Thank God America Is Not Catholic…

As a medical student, this is SICKENING to me!

Protestors hold pictures of Indian Savita Halappanavar, who was allegedly refused a pregnancy termination after doctors told her it was a Catholic country, as they gather outside Leinster House (Irish Parliament building) during a demonstration in favour of abortion legislation in Dublin, Ireland, on November 14, 2012. Halappanavar, who was 17 weeks pregnant, repeatedly asked the hospital to terminate her pregnancy because she had severe back pain and was miscarrying, her family said.

A DEAD FETUS GIVEN PREFERENCE OVER A LIVING WOMAN! TO ALL THOSE WHO LET THIS HAPPEN, FROM IDIOTIC PRO-LIFERS TO THE POPE – MAY GOD GIVE YOU EXACTLY WHAT YOU DESERVE!

Stroke Warning Signs

If you or anyone around you experiences any of these signs, please get medical help immediately. Mitigation of cerebro-vascular accident (stroke) damage is incredibly time sensitive. To your health.

Courtesy of http://www.strokeassociation.org

Water: Are You Drinking Enough?

Eight tall glasses a day. That’s what we have been told for decades. But is it really enough. Not quite.

Nails Changing Color?

So my aunt calls me up this morning sounding worried as heck about the fact that her nails have been changing color for some time now. So I thought I’d try to shed some light on this quite common medical problem. 🙂

Turmeric: The Golden Goddess

For over 5000 years this sacred herb has been advocated by Ayurvedic tradition. Held to be a gift from the gods, Turmeric was recommended for a variety of ills that plagued the ancient people of the orient. In the light of modern scientific research into curcumin (the active ingredient of the herb) it seems the “golden goddess” may indeed possess many of the healing attributes ascribed to her. Good news for all of us curry lovers!

Obesity Increases Cancer Risk

A Drink A Day…

I hesitate to publish this post as I fear it will be misunderstood. I myself abstain completely from any alcohol and I am the last person to advocate reckless drinking under the guise of it having health benefits. This post refers to MODERATE drinking. Moderate being defined as not drinking to the point of inebriation/drunkenness. About 1-2 drinks.

Several studies have indicated that for middle aged and older adults the moderate consumption of alcohol provides health benefits when compared to adults of the same age who do not drink at all. There is no benefit for those who are not yet middle aged – meaning for the young it is primarily a negative influence.

The reasoning proposed is that the stress and mental health benefits/release provided by drinking cuts down on mortality. And also that alcohol helps to socially bind people together. Of course, too much alcohol does not relieve stress, but causes it and tends to be a socially divisive force. No one likes a nasty drunk.

Personally, I think there are healthier ways to relieve stress and learn to interact with people. Alcohol can cause a plethora of problems and our society is plagued by a culture of irresponsible drinking, leading to sickness, suffering and death. But the studies are interesting.

Link: Does Alcohol Have Health Benefits?

EDIT: New information released. Longer life, but more suffering. Click here to read.