A recent article published by HealthDay details a study on the use of specially tinted glasses for those who frequently suffer from severe migraines.
The study is based on the premise that ÔÇ£up to 42 percent of people who have migraines accompanied by visual “aura,” such as flashes of light, may benefit.ÔÇØ The tints are believed to prevent certain patterns of light that stimulate migraines.
Although this form of treatment is still in the research phase, I personally think these doctors are onto something. Two years ago I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder and three months ago she recently recommended tented glasses as a form of relief.
Coincidence or not, I am happy to say that the frequency of my migraines have dropped significantly. Sure, the super cool shades took a bit of getting used to but for anyone who suffers from constant headaches or migraines- you might consider talking to your doctor about this option of treament.
The National Library of Medicine has released a very interesting addition to their History of Medicine collection: World War II-era public health films.
These films cover a wide range of public health issues pertinent to this era. Five animated films starring ÔÇ£Private SnafuÔÇØ inform on issues like Personal Cleanliness, Cleaning Mess Gear and Drinking Water. There are also non-animated films that once educated military personnel on yellow fever, malaria and the use of DDT which was believed would cure common diseases. Interested to learn what information was important for women at war? Don’t worry- there is a film on that as well.
Available films have minor defects and scratches but are definitely worth watching!
Since the Centers for Disease Control is often featured in popular movies and books about deadly outbreaks, their emergency preparedness blog has created a post for the most deadly of emergencies, the Zombie Apocalypse.
We’d like to think the CDC was partially inspired by the 2006 Zombrarian visit to our campus.
Thirty years ago today, Bob Marley died from a melanoma that metastasized and spread from his toe to his brain, liver, and lungs. Despite projects like Melanoma Monday and the National Melanoma Awareness Project, mortality from Melanoma is on the increase. And judging by the number of BAD sunburns I saw out at Jazz Fest, people are still not being careful about sun exposure.
The American Medical Association‘s news section (amednews.com) has released a slide show of historic (and contemporary) photos which illustrate the changing attitude to cadaver study in anatomy labs.
I must admit, I would have been creeped out to receive the Christmas card (slide 4) from the cadaver lab.
LSUHSC Libraries owns a few books on the medical implications of space flight. All are cataloged under the subjects Space Flight or Aerospace Medicine. All the books in our collection are between 50 and 20 years old, as this isn’t a popular area for monographs.
My personal favorite:
America’s astronauts and their indestructible spirit by Fred Kelly with a foreward by Buzz Aldrin. Published 1986, the author was a former NASA physician and a 1951 alum of the LSU Medical School.
Today is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. The war is significant to the history of medicine because of the advances made in medicine during the conflict.
Also of significance are the institutions which were founded in the Civil War’s aftermath: the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine, and the Index Catalogue of the Surgeon-General’s Office, the pre-cursor to the modern MEDLINE.
The National Library of Medicine offers a couple of Civil War exhibits:
Life and Limb: The Toll of the American Civil War (2011)
Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine (2010)
 |
|
Diagnosaurus is a popular differential diagnostic tool with a catchy name. LSUHSC users have multiple access points to search its content: |
If you are On Campus then simply go to AccessMedicine and then click on DDX in the menu bar.
If you are Off Campus then go to the link from the Library’s webpage and enter your off-campus information. Again, follow the DDX link.
If you are on a Handheld/Mobile Device with Web Access, then create a my AccessMedicine account while on the AccessMedicine page from a non-mobile device. Go to AccessMedicine on your mobile web browser and login. Diagnosaurus is in the list of choices.
If you are on a Handheld/Mobile Device with Web Access and want an App Download, go to the UnboundMedicine website. Downloads are free for Palm, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry and are 99¢ for iOS (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad), Android, and Windows Phone 7. An internet connection is still necessary to access the data.
The County Health Rankings ÔÇö are a key component of the Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) project. MATCH is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
The 50 state reports help public health and community leaders, policy-makers, consumers and others to see how healthy their county is, compare it with others within their state and find ways to improve the health of their community.
A snap shot of New Orleans report is available: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/louisiana/orleans
On Wednesday, April 6 at 7 pm Doctors Without Borders aid workers will give a Recruitment Information Session to medical and non-medical professionals who are interested in putting their ÔÇ£ideal into practice.ÔÇØ The event location is the Audubon Zoo – Dominion Learning Center Auditorium and registration is Free.
According to the event details attendees will ÔÇ£meet experiences Doctors Without Borders aid workers from the New Orleans area and hear their firsthand stories.ÔÇØ Representatives will be available to answer any questions and discuss the application process.
The presentation is scheduled to last 1 ?¢ hours including a Q&A session.
Make sure to access the CDC TravelerÔÇÖs Heath site at: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx where you will find health information and useful links for travel to over 200 international destinations.
Healthy voyage!
The deadline for registering for the 2011 Tiger Run is fast approaching; registration ends on March 27th. The race is scheduled for Sunday, April 3rd starting at 8:30 a.m in Audubon Park. The race benefits the Student-Run Homeless Clinics and other student-organized community projects.
This year’s race is also a memorial for Nicole Murphy, a medical student who died in an accident at the World Cup in 2010.
A new article which is available online before print from Radiology analyzes the differences between an XRay machine from 1896 (found in a Dutch hospital’s storage area) and modern equipment. Wired has a great article on the research.
In the world of Medical Observances, the month of March is considered National Kidney Month. But did you know that March 10th is sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) as World Kidney Day?
On this day the NKF encourages you to ÔÇ£love your kidneys!ÔÇØ
According to resources provided by http://www.kidney.org/news/wkd/index.cfm your kidneys perform the following vital functions:
1. Filter 200 liters of blood a day, removing two liters of toxins, wastes and water
2. Regulate the bodyÔÇÖs water balance
3. Regulate blood pressure by controlling fluid levels and making the hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict
4. Support healthy bones and tissues by producing the active form of vitamin D
5. Produce the hormone that stimulates bone marrow to manufacture red blood cells
6. Keep blood minerals in balance
7. Keep electrolytes in balance
8. Regulate blood acid levels
9. Remove drugs from the blood
10. Retrieve essential nutrients so that the body can reabsorb them
Learn more about your kidneys and what you can do to take care of them by visiting http://www.kidney.org/news/wkd/index.cfm
Taking socioeconomic and personal factors into consideration seem to be the more practical approach in preventing heart disease in women, according to the updated 2011 guidelines. More women outside clinical research studies often have varying backgrounds such as: older patients, bad vision, psychiatric illness, communication and receptive barriers, and poverty.
In clinical research, volunteers are recruited but often have to meet certain criteria in order to participate. Generally, real patients with different mental, physical and social backgrounds might have adverse outcomes or experience more side effects in comparison to the participants in the studies.
In patient risk evaluation, the guidelines include illnesses linked to higher risk of heart disease such as:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lupus
- Pregnancy complications
- Racial and ethical diversity
Bottom Line- clinical research is a good baseline but now that the new guidelines are taking ÔÇ£real-worldÔÇØ issues into consideration, hopefully heart disease will decline.
For more information, please visit:
http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/1239.aspx
Quicklinks▼
Careers
Citrix Storefront
Contact
Donate
Find Employees
LSU Health New Orleans
Intranet
Moodle
myLSUHSC
Office 365
OWA Email
Patient Care
Remote VPN
Self Service
LSU Health New Orleans