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Willow bark has been used for thousands of years. Once modern medicine came around, the active ingredients (salicin and flavonoids) were characterized, and one of these was refined into Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). This was practical because there wasn't nearly as much federal red tape associated with research on willow bark as there is today with research on Schedule I controlled substances.

No, you don't. At best you skipped over some very inconvenient parts of the text for your view, and that is assuming you bothered to read it at all.

The "dog in this race" that I have is a preference for facts and truth to occasionally show up in the discussions of the supposedly intelligent people here. I know, it's mostly a forlorn hope, but still .... And I'll add to that I find pitiable the habit of so many here on Slashdot that apparently live such cloistered lives with such narrow and stunted views that the only reason that they can summon to mind for someone having a different view from them is either personal gain or they are on someone's payroll.

I've extracted and highlighted some bits you may have skipped over.

University of Maryland Medical Center - Osteopathy

Today, D.O.s get the same basic training as medical doctors (M.D.s), but they also learn manipulation (hands on adjustments of muscles, bones, and ligaments) and use this along with more conventional medical treatments. Most D.O.s are primary care practitioners, specializing in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, or pediatrics.

D.O.s practice in all specialties of medicine ranging from emergency medicine and cardiovascular surgery to psychiatry and geriatrics. D.O.s trained in various specialty areas take a whole patient (holistic) approach.

According to the American Osteopathic Association, more than 64,000 osteopathic physicians practice in the United States today. Although osteopathic manipulations were once used to treat all forms of disease, now they are considered useful mostly for musculoskeletal conditions (such as back pain).

Now if you want to present a case that the University of Maryland's Medical Center is a hotbed of quackery or simply wrong, I'd be happy to examine your evidence.

Maybe you could try suggesting to your friend that she start journaling, if she isn't now. It has both utility and appeal, and will help her track how she feels, what treatments she has tried, and could help inform her future choices. Maybe she'll eventually see she should try a more mainstream approach. Perhaps you could ask her if she has ever seen an osteopath. Modern osteopaths are essentially the same as MDs, and licensed to practice medicine like them, but they do take a somewhat more holistic view of health. If your friend is in some way afraid of doctors the name osteopath might not raise the concerns that the word "doctor" would and yet she would still receive modern medical treatment. I wish her well.

Feeding four sodas a day to a 40 lbs 5 year old is like giving an adult 2 galons of soda each day. In ddition to all that sugar, it is a great deal of caffein to give a child. Caffein causes the body to lose magnesium. "Symptoms of magnesium deficiency may include agitation and anxiety, restless leg syndrome (RLS), sleep disorders, irritability, nausea and vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, low blood pressure, confusion, muscle spasm and weakness, hyperventilation, insomnia, poor nail growth, and even seizures." Source: Magnesium | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/magnesium#ixzz2cM8HGbnh University of Maryland Medical Center) Seems pretty straightforward to me. If you wanted to determine whether this was so, you could do a double blind study with coke and 7-up. If your epected symptoms appeared in the coke group and didn't arise in the 7-up group, I'd say we're talkng about caffein induced manesium defficiency. You could then give the coke group magnesium supplements and see if the symptoms decreased.

What a terribly shallow view to have.
Day of scheduled suicide: February 8th 2013, my birthday

Yes, let's just throw in some emotions to obfusciate the real question: Is filing a criminal complaint against Facebook the right reaction? The parents claim it is because they failed to prevent "cyberbullying". Unfortunately, there is absolutely no evidence to support a link between suicide and bullying. As it so happens, suicide is the result of mental illness, and the DSM-V doesn't have anything listed for "recipient of mean words". Because it's a mental illness that's the cause here, specifically untreated depression, I'm going to have to turn that finger right back around at the parents. Well, what did you do when you noticed your daughter was depressed?

While her son was in the hospital on a psych hold,
she had this website created for him: http://lettersfornoah.com/about-noah.html

Awwww, a completely unrelated but tragic tale to distract us from objectively thinking about this and instead give in to irrational emotional impulses. I'll stick with the scientific method, kthxbai.

I realize you're still a girl in training, but sooner or later you're going to have to learn that the world isn't so nearly as black and white as you've made it out to be.

An ad hominem attack. Stay classy, 'Tubesteak'. (-_-) With a nickname like that, you're hardly one to diss someone else's choice.

Or maybe you'll write a letter to Noah and explain to him that his depression and isolation is all his parents' fault.

To a significant degree... it is. It has a strong genetic correlation; it runs in families. But let's ignore the science for a minute, that seems to be more in character with the NuSlash(tm) residents like yourself that have been filling this place up since it sold out to Dice...

Dear Noah,
 
I'm sorry your brain is trying to kill you. I went through a 15 year long depression. As an LGBT youth, I understand better than most that it feels like this is your fault, but it isn't. People will tell you that you have to try harder, or just "will" yourself to be happy. You and I both know that's stupid; No matter how hard you try, your brain is still going to keep right on trying to kill you. It took me a long time to accept this; Cold facts and science telling me that depression is due to a chemical imbalance is little comfort. All my thoughts circle around in endless circles telling me I'm worthless, it's hopeless, I'm a burden, etc. I get it, I really do. I've been there. What I can tell you is that your condition is treatable. And it is a condition. It's a real medical condition, just like injuring your foot, or getting pneumonia is -- it's not your fault. It's an accident. These things happen. But with medication and therapy, you can free yourself of these thoughts. It's not easy. Nothing in life ever is. But it's worth it... and you have something I didn't -- a mother that cares. Lean on her until you can stand up straight again. And don't let anyone, especially not some internet pundit of questionable morality, tell you that you're a poster child for depression because you aren't. You're a survivor. You can do this.

Let me guess... you're not a chemist. Because, if you were, you would know that the hydrogenation process converts unsaturated fats into saturated fats. "Trans fats" are unsaturated fats (seriously, even if you knew nothing about "trans fats", it's clearly on the first paragraph of the wikipedia article).

The problem is not "hydrogenation", it's "partial hydrogenation".

Lucky guess! I am indeed not a chemist!

The very first section of the Wikipedia article on Hydrogenation states:

Hydrogenation of unsaturated fats produces saturated fats and, in some cases, trans fats.

Surely a professional chemist like yourself can fix the Wikipedia article to make it less ambiguous. And there are plenty of other references around that say that transfats from from a Hydrogenation process.

While it may be true, if somewhat pedantic, to claim that only "partially hydrogenation" creates trans fats, it seems that I'm not alone in using "hydrogenation" as a generic term to describe the process.,

And, in the end, the problem is neither "trans fats" nor saturated fats... the problem is that people have no restraint. Our bodies are made to tolerate saturated fats, because we've been having saturated fats for thousands of years (see "butter"). Of couse, if your idea of a nice afternoon is stuffing your face with fatty food, you're bound to get health problems, even if you're having fully-cis unsaturated fats. Both trans fats and saturated fats (like cholesterol) are REQUIRED for normal functioning of your cells: the problem is, again, that people have no fucking restraint.

Wait a second - you say that trans fats are REQUIRED, yet the very Wikipedia article that you told me I'm too lazy to read says "Their recommendations are based on two key facts. First, "trans fatty acids are not essential and provide no known benefit to human health",[1] whether of animal or plant origin". Did you even read the shit that you told me to read? That particular quote came from the National Academy of Sciences.

Honestly, it's the same as taking pills from a doctor. You don't just buy a random bottle and swallow some random amount, or follow directions from slashdot. Instead, find someone local who makes and uses it, and has some credibility, and ask them what they think you should try.

You can also just buy tea bags at nearly any hippy health food store. It will be fairly weak, and buying a commercial preparation really isn't much different from buying aspirin, of course. If you use the tea too heavily it will upset your stomach, if you ignore that and continue to drink it around the clock for weeks it could give you colitis or ulcers, if you ignore that and keep abusing it you could eventually take liver damage.

If you really want to go it alone, which I do NOT recommend even though I do it all the time, use the standard scientific method. Research, observe, hypothesize, experiment, repeat. Be careful to use ridiculously low doses until you're sure you've got the right tree and the right preparation, then steadily increase until you find efficacy. Here's where you can start your research: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/willow-bark-000281.htm

Check out: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/niacin/cl00036 and

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-b3-000335.htm

Aspirin or Ginko?

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginkgo-biloba-000247.htm

Better concentration (some subjects thinking that that is one of the memory functions) could be a side effect of them not having headaches due to hypertension. Sample set yadi yada and so on.... statistics and damned lies.

are anti-inflammatory and heart healthy, olive oil is high in them

omega-6s are inflammatory and heart unhealthy, corn oil is high in them

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-6-000317.htm

to hell with your feelings if you spread ignorance. the issue is not your feelings, the issue is objective fact. objective fact, supported by solid mainstream research: olive oil is healthier than most common food oils

"She tells me that the common perception of Olive Oil as having health benefits that other vegetable oils lack is absolutely wrong, and that this perception is the result of flawed research. Furthermore, there is research, published and unpublished that calls into questions supposed benefits of Olive Oil."

is your wife funded by the corn oil industry?

A lot of drugs these days are new drugs that aren't as effective (or have uglier side effects) as good ol' aspirin and penicillian

OK, we will set up an experiment. I get to go a real hospital. You sit at home with your bottle of aspirin and penicillin.

We both get heart attacks.

You guzzle your aspirin and penicillin. Oops, you screwed up. You took too many aspirin (only need one in this case). The antibiotic isn't doing you much good here. I get Tenectaplase and the aspirin. My chance of surviving a significant infarct is about 50% better. I win.

Get with the program here, we have an enormous quantity and quality of some really good drugs. The big issue is how we pay for their use and further research. And yes, we're doing it wrong.

But if you want to go back to chewing on willow bark, go right ahead.

Check out this page from the University of Maryland Sleep Disorders center:
http://www.umm.edu/sleep/sleep_studies.html

5 hours of sleep is enough for some people. The important things is what makes you feel rested. You shound never "try" to sleep more unless you feel you're still very tired when you wake up. I personally find 8.5 hours ideal, but many people feel fully rested after only 5 hours. I don't think this is trouble for this person. The 15 hours certainly could be something, but this doesn't mean he or she shoudl get to bed sooner. Just do something that requires less eye strain or concentration for awhile... I find I can't really do good research (computer science, not sleep research) for more than maybe 6 hours a day. The rest of the time I am really inefficient, so I just try to use it for other things or causally think about research. When I do the 6 or so hours, I work very efficiently.

I was just on Some Random Website the other day reading about how before hops found its way into beers (sometime around the fourteenth century, I think), its principle use in Europe was as a medicinal herb. Usually brewed as a tea, as I recall.

Another Fun Beer Fact: before the British "discovered" how to put hops in their beer, the primary flavoring agent they used was creeping charlie. Ever since I found that out, I've always kinda wondered what that would taste like ...

Another plant that seems to have tremendous health benefits (fightin' cancer, and alzheimer's, and as a general anti-inflammatory, etc.) is turmeric -- which is one of the primary ingredients of curry.

Hmmmm ... beer and curry ... the British must live fer freakin' ever.

im surprised nobody has mentioned this, but obesity is one of the biggest links to CPS, see http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/who_gets_car pal_tunnel_syndrome_000034_4.htm but getting people to be healthy is much harder than telling them they have CPS

That link tries to make you print the article. The idiocy was on my part, not the web sites. Here is a proper link LINK

Sorry if that annoyed anybody.

Apparently lysine is prevalent in legumes according to here

That 10% always gets you...

This may be new to the MP3 world, but this method is nothingnew.

"The BAHA is a surgically implantable system for treatment of hearing loss that works through direct bone conduction. It has been used since 1977, and was cleared by the FDA in 1996 as a treatment for conductive and mixed hearing losses in the United States. In 2002, the FDA approved its use for the treatment of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss." from here

I recently learned (through an unpleasant personal, but not-quite-that-personal, experience) that HSV, an STD, is the "major cause of cervical cancer".

Watch out, guys. Especially watch out ladies.

-Peter

for longer legs you can simply get limb lengthening surgery - there was a special on it on MTV awhile back that had some people going through that process or thinking about it (most of them were midgets or just very short)

Overview

Definition:
A pancreatic islet cell tumor is an uncommon tumor of the pancreas that arises from a distinct type of cell in the pancreas, the islet cell. Normally, islet cells produce insulin and other hormones, and islet cell tumors can also produce hormones.

Alternative Names:
Islet cell tumors; Islet of Langerhans tumor; Neuroendocrine tumors

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

In the normal pancreas, cells called islet cells produce hormones that regulate a variety of bodily functions, such as blood sugar level and the production of stomach acid.

Tumors that arise from islet cells of the pancreas can also produce a variety of hormones, though some do not. Although islet cells produce many different hormones, most tumors secrete only one specific hormone that leads to specific symptoms. Pancreatic islet cell tumors can be benign or malignant (cancerous).

Islet cell tumors include insulinomas, glucagonomas, and gastrinomas (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome). A family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia, type I (MEN I) is a risk factor for the development of islet cell tumors.

Symptoms:
* Sweating
* Tremor
* Rapid heart rate
* Anxiety
* Hunger
* Dizziness
* Headache
* Clouding of vision
* Confusion
* Behavioral changes
* Convulsions
* Loss of consciousness
* Skin rash that migrates on the face, abdomen, perineum, buttocks, or lower extremities
o May be crusty and scaly
o May have raised lesions filled with clear fluid or pus
* Inflamed mouth and tongue
* Weight loss
* Weight gain (unintentional)
* Peptic ulcer pain
* Vomiting blood
* Diarrhea
* Abdominal pain

Note: The symptoms depend upon the type of tumor and the hormone produced.

Signs and tests:
The type of tests performed may vary depending upon the symptoms associated with the condition. Some of the following abnormalities may be detected on testing:

* elevated serum glucagon level
* an abdominal CT scan may reveal a pancreatic tumor (sometimes the tumor may be too small to see with a CT scan)
* elevated fasting glucose level
* abnormal glucose tolerance test
* catheterization of the pancreas to show high hormone level in the veins (this involves putting a wire into a blood vessel and taking blood out for measurements)
* MRI of abdomen to show pancreatic tumor (MRI can sometimes see smaller tumors than those seen with a CT scan)
* elevated serum insulin level
* elevated serum insulin C-peptide
* low fasting glucose level
* increased gastrin level
* positive secretin stimulation test for pancreas
* positive calcium infusion test

Treatment:
Treatment will depend upon the type of tumor discovered and whether the tumor is benign or malignant. Malignant tumors spread to other organs, grow aggressively, and may not be treatable. In general, tumors are removed surgically, if possible.

If malignant cancerous cells spread (metastasize) to the liver, a portion of the liver may also be removed, if possible. If the cancer is widespread, various forms of chemotherapy may be used to shrink the tumors.

If the abnormal production of hormones is causing problems, medications may be given to counteract their effects. For example, the overproduction of gastrin in the case of gastrinomas results in oversecretion of acid in the stomach, and medications that block acid secretion can be taken to reduce symptoms.

Expectations (prognosis):
Patients may be cured if tumors are surgically removed before they have spread to other organs. If tumors are malignant, chemotherapy may be used, but is usually unsuccessful at cur

Being a biomedical engineer at a top twenty US medical center, trained as a LVAD engineer for the Worldheart Novacor LVAS, I always wondered why we went to so much trouble to have pulsatile flow. We have to worry about bearings wearing out, and the internal sac sealing shut and not reopening if we squeeze too much blood out, an air vent to open the pump to atmospheric pressure, and also watch for tears in the inlet/outlet valves to the pump. A single moving part, impeller pump seems so much better in comparision. We are supposed to be moving towards the Jarvis 2000 here. Of course, the main problem with these LVAS pumps is the percutaneous line exiting from the patient's abdomen which leads to frequent pocket infections. I believe a totally implantable, continuous flow pump will be the future.

HGH works by stimulating the growth of cartilage in the Epiphyseal Plate, which causes lengthening of the bone. Unfortunately, once you finish puberty, the epiphyseal plate hardens into the epiphyseal line, which is why you stop growing (if you get an X-ray done on your arm, have the doc point it out to you - it'll be right near the end of the bone, just before it widens at the end).

In mature people, however, elevated levels of HGH cause the sides of bones to thicken, leading to very heavy features in the face, and wide hands and fingers. This can be seen in pictures of 'Giants' as well - not only are they quite tall, but their hands and faces are quite wide as well.

Basically, HGH in large amounts is bad for the mature human being. There have been a number of studies on its effects, and the major bad ones include increased incidence of cancer and diabetes. You have to remember that this is a hormone, and hormones basically control our bodies - messing with their balance can have very bad side effects. If you're serious about bulking up, an exercise routine is a much better way to go.

He is now believed to have died of rabies, contracted from one of his pets months earlier. In fact, the records from the hospital where he died actually said that he had abstained from alcohol for the previous 6 months.

Find out more about this theory.