Dr. Tom Bradbury, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Emory University, said the less invasive technique, which is gaining in popularity, was developed in France in the 1970s. U.S. surgeons, he said, first used it in California in the late 1990s and it soon spread across the states. Unlike traditional hip replacement surgery, in which the entire hip joint is replaced, Bradbury said that the anterior approach allows the joint to be replaced without cutting the muscle from the bone. By sparing the muscle, he said, doctors are able to ensure greater stability. Because of the “muscle friendly” nature of the surgery, recovery is quicker. “It used to be we had to restrict patients’ motions to prevent the ball dislocating from the socket,” Bradbury said. “You couldn’t sit in a low chair, cross your legs or tie your shoe. But because the muscles are still working with this [new] approach, patients can still do all those things.”
This afternoon in Key Largo I saw an orange male iguana shake his dewflap at me. It’s the bit of skin under his chin. It might have meant “Hello” or “Get out of here.” Not knowing his mood I walked closer to get a better view. They can grow to be 6 feet, weigh 20 pounds, and live 20 years. He smiled and said, “Happy New Year from all the Dragons walking on earth, basking in trees and flying in air.” Chinese Feng Shui experts predict a tumultuous year ahead with earthquakes, floods, a change in Communist Party leadership and governmental scandals that will impact China.
If you can manage it try to see a red bird, a sign of good luck, on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Song birds and swallows are especially lucky. Preparation for the New Year is important enough to have some rigid rules. Clean house and wash your hair before not during New Year’s Eve so you won’t wash away your luck. Don’t let anyone tell ghost stories or mention illness or death. Don’t let children cry. All are foreboding signs of future disaster. Get sick people up, dressed and out of the bedroom. Other prohibitions are not as clear. Buying shoes or books is not recommended. Their Chinese characters are a homonym for rough as in difficult and lose. In short, don’t endanger health, wealth and happiness and as much as possible attract good energy. New Year is a time to share foods and fun with family and friends. 新年快乐
January 23rd brings The Year of the Dragon – the best way to fly. Be prepared to grow, travel, change, excel. The Dragon demands your energy and high spirits. Things and people change rapidly under his influence. Stay grounded with herbs including gotu kola for reducing stress, ginsengs for energy and circulation, and lemon grass, fresh mint, and ginger tea for digestion.
Lately medical studies have found that 1 in 5 Americans suffered from “mental illness” during the last year. According to a respected medical website “The unemployed, Medicaid beneficiaries, and those living below the poverty level were more likely to have mental illness in the preceding year, as were younger patients. Women appeared to be at greater risk than men (23% versus 16.8%). Substance use disorders were more common among those with mental illness than among those reporting no disorders (20% versus 6.1%), and the prevalence was even higher among patients with serious mental illness (25.2%).”
But of course people who are unemployed, who have lost jobs, homes, and their sense of security are DEPRESSED. Of course! That is normal not “mental illness.” They might turn to drugs or other forms of escape during stressful times. The medical answer is to medicate these people. What they need are jobs, a way to regain self-respect, or at least survive the current world-wide economic turn-down. Here is my herbal advice:
New research points to the possibility that statin drugs used to reduce harmful cholesterol may also help inhibit certain cancers notably breast cancer. See the chart to the left. That is the pathway indicating how statins can disrupt the mevalonate pathway.
USA Today reports: The p53 tumor suppressor gene stops the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells, but some women with breast cancer have mutant forms of this gene. In the new study, when the mutant p53 cells were treated in the laboratory with statins, the cells stopped their erratic growth, and even died in some cases.
It seems that the mutated p53 genes may activate the same pathway that the statins inhibit — the mevalonate pathway, the study suggests. The mevalonate pathway is important in the body’s production of cholesterol. In the study, the effects of the statin drugs were erased when the mevalonate pathway was reactivated, supporting the potential mechanism. The new research is published in the Jan. 20 issue of the journal Cell. How can you safely use natural statins without taking medical statin drugs that may have many potentially harmful side-effects, including energy loss, hormonal and behavior problems?
Continue reading ‘Pu Erh Tea, Statins, and Cancer – 普洱茶的茶，他汀类药物与癌症’
A new study found no relationship between junk foods sold in schools and the USA childhood obesity epidemic. Who funded this study–dentists? Jennifer Van Hook a Professor of Sociology and Demography, and doctoral student Claire Altman gathered data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999. The study tracked children up to eighth grade and focused on a sample of 19,450 kids during 2003-2004 (fifth graders) and 2006-2007 (eighth graders). Junk food was available in 86.3% of the eighth graders’ schools and 59.2% of the fifth graders’.
Continue reading ‘Kids’ Junk Food Diet/Obesity’
DVT is deep vein thrombosis. Joint replacement surgery is surging for baby boomers and DVT is among the greatest risk following surgery. According to Outpatient Surgery magazine, “Recommended prophylaxes don’t necessarily prevent deep vein thrombosis from developing in patients following hip or knee replacement, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. About 1 in 100 patients who undergo total or partial knee arthroplasty and 1 in 200 patients who undergo total or partial hip arthroplasty will suffer DVT before hospital discharge.” Those estimates might not reflect the true dangers of DVT, says John Heit, MD, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “The period of risk extends beyond the duration of hospitalization, which these days, is really quite short.” The risk period could be as long as three years following surgery I have heard. What natural blood thinner works to prevent clots while reducing scar tissue? Serramend capsules an enzyme used by the silk worm to dissolver her cocoon.
Does computer use change the brain? A new study brings up questions. “As always, there’s the lingering question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. In this case, it’s not clear whether people became addicted to the Internet first and brain changes then followed, or whether the brain was already wired differently, predisposing the young brains to addiction.” Another important issue is: “What is in the omelette? How do people spend time on the internet? What do they DO while changing brain chemicals to patterns resembling drug addition? Is computer addiction better than drug addiction? No wonder excess computer use (how much is too much?) is similar to the effects of a painkiller.
Parabens–You thought they were only in skin creams. Look again. More than 40,000 British women a year are diagnosed with breast cancer. Many major British and international brands use parabens, which are often listed on packaging as methylparaben, propyl, butyl or ethylparaben. Underarm antiperspirants have been linked to breast cancer for years after a rise in deodorant use coincided with an 80 per cent increase in diagnoses. The chemicals are man-made, but once inside the body they appear to behave like the female hormone estrogen — which has long been known to increase the risk of some forms of breast cancer. Parabens are found in beauty products including face-washes, mascara, moisturizing creams, shampoo, bubble bath, shaving foam and self-tan lotions and sprays. They are also present in processed meats such as ham and sausages, meat pies, pastries, sweets, coated nuts and many savory snacks. The cosmetics industry says paraben levels are very low and safe, and keep products fresh. The US Food and Drug Administration has dismissed safety fears, saying parabens are 100,000 times weaker than the body’s natural estrogen.
