Rare Cancer are Subsets of Common Cancers
In June, 2014, my book, entitled Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs: Keys to Understanding and Treating the Common Diseases was published by Elsevier. The book builds the argument that our best chance of curing the common diseases will come from studying and curing the rare diseases. One of the key ideas developed in the book is that each common diseases is actually an aggregate of cellular processes that are present, individually, in rare diseases. In the case of the common cancers, we can find specific rare diseases that are subsets of the common diseases. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 8: 8.3.3 Inherited syndromes that...
Source: Specified Life - July 9, 2014 Category: Pathologists Tags: cancer syndromes carcinogenesis common cancers common disease familial cancer syndromes genetic disease orphan disease orphan drugs rare cancers rare disease Source Type: blogs
Add Liquid Gold for a Healthier Diet
We've been told for years to steer away from fat, but the right kind of fats—consumed in moderation—can actually boost your health. Here are five of the best oils to add to your diet as liquid gold.1. Coconut OilOnce thought to be a heart attack in a bottle, coconut oil has reclaimed its place as a tasty and beneficial oil. Just a few tablespoons can help the body to do the following:Resist bacterial and viral infectionsFight off yeast, fungus and candidaStabilize blood sugar levelsRegulate hormonesRestore thyroid functionIncrease HDL cholesterolStabilize weightBoost energy levelsUse coconut oil as a butter subst...
Source: Happy Nutritionist's Nuggets - June 24, 2014 Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Tags: Almond Oil Coconut Oil Cottonseed Oil Oils Olive Oil Source Type: blogs
Glands and Grains
We live in a world in which endocrine disruption–the disruption of endocrine gland function–is a growing health threat.
Endocrine disruption can take many forms. It can take the form of thyroid disease provoked by industrial chemicals, such as perchlorates, the residues of synthetic fertilizers in produce. Or it could be provoked by the polybrominated dipheyl ethers flame retardants in your carpeting. Or it could be the triclosan in your antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer. It can also take the form of causing young girls to experience menstrual cycles and breast growth prematurely due to exposure to estrogen...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - June 19, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: What is in wheat that's so bad? Endocrine Gliadin Thyroid Source Type: blogs
Orphan Radiopharmaceuticals And Other Libations
It has been a few years since I've made it to the Society of Nuclear Medicine annual meeting, so long actually that the Society has since changed its name, and is now called the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, I personally think this was prompted by the unfortunate amusement among the puerile (like yours truly) related to the original title's initials. SNMMI just doesn't have the same ring to it, but they don't ask me about these things. The exhibit hall is about 1/50th the size of the massive trade show at the RSNA, but most of the big players have a presence.Herr Großkopf, the huge animated head,...
Source: Dalai's PACS Blog - June 14, 2014 Category: Radiologists Source Type: blogs
My Life is Worth It
My wife, my daughter, and I were exhibitors at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) last weekend. At the invitation of ASCO, insurance companies and doctors were trying to invent a framework for limiting patients' access to the newest and most expensive cancer treatments, thereby providing those treatments only for those patients whose lives are judged worthy of them.
In the booth, I'm on the left
Unfortunately, we patients have been left out of that discussion altogether, so we were in a booth, making the point that patients should most definitely have a voice in any such discussions...
Source: Myeloma Hope - June 3, 2014 Category: Cancer Source Type: blogs
Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime: a review
This is a web version of a review of Peter Gotzsche’s book. It appeared in the April 2014 Healthwatch Newsletter. Read the whole newsletter. It has lots of good stuff. Their newsletters are here. Healthwatch has been exposing quackery since 1989. Their very first newsletter is still relevant.
Most new drugs and vaccines are developed by the pharmaceutical industry. The industry has produced huge benefits for mankind. But since the Thatcherite era it has come to be dominated by marketing people who appear to lack any conscience. That’s what gave rise to the Alltrials movement. It was founded in January 2...
Source: DC's goodscience - April 16, 2014 Category: Science Authors: David Colquhoun Tags: Academia badscience Big Pharma blogosphere Martin Keller Peter Gotzsche Pharmaceutical Industry Richard Eastell Source Type: blogs
Shame on the Chicago Tribune
A blatantly pro-wheat piece ran in the Chicago Tribune that bashes the anti-grain movement. Read it here.
Written by dietitian, Marsha McCullough, it is full of the oversimplifications and partial truths echoed by the wheat industry. (So it smells and looks like something either paid for by the wheat industry to be placed in the Tribune, or Ms. McCullough was paid to write. That’s how the big lobbies work. They generally cannot rely on “organic” commitment.)
“Those with an allergy to wheat or other grains must avoid them. And the one percent of the population with celiac disease and the six percen...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - April 4, 2014 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly counterattacks Source Type: blogs
How to Explain the Surge in the Diagnosis of Cancer of the Thyroid
Discussion about Incidentalomas). Once even a hint of a lung lesion appears in a radiology report, there is a need for the treating physicians to try to diagnose and sometimes resect it. This can lead to complications for the patient. Incidentaloma are only one example of mischief due to diagnostic procedures that may be too sensitive. Another possible example of this phenomenon may be the recent surge of thyroid cancer cases. This idea was discussed in a recent article (see: Surge in Thyroid Cancer Cases May Be Due to This). Below is an excerpt from it:
A surge in the number of thyroid cancer cases in recent decades...
Source: Lab Soft News - March 5, 2014 Category: Pathologists Authors: Bruce Friedman Source Type: blogs
Reunions and what has shaped my life
It sneaks up on you. This year I have both significant year reunions for my college and high school. I am getting requests to attend both - which I probably will. Life has changed greatly for me since then - 30 and 35 years ago.I am still in touch with just a few friends from high school. Some of them know about my life and health issues and some do not. I went back late for my sophomore year in college due to thyroid cancer treatment and it was a much smaller school so more knew about it. I am in touch with more college friends (they are the most interesting part of my Facebook feed)So the question looms, when one goes to...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - March 5, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: being a patient friends Source Type: blogs
On not being normal
If you find a truly 'normal' person, please let me know. No one is normal - its just a fact of life. But some people are more abnormal than others in different ways. Take me for example, I am very abnormal in the medical world. I have more medical ailments than my 80 something parents. All those health articles with tips for healthy living usually do not apply to me. I mean I can hydrate more but I can also floss more too.Anything that relates to jump starting your metabolism to lose weight - um, I don't have a thyroid so its not going to do anything. Or more or different exercise - sorry, between RA, Fibromyalgia, l...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - February 28, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: exercise fat normal Source Type: blogs
Thyroid cancer and life with out a thyroid
A pop quiz: What does your thyroid do anyway?Something to do with weight.Some weird gland thing that we all have but doesn't do much.I have no idea.The master gland of metabolism and energy.If you answered #4 you get a gold star. If you answered any of the others, you are not that different from the average person.The thyroid is our master gland of metabolism and energy. Every single body function that requires oxygen and energy -- basically, everything that goes on in our bodies! -- requires thyroid hormone in proper amounts. That means we need the proper balance of thyroid hormone in order to feel and live well. We ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - February 25, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: chronic thyroid cancer Source Type: blogs
Itching: More Than Skin-Deep - NYTimes.com
The experiment was not for the squirmish. Volunteers were made to itch like crazy on one arm, but not allowed to scratch. Then they were whisked into an M.R.I. scanner to see what parts of their brains lit up when they itched, when researchers scratched them and when they were finally allowed to scratch themselves.
The scientific question was this: Why does it feel so good to scratch an itch?
"It's quite intriguing to see how many brain centers are activated," said Dr. Gil Yosipovitch, chairman of dermatology at the Temple University School of Medicine and director of the Temple Center for Itch (he conducte...
Source: Psychology of Pain - February 18, 2014 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs
A (Short but) Very Stressful Trip on the Cancer Rollercoaster
Yesterday I went to have my annual check up with endocrinologist. When I first saw her about five years ago, I was sent for a baseline thyroid ultrasound because I hadn't had either an ultrasound ever or an endocrinologist in a very long time (decades?). Big surprise there when they found a 'something' in the thyroid bed where the thyroid used to be but wasn't supposed to be anything.We started following it with ultrasounds to see what it was. It was clearly in the evil category of 'big enough to see but too small to do anything about'. So six month and then, as its stability became established, annual ultrasounds were the...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - February 13, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: cancer history fear recurrence stress thyroid cancer Source Type: blogs
