2 posts tagged “medical science”
Fri Dec 21, 2007 (but was still on Reuters' roster of "current" odd stories! WTF, Reuters?)
By Peter Griffiths
LONDON (Reuters) - Reading in dim light won't damage your eyes, you don't need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and shaving your legs won't make the hair grow back faster.
These well-worn theories are among seven "medical myths" exposed in a paper published on Friday in the British Medical Journal, which traditionally carries light-hearted features in its Christmas edition.
Two U.S. researchers took seven common beliefs and searched the archives for evidence to support them.
Despite frequent mentions in the popular press of the need to drink eight glasses of water, they found no scientific basis for the claim.
The complete lack of evidence has been recorded in a study published the American Journal of Psychology, they said.
The other six "myths" are:
* Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
The majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage, but it may make you squint, blink more and have trouble focusing, the researchers said.
* Shaving makes hair grow back faster or coarser
It has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair regrowth,
studies say. But stubble lacks the finer taper of unshaven
hair, giving the impression of coarseness. [NB: They aren't saying it doesn't make hair darker, tho.]
* Eating turkey makes you drowsy
It does contain an amino acid called tryptophan that is involved in sleep and mood control. But turkey has no more of the acid than chicken or minced beef. Eating lots of food and drink at Christmas are probably the real cause of sleepiness.
* We use only 10 percent of our brains
This myth arose as early as 1907 but imaging shows no area of the brain is silent or completely inactive.
* Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death
This idea may stem from ghoulish novels. The researchers said the skin dries out and retracts after death, giving the appearance of longer hair or nails.
* Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals
Despite widespread concerns, studies have found minimal interference with medical equipment. [NB: So get rid of those signs, and quit shouting at people who use their mobiles in a civilised fashion, you silly people. Mobiles don't mess with airplanes, either, so let's get over that one, too, kids.]
The research was conducted by Aaron Carroll, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, and Rachel Vreeman, fellow in children's health services research at Indiana University School of Medicine.
By medical reporter Sophie Scott and staff reporters
January 24, 2008
A 15-year-old Australian liver transplant patient has defied modern medicine by taking on her donor's immune system.
Demi-Lee Brennan had a liver transplant after she suffered liver failure. Nine months later, doctors at Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital were amazed to find the teenager's blood group had changed to the donor's blood type.
Further tests revealed the stem cells from the donor liver had penetrated her bone marrow.
Dr Michael Stormon says he and his colleagues were even more surprised when they found the girl's immune system had almost totally been replaced by that of the donor, meaning she no longer had to take anti-rejection drugs.
"We consulted widely throughout the hospital and then looked at the medical literature and consulted colleagues around the world to see if anyone had seen this kind of thing before," he said.
"No-one had, so we were stunned and amazed."
Dr Stormon says his team is now trying to identify how the phenomenon happened and whether it can be replicated.
"That's probably easier said than done... I think it's a long shot," he said. "I think it's a unique system of events whereby this happened.
"We postulate there's a number of different issues - the type of liver failure that she had, some of the drugs that we use early on to suppress the immune system and also that she suffered an infection with a virus called CMV, or cytomegalovirus, which can also suppress the immune system."
Anti-rejection drugs, known as immunosuppresants, have significant side effects, including serious infections and toxic effects on organs.
Dr Stormon says doctors are trying to identify which patients could come off the treatment.
"They may not, like Demi, change their blood group and change their whole immune system and their bone marrow but there are a small percentage of patients who seem to get away with not needing immunosuppresion," he said.
"But the difficulty is trying to identify which ones you should stop immunosuppression on because there's always that fear and risk that over many months or years, rejection can still occur."
The case has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
