Author Archive for healthynerd

Benefits of Cloning

Cloning is a “process that can be used to genetically identical copies of a biological entry.” Cloning is not a simple process, but humans should have the choice of reproductive cloning. Cloning has been part of nature so it is a natural process in the world. “Natural clones occur in humans and other mammals.” The technique is used to close whole animals is referred to as reproductive cloning.” I firmly support cloning for it has many benefits such as helping those with infertility, defective genes, and cloning should be accepted, seeing that it has been part of the human world.

Many couples today who want to have children, but cannot due to infertility, human cloning could be their only key to having a family. There is adopting, but what about those who want to have a baby of their own? It is estimated there are 12 million infertile Americans. The majority cannot be helped by any current method of assisted reproduction to have a baby that is biologically theirs.” Their only answer to having children “biologically” is cloning.

“People on an average carry 8 defective genes and these genes cause certain illnesses. Some defective genes include Down’s syndrome and Tay-Sachs disease among others.” Only human cloning can eliminate any types of defects in our genes.  ”Human cloning and the technologies associated with cloning, should be allowed to be legalized and practiced due to the benefits that cloning could add to society and quality of life itself.”

What qualifies as something occurring naturally? Cloning would be one of them. “In nature, some plants and single-celled organisms, such as bacteria, produce genetically identical offspring through a process called asexual reproduction. In asexual reproduction, a new individual is generated from a copy of a single cell from the parent organism.” Identical twins are natural clones. These twins are produced when a fertilized egg splits, creating two or more embryos that carry almost identical DNA. Identical twins have nearly the same genetic makeup as each other, but they are genetically different from either parent.”

Some may say that cloning goes against many factors such as religious beliefs. The bible does not specifically deal with the process of  human cloning. “First, human beings are created in the image of God and, therefore, are unique. Genesis 1:26-27 asserts that man is created in God’s image and likeness and is unique among all creations.” Human life is something that should be valued “not treated like a commodity to be bought and sold.” Cloning is a naturally, occurring procedure and is beneficial for couples to have children of their own and may eradicate many defective genes.

Teenage Girls with Migraine

On the week of August 27th, I had to be sent to the Emergency Room because of a terrible headache. It started with my vision. I was seeing these indescribable dots meandering in my eyes. Everywhere I looked, the white dots were visible and at first I thought I was going blind or there was something wrong with my eyeglasses. After about 10 minutes or so, I started having a massive headache, feeling nauseous. I tried to sleep the headache off, but it still would not work. My brother took my temperature, and it was lower than normal; 92.4F. After about an hour of going back and forth to the bathroom and the bedroom, feeling like I need to vomit,  I told my mother that I need to go to the hospital because I could not take the headache anymore.

Standing up was not an easy concept my body could endure at this point. Everything was in circular motion and I kept having the feeling that I was going to tumble down at any second.  When I was in the Emergency Room, the nurse gave me three shots to subside the migraine and make me fall asleep.

After getting checked by the doctor, he concluded that it was  migraine with aura and vertigo (spinning sensation).  My primary doctor gave me SUMAtriptan (IMITREX) to relieve any occurring migraines I may have in the future.  The doctor also gave me a list that may have aggravated the migrain:

In food:

avocado, bananas, beans, chocolate, citrus fruits, diet sodas, doughnuts, excessive caffeine, garlic, hot fresh breads, monosodium glutamate, Nutrasweet, nuts, onions, pea pods, peanut butter, pickles, fermented or marinated foods, pizza raised coffee cakes, seeds vinegar.

Cheese & Dairy

Blue, brie, camembert, cheddar, stilton, sour cream yogurt

Processed Meats & Fish

bacon, bologna, chicken livers, ham, herring, hot dogs Pork, salami sausage

Other Factors

Personal:

Emotional Stress, Irregular Meals, Irregular Sleep Patterns, Lack of Regular Exercise, Smoking

Environmental:

Pollution, Smog, Noise, High altitude, Rapid Changes, Sunlight, Tobacco Smoke, Fumes

 

Migraines are a type of headache that can cause recurring attacks of throbbing pain. They are a common type of headache in children. During childhood boys and girls are affected equally. However, during the teenage years, migraines are more common in girls.

The exact cause of migraines is unknown. It’s thought that they may be caused by changes to the nerves and the balance of certain chemicals in the brain. Stress, certain medications, smoking, alcohol use, bright lights, loud noises, diet changes, hormone changes, menstruation, changes in sleep patterns, smells, and changes in the weather may trigger an attack.

An aura is a warning sign that may appear 20 minutes to an hour before a migraine. An aura is a disturbance in sight, sound, speech, or taste. Most auras that occur before a migraine affect vision. Seeing wavy lines, dots, flashing lights, or blind spots is common. An aura may also include tingling in one arm or leg, speech problems, ringing in ears, and a strange taste in the mouth. The main symptom of a migraine is moderate to severe throbbing pain. The pain is usually felt on both sides of the head.

 

After a few weeks, I have tried having a healthier diet, having a better sleep cycle, and exercising more, which has diminished the possibility of having a migraine.  When I do have a migraine, usually comes with aura,  taking Imitrex has helped subside the migraine.

Your Neighborhood Determines Your Chance of Surviving Cardiac Arrest

The odds of surviving cardiac arrest may depend on which part of town you call home and whether anyone in the neighborhood comes to your rescue by attempting to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), according to a first-of-its-kind study in the June issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Continue reading ‘Your Neighborhood Determines Your Chance of Surviving Cardiac Arrest’

Sugar Band-Aid Heals Post-Surgery Wounds!

A compound found in sunless tanning spray may help to heal wounds following surgery, according to new results published by plastic surgeons from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City and biomedical engineers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where the novel compound was developed. Continue reading ‘Sugar Band-Aid Heals Post-Surgery Wounds!’

Soy Molecule Reduces Menopausal Symptoms!

Preclinical safety data also report natural S-Equol had little effect on 2 reproductive hormones

Natural S-equol, a novel soy germ-based compound, is very likely the primary ingredient for reducing hot flushes in the dietary supplement SE5-OH, which is under development for reduction of menopause symptoms, according to pre-clinical efficacy data from studies using an animal model presented at the Experimental Biology (EB) 2010 annual meeting. SE5-OH is in advanced studies in menopausal women, and peer-reviewed reports have previously documented that postmenopausal Japanese women receiving SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol significantly reduced the frequency of their hot flushes compared to women in the same study receiving a placebo (P=0.0092).
Continue reading ‘Soy Molecule Reduces Menopausal Symptoms!’

Calcium CT Scan is Better at Predicting Heart Attacks Than Lipid Blood Test

Use of a score based on the amount of calcium in coronary arteries in addition to traditional risk factors improved the classification of risk for prediction of coronary heart disease events, and placed more individuals in the most extreme risk categories, according to a study in the April 28 issue of JAMA.

The coronary artery calcium score (CACS; determined by Continue reading ‘Calcium CT Scan is Better at Predicting Heart Attacks Than Lipid Blood Test’

New Orleans oil spill captured by NASA satellite imagery

NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites are helping the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keep tabs on the extent of the recent Gulf oil spill with satellite images from time to time. NOAA is the lead agency on oil spills and uses airplane fly-overs to assess oil spill extent. (Photo on jump) Continue reading ‘New Orleans oil spill captured by NASA satellite imagery’

Latino Teens = Sexual Adventurers? It’s Complicated Says Researcher


A University of Illinois researcher advises caution when trying to characterize gender roles and sexual behavior among this country’s Latino adolescents and young adults.

“When a recent documentary about U.S. Latinos featured two teen mothers in a 90-minute program, the Latino students in my classes thought it was an unbalanced portrayal of their community—and they were right!” said Marcela Raffaelli, a U of I professor of human and community development and co-author of a recently published chapter on Latino teen sexuality.

Latino Adolescent Couple
National surveys do show that Latino young people as a group are less likely than their non-Latino peers to use condoms and birth control and are more likely to become pregnant and have a child. But these statistics hide a much more complicated picture, she said.

For one thing, Latinos represent more than 20 different groups, and they live in very different situations in the United States.

“For example, Continue reading ‘Latino Teens = Sexual Adventurers? It’s Complicated Says Researcher’

Stem Cells from Hair Follicles May Help “Grow” New Blood Vessels

muscle progenitor cellBUFFALO, N.Y. — For a rich source of stem cells to be engineered into new blood vessels or skin tissue, clinicians may one day look no further than the hair on their patients’ heads, according to new research published earlier this month by University at Buffalo engineers.

“Engineering blood vessels for bypass surgery, promoting the formation of new blood vessels or regenerating new skin tissue using stem cells obtained from the most accessible source — hair follicles — is a real possibility,” said Stelios T. Andreadis, Ph.D., co-author of the paper in Cardiovascular Research and associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Researchers from other institutions previously had shown that hair follicles contain stem cells.

Continue reading ‘Stem Cells from Hair Follicles May Help “Grow” New Blood Vessels’

Major collaboration uncovers surprising new genetic clues to diabetes

Analysis identifies potential new therapeutic targets

An international team that included scientists from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today reported it has identified six more genetic variants involved in type 2 diabetes, boosting to 16 the total number of genetic risk factors associated with increased risk of the disease. None of the genetic variants uncovered by the new study had previously been suspected of playing a role in type 2 diabetes. Intriguingly, the new variant most strongly associated with type 2 diabetes also was recently implicated in a very different condition: prostate cancer.

The unprecedented analysis, published today in the advance online edition of Nature Genetics, combined genetic data from more than 70,000 people. The work was carried out through the collaborative efforts of more than 90 researchers at more than 40 centers in Europe and North America.

“None of the genes we have found was previously on the radar screen of diabetes researchers,” said one of the paper’s senior authors, Mark McCarthy, M.D., of the University of Oxford in England. “Each of these genes, therefore, provides new clues to the processes that go wrong when diabetes develops, and each provides an opportunity for the generation of new approaches for treating or preventing this condition.” Continue reading ‘Major collaboration uncovers surprising new genetic clues to diabetes’

Selenium supplements may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes

Selenium, an antioxidant included in multivitamin tablets thought to have a possible protective effect against the development of type 2 diabetes, may actually increase the risk of developing the disease, an analysis by researchers at the University at Buffalo has shown.

Results of a randomized clinical trial using 200 micrograms of selenium alone showed that 55 percent more cases of type 2 diabetes developed among participants randomized to receive selenium than in those who received a placebo pill.

Results will appear in print in the August 2007 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine and were posted online on July 10.

Self-reported diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was a secondary endpoint in a clinical trial designed to test the benefit of selenium supplementation in prevention of non-melanoma skin cancer in areas in the Eastern U.S. where selenium levels are lower than the national average. Selenium is a trace mineral that is an essential component of proteins involved in antioxidant activity. Continue reading ‘Selenium supplements may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes’

Women, Arthritis Sufferers have Poorer Short-Term Recovery from Arthroscopic Knee Surgery

New research by Yale medical student identifies different factors for optimal short- versus long-term recovery.

The factors associated with poor short-term recovery from knee surgery appear to be different than those found to mar long-term outcome from the same surgery, according to new research released today at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine at the Telus Convention Center (July 12-15).

“We found that women showed poorer short-term recovery than men in the first year following arthroscopic meniscal tear removal surgery, and people with osteoarthritis also did not do as well as others,” says principal investigator Peter Fabricant, BS, a medical student at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. “The factors associated with a poorer long-term outcome, such as larger tear size, greater amount of tissue removed, advanced patient age, and higher Body Mass Index, are not the same as those we can associate with short-term surgical recovery.” Continue reading ‘Women, Arthritis Sufferers have Poorer Short-Term Recovery from Arthroscopic Knee Surgery’

Jordin Sparks is Fat!

Don’t look at me. Some visual expert named Meme Roth has expressed her dismay at Jordin Sparks for not being a good role model because “apparently”, she’s not fat, but obese. Now this is some good TV, everything is going crazy at FOX News!

I’m pretty careful with the articles I write in this blog, citing sources whenever applicable. And I believe so should everybody else, especially professionals in the medical field. I didn’t see any MD attached to her name. Dietitian? Nutritionist, maybe? Her website mentions nothing but a cute slogan, “I am the picture and message of prevention…” Uh, if preventing me from getting fat is this eye-soring, sorry, ma’am, I’ll pass.

Sure, you don’t need to be an MS or have a PhD to call someone fat, as much as Rachel Ray needs no measuring cups, miraculously eyeballing all her fluid ingredients to concoct a fabulous 30-minute meal (not that I have anything against RR). However, this video clip is such a hair-pulling moment.

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Continue reading ‘Jordin Sparks is Fat!’

Three Rice Options for Diabetics

Sheik Md Jalal Uddin asks:

I am suffering from diabetes [sic].
Is rice ok for diabetes?
How do I measure it?

Thank you for asking, Sheik. You have at least three options to choose from. In my opinion, using the Glycemic Index (GI) is a simple tool to determine the type of rice that is best not only for people with diabetes, but also for individuals suffering from glucose intolerance, a symptom often overlooked that precedes a number of medical conditions including inflammatory diseases. To refresh your memory, GI measures how rapid carbohydrates affect the blood glucose (sugar) levels, within two hours of intake. Think of it as a ranking system for carbs; the lower the value, the lesser effect on glucose levels. If you have a very selective palate, may I recommend that you skip to the last choice, Basmati rice, otherwise, if you are after the best type for regulating glucose levels, not so much the taste, kindly continue to the Continue reading ‘Three Rice Options for Diabetics’

FDA Tries to Regulate Health Supplements yet Again

The United States FDA is at it again. They have been notorious for decades for their biased attacks and uneven handling of natural, non-drug/surgery/radiation based health options. This times, though, they are Continue reading ‘FDA Tries to Regulate Health Supplements yet Again’

Red Wine Compound May Promote Youthfullness

Perhaps everybody will agree if I say everybody wants to stay young and beautiful. Well, pretty good guess I may say but that’s the truth. Everybody just hate aging and even seeing signs of it.

We resort to medications, treatment options and even cosmetics in order to combat and halt aging. Scientists today have identified a compound (resveratrol) that stimulates sirtuin a gene that promotes youthfullness, and inhibits the body’s predestination to aging and such compound is found in red wines and skins of grapes. More readings on voaNEWS.com.

New York City On Transfats

Reading on the news today, it shows that New York City could be the first State to radically ban the use of transfats in cooking and other food preparation activities.

It was shown that the consumption of trans fat may contribute to clogging of the arteries which results to various types cardiovascular diseases leading to heart attack.

Transfats are created through the addition of hydrogen to a vegetable oil. This activity increases the possibility of producing more dangerous types of cholesterol that are hazardous to health.

NewsScientists has the news. Check it out.

The Benefits of Getting a Good Night Sleep

Perhaps sleeping at night may not be applicable for everyone due to varying work schedules, better yet, we would like to focus on the benefits of sleeping as a whole.

America may be one of the countries where sleeping is valued. The demands of everyday work and social commitments have taken toll on Americans’ sleeping habit. The following are just some of the reasons why getting the recommended hours of sleep has been hard to get.

• Work demands
• Shifting work schedules
• Existing sleeping problems
• Pathological Worrying, etc.
• Eating habits, etc.

While the above causes might not be the case for some people who are experiencing such condition, there will always be some people who will get susceptible to developing pathological sleeping problems.

The body can only endure much so following just simple recommendations below will put you out of this possible health danger.

• Follow regular sleeping patters, sleep and get up at the same time
of the night/day daily
• Do not do other stuff in bed other than sleeping and sex
• Eating lightly before sleeping will help you relax and fall asleep
• Keep room lighting at a level comfortable for sleeping (dim is
recommended)

Beauty Version 2.0

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If you’re a TV junkie, you might have ran across the Unilever beauty soap line, Dove advertisements featuring “average-looking” commercial models. I say “average-looking” by media standards, to which the majority dictates, I didn’t mean to offend. This line of ads running across the globe is dubbed “Campaign for Real Beauty“.The above version, entitled “Evolution”, was produced in Toronto, Canada, directed by Tim Piper and Yael Staav of Reginald Pike. Tim also conceptualized the whole thing together with Mike Kirkland of world-renowned advertising agency Ogilvy.Amazing how in Continue reading ‘Beauty Version 2.0′

Free Hugs

It wasn’t in New York City where this campaign had all started but down under, in Steve Irwin land. Continue reading ‘Free Hugs’