May 2008. Youtube.com.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXIgvtq-_zc> 15 July 2009.

Modern Blood for a Modern Age

Patients in dire medical need now have a new ally to look to. While not a cure all, artificial blood may just save your life one day. The blood is not a perfect recreation of natural blood, but it is certainly better than always having to rely on blood transfusions. Mainly, synthetic blood can help move oxygen around the body when a patient has lost a significant amount of blood. There are two chief types of artificial blood, HBOCs and PFCs. HBOCs are actually created partly out of natural red blood cells (either human or bovine), bacteria, or human placentas and are almost blood colored. PFCs are entirely synthetic and are a white color similar to milk. Probably the best part of artificial blood is that it is universal, meaning that any patient with any blood type can benefit from synthetic blood. Check out this article for more details on this amazing creation of modern medicine.

Credits:

Wilson, Tracy V. "How Artificial Blood Works." 29 December 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. http://health.howstuffworks.com/artificial-blood.htm 15 July 2009.

Modern Medicine Dangerous to Public Health?

Today modern medicine has a sickness of its own. It is the greed that is fueling the treatment of sick patients. There are far to many advertisements, corrupt regulators, and suppressed alternatives medicines. Is this what the health care industry has become, many people believe that medicine has evolved so much that it is actually having adverse affects. These ideas are not that far fetched, has the American culture been so accepting of modern medicine that greed has taken over and now runs our lives. We think that we need medicine to live or to stay healthy, in fact their are tribes in Africa who are still living the same way they did 600 years ago, and they have a longer life expectancy, on average, than Americans. The corruption that has spread because of the medicine is something that needs to be kept in check. It may ultimately lead to the downfall of the entire industry.

Adams, Mike. "The Quackery of Modern Medicine." Naturalnews. 3 Mar 2008. 15 July 2009.

<http://www.naturalnews.com/021664_medicine_health_quackery.html>

Modern Nutrition Myths- Part II

4 more myths to learn. Personally I found this information very useful...
Enjoy!

Modern Nutrition Myths- Part I

The video discusses 4 myths that many people tend to believe in. Nutrition is a huge field to learn and it is a key component for good health. It is important to learn what foods are truly healthy...

One Man's Trash is Another Doctor's Treasure

Remember all those wonderful times when you went to check your email only to discover that half of it was spam. Well curse those spammers no more, because the folks at Microsoft have figured out that they can put thier resources that they have previously been using to filter out junk mail from your inbox to great medical use. The people at Microsoft actually think they may be able to help doctors fight HIV with the algorithm (formula) that they devoloped to combat spammers. From what we do know about HIV, it attacks a person's immune system cells and then proceeds to create many copies of itself with slight variations. That is why doctors attempts to make a cure or vaccine for HIV have been stifled for so long. However, if Microsoft's plan works, thier algorithm would be able to predict all the possible combinations of mutated variations of the HIV virus in a patient. This would allow medical researchers to finally be able to develop a viable vaccine that is effective against all strains of the virus...incredible!

Credits:

Clark, Josh. "How can spam e-mail help fight HIV?." 26 October 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. http://health.howstuffworks.com/spam-hiv.htm 09 July 2009.

http://www.topnews.in/files/hiv-virus.jpg (image)

Simple solution

The video brings some interesting fact about the modern medicine. Most of the treatments use drugs while the right nutrition can be the solution, but it seems that it doesn`t pay off for the medical monopoly. What amazes me is that doctors do not taught nutrition as part of their program study, except of one basic course. Wrong things are happening…

On Mortality and Modern Medicine

Modern Medicine seems not accept death.
Medicine evolved big time during the last decades. More and more diseases were found a cure. Is that makes people avoiding thinking about mortality?
Check out the talk of the author David Rieff…

Artificial Limbs for the Modern Age

Prosthetic limbs have been around for a very long time, some even dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times. In all that time however, the basic design and objective of the prosthetic limb has hardly changed at all. People who have suffered an injury that required them to have a leg or arm amputated have always longed for a replacement, both to regain some bodily functionality and to maintain self dignity. Back in ancient times, artificial limbs were created out of natural materials such as wood, metal, and leather. These days, prosthetic limbs are fashioned out of cutting edge modern plastics and other composite materials. Check out this great article that gives a brief history about prosthetic limbs, details how they are made, and much more!

Credits:

Clements, Isaac Perry. "How Prosthetic Limbs Work." 25 June 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. 08 July 2009

Link:http://health.howstuffworks.com/prosthetic-limb.htm

Have You Heard About Modern Hearing Aids

Modern hearing aids are an incredible resource for the hearing impaired among us in society today. Whether due to genetics, injury, or just over exposure to loud noises, millions of people suffer from hearing loss. Hearing aids today are modern technological marvels. They come in several styles ranging from big to small, but all have same basic components. All hearing aids include a microphone, amplifier, speaker, and battery. The microphone picks up noise, the amplifier controls volume, the speaker relays the noise to the patient's ear, and the battery gives power to the whole thing. The main styles of hearing aids are: in the ear (large), in the canal (small), completely in the canal (very small), behind the ear (larger), and behind the ear open fit (smaller). In addition, there are also digital and analog hearing aids. Digital hearing aids are more modern and provide clear sound quality that blocks out background noise better than their analog counterparts. Now there are even devices called cochlear implants that can be surgically implanted and are effective for patients with severe hearing problems. Hearing aid technology is getting better all the time, making the prospect of a world free of deafness a very real possibility.

Credits:

Watson, Stephanie. "How Hearing Aids Work." 23 August 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. 07 July 2009.

http://www.plattevalleyhearing.com/images/Hearing%20Aids.jpg (image)

Keeping Pace With Modern Medicine

The more I look at modern technological breakthroughs, the more I am in awe. These days, we actually have devices that are able to detect if your heart is about to fail, and then take steps to prevent a heart attack. I am referring to a device called an ICD, or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. This device is a battery run electrical pulse emitter that is connected to a patient's heart with very tiny wires and includes a component that monitors heart rate. If a patient's heart rate becomes erratic, the ICD can deliver a shock that will set the heart back into a normal rhythm. Such devices are generally recommended by doctors to patients who have had heart attacks in the past or other serious heart issues.

Credits:

ADAM. "Implantable Cardioverter-defibrillator." 16 May 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. 30 June 2009.

"Implantable Cardioverter-defibrillator Image." 16 May 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. 30 June 2009.

The Modern Stent

Modern medical technology is a wonderful thing. Now, patients suffering from poor blood flow in thier internal arteries can turn to a small piece of metal called a "stent". Stents are extremely small pieces of metal mesh that can be expanded to help hold open an artery and improve the circulation of blood throughout the body. Despite the potential for the stent to collapse, it is still probably the most effective tool against poor blood flow that doctors have today. Even if a stent collapses, it can be reopened. Patients must still take blood-thinning medication even after they recieve a stent or stents. Technology is continuing to improve stents, and one day the stent may be a medical miracle with a 100% success rate.

Credits:

American Heart Association. "Stent Procedure." AmericanHeart.org. <http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4721>. 23 June 2009.

http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/Libertestent.JPG (image)

Tempatures are rising

Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei is credited with inventing the modern thermometer. Called an air thermometer, it was a device in which a colored liquid was driven down by the expansion of air. As the air got warmer and expanded, the liquid dropped. In 1612 Italian physician Santorio Santorio adapted the device to measure the body's change in temperature due to illness. A century later, in 1714, German physicist Daniel Fahrenheit invented the mercury thermometer. Thermometers in use today, contain liquid mercury, which rises as it gets warmer.

http://www.enotes.com/history-fact-finder/science-invention/who-invented-thermometer

An exceptionally rare c. 1850 surface clinical thermometer with ivory scale and original box. The end of the ivory has a small hole for placing a string to swing the instrument and allow centrifugal force to reset the mercury, an early feature.

A superb c. 1860 axilla clinical thermometer with ivory scale marked: G. TIEMANN & CO. NY. The instrument's original triangular-shaped case is present.

http://antiquescientifica.com/archive23.htm

Histoy of the Ultrasound

Today when a woman is pregnant she has the pleasure of seeing her baby via ultrasound pictures at varying stages of her pregnancy. At some point she can even chose to have a 3D picture taken. But that was definitely not the case for women giving birth 30 to 40 years ago. The definition of an ultrasound is energy generated by sound waves of 20,000 or more vibrations per second. The ultrasound started out as underwater testing of the speed of sound in the 1800's. As time went on scientists and physicists continued to discover different uses for this type of sonar. Actually most of the devices used in the 1800 and 1900's were used for Naval ships to detect if there was anything coming at them in the water. Then in the 1920's high intensity ultrasound was used for therapy on animal tissues. It was highly used in rehabilitative medicine and was even believed to be the "cure-all" for such problems as arthritis, asthma, hemorrhoids and urinary incontinence. The 1940's is when ultrasound was experimentally being used as a diagnostic tool. Then in 1949 the United States finally had their first report of diagnostic use of the ultrasound! It's amazing what can happen in over 100 years!
Since that time the ultrasound has continued to grow and flourish. And it's truly amazing what can be seen using the ultrasound now a days!

http://www.ob-ultrasound.net/history1.html

Chinese Medical Evolution

Chinese medicine, like the medical fields of many other countries, has grown tremendously in the past 100 years. It has its roots that can be traced back nearly 2400 years, beggining with acupunture and herbology. A major problem that has been facing China though is that they are reluctant to leave their old ways of practicing medicine. By the late 1980's the Chinese government realized that if they were to compete with other countries on a national level they would have to impose stricter regulations. In a country of over one billion they only found 500 doctors that were sutable to practice medicine under the new codes. China is an up and comming country that will make their name in the global economy and medical industry. They have the potentional and recources to become one of the strongest countries in the world



http://www.traditionalstudies.org/website/Chinese%20Medicine%20Evolution.html

ADHD -- New Title to an Old Problem?

Why is it that only within the past two centuries that young active little boys have now been considered to have a problem? What happened to the times when 'boys will be boys'? I don't understand that now, out of the entire history of human evolution, have active boys now suddenly have an affliction called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? Maybe it's a new cancer spreading out through the youth of America. Perhaps it's a made-up illness used to sedate the children of parents who need some quiet time after they realized kids are a lot of work. Whatever it is, I would bet anything that this 'ADHD' is nothing new, and parents have dealt with rambunctious kids for centuries, but only now has medicine progressed enough that we can silence the children if we choose to. I submit that these advancements in science need to be considered long and hard by ethics committees all over the world. Even more so, it's too early to tell if the new found drugs they are giving these children have any long term effects (40, 50, 60 years from now). I'm not trying to say that ALL kids diagnosed with ADHD should live without this medication, I'm simply saying that many kids that are normal and simply have active outbursts from time to time are being treated hastily with medication they don't need!

The Incredible, Yet Simple Band-Aid

Eighty-eight years ago, Earle Dickson, an employee of Johnson & Johnson invented the band-aid. Dickson wanted to find a better bandage for his wife who was constantly getting small cuts on her fingers while she was working in the kitchen. Composed of a piece of tape, a small piece of gauze on the tape, and some crinoline to keep the whole thing sterile, the simple band-aid would eventually become a staple in most households in America. Seriously, how annoying would it be if you had to go back to the old way of things, cutting gauze and medical tape to fit your cut? Now, you can just pick the right size band-aid to fit your needs out of a box of assorted sizes. Here is a modern day commercial for Dickson's invention.



Credits:
Bellis, Mary. "History of the Band-Aid." About.com. <http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/bandaid.htm>. 13 June 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s34b8T44514 (video)

Exercise does not Improve Sleep

SEATTLE, June 9 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers were surprised to find study participants sleeping less on days they exercised.

Lead study author Dr. Arn Eliasson of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington says results of the study were the opposite of their expectations. Quality of sleep did not improve after days of increased exertion and sleep efficiency did not vary according to the amount of exertion during the day, the study said.

"It has long been recommended, even championed, that getting exercise is part of the recipe for improved sleep. Our data do not support that notion," Eliasson said in a statement.

"The longest sleep and best sleep efficiency occurred after days with low non-exercise exertion -- better rested subjects got less exercise and had less calorie expenditure. After relatively more sleep -- more than six hours -- all measures of exertion decreased."

The study included 14 subjects who wore actigraphy armbands for 23 days. Data regarding total sleep time, sleep efficiency, total energy expenditure, exercise, energy expenditure, non-exercise activity steps and body mass were collected.

Seven subjects had a normal body mass and seven were overweight. Paradoxically, the researchers say, the group considered overweight had a higher total energy expenditure, and took more steps per day.

The study was presented at Sleep, the annual meeting of the Association of Sleep Professionals in Seattle.

SOURCE - http://www.upi.com/health http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Vc41rmR_4

Napping 4-year Olds less Anxious

June 9 (UPI) -- Young children between ages 4-5, who did not nap were found to be more hyperactive and anxious than children who napped.

The study, presented at Sleep (the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle) found children who did not take daytime naps had higher levels of: hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression than other children.

The researchers suggest napping may have a significant influence on young children's daytime functioning and should be encouraged.

"There is a lot of individual variability in when children are ready to give up naps," lead study author Brian Crosby of Pennsylvania State University in said in a statement.

"I would encourage parents to include a quiet 'rest' time in their daily schedule that would allow children to nap if necessary."

For the study, caregivers for 62 children reported typical weekday and weekend bedtime/rise time, napping patterns, family demographics, and completed a behavioral assessment of the child. It's possible that there could be some minor consequences to children who aren't given the same amount of rest as normal children their same age. It's too early to tell if sleep deprivation at this age could lead to conditions like A.D.D. and A.D.H.D, but it is known that sleep at this age should be a very important part of their daily routine.

Type II Diabetes Found In Children

U.S. scientists and researchers have now documented the early signs of type 2 diabetes in children as young as age seven.

Melinda Sothern from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans documented previously unknown signs for obesity, heart disease and diabetes -- collectively called Metabolic Syndrome -- in very young children.

Metabolic Syndrome involves risk factors for diabetes such as blood pressure, obesity and decreased high-density lipo-protein, known as the "good" cholesterol.

Data was collected on 118 healthy children, ages 7-9, enrolled in an ongoing study.

The study found a child's current fat weight is the strongest predictor for poor insulin sensitivity, which is a risk factor for type two diabetes. Low-density lipo-protein, the "bad" cholesterol, was also strongly associated with insulin sensitivity in the prediction model.

The study found that fat in liver cells and in skeletal -- leg -- muscle cells also predict poor insulin sensitivity and high insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, along with an impaired fat-burning ability in the muscles.

These relationships were only found after the researchers considered the child's current fat weight, so the strongest predictor is whether or not these young children are currently overweight or obese.

The finding was presented at the American Diabetes Association annual scientific session meeting in New Orleans.

SOURCE - June 10 (UPI) http://www.upi.com/health
http://www.healthspablog.org (picture)

Uncovering our Earliest Ancestor

In Germany, Scientists have uncovered a 47-million-year-old fossilized skeleton of a primate thought to be the missing piece in the puzzle of human evolution.



Ever since the idea of Human Evolution was proposed by Darwin hundred of years ago, the general population and skeptics have asked for proof. The search for a direct link between humans and animals has taken over 200 years - not long ago it was unveiled to the world at a news conference in New York.

The most fascinating part of the discovery is how intact the sample really is! Nearly a 95% complete 'lemur monkey' (named Ida) is thought of by many in the scientific field to be an absolutely groundbreaking discovery for the world of science. Ida is bringing quite a lot of buzz with scientists hoping she will be able to bring the answers to the questions that have been asked for the past couple centuries.

Many researchers believe that this fossil can complete the 'holes' in Darwin's evolutionary theory for which there had previously been no proof to substantiate. Sir David Attenborough said Darwin "would have been thrilled" to have seen the fossil, and believes Ida can tell us who we are and where we evolved from.

"This little creature is going to show us our connection with the rest of the mammals," he said.
"This is the one that connects us directly with them.
"Now people can say 'okay we are primates, show us the link'.
"The link they would have said up to now is missing - well it's no longer missing."

SOURCE: Sir David Attenborough, SKY NEWS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ2mqA7HG1E

The Evolution of AIDS Treatment

This video examanies the ever changing AIDS treatment. It was a video made in 1996 by the program from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bisola Ojikutu, director of the Office of International Programs of the Division of AIDS at Harvard Medical School. They examine evolutions of medicine in the AIDS field.

Teenage Depression

Researchers from the universities of Vermont and Minnesota have found that children who start to socialize at a young age will grow up with less anxiety and will be less likely to become depressed at any stage in their life. The social pressure that is put on American teenagers can be unbearable. If the children are encouraged to socialize at a young age they will find it easier to adjust throughout life.

Adjusting and adapting at an early age is a key thing that people need to learn or it will plague them for the rest of their lives. If they learn how to function in relationships they will also learn to not internalize problems. The internalizing of problems will lead to anxiety and possible depression. Although depression can now partially be treated threw drugs and therapy it is something that parents have to help prevent at a young age.

Vitamin D Deficiency May Soften Baby's Skull

In early 2008 The World Health Organization discovered that a deficiency of Vitamin D in the pregnant women may cause the baby to be born with a soft, and often problematic. They also found that if the vitamin deficiency continued threw breast feeding that it could aggravate the situation and may cause serious health issues later in the baby's life and will increase the child's chance of getting type 1 diabetes.

The troubling part about this situation is the fact that these studies were conducted in the United States, which is a very rich country. Where most of its citizens are getting and many times exceeding the required amount of nutrition in any given day. It is easy to see how this can be increasingly problematic in less civilized nations. The researchers found that out of the 1120 newborns that they evaluated nearly 22% of them were born with soften skulls due to Vitamin D deficiency. This however has an easy fix, the women that are taking care of their children just need to increase the intake of vitamin D.

Women`s issues: Then and Now!

The article addressed the matherhood issue comparing the Victorian British Aristocracy with the Modern Day Britain. 3 subjects are addressed: the reasons to have babies, taking care of the babies and labor and delivery

“New technology and discoveries directly effect every aspect of human life including labor and delivery. Motherhood in the Victorian British aristocracy is different than the ideals and practices associated with modern day motherhood, and change will continue as it , like reproduction, is inevitable”.

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/femhist/motherhood.shtml#Labor%20and%20Delivery

Works Cited
Lewis, Judith S.In the Family Way: Childbearing in the British Aristocracy, 1760-1860 . Rutgers University Press. New Brunswick, NJ, 1986.

They Say to Us, Lean on Me

Can you believe that humans have been using crutches for nearly 5,000 years?! Well its true, the concept of the crutch dates back to ancient Egyptian times with the evidence carved in the walls of some of ancient Egyptian's tombs. Although crutchtes have gone from being made from more natural materials such as wood to metal alloys in present times, the basic design has remained the same. The basic crutch has always been some type of stick like device with something attatched to the top to help you keep your upper body balanced and stabilized. There are three main types of crutches used to aid people who have difficulty walking: auxillary crutches, forearm crutches, and platform crutches. Forearm and platform crutches are used in more serious cases, with the auxillary crutch being the most common one used. The crutches in the picture are an example of auxillary crutches.Past, present, or future, the crutch is where mankind leans when it has trouble making its way in the world.

Credits:

Hartmann, Michael*. "Crutches". 10 August 2005**. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/. 08 June 2009. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/crutches/article_em.htm.

* Michael Hartmann is the main author of the article referenced in this post. There are several other coauthors and editors that can be viewed at the URL listed above that helped write it as well. Michael Hartmann has the following qualifications: DO, Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Darnall Army Community Hospital.

**This is the date of the last editorial review.

Who Invented Vaccination?

NY faced last U.S. smallpox outbreak

Diseases from the past didn’t disappear.
CNN: “The 1947 smallpox cases led to doctors' immunizing residents at a rate of eight injections per minute - 500,000 in one day”.
And here it came back again in 2002 in NYC.

Watch the video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZW588a0p7g

Or read the article…

Work cited:
NY faced last U.S. smallpox outbreak, Garrick Utley and Sanjay Gupta, CNN, December 14, 2002, http://archives.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/12/13/smallpox.ny/

MMR: 3 in 1...

It appears that in the past immunization was safer… There is no evidence for combining 3 vaccinations into one. In the past medicine seemed to give priority to safety rather than to convenience.

Getting a Clearer Picture of Medicine

The microscope has allowed for some incredible advancements in the field of medicine, such as the discovery of germs and even helped form the field of microbiology. Actual magnifying lenses may date back to as far as ancient Roman times, but the microscope as a complete tool began to take shape towards the end of the 16th century and into the 17th century. Near the close of the 1500's, the Janssens, a Dutch father and son who made glasses a living, noticed that placing glass lenses on either end of a tube could make objects appear much larger to the human eye. In the 1600's, Anton van Leeuwenhoek created what are known as "light microscopes" which used natural light in conjunction with polished glass lenses to magnify objects many times their size. The image to the right is what one of these early microscopes looked like. Over time other scientists would improve the design of the light microscope and technology would even allow new types of microscopes to be created, such as the electron microscope. However, without the basic light microscope none of that other advancement would have been possible, and we would still believe that there is no such thing as germs! Here is a link to see what a basic microscope looks like today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuDcge0Zuak

Credits:
Bellis, Mary. "History of the Microscope". About.com. 04 June 2009. http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/microscope.htm http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/G/H/Q/compound_microscope.jpg (picture)

Seeing Medical History in Our Very Own Bones

Many, many years ago one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in human history happened on accident. The X-ray was stumbled upon by German physicist, Wilhelm Roentgen, while he was conducting a separate experiment utilizing electron beams. Roentgen noticed that while he had the electron beam powered on, he could view things through a flourscent screen. One of the first things he looked at through the flourscent screen, you guessed it...bones (in his own hand). From that moment forward the X-ray has never looked back and has been helping doctors diagnose broken bones and care for patients for more than a century now. This is an excellent example of how a technological breakthrough in the past can still remain relevant today.
Credits:
Harris, Tom. "How X-rays Work." 26 March 2002. HowStuffWorks.com. 02 June 2009.

http://www.odec.ca/projects/2003/kinga3a/public_html/xray01.jpg

Medical Tools of the Past...Not so Different Today

Even in the past, it seems that ancient Greek and Roman doctors were on the right track as far as surgical tools go. This image of ancient surgical hooks show just how little has changed in the basic design of these tools when compared to their present counterparts. In addition, it is also believed that the use of such instruments remains largely the same today as it was in ancient times. These hooks would be used for various surgical activities such as dissection, removal of tissue, moving blood vessels around, and more.

Despite the age of these tools, modern medicine has not changed much in the design of them. The image on the right shows what a surgical hook looks like today compared to the ones from ancient times on the left. I guess technology does not always advance as much as refine certain things in our lives. However, technology has rapidly advanced medicine in many areas and this blog eventually take a look at how that has happened, but for now it is interesting to see how sometimes there is very little change over a great period of time.

Credits:

Demand, Nancy. "Greek and Roman Surgical Instruments." 19 May 2000. Indiana.edu. <http://www.indiana.edu/~ancmed/instr1.html> 02 June 2009.

http://www.disposable-surgical-instrument.co.uk/disposable-phlebectomy-vein-hooks.htm