Archive for Medicine

Dermabrasion: Skin Technology


Image Source:bucosmeticsurgery.com

Have you ever wondered why some older people have small holes in their face? It’s because during puberty they have severe acne that left them with scars. An acne refers to lesions or pimples caused when the hair follicles (or “pores”) on the skin become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. Scars from acne can seem like double punishment, first you had to deal with the pimples, now you have marks as a reminder. Most serious scarring is caused by the more severe forms of acne, with nodules more likely to leave permanent scars than other types of acne. The best way to deal with acne is to get treatment soon after the acne appears to prevent further damage. If you have nodules, see your doctor or dermatologist for treatment.
One of the medical breakthroughs for acne scarring is the treatment to diminish or remove the marks.There are various treatments for acne scarring. If you have serious bout of scarring from previous breakout one form of treatment is laser resurfacing. The laser removes the damaged top layer of skin and tightens the middle layer, leaving skin smoother. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. The doctor will try to lessen any pain by first numbing the skin with local anesthesia. It usually takes between 3 and 10 days for the skin to heal completely. Another method for treating acne scarring is dermabrasion, which uses a rotating wire brush or spinning diamond instrument to wear down the surface of the skin. As the skin heals, a new, smoother layer replaces the abraded skin. It may take a bit longer for skin to heal using dermabrasion it usually last between 10 days and 3 weeks. The newest form of treatment for acne scarring is called fractional laser therapy. This type of treatment works at a deeper level than laser resurfacing or dermabrasion, because fractional laser therapy doesn’t wound the top layer of tissue, healing time is shorter. Fractional laser therapy is quite costly, and it’s not usually covered by insurance.
A person’s acne will need to be under control before having any of these treatments. After the treatment, we don’t’ have to be reminded of how bad are face was when we look in the mirror.

Posted by Ella on September 29th, 2008

Diet the Effective way to loose weight


Image source: www.lhsc.on.ca
Diet has a very important role in man’s struggle against diseases and disability.
Latest research finds that eating enough quantities of nutritious diets in along with proper exercise are the major contributing factors to one’s physical fitness and health. The research was conducted to American people. It showed that one out of every three Americans is obese. These individuals who are obese are at greater risk for additional diseases, since obesity leads to other health problems, such as diabetes. A team of researchers has examined the effect of exercise on fat accumulation in a new study involving five obese women. In one session the women overate and did not exercise; in a follow-on session they overate and did exercise. The researchers found out that  the body’s fat-burning oxidation rate was reduced after one day of overeating; conversely, just one session of exercise increased the rate of fat-burning oxidation; and exercise increased the amount of fat that would eventually be stored in the muscle.

Posted by Ella on August 14th, 2008

Surgery

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In medicine, surgery (from the Greek χειρουργική, or chirurgical, and latin chirurgiae meaning “hand work”) is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason. An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical procedure, operation, or simply surgery. In this context, the verb operating means performing surgery. The adjective surgical means pertaining to surgery; e.g. surgical instruments or surgical nurse. The patient or subject that the surgery is being performed on can be a person or an animal. A surgeon is a person who performs operations on patients. Persons described as surgeons are commonly medical practitioners, but the term is also applied to podiatrists, dentists and veterinarians. Surgery can last from minutes to hours, but is typically not an ongoing or periodic type of treatment. -Source

Posted by Ella on July 10th, 2008

HEART BREAKTHROUGH

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It has always been believe that atherosclerosis which is the buildup of plaque in the arteries, was irreversible. But this year, heart experts has done something that was thought to be almost impossible, they were able to shrink the fatty clogs blocking the heart’s arteries of patients by around 7 percent only with the use of maximum dosage of Crestor which is a cholesterol-lowering medication. Heart medications before are only taken to slow or stop the narrowing of arteries. But this new finding raises the possibility that you can actually reverse the plaque accumulation that starts even as early as childhood.

Posted by editor on May 7th, 2008

OBESITY SOLUTION

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Obesity has become one of the most health concerns especially on developing countries and if it is not addressed to immediately, people will be in risk of fatal diseases caused by obesity. Medical science is continuously searching for medical breakthrough in obesity. One study and research in Albert Einstein College of Medicine that has yet to be proven found out that maintaining the level of fatty acids in the brain may be the cure to obesity. In this light, the study intends to change the effects of molecular substance of malonyl CoA which is a molecule that has an influence in the hypothalamus activity that increases the appetite of a person. The researchers aim to find a way to modify the content of malonyl CoA in the brain so that people will no longer crave so much for food.

Posted by editor on May 1st, 2008

A fitting transplant

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In organ transplants, patients need to take anti-rejection drugs after the operation. Otherwise, their body’s immune system shall reject the organ because it recognizes that the transplanted organ is a foreign one. The patient has to take the medicine for an undetermined length of time and it could be for the rest of his life including its side effects.

One way of avoiding the need for anti-rejection drugs, which is currently undergoing extensive study, is to infuse the donor’s marrow to the patient such that the latter’s immune system can recognize the new organ as its own. This approach had its initial taste of success but it’s not yet perfected. Patients who have undergone this treatment need to take the anti-rejection drugs for less than a year and have not needed to take them again.

Posted by Kip V on April 30th, 2008

Pacifier reduces risk of SIDS

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Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexplained death of babies aged one month to one year even if they appear to be healthy. It is also known as cot or crib death. The causes of SIDS cannot be determined with certainty although some have might have been identified as risk factors. The same thing goes for its prevention.

One way of preventing SIDS is by giving the baby a pacifier as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). A study conducted in relation to the use of pacifiers showed that there is a 90% reduction of the occurrence of SIDS when babies are offered pacifiers. One reason attributed for the risk reduction is that the pacifier keeps the face of the infant away from the mattress thus suffocation is avoided.

Posted by Kip V on April 28th, 2008

Autism and mitochondrial disease

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Recent studies were able to associate autism and muscle weakness among children. It was found out that children suffering from autism disorders might have genetic defects which results into mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondrial disease relates to the mitochondria which convert the energy molecules of food taken by higher-order life forms for cellular functions. This lack of energy conversion is the cause of muscle weakness.

The study found out that sixty-five percent of the thirty-seven children evaluated have problems in their bodies when it comes to the conversion and production of energy in their muscles. All of the evaluated children have autism spectrum disorders.

Posted by Kip V on April 24th, 2008

The wonder of brain implants

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The recent application of brain implants now includes connecting a person’s brain to devices around him. A paralyzed man was fitted with brain implants in able to link him to a computer. And the computer is connected to other devices around him. He was able to operate the computer by simply imagining the movement of his arms, and consequently, the devices linked to the computer.

Also known as neuron implant, this device is placed in the person’s brain, ordinarily on the surface. Commonly used for biomedical prosthesis, this recent development shows that the application of brain implants might have no boundaries and only time can tell how far this technology can alleviate the lives of people with physiological problems.

Posted by Kip V on April 15th, 2008

Remember, remember this memory enhancer

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CX717 is a breakthrough drug which enhances memory and activities of the brain especially for people who lack sleep. CX717 is an ampakine compound created by Cortex Pharmaceuticals. Ampakines are known to stimulate brain activities improving learning and memory. The intake of these compounds is known to directly influence alertness and attention span of a person.

Tests conducted on CX717 for Cortex in Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey, showed improved performance test scores for those who took the drug. Aside from being used as memory enhancer, CX717 is also looked at as possible cure for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), jet lag, narcolepsy, and even Alzheimer’s disease.

The drug is still undergoing further testing to determine its application and/or other potential uses.

Posted by Kip V on April 10th, 2008

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