medical breakthrough past: cure colds and the flu

Want to stop a cold?  Prevent the flu?  Shorten your life?  Try Turpentine in a jar... (you know, that same stuff we use to remove paint... )

also good for....



















via weird universe: http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/turpo/

memo: in this situation, don't bother

(when performing CPR, there are some things you need to evaluate first.)

what ever became of Prahlad Jani? a follow-up

Do you remember Prahlad Jani? He is the man in India who claims that he has not had anything to eat or drink for 70 years. This blog posted his story back in April, as Mr. Jani began a scientific study that would test his claims.
Yesterday, a reader posted a question: What happened to Jani? How did the test come out? Here's what I found...

ABC News reported that Dr. Sudhir Shah, who tested Mr. Jani at Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad, claims that Mr. Jani is authentic. (note: ABC News does not express agreement with Dr. Shah's claims.)

He told ABC News, "We studied him for 15 days with him taking no water or food." Later, the doctor said that Jani gargled water and took baths, but did not consume anything.

Attending doctors said that Jani is "thin, but healthy." The blog that recorded the results reports that researchers were "amazed." (link) Some others are sold on the story.

But not everyone is amazed. ABC also noted that many people believe he is a fraud and that the research is skewed (to say it nicely). It is easy to see why so many (including the author of this blog) are very skeptical. It is also easy to see why Reuters, BBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and the American Journal of Medicine (to mention a few) have not proclaimed a fascinating scientific find. In fact, I found no reports of doctors, scientists, or news agencies that are treating the results seriously.

There are just too many unanswered questions and too many inconsistencies. For example:

• Dr. Shah has not made his "data" available to outside sources and does not plan to.
• There were no outside independent researchers.
• Shah's findings were not released to a reputable news organization or medical publication for corroboration, but rather, released to a blog.
• The "after" picture of Mr. Jani is the same as one that was released before the test. (In other words, no real "after" picture.)

And the obvious questions continue....

• Why just 15 days of testing? After all, Jani claims to have gone 70 years without food or water... why hurry a ground-breaking study? Granted, he has been "studied" in the past, but always for shorter periods of time and with questionable / closed testing methods.
• If the results are truly amazing, why has not the entire world scientific community been notified and given the documents? After all, there is something to be learned here. All of humanity could benefit.
• If Jani is thinner after 15 days... how has he survived 70 years?
• Why did he have to "gargle" over the days of his test? Why were the standards of the test breached? How often does he have to put water in his mouth?
• Why do some people in his own home town call him a notorious fraud?
• Why this doctor? After all, he is the same guy who did this same sort of "research" on Jani back in 2003 (with the same sort of ambiguous findings. (link)). Why not get an independent, reputable doctor who has no relationship with Jani or stake in the study?

hmmmmmmm. In the end, the "study" accomplished nothing. Some will believe that the test proves Jani's legitimacy. Others will believe that the peculiar "test" methods only prove he is a fraud. Either way, others will recognize that the "ability" to neither eat nor drink would be a curse, not a blessing.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/International/man-eat-drink/story?id=10787036
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2010/05/06/prahlad-jani-experiment-ends-exclusive-results-to-gujarati-bloggers/
http://www.skepdic.com/skeptimedia/skeptimedia90.html

original post: http://www.mypointless.com/2010/04/perfect-diet-man-claims-he-has-not.html

the perfect diet: man claims he has not eaten for 70 years.

Scientists in India are studying an 82-year-old man who claims that he has not had anything to eat or drink for 70 years.

70 years. In other words, this man says he has not had any food or fluids of any sort (including water) since the days of World War 2.

Prahlad Jani is thought by some to be a "breatharian" who is able to survive on a "spiritual life-force." He being closely watched in isolation in an Indian hospital. After the first 6 days, he apparently is showing no signs of hunger or dehydration. (He also shows no signs of needing to visit the outhouse.)

If his claims are verified, it will be a breakthrough in medical science," said Dr G Ilavazhagan, a prominent doctor involved in the study.

"So far, Mr Prahlad appears to be standing up to scrutiny. He has not eaten or drunk any fluids in six days, and similarly has not passed urine or a stool in that time. He remains fit and healthy and shows no sign of lethargy. Doctors will continue observing him for 15 days in which time they would expect to see some muscle wastage, serious dehydration, weight loss,and fatigue followed by organ failure."

How does he do it? Prahlad believes that a goddess pours a special elixir down his throat every day. Others believe that he is, well, a common fraud. Some scientists, while not completely believing his claims, speculate that Mr. Jani has some special physical characteristics that enable him to go for long periods of time with no nourishment. For example, his urine is not discharged but is reabsorbed into his body.

The next 15 days will tell us something. My pointless will try to keep track of the story.

http://snipr.com/vuquo [www_telegraph_co_uk]

Find out what he had for supper 70 years ago, and you'll make millions in the diet food industry.

---->> mypointless UPDATE post available at link

be grateful for only having a runny nose

This week, a Peruvian girl went to a doctor and complained that she felt a "sliding sensation" near the back of her nose. Upon closer examination, Dr. Renzo Arauco-Brown found the problem-- in her upper nostril, the doctor found a leech--with teeth (see above).

The girl apparently picked up the rare leech while swimming in lakes and rivers in the Amazon region. Known as tyrannobdella rex (meaning, "tyrant leech king) the pinkie-finger size leech has teeth that are five times larger than any other leech. The teeth may look small, but they hurt.

This is an odd thing... but it is not the first time it has happened. In medical history there are now three recorded cases. The other two people reported headaches.

http://snipr.com/viov1 [www_myfoxphilly_com]

coma leaves teenage girl speaking German

A thirteen year old girl from Knin, Croatia recently woke from a coma with a very significant side-effect: She can now speak fluent German but cannot speak her native Croatian.

Prior to the coma, the girl had just started studying German in school and watched some German TV. She was not fluent by any measure. Now, however, she can prefectly communicate in German.

The phenomenon is so odd that it is being studied by medical professionals who can only guess at what happened within the girl's mind.

Psychiatrist Dr. Mijo Milas said, "In earlier times this would have been referred to as a miracle, we prefer to think that there must be a logical explanation ... There are references to cases where people who have been seriously ill and perhaps in a coma have woken up being able to speak other languages... at the moment though any speculation would remain just that – speculation – so it's better to continue tests until we actually know something."

http://snipr.com/vg0ws [www_telegraph_co_uk]

grandma has horns

It is just plain creepy.

Zhang Ruifang is 101-year-old grandmother who lives in China. She is probably like any other grandmother except for one thing, errr, two things: Zhang has recently sprouted a 6cm horn on the left side of her head... and it appears that she is in the process of sprouting another one on the right.

The growth is probably a "cutaneous horn" which is a tumor made of keratin, the stuff your fingernails are made of.

For a similar story about a woman with a single horn- link.

http://snipr.com/usgly [www_metro_co_uk]

more timely medical help

As a public service, my pointless offers more helpful medical items found in the paper:


normally, seven days is longer.


you got prostate problems? Drs. Smith and Wesson can cure you. forever.


but they are deliciously fruity


if you can't speak, move or see, calling 911 might be a problem.

helpful medical instructions

we know that this is a lot to ask of your child.

Good Samaritan gets stuck with the hospital bill

Resul Mor, 39, was driving to work one day when he was flagged down by a man-in-need. The man asked Mor to take his desperately sick wife to an emergency room in Hamburg, Germany.

Being a Good Samaritan, Mor took the woman to Hamburg and signed her into the hospital.

To his surprise, few weeks later, Mor received a bill for $12,000 from the hospital for the woman's treatment. Apparently, when he signed her into the hospital, he unknowingly signed an agreement to pay for her treatment.

This week, judges ruled that Mor is legally responsible to pay the bill. Worse, the woman and her husband are not paying it.

Mor said, "I didn't expect her to not pay anything. I'm just an ordinary man who did someone a favour."

http://snipr.com/r6ec3 [www_ananova_com]

bandages are bad for you

Tony Dickinson, his wife and a friend were recently hiking in the Yorkshire Dales (England) when Tony accidentally fell and bruised his knee. Since he was bleeding and had no bandages of his own, he thought he was fortunate to find a Red Cross team working nearby.

The Red Cross team was there to provide care for "walkers" who were participating in a nearby Red Cross charity event.

Mr. Dickinson went to the medical team and asked for a Band-Aid and a bit of antiseptic. One of the workers refused him. The other worker said that he could not, unless he (the worker) first removed his Red Cross uniform.

Mr. Dickinson recalled, "I asked them for a plaster (an adhesive bandage) and some antiseptic to put on it, but they said they couldn't on health and safety grounds."

It seems that some people have an allergic reaction to the adhesive in a bandage or to a standard antiseptic cream. That means that it could be unsafe to give a bleeding man a Band-aid. That is why the Red Cross team didn't give Tony a bandage-- it was for his own good.

In defense of the Red Cross, Richard Hankins said that some Red Cross volunteers were not clear about their bandage policy.

http://snipr.com/pp8y3 [www_telegraph_co_uk]

man finds living baby in coffin

Jose Alvarenga was devastated when doctors at a state hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay, told him that his baby boy had died shortly after birth.

After he was declared dead, the body of the premature infant was placed in a temporary coffin by the hospital staff. Four hours later, the coffin was delivered to Mr. Alvarenga's home.

Alvarenga was so full of grief that he wanted to see the baby. So, he opened the tiny coffin to take one last look.

When he looked, he was shocked/amazed/ecstatic: "I opened it to look at his remains and found that the baby was breathing, I began to cry" Alvarenga recalls.

He immediately rushed the baby back to the hospital where the he was placed in prenatal care. The grieving mother was informed that her baby boy was, in fact, alive.

Baby Alvarenga, who weighs just 17.6oz (!) is listed as "stable."

http://snipr.com/pk4nz [www_telegraph_co_uk]

allergic to her own baby

My pointless has reported stories of some pretty strange allergies: the girl who is allergic to water, the girl who can only eat tic-tacs, the girl who is allergic to the 21st century and others.

This week, Telegraph.co.uk reported another strange allergy: a woman who is allergic to her own baby.

Joanne Mackie, 28, started developing blisters and a burning rash on her skin shortly after she gave birth to her son, James. After doing a skin biopsy, doctors discovered that she has a rare skin disease known as Pemphigoid Gestationis (see picture). This disease developed in Joanne during her pregnancy and causes her to have an allergic reaction to contact with her own baby.

It is not a psycho-somatic illness. The allergy is physiological and Joanne's pain is very real.

Joanne said to the Telegraph, "At first, when I was told I was allergic to my own baby I thought it was some sort of joke... But when it sank in I was totally devastated. It felt like my world had caved in. It was such a heartbreaking time. I had to watch while my husband gave our son his first bath."

The allergy fist appeared when Joanne tried to breast-feed little James. She said that her hands started tingling... Then the tingling became a rash that eventually spread over her entire body.

Fortunately, steroid therapy for a month has been effective and Joanne can now hold her baby without pain. She said, "A cuddle from your own child is the most precious thing in the world and now I can cradle my little lad, it's heaven. I never want to let him go now."

http://snipr.com/okstw [www_telegraph_co_uk]
broken link? backupURL

for the other allergy stories mentioned above, click on the "allergy" label below or in the label cloud.

would you go to these guys?

look at the size of the robotic arm.... (and the look on the right doctor's face).
"Trust me. This won't hurt a bit."



You may be wondering why vet has an an eye chart...
"Ma'am, your dog needs glasses. He can't even read line 2."

(btw doc, can you see the dog?)

her bottom saved her ear

Earlier this year, 27-year-old Julia Schwarz had a fight with her former best-friend, Michaela Bohn, over a boyfriend.

During the fight, Michaela bit off Julia's right ear. Fortunately, Michaela spit out the ear so that it could be salvaged, but initial attempts to reattach the ear failed.

Doctors said that the side of Julia's head needed to heal properly in order for reattachment to be successful. But what could they do with the ear while waiting for the head to heal?

The answer: Julia's bottom.

Doctors made an incision in Julia's backside and stitched the ear to her buttocks. When her head healed, the doctors reattached the ear. They are confident that the ear will not be rejected by Julia's body.

http://bit.ly/XhJFs

We might guess that the doctors chose that location to be sure it would not be bitten by Michaela again.

man regains sight by getting a tooth in his eye

Martin Jones, 42, was in an unfortunate accident 12 years ago that left him blind. A tub of hot aluminum exploded in his face and burned his eyes and 37% of his body.

The fire completely destroyed his left eye. Fortunately, the doctors were able to save the right eye, but it was damaged and blinded.

Mr. Jones remained blind until recently when he received a new and delicate procedure:
Doctors removed one of Jones' canine teeth and inserted into his eyeball.

The canine tooth had been removed and was first inserted into his cheek for three months. There, the tooth grew some new tissue and blood vessels. The tooth was then drilled and fitted with a special optical lens.

Finally, in an amazing procedure, Dr. Christopher Liu inserted the tooth into Mr. Jones' right eyeball where it now serves as a lens-holder.

Mr. Jones is thrilled to have his sight back. He has now seen his new wife for the first time and is observing all the changes that have taken place around him in the last 12 years.

He said, "The first car I saw when my sight was restored was a Smart car and I couldn't stop laughing – I'd never seen one before and I thought it had been chopped in half.

"Getting my sight back has changed my life. It is such a precious gift and you don't really appreciate it until it is taken away.

"I have been so fortunate that my sight has been returned. I find it such a simple pleasure being able to see what is going on in the world."

http://snipr.com/mc673 [www_telegraph_co_uk]

tv news: how to use a flu mask. or not.

more strange allergies

Recently, Telegraph.co.uk reported two separate stories about strange allergies:

a boy who is allergic to sunlight
a girl who is allergic to the 21st Century

Jackson McIntyre, age 6, is allergic to sunlight. He has a very rare genetic disorder known as Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. This disorder is created by a deficiency in an enzyme. It causes Jackson to have a burning sensation whenever his skin is exposed to sunlight

Jackson's case is so severe that he is effected by both UV and visible sunlight. He experiences symptoms, at times, even standing near an un-shaded window.
http://snipr.com/k4tbx [www_telegraph_co_uk]

In a second story, a girl named Molly Harrand of Herne Bay, Kent, England is allergic to nearly everything that is 21st century. Doctors have not determined the cause of her unique allergies, but here is a partial list of things she is allergic to:

shoes, socks, carpets, pasta, bread, oats, eggs, soy, chocolate, cleaning products, soap, shampoo, deodorants, plastic and rubber surfaces, machinery, dust, pollen, grass, many toys, coins, pens, and even computer keyboards.

Doctors say that if Mary lived 100 years ago, she would probably not have had these allergies.

Molly's father Derek, is quoted as saying, "We have been to the best doctors in the land but no one knows what to do to help Molly. There has simply never been a case like hers. We want to free Molly from her terrible pain. If there is anyone out there who may be able to help then we would love to hear from them."
http://snipr.com/k4tmr [www_telegraph_co_uk]

personal health tips in the news

for more obvious headlines, click the obvious label below or in the label cloud

a terrible case of pins and needles

Liu Lijian of China recently went to his doctors complaining of "shooting pains." At first, the doctors were perplexed as to the cause of the pain so, they ordered some x-rays.

The x-rays made Liu's problem pretty clear. The x-rays revealed that Liu had some 100 needles under his skin. Complete examination showed that Liu had needles in every part of his body except his head-- 38 needles under the skin in his stomach area alone.

It was no acupuncture. Liu isn't sure how the needles got there. He remembers playing with needles as a child but can't recall pushing any of them under his skin.

The needles have been in Liu's body for quite some time. One hospital spokesman commented that it is a "miracle" that the needles had not become infected. The needles, of course, will be removed.

http://snipr.com/jycy9 [www_metro_co_uk]
broken link? backup url

(this is the direct voodoo method. don't waste your time poking a doll.)