Whats in your cup of coffee?

Humanity runs on coffee - Unknown

In the midst of all the addictions our world has to offer, coffee is one that has certainly stood the test of time across generations. Coffee has become both the "waker" and "day-starter" for most in different parts of the world.

But seriously speaking..whats in that cup of coffee?


Of course, the active ingredient , Caffeine, which is a stimulant that acts in the brain by blocking an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. Caffeine is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world today, taking only about 15-20 minutes to get into the bloodstream, reaching its peak level in 30-60 minutes and effects lasting up to 6-10hours.

A cup of Coffee is more than just black water with a rich smell.

A single cup of coffee contains several important nutrients, including Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.

Certainly it has it benefits, but as with everything in life, moderation is key! even with coffee consumption. Some studies have shown that drinking coffee regularly in moderation reduces the risk of heart failure for example.

Still on Caffeine...

Coffee containing caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness and restlessness, stomach upset, nausea and vomiting, increased heart and breathing rate, and other side effects. Consuming large amounts of coffee might also cause headache, anxiety, agitation, ringing in the ears, and irregular heartbeats.

The Benefits!

The caffeine in a cup of coffee might help small blood vessels work better. Coffee consumption has been linked with a lower incidence of heart rhythm disturbances in both men and women, and lowered stroke risk for women. Among 13,000 people, those who drank one to three cups every day were 20 percent less likely to go to the hospital for arrhythmias than abstainers.

Lowers Diabetes Risk

Coffee has also proved beneficial in the context of cardiovascular disease risk factors like Diabetes. Recently, Australian researchers found a correlation of about 7% drop in the odds of having type II diabetes for every additional cup of coffee drunk daily following 18 studies of nearly 458,000 participants. Six to seven cups of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee tanked the chance of getting the disease by a third.

It is important to add however, that regular coffee, contains caffeine which can raise the blood pressure, as well as blood levels of the fight-or-flight chemical epinephrine (also called adrenaline),

While it is known that caffeine intake reduce the risk of forming gallstones,study reports have also indicated that coffee protects against liver cirrhosis (Link)

Other Benefits of Coffee

Cancer

Though, the evidence of a cancer protection effect of coffee is weaker than that for type 2 diabetes, the drink has proven to be more effective against liver cancer, where it lowers the chances of developing the disease by half. There is also a link between coffee and lung cancer, but only those who got the disease because they smoked. On the other hand, drinking it was actually found to be a protectant for non-smokers with lung cancer.

Keeps the Brain Sharp

Coffee has also been linked to lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. That characteristic mental jolt coffee provides which most medical students and doctors can relate with may extend a lifetime. Recent studies have shown that Parkinson’s, age-related cognitive decline, and maybe even Alzheimer’s could be kept at bay by coffee. The Alzheimer’s and dementia risk may be lowered by an amazing 65 percent thanks to coffee! (link)


Helps You Withstand Pain
Interestingly, coffee may be the answer to mild pain relief. This is according to a national study done in Norway, in which coffee-takers in an office reported a lower pain-intensity level when compared with those who abstained. Other studies have shown linked caffeine with reducing muscle pain after working out (Link)

Most Importantly, Lowers Death Risk

This is according to a meta-analysis of 20 studies with 1 million participants carried out by the National Institutes of Health. They found that coffee somehow helped lower ones chances of dying from any cause. The AARP Diet and Health study showed that men can lower their chance of dying by 6 percent with just a cup a day. The more they drank, the lower that chance went — five cups, of course, was the maximum recommended.


After all said....Lets Drink it up..but in moderation

To be continued.....

Coffee Love On World Heart Day!

Medic-ALL(09:29:2015) WORLD HEART DAY, NATIONAL COFFEE DAY

In the midst of all the coffee freebies around today, it is certainly not my intention to crash the “coffee party”, why would I anyway? , especially having being been a proud caffeine-addict myself over the years. But it’s certainly a perfect occasion, the National Coffee day which happens to coincide with the World Heart Day. Great for me, a lover of the heart and a coffee die-hard!

World Heart Day takes place on this day every year offers an opportunity for people across the globe to take part in the world’s biggest intervention against cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Watch  World Heart Day Video

                                                           Coffee; Not a bad heart-choice!

The focus for this World Heart Day is on creating heart-healthy environments. By ensuring that people are able to make heart-healthy choices wherever they live, work and play, the World Heart Day encourages us all to reduce our cardiovascular risk, towards promoting a heart-healthy planet for those around us.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in the world today: over 17.3 million people die from cardiovascular disease every year.

What about Coffee?

For your information; A cup of Coffee is more than just black water with a rich smell.

A single cup of coffee contains several important nutrients, including Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.

So far, studies have shown that drinking coffee regularly in moderation reduces the risk of heart failure.

Plain coffee is calorie free, which makes it a better beverage choice than others, even when low-fat milk is added. However, adding cream, whipped cream and sugars (including flavored syrups) fills them with unneeded calories.

The Benefits! 

The caffeine in a cup of coffee might help small blood vessels work better. Coffee consumption has been linked with a lower incidence of heart rhythm disturbances in both men and women, and lowered stroke risk for women. Among 13,000 people, those who drank one to three cups every day were 20 percent less likely to go to the hospital for arrhythmias than abstainers.

Lowers Diabetes Risk

Coffee has also proved beneficial in the context of cardiovascular disease risk factors like Diabetes. Recently, Australian researchers found a correlation of about 7% drop in the odds of having type II diabetes for every additional cup of coffee drunk daily following 18 studies of nearly 458,000 participants. Six to seven cups of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee tanked the chance of getting the disease by a third.

It is important to add however, that regular coffee, contains caffeine which can raise the blood pressure, as well as blood levels of the fight-or-flight chemical epinephrine (also called adrenaline),

Other Benefits of Coffee

Cancer

Though, the evidence of a cancer protection effect of coffee is weaker than that for type 2 diabetes, the drink has proven to be more  effective against liver cancer, where it lowers the chances of developing the disease by half. There is also a link between coffee and lung cancer, but only those who got the disease because they smoked. On the other hand, drinking it was actually found to be a protectant for non-smokers with lung cancer.

Keeps the Brain Sharp

Coffee has also been linked to lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. That characteristic mental jolt coffee provides which most medical students and doctors can relate with may extend a lifetime. Recent studies have shown that Parkinson’s, age-related cognitive decline, and maybe even Alzheimer’s could be kept at bay by coffee. The Alzheimer’s and dementia risk may be lowered by an amazing 65 percent thanks to coffee!

Helps You Withstand Pain

Interestingly, coffee may be the answer to mild pain relief.  This is according to a national study done in Norway, in which coffee-takers in an office reported a lower pain-intensity level when compared with those who abstained

Most Importantly, Lowers Death Risk

This is according to a meta-analysis of 20 studies with 1 million participants carried out by the National Institutes of Health. They found that coffee somehow helped  lower ones chances of dying from any cause. The AARP Diet and Health study showed that men can lower their chance of dying by 6 percent with just a cup a day. The more they drank, the lower that chance went — five cups, of course, was the maximum recommended.

After all said....Lets Drink it up #CoffeeLove!

Sources: World Heart Day, WebMD, The Inquisitr

Medic-ALL.Inc.2015

NOT IN VAIN! The Ice Bucket Challenge

Medic-ALL (08:21:2015) MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS

About this time last year, a whole lot of people from all works of life voluntarily bathed with ice-containing buckets in what was popularly known as the "Ice Bucket Challenge" all in  a bid to raise awareness and money for research the medical condition Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis A-L-S , also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. A year and over $220 million donations later we have dividends to show.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins , who took the challenge themselves and got soaked, say they've made a major breakthrough in A-L-S research, and they credit it largely to the massive influx of public interest and the funds raised through the movement.

Jonathan Ling and Philip Wong, researchers at John Hopkins say they have discovered how a brain protein called TDP-43 linked to A-L-S works and with it, have developed a potential treatment for the disease.

About a decade ago, researchers discovered people with A-L-S often had clumps of TDP-43 protein outside the nucleus of their brain cells. But it was unknown whether it was the cause or the result of the degenerative disease.

In experiments using mice, they made a protein to mimic TDP-43 and put it into the nerve cells, or neurons.The cells came back to life, indicating the protein problem is at least part of the reason the nervous system slowly dies off in A-L-S. This sparked interest that the treatment could be used to slow down or halt the progression of the condition. The team of researchers at Hopkins already have funding to put their protein into human trials, all because so many people were willing to get wet.

 In spite of the the overwhelming rave on social media about the disease, thanks to the "Ice Bucket Challenge", A-L-S is a relatively rare disease , with about 7000 deaths in the United States  from the disease each year. According to the ALS Asssociation website, about 15 people are newly diagnosed of the disease on  daily basis  and more than 5,600 yearly. It was partly surprising to find hundreds of celebrities, politicians and personalities "gladly" get caught up (and drenched) for the cause. The campaign helped the ALS association raise $115 million last year.

The average life expectancy in persons  with ALS is two to five years from the time of diagnosis.  However, with recent advances in research and improved medical care, many patients are living longer and with more productive lives. Half of all those affected live at least three years or more after diagnosis.  About 20 percent live five years or more, and up to ten percent will survive more than ten years. 

Ref: abcnews, BostonGlobe, ALS Association

See also ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge

 Medic-ALL.Inc 2015!.

Tackling The Scourge of Cancer; A Plea

The scourge of cancer continues to spread across our world beyond the boundaries of age race and color.

In spite of our knowledge of cancers, their risk factors, tumor markers and oncogenes, cancer deaths seem to continue to skyrocket with almost no restrictions as to which organs can be ravaged and totally taken over by cancer cells.

As some have said, if we look at the situation from a certain angle the warning from the World Health Organisation of a tidal wave of cancer sweeping the globe over the next 20 years could be considered a good news. Cancer used to largely be considered a disease of old age, with cancers such as breast, lung, colon, ovarian prostate and cervical been expected mostly in older age group – this meant that more people in the world were surviving long enough to get it. But while it is good to grow old (rather than die young) no one wants to die of cancer. However many cancers still kill people before their time as we have begun to some of the above listed cancers in the middle age group. Cancer has continued to impose an immense and growing burden on families, health systems and states that care to notice. Hence the WHO’s alarm call. 

The World Health Organisation estimates that the worldwide burden will rise by 70 per cent from 14 million cases in 2012 to 24 million in 2035, much of it borne by poorer countries. Of all the exports of the modern world, cancer is one of which we should feel least proud. Once a disease of rich countries it is now a global epidemic – and the Westernisation of traditional lifestyles is in large part to blame. Cigarettes, alcohol, fast food, sedentary lifestyles – all are fuelling its growth. 

Many believe that a huge percentage of cancer cases could be avoided, with "simple" dietary and lifestyle modifications. For example, Dr Christopher Wild, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer says "Prevention is the key, with the single most effective measure thought to be curbs on the tobacco industry.  

In China, One billion deaths were recorded from smoking alone in the last century. Lung cancer remains the commonest form of cancer in China – and the world. It accounts for almost one in five of all cancer deaths.  

Asides from cigarette smoking, certain Western diets have been associated the development of cancers. Even with a family history of cancer or in someone already battling the disease, it is believed that this lifestyle modifications can help in fighting off cancer.   


What we eat and what we don't eat has a powerful effect on our health including the risk of cancer. For example, a daily serving of red or processed meat (bacon, sausage, hot dogs) increases the risk of colorectal cancer by about 20 percent , while eating whole soy foods like Green Soybeans (Edamane) can reduce the risk of breast cancer. How you prepare your meat also matters! ; Prepare meat, poultry and fish by baking, broiling or poaching fathers than by frying or charboiling. Whole grain breads, pasta and cereals should be choosen over breads, cereals and pasta made from refined grains. 

Dairy protein consumption has been implicated as a risk factor for prostate cancer, while eating more fruits and vegetables lower the risk of colon cancers and a variety of common cancers. Alcohol and Obesity have also been known to be drivers of cancers, especially breast cancers.  

Yes Cancers are deadly, unfortunately family history plays a role in many cancers yet we know that certain cancers are preventable, we've known that for the last 3 decades maybe. But what has the privileged West done about it? Are we really doing enough? Have we acted on all the volumes of information in our medical books and journals? From Smoking, to Obesity to Alcohol consumption to our diets? Are we going to watch the rates of cancer soar, from laryngeal to tongue to penile cancers. Is there yet something to be done by those who can? Bans on smoking and ultra-cheap alcohol may be a start, but can we do more? 

Is this a case of the Western world having started a global epidemic, asking the middle- and low income countries to do as they say , but not as they do? 

Certainly, tackling the scourge of cancer in the world over will require both genuine responsibility and action from all stakeholders in both the developed and developing economies from governments to individuals. Everyone has a Role, shall we?  


Medic-ALL Inc! ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL!!!

The Path to a Smoke Free World

Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.”
― Mark Twain

Growing up , I remember watching those tobacco adverts on television that ended with that "ironic" but scary WARNING, that stated clearly that tobacco smokers are liable to die young. At that time, like most people, I simply concluded that smoking would surely have harmful effects on the lungs which would ultimately lead to death.

As years went by however, "medical school happened" and I knew a lot better. I learnt and realized (some times after losing a chronic smoker and alcoholic to an advanced esophageal carcinoma) that the dangers of smoking were not restricted to the lungs and that it infact affected nearly every system in the human body! From increasing the risk of strokes to coronary artery diseases to lung diseases, lung cancers, the proven association with bladder, cervical, esophageal, pancreatic, blood, colon and a couple of other cancers and the obstetric and gynecological dangers (preterm births, stillbirths, low-birth weight, ectopic pregnancy e.t.c) , tobacco smoking seems to do it all, and I haven't even mentioned what it does to the sperm of men, the health of bones and the risk of cataracts! And as far as those tobacco adverts on Nigerian television back then are concerned, recent researches have indeed shown that smoking could singlehandedly shorten one's life by up to 14 years!


Cigarette smoking causes up to 480,000 deaths (human deaths!) per year in the United States! At least the United States has figures and a great healthcare system to go with that. I can't imagine what the figures are like in some other countries with less developed healthcare structures.


I recently came acroos an article on what we can best refer to as a "health-obsessed nation" where there is the world's lowest population of smokers according the the World Health Organization. The country, Turkmenistan, is an oil rich former Soviet republic with some unconventional methods but interesting achievements.







The country's "authoritharian" president, Berdymukhamedov, is a dentist by training who has been in power since the death of his eccentric predecessor, Niyazov in 2006. Niyazov, himself campaigned against smoking and built a 36km "path of health" into the mountains surrounding the nation's capital, Ashgabat which government officials were forced to walk.


Some months ago, the country with about 5 million people held a month of public exercises and sporting events under the slogan "health and happiness".


About 25 years ago, 27% of Turkmen over 15 and 1% of women smoked. A decade later Turkmenistan banned smoking in public places, state buildings and the army as well as all forms of tobacco advertising. Comparing that with 31.1% of the global male population over the age of 15 smoked in 2012 and 6.2% of women were smokers, a statistics that has probably worsened. Recently a WHO overview showed that only 8% of the Turkmenistan population smoke, and this is the lowest National indicator in world according to the World Health Organization's Director, Margaret Chan.


The question is , what will it take to have such success stories reproduced in many countries where tobacco smoking continues to account for huge morbidity and mortality. Perhaps the truth is that there are yet lessons to be learnt and imbibed from the isolated nation of Turkmenistan where fewer than one out of 12 people use tobacco if the world is serious about saving itself from the dangers of smoking.


Medic-ALL Inc Anniversary Special


Refs: World Health Organization, the Guardian, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention


See also ; Smoking: Breaking The Habit

MERS Claims More Lives

Medic-ALL Health News (06:09:2015) South Korea on Tuesday reported its seventh death from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, and confirmed eight new cases in the deadly outbreak.

The latest fatality involved a 68-year-old woman who came into contact with a MERS patient at a hospital in Seoul on May 27 and 28, the health ministry said.

The ministry stressed all seven fatalities had pre-existing health problems before they contracted the virus, with the seventh suffering from a heart condition.

Eight new cases were also confirmed Tuesday, in comparison to 23 on the day before.

That brings the total number of infections to 95 from just four cases two weeks ago, in the largest outbreak of the disease outside Saudi Arabia.

The outbreak in South Korea, first confirmed on May 20, has sparked mounting public concern.

It has seen more than 2,500 people placed under quarantine orders and nearly 2,000 schools -- mostly in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi province -- closed down.

Courtesy : AFP

The Broken Heart Syndrome

A broken heart can feel very real for those experiencing the loss of a loved one or significant other. But for some, the emotional stress does quite literally break their heart – at least temporarily – causing symptoms that can mimic a heart attack.

What is broken heart syndrome?
Broken heart syndrome is a temporary heart condition usually caused by a stressful or emotional situation. People tend to experience a sudden chest pain or think they are having a heart attack.

Broken heart syndrome is one of the many names for takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a rare and temporary condition where part of a person’s heart suddenly becomes weakened or 'stunned' - forcing the rest of the heart to work harder.

When this happens, the heart’s left ventricle changes shape, developing a narrow neck and round bottom.

The shape created by this bulging out earned the syndrome the name 'takotsubo', meaning octopus, in Japan where the condition was first reported.

The condition is also referred to as acute stress cardiomyopathy and apical ballooning syndrome.

What causes it?

There are various theories as to what causes the condition. About three quarters of those diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy have experienced severe emotional or physical stress prior to becoming unwell, such as bereavement.

British Heart Foundation (BHF) says evidence suggests the sudden, excessive release of hormones – usually adrenaline - during these stressful periods causes the ‘stunning’ of part of the heart muscle.

Interestingly, research conducted by Imperial College London in 2012 found the condition may actually protect the heart from very high levels of adrenaline.

Professor Sian Harding, from the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) at Imperial College London, who led the study, explained: “In patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, adrenaline works in a different way and shuts down the heart instead. This seems to protect the heart from being overstimulated.”

What are the symptoms?

People experiencing takotsubo cardiomyopathy will often have chest pains and breathlessness similar to those seen in a heart attack, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The Post is via The INDEPENDENT U.K

Continue Reading Here

Nigeria Declared Ebola-Free by WHO

Medic-ALL (20:10:2014) by Kayode Kuku

With no new cases of Ebola reported in Nigeria over the last 42 days, the World Health Organization (WHO) today declared the country "Ebola Free", a sign of how the deadly virus could have been easily contained had the other West African countries ravaged by the disease acted swiftly.

There haven’t been any cases of Ebola in 42 days, said WHO Country Representative Rui Gama Vaz in a news conference in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

“The last chain of transmission has been broken. The disease is gone,” said Dr. Vaz. “This is a spectacular story, that Ebola can be defeated.”

This is following an announcement that Senegal is also rid of the virus.

The entire world and health officials particularly were concerned of a possible worldwide outbreak  and wary of the spread throughout the world when a Liberian-American "transported" the virus into Nigeria when he flew into Lagos, the Country's most populous city with a population of about 21 million people late July.

A different story has been unfolding in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, whose governments didn’t notice Ebola had arrived in their interiors until March, four months after the disease first erupted in rural Guinea late last year.

More than 4,500 people are known to have died from the disease in those countries, the WHO says. Thousands more are thought to have contracted it without ever being tallied in the United Nations health agency’s records.

Meanwhile the United States continue to put in place measures to ensure the diseses which has so far been confirmed in 3 persons in the U.S. 43 contacts of the country's first Ebola case, Thomas Eric Duncan have been cleared after not developing any symptoms following a 21-day period in quarantine, while 4 others are close to the end of the isolation period.

 Reports from Spain, reveal that the nurse's aide has also beaten Ebola after spending weeks hospitalized with the disease.

Ref : Wall Street Journal

Related posts: Yes!! Nigeria, Ebola Free

Yes! Nigeria Free of Ebola

Medic-ALL (24:09:2014)

Exactly 2 months ago, after Nigeria was hit by the news of a "mystery" Ebola virus disease patient , a naturalized American and  Liberian Ministry of Finance official; Patrick Sawyer, who found his way into the country via the Murtala Mohammed International airport in Lagos to attend a meeting of the Economic Commission for West African States  (ECOWAS) in the city of Calabar. The Minister of Health, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu declared yesterday that there is presently no single case of the Ebola virus disease in the country. Stating that there are no cases of the disease under treatment nor any suspected cases. He added that there are no contacts under surveillance having being under observation for at least 21 days.

Prof. C. O. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Honourable Minister of Health, Federal Republic of Nigeria

About 400 contacts from the Southern part of the country in Rivers State, Port Harcourt had earlier being on medical surveillance, with 25 of them remaining as at Monday the 22nd of September and none showing symptoms, they were scheduled for discharge on the Tuesday. Indeed it appears the disease has being successfully contained in Lagos , a city of 21 million people and Prt Harcourt which has a population of 1.4 million people.

Nigeria, which is the most populous black nation in the world , with about 177 million people suffered a total of 21 Ebola cases and 8 deaths, this is in contrast to Liberia with a population of  4.3 million and had suffered 1,459 deaths out of 2,710 reported cases as at last Friday. This is truly a remarkable achievement for a country plagued by relative insecurity and pervasive and chronic corruption. A rare signal that things can indeed go right in some parts of Africa.

The Ebola survivors in Nigeria were not treated with any experimental drugs. Contact tracing and early identification of cases were managed by isolating patients and replacing fluids and electrolytes, while some were transfused.

The Nigerian Health Minister was full of praises for the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General, Margaret Chan MD, who assisted the country by sending experienced physicians to the country to help manage the cases. Other organizations which helped in the fight against the deadly virus in the West African country include, UNICEF, CDC and MSF.

The Story of Medical Heroes

The Success story of Ben Carson (Gifted Hands)

Benjamin Carson was born in Detroit, Michigan. His mother Sonya had dropped out of school in the third grade, and married when she was only 13. When Benjamin Carson was only eight, his parents divorced, and Mrs. Carson was left to raise Benjamin and his older brother Curtis on her own. She worked at two, sometimes three, jobs at a time to provide for her boys. 

Benjamin and his brother fell farther and farther behind in school. In fifth grade, Carson was at the bottom of his class. 

Continue reading HERE

Ebola Fight: Sierra Leone Begins 3-Day Lockdown

Medic-ALL (19:09:2014)

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — One of the most stringent anti-Ebola measures to date began in Sierra Leone this morning as the country's government imposed a three-day national lockdown, ordering people off the streets and into their homes in an effort to stamp out the deadly disease.

Police officers patrolled the streets of the densely populated capital, telling stragglers to go home and stay indoors. Volunteers in bright jerseys prepared to go house-to-house throughout the country to warn people about Ebola’s dangers and to root out those who might be infected but were staying in hiding.

The normally busy streets of Freetown were empty Friday morning, stores were closed and pedestrians were rare on the main thoroughfares.

The country’s president, justifying the extraordinary move in a radio address Thursday night, suggested that Sierra Leone was engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the disease.

Some of the things we are asking you to do are difficult, but life is better than these difficulties,” President Ernest Bai Koroma said.

More than 200 new cases of Ebola have been reported in Sierra Leone in the past week, according to the World Health Organization, with transmission described as particularly high in the capital; nearly 40 percent of cases in the country were identified in the three weeks preceding Sept. 14; and more than 560 people have died in Sierra Leone, about one-fifth of the total from this outbreak.

The campaign that began here Friday morning reflected the desperation of West African governments — and in particular those of the three hardest-hit countries, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — as they struggle with an epidemic that the health authorities have warned is showing no signs of slowing down.

No country has attempted anything on the scale of what is being tried in Sierra Leone, where more than 20,000 volunteers enlisted to help identify households where the authorities suspect people infected with the Ebola virus are hiding.

Culled: New York Times

Smoking: Breaking the Habit

Medic-ALL (13:09:2014) via WebMD, Tom Valeo

Almost 70% of adult smokers say they want to quit; the most common reason given is concern about their health.

The concern is well justified. The four leading causes of death in the U.S. -- cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and lung disease -- are all strongly linked to cigarette smoke exposure. One out of every five deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to smoking.

The dangers get worse with age. People still smoking in their 40s and 50s face a risk of death over the next 10 years three to four times greater than a nonsmoker's.

But gaining extra years are not the only reward for quitting. Other benefits begin immediately, according to the American Cancer Society, and they just keep coming.

Healthier Life

Within 20 minutes of snuffing out your last cigarette, your blood pressure and heart rate decline.

Within 12 hours, the level of poisonous carbon monoxide in your body from cigarettes has returned to normal.

Over the next few months, your lungs will regain their ability to remove pollutants efficiently, thereby reducing your risk of infection. Your ability to taste and smell will improve, and that chronic sinus congestion should disappear.

You may cough more, but that shouldn't be a concern because it means you're clearing the gunk out of your lungs and opening your airways," says Edelman. "In a few weeks you should begin to notice an increase in your exercise tolerance."

The Extreme Makeover

Michael K. Cummings, PhD, has spent 20 years studying the harmful effects of tobacco. He calls quitting "the extreme makeover."

"If you quit smoking early enough, by 30 or so, your risk of dying prematurely becomes almost the same as someone who never smoked," says Cummings, chairman of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute's department of health behavior in Buffalo, N.Y. "If you wait another decade, the benefits are about half of what they would have been. If you quit [then] you add eight to 10 years to your life."

An Array of Problems

Though everyone knows cigarettes promote cardiovascular disease and lung ailments, it's less understood that they promote an array of other ailments, says Cummings.

Peripheral vascular disease, for example, which constricts blood flow to the hands, feet, and other organs, is accelerated by cigarette smoke. "I've heard of it occurring in people in their 30s," Cummings tells WebMD. "The best treatment for it is, don't smoke."

Smoking, he adds, can also lead to macular degeneration, the No. 1 cause of blindness among older people. It also promotes gum disease.

Quitting brings psychological benefits as well, according to Cummings.

"Most smokers regret their decision to start smoking," he says. "When they quit, they gain a sense of control, a sense of empowerment."

Culled from WebMD

ALS & The Ice Bucket Challenge

Medic-ALL (24:08:2014):

The "Ice-bucket challenge" for some weeks has being making the waves in the social media world. From athletes to movie-stars to politicians and millions of ordinary people all over the world, no one has been left out of this initiative to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research and awareness. 

In case you have been on some deserted island and away from the internet in the past few weeks the Ice bucket challenge involves pouring a bucket of ice water over their heads and challenging others to do same. When challenged by a friend or colleague to take up the task, you have 24 hours to either donate $100 to the cause or post a video showing yourself donating a bucket of ice on your head. You then in turn challenge 3 other people. A Former President of the United States, George W.Bush despite having said in a preamble to his video that the "task" was "not presidential" soon had a bucket of ice water dumped on his head by his wife, Laura Bush. He then went on to challenge his presidential predecessor, Bill Clinton.

Millions in Donation

The ALS Association credits Pete Frates, 29, a former Boston College baseball captain who has lived with ALS since 2012, for launching the viral sensation some 3 weeks ago. Frates and his family have been fundraisers and advocates for the ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter for a number of years.

Unfortunately, Frates' friend, Corey Griffin, 27, who was instrumental in having the ALS challenge go viral, died in a diving accident in Nantucket, MA. The accident occurred early in the morning of Aug. 16, when Griffin dove off a two-story building into the harbor. According to news reports, It happened only hours after he had raised $100,000 for the cause.

About ALS

There is no doubt that the condition deserves all the social media attention it's getting at this time, let's take a closer look at the disease ALS:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. "A" means no or negative. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means nourishment–"No muscle nourishment." When a muscle has no nourishment, it "atrophies" or wastes away. "Lateral" identifies the areas in a person's spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region.

As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.

FACT: ALS is not contagious. 

It is estimated that ALS is responsible for nearly two deaths per hundred thousand population annually.

Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific understanding regarding the physiology of this disease.

While there is not a cure or treatment today that halts or reverses ALS, there is one FDA approved drug, riluzole, that modestly slows the progression of ALS as well as several other drugs in clinical trials that hold promise. 

Importantly, there are significant devices and therapies that can manage the symptoms of ALS that help people maintain as much independence as possible and prolong survival. It is important to remember that ALS is a quite variable disease; no two people will have the same journey or experiences.  There are medically documented cases of people in whom ALS ‘burns out,’ stops progressing or progresses at a very slow rate. 

ALS Association

This is a United States based association committed to leading the fight to treat and cure ALS through global research and nationwide advocacy while also empowering people with Lou Gehrig's Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support. 

Barbara J. Newhouse, president and chief executive officer of the ALS Association, in a statement said that ALS Association are extremely grateful for the generosity of these donors, and for the actions of several people who initiated and spread this incredible viral effort she also states that the additional funds will help the association "think outside the box" in the fight against this disease. 

Ref: ALS Association

      :WebMD

Medic-ALL.Inc 2014

AS/AS Genotype Talk: Shall We?

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the medical profession is that unique feeling that comes with being appreciated by your patient not just after the successful treatment of an ailment but following a counselling session concerning a troubling issue.

One of such issues is that of Genotype Compatibility; the probability of having SS or SC babies in As/As or As/Ac marriages respectively, and the options available to such couples during pregnancy and after the child is born. I have been opportuned to counsel several patients , and even some friends on this very worrisome topic especially amongst young people who are about to settle down.

The neglect of genotype and the attendant grave consequences and social implications of having a sickle-cell child in today's world is increasingly being frowned upon in many quarters and the awareness continues to grow. Many Churches have infact put in place stringent laws to verify the genotype content of intending couples before walking them down the aisle.

Although the final say rests squarely on the intending couples, most Christian organizations have continuously advised "genotypically" incompatible couples against tying the nuptial nut. The advice has become necessary considering the trauma most families have found themselves as a result of ignorance or neglect of the life time consequence of the importance of ascertaining genotype before proclaiming “I do”.

However, with the advent of science, the quest for knowledge and a desire to ensure couples and their HbSS (Haemoglobin SS) child(ren) enjoy a good and trauma free life, several options (ranging from diagnostics to therapeutics) are becoming available in different parts of the world with appreciable success being recorded on nearly a daily basis. Present medical options include prenatal diagnosis, In-vitro fertilization (IVF) and Bone-marrow/Stem-cell transplant after the child is born, all of which are relatively expensive, and are surrounded by notable ethical issues.

I recently received a call from an AS friend (married to an AS wife) whom I had counselled on the option of prenatal diagnosis, he was absolutely elated to share the news of the test result with me (his wife wasn't going to be having an SS baby..it's was infact an AA foetus she was carrying). I am not too sure if he would have being happy to share the news with such excitement if the result had turned out otherwise, but thankfully it didn't. This just goes to show how much scientific advancements are helping couples faced with the genotype dilemma.

Conversely, scientists continue to work tirelessly and are making progress in the development of new medications that prevent the problems in sickle cell patients ; sickling of the red blood cells, improvimg blood flow and delivery of oxygen to the body. Some of these new treatments are already being tested in patients with sickle cell disease, with remarkable results too. With all these improvements in treatments people with sickle cell disease now live longer and have a better quality of life. 

To be Continued....

Medic-ALL.Inc 2014

The Economics of Ebola

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. investment and trade will spur employment—and that's essential to ending the poverty that helps spread the disease.

By AMARA KONNEH

The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington last week may have been overshadowed by the Ebola crisis facing West Africa, but decisions that flow from that historic gathering could determine how swiftly countries such as mine, Liberia, recover from the emergency.

While the virus has killed almost a thousand people, most West Africans will never contract the disease or know anyone who does. But Ebola's economic impact will affect millions. When this crisis ends, Liberia and her neighbors will need international assistance to rebuild their battered economies—help that America is uniquely placed to provide.

A Liberian soldiers stops people at a security checkpoint as they clamp down on people traveling due to the deadly Ebola virus, on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014. Photo: Associated Press

The reason this economic threat is so great is because of the controls needed to fight the disease. Save for the two airports remaining open in Liberia, our borders have been closed, schools and markets shut, the movement of people restricted, affected areas quarantined, and troops stationed on the streets. All of this means a virtual economic standstill.

We are now starting to receive international support. The World Bank and World Health Organization have established a special Ebola Fund to provide the three affected West African states, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, with $200 million in support. Initially these monies will be used to pay medics and essential security personnel and to redouble public-information efforts aimed at making citizens aware of how they can help prevent the spread of the disease.

In the medium term these funds will support basic economic-recovery measures. Yet once the immediate outbreak is contained and the threat to public health has ended, we will struggle to recover from Ebola's wider impact without significant assistance. What we need—and what the U.S. can offer—is economic growth that creates stable jobs and decreases the number of itinerant, semi-employed citizens who wander from village to village seeking work and—through no fault of their own—may well have increased the spread of the disease.

When Liberia's second civil war ended in 2003, we had lost 90% of our gross domestic product, virtually every major piece of infrastructure was destroyed, and most of our trained professionals—including doctors—had fled the conflict. In the past 10 years, we have started rebuilding the country, growing on average over 8% annually and attracting more than $16 billion in foreign investment. Yet our recovery is fragile and too dependent on sectors, such as timber and mining, that create few jobs. This leaves large numbers of Liberia's adult population, particularly those living in the vicinity of the capital, Monrovia, making ends meet as tinkers or hustlers.

Ultimately, stable and long-term employment delivered through foreign investment will be the only way to effect a significant economic change. More employment—full-time and permanent in location—would significantly limit the spread of a disease such as Ebola, which is spread through direct bodily contact.

That is why we are so hopeful about the unprecedented gathering of business and political leaders of the U.S. and Africa in Washington. Liberians needs an economic kick-start, but one impediment is a ban on the country's borrowing for day-to-day spending, imposed in 2010 after most of our foreign debt with the International Monetary Fund was written off. We will likely need America's support to relax those rules over the next few months.

For our economy to fully recover, we will continue to need access to foreign markets for our goods. New tariffs being imposed on African goods by the U.S. and Europe because of stalled trade talks would be bleak news for an economy left reeling by Ebola. So would U.S. failure to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which expires in September 2015, when customs and duty-free tariffs for 39 African countries, including Liberia, would lapse.

While it is crucial for Africa's development that political disagreements in Washington are overcome, the leadership summit in Washington last week raises the prospect of the U.S. more broadly cementing its role in Africa not just a generous donor in times of emergency but as a trading partner creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

It is a regular criticism of other major investors, such as China and Europe, that they do not create jobs in Africa apart from those for their own workers. While this is an exaggeration, it is not a charge that can be leveled at America, as the U.S.-Africa Summit demonstrated. The Coca-Cola Co. announced that it would invest an additional $5 billion over six years in manufacturing lines and production, as well as sourcing more agricultural ingredients from Africa. General Electric pledged to invest $2 billion by 2018 and double the number of its workforce on the continent. The Ford Motor Co. announced plans to expand manufacturing into Africa, with sales forecast to grow by 40% by 2020.

The commitment by corporate America to job creation and investment will help African nations to finally address the source of many challenges facing the entire continent: In the end, from Ebola to low life expectancy, the origin remains poverty.

Mr. Konneh is the finance minister of the Republic of Liberia. 

Medic-ALL Inc. 2014