DOCTOR YOURSELF Newsletter (Vol. 4, No. 22, for October 20, 2004)

[Guest guest]

" Andrew W. Saul " <drsaul

 

DOCTOR YOURSELF Newsletter (Vol. 4, No. 22, for October 20, 2004)

 

 

Sun, 10 Oct 2004 17:52:38 -0400

 

 

To for free: news-

 

" The establishment defends itself by complicating everything to the

point of incomprehensibility. " (Fred Hoyle)

 

 

The DOCTOR YOURSELF NEWSLETTER (Vol. 4, No. 22, for October 20, 2004)

 

" Free of charge, free of advertising, and free of the A.M.A. "

 

Written, edited and copyright 2004 by Andrew W. Saul of

http://www.doctoryourself.com , which welcomes 1.5 million visitors

annually. Commercial use of the website or the contents of this

Newsletter is strictly prohibited.

 

IN THIS " REALLY BIG " ISSUE:

 

LANCET'S RIDICULOUS ANTIOXIDANT PAPER

 

ASCORBATE: THE SCIENCE OF VITAMIN C

 

OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DR. S. HICKEY

 

" NUTRITION GUIDE " NONSENSE

 

and, the moment you've been waiting for:

 

The MEDLINE COMEDY CONTEST ENTRIES!

 

But, as Ed Sullivan said, " Now before we bring on the Beatles, " let's

take a look at this:

 

LANCET GOES ANTI-ANTIOXIDANT

 

I have received many readers' letters concerning a recent negative

antioxidant study published in the journal Lancet (Goran Bjelakovic,

Dimitrinka Nikolova, Rosa G Simonetti, Christian Gluud. Antioxidant

supplements for prevention of gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic

review and meta-analysis. Lancet 2004; 364: 1219-28).

 

To put it succinctly, the Lancet study concludes that antioxidant

supplements are killing people.

 

Hogwash.

 

To say that antioxidants are bad is like saying that oxidants are good.

That is not true, and even the giant breakfast cereal companies know

it. If a box of Calvin's " Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs "

(http://home.no.net/uffen/calvin/calvin12.htm) needs antioxidants, so

do your tens of trillions of perishable body cells.

 

The Lancet Anti-antioxidant Study:

 

Some Cautions for Readers

 

1) Beware the Meta-Analysis: A meta-analysis is not new research, but

a review of existing research. It is not a clinical study, but rather

a statistical look at a collection of studies. If you analyze failed

studies, you will get a negative meta-analysis.

 

2) Low-dose vitamin studies are the ones that get negative results.

Most vitamin research is low-dose. So where's the surprise?

 

3) Specifically addressing the recent Lancet study, Dr. Abram Hoffer

says:

 

" You will note that in every study analyzed, vitamin A and beta

carotene were used and according to the analysis, these were the toxic

components.

There was no evidence whatsoever that vitamin C was harmful. The

authors must have included the Finnish smoking studies, which were

huge, or else they could not have found as many subjects. I have

previously criticized the Finnish studies (Hoffer A. Editorial: The

Finnish antioxidant and lung cancer study. Journal of Orthomolecular

Medicine, 1994. Vol 9, Second Quarter, 67-70.) because even though it

was randomized, it turns out that the group given beta-carotene all

had been smoking one year more than any of the other groups. That

extra year could account for the slight increase in incidence of

cancer in this group. Therefore, the Finnish cancer studies

alone could account for the entire difference they found in the Lancet

analysis. "

 

4) Picking up on Dr. Hoffer's comment, I'd like to add that all bets

are off when you introduce pitifully low doses of antioxidants into

the contaminated body cells of long-time smokers. I call it

" physiological food riot syndrome. "

 

Imagine if Queen Marie " Let Them Eat Cake " Antoinette had gone out

alone into the poverty-ridden streets of pre-revolutionary Paris,

armed with nothing but a few dozen loaves of bread. I think there

would have been a mob scene, and more people hurt from the scuffle

than nourished by the bread.

Tossing a token amount of some food to a starving crowd will not work.

Giving inadequate doses of vitamins to the desperate body cells

gasping away inside heavy smokers won't work, either. If you want to

spend your time and go and analyze the failure, be my guest.

 

But I think the Lancet would have done better to take a stab at

publishing some productive research, or, at the very least, a

meta-analysis of high-dose nutrition therapy.

 

More of my hints on How to Spot Anti-Vitamin Biases in a Scientific

Study will be found at http://www.doctoryourself.com/antivitamin.html.

 

More of Dr. Hoffer's thoughts on this are posted at

http://www.doctoryourself.com/hoffer_factoids.html

 

 

ASCORBATE: THE SCIENCE OF VITAMIN C

 

Hickey S and Roberts H. Ascorbate: The science of vitamin C. 2004.

ISBN 1-4116-0724-4. Morrisville, NC: Lulu.com. http://www.lulu.com

 

No medical professional's bias or belief system can long withstand

Steve Hickey and Hilary Roberts' new and absolutely first-rate

presentation of the safety and effectiveness of megadoses of vitamin

C. There are only two possible reader responses to this book:

persuasion or dismissal.

Ascorbate:

The Science of Vitamin C is a thorough review (575 references) of

what, at least until now, has appeared to be a controversial topic.

Along with Dr. Tom Levy's book, Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and

Toxins: Curing the Incurable (reviewed at

http://www.doctoryourself.com/levy.html), it

ranks among the absolute best.

 

I wish I'd had a book of this caliber back in the 1970's when my kids

were infants, and there wasn't a doctor in sight that would give our

vegetarian and megavitamin C lifestyle the time of day. The outlaws,

er, ah, in-laws were against it, too. Even so, I raised my kids all

the way into college without a single dose of any antiviral,

antihistamine, or antibiotic.

To put it bluntly: the stuff really works.

 

Flu season is coming: stock up now, both on the vitamin and the good

books about it.

 

I am writing a full-length review of Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin

C to appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Orthomolecular

Medicine.

Since MEDLINE likely won't be indexing it (more on that further

below), I also intend to publish the review in the Doctor Yourself

Newsletter for my ever-curious readership.

 

THE DOCTOR YOURSELF INTERVIEW

 

with Steve Hickey, PhD, co-author of Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin

C

 

DOCTOR YOURSELF NEWS: So how did it all start?

 

STEVE HICKEY, PhD: We (co-author Hilary Roberts and I) had been

following the developments in vitamin C and antioxidants with some

concern. Since Linus Pauling's death, there seemed to be a great deal

of misinformation coming into the area. The NIH had performed some

questionable experiments and were making the apparently ridiculous

statement that blood plasma and tissues became saturated with low

doses of vitamin C. There was no mainstream research on high doses and

the establishment was making wild extrapolations from their low dose

data. We could not see how a clinical trial with 200 mg of vitamin C,

for example, could be used to suggest that higher doses were not

effective.

 

The work of physicians like Bob Cathcart, Archie Kalokerinos and Abram

Hoffer was intriguing. The reported effects, especially of intravenous

vitamin C, were astounding. It was difficult to find any reason to

explain the lack of scientific follow-up. By analogy, it was as if

many independent physicians were each independently discovering

antibiotics and no-one was interested. We had friends and relatives

that were sick or dying from diseases that high dose vitamin C was

claimed to cure. Eventually we felt we had no choice but to write the

book.

 

DY NEWS: What are your past and current occupations or university

appointments?

 

HICKEY: I have a PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of

Manchester. I spent about ten years in research at the Manchester

Medical School and associated hospitals. Initially, I had trained as a

biologist specializing in pharmacology. Later I switched to

biomechanics and medical physics. My PhD was on the function of the

spine, specifically the aging, development and mechanical function of

the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disk. I was awarded the

Volvo Award for back pain research for the first year of my PhD

(jointly with Dr David Hukins) and later won the Annual Award and

Medal of the Back Pain Society for MR imaging of the spine. Following

my work on the spine, I worked with Professor John Brocklehurst on the

biomechanics of the urethra and developed a range of conformable

catheters. Then I worked on methods for ultra high resolution CT

scanning and led the physics group of the first clinical MR scanner in

Europe. Currently, I am Head of Technology for a company in Manchester

Science Park and a member of the Biology Department of Manchester

Metropolitan University.

 

Hilary Roberts' first degree was in Physiology and Psychology, she has

a Masters in Computer Science and her PhD was on the effects of early

life malnutrition, at the Department of Child Health in the University

of Manchester. She spent ten years in research and teaching at the

university.

Currently, she is a freelance researcher and consultant. She is also

working on a second nutrition book.

 

DY NEWS: How did you happen to meet each other?

 

HICKEY: We met at Manchester Medical School, during our PhD studies.

 

DY NEWS: Advocating megadoses of vitamin C as actual cure for serious

disease has been a fount of frustration for many an academic (Linus

Pauling coming instantly to mind), practicing physician or

grant-seeking research scientist. What heat have you personally been

taking from your book?

 

HICKEY: None whatsoever - so far. We have been actively trying to

provoke a response from the NIH, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and

associated scientists. I suppose they are trying to ignore us, but

they can't hide forever. I think it is clear that the current ideas of

plasma saturation are simply wrong and cannot be defended.

 

 

One or two scientists have tried to support the use of white blood

cells to estimate body requirements. This is more central to the IOM's

justification of the RDA than the plasma studies, but equally silly.

Dr Mark Levine told us he used white blood cells because they were

easy to sample, not because they were representative of normal body

cells. The RDA committee, using Levine's papers as their basis,

claimed that these cells were the best model. In giving their reasons,

the IOM used a single reference to justify the choice of cell, but

that paper did not support the idea that white blood cells are similar

to other body tissues. White blood cells have special needs for

vitamin C. They absorb it actively and have levels from 25-60

times the surrounding plasma. Biologically, it is difficult to think

of cells with more specialized requirements and uptake mechanisms for

ascorbate.

 

Many of the people whose work we have respected for years have

welcomed the book, which is encouraging. Those on the opposite side

have tended to ignore it, which is disappointing, but unsurprising. We

have taken time and effort to seek out and email the establishment

scientists that support the low-dose ideas, but none have chosen to

defend these ideas.

 

DY NEWS: Your book carefully examines the Moertel-Pauling vitamin

C/cancer controversy. I understand Moertel died the same year Pauling

did, but was nearly thirty years younger. Does that hit a nerve of the

ascorbate researcher?

 

HICKEY: We are obviously delighted that Pauling lived such a long life

and was productive until his death, aged 93. Everyone benefited from

his work.

Charles Moertel died in his sixties and they both died of cancer.

Ironically, recent results suggest that if Dr. Moertel had performed

his vitamin C and cancer experiments with more of an open mind, the

results might have saved his life.

 

DY NEWS: In spite of so much modern research confirming that he was

right, Pauling is still vilified by some. Why do you think this is?

What is it about this little molecule, C6H8O6, that so ticks off the

medical professions?

 

Pauling was one of the greatest scientists who have ever lived. Anyone

has the right to criticize his science if it is incorrect. However,

the criticism directed at him in connection with vitamin C has often

been personal and this is not acceptable. Pauling's achievements are

greater than are those of his detractors: it sounds like sour grapes

to attack him on a personal level.

 

The medical establishment's response to vitamin C seems bizarre. They

have denigrated its use in high doses but have not responded to

reports of efficacy by independent physicians. The reasons for this

are not scientific.

Pharmaceutical companies have a great financial interest in ensuring

that high dose vitamin C continues to be seen as ineffective. The

existence of the tobacco companies demonstrates that some companies

value profits more highly than health. If the claimed benefits of

high-dose vitamin C can be demonstrated, its use would greatly reduce

the profitability of the medical industries. Furthermore, if vitamin C

were shown to have these properties, we might expect people to start

asking whether other antioxidant supplements could have similar effects.

 

The medical establishment gives the appearance of avoiding high-dose

vitamin C experimentation. They seem to confuse nutritional doses,

between 200 mg to 10 grams, with necessarily much higher

pharmacological doses. For example, they might perform a clinical

trial using a dose of less than 400 mg for heart disease and, finding

no response, suggest that vitamin C is useless. A nutritional dose of

400 mg of vitamin C is not likely to reverse heart disease, but this

experiment has no bearing on whether or not higher doses might be more

effective.

 

Pharmacological doses start at a minimum of 10 grams for treating

disease.

Dr Robert Cathcart (http://www.orthomed.com) and others have given

daily doses of several hundred grams for serious illnesses. Cathcart

classifies the severity of viral disease in relation to the vitamin C

bowel tolerance level, so he might describe a " 40-gram cold " or a more

severe " 120-gram cold. " The medical establishment has been negligent

in failing to investigate such doses.

 

DY NEWS: I noticed that your book properly zeroes in on intravenous

administration of vitamin C. Many of my readers are vexed that their

local hospitals and doctors will not provide this. Your comments?

 

HICKEY: It is possible that many physicians are worried about

litigation when giving therapies that are not in the accepted

mainstream. Dr Tom Levy trained in law as well as medicine and his

book, " Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases and Toxins, "

(http://www.doctoryourself.com/levy.html) was

written in part to help with this situation. Patients might consider

getting a copy of his book for their physician. (Editor's note: A

sample chapter is posted at http://www.tomlevymd.com/vcfour.htm)

 

DY NEWS: Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C, even with its 575

references, might be described as just slightly controversial. What

parts of your book are your critics attacking you over, specifically?

 

HICKEY: This is quite strange. One critic suggested that we were too

harsh in describing cold fusion as an example of pseudoscience. A

professor did not like one of the chemical diagrams. That is it, as

far as criticism goes.

The medical establishment have been unable or unwilling to respond to

the important points made in the book.

 

DY NEWS: As you cite them, can you please tell us about your

experiences, discussions or contacts with Dr. Bob Cathcart, Dr. Abram

Hoffer, and Dr. Tom Levy?

 

HICKEY: They were an inspiration. Robert Cathcart read the whole book

in early draft form and provided us with feedback and helpful

suggestions.

Abram Hoffer read sections of the manuscript and was most encouraging,

as was Tom Levy, who told us about his plans for future research. The

book owes a great debt to the work of Cathcart, Hoffer, Levy and other

physicians, who have risked their reputations and careers in the hope

of getting orthomolecular therapy considered.

 

DY NEWS: To that, I can only say, Hear, hear! How much attention is

Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C receiving in your country, a

nation under the imminent threat of CODEX and the EU supplements

directive?

 

I think the Codex and EU legislation has European nutrition

professionals and supplement takers in a panic. Stopping the Codex

will be difficult and the current emphasis is on a legal challenge in

the European Court of Human Rights. I will be assisting Patrick

Holford in a presentation to the UK House of Commons in October.

 

DY NEWS: How are what I understand to be your strong efforts to

increase the US RDA and other government nutrient intake standards

progressing?

 

HICKEY: I must mention the sterling work that Bill Sardi, Medical

Journalist, has been undertaking in this area. If we are successful in

getting the RDA increased, it will certainly owe a lot to his

persistent efforts. I have received no credible scientific response to

the challenge, from either the NIH or the IOM. There appears to be no

defense to the plasma " saturation " claims. However, the IOM have just

claimed that they actually based the RDA on levels in white blood

cells, rather than plasma saturation.

This was probably their best attempt at a reply. As we pointed out in

" Ascorbate, " the evidence for the use of white blood cells is at least

as silly as that for the use of plasma levels. White blood cells are

not a suitable model for the whole body: they are unusual and

specialized in their use of ascorbate.

 

DY NEWS: To date, where has you book been reviewed?

 

HICKEY: I don't have a full list, but there are readers' reviews on

Amazon.com, Lulu.com and the Vitamin C Foundation website

http://www.vitamincfoundation.org . Dr Richard Passwater reviewed the

book for WholeFoods Magazine (Sept. 2004). The latest reviewer is Dr

Sandra Goodman, author of " Vitamin C the Master Nutrient, " for

Positive Health magazine. The reviews we have seen have been positive.

We had expected a lot of negative feedback and disinformation from the

establishment but, so far, this has not materialized.

 

DY NEWS: how do both of you get along with your personal physicians?

 

HICKEY: Very well; our physicians are helpful and open. They have some

coverage of alternative medicine and include acupuncture as a therapy.

Neither of us has needed to visit since the Ascorbate book was

published.

 

DY NEWS: Because of how much vitamin C you take, perhaps? How much

vitamin C do you take daily? How about your families; children?

 

HICKEY: It varies - several grams a day at least, more if we feel

under the weather. We take it at intervals throughout the day. My

(grown-up) children take similar amounts. Hilary's father, a

skeptical, retired surgeon, has also been on vitamin C for about 20

years, since having a heart bypass operation. I think he started it as

a placebo, as supplementing was easier than dealing with the repeated

suggestions that he needed it! However, from a recent scan, his

arteries are clear and, now he has read the book, he is

starting to think there might be something in it after all.

 

The Doctor Yourself Newsletter thanks Dr. Hickey for this interview,

and wishes him and Dr. Roberts all success with their very valuable

and timely book.

 

 

ANTIOXDANTS VILIFIED

 

by Michael Jolliffe, UK

 

Here in England this week there has been much furor about a study

published in the Lancet (mentioned previously: Bjelakovic G et al.

Antioxidant supplements for prevention of gastrointestinal cancers: a

systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet 2004; 364: 1219-28)

claiming to show that antioxidant supplementation may exacerbate

gastrointestinal cancer. UK nutritionist Patrick Holford responded by

describing the report as " one of the most biased and unsubstantiated

reports on antioxidants I've ever read. "

(http://www.patrickholford.com/content.asp?id_Content=1193)

 

The front cover of the Lancet contains a quote from the article

suggesting that " The prospect that vitamin pills may not only do no

good but also kill their consumers is a scary speculation given the

vast quantities that are used in certain communities. "

 

The motivation for this scary speculation becomes clearer on turning

the journal over to the BACK cover. The Lancet's entire back cover is

filled with an image of an empty pill bottle, labeled: " Last year

millions died from a drug problem. They couldn't get any. "

Pharmaceutical companies are clearly bringing out the heavy artillery

in order to spin the anti-vitamin myth, and put doubts in minds.

 

Yet, however much we deride the antiquated " drug for a bug " tactics of

the medical profession, they wouldn't be so much a cause for concern,

and the clear bias shown against nutritional medicine not nearly so

incredulous, if the patients receiving treatment from our National

Health Service were being well educated on their own health needs.

This is emphatically not the case.

The following link is to an advice booklet given to cancer patients at

my local hospital:

(http://www.kentandmedway.nhs.uk/pdf/Local_services/Nutrition_for_the_cancer_Pat\

ient.pdf)

 

Its recommendations are astonishing (and, unfortunately, not atypical).

The booklet begins with the sound advice that " it is important to eat

as well as you can, " but goes on to suggest " nourishing drinks " such

as " After Eight " chocolates with 2 tablespoons of cream and 60 g of

ice cream (page 23) and a " Tipsy Special " (p 3) containing honey with

whiskey or brandy.

Recommended snacks include ice cream, chocolate mousse and shortbread,

chocolate biscuits (cookies) (p 5) and glasses of sherry before meals

to increase appetite (p 5).

 

The following would be a feasible day's menu for a cancer patient,

adhering closely to the advice provided in the booklet:

 

Breakfast:

 

Cereals (e.g. Rice Crispies, p 21) with added honey, sugar and/or jam

(p

10).

 

Lunch:

 

Corned beef (p 11) white bread sandwich (p 21) with cake (p 12).

 

Supper:

 

Sherry (p 5)

 

Hotdog sausages with instant mash potato (p 11) and stewed vegetables

(p 5).

 

Followed, of course, by a Tipsy Special.

 

The title of the booklet " Nutrition for the Cancer Patient " is clearly

a misnomer because, hard as one may try, it is very difficult to find

any nutrition in such a menu. It could be argued that the advice is

aimed at the nauseous, post-chemotherapy cancer patient looking for

easy, palatable, convenience food. Yet, surely that is the very reason

itself that good, simple nutritional advice needs to be offered. If

the unfortunate individual is so weakened by the disease, why are they

being told to eat chocolate mousse? No one would deny a suffering man

(woman, or child) going through the distress of radiation therapy a

comforting bowl of ice cream IF they were being otherwise properly

nourished.

 

The fact, however, cannot be ignored that the same medical profession,

standing up against the use of antioxidants and other nutrients that

indisputably help to prevent illness, is singularly failing to educate

its cancer patients beyond eating tinned soup and drinking cocoa (p 12).

All this, while simultaneously offering reassurance that people eating

such balanced diets " should have no need for vitamin and mineral

supplements " (4).

 

Comments about the booklet, or suggested responses are welcomed to

 

m.jolliffe-02. If enough are received, I will look

at offering the collective response to the hospital.

 

EAT, EXERCISE, EXCEL

 

" The educational, 28 minute VHS video entitled " Eat, Exercise, Excel "

is now available free of charge at our website: www.brightspot.org. It

provides a great nutrition-based alternative to the standard approach

of police in schools at high cost. "

 

" Sincerely,

 

" Hugh D. Riordan, M.D. "

 

(3100 North Hillside Avenue, Wichita, KS 67219 U.S.A.)

 

SEARCHING AT DOCTORYOURSELF.COM?

 

Atomz, our free search engine, now contains advertising. It is not my

idea, but keeping my 1.5 million word website easily searchable, and

free, is.

 

DOCTOR YOURSELF DANISH WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

 

http://www.mayday-info.dk/335.0.html

 

contains an outstanding English-language orthomolecular bibliography

of 150 important nutritional research studies. Much of the rest of the

site is also available in English as well.

http://www.mayday-info.dk/50.0.html is

definitely worth a click.

 

AND AWAY WE GO!

 

Yes, Here Are the Entries Received for the Doctor Yourself News'

 

MEDLINE COMEDY CONTEST!

 

CAUTION: This portion of the Doctor Yourself Newsletter is rated PG-13

for

Strong Suggestive Scientific Content. Parental Guidance is Recommended.

 

Thanks to all for filling this wonderful grab bag. OK, OK! No more!

The contest is now officially over, and the winning Medline citation

will be announced . . . in our NEXT issue.

 

I really did learn a lot from Ed Sullivan.

 

Rules Reminder: In a case when more than one reader sent in the same

entry, the one received first gets consideration. And remember: Our

decision is final, secret, and arbitrary.

 

Just like MEDLINE.

 

And yes, these papers are all indexed by your taxpayer-supported

National Library of Medicine.

 

 

Heated socks maintain toe temperature but not always skin blood flow

as mean skin temperature falls. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2003

Aug;74(8):891-3.)

 

 

Treatment techniques for the recycling of bottle washing water in the

soft drinks industry. Water Sci Technol. 2004;50(2):107-12. Ramirez

Camperos E,

Mijaylova Nacheva P, Diaz Tapia E.

 

Bite mark or bottle top? J Forensic Sci. 2004 Jan;49(1):119-21. James

H,

Cirillo GN. Forensic Odontology Unit, University of Adelaide, SA 5005,

Australia.

 

" An alleged assault was reported by a 42-year-old female, with initial

medical examination revealing an apparent bite mark on the right

buttock.

Odontological examination, including visual assessment, full history

and photographs showed that the injury did not meet the class

characteristics of a human bite. Subsequent digital overlay production

showed that the injury pattern was consistent with a corrugated bottle

top. This case highlights the need for careful assessment of injuries

alleged to be caused by human teeth. "

 

Animal waste: the smell of success or the stench of trouble? Herrick

JB. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1995 Jan 15;206(2):162-3.

 

The eyebrow frown: a salient social signal. Tipples J, Atkinson AP,

Young AW. Emotion. 2002 Sep;2(3):288-96.

 

" Seven experiments investigated the finding that threatening schematic

faces are detected more quickly than nonthreatening faces. Threatening

faces with v-shaped eyebrows (angry and scheming expressions) were

detected more quickly than nonthreatening faces with inverted v-shaped

eyebrows (happy and sad expressions). In contrast to the hypothesis

that these effects were due to perceptual features unrelated to the

face, no advantage was found for v-shaped eyebrows presented in a

nonfacelike object. Furthermore, the addition of internal facial

features (the eyes, or the nose and mouth) was necessary to produce

the detection advantage for faces with v-shaped eyebrows. Overall, the

results are interpreted as showing that the v-shaped eyebrow

configuration affords easy detection, but only when other internal

facial features are present. "

 

J Vector Ecol. 1998 Dec;23(2):186-94. Olfactory responses and field

attraction of mosquitoes to volatiles from Limburger cheese and human

foot odor. Kline DL.

 

A study of diurnal variation in wrinkles on the human face. Arch

Dermatol Res. 2004 Aug 20. Tsukahara K, Moriwaki S, Hotta M, Fujimura

T, Kitahara T.

 

" We recently evaluated diurnal variations in facial skin elasticity

and thickness and reported a decrease in skin thickness and an

increase in skin elasticity in the afternoon compared with the

morning. This phenomenon may be associated with the effect of gravity

on dermal fluids. There have been no reports on the diurnal variation

in wrinkles on the face, and we now describe such a study. . . The

results of skin thickness and skin elasticity were in agreement with

those of our last study. Swelling tended to occur in the morning due

to the effects of gravity during sleep. Therefore, wrinkles may be

swollen in the morning. Furthermore, repeated movements of the

face due to changes of facial expression may gradually increase

wrinkle formation and depth from the morning to the afternoon. "

 

Patterson S. Windy babies. Med J Aust. 1966 Mar 19;1(12):506-8.

 

Jones FA. Burbulence. A fresh look at flatulent dyspepsia.

Practitioner. 1967 Mar;198(185):367-70.

 

Wigs, laughter, and subversion: Charles Busch and strategies of drag

performance. J Homosex. 2004;46(3-4):35-53. Niles R.

 

" This paper examines the strategies of drag performer/ playwright

Charles Busch. His performance aesthetic is explored and shown to be

subversive even though its initial impulse is to entertain. Basing my

arguments on the work of Judith Butler, Elin Diamond, and others, I

argue that drag queens like Busch can not only entertain but also make

audiences question and criticize through drag's power to create a

Brechtian alienation effect and historicize the subject . . . By

examining the performance of Busch and his fellow actors, I

demonstrate how a contemporary relevancy is achieved by having the

roles played by a female impersonator whose acting choices are

filtered through a gay sensibility. The ongoing dialectic between

spectator and performer creates a historicized moment in performance

that underscores the gender dynamics in unexpected and stimulating ways. "

 

Respiration. 2004 Jan-Feb;71(1):104. Chin stimulation: a trigger point

for provoking acute hiccups. Todisco T, Todisco C, Bruni L, Donato R.

 

Psychophysiology. 2004 Mar;41(2):281-7. Staring at one side of the

face increases blood flow on that side of the face. Drummond PD, Mirco N.

 

" To investigate the effect of observation on blushing, an experimenter

sat next to 28 participants and looked closely at one cheek while the

participant sang (embarrassing) or read aloud (not embarrassing).

Increases in cheek temperature were greater on the observed than the

unobserved side during both tasks. Changes in cheek temperature were

symmetrical when the experimenter sat next to another 23 participants

and looked straight ahead, as well as when the experimenter stared at

one side of the participant's face through a glass window while the

participant sang. However, increases in cutaneous blood flow were

greater on the observed than the unobserved side of the forehead

during singing. These findings suggest that staring at one side of the

face triggers an ipsilateral increase in facial blood flow. "

 

Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Apr;25(4):590-2. Thinness and body

shape of Playboy centerfolds from 1978 to 1998. Katzmarzyk PT, Davis C.

 

Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2004 Sep;30(9):1186-97. Playboy Playmate

curves: changes in facial and body feature preferences across social

and economic conditions. Pettijohn TF 2nd, Jungeberg BJ.

 

" Past research has investigated ideals of beauty and how these ideals

have changed across time. In the current study, facial and body

characteristics of Playboy Playmates of the Year from 1960-2000 were

identified and investigated to explore their relationships with U.S.

social and economic factors. Playmate of the Year age, body feature

measures, and facial feature measurements were correlated with a

general measure of social and economic hard times. Consistent with

Environmental Security Hypothesis predictions, when social and

economic conditions were difficult, older, heavier, taller

Playboy Playmates of the Year with larger waists, smaller eyes, larger

waist-to-hip ratios, smaller bust-to-waist ratios, and smaller body

mass index values were selected. These results suggest that

environmental security may influence perceptions and preferences for

women with certain body and facial features. "

 

J Clin Psychiatry. 1995 Feb;56(2):56-9. Rhinotillexomania: psychiatric

disorder or habit? Jefferson JW, Thompson TD.

 

" BACKGROUND: Conditions once considered bad habits are now recognized

as psychiatric disorders (trichotillomania, onychopagia). We

hypothesized that nose picking is another such " habit, " a common

benign practice in most adults but a time-consuming, socially

compromising, or physically harmful condition (rhinotillexomania) in

some. METHODS: We developed the Rhinotillexomania Questionnaire,

mailed it to 1000 randomly selected adult residents of Dane County,

Wisconsin, and requested anonymous responses.

The returned questionnaires were analyzed according to age, sex,

marital status, living arrangement, and educational level. Nose

picking was characterized according to time involved, level of

distress, location, attitudes toward self and others regarding the

practice, technique, methods of disposal, reasons, complications, and

associated habits and psychiatric disorders.

RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-four subjects responded. Ninety-one percent

were current nose pickers although only 75% felt " almost everyone does

it " ; 1.2% picked at least every hour. For 2 subjects (0.8%), nose

picking caused moderate to marked interferences with daily

functioning. Two subjects spent between 15 and 30 minutes and 1 over 2

hours a day picking their nose.

For 2 others, perforation of the nasal septum was a complication.

Associated " habits " included picking cuticles (25%), picking at skin

(20%), biting fingernails (18%), and pulling out hair (6%).

CONCLUSION: This first population survey of nose picking suggests that

it is an almost universal practice in adults but one that should not

be considered pathologic for most. For some, however, the condition

may meet criteria for a disorder-rhinotillexomania. "

 

Sud Med Ekspert. 2004 Jul-Aug;47(4):38-40. [The role of carrier-object

in investigations of cigar-butts] [Article in Russian] [No authors listed]

 

" A comprehensive series of experiments was undertaken to find the

reasons why the cigar-butt stuff, removed from accident places for

investigation at forensic-biological laboratories, affects different

sera. A number of such reasons were established. Methods are suggested

to eliminate the cigar-butt impact with the aim of ensuring the most

accurate results while determining the group adherence of saliva on

the cigar-butts. "

 

Psychophysiological responding during script-driven imagery in people

reporting abduction by space aliens. Psychol Sci. 2004 Jul;15(7):493-7.

McNally RJ, Lasko NB, Clancy SA, Macklin ML, Pitman RK, Orr SP.

 

[No authors listed] Coca-Cola Space Can undergoes successful test by

cosmonauts onboard Soviet space station Mir. AIAA Stud J. 1992

Winter;29(4):14-5.

 

Hong CY, Shieh CC, Wu P, Chiang BN. The spermicidal potency of

Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. Hum Toxicol. 1987 Sep;6(5):395-6.

 

Spina MB. " ...Nothing beats stamp collecting... " (Dr. Alan Drinnan).

TIC. 1979 Aug;38(8):12-5.

 

Total infarction of the penis caused by entrapment in a plastic bottle.

Urologe A. 2004 Jul;43(7):843-4. [Article in German] Maruschke M,

Seiter H.

 

An objective evaluation of the waterproofing qualities, ease of

insertion and comfort of commonly available earplugs. Clin

Otolaryngol. 2004 Apr;29(2):128-32. Chisholm EJ, Kuchai R, McPartlin D.

 

" Earplugs are commonly recommended to protect the middle ear from

water in patients with exposed middle ears. This study assessed the

waterproofing qualities, ease of insertion and comfort of six commonly

available earplugs.

Ten subjects (20 ears) were assessed by placing a pre-weighed

neurosurgical pattie in their cleaned ear canal under microscope

guidance. The subjects underwent a standardized head wetting regime.

The outer ear was dried, earplug and pattie removed and pattie

reweighed. The difference in weight was calculated. The subjects were

also asked to score the difficulty of insertion and comfort of the

earplugs on a visual analogue scale. The results show a significant

difference in the waterproofing qualities of the various types of

earplugs. Cotton wool with petroleum jelly was the most effective (P <

0.001). It was also the easiest to insert and the most comfortable for

the subject (P < 0.001). "

 

Tickle. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2004 Jan;50(1):93-7. Selden ST.

 

" Tickle is a familiar sensation that may have two components: a light

or feather-type noxious sensation termed by Hall and Allin as

knismesis, and a heavy or laughter-associated sensation termed

gargalesis. Studies on the sensation of tickle have generally been on

one sensation or the other, but not on both. . .

 

It is unclear why some skin sites are more ticklish than other sites.

.. . "

 

The four 'Vs' for foot care. Vaseline, vegetable shortening, vinegar

and Vicks VapoRub. Adv Nurse Pract. 2004 Jun;12(6):67-70, 84. Kelechi

TJ, Stroud S.

 

Using current on-line carcass evaluation parameters to estimate

boneless and bone-in pork carcass yield as influenced by trim level.

Berg EP, Grams DW, Miller RK, Wise JW, Forrest JC, Savell JW.

 

" The objective of this study was to develop prediction equations for

estimating proportional carcass yield to a variety of external trim

levels and bone-in and boneless pork primal cuts. Two hundred pork

carcasses were selected from six U.S. pork processing plants and

represented USDA carcass grades (25% USDA #1, 36% USDA #2, 25% USDA

#3, and 14% USDA #4).

Carcasses were measured (prerigor and after a 24 h chill) for fat and

muscle depth at the last rib (LR) and between the third and fourth

from last rib (TH) with a Hennessy optical grading probe (OGP).

Carcasses were shipped to Texas A & M University, where one was randomly

assigned for fabrication. . . Total dissected carcass lean was used to

calculate the percentage of total carcass lean (PLEAN). Lean tissue

subsamples were collected for chemical fat-free analysis and

percentage carcass fat-free lean (FFLEAN) was determined.

Longissimus muscle area and fat depth also were collected at the 10th

and 11th rib interface during fabrication. Regression equations were

developed from linear carcass and OGP measurements predicting FLC of

each fabrication point. Loin muscle and fat depths from the OPG

obtained on warm, prerigor carcasses at the TH interface were more

accurate predictors of fabrication end points than warm carcass probe

depth obtained at the last rib or either of the chilled carcass probe

sites (probed at TH or LR). Fat and loin muscle depth obtained via OGP

explained 46.7, 52.6, and 57.1% (residual mean square error [RMSE] =

3.30, 3.19, and 3.04%) of the variation in the percentage of

BI-FLC trimmed to .64, .32, and 0 cm of s.c. fat, respectively, and

49.0, 53.9, and 60.7% (RMSE = 2.91, 2.81, and 2.69%) of the variation

in the percentage of BL-FLC trimmed to .64, .32, and 0 cm of s.c. fat,

respectively. Fat and loin muscle depth from warm carcass OGP probes

at the TH interface accounted for 62.4 and 63.5% (RMSE = 3.38 and

3.27%) of the variation in PLEAN and FFLEAN, respectively. These

equations provide an opportunity to estimate pork carcass yield for a

variety of procurement end point equations using existing on-line

techniques. "

 

Kool-Aid colitis. N Engl J Med. 1990 Apr 5;322(14):1012. Sack J.

 

Effect on tipping of barman drawing a sun on the bottom of customers'

checks. Psychol Rep. 2000 Aug;87(1):223-6. Gueguen N, Legoherel P.

Laboratoire GRESICO, IUT de Vannes-Departement TC, Universite de

Bretagne-Sud, France.

 

" Previous research has demonstrated that a pleasant drawing (a smiling

face) on a restaurant bill increased the number of tips left by

clients. A similar experiment was carried out using a drawing of the

sun since it is known that tips increase on sunny days. The experiment

was carried out in local bars and involved clients who have ordered an

espresso coffee. Analysis showed that the drawing of the sun led

clients to leave a tip more frequently than when this drawing is not

present. The size of the tip left was also higher.

The hypothesis of the creation of a positive frame of mind by this

stimulus is discussed. "

 

(Publication Types: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial)

 

Health Foodserv Mag. 2000 Winter;10(1):12. Espresso kiosks can be

profitable addition to hospital foodservice. Myers M.

 

Espresso maker's wrist. Shusterman D. West J Med. 1990

Jun;152(6):721-2. Comment in: West J Med. 1990 Dec;153(6):664-5.

 

Characterization of particles in cream cheese. J Dairy Sci. 2004

Sep;87(9):2854-63. Sainani MR, Vyas HK, Tong PS.

 

" Cream cheese is used as a spread and as an ingredient in many food

applications. A gritty or grainy mouthfeel is an undesirable textural

defect that occurs in cream cheese. However, the factors that cause

the textural defect are not well understood. The objectives of this

study were to isolate and characterize particles from cream cheese and

to study the effect of particles on cheese texture. Particles were

isolated by washing cream cheese with water first at 25 degrees C and

then at 50 degrees C repeatedly 4 to 5 times. The size of these

particles was determined using a particle size analyzer. . . Smooth

cream cheese with only 5% (wt/wt) added particles was perceived as

significantly grittier than the control sample. This experiment

also revealed that the perceived grittiness increased with increase in

amount and size of particles. "

 

Tooth-brushing epilepsy with ictal orgasms. Seizure. 2004

Apr;13(3):179-82. Chuang YC, Lin TK, Lui CC, Chen SD, Chang CS.

 

" We report a 41-year-old woman with complex reflex epilepsy in which

seizures were induced exclusively by the act of tooth brushing. All

the attacks occurred with a specific sensation of sexual arousal and

orgasm-like euphoria that were followed by a period of impairment of

consciousness.

Ictal EEG demonstrated two events of epileptic seizure that were

provoked after tooth brushing for 38 and 14 seconds, respectively. . .

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed right hippocampal

atrophy. We suggest that tooth-brushing epilepsy, especially with

sexual ictal manifestations, may provide insight into the cerebral

pathophysiology at the right temporolimbic structure. "

 

How about that.

 

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