Alicia's Medical Musings

Long Hiatus

2011-01-11T16:08:00.003+08:00

It's been very (very very long). Uni has been pretty grueling, but it's finally done.

Many of my non-science friends jokingly ask me why I can't just take any mouse off the street for final year project my experiments. Here's why.

Garlic - my favourite herb

2008-12-30T23:16:00.003+08:00

Here's a short one. Seriously, after doing HW102 ( a writing module), I'm never in the mood to write long entries anymore. Might be a good thing. Might be a bad thing.

Anyway...

take a look at the picture below:

Picture taken from: http://happyhomemaker88.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/garlic-2.jpg

I'm sure everyone has seen this herb before. It's found in all sorts of dishes ranging from stir-fry vegetables to pasta. Most likely you know that this stuff is good for you, but what benefits does it offer?

Besides warding off vampires and for flavouring food, garlic has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. It has been reported to be anti-inflammatory, reduce cholesterol, blood clotting and heart disease and contains cancer-fighting antioxidants.

But what makes this my favourite herb? (My HW102 guys would know the answer. *wink*)

Benefits students - Prevents flu or cold, especially if it's flu season and you've got a project due soon. Plus if you've already caught a flu or cold, it can help you recover faster.
Benefits wind instrument players - Heals mouth ulcers faster. Everybody knows how much it hurts when you have to bite on your lower lip (clarinets/saxophones) or when you lips have to vibrate against a mouthpiece (brass players).

Last semester (the one that just ended) was a very hectic one. Besides the numerous deadlines that came our way, there were also two flu seasons (well I counted two at least). During the first one, I managed to steer clear of the flu bug using garlic. But when the second season came round, I had run out of garlic, and I suddenly caught a really bad flu. That was around the time we students called "hell week" because all the assignment deadlines were concentrated around that particular week.

To cut the long story short, garlic saved me from flu the first time round, and I believe if I had continued to eat garlic I wouldn't have gotten sick.

Even more recently, I caught a sore throat and cold just before Christmas from some inconsiderate commuter on the MRT. I took Vitamin C tablets and it did not go away for an entire week. In the end I turned back to garlic and I recovered in two days! Just in time to sing for Christmas Day mass in church!

By now you must be wondering how many cloves I eat everyday and whether I can even sing in church without my choir members shunning me due to halitosis (bad breath).

The thing is I don't eat raw garlic. It's pungent tasting, it gives me gas plus stomachache, and I also do not want to end up smelling pungent too. Instead I eat garlic supplements, which are little capsules containing garlic oil or extract. So I'm able to enjoy the benefits without the bad breath.

Hmmm not that short an article after all. :)

References:
Garlic: Nature's Perfect Prescription by C. G. Hullquist
www.wikipedia.org - Article on Garlic

Just give me the truth. Nothing but the truth.

2008-11-29T01:53:00.004+08:00

This is kind of related to my previous article (written in January 2008...hmmm pretty long ago).

Recently there's this spam email that has been going around. Most of the ladies around me have encountered it already, including myself. C'mon. You know what I'm talking about. The one that claims that if you don't wash your (gentlemen - pardon me) brassiere before wearing you'll get infected with some squirmy things, with a extremely stomach churning picture to boot. I'm definitely not putting the picture here because I know that quite a number of people would get freaked out by it.

If you're still clueless what I'm talking about, go Google "maggot boobs" and you'll definitely hit the jackpot. If you have a weak stomach I suggest you do not do so.

This kind of email really goes against my principles. I don't believe in telling tall tales and untruths just for the shock factor, to mislead people, or for any other reason. The picture is obviously photoshopped (think lotus seed pod...many holes), maggots only feed on necrotic tissue, plus they wouldn't burrow into skin, and fly eggs are definitely visible. At most the only thing you'll get from an unwashed brassiere is a mild rash as any new clothes (be it garments or undergarments) are usually coated with a chemical coating that makes it less absorbant to liquids. It causes skin irritations in some people, especially those with sensitive skin.

Besides, IF one day maggots turned viscious and started burrowing into our flesh, I believe that we'll definitely feel it and get it looked at by the doctor before it even gets to look like that gross picture.

That email just blows everything out of proportion. My friends who have encountered it were really disturbed by the picture, and many others around the world as well. So do the right thing. If you receive that email, don't send it out and propagate this "virus".

Article: Faked Experimental Data in Journals?

2008-06-01T00:23:00.004+08:00

It's been a long hiatus. Oops.

Anyway this recently published article caught my eye while I was surfing BoingBoing.net, titled "Journals Find Fakery in Many Images Submitted to Support Research". [Article Link][BoingBoing.net Article Link]

Below is an exerpt that summarises the main point of the article:

"...As computer programs make images easier than ever to manipulate, editors at a growing number of scientific publications are turning into image detectives, examining figures to test their authenticity.
And the level of tampering they find is alarming. "The magnitude of the fraud is phenomenal," says Hany Farid, a computer-science professor at Dartmouth College who has been working with journal editors to help them detect image manipulation. Doctored images are troubling because they can mislead scientists and even derail a search for the causes and cures of disease..."

I'm not sure if this article is from a reputable source (The Chronicle of Higher Education?) but if it is true, it is indeed shocking that this has been occurring, and I can imagine that it would most probably not be confined to just the bioscience community alone. The consequences would be dreadful.

What if all knowledge that we consider fundamental and the root of all further development were to be affected by this? Like, is our genetic material really made of deoxyribonucleic acid?

Ok. That's a bit extreme, but you get the drift. It does beg the question whether we can trust research and journal papers, which are an essential tool for sharing of information in the community and thus aids to drive progression in discovery. A check on Google reveals a few articles about retracted published research material, including the infamous episode of Woo Suk Hwang. But I believe that this is not as widespread as reported in the article, and the article is only looking mostly at published American Journal Papers by researchers in American universities and research institutes. Besides that, the article did say that journals do have checks in place for papers prior to publishing, which I believe would be able to weed out most of the fraudsters. No alarms have been sounded in Singapore so far either.

Therefore, I believe that this is currently not as serious an issue as spoken of by the above article, and that there is no reason to worry. Integrity is an important value in science, for without it, we scientists and researchers would not be able to have trust and confidence in our colleagues work and thus would hamper the progress of research.

Oops.

2008-04-10T22:04:00.002+08:00

Oops. I've been really really busy so there hasn't been time for updates. The university workload doesn't permit much time for blogging I'm afraid.

There's so many interesting medical topics just waiting around for me to write about!

In the meantime, you could check out the archives, or suggest a topic! :)

Red, Green and Blue - Blood?

2007-11-29T18:48:00.002+08:00

No I'm not talking about some country's national flag. I really am referring to blood. Yes red coloured blood is normal, but what about green blood? Blue blood?

First, what gives red blood it's, well, red colour? It has to do with something called haemoglobin. Basically a protein containing this thing called haem. Haem looks like a bunch of rings with an iron atom in the centre of it, which is what gives blood it's red colour.

Below is a picture of haem, with the iron (Fe) atom in the middle of it.

Taken from: http://metallo.scripps.edu/PROMISE/ANPEROXIDASE.html (29 November 2007)

Actually the same structure, called a protoporphyrin ring, is also found in plant leaves. Chlorophyll is this ring with a magnesium atom in the centre, giving plant leaves their green colour. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) also has this ring, but with a cobalt atom in the centre instead. It's a pretty important molecule this protoporphyrin ring. Not sure what colour is vitamin B12 though. Blue, like in cobalt blue maybe? Not sure, just a speculation.

So what can cause blood to change to green colour? Well recently this article piqued my interest [link] about a man who was found to have dark green blood. I did some further research on it. His blood turned dark green most probably due to drugs. Drugs, such as sulphonamides, might cause sulphur to bind to haemoglobin, giving it a green colouration. This form of haemoglobin is called sulphaemoglobin. Rarely happens, so there's no need to worry.

Blood can also be chocolate-brown in colour, which is a sign of methaemoglobin, in which the iron atom in haem gets oxidised from iron II to iron III, and thus unable to bind oxygen. That's a dangerous situation, because the person would suffer from lack of oxygen, also known as cyanosis.

Well on a lighter note, blue blood exists, thankfully not in humans, but in the horseshoe crab and octopus, among the many crustaceans, mollusks and arthropods that use haemocyanin for oxygen transport in their body. The substance used to carry oxygen in their blood is called haemocyanin. It's function is similar to our haemoglobin, but it is different structurally. It binds oxygen using two copper atoms. Reminiscent of secondary school science class, the blue colouration is caused by the change from copper I, in the deoxy form, to copper II, in the oxy form. Remember the blue copper II sulphate crystal made during laboratory lesson?

Bottom line: Normal human blood is red. So if your blood is anything BUT red, it's an emergency and you need to see a doctor immediately.

That aside, here's something that you really have to watch out for. What's colourless, odourless and can kill you?

Carbon monoxide poisoning sound familiar to you? It binds to haemoglobin at higher affinity than oxygen, forming carboxyhaemoglobin that can't transport oxygen, causing cyanosis, and thus can be deadly. It is produced from incomplete combustion occurring in car engines and charcoal burning, like in your barbecue. Symptoms are dizziness, breathing difficulties, headache, and it can progress to convulsions, fainting, impaired judgement, and death. Recently I heard of a dancer who committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, using a charcoal stove. If you find yourself, or anyone in situations that can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, and having the mentioned symptoms, immediately move the person to a well ventilated area away from the source of carbon monoxide, and call an ambulance immediately.

References:
Article on Methaemoglobin - Wikipedia
Article on Hemocyanin - Wikipedia
Article on Haemoglobin Derivatives - Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia
Article on Carbon Monoxide - Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia

Rhythmic Movement Disorder

2007-06-10T12:56:00.000+08:00

I chanced upon this particular postcard during my weekly surfing session Postsecrets.com, a blog dedicated to posting the secrets of people sent in anonymously.

This is actually called rhythmic movement disorder, or jactatio capitas nocturna. Hmmm. What a mouthful! Let's just stick to the first name shall we?

Currently, not much information is available on it (I can't even find it on Medline Plus Encyclopedia and there was no specific articles for it on Emedicine!), but what's known so far is that it's occurrence is usually confined to infants and toddlers, but it ceases by age 5, and very rarely it does persist into adulthood.

It is characterised by a variety of repetitive movements just before or during light sleep, which are usually head or body rocking or banging. This causes concern for some parents, but don't worry. The movements are not meant to be self-harming. In fact, when asked, they said that the movements are rather soothing. It has been thought that it is a learnt way of "self-soothing" and providing warmth, kind of like when a mother rocks her child to comfort it.

Actually come to think if it, I used to move my leg up and down while lying on my side in bed to help me fall asleep. It did feel soothing to do so, but I've already ceased it to adapt to the confined sleeping spaces of camps and chalets. I wonder if this is the same as rhythmic movement disorder - what do you think?

There's no treatment for it, but parents with head-banging babies can put padding on the sides of the crib to ward off injury. Some also go through behaviour-modification therapy, but otherwise there's really no need to get your eyebrows all furrowed over it.

Well that brings us to the end of another interesting titbit from the medical world! Hope you've enjoyed it!

References:
Wikipedia - Rhythmic Movement Disorder
Wikipedia - Jactatio capitas nocturna

Listeria monocytogenes

2007-06-07T22:26:00.000+08:00

Keeping your food fridge inhibits the growth of all bacteria?

Think again.

Here's one exception - Listeria monocytogenes (well actually there are others, but my focus for today is on this one)

This bacteria is one freaky fellow. It can actually thrive and propagate in your own refrigerator at home (that's cold freezing temperatures of between 0 to 4 degrees Celsius!). Foods believed to be potential breeding ground include dairy products (such as milk and cheese) and raw or cooked meat, poultry and fish.

Recently I was also checking out this website - recalls.gov - an online resource for latest consumer product recalls in the US of A. Check out the food section under USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). More often than not, you'll find foods getting recalled due to Listeria contamination.

Listeria monocytogenes infection is aptly called Listeriosis, usually it starts off with flu-like symptoms or diarrhoea, but can become deadly serious (high mortality rate) when this infection spreads to the blood (septicaemia), brain (meningitis), and lungs (pneumonia) just to name a few.

In pregnant women, it can cause spontaneous abortion or stillbirth (the baby is born dead). Babies who become infected but survive can be mentally retarded and have a disease called granulomatosis infantiseptica (pardon the big name) whereby numerous red pus-filled bumps or growths appears on the skin all over the body. Certainly not a pretty sight.

So you see, there IS truth to that old wives tale. It pays to believe your parents or in-laws when they tell you not to eat cheese, sashimi or sushi when you're in the family way.

Treatment involves the use of antibiotics. As for prevention, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA) has approved the use of a virus-filled spray to be used on fruits and ready-to-eat meats such as ham and turkey. You might be shocked at the idea of using viruses on something you're going to shove into your mouth, but there's no need to worry. The viruses used in the spray only invades bacterial cells (bacteriophages), not human cells.*

Yup! That's all I have for you folks today. Apologies for the lack of updates due to my various commitments. The next article is already in progress.

References:
www.wikipedia.org - Listeria monocytogenes
http://recall.gov
Article on Pyogenic Granuloma

*Just a thought. I wonder what happens if those viruses manage to mutate to wreck havoc in the human body? Much as right now they are "traditional" bacteriophages, but are there any preventive measures in place to prevent mutation?

Feeling Itchy?

2007-05-01T23:22:00.000+08:00

Note: Will do the article on Listeria monocytogenes after this one. Many apologies!

Everyone has had rashes at least one time in their life, be it diaper rash, fungal rash, allergy rash etc. so I'm sure you all at least are able to recognise it.

But do you know how it occurs?

Rashes, also known by it's fancy-shmancy name, dermatitis, is the result of a response by your immune system to the allergen. Allergens, simply put, are anything that causes an allergy.

The ingredients for an allergy are:

1) Antigen - whatever molecule, deemed foreign, that is found on the allergen that causes the response.
2) White blood cells - aka leukocytes, the soldier cells of the body. Has granules containing chemicals.
3) Antibodies - little Y-shaped things that can attach itself to the antigen.

The actual mechanism for allergy is quite complicated, so here I've simplified everything for better understanding.

Round 1: The initial encounter
White blood cells are on their usual patrol duty around the body (via the blood system), when all of a sudden, they encounter Antigen. Hmmm. They haven't seen it before, and they check against a list of criteria before coming to the conclusion that it is foreign (ie. doesn't belong there). ATTACK! They swallow the antigen up and destroy it, save for a few bits and pieces for record-making purposes (making Antibodies) As for yourself, you don't feel anything.

Round 2 (and 3, 4, 5...): 2nd and subsequent encounters
White blood cells are on their usual patrol duty around the body, and they come across Antigen. Now they have Antibodies on their surface that can only bind to Antigen as they have met Antigen before, so when Antigen binds to the Antibodies, it causes the White Blood Cell to burst all it's granules, releasing a slew of chemicals. These chemicals work on various parts of the body to manifest as an allergic reaction, which is what you feel.

From the above process, you can see that it is possible that you have eaten or touched something before with no problems whatsoever, but suddenly you realise, after encountering it again, that you're actually allergic to it.

Anything under the sun can cause an allergy, be it insect bites or stings, grass, flowers, chemicals, food (yes, there are people allergic to eggs, peanuts, flour, bread etc.) and metals. Even I have allergies to nickel (commonly found in those dirt-cheap metal $2 earrings found everywhere) and octopus! Interestingly, I also found an article about allergic reactions resulting in rashes pertaining to musicians [link]!

Allergic reactions aren't very consistent. Some people are more sensitive to certain allergens than others, thus your friend may be allergic to something that you have no problems with. Also, two people may be allergic to the same thing, but have different reactions to it.

Reactions can be mild or serious.

Mild reactions are things like sneezing, itchy rashes or hives (aka pruritis), teary eyes and runny nose. These usually require little or no medical treatment, and you can just wait for it to subside or can go see a doctor. Runny noses and sneezing can be relieved by decongestants, medication that clears the extra mucus from your nose and sinuses. If you came into contact with the allergen, immediately flush the area wish lots of water. Any itching from rashes can be relieved by calamine lotion, aloe vera gel (except for those that happen to be allergic to aloe vera) and ice pack. Don't worry too much about it. It's only temporary mild discomfort and it should pass within two to three weeks.

Serious reactions on the other hand require immediate medical attention. Symptoms include swelling of the face and tongue, difficulty swallowing, wheezing, abdominal cramps or pain, nausea, vomiting, chest discomfort or tightness, difficulty breathing or unconsciousness. If this happens, it's best to call an ambulance. If there's any stingers (eg. from a bee sting), use a card to flick it out, not tweezers which could press the toxin containing sac and cause an even worse reaction. The person may be aware of what they are allergic to and may have specific medication for it, so you might have to help that person take the medication. Serious reactions, especially those that involve the blockage (from a swelling tongue) or constricting of the airway, are also known as anaphylactic shock, and can result in death if not attended to immediately.

Hope this was useful to you and Happy May/Labour Day to everyone!

References:
Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia - Grass
Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia - Allergic Reactions
Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia - Contact Dermatitis
Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia - Rashes
Pubmed Central - Contact dermatitis and other skin conditions in instrumental musicians by Thilo Gambichler, Stefanie Boms, and Marcus Freitag
First Aid Manual
Immunology 5th Edition by Richard A. Goldsby, Thomas J. Kindt, Barbara A. Osborne and Janis Kuby

Medline Plus Encyclopedia

2007-04-21T22:10:00.000+08:00

Well I'm currently working in a 5-day 9am-6pm temporary job, and when I'm (fortunately) free during work, I spend my time browsing through this:

Medline Plus Encyclopedia

It's an A-Z encyclopedia on medical definitions, disease, procedures etc. in quite easy to understand format. Currently I'm at the alphabet C! Has really interesting stuff, like for example, I'm sure everyone is familiar with the common whitish-coloured mouth ulcers? Well, another name for it is Canker Sores! Or maybe you'll like to find out more on cancer, or perhaps your tongue has been looking weird lately (eg. its hairy, too smooth, looking like the map of the world). You can read up on all this there.

Also, some entries come with illustrations from A.D.A.M. - really good quality stuff!

I used it last time when I was studying Biomedical Science in the polytechnic too, to do research and to search for things I'm unsure about. And now I'm reading it for leisure. I doubt it'll be able to last me 3 months, the duration of my temporary job contract. I need to find something else to read soon!

Apologies for the short post. I'm rather tired out after the whole week of work. But not to worry! I'll make it up in the next post - Listeria monocytogenes! So watch this space!

Flesh-eating Bacteria

2007-04-06T17:00:00.000+08:00

Oops. Sorry I kind of neglected posting here a bit. Been rather busy. Anyway, here's today's post:

Something happened in the month of March that stunned our food-loving nation - "Singapore man dies of flesh-eating bug after crab prick". That article made quite a buzz when it appeared in our papers. It's just something you don't read about everyday.

The poor unfortunate soul got infected with a bacteria that rarely causes flesh-eating diseases, called Vibrio while he was cleaning crabs. Wow. This man eats seafood and crabs every fortnightly! The article doesn't state the full name of the bacteria though, but I think it's related to Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio cholerae. Vibrio cholerae is actually the bacterium that causes the oh-so-familiar-sounding cholera, or watery-diarrhoea.

Actually there's a whole bunch of bacteria that can cause flesh-eating disease - Group A Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio vulnificus, Clostridium perfringens, Bacteroides fragilis, Mycobacterium ulcerans etc. with Group A Streptococcus being the most common cause. These tongue-twister names of bacteria can be collectively called necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating bacteria.

They don't really eat the tissue - don't start imagining bacteria munching on human flesh! How they work is by producing toxins that cause the breakdown of skin and muscle. These toxins do not work directly on the skin and muscles, but rather they get white blood cells to do the job for them. Production of the toxins cause the release of signalling proteins (cytokines), which stimulate macrophages (a type of white cell) to cause tissue damage by releasing really reactive oxygen radicals.

Damn. They get our own cells to attack our own flesh.

Random side note: Reactive oxygen radicals can also cause damage to DNA which can lead to cancer. Just a thought.

Infection usually starts at the site of a wound or bruise. Initially the site is just really painful, but as the disease progresses, the site becomes swollen. The skin may change colour from red to violet, or even blue-grey to black, signifying dying or dead tissue. Blisters may form. The area may feel very hot first, and this hotness spreads, but then become numb later when nerves are damaged. Fever and flu symptoms are usually seen - typically signifies infection.

You have to get it treated promptly, or it could be fatal in 24 to 48 hours as it can cause multiple organ failure. This disease has a high mortality rate. Treatment is usually through the use of antibiotics and limb amputation, but prognosis is still not a sunny picture, even with today's medical advances. Some people still die despite cutting off their infected arm or leg, like that poor man scratched by a crab.

One interesting fact is that these bacteria are most probably living in your nose or skin right now. Sounds frightening? But wait. Don't start showering yourself with 75% alcohol just yet! The bacteria are usually harmless to most people. Doctors have identified certain risk factors (usually something along the lines of compromised immunity systems), but even then, the incidence remains low.

So don't need to fret too much! Just make sure you clean any wounds properly and as soon as possible with antiseptic or soap, see a doctor if you have an infected wound, and most importantly, practice good hygienic practices, such as washing hands WITH SOAP after going to the toilet. Well, pardon me shouting that last bit there. That's another story for another time.

References:
Wikipedia
CNA
Health Canada

Surgery Games

2007-03-26T19:45:00.000+08:00

Want to know more about what really goes on inside the operating theatre? Below are links to games that allow you to (somewhat) experience what is it like being a surgeon. Learn the names of different surgical instruments and the reasons for techniques used to perform each procedure!

Virtual Hip Resurfacing
Virtual Hip Replacement
Virtual Knee Replacement
Coronary Bypass Surgery - this one is quite tough!

The first three links, besides walking you through step by step, also have graphic pictures of REAL surgery to boot! The 4th link has three levels of difficulty, and although they walk you through step by step, they go rather fast and the instructions are not as clear! But it's a good way to learn the anatomy of the heart.

Enjoy!

Tourette's Syndrome

2007-03-21T14:54:00.000+08:00

Ever seen someone suddenly jerk while you're riding on the MRT? Or have you ever seen people suddenly shout out for no apparent reason?

Before you make a laughing stock out of them, as I've observed most people do, consider this - they might have Tourette's Syndrome.

You might say: "Huh? What's that?" Let me try explain it as simply and concise as I can.

First let me tell you what are tics. Tics are sudden, repetitive, stereotyped, nonrhythmic, involuntary movements (motor tics) and utterances (phonic tics) that involve certain muscle groups. There are two types - motor tics (involves movement) and phonic, or vocal, tics (involves speaking and/or making sounds).

Motor tics can be in the form of jerking of the head, neck, eye blinking, facial movements etc. Vocal tics include the spontaneous uttering of vulgar or taboo words (coprolalia), repeating the words of others (echolalia) or repeating your own words (palilalia).

Tic disorders are grouped into acute and chronic, dependant on it's duration. Tourette's Syndrome is one of the chronic tic disorders and it involves both motor and vocal tics.

Tourette's Syndrome is believed to be inherited genetically, though the exact mode hasn't been determined yet. Though there are genetic factors, there are some spontaneous cases as well, whereby it occurs for no apparent reason. The exact causes of the tics are also unconfirmed, but is believed to be caused by the dysfunction of some areas of the brain.

The tics are semi-voluntary and thus can sometimes be suppressed by the person for a period of time, like during school or work. However, this results in the urge to build up, and eventually this urge will have to be expressed, thus suppressing causes a sudden outburst of tics later on. Children are usually less aware of the urge than adults. Some patients also have attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other disorders.

Although Tourette's Syndrome may last for a life-time or chronic for some, it's not life-threatening. People with Tourette's can live to a full lifespan. Symptoms can range from severe, to mild. Some even so mild that people around them are not aware of it. Some people with Tourette's have learning disabilities, but the intelligence of people with Tourette's is normal.

Why I feel the need to let people know more about Tourette's Syndrome is because of my personal experience.

I know of a someone around my age that might have Tourette's (this isn't confirmed as I didn't want to ask the person direct questions out of politeness, but the person has displayed similar symptoms for a chronic period of time). I've seen people poke fun and make jokes behind his/her back. I find this really sad and cruel, and I'm sure the person must feel hurt, but yet doesn't show it.

So much as you might be tempted to laugh at these people with seemingly "weird" behaviour, please don't do so. Always put yourself in their shoes first.

Children or teenagers with Tourette's Syndrome can also suffer socially as their peers too can be cruel and laugh at anything that looks "weird" to them. This doesn't just apply to those with Tourette's, but others as well, such as disabilities, or even something as common as obesity.

There is a need for children to be educated. Be an example to your kids. Teach your kids that it's not nice to laugh and make a joke at other's expense. Teach them to be better people.

References:
Wikipedia
Childbrain.com
Other articles on Tourette's Syndrome that I've read over the years.

Sleep Paralysis

2007-03-14T14:18:00.000+08:00

Imagine this - You're just about to drift off to sleep, when suddenly something swoops down on you and pins you to the bed. You struggle can't move, can't breath and can't scream for help. You feel that there's this heavy weight on you. Terror seizes you. But just as suddenly as it came upon you, it leaves, and you can finally gasping for air and maybe even start stumbling out of bed bawling for your mummy.

Sounds familiar? I'm sure some of you have experienced it before. One of my friends is chinese, and she believes that according to Chinese folklore, it is referred to as "gǔi yà chúang" (鬼压床,鬼壓床), which is literally translated into: "Ghost press bed".

But what could it be? Some spiritual disturbance?

Now now. Before you start diagnosing your "poltergeist", and think that some distant deceased relative of yours is coming back to haunt you, do consider these two words:

Sleep Paralysis

Just Google those two words, and you'll have a ton of hits.

Basically, sleep paralysis is a temporary inability to move, or paralysis of the body. It usually occurs either just before you fall asleep (hypnagogic paralysis) or shortly after waking up (hypnopompic paralysis).

You also don't have to worry it's some health problem. It is harmless and doesn't mean that you've got some neurological disorder. In fact, sleep paralysis is supposed to occur every night and sets in long before you start dreaming. It is the body's way of protecting you from harm during slumber. If there's a disorder to this mechanism, you'll get problems like sleep walking whereby you walk off somewhere and you or someone else might get hurt. Ever heard of people who murder their loved ones in their sleep? Or even people who walk right off the balcony and fall from their high rise apartment?

However, whatever terrifying experience you have is called Awareness during Sleep Paralysis (ASP). What you experience lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes. The brain is awakened from a groggy state (REM state), to an alert state, thus the person experiencing it becomes fully aware of what's going on, but is unable to move, and thus become frightened. The memory of being frightened and scared usually lasts a long time.

Usually people think it's just a dream due to the hallucinatory element to it. Reports of what people experience during ASP differ. Some people have reported seeing ghosts/old hags/monsters/aliens etc. sitting on their chest or attacking them when an episode occurs. Others report being in a vortex or falling into an endless hole.

There are no official statistics, but according to articles, it happens to thousands of people everyday, so don't worry, if you've had it before, you're not alone.

Certain factors contribute to the likelihood of having ASP:

1) Sleeping facing upwards (supine position) - side sleepers like me rejoice!
2) Irregular sleeping schedules
3) Increased stress
4) Sudden environmental or lifestyle changes
5) A lucid dream prior to the episode
6) Artificial sleeping aids eg. sleeping pills

So what should you do when it happens to you? Do nothing! You can only wait for the episode to pass. Just reassure yourself that everything is ok and that it's not spiritual or supernatural.

I hope that this write up serves to allay your fears about ASP. Usually people who dread it start to fear it less after they discover what ASP really is. And hey! If you've had an ASP experience, and are comfortable to share, you can describe your episode(s) in the comments section!

References:
Wikipedia
MedicineNet.com
Article entitled: What Everyone Should Know About Sleep Paralysis, ASPs and OBEs.

The Stereoscopic Skin Clinic

2007-03-10T12:20:00.000+08:00

Found this link on BoingBoing.net - The Stereoscopic Skin Clinic (Link)

"A selection from The Stereoscopic Skin Clinic, "an atlas of diseases of the skin, consisting of color stereoscopic illustrations and a text in the form of clinical lectures, designed for the use of practitioners and students of medicine." Photographed by S. I. Rainforth, M.D., of New York, and published in 1911."

Not sure what's with the shaking pictures (which give you a headache by the way) when you enter the website, but it's a good collection of skin diseases taken up to the extreme, along with short paragraph describing the diseases that accompany each picture.

Good for those that want some leisurely reading to gain a little more knowledge!

What were you doing when you were 9 years old?

2007-03-01T23:45:00.000+08:00

Here are the adventures of two 9 year old kids recently reported in the newspapers (useful if you haven't read the articles yet):

1) 9 year old boy loses tooth and is ignored by everyone (ST forum, 26/2/2007)

Here's the gist of what happened: This boy falls and knocks out a tooth, and everybody just brushes it off while his parent panics *run around in circles* (quote - courtesy of hl).

Let me ask you a question. Imagine this, you're at a basketball, soccer, volleyball or rugby match when the ball, at high velocity, happens to hit someone in the mouth and dislodge a tooth (or even teeth), do you know what to do? I expect the majority of you will most probably panic *run around in circles* as well.

It's also quite shocking to hear people administering "old wives tale" first aid, such as putting toothpaste or butter on a burn, or bursting a blister. *BEEP* All wrong!

Obviously this highlights a lack of awareness of first aid. The Singapore Red Cross Society has a target to have at least one first aider in each family, so I suggest to make this a reality, every family should buy a copy of the latest edition First Aid Manual, available from any Popular bookstore, and read it!

You don't have to be a certified first aider to be able to administer basic first aid (of course certification is always a bonus) such as how to handle wounds, sprains, minor burns etc. even the treatment of how to deal with a dislodged tooth is covered in the manual!

Speaking of which, if you in the event find someone with a dislodged tooth, plug the wound with some gauze to stop bleeding and please put the tooth into milk or saline immediately. You can also store the tooth in the cheeks, but that poses a risk of choking, especially for small children. In addition, do get to a dentist as fast as possible.

Do not delay. The longer the tooth is left to dry, the lower the chance of success of reimplantation. The boy most probably dislodged his front tooth, and by that age, that's a permanent adult tooth by then. I doubt you'd want your kid to wear dentures or false teeth at 9 years old!

2) 9 year old girl gets pregnant (ST, 1/3/2007)

This is certainly unusual. You might ask, how can someone as young as 9 years old be able to contribute to our country's population when people 3 to 4 times older than her are not even procreating enough to prevent falling birth rates!

Two factors here - sex education and precocious puberty.

Poor girl here was unaware of what was sex, let alone what was menstruation, and so when 12 year old boy did it to her, she happily followed. This is definitely under-age sex, but I'm not sure if it's classified as rape. I think most kids her age would not have attended those "girl" talks that they give in primary 5 and 6 yet.

What compounds the problem is that she's one of those that have precocious puberty, which basically means your puberty comes earlier. It's not that uncommon. I've had two friends from primary school who got their menses in primary 3, also at age 9, while the rest of us were blissfully playing catching/tag in the school canteen, unaware of their "plight" till we got ours a few years later. And everyone knows, around the time you start menstruating, is the time you can start to get pregnant, so that explains how come a girl as young as her can be in the family way.

This is a lesson to all parents. Start teaching about the birds and bees from young! Don't be shy, hide it from them or depend on the school to teach your kid for you. I'm sure your kid will rather ask you the more sensitive questions than asking their school teacher or their peers. Worse still, if they ask their friends, who also might lack the knowledge, they might get the wrong information, or worse still, get laughed and teased at.

Do what my parents did - buy a book about puberty that is suitable for pre-teens (also known as "tweens") and just leave it lying around for your kids to pick up and read.

*UPDATE*
(From the Newpaper) That happened 3 years ago. Apparently she didn't know she was pregnant and thought she was just putting on weight, until discovering she was at 6 months already when her mum brought her to a doctor to check for urinary tract infection (UTI). That's too late for an abortion already! So at 9, she's most probably the youngest Singaporean to give birth.

Not the youngest in the world though. Apparently there's a 5 year old who also has given birth. She got her menses at 8 months! That's SUPER early. I wonder if there's actually sanitary pads for a person of her size.

A Beginning

2007-02-26T10:05:00.000+08:00

Oh, first post here. :)

So why did I start this blog? Well, one of my friends posed an unconventional question regarding medicine and science, and so I joked with him that I should start up a blog to answer such things, and hey! That struck a chord in me! Thus I decided to turn this joke into reality. I suppose also, this blog will serve as an outlet for me to talk about medical science when the pressure of not being able to talk about it to those around me builds up.

DON'T WORRY! I will not bombard you with cold hard facts! Things here are supposed to be light-hearted and easy to digest, well except for a few gory posts that is. You have been warned.