October 15th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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I was always taught that chlamydia (a bacterial sexually transmitted infection) could cause infertility in women but didn’t affect men at all. Now it seems that male fertility may also be affected by chlamydial infections.
New research from Spain suggests that chlamydia can damage sperm DNA as well as their swimming ability. In fact, DNA damage in sperm from men infected with chlamydia is 3 times higher than in uninfected sperm. Also, fertility rates my be reduced by as much as 73% in couples infected with chlamydia.
Fortunately for men, their new sperm (produced after antibiotic treatment for chlamydia) appears to be normal/unaffected. For women, the damage is permanent. The crafty chlamydia bacteria crawl up into the fallopian tubes and create such an inflammatory reaction that the tubes are often scarred for life. Eggs released by the ovaries may be blocked from entering the uterus from narrowed and scarred fallopian tubes. This is why one chlamydial infection can put a woman at increased risk for ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain.
It is estimated that as many as 1 in 10 people ages 18-25 are actively infected with chlamydia (in the US and Britain). The treatment can be as simple as one dose of oral antibiotics (1g of Azithromycin). Since chlamydia can be asymptomatic in men and women, and hard to diagnose in men in particular – I personally would recommend having both partners take a dose of Azithromycin before having unprotected sex in a monogamous relationship. Obviously, it’s always far better to have protected sex – but since 1 in 10 people have this infection, it seems pretty clear that people are not using condoms all the time. If you want to preserve your fertility – be vigilant about this infection. The good news here is that it’s easy to treat and can be prevented.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
October 14th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in True Stories
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I had dinner with a physician friend of mine who works in New York City. She told me an interesting story about her last couple of days at work…
A patient of hers was in the hospital on a fairly high dose of steroids to treat an autoimmune disorder. He was generally a very even tempered and friendly person, but was a little bit grumpy when she visited him on rounds that evening. He was complaining of slight shortness of breath and some mild stomach pain – and that the hospital food was bad. His labs from that morning were all normal, and he had no fever or abnormalities in blood pressure or heart rate.
On sheer gut instinct, my friend ordered a CT scan of his abdomen right away. Lucky she did, because this gentleman had a perforated colon (from ruptured diverticulae) with air under his diaphragm, causing shortness of breath. Because he was on steroids, the body’s usual response to early sepsis was blunted. He was rushed to the OR where surgeons corrected the problem. In this situation, if it weren’t for a gut instinct, this patient may have died.
I think this case illustrates how important it is to know your patients, to take their concerns seriously (especially when they’re on medicines that could minimize serious symptoms), and if something doesn’t seem right (even if lab tests and vital signs argue otherwise) you should listen to your gut. Sometimes instinct is smarter than science.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
October 12th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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The short answer is: yes. The longer answer is that Tasmanian devils (TDs), those feisty black and white Australian marsupials, are the first to suffer from it. In an enlightening story about the plight of these little guys, I learned that they are prone to a certain type of mouth cancer that they pass to one another through biting. Now, since biting is part of their mating rituals, this cancer has spread through the TD population like wild fire, even putting them at risk for extinction.
Why am I telling you this? Because it’s quite fascinating that cancer can be contagious. Sure we know that the human papillomavirus (HPV), for example, can be spread through sexual contact and may stimulate the body to produce cervical cancer cells eventually, but this is a more direct and faster method of transmission. Researchers have found that cancer cells in the mouth of the animal doing the biting slough off in the wounds on the other animal, and the cells grow into a new cancer in the injured animal.
So you may ask – can I get cancer from a TD? Not unless YOU’RE also a TD. The reason why the cancer cells can survive in the victim is because TDs have become so genetically similar to one another that foreign cells from another animal are not recognized and attacked by their immune systems. Human immune systems would recognize the TD cells as foreign and attack and kill them quite quickly.We humans can’t even accept an organ transplant from a family member without being on strong immunosuppressive medications.
Nonetheless, this case of contagious cancer is interesting – and makes me wonder if immunosuppressed humans could one day be vulnerable to developing cancer from another person’s cells. But that risk seems rather remote. For now, we should just feel sad for our furry friends down under. I know that at least Dr. Rob, the llama lover, will understand the grief.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
October 10th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Humor
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Those of you who enjoyed “Let’s Pick On Anesthesiologists” will really like this video as well. Many thanks to Dinah at Shrink Rap for pointing this one out. It’s a YouTube video of a comedian/mom singing all the things she tells her children in the course of a day, but condensed into 2 minutes. Any mom (or child of a mom) will relate. This woman must be channeling Mindy Roberts. Please click here: The Ultimate Mom Song.
Addition:Thank you, Mindy, for typing out the lyrics! Here you go ladies (and gentlemen?) if you’d like to sing along… And here’s a link to the woman who got this started: Anita Renfroe
Get up now
Get up now
Get up out of bed
Wash your face
Brush your teeth
Comb your sleepy head
Here’s your clothes
And your shoes
Hear the words I said
Get up now
Get up and make your bed
Are you hot?
Are you cold?
Are you wearing that?
Where’s your books and your lunch and your homework at?
Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat
Don’t forget you got to feed the cat
Eat your breakfast
The experts tell us it’s the most important meal of all
Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall
Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at three today?
Don’t forget your piano lesson is this afternoon
So you must play
Don’t shovel
Chew slowly
But hurry
The bus is here
Be careful
Come back here
Did you wash behind your ears?
Play outside
Don’t play rough
Would you just play fair?
Be polite
Make a friend
Don’t forget to share
Work it out
Wait your turn
Never take a dare
Get along
Don’t make me come down there
Clean your room
Fold your clothes
Put your stuff away
Make your bed
Do it now
Do we have all day?
Were you born in a barn?
Would you like some hay
Can you even hear a word I say?
Answer the phone
Get Off the phone
Don’t sit so close
Turn it down
No texting at the table
No more computer time tonight
Your iPod’s my iPod if you don’t listen up
Where you going and with whom and what time do you think you’re coming home?
Saying thank you, please, excuse me
Makes you welcome everywhere you roam
You’ll appreciate my wisdom
Someday when you’re older and you’re grown
Can’t wait ’til you have a couple little children of your own
You’ll thank me for the counsel I gave you so willingly
But right now
I thank you NOT to roll your eyes at me
Close your mouth when you chew
Would appreciate
Take a bite
Maybe two
Of the stuff you hate
Use your fork
Do not you burp
Or I’ll set you straight
Eat the food I put upon your plate
Get an egg A, Get the door
Don’t get smart with me
Get a Grip
Get?in here I’ll count to 3
Get a job
Get a life
Get a PhD
Get a dose of reality
I don’t care who started it
You’re grounded until your 36
Get your story straight
And tell the truth for once for heaven’s sake
And if all your friends jumped off a cliff
Would you jump too?
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said at least a thousand times before that
You’re too old to act this way
It must be your father’s DNA
Look at me when I am talking
Stand up straight when you walk
A place for everything
And everything must be in place
Stop crying or I’ll give you something real to cry about
Oh!
Brush your teeth
Wash your face
Get your PJs on
Get in bed
Get a hug
Say a prayer with Mom
Don’t forget
I love you
**KISS**
And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom’s work never ends
You don’t need the reason why
Because
Because
Because
Because
I said so
I said so
I said so
I said so
I’m the Mom
The mom
The mom
The mom
The mom
Ta-daThis post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
October 9th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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I was intrigued by a news story all over the wires today and yesterday – that blood transfusions may do more harm than good. Over 4.5 million Americans receive blood transfusions for one reason or another each year in the US. Two new studies have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggesting that blood can get “stale” much sooner than we think. Although we’ve known for a while that blood transfusions should be given only when critically needed, this news is interesting in that it may explain why blood transfusions are not a panacea.
Blood contains nitric oxide – a gas that is used as a signaling molecule in humans. It can trigger the relaxation of blood vessel walls, which is important in getting blood flow and oxygen to areas of the body that need it. Nitric oxide exists in small amounts in the bloodstream, but it can evaporate rapidly once outside the body (such as in a transfusion bag). So the question is: how critical is it to have nitric oxide dissolved in the blood given via transfusion?
The Red Cross keeps blood for up to 42 days after it is donated (though nitric oxide depletion may occur within hours) and will continue to do so until it is clearly shown that the expiration dates should be shortened. Further research is underway to test whether or not infusing nitric oxide back into blood is a viable option to improve its ability to oxygenate the recipient. It’s not easy to do this, since nitric oxide is a very tricky gas that can become a free radical or an acid in the presence of certain oxygen species. So the exact proportion of nitric oxide is critical – a little does just the right thing, but too much can be harmful or even fatal – which is probably why we haven’t tested this in humans yet, only dogs.
Still, many have high hopes for adding nitric oxide to the blood supply – Dr. Jonathan Stamler of Duke University appears to have applied for more than 50 nitric oxide associated patents and, not surprisingly, is taking the lead on various research studies, including the two new ones mentioned in my first paragraph.
My personal take on this? Blood transfusions are a serious treatment that can save lives, but should not be given willy nilly to “boost” people’s hematocrits. I’ve witnessed physicians giving their patients an extra unit of blood “just to perk them up a bit” prior to discharge from the hospital. That behavior is not safe or appropriate. So before you undergo a blood transfusion, make sure you really need one. Until we figure out how to replace nitric oxide safely in the blood supply, the life-saving potential benefits of a transfusion must outweigh the risks of stroke and heart attack from nitric oxide-depleted blood.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
