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[ { "answer_id": 9727, "body": "<p>You didn't say what type of syrup, so I'll assume a typical syrup like maple. According to <a href=\"http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17643\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">stilltasty.com</a>, it's good for one year if refrigerated and indefinitely if frozen.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZODqF.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZODqF.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Stilltasty uses government food safety guidelines as its criteria, so it tends to be very conservative. I have a bottle of maple syrup that was opened over a year ago and I intend to keep it and finish the bottle even if it takes another year, and it is <em>not</em> refrigerated. It's kept in a pantry at room temperature. Since bacteria don't grow readily in heavy sugar solutions, bacterial contamination is almost never an issue with syrups, jellies, etc. Sometimes the sugars will separate out, but you can fix that by simply warming the syrup in a microwave or hot water. The sugar crystals will re-dissolve. Mold can sometimes get established, but that's plainly visible and you should toss anything with mold in it.</p>\n\n<p>So, basically, government guidelines say throw that 2014 syrup away immediately. I, however, would eat it without worry.</p>\n\n<p>EDIT: In response to a question in comments, I've added this link:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://biology.stackexchange.com/a/42810/4729\">https://biology.stackexchange.com/a/42810/4729</a></p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "food-safety", "food-poisoning" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10978, "body": "<p>Twix is part of an <em>otherwise</em> healthy diet.</p>\n\n<p>According to the American Heart Association the limit is <a href=\"http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Sugar-101_UCM_306024_Article.jsp#.WIzyC1MrJaQ\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">36 grams of sugar</a>. That is 2/3 of the recommended maximum in one little bar. </p>\n\n<p>That one little bar is 35% of the recommended saturated fat for the day. </p>\n\n<p>You would need an otherwise perfect diet to balance out. People with an otherwise perfect diet just don't have a craving for a Twix. I seriously doubt what you are characterizing as well-balanced diet is a perfect diet other than the Twix. </p>\n\n<p>If you have a craving for something sweet then a 1-2 sweet fruits is part of a healthy diet. </p>\n", "score": 4 }, { "answer_id": 10658, "body": "<p>It's harmful, because what passes for the rest of the so-called \"well-balanced diet\" isn't actually all that healthy either, it will also contain a fair amount of sugar, and saturated fats and also unsaturated fats which are healthier than saturated fats but not healthy in an absolute sense. So, what passes for a healthy, well-balanced diet is a diet that isn't too bad, but certainly not the most healthy diet you can imagine. This should be considered to be a compromise between what is extremely healthy and what the general public can be convinced to stick to. </p>\n\n<p>If you then further compromise on this by getting about 10% more of your calories from sugars and fats, of which a large fraction will be saturated fats, you're going to do yet more damage to your body. To get to a healthy diet, you must get rid of almost all the salt, sugar and fats in the diet, even so-called \"healthy oils\" like olive oil as <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGGQxJLuVjg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dr. Klaper points out here</a>. </p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "nutrition", "diet", "health-informatics" ]

[ { "answer_id": 14028, "body": "<p>In general concentration issues can be related to any lack of vitamins. \nE.g. you may supplement Vitamin B12 contained in Spirulina or chlorella algae. </p>\n\n<p>Another Thing which can remarkably encourage your Brain capacity is curcuma. Combine it with pepper and add it into smoothies or eat it as a whole. A little portion of virgine plant oil may also increase the effect of curcuma.</p>\n\n<p>You need to understand, that anxiety is triggered by a fight-or-flight mechanism thats inside us.</p>\n\n<p>To reduce anxiety, there are several things to do which all lower your anxiety.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>sleep at least 8 hours a night</li>\n<li>Eat something when you wake up (Your body may cause stress because of a low blood sugar)</li>\n<li>Take walks into nature. Really enjoy it!</li>\n<li>Meditation, especially breath control</li>\n<li>generally Eating healthy</li>\n</ul>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "natural-remedy", "stress", "anxiety-disorders", "omega-3", "subconscious-stress" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13892, "body": "<p>Yes, there is evidence that alkaline food affects internal pH, but it is important to note that the regulation of internal pH (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid%E2%80%93base_homeostasis\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">acid-base homeostatis</a>) has other contributing factors, which is why the impact of food is subtle.</p>\n\n<p>I'm mainly aware of evidence from studies on sodium bicarbonate, as an example for a simple way to supplement alkaline food.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><a href=\"http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0143086\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><em>Gabriela Froio de Araujo Dias et al</em>: (In)Consistencies in Responses to Sodium Bicarbonate Supplementation: A Randomised, Repeated Measures, Counterbalanced and Double-Blind Study</a></p>\n\n<p>This experiment studies the effect of sodium bicarbonate as a pre-workout supplement. Blood pH is measured at baseline, pre-workout (after either placebo or sodium bicarbonate supplementation), and post-workout.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UaHQs.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UaHQs.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Dashed lines are the placebo group, solid lines the sodium bicarbonate group. This shows that the buffering from sodium bicarbonate has a slight effect on blood pH even pre-workout.</p></li>\n<li><p><a href=\"https://www.springermedizin.de/the-effect-of-%CE%B2-alanine-and-nahco3-co-ingestion-on-buffering-cap/8485160\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><em>Jessica Danaher et al</em>: The effect of β-alanine and NaHCO3 co-ingestion on buffering capacity and exercise performance with high-intensity exercise in healthy males</a></p>\n\n<p>This study has a different focus, but the experimental setup and results in terms of blood pH response are similar (labels \"SB\" are sodium bicarbonate groups; RSA and CCT refer to two different exercises):</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/J3XIh.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/J3XIh.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So technically you could say that alkaline food \"helps to regulate internal pH\", but it is a very weak influence. To emphasize the impact of other contributing factors to blood pH, it is also interesting to look at something like this:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><a href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7379.abstract\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><em>M. Kox et al</em>: Voluntary Activation of The Sympathetic Nervous System and Attenuation of the Innate Immune Response In Humans</a></p>\n\n<p>This article studies the effect of the Wim Hof method, in particular its breathing technique. The breathing technique basically alternates between voluntary hyperventilation and breath holds. The <a href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2014/04/30/1322174111.DCSupplemental\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">supplementary material</a> features a video of one subject performing the breathing technique, including monitoring of blood pH over the course of the exercise. The subject has a basline blood pH of 7.4. During hyperventilation, blood pH increases over 7.6 as a result of the reduced carbon dioxide levels in the blood. During breath retention, carbon dioxide levels normalize and the blood pH falls (almost) back to the baseline level. Note that these effects on pH are very quick compared to nutritional influences.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>This example shows why it is difficult to separate the effect from alkaline food from other factors contributing to pH homeostasis. Taking a few deep breaths or holding your breath has a very immediate effect on blood pH, which can easily bias the more subtle effect from an alkaline diet. I'm not an expert, but I could imagine that the respiratory rate is even determined by dietary factors. Thus, instead of studying the effect on internal pH, it might be more sensible to show that an alkaline diet leads to reduced breathing in the long term, because the body could maintain the same pH level even with higher carbon dioxide levels.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "nutrition", "micronutrients", "gastroenterology", "ph-levels", "alkaline" ]

[ { "answer_id": 16522, "body": "<p>Let's start with your assumptions. You say that \"We all know that pornography can be highly addictive.\" But in fact, porn addiction is <strong>not</strong> a recognized diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In addition, in November 2016, the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) issued a position statement on sex / porn addiction which states that AASECT \"does not find sufficient empirical evidence to support the classification of sex addiction or porn addiction as a mental health disorder.\" (See <a href=\"https://www.aasect.org/position-sex-addiction\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.aasect.org/position-sex-addiction</a>)</p>\n\n<p>So no, the medical community does not agree that porn addiction is a real thing.</p>\n\n<p>Now, let's consider the effect of porn viewing on ED. A number of studies have shown a correlation between porn viewing and ED. But correlation does <em>not</em> prove causation. It may be that men with ED simply watch more porn. (See <a href=\"https://edtreatment.info/does-porn-cause-ed-erectile-dysfunction/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://edtreatment.info/does-porn-cause-ed-erectile-dysfunction/</a>)</p>\n\n<p>At the moment, I would say that this is an open question. There is no clear evidence that watching porn causes ED.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "sociosexual-behavior", "libido", "erectile-dysfunction", "orgasm-climax" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10000, "body": "<p>You are partially correct in your understanding of how/why the a male's voice deepens during puberty. Let me just clarify a few things: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Androgen is a hormone that stimulates or maintains male sex organs \nand characteristics (but keep in mind it's also present in women -- just at a lesser level). During puberty, the androgen levels increase\nand signal for changes to take place. </li>\n<li>One of these changes (among many during puberty) is the growth of the larynx and subsequently the vocal chords become longer and \nthicker. This contributes to the deeper voice.</li>\n<li>Because the growth occurs over a process of time (in fact, the larynx is not done growing until early adulthood), the vocal-pitch is not stabilized , and may sometimes crack. This is sometimes known as falsetto or as dysphonia as you mentioned.</li>\n<li>Females during puberty also have an increase in androgen and their larynx also grows, but not nearly as substantial or noticeable as males, which is why their voices don't crack and also why they don't have adam's-apples (larynx). Also, their vocal-pitch only slightly drops by one octave or so. </li>\n</ul>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "vocal-chords", "androgen", "puberty" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11886, "body": "<p>Trying to combine physiotherapy with patching sounds like a parenting nightmare. As the <a href=\"https://www.aao.org/pediatric-center-detail/amblyopia-patching\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">AAO</a> says:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Persuading your child to wear a patch can be a challenge, especially if the vision in the child’s amblyopic eye is very poor and the child is objecting strongly.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>They go on to say:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Unfortunately this is an area of treatment where there is no “quick fix” but it is also a brilliant opportunity to spend a great deal of time and enjoy playing with your child.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Unless the physiotherapy is something that is enjoyed by the child, there would need to be a complying reason to combine the two. Medically, there is no compelling reason to combine the therapies, but for individual patients there could be practical reasons (e.g., time)</p>\n\n<p>to answer your question, the visual system does plays a role in balance. The <a href=\"http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorder/human-balance-system\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Vestibular Disorders Association</a> has a nice graphic depicting how sensory input affects balance:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/nl3t8.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/nl3t8.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>While vision plays a role in balance, the blind can compensate for their visual impairment: <a href=\"http://www.afb.org/section.aspx?SectionID=67&amp;TopicID=313&amp;DocumentID=3470\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.afb.org/section.aspx?SectionID=67&amp;TopicID=313&amp;DocumentID=3470</a> </p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "physiotherapy", "equilibrium-balance", "depth-perception" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10298, "body": "<p>Absolutely, uniquiviquly, NO you can not assume that if you have normal blood pressure and pulse range that you are otherwise healthy.</p>\n\n<p>Periodic physical exams are recommend for all persons, even if they seem otherwise healthy (this provides a good guide to determine <a href=\"https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002125.htm\" rel=\"noreferrer\">frequencies</a>).</p>\n\n<p>But there are some clear exceptions to this. <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS\" rel=\"noreferrer\">AIDS</a> is caused by <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV\" rel=\"noreferrer\">HIV</a> infection, and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_defining_clinical_condition\" rel=\"noreferrer\">can be diagnosed</a> without abnormalities in pulse or blood pressure. More pressingly, HIV infected patients often live several years with little to <a href=\"https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/signs-and-symptoms/index.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">no symptoms what so ever</a> (before the development of AIDS, during the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubation_period\" rel=\"noreferrer\">clinical latency</a> period). Further, <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/actagainstaids/campaigns/hivtreatmentworks/stayincare/treatment.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">HIV treatment</a> has the best outcomes if it is begun prior to the development of AIDS.</p>\n\n<p>If you believe that you have been exposed to HIV, (a good summary of transmission information for the public can be found <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/transmission.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">from the CDC</a>) you need to be <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/guidelines/testing.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">screened</a> for HIV. If you are unsure if you should be screened, then you should consult with your <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_care_physician\" rel=\"noreferrer\">primary care physician</a> (which if you don't have one, it is best to try and obtain one). World wide, it can be difficult to obtain primary care, and several agencies, NGOs, and charities are trying to fill that gap.</p>\n\n<p>Medical conditions missed by normal <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vital_signs\" rel=\"noreferrer\">vitals</a> are not limited to infectious diseases. <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemia\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Anemia</a> is just an easy, common, example of a problem that can present with normal heart rate <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate\" rel=\"noreferrer\">(HR)</a> and blood pressure <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_pressure\" rel=\"noreferrer\">(BP)</a> (and temp/respiratory rate).</p>\n\n<h2>The short answer to your question: HR and BP are NOT assurances of good health, just a good place to begin looking for problems.</h2>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "blood-pressure", "pulse" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10168, "body": "<p>I found the following list of ingredients for Robb balm on-line (if the product you are using is different please correct me):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>CAMPHOR 11.0%</p>\n<p>MENTHOL 5.5%</p>\n<p>OL EUCALYP 1.0%</p>\n<p>OLPINIPUMIL 0.5%</p>\n<p>METHYLSAL 4.0%</p>\n<p>ONITMENT BASS ad 100%</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Except for the ointment base, all of the ingredients contribute to the analgesic effect.</p>\n<p><strong>Camphor</strong> is used externally as a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubefacient\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rubefacient</a> and anlagesic.</p>\n<p><strong>Menthol</strong> has analgesic properties. More about the mode of action of menthol can be found in this answer: <a href=\"https://health.stackexchange.com/questions/3152/does-menthol-have-therapeutic-effect-on-sore-or-inflamed-muscles-and-tendons/3157#3157\"><em>Does menthol have therapeutic effect on sore or inflamed muscles and tendons?</em></a></p>\n<p><strong>Eucalyptus oil</strong> (<em>Oleum Eucalypti</em>) is used topically as a rubefacient.</p>\n<p><strong>Methyl Salicylate</strong> is a topical non-steroid anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAID) that has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.</p>\n<p>(I'm not sure what Ol Pinipumil... is, the ingredients are strangely abbreviated in the source I found).</p>\n<hr />\n<p>Ref.: Martindale: The complete drug reference, 34th edition (2005).</p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "medications", "pain", "chemical" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10195, "body": "<p>Yes it is. The fact that the more you eat beans, the faster it digests, is not a myth.</p>\n\n<p>For directions,</p>\n\n<p>Try adding them into your diet in 1/4 cup increments, and increasing very slowly.</p>\n\n<p>Although, there are other ways to increase the digestion rate of beans, but as for your question, it's certainly not a myth.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.thefullhelping.com/10-tips-for-better-bean-digestion-a-few-announcements/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.thefullhelping.com/10-tips-for-better-bean-digestion-a-few-announcements/</a></p>\n\n<p><strong>What Makes Them So Hard to Digest?</strong></p>\n\n<p>Besides the <a href=\"http://www.nourishingdays.com/2010/09/what-is-phytic-acid/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">phytic acid</a> contained in legumes, the harder beans such as kidney and navy beans contain oligosaccharides. <strong>This complex sugar is impossible to digest without some help because humans do not produce the enzyme alpha-galactosidase needed to properly break it down.</strong></p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "nutrition", "flatulence-gas-fart" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10208, "body": "<p>Yes, it's possible to control your laughter. There are several methods of controlling your laughter or laughing without anyone being hurt in the process. Such as </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p><strong>Think of something sad and depressing</strong>: Although this can be unpleasant, it usually takes care of the uncontrollable urge to laugh. If sadness doesn't work, fear is also extremely effective. Think of a scene from a horror movie you just saw or a car accident. This is physically proven to work because the adrenaline (the fear hormone) released from your brain when you have these thoughts will block out the endorphins (the happiness or laughing hormone). It may take some practice to convince yourself enough of the fear, but once you have mastered it, it's very effective.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Force yourself to turn your laugh into a cry</strong>: if the occasion is something sad such as a funeral. Some people sound like they are laughing before they cry.</p>\n\n<p>•If it gets really bad, hold your nose and cover your mouth with that hand. Then people can't see your grin, and you can laugh as hard as you wish inside yourself. You may start shaking, but that's okay, it can be covered as crying. Try not to let any sound out, but if you do ease up by accident, it sounds much like a sneeze or a strange snort.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Pretend to pick your teeth</strong>: Open your mouth wide and pretend to pick away at something stuck. Not only does it totally hide your smile, you also clean your teeth at the same time! Be careful though because the face made is funny enough to make others start laughing when they see what you're up to.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://m.wikihow.com/Stop-Laughing-at-Inappropriate-Times\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://m.wikihow.com/Stop-Laughing-at-Inappropriate-Times</a></p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "mental-health", "neurology", "prevention", "symptoms", "laugh-laughter-laughing" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13555, "body": "<p>Yes there is. In the USA, the certification is called a <a href=\"http://www.aama-ntl.org/medical-assisting/what-is-a-medical-assistant#.WbId6bKGP5c\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Medical Assistant</a>. It is a certification that is unlicensed, thus they must work under supervision of a licensed provider (who CAN inject legally) such as LVN RN BSN APRN PA MD/DO... </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlebotomy\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Phlebotamy</a> (drawing blood) is different than administering injections, as you are not putting a substance in the patient. There is a certification program for this as well, and can be done by most health practitioners. But regarding whether it can be done by someone not certified, it seems that rules differ institution to institution. </p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "blood", "injections", "legal", "medical-training", "qualifiy-certify" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10256, "body": "<p>I'm quite sure the description you give here is enough for a doctor. </p>\n\n<p>Please take a look at this: <a href=\"http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/benign-eye-floaters\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/benign-eye-floaters</a></p>\n\n<p>WebMD is a reliable source. They state:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>If you only have a few eye floaters that don't change over time, don’t\n sweat it.</p>\n \n <p>Go to the doctor ASAP if you notice:</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>A sudden increase in the number of floaters </li>\n <li>Flashes of light </li>\n <li>A loss ofside vision Changes that come on quickly and get worse over time</li>\n <li>Floaters after eye surgery or eye trauma Eye pain </li>\n </ul>\n \n <p>Choose a doctor who has experience with retina problems. If you don’t get help right away, you could lose your sight.</p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "eye" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10278, "body": "<p>First problem: Blood is an organic substance, and like all organic substances that aren't cooked, refrigerated or otherwise preserved, it will rot. You'll need to freeze or at least refrigerate it.</p>\n\n<p>Second problem: It is a biohazard. Any diseases the donor had (known or unknown) will potentially be in that blood at infectious levels. Any bacteria introduced during or after collection will also grow very nicely in it unless it's refrigerated or frozen. You really should put a biohazard warning label on your art so people know it is potentially infectious. Keep in mind that some viruses can remain infectious in dried blood for weeks (eg, hepatitis B).</p>\n\n<p>Third problem: Blood clots and congeals. After a week you won't have something you can paint with, and it will be black, not red.</p>\n\n<p>You could try adding a chemical such as chlorine bleach or formaldehyde as a preservative, but I'm not sure what other effects that would have. \n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embalming_chemicals\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embalming_chemicals</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.aftermath.com/content/human-decomposition\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.aftermath.com/content/human-decomposition</a></p>\n", "score": 6 } ]

[ "blood", "bacteria", "menstruation" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10293, "body": "<p>I finally found this:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Plano - PL - This indicates there is no spherical correction in this\n eye. A plano lens would have no focusing power or correction to it.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>So it's <code>0</code>.</p>\n\n<p>Source: <a href=\"http://www.aclens.com/How-to-Read-Your-Eyeglass-Prescription-c172.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How to Read and Enter Your Eyeglass Prescription</a> - aclens.com.</p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "eye", "prescription", "glasses", "astigmatism" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10400, "body": "<p>It's possible that sugar is not causing the problems, but perhaps a reaction to gluten. If your reaction comes from sugar in the form of wheat products or even products containing trace amounts of gluten, this could be the issue. I went off of wheat over a year ago and my brain fog disappeared and my weight naturally started to drop. I recommend looking into the book Grain Brain by Dr. Perlmutter. Gluten sensitivity doesn't always show itself with gut issues. It can present many of the symptoms that you describe without gut discomfort. I recommend maybe getting a gluten sensitivity test done to rule that out. Note: this is not the same as a test for celiac issues. Gluten is also known to cause anxiety and depression. Many with Celiac (an extreme version of gluten sensitivity) are known to struggle with anxiety and depression. Again, I highly recommend looking into Grain Brain.</p>\n", "score": 2 }, { "answer_id": 10409, "body": "<p>First, your symptoms sound severe enough that every doctor should take you seriously. I cannot provide any final solution, but the following may help you discuss this with a doctor.</p>\n\n<p>Two conditions that came to my mind are:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Postprandial (reactive) hypoglycemia (<a href=\"http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/reactive-hypoglycemia/faq-20057778\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mayo Clinic</a>)</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>When you eat a large meal, especially if high in carbohydrates, a great amount of glucose will be absorbed in a short time. This may trigger the release of excessive amounts of the hormone insulin, which will result in a drop of glucose not only to normal but to below normal levels (insulin allows glucose to move from the blood into the body cells). This is called \"postprandial hypoglycemia\" - symptoms are pretty much the same as you have described them. Brain fog and sleepiness can be from low glucose levels, and irritation and thirst (dry mouth?) from high adrenaline levels (as a reaction to low glucose). </p>\n\n<p>Migraine is not a typical symptom of postprandial hypoglycemia, but here is a description of a migraine-like headache after meals (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4181986/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed Central</a>)</p>\n\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>Idiopathic postprandial syndrome can cause very similar symptoms as postprandial hypoglycemia, but without detectable low glucose levels (see the Mayo Clinic article above).</li>\n</ol>\n", "score": 1 }, { "answer_id": 10412, "body": "<p>Since the reaction occurs so quickly you might try the following:</p>\n\n<p><strong>Troubleshooting Step #1</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>collect various food items that you usually eat (a fruit, a vegetable, a carbohydrate, meat, etc.)</li>\n<li>eat just as much of one item that you would normally have in a meal (Ie: a quarter of an apple, or a piece of lettuce)</li>\n<li>wait 15 minutes</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>This may help you decide if it is a particular type of food that causes the reaction.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Troubleshooting Step #2</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>if you have been taking any medication since you were 18 and can safely skip it for a couple of days and see if the reaction happens</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Troubleshooting Step #3</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>if you have any other health issues that seem odd (hair falling out, unexplained rash, etc.), research that, even if it isn't a felt problem as it could be related</li>\n</ul>\n", "score": 1 }, { "answer_id": 10402, "body": "<p>The problem could do be what the food is doing to you, but rather what it is doing for you gut flora.</p>\n\n<p>Bacteria in your small intestine are able to communicate with your central nervous system via receptors lining the apical cell of your GI tract. Many of these receptors are ion gated receptors also found in the CNS and have a direct link to your brain (such as seratonin 3, which is responsible for vomiting reflex). However, recent research has found that activation of these receptors may also affect emotional and congintal areas of the brain (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367209/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367209/</a>). </p>\n\n<p>It may be promising to look into your gut flora as the source of your discomfort after eating.</p>\n\n<p>You may also be interested in intermittent fasting.</p>\n\n<p>Please do not use this as medical advice, but rather more information that you can research further at your own discretion. I do not know your medical history and do not want to pretend that I can make any recommendations. </p>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "nutrition", "diabetes", "brain-fog" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10352, "body": "<p>If there's a field of medicine that deals with this issue more than any other, it's emergency medical services. Drunks are a daily staple for them, even in \"nice\" communities. So the following is based on my previous EMS training.</p>\n\n<p>It is always unethical not to do an adequate medical assessment, but that doesn't mean you have to treat the thing they're complaining about.</p>\n\n<p>First, if they're heavily intoxicated then that means they cannot give informed consent. They are not considered mentally competent to make health care decisions under US case law; I expect it's similar in other western countries. So they became your responsibility the minute you recognized their mental incompetence (failing to recognize it is just as bad).</p>\n\n<p>Second, if they're intoxicated then that can mask and/or mimic other concurrent issues. Refusing to at least examine and rule out other problems is therefore negligence. More than one police department has paid a heavy price for jailing \"drunks\" who were in fact diabetics in insulin shock. Intoxication also dulls pain, so even their own pain assessments can't be trusted.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, how intoxicated are they? Remember, being intoxicated means they are your legal and ethical responsibility. Until you've done an adequate assessment to determine that they are mentally competent and not suffering from concealed problems, refusing care will most likely be judged negligence by both medical and legal authorities. </p>\n\n<p>Intoxicated people (by any substance) are the quickest ticket known to loss of license and negligence suits. </p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "mental-health", "treatment", "alcohol" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10411, "body": "<p>Advice against lying down after a meal is usually given to those who already have acid reflux (<a href=\"http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/heartburn-and-gerd\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">WebMD</a>) and not to everyone.</p>\n\n<p>Reflux comes from excessive relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) or diaphragmatic sphincter (the later occurs in hiatal hernia), which results in a free flow of acid into the esophagus when you lie down. If your LES functions properly, you will not likely have acid reflux if you lie down.</p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "gerd-acid-reflux", "heartburn" ]

[ { "answer_id": 20814, "body": "<p>Metformin, a dimethylbiguanide, is a widely used oral antihyperglycaemic drug for the long term treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. It lowers blood glucose in multiple ways, including suppression of hepatic gluconeogenesis, increased peripheral insulin-mediated glucose uptake, decreased fatty acid oxidation, and increased intestinal glucose consumption. Metformin reaches maximal plasma concentration approximately 2 hours after ingestion, and its half-life ranges from 2.5 to 4.9 hours. Approximately 90% of it is eliminated in the urine in 12 hours. Among many side effects of the drug, metformin-associated lactic acidosis is one of them but rare. Although metformin-associated lactic acidosis is a rare condition, with an estimated prevalence of one to five cases per 100 000 population, it has a reported mortality of 30-50%.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The pathophysiology of lactic acidosis from metformin is likely due to inhibition of gluconeogenesis by blocking pyruvate carboxylase, the first step of gluconeogenesis, which converts pyruvate to oxaloacetate. Blocking this enzyme leads to the accumulation of lactic acid. Biguanides also decrease the hepatic metabolism of lactate and have a negative ionotropic effect on the heart, both of which elevate lactate levels. Metformin dose, along with the duration of exposure from accumulation in patients with decreased renal clearance, can cause lactic acidosis. The other contributing factors of lactic acidosis are congestive heart failure, liver disease, shock, alcohol use, hypoxic states, renal failure, sepsis, and advanced age.<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264704/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Link</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The number of documented cases of metformin-associated lactic acidosis is small when one considers how widely metformin is used. That metformin has been used safely in patients with contraindications can be viewed as evidence that it does not cause lactic acidosis. On the other hand, cases of lactic acidosis from metformin overdose, particularly in young people without risk factor, suggest that metformin can cause lactic acidosis if given in large doses.</p>\n\n<p>For immediate-release, the maximum recommended dose of metformin is 2550mg/day and\nfor extended-release, the maximum recommended dose is 2000mg/day and dose adjustment should be done for elderly patients, patients with renal impairment, hepatic impairment, and other complications.<a href=\"https://www.drugs.com/dosage/metformin.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">drugs.com</a>,<a href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/metformin-oral-route/proper-use/drg-20067074\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">mayoclinic.org</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Studies suggesting that a metformin plasma level of at least 40 mg/L (10 times the therapeutic level) may be necessary to cause lactic acidosis.\n <a href=\"https://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/10/8/1476\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Link</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Source:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/7/1791\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/7/1791</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222034/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222034/</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264704/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264704/</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b3660.full\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b3660.full</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/714920\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/714920</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/10/8/1476\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/10/8/1476</a></p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "medications", "glucose", "metformin" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10450, "body": "<p>It is rather suggestive of a <a href=\"http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-the-nocebo-effect-5451823/?no-ist\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">nocebo effect</a> since there is no mechanism to explain a connection between sleepiness/weakness and paracetamol use.</p>\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"http://www.ehealthme.com/ds/paracetamol/fatigue/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">eHealthMe</a>, out of the 1,171 people who reported side effects on paracetamol 64 reported weakness as a side effect, 33 sleepiness as a side effect</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "medications", "sleep", "mechanism-of-action", "acetaminophen" ]

[ { "answer_id": 15924, "body": "<p>On <a href=\"https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/37/5/37_b13-00967/_html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">J-Stage</a>, you have extensive lists of foods (by food groups) high in purines (mg/100 g).</p>\n\n<p>Such lists can be <em>misleading,</em> because it is not only the amount of purines in the food but also a type of food that can be associated with gout risk.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/gout-diet/art-20048524\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mayo Clinic</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ul>\n <li>Studies have shown that <strong>vegetables high in purines do not increase the risk of gout or recurring gout attacks.</strong> A healthy diet based on\n lots of fruits and vegetables can include high-purine vegetables, such\n as asparagus, spinach, peas, cauliflower or mushrooms. You can also\n eat beans or lentils, which are moderately high in purines but are\n also a good source of protein.</li>\n <li><strong>Avoid meats</strong> such as liver, kidney and sweetbreads, which have high purine levels and contribute to high blood levels of uric acid. </li>\n <li><strong>Avoid the following types of seafood,</strong> which are higher in purines than others: anchovies, herring, sardines, mussels, scallops,\n trout, haddock, mackerel and tuna.</li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Other sources with similar claims:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Gout: a review of non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4251556/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed Central</a></li>\n<li>What can I do on my own to prevent gout attacks? <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0073051/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed Health</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Other possible dietary risk factors for gout: high consumption of alcohol, sugary drinks and foods high in fructose. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4251556/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed Central</a></p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "nutrition", "arthritis" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10468, "body": "<p>Actually I claim being the first one - about 30 years ago when I was a teenager I had the idea to cure my sinus infection by honey. Tried once, had similar burning result as you did, and an allergic reaction on top of it (heard of pollen allergy? - thats what honey is full of). Concluded as a failed experiment.</p>\n\n<p>From evolutionary perspective I do not see how honey could ever get into the noses of our ancestors so it probably should not go into yours either. Saline solution of about 10g/liter (physiological concentration ) is much better option.</p>\n", "score": 2 }, { "answer_id": 10715, "body": "<p>For nasty sinus infections, which are generally bacterial, \"fighting the bacteria with lots of sugar\" seems like a very bad idea to me.</p>\n\n<p>Viral sinusitis generally resolves within a few days - it's very difficult to demonstrate that any home remedy speeds up healing in such a short window.</p>\n\n<p>That said, honey has been demonstrated to be somewhat anesthetizing vs. a sore throat, so I believe you when you say you feel better after using it.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "nose", "sinus", "honey", "cotton-swabs-q-tips" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10481, "body": "<p><strong>In short:</strong> Changes in diet have not been proven to help mitigate MS, but there are special diet recommendations for patients on glucocorticoid therapy (solu-medrol belongs to this group).</p>\n<hr />\n<p>There have been hypotheses on various diets increasing the risk of MS, however, there is no strong scientific evidence that would confirm this. At best, the results from controlled studies were inconsistent.</p>\n<p>There was a large prospective study on two cohorts of women (92,422 with 14 year follow-up and 95,389 with 4 years follow-up), which has shown:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>In these two large cohorts of women, we found no evidence that higher intake of saturated fat or lower intakes of polyunsaturated fat and fish omega-3 fatty acids were associated with an increased risk of MS. Intakes of dairy products, fish, red meats, poultry, and processed meats were also unrelated to risk of MS.</p>\n<p>Because of the prospective design, recall or selection biases are unlikely in this study, and the high follow-up rates minimize the concern that differential follow-up rates have effected our results. The estimates of total fat and specific types of fat derived from the dietary questionnaires used in this study reasonably reflect long-term intakes of study subjects\n(15–18). The fact that they have predicted risk of coronary heart disease in the NHS (31) further supports their validity.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>However</strong>, many doctors do recommend a special diet when on glucocorticoid therapy. Influence on electrolyte and sugar metabolism has been established with these medicines, as well as increased energy intake. The recommended diet is usually low in calories, fat and simple carbohydrates (no sugar I'm afraid or as little as possible), rich in protein; also low sodium and foods rich in potassium, calcium and vitamin D are recommended.</p>\n<p>These nutritional strategies serve to prevent or mitigate potential metabolic side effects of corticosteroids. That being said, it is still a point of debate whether these are applied only in chronic systemic application of glucocorticoids or should they also be included in pulse therapy (short-term, high doses, the sort that you described).</p>\n<p>Ultimately, the recommendations on diet should come from your doctor, and you should ask as many questions as you wish. Sometimes this sort of news comes as a bit of a shock, and it is good to have a family member with you and to write down the recommendations - when there is a lot to process it is easy to forget a crucial piece of information. Whatever you do, make sure to take your therapy as prescribed, as with corticosteroids, depending on how long you take them, it might be dangerous to abruptly stop - your doctor will know if this applies to your case.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>Ref:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/152/11/1056.full.pdf+html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dietary Fat in Relation to Risk of Multiple Sclerosis among Two Large\nCohorts of Women</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/921086-treatment#d8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Glucocorticoid Therapy and Cushing Syndrome Treatment &amp; Management</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/271/2/E317.short\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Effects of glucocorticoids on energy metabolism and food intake in humans</a></li>\n</ol>\n", "score": 4 }, { "answer_id": 30985, "body": "<p>I know of two substances in the diet being scientifically debated on.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gluten:</li>\n</ul>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(18)30387-0/fulltext\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Thomsen et al.</a>, The role of gluten in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review (&quot;... literature search was conducted...&quot;)</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cholesterol:</li>\n</ul>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(15)30012-2/fulltext\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Zhornitsky et al.</a>, Cholesterol and markers of cholesterol turnover in multiple sclerosis: relationship with disease outcomes (review of several articles)</p>\n<p>Also to be found is research on<br />\nMetabolic syndrome (abbreviations are: MS and MetS).</p>\n<p><code>Berrios Morales et al.</code>, 2014, Metabolic Syndrome and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis: A Retrospective Study (...)</p>\n<p>Thus, any debate on diet concerning MetS might be relevant, and cholesterol seems a common denominator. However, &quot;(l)imited data on the risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is currently available.&quot; Conversely, there seems to be no connection, at all, between diabetes (related to MetS) and gluten.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "diet", "multiple-sclerosis" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10538, "body": "<p>Immature sperm are not motile, and thus cannot travel up the Fallopian tubes to cause fertilization. However, all of your sperm are not simultaneously on a 42 day cycle. You have millions of sperm, each at a different stage in the cycle. It is the ones that are fully mature and ready to go that you need to worry about. No substitute for using a condom if you aren't ready to have kids.</p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "obstetrics", "fertility", "sperm", "sperm-count" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10607, "body": "<p>There is no official medical advice on this matter, taking regular showers doesn't yield any known health benefits. Except for certain specialized professions e.g. in the medical field where you need to be sterile, you don't need to take showers except possibly for social reasons. Not taking showers, however, may yield health benefits. While not proven, there are biologically plausible arguments in favor of not taking showers.</p>\n\n<p>Let's start with the reason why most of us take showers. This is not because we're following medical guidelines to prevent certain illnesses, it's simply a matter of us not wanting other people to smell us from a large distance. This smell is caused by bacteria that grow in our sweat, they produce chemical compounds like <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyric_acid\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">butyric acid</a> that have a strong smell. As <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_odor\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">explained here</a> these smells have a biological function in animals.</p>\n\n<p>In our modern lifestyle, we have eliminated this flora on our skin and we're also less exposed to bacteria in our environment. <a href=\"http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37482798\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This has been linked to the increased frequency of allergies</a> that we suffer from. As <a href=\"http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28934415\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pointed out here</a>: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The results were incredible. Like most of us in the Western world, the families had far fewer types of bacteria living in and on them when compared with people in traditional tribes in parts of the developing world. One hunter-gatherer community was found to not only have a higher diversity of bacteria, but only one in 1,500 suffered from an allergy - compared with one in three in the UK.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Now, taking regular showers combined with and the general approach to hygiene in the Western world may be implicated in many other health problems. E.g., recently <a href=\"http://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(16)31590-2\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Parkinson's disease has been linked to changes in the gut flora</a>. Now, this does not mean that taking regular showers will lead to some illness, but it's also not easy to rule this out. Someone who is healthy who gets some stomach bug for which antibiotics are prescribed may lose a lot of his intestinal microbes; the fact that he like almost everyone else takes regular showers and lives in a very clean environment may then predispose him to his gut flora to get populated by the wrong type of microbes which may cause problems down the line.</p>\n\n<p>So, while we can't say that taking regular showers has been proven to be harmful., the opposite that it's healthy can't be proven either, and from a broader perspective there are far more reasonable, plausible arguments to suggest that you should not bet on it being good for you.</p>\n\n<p>The real question that should be addressed is how we can stop taking regular showers in a socially acceptable way, because the only reason why we take showers is for social reasons, not for health reasons. Now <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11853295/Man-who-claims-he-hasnt-showered-in-12-years-uses-bacteria-to-stay-clean.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dave Whitlock</a> has done an experiment, demonstrating that it's perfectly possible to not take any showers at all:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Showering, for many of us, is an important part of our daily routine. Personal hygeine is a good thing to maintain if you want friends or a job.\n However, Dave Whitlock, a chemical engineer, has decided to eschew bathing for 12 years in favour of dousing himself with a live bacteria spray, invented by a company he co-founded.</p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "hygiene", "bath" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10627, "body": "<p>In short: Increased sodium intake may or may not result in water retention, but it does result in increased urination.</p>\n\n<p>Let's say you are consuming 5 grams of salt per day during a certain period. Then, one day you increase salt intake to 10 grams per day. This <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19173770\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">may or may not result in <strong>water retention,</strong></a> which will develop fully within few days and become stable at a certain level, so on the end you will have, for example, 2 liters more water in your body than before.</p>\n\n<p>Another thing is, that your body wants to maintain blood sodium at a certain level, so your kidneys will excrete the extra sodium. Since the kidneys can excrete sodium only together with a certain amount of water, you will also <strong><a href=\"http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/38/3/317\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">excrete more water (urine)</a>.</strong> Also, with increased salt intake you probably drink more water, which you will again need to excrete (urinate more).</p>\n\n<p><strong>In conclusion:</strong> After an increase of salt intake, water retention will occur as a single event developing to its highest level within few days and than stabilize. On the other hand, your kidneys will continuously excrete the extra sodium (accompanied by water), so you will urinate more during the entire period of your increased salt intake. This is how you can have water retention and increased urination at the same time.</p>\n\n<p>About <strong>thirst.</strong> With increased salt intake, you usually become more thirsty, but some people have <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3989478/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">weak sense of thirst</a>, so you might not be able to make reliable conclusions from thirst alone.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "salt" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10675, "body": "<p>Surprisingly when I was looking this up, I figured out it was true. Due to <a href=\"http://m.jap.physiology.org/content/116/8/1088\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">recent research</a>, the below was realised.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>When we’re hot, we naturally cool our bodies primarily by sweating, or more specifically by having the sweat evaporate from our skin (that’s important!). Our bodies sense changes in tissue temperature by a network of thermosensors located in the skin and in more central parts of our body, which send input to our brain (specifically, the hypothalamus), which then initiates sweating.</p>\n \n <p>When we take in a hot drink, it appears that the thermosensors located in the stomach become overactive, and send strong signals to our hypothalamus that we are hot. In turn, the hypothalamus reacts by initiating an over-compensatory sweating response. So, when this sweat evaporates from our skin, the heat energy we lose due to evaporation exceeds the heat energy gained by drinking the hot drink. In other words, it is because our body overacted to the hot drink that we end up cooler in the end</p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "diet", "body-temperature", "heat" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10695, "body": "<p>It's not a good argument which doesn't meant hat there aren't better arguments in favor of it. The problem with \"we're the only animals that do X\" arguments, is that you can substitute for X a lot of other things besides drinking milk and then it becomes problematic in an obvious way. E.g. we're the only animals that walk upright, we're the only animals that cook food, etc. etc.</p>\n\n<p>Now, there is something to be said about dairy products not being the ideal source of calcium and protein due to containing saturated fats. But they are rich in protein and minerals like calcium. If we leave out dairy products from the diet, then it seems to be quite difficult to get to the RDA of calcium. But here we must take into account another difference between humans and animals; humans are sedentary animals whose typical fitness level falls way short of the maximum fitness level they could achieve.</p>\n\n<p>Now, I do exercise a lot, I eat close to 4000 Kcal a day, and I do get a lot of calcium from sources that would be irrelevant for most other people. These sources are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Water contains 60 mg of calcium per liter, I drink 3.5 liters a day, so I get 210 mg from tap water alone.</p></li>\n<li><p>Whole grain bread contains 30 mg of calcium per 100 grams, I eat 500 grams a day, so I get 150 mg from dry bread alone.</p></li>\n<li><p>Vegetables, some contain a lot of calcium, some contain oxalates that block calcium absorption, so one has to be careful with making estimates here. An example could be broccoli, this contains 47 mg per 100 grams. I typically eat 500 grams, so I get 235 mg from broccoli.</p></li>\n<li><p>Potatoes contain 12 mg per 100 grams, but I eat 1 kg of potatoes, so I'll get 120 mg from the dry potatoes alone.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So, an a typical day I can easily get to (210 + 150 + 235 + 120) mg = 715 mg of calcium (the RDA is about 1 gram) from sources most people wouldn't even count because \"they hardly contain any calcium\". Now, I do also eat cheese, yogurt and other dairy products. Just two slices of cheese contains 600 mg of calcium. </p>\n\n<p>Most people eat only half the calories I eat, this would bring down the amount of calcium they could typically get to about 360 mg. However, most people also tend to get a smaller fraction of their calories from whole grains, and more from fat. Instead of eating a sandwich with meat, they eat meat with a sandwich like this:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/6DSng.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/6DSng.jpg\" alt=\"Typical US sandwich\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Then you can forget about getting even that 360 mg of calcium from non-dairy sources. A few hundred mg of calcium is all most people can count on from getting from non-dairy sources, therefore they can't do without dairy products.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "milk" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10710, "body": "<p>The article you cited answers your question.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniotomy\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniotomy</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The amount of skull that needs to be removed depends on the type of\n surgery being performed. The bone flap is then replaced using titanium\n plates and screws or another form of fixation (wire, suture, etc.).</p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "brain", "post-surgical", "skull", "sutures" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10729, "body": "<p>Almost everyone is facing gastric problem these days. There is not any permanent solution for this type of stomach problem when you take medicine you get relief for a day or two but i recommend you to use <a href=\"http://www.womentune.com/article/health-and-beauty-products-of-aloe-vera-79\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">aloe vera juice</a> daily empty stomach regularly for 3 months then you will see the difference. The regular use of aloe vera juice removes constipation and all other stomach problems permanently from root.</p>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "health-informatics", "fruits" ]

[ { "answer_id": 10790, "body": "<p>With most medications, the important thing is to simply be consistent and make it easy on yourself to remember to take them. An hour or two one way or the other isn't going to matter with most medications, and if something is sensitive enough that it does matter then your doctor should tell you that. In case s/he overlooks that part, you can and should ask the pharmacist who fills the prescription.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "time-of-day", "streptococcal-infection", "frequency", "potassium" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11221, "body": "<p>First, I will explain what tests DO tell you the bacteria, and how they are used. Secondly, I will explain why clinicians rarely do that for respiratory infections.</p>\n\n<p>To test for bacteria, a sample can be taken of the body tissue/fluid that is infected - blood for bacteremia, urine for bladder/kidney infection, pus for abscess, spinal fluid for meningitis, sputum for respiratory infection, etc.</p>\n\n<p>Usually, soon after taking the sample, treatment is started with \"<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-spectrum_antibiotic\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">broad spectrum antibiotics</a>,\" rather than waiting for test results while the infection grows. This is called \"Empiric Therapy.\" Then, when results come back, the antibiotic choice can be \"narrowed\" in to target the likely bacteria.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gram_staining\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Gram Stain</a> can give a hint to the bacteria type, which is sometimes enough to assume what it is. </p></li>\n<li><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbiological_culture\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Bacterial cultures</a> not only tell you the specific bacteria (usually), it can test for which exact antibiotics kill it the best. That is called <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotic_sensitivity\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">antibiotic sensitivities</a>. </p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Commonly, the first test to come back is the Gram Stain, which can be minutes to hours. For example, \"gram positive cocci\" highly suggests Staphylococcus or Streptococcus. In this case, we could narrow the antibiotic spectrum to something that kills those types of bacteria.</p>\n\n<p>Then, 24-72 hours later is usually the earliest that culture results are available. For example, it would tell us (1) Staphylococcus aureus and (2) Resistant to Methicillin but Sensitive to Vancomycin, Clindamycin... (other representative antibiotics). That would define this bacteria as Methicillin-Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA). Then we could further narrow the antibiotic to Vancomycin, Clindamycin, etc depending on what kind of infection it is and a bunch of other factors.</p>\n\n<p>However:</p>\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_microbiology\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">respiratory tract (including your mouth) is colonized with many different kinds of bacteria</a>. The bacteria in the phlegm from your lungs will show up in a gram stain or culture, but so will a lot of the bacteria from your mouth. How then would you know which is causing the infection? </p>\n\n<p>Instead, usually, a clinician will go straight to prescribing an antibiotic that kills the most common bacteria that cause your specific signs/symptoms. Empiric therapy. Then if it doesn't work, they may investigate further.</p>\n\n<p>Clinicians often take cultures for (1) serious infections like blood infections (2) suspected uncommon or dangerous pathogens (like tuberculosis) that AREN'T oral colonization bacteria or (3) sometimes after a common antibiotic has failed.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "blood-tests", "bacteria", "antibiotics" ]

[ { "answer_id": 19393, "body": "<p>It does not have to exhausted. </p>\n\n<p>The best way would be to point to coder's guideline.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, I will use a data method to prove it.\nTo prove it via data, you can analyze data from Columbia Open Health Data (from Columbia U in NYC) and look for broad terms and you would see that they have counts that are greater than sum of the most granular terms.</p>\n\n<p>COHD data comes as ICD and gets mapped to SNOMED CT terms. But the issue of parent vs. detailed child is preserved. (even after the mapping)</p>\n\n<p>data reference: <a href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2018273\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2018273</a>\ndata API: <a href=\"http://smart-api.info/ui/9fbeaeabd19b334fa0f1932aa111bf35\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://smart-api.info/ui/9fbeaeabd19b334fa0f1932aa111bf35</a></p>\n\n<p>API output for a single term. You must traverse SNOMED CT hiearchy for the related terms.\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/SUJUM.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/SUJUM.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "diagnosis", "disease", "health-informatics", "differential-diagnosis", "icd-intrntl-classif-disea" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11084, "body": "<p>Addiction occurs due to chronic or frequent use, which means a lot more often than you're taking it. Since you're going weeks between doses, and you're taking very small doses, there's no danger of you developing a dependence because of the gaps between doses. Your body simply isn't getting it often enough to develop a physical dependence. The danger would come from using it daily or abusing it for recreational purposes. Don't do that and you should be fine.</p>\n\n<p>I've tried to find sources to support the above, but it's actually very difficult to find hard numbers. Nobody wants to put their finger on an amount that leads to addiction since it's going to vary from person to person, but the examples of addiction you can find will always involve daily or near daily use. Infrequent use as you're doing is never how addictions begin as long as they stay infrequent.</p>\n", "score": 4 }, { "answer_id": 11126, "body": "<p>Agree with above, taking it so infrequently should prevent habitation (body getting used to it), and as far as addiction goes, everyone is different, but you will know when you start having a problem...when suddenly you reaaaalllly want some codeine. Unlikely to happen fron such infrequent dosing, as long as you don't let it happen.</p>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "medications", "risks", "addiction", "opioids-opiates" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11232, "body": "<ol>\n<li><h2>How do muscles grow?</h2>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Muscle hypertrophy involves an increase in size of skeletal muscle through a growth in size of its component cells. Two factors contribute to hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which focuses more on increased muscle glycogen storage; and myofibrillar hypertrophy, which focuses more on increased myofibril size</p>\n<p><em>Baechle, Thomas R.; Earle, Roger W., eds. (2008). Essentials of strength training and conditioning (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. ISBN 978-0-7360-5803-2</em>.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Note that: Microtrauma, which is tiny damage to the fibers, may play a significant role in muscle growth.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Resistance training leads to trauma or injury of the cellular proteins in muscle. This prompts cell-signaling messages to activate satellite cells to begin a cascade of events leading to muscle repair and growth. Several growth factors are involved that regulate the mechanisms of change in protein number and size within the muscle.</p>\n<p><em>Chargé SB, Rudnicki MA (2004). &quot;Cellular and molecular regulation of muscle regeneration&quot;. Physiol. Rev. 84 (1): 209–38. doi:10.1152/physrev.00019.2003. PMID 14715915. <a href=\"http://www.unm.edu/%7Elkravitz/Article%20folder/musclesgrowLK.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Lay summary</a> – Len Kravitz</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><h2>How long does it take for lactic acid to clear out of muscles?</h2>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Depends on a lot of personal factors and can vary wildly. There are some myths on lactic acid that are explained well by this article.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<ol>\n<li>Lactic acid is not responsible for delayed onset muscle soreness.</li>\n<li>Lactic acid is not responsible for muscle cramping.</li>\n<li>Lactic acid is not responsible for muscular acidosis (aka &quot;the burn&quot; during exercise within muscles). Thus, lactic acidosis is a\nmisnomer and false.</li>\n<li>Lactic acid is not responsible for muscle fatigue.</li>\n<li>Lactic acid can be used a semi-fuel source by some tissues such as the heart, brain, and type I muscle fibers, as well as remade into\nglucose in the liver through the Cori cycle.</li>\n</ol>\n<p><em>&quot;The Truth about Lactic Acid&quot;. Steven Low (2016). <a href=\"http://stevenlow.org/the-truth-about-lactic-acid/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://stevenlow.org/the-truth-about-lactic-acid/</a> accessed: 20/2/16</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This was posted on reddit and the most commented answer may be of some relevance:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If lactic acid doesn't contribute to muscle fatigue, why does the\nlactate threshold matter for performance?</p>\n<p>Because lactic acid build-up is a sign that anaerobic metabolism is\nbecoming more dominant, and other factors associated with anaerobic\nmetabolism lead to fatigue.</p>\n<p><em>Unknown User, <a href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/rwkr0/the_many_myths_surrounding_lactic_acid_especially/c499f89/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Reddit</a></em></p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "research", "muscle", "sports" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11245, "body": "<p><strong>Background:</strong></p>\n\n<p>Basal Metabolic Rate is the minimal rate of energy expenditure per unit time by endothermic animals at rest. Several BMR equations exist but the most notable one was the <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1091498\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Harris-Benedict equation</a> (revised 1984), which was created in 1919 and was the 'best' until 1990 until <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2305711\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Mifflin St Jeor Equation</a>.</p>\n\n<p>These equations use the same factors:</p>\n\n<pre><code>P is total heat production at complete rest,\nm is mass (kg),\nh is height (cm), and\na is age (years)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>When investigation on the BRM of a pool of individuals was done there was a wide range of results for people who appeared to be similar. They realised these because formulas are based on body weight alone, which does not take into account the difference in metabolic activity between lean body mass and body fat they were getting variation in their results. </p>\n\n<p>Below is a further breakdown of the BMR impact per-pound of different types of tissue. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11346676\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Organ or tissue Daily metabolic rate</a> </p>\n\n<pre><code>Fat 2 calories per pound \nMuscle 6 calories per pound \nLiver 91 calories per pound \nBrain 109 calories per pound \nHeart 200 calories per pound \nKidneys 200 calories per pound \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>One can conclude for 2 individuals of the same weight, and different BMR's that it is likely that their muscle/fat ratio is not equal.</p>\n\n<p>An important point to note is that in all research all muscle mass is treated equally, biology dictates that muscle only has size and the ability for that muscle to be fully recruited to move weight is down to the adaptions that the muscle has gone through. Body builders utilise the principles of time-unter-tension to increase volume and to achieve this they often do not train for maximal lifts. The opposite is true for powerlifters and to a greater extent, strongmen who to train their bodies to perform maximal lifts and thus are 'stronger'.</p>\n\n<p>The quote from elite fitness is just looking from a maximal lift percentage. If they looked at total power output they might see that bodybuilders have a higher total.</p>\n\n<p>What 'burns fat faster'? Neither, muscle is muscle.</p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "muscle", "body-fat", "weightlifting", "body-mass-index-bmi", "strength-training" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11284, "body": "<p>No, it's not true according to the CDC.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>When you speak you force air out your lungs, and presumably some bacteria can be carried out in this fashion.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/exposed.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/exposed.htm</a></p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "tuberculosis" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13114, "body": "<p>Bottom row, second from the front, right at the gum line.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/l1eUq.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/l1eUq.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>See the darkened wedge-shaped area on the right edge of the tooth in the enlargement below? That is exactly what it looks like: a hole in the enamel of the tooth. That is what a cavity is and it's what it looks like on x-ray.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/sSTez.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/sSTez.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n", "score": 1 }, { "answer_id": 11322, "body": "<p>I'm not a specialist but I notice something at the top of the 4th tooth from the top side. Maybe there's the cavity</p>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "coloration-discoloration", "tooth-decay", "x-rays", "cavity" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11338, "body": "<p>Both are organo-phosphorous/phosphate compounds, and both act by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, leading to sustained muscle contraction and usually death by asphyxiation. </p>\n\n<p>Sarin however is much less stable due to the phosphorus-fluorine bond being easily broken by water or basic/nucleophilic materials. The products of this hydrolysis are relatively non-toxic phosphonic acids. Not all of the VX hydrolysis products appear to be fully non-toxic, which likely adds to it's designation as \"deadliest\".</p>\n\n<p>Additionally, there's the measured LD50 of the two, with Sarin being 172 μg/kg (rat, intravenous) and VX being <em>only 7 µg/kg</em>. I don't know the exact chemical reasons for this, but one could assume the differences in structure lead to different and possibly more efficient binding affinity for VX or some other \"advantageous\" feature that makes it so deadly.</p>\n\n<p>And finally, the two agents have different levels of volatility. Sarin is much more volatile, and so can be \"cleared\" much more easily. VX is likely to stick around in contaminated materials since it doesn't evaporate out of them as easily, and this could arguably make it more \"deadly\" over time.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.nap.edu/read/12963/chapter/12\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Useful and in depth reference here</a></p>\n", "score": 7 } ]

[ "nervous-system" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11677, "body": "<p>STarT Back stands for Screening and Targeted\nTreatment for Back pain.</p>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "pain", "terminology", "back", "lumbago-low-back-pain" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11357, "body": "<p>Prepared food is typically good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator<br>\n<a href=\"https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">food safety guidelines</a> </p>\n\n<p>Frozen is is even longer.</p>\n\n<p>It would be cooled (not frozen) in a normal refrigerator. </p>\n\n<p>Healthy depends on the food. Home prepared food can be healthier than prepared food (especially fast food) that can have a lot of fat and salt. </p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "nutrition", "cancer", "food-safety", "lifestyle", "plastic" ]

[ { "answer_id": 15379, "body": "<p>Jaundice isn't caused directly by viruses. It's caused by a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. Clasped in the hemoglobin molecules in your blood cells is a pigment called porphyrin, which is not water soluble and can be toxic. The liver assists in breaking down those pigments into dozens of more water soluble parts that make up bilirubin so they can be flushed out in the urine. These parts are yellowish, which is why people with jaundice look yellow, and why pee is yellow, etc. Jaundice happens when the liver isn't keeping up, which can be a result of hepatitis.</p>\n\n<p>Viruses in general are very fragile and cannot survive long in the presence of oxygen or acidic things like soda, or even in direct sunlight due to ultraviolet radiation. Even most airborne viruses require aerosol droplets like in a sneeze to live long outside of a body. Viruses generally cant survive high levels of oxidative stress themselves, (even though once they have infected a cell, many viruses reproduce better when the cell itself is under oxidative stress.)</p>\n\n<p>Bacteria could possibly live in these conditions though. There are bacteria that can survive really harsh conditions. Some heartburn is said to be caused by bacteria called H. Pylori that can live in the crazy acidic conditions of the stomach. Some rod shape bacterial are hard to kill because they have tough little clones of themselves in their bodies called endospores that have been known to survive boiling water for long periods of time.</p>\n\n<p>So the short version, viruses have almost zero chance of surviving in soda, but it might possible for bacteria to do it if it got really contaminated somehow. Also, if a well gets really contaminated with feces, there is a possibility of getting Hepatitis A.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "food-safety", "virus", "hepatitis", "jaundice", "carbonated-carbonation" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11406, "body": "<p>At the age of fifty five, I received a diagnosis of severe ADHD. ADHD has significantly affected my life, threatened my marriage, and made my professional career...challenging.</p>\n\n<p>I went to see a psychiatrist for marriage counseling and it was there that I found out I had ADHD. Up til that point I had no idea. None. In retrospect, my symptoms were so obvious it was ludicrous that nobody had twigged to it before, but when I was growing up there wasn't much awareness of ADHD.</p>\n\n<p>Just receiving the diagnosis (I don't take drugs, as after fifty five years I have already learned a lot of coping mechanisms that allow me to function fairly well) has made a huge difference in my life. Once my husband learned that I didn't forget to do things because I was careless, or didn't care, and we both learned how to help me lean on his ability to keep track of things, my marriage was worlds better.</p>\n\n<p>No mental health professional is going to scoff at your observation that you might have Aspergers. If you have concerns, do a little googling and find one who lists experience with Aspergers and give him (or her) a call. At the very least, a good counselor can help you develop coping strategies for any problems that might be troubling you. And as for billing, tell a prospective counselor about your concerns. Usually they are very good at billing in such a way that insurance companies understand and accept. It would be ridiculous for a health insurance company to refuse to pay for a test just because the test comes back negative. All there has to be is a reasonable suspicion that a pathology might be present, and in any case an evaluatory meeting should be covered.</p>\n\n<p>I would also mention that providers and employers are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with mental disabilities. After I received my diagnosis I was fairly open about it with friends and co-workers and even potential employers, and I haven't noticed that it has impacted my life negatively. We've gotten a lot more accepting of peoples' differences.</p>\n", "score": 1 }, { "answer_id": 11571, "body": "<blockquote>\n <p>I just want to know if I'm on the spectrum or not.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Well, the point you made about insurance is pretty accurate, you have to have an actual <em>problem</em> for there to be a medial reason to investigate the possibility of Asperger's syndrome.</p>\n\n<p>However, functioning well as a human being isn't just about being a capable professional - it's also about having quality interpersonal relationships if possible, and that can be a hurdle for some people with Asperger's. You haven't touched on this specifically in your post so I have no idea what your situation is in this respect, but if you're a typical person with Asperger's whose social life consists mainly in having conversations on the Internet you may want to rethink whether some form of treatment would benefit you or not.</p>\n\n<p>If you have a solid social life and you're certain you wouldn't benefit from treatment, I suggest simply forgetting all about it. It doesn't add anything to the bottom line to know if you have Asperger's or not. If you just want to find things out about yourself that you didn't know before you could try researching your genealogy instead, it's a lot more socially acceptable than seeing a mental health professional.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "mental-health", "autism", "aspergers-syndrome" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11418, "body": "<p>The question is quite broad, so I can only begin to answer, based on the animals you mentioned: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Cows and other ruminants (including giraffes) have <a href=\"http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/dairy/feed-and-nutrition/feeding-the-dairy-herd/ruminant-anatomy-and-physiology.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a totally different digestive system</a>, which allows them to ferment the ingested food and thus acquire nutrients in a way that is not accessible to humans.</p></li>\n<li><p>As for the gorilla, what may only be \"leaves\" for you are in fact various items (leaves indeed, but also bark, fruits, flowers, roots, seeds and shoots) from hundreds of different species, as you may reed in <a href=\"http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.460.6233&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this article</a>. \nIf we compare these foods to human dietary requirements, these foods provide amounts of protein that would be probably be sufficient for humans, but very low amounts of fat and available carbohydrate, and lots of dietary fiber (see <a href=\"http://jn.nutrition.org/content/127/10/2000.full\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this other article</a>). According to <a href=\"http://jn.nutrition.org/content/127/10/2000.full\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">3</a>, Western Lowland Gorillas derive more than half of their energy from the fermentation of fiber in the colon (under the form of short-chain fatty acids), whereas this source of energy is marginal for humans. Despite very little genetic difference, humans have evolved to eat very differently from apes. A human trying to follow a gorilla diet would quite probably not be able to achieve this level of colonic fermentation and thus would fail to thrive on this diet.</p></li>\n</ul>\n", "score": 3 }, { "answer_id": 11423, "body": "<p>First of all, humans are <strong>omnivores</strong>, while all the example animals given in the question were <strong>herbivores</strong>.<br>\nYou are comparing apples and oranges (or rather, apple and beef)! </p>\n\n<p>If you compare a human's diet with a wild pig's (sus scrofa) <a href=\"http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sus_scrofa/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">diet</a>, you will find out that they both eat a variety of foods.</p>\n\n<p>As to why this is the case, biology.stackexchange might be more suited for your question...</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "diet" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13512, "body": "<p>Benzodiazepines (benzos) are not indicated for long term treatment of anxiety disorders due to concerns with tolerance, dependence, and other adverse effects.</p>\n\n<h1>Serious adverse effects</h1>\n\n<p>Cognitive impairments (such as psychomotor retardation and memory impairment), and depression can occur secondarily to benzo use. There is evidence to suggest that the cognitive impairments may persist following cessation after long-term use <strong>in humans</strong> (1). </p>\n\n<p>Benzos increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents, and hip fractures in the elderly (2). Seizures can occur during abrupt withdrawal (3).</p>\n\n<h1>Alternatives to Medication</h1>\n\n<p>Psychotherapy, most notably Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), is an effective modality of treatment for anxiety (4). It does not carry all the nasty side effects associated with psychotropic medications. </p>\n\n<h1>References</h1>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Persistence of cognitive effects after withdrawal from long-term benzodiazepine use: a meta-analysis <a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887617703000969\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887617703000969</a></li>\n<li>Risks Associated with Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use <a href=\"http://www.aafp.org/afp/2013/0815/p224.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.aafp.org/afp/2013/0815/p224.html</a></li>\n<li>Addiction: Part I. Benzodiazepines—Side Effects, Abuse Risk and Alternatives <a href=\"http://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0401/p2121.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0401/p2121.html</a></li>\n<li>The Efficacy and Effectiveness of Psychological Treatments <a href=\"http://www.cpa.ca/docs/File/Practice/TheEfficacyAndEffectivenessOfPsychologicalTreatments_web.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.cpa.ca/docs/File/Practice/TheEfficacyAndEffectivenessOfPsychologicalTreatments_web.pdf</a></li>\n</ol>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "depression", "anxiety-disorders", "antidepressants", "anti-anxiety-meds", "benzodiazepines" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11452, "body": "<p>The amounts of radiation in today's machines is low enough that there is no negative impact to be expected.</p>\n\n<p>For comparison:</p>\n\n<p><strong>X-Rays</strong>: A chest X-ray gives you about 10 mrem</p>\n\n<p><strong>MRI</strong>s measure the reaction time of molecules (in the body) to changes of outside magnetic fields. No radiation or radioactivity is involved at all. </p>\n\n<p><strong>CT-Scans</strong>:\nA chest CT scan clocks in at about 200mrem.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Natural background radiation</strong> is around 300 mrem.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Smoking</strong> five cigarettes a day means you <em>inhale</em> about 1300 mrem a year.</p>\n\n<p>See this list for many more examples:<a href=\"http://www.iem-inc.com/information/tools/common-radiation-exposures\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.iem-inc.com/information/tools/common-radiation-exposures</a></p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "risks", "mri", "x-rays", "ct-scans", "bioelectromagnetics" ]

[ { "answer_id": 14111, "body": "<p>The bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. After a meal, fats trigger gallbladder contraction, which results in the release of the bile into the small intestine. The bile helps to digest fats.</p>\n\n<p>The liver is connected to the small intestine by the common bile duct. When your gallbladder is removed, the bile will flow from the liver via the bile duct directly into the small intestine. This continuous flow of the bile can irritate the intestine and trigger diarrhea.</p>\n\n<p>After gallbladder removal, the bile is still delivered into the intestine, so all the fat should be properly digested as before.</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes, during gallbladder removal, a small stone accidentally passes into the common bile duct and blocks the flow of the bile through it. This prevents fat digestion. The undigested fat moves further into the colon, where it is partially broken down by normal intestinal bacteria (which results in gas) and partially excreted in the stool (which results in smelly, floating and pale stools) (<a href=\"http://slu.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=617&amp;pid=1&amp;gid=000263\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Adam</a>).</p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "digestion", "gastroenterology", "surgery", "body-fat", "gallbladder" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11473, "body": "<p>Yes, there indeed a phobia for the irrational fear in which you are describing. It is called <a href=\"http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Chemophobia\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Chemophobia</a>, and it is described as </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Chemophobia</strong> is specifically a distrust of what people view as\n \"artificial\" chemicals – food additives, drugs, pesticides and so on.\n This is usually attributed to a lack of trust and knowledge among the\n public, which is often fueled by tabloid-based health scares and the\n occasional additive shown to possibly be toxic. Advances in the field\n of analytical chemistry are also thought to be behind chemophobia, as\n modern techniques are capable of identifying substances in very low\n (parts per billion or even trillion) and harmless quantities.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For a more substantiated and scholarly source, have a look at <a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257789222_Food_chemistry_and_chemophobia\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Food Chemistry and Chemophobia</a>. For just a brief glimpse of what the detailed article is about, here is the abstract below: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Chemophobia is the exaggerated fear of anything ‘chemical’ which is\n found quite widespread both in the Western world and in Asia. That\n food incontrovertibly is chemistry seems to require regulation of all\n sorts. As we will see below, that would truly necessitate gargantuan\n determination exceeding every regulatory effort to date. Worse, it\n will be futile. Our food is peppered with natural compounds such as\n organohalogens, dioxins, aflatoxins, and many others. These we will\n briefly discuss, including their natural whereabouts. Overall, the aim\n of this paper is to show that food is chemistry beyond our immediate\n control, including those synthetic chemicals that are deemed to be\n artificial and should not be found in ‘safe’ food. The latter is an\n overestimation of regulatory competence and an underestimation of\n nature to produce most unlikely chemicals in unlikely places,\n including our food.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Ta Da! There is basically a phobia for everything. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/WclNC.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/WclNC.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/WclNC.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/jRDsY.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "nutrition", "preservitives", "dyes", "artificial-flavor" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11639, "body": "<p>I am studying counselling and psychotherapy in university and there are 3 main different approaches of therapy offered in counselling and psychotherapy.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Humanistic</strong><br>including Existential Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Human Givens Psychotherapy and Person-Centred Therapy (PCT), (<a href=\"http://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/humanistic.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Source</a>)</li>\n<li><strong>Psychodynamic</strong><br>a therapeutic approach that embraces the work of all analytic therapies. Its roots lie predominantly in Freud's psychoanalysis approach, but Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Otto Rank and Melanie Klein are all widely recognised for further developing the concept and application of psychodynamics. (<a href=\"http://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/psychodynamic-therapy.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Source</a>)</li>\n<li><strong>Integrative</strong><br>a combined approach to psychotherapy that brings together different elements of specific therapies. (<a href=\"http://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/integrative-therapy.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Source</a>) The therapist would integrate elements of both Psychodynamic and Humanistic approaches and could be integrated with a leaning towards Person Centred or Psychodynamic; or could be 50:50 between the two.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>With Humanistic therapy, the client takes the lead in all sessions - hence the name <strong>Person-Centred</strong> in Person-Centred Therapy. Therapy is concentrated on the here and now, and the therapist will listen to what the client says and reflects it back to the client in order for the client to <strong>hear</strong> what is said and work through the issues themselves with the therapist's help. The therapist in humanistic approaches will not put forward a position of expertise. Only the client knows where they are in therapy.</p>\n\n<p>With Psychodynamic therapy, the therapist is diferent in the sense that they will analyse what the client says and look at past events which may have lead to the problems in the present. A psychodynamic therapist might give some 'homework' or some tasks to carry out which might help.</p>\n\n<p>Gestalt therapy is an example being that although primarily humanistic (it concentrates on the here and now), the therapy does have a small element of psychodynamic too. Gestast therapy may use techniques such as the <strong><a href=\"https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-therapy/201001/cool-intervention-9-the-empty-chair-1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">empty chair</a></strong> or exaggerated body language.</p>\n\n<p>You said,</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Perhaps the therapist I'm seeing is not the right person for me.....all I feel like I'm getting is someone to listen to me rant on about things, very rarely offering useful advice.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If you are looking for some direction and you are seeing a purely Person-Centred therapist, then you may be seeing the wrong person. Maybe a discussion is needed with your therapist to work out where the problems may lay.</p>\n", "score": 3 }, { "answer_id": 11567, "body": "<p>From my own experiences I would recommend:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>write down what your goals are. You should really think this through. </li>\n<li>write down any questions you have before you go to a session</li>\n<li>if you have difficulties to remember all things being said, you could bring someone you trust maybe</li>\n<li>ask your therapist for advice in this</li>\n<li>remember your therapist is only human. I find that this makes their authority over me less intimidating and I dare to ask more and be more critical</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I hope this helps. It does for me. Good luck.</p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "mental-health", "psychologist-psychology" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11734, "body": "<p>The most popular drug that can keep people awake for long time is caffeine. Most caffeine pills contain a 200mg dose, about the same as the average 12-ounce cup of coffee. </p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "sleep-deprivation", "hallucinate-hallucogenic", "stimulants", "amphetamine", "autopsy" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11763, "body": "<h1>How do I interpret a histology / pathology result?</h1>\n\n<p>As mentioned in comments, Health.SE isn't a place for personal medical advice, so I'll steer clear of addressing your result specifically. That being said, some general points about pathology reports and some of the nuances may be illuminating for you or others.</p>\n\n<h2>Why isn't the result clear?</h2>\n\n<p>Rather than thinking in a binary way about results:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>☐ cancer</li>\n<li>☑ not cancer</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>pathologists can't always be certain- sometimes it's clearly malignant, sometimes it isn't.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>☐ malignant</li>\n<li>? probably malignant</li>\n<li>? maybe malignant</li>\n<li>? pre-alignant</li>\n<li>☐ not malignant</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Margins, are <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4248492/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">extremely important when diagnosing whether a lesion (\"lump\") is malignant</a>, are by definition not available in a punch biopsy. There are quite a <a href=\"http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/diagnosing-cancer/reports-and-results/reading-pathology-report\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">number of factors</a> to balance when deciding whether a sample is malignant or not (eg cell size, shape, differentiation, numbers)</p>\n\n<h2>Why are my pathologist and surgeon saying different things?</h2>\n\n<p>I don't want to speak for either person involved here; but although both the pathologist want to do the best they can, they may have slightly different 'views'.</p>\n\n<p>The pathologist has been a small specimen of a larger lesion and has to make a determination about what is going on in it. It's not always possible to say with 100% certainty what is actually happening.</p>\n\n<p>Your surgeon has (I assume) seen you, seen the lesion in person, and hear you say that it's a new and recent occurrence. They may have <strong>added that knowledge to the pathology report</strong> and decided that on the balance of probability that it is malignant, and that it should be removed.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Disclaimer</strong>: the above is speculation, and merely offered as a <em>possiblity</em> as to why they are saying different things. If this concerns you, then read the next section.</p>\n\n<h2>What should I do?</h2>\n\n<p>As recommended, speak to the doctors involved- the pathologist and the surgeon. They should be happy to explain their reasoning to you and be able to clarify what they mean and why they made the decision they did.</p>\n\n<p>If that does not satisfy you, you always have the option to seek a second (in this case, third!) opinion.</p>\n\n<h2>Further reading</h2>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/pathology/Pages/pathology-services-explained.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Pathology services explained</a> - starts with \"Unlike the pathologists you might see on the television...\", which is a good start in my book</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/0315/p1155.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Punch biopsy outline</a> from American Family Physician</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/diagnosing-cancer/reports-and-results/reading-pathology-report\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Reading a Pathology Report</a> from cancer.net</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h2>Further Disclaimer / TL;DR</h2>\n\n<p>There may well be some pathologists reading this who are thinking <em>\"that's way too oversimplified\"</em> or similar. Really, it's probably still too complicated. It's a tricky job to do and so it's not easy to summarise a speciality in an answer on a Q&amp;A site.</p>\n\n<p>The take-home message is in the bullet points above: <strong>pathology does not always give a clear answer</strong>.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "melanoma", "moles", "biopsy" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11766, "body": "<p>From <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenpox\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Chickenpox</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h1>Other animals</h1>\n \n <p>Humans are the only known animal that the disease affects naturally. However, chickenpox has been caused in other primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The <em>varicella zoster</em> virus cannot infect dogs.</p>\n", "score": 3 }, { "answer_id": 11815, "body": "<p>No,dogs cannot get chicken pox. you must first know what an anthroponotic disease is. It means that it is a contagious disease wherein a pathogen found in humans is transmitted to animal species. Once a pathogen transfers to animals, at times it may result to the same disease found in humans with a few significant differences in presentation. Chicken pox not being an anthroponotic disease means that it is not transmissible to your pets.</p>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "chickenpox", "carrier-genetic", "animal-dander", "vector", "zoonotic-viruses" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11802, "body": "<p>What you are describing sounds like a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startle_response\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">startle response</a>. The startle response, along with the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestibulo%E2%80%93ocular_reflex\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">vestibular-occular reflex</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_reflex\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">acoustic reflex</a>, and are often thought of as reflexes, despite not involving a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflex_arc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">reflex arc</a> where a sensory neuron synapses with the spinal cord allowing for motor responses to occur without the signal reaching the brain. The startle response involves a number of brain structures and therefore, even though it is an unconscious response, in the strictest sense, it is not a reflex.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "hearing", "reflex-impulse" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11781, "body": "<blockquote>\n <p>Am I reading this right, that junk food and drinking soft drinks is\n correlated with higher intelligence quotient ? Does all that sugar beside its negative side effects (tooth decay, insulin highs) have this positive effect on intelligence ?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No you are not reading it right, but your mistake is very a common misunderstanding of statistics. </p>\n\n<p>The key point to remember is: correlation does not imply causation. </p>\n\n<p>That means that just because two things appear to coincide, you can't conclude that one causes the other - or even that they are related at all.</p>\n\n<p>This is a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-sectional_study\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">cross-sectional study</a>. They are looking at these variables at a single point in time. This kind of study allows you to say \"interesting, many people who own red cars have cats.\" Correlation. But what it doesn't do is allow any inference of which causes the other - you can't say that people who have cats are likely to get red cars, or the other way around. </p>\n\n<p>To attempt to establish causation, a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_study_design\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study design</a> that manipulates or strictly observes factors across time is required. Of these designs, the <a href=\"https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms?cdrid=45858\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Randomized Control Trial</a> design is generally the strongest for that purpose - but that is a discussion in and of itself.</p>\n\n<p>This is a <a href=\"http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">humorous website</a> that I share to emphasize the key message to take from this - just because the prevalence or incidence of two variables coincides, you can't say anything about whether there is causation or relationship at all.</p>\n\n<p>To answer your question, in review of the study, there is absolutely no evidence to support that one causes the other, or that they are in any way related. Any theorizing about why they correlate would have to be tested in another study design in order to hold weight.</p>\n", "score": 6 } ]

[ "research", "sugar", "benefits", "iq-intelligence", "carbonated-carbonation" ]

[ { "answer_id": 21032, "body": "<p>The personal set-point of thyroid homeostasis may differ between individuals [1, 2]. Multiple studies showed that the intra-individual variation of both TSH and peripheral thyroid hormones is smaller than the inter-individual variation [3, 4]. Therefore, for individuals the range of optimality is smaller than the width of the corresponding reference range (for TSH, free T4 and potentially free T3, too) [1]. A person with a rather low setpoint may well have symptoms of thyrotoxicosis like irregular heart rhythm, increased heart rate etc. if the FT4 concentration is higher than her or his personal set point.</p>\n\n<p>The potentially harmful consequences of this association were dramatically demonstrated by the Rotterdam study, which showed a fourfold-increased risk of sudden cardiac death in persons with FT4 concentration being in the highest tertile of the normal reference range [5]. A similar association was found to atrial fibrillation [6]. Recently, the THORACAL study found an increased risk of severe cardiac arrhythmia in persons with higher FT4 concentration (of note within the reference range again) [7].</p>\n\n<p>Of course, there may be other reasons for increased heart rate, hair loss etc. as well. But it may be beneficial to check the thyroid, e.g. via ultrasound or antibody determination. It is not advisable to take thyrostatic agents without a definitive diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, however.</p>\n\n<p><strong>References</strong></p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Leow MK, Goede SL. The homeostatic set point of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis--maximum curvature theory for personalized euthyroid targets. Theor Biol Med Model. 2014;11:35. Published 2014 Aug 8. doi:10.1186/1742-4682-11-35 <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25102854\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25102854</a> <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4682-11-35\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4682-11-35</a></p></li>\n<li><p>Dietrich JW, Landgrafe-Mende G, Wiora E, et al. Calculated Parameters of Thyroid Homeostasis: Emerging Tools for Differential Diagnosis and Clinical Research. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2016;7:57. Published 2016 Jun 9. doi:10.3389/fendo.2016.00057 <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27375554\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27375554</a> <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2016.00057\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2016.00057</a></p></li>\n<li><p>Andersen S, Pedersen KM, Bruun NH, Laurberg P. Narrow individual variations in serum T(4) and T(3) in normal subjects: a clue to the understanding of subclinical thyroid disease. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Mar;87(3):1068-72. doi: 10.1210/jcem.87.3.8165. PMID: 11889165. <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11889165\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11889165</a> <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.87.3.8165\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.87.3.8165</a></p></li>\n<li><p>Larisch R, Giacobino A, Eckl W, Wahl HG, Midgley JE, Hoermann R. Reference range for thyrotropin. Post hoc assessment. Nuklearmedizin. 2015;54(3):112-7. doi: 10.3413/Nukmed-0671-14-06. Epub 2015 Jan 8. PMID: 25567792. <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25567792\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25567792</a> <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3413/nukmed-0671-14-06\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://doi.org/10.3413/nukmed-0671-14-06</a></p></li>\n<li><p>Chaker L, van den Berg ME, Niemeijer MN, et al. Thyroid Function and Sudden Cardiac Death: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study. Circulation. 2016;134(10):713–722. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.020789 <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27601558\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27601558</a> <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.115.020789\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.115.020789</a></p></li>\n<li><p>Chaker L, Heeringa J, Dehghan A, et al. Normal Thyroid Function and the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: the Rotterdam Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015;100(10):3718–3724. doi:10.1210/jc.2015-2480 <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26262438\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26262438</a> <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-2480\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-2480</a></p></li>\n<li><p>Patrick Müller, Johannes W. Dietrich, Tina Lin, Alexandru Bejinariu, Stephan Binnebößel, Friederike Bergen, Jan Schmidt, Sarah-Kristin Müller, Apostolos Chatzitomaris, Muhammed Kurt, Shqipe Gerguri, Lukas Clasen, Harald H. Klein, Malte Kelm, Hisaki Makimoto, Usefulness of Serum Free Thyroxine Concentration to Predict Ventricular Arrhythmia Risk in Euthyroid Patients with Structural Heart Disease. The American Journal of Cardiology, 2020. <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002914920300606\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002914920300606</a> <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2020.01.019\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2020.01.019</a></p></li>\n</ol>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "hair", "thyroid", "hyperthyroid" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11880, "body": "<p>That's awesome you'd like to learn about exercise science! </p>\n\n<p>Honestly where I'd recommend starting is getting a membership to a local gym and if you have a family, friend or co-worker that could act as your workout buddy that would be ideal.</p>\n\n<p>Along with the actual doing -- to slowly start I'd recommend subscribing to a magazine or two (Men's Health, Muscle and Fitness etc..) something that will get your feet wet.</p>\n\n<p>I was in your shoes right after high school -- 8 years, 3 degree's and too many certs later, I never would have believed it. Once I started seeing results I became obsessed &amp; have since entered the rehabilitation side as well.</p>\n\n<p>Bottom line who knows where this will lead you -- just stick with it and don't overload your plate to start.</p>\n\n<p>If you ever have any questions feel free to contact me -- I'd be happy to help you out!</p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "health-education" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12799, "body": "<p>It is absolutely possible for moisturizer to make acne worse. You've probably heard the term \"non-comedogenic\" in advertisements for various skin products, and that means that the product is not supposed to cause zits, aka comedones. <a href=\"http://thescienceofacne.com/what-does-non-comedogenic-mean/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a> is a page with a more detailed explanation and a handy chart of common ingredients for reference. Additionally, <a href=\"http://www.cosdna.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">www.cosdna.com</a> allows you to input the name of an ingredient and returns the comedogenicity and irritancy ratings. I haven't used it extensively, but it has matched up with the Fulton scale on each search I've done so far.\nHowever, comedogenicity ratings are definitely not to be taken as gospel. Acne is highly individual and multifactorial, so there is no way to derive a universally accurate scale of ingredients that will or will not cause acne. It can certainly be a helpful tool, but if it were that simple, no one would have long-term acne! ;)</p>\n\n<p>Moisturizer can also cause skin issues via sensitivity or allergy to any of the ingredients. I have very sensitive skin and am allergic to just about everything, so that happens to me all the time and I've just thrown in the towel and started making my own moisturizer. You should talk to your doctor about your individual situation (especially about concurrent use of the two treatments), but the answer to your question in general is yes. Moisturizer can cause all kinds of problems, but to figure out which ones you're experiencing, you'll need to be examined.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck... I hope your skin feels better soon!</p>\n", "score": 3 }, { "answer_id": 13478, "body": "<p>Being a dermatologist i would recommend you to not use moisturizer as it will make your condition more worse, its just like adding fire to the fuel. </p>\n\n<p>Instead of using an ordinary moisturizer, you should go with non-comedogenic moisturizer at it has water based light contents and it will not clog your pores and won't cause acne break out. </p>\n\n<p>I founded one <a href=\"https://bestmoisturizerguide.com/non-comedogenic-moisturizer/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">useful article</a> where they have mention about the non comedogenic moisturizers as well as some of the best non comedogenic moisturizers, among them you can select anyone which you think will suit your skin type. </p>\n", "score": 0 } ]

[ "dermatology", "acne", "antibiotics", "moisturize", "exacerbate-exacerbation" ]

[ { "answer_id": 11957, "body": "<p>There are many possibilities here, but my first thought upon seeing the pictures and reading that it occurred after you increased your alcohol consumption was rosacea. It can be triggered by alcohol consumption. Certain foods can trigger it as well. You'll want to google \"rosacea\" and \"rosacea triggers\" because there's much more info out there than I can easily summarize here. </p>\n\n<p>Another big possibility is allergies/atopic dermatitis/eczema. Did you change any product usage like soaps, detergents, shampoo, or conditioner which come into contact with the skin? Have you started eating any new foods that you now eat frequently? Any other recent environmental changes?</p>\n\n<p>Follow up with your dermatologist. It may take several visits to narrow down and pinpoint some diagnoses that have nonspecific symptoms, and sometimes it even comes down to trial and error with several treatment options. If you don't get anywhere after that, perhaps seek another opinion. </p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "coloration-discoloration", "face", "uv-rays", "hyperpigmentation", "flush-face-body" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12002, "body": "<p>For activity you need energy, try eating foods that contain polysaccharides. That's what athletes eat before triathlon. \nReference : <a href=\"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate</a></p>\n\n<p>Monosaccharides help for short time energy boost although they can turn into fats if not used. </p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "brain", "cognitive-science", "brain-exercises", "alertness-level", "forgetfulness" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12054, "body": "<h1>Summary</h1>\n\n<p>OxiClean products don't contain a bleach activator, so they aren't very good at disinfecting laundry.</p>\n\n<p>Here are a few popular products which include activated oxygen bleach:</p>\n\n<p>In the US, you can use Tide Mountain Spring powder, or probably any other Tide powder. No pre-soaking is necessary. Do not use Tide liquid or Tide gel packs.</p>\n\n<p>In the UK, you can use Persil Biological powder or Fairy Non-Bio powder. You must set your machine to 30&nbsp;°C or higher. Most power products in Europe contain TAED. No liquid detergents or gel packs contain an activator in Europe or North America.</p>\n\n<p>Details follow.</p>\n\n<h1>I think you must buy powder</h1>\n\n<p>You can buy a powder, a tablet, or a self-dissolving film-coated pack which contains a solid portion. But you can't buy a liquid detergent.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://laundry.reviewed.com/features/liquid-powder-pacs-pods-which-detergent-cleans-clothes-best\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This source</a> says:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"Powders have more bleaching technology than liquids, and can go after particulate soils better,\" says Elaine Cella, principal researcher for Tide. \"In powder we can put in non-chlorine bleach, which you can’t put into a liquid, because it deteriorates too quickly.\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(But, the source seems to imply, liquid detergents are best at dealing with food, body oils, and other greasy soils.)</p>\n\n<h1>In the US and Canada</h1>\n\n<h3>NOBS</h3>\n\n<p>NOBS is the best bleach activator commonly available in North America. It produces the active chemical <a href=\"https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kUBZDwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=RA2-PA455&amp;lpg=RA2-PA455&amp;dq=nobs+pernonanoic+acid&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=erl_HLG4zg&amp;sig=jQ_LudFDFccvNqHea8skUEoUpzA&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwijsbmy-ZffAhWjnOAKHc-qArAQ6AEwAHoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=nobs%20pernonanoic%20acid&amp;f=false\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pernonanoic acid</a> in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. But most laundry products don't use it. Originally, the product was made exclusively for Tide's manufacturer, Procter and Gamble, but even though this is no longer the case it has not been introduced into formulas by other <a href=\"https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/10/01/772865/10151403/en/FutureFuel-Chemical-Company-Enters-Into-Contract-Amendment-to-Extend-Supply-of-NOBS-Laundry-Detergent-Additive-to-Procter-Gamble-Through-2018.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">manufacturers.</a>. It works fine in both warm and hot water.</p>\n\n<p>I visited the <a href=\"http://www.pgproductsafety.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">P&amp;G ingredients site</a>. It looks like many (maybe all) Tide powders include a bleach activator. For example: <a href=\"http://www.pgproductsafety.com/productsafety/ingredients/Ultra_Tide_Powdered_Detergent_Mountain_Spring.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Tide Mountain Spring powder</a> includes the activator NOBS. (The liquid <a href=\"http://www.pgproductsafety.com/productsafety/ingredients/Tide_Mountain_Spring.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">does not</a>; don't use it.)</p>\n\n<p>I checked the ingredients list for a few <a href=\"https://www.pg.com/productsafety/search_results.php?submit=Search&amp;searchtext=Gain&amp;category=ingredients&amp;start=1&amp;num=50\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Gain</a> powdered detergents. <a href=\"https://www.pg.com/productsafety/ingredients/Ultra_Gain_OxyPowdered_Detergent_IcyFreshFizz.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Ultra Gain with Oxy powder (Icy Fresh Fizz)</a> includes NOBS. All other Gain powders, including \"Ultra Gain\" and \"Ultra Gain with Febreze\", lack an activator; don't buy them.</p>\n\n<h3>TAED</h3>\n\n<p>TAED isn't as soluble as NOBS but in the washing machine in the presence of hydrogen peroxide released from sodium percarbonate in the detergent, it dissolves quickly to produce the active bleaching and disinfecting chemical <a href=\"https://www.lubrizol.com/Home-Care/Products/Mykon-TAED-and-Warwick-B-Series-TAED\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">peracetic acid.</a></p>\n\n<p>Everyone agrees that TAED works fine in hot water and it is now claimed that \n good performance is achieved in water as low as <a href=\"https://www.lubrizol.com/Home-Care/Products/Mykon-TAED-and-Warwick-B-Series-TAED\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">15&nbsp;°C.</a></p>\n\n<p>In warm water? <a href=\"http://www.siriusint.com/our-products/britebleach-nobs/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This source</a> says that TAED works at 40&nbsp;°C and above. In the worst-case scenario, if your cold-water supply can fall to 0&nbsp;°C, your washing machine's \"warm\" water setting can produce water as cold as 25&nbsp;°C. So I don't know whether or not TAED is always a good choice for warm-water clothes washing. <a href=\"http://www.bradford.ac.uk/business/intellectual_property/tech_oppt/taed.php\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This source</a> gives me doubts about TAED's solubility. But, since the \"warm\" setting is <a href=\"https://www.thespruce.com/laundry-and-water-temperature-1900646\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">usually significantly warmer than 25&nbsp;°C</a>, and since <a href=\"http://futurefuelcorporation.com/nobs/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this source</a> implies that it dissolves fully in 25 minutes even at 20&nbsp;°C, therefore it may be fine to use TAED in warm water if you do the following:</p>\n\n<p>Start your top-loading washing machine's \"wash\" cycle and let it agitate for a few minutes, then pause the machine and let it soak for ten minutes before continuing.</p>\n\n<p>Or, of course, you can just set your machine to 40&nbsp;°C. <a href=\"https://www.persil.com/uk/laundry/laundry-tips/fabrics/top-tips-disinfect-clothes-ill.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">(Source.)</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/en-us/brands/what-were-made-of/ingredients-inside/ingredients-brands-listing/clorox/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Clorox 2 Stain Remover &amp; Color Booster powder</a> contains TAED. <a href=\"https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/en-us/what-were-made-of/ingredients-inside/clorox/clorox-2-stain-remover-color-booster-packs-44600308166\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Clorox 2 Stain Remover &amp; Color Booster packs</a> are self-dissolving film-coated packs which are made up of <a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/forum/-/Tx36MJR5IHWEU2H/ref=ask_ql_ql_al_hza?asin=B00Q8J4KUI\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a liquid portion and a dry portion</a>. These packs contain TAED. But Clorox 2 Oxi Max powder <a href=\"https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/en-us/what-were-made-of/ingredients-inside/clorox/clorox-2-oxi-max-dry-44600312712\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">lacks TAED</a>; do not buy it. In Canada, <a href=\"https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/en-ca/what-were-made-of/ingredients-inside/clorox/clorox-2-stain-fighter-original-dry-55500010288\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Clorox 2 Stain Fighter powder</a> contains TAED.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://rbnainfo.com/productpro/ProductSearch.do?brandId=28&amp;searchType=CAT&amp;template=1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Resolve in-wash stain-remover powder</a> (only available in Canada) also contains TAED.</p>\n\n<p>Henkel introduced <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persil\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Persil Proclean</a> into the US market in 2015. The powder variants contain TAED.</p>\n\n<h3>Do not buy</h3>\n\n<p>OxiClean powder isn't a detergent; it's a color-safe bleach. I visited the <a href=\"https://wercs.churchdwight.com/webviewer.external/private/search.aspx?language=EN\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Church &amp; Dwight ingredients page</a>. I checked the <a href=\"https://wercs.churchdwight.com/webviewer.external/private/document.aspx?prd=ING-1605%7E%7EPDF%7E%7EMTR%7E%7EING%7E%7EEN%7E%7E2010-01-15%2011%3A22%3A38%7E%7EOXICLEAN%20VERSATILE%20STAIN%20REMOVER%7E%7E&amp;productName=oxiclean&amp;productName_option=d__value~&amp;productID_option=d__value~&amp;language=d__EN\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ingredients list</a> for regular OxiClean powder; it doesn't contain any activator.</p>\n\n<p>I checked the ingredients table for Walmart's store-brand <a href=\"http://cdn.corporate.walmart.com/46/83/454aab1d41c28de491d6d86b11b6/great-value-ingredient-list.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Great Value Oxi stain remover powder</a>. It doesn't include any activator either.</p>\n\n<p>I checked an ingredients list for \"Ultra Purex Powder Detergent with Renuzit\"; I found it on the Environmental Working Group website. It doesn't appear to contain any activator.</p>\n\n<p>It looks like the US <a href=\"https://sunproductsmsdsbrand.thewercs.com/private/results.aspx?__VIEWSTATEGENERATOR=D6323F43&amp;subformat=d__INDS&amp;language=d__EN&amp;CUSTOM3=powder%20laundry&amp;CUSTOM4=sunlight\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Sun powders</a> don't contain any activators. I'm sure that the Canadian <a href=\"https://sunproductsmsdsbrand.thewercs.com/private/results.aspx?__VIEWSTATEGENERATOR=D6323F43&amp;subformat=d__INDS&amp;language=d__EN&amp;CUSTOM3=powder%20laundry&amp;CUSTOM4=sunlight\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Sunlight powders</a> don't contain any: I checked all of them.</p>\n\n\n\n<h1>In the UK</h1>\n\n<p>Most powder detergents in Europe contain <a href=\"https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2mrLBQAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA401&amp;lpg=PA401&amp;dq=most+powder+detergents+in+europe+contain+taed&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=7l1tpyHXRu&amp;sig=cSjHXDSVX366UCuxra0SmGKg29w&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiD4MLY-5ffAhXhUN8KHf5NAfIQ6AEwAHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=most%20powder%20detergents%20in%20europe%20contain%20taed&amp;f=false\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">TAED.</a></p>\n\n<p>I didn't do that much UK-related research, since I don't live in the UK. But I did check the <a href=\"https://www.unilever.co.uk/wiop/products/persil/persil-biological-powder.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ingredients list for Persil Biological Powder</a>. It contains the activator TAED. <a href=\"http://www.info-pg.com/eng/variants/United%20Kingdom?prodForm=487#1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Bold 2-in-1 washing powder granules</a> vary. For example, \"Lavender &amp; Camomile Advanced Performance\" includes TAED, but regular \"Lavender &amp; Camomile\" lacks it. All <a href=\"http://www.info-pg.com/eng/variants/United%20Kingdom?prodForm=749#1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Fairy Non-Bio washing powder granules</a> include TAED, whether \"Advanced Performance\" or not.</p>\n\n<h1>Notes</h1>\n\n<p>Activated oxygen bleach will gradually fade many colored garments over time. <a href=\"https://books.google.com/books?id=VMqSJROG_WYC&amp;pg=PA73\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">(Source.)</a></p>\n\n<p>If you're using cold water, use a Japanese detergent which contains LOBS or DOBA instead. <a href=\"http://www.runyoutech.com/nobs.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">(Source.)</a>. These detergents are primarily designed to clean oily stains like collar stains.</p>\n\n<h1>Finding other options</h1>\n\n<p>If you want to find other options: It may be helpful to do a Google search, using your country's Google search engine, for the strange-looking query [&nbsp;<code>laundry detergent with bleach activator ingredients</code>&nbsp;]. This was helpful for me.</p>\n\n<h1>A request</h1>\n\n<p>Please do <a href=\"https://health.stackexchange.com/posts/12054/edit\">edit this post</a>, improve it, and add more information to it.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "clothes", "fungal-infection", "athletes-foot", "detergent", "bleach" ]

[ { "answer_id": 16434, "body": "<p>According to <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2154152\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this</a> study, no.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>We conclude that no statistically significant overall association can be detected between milk and dairy product intake and symptoms of mucus production in healthy adults, either asymptomatic or symptomatic, with rhinovirus infection.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It seems that you're already aware of this given your comment:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I've also read elsewhere that dairy doesn't impact thickness of mucus</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There's a saying, \"the plural of anecdote isn't data\", which applies here. Unless you find strong evidence on the opposing side, or you see glaring problems with the study, it's best then to assume that dairy products don't increase mucus production.</p>\n\n<p>That's not to say that your experiences are unimportant. If you feel otherwise (and that's not due to a nocebo effect), then do as you please and decrease your dairy consumption. However, I'll leave you with <a href=\"https://www.healthyeating.org/Milk-Dairy/Milk-Myth-Busters/Article-Viewer/Article/29/Milk-Myth-Drinking-Milk-Causes-Mucus\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this</a> article, which states:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Some doctors say that milk thickens saliva, which may coat the throat and give the perception of more mucus, but it does not cause the body to produce more mucus or phlegm.</p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 6 } ]

[ "dairy", "mucus-phlegm", "nasal-congestion", "sinus-congestion", "nasal-drip" ]

[ { "answer_id": 18641, "body": "<p>You are right that any foreign biological material would normally be attacked by the immune system. That is why people have treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy to erradicate their own bone marrow stem cells and thus suppress their immune function before the transplant. This reduces the risk of the transplant being rejected.</p>\n\n<p>From <a href=\"https://medlineplus.gov/bonemarrowtransplantation.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Medline</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Before you have a transplant, you need to get high doses of\n chemotherapy and possibly radiation. This destroys the faulty stem\n cells in your bone marrow. It also suppresses your body's immune\n system so that it won't attack the new stem cells after the\n transplant.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Because the transplanted (or <em>graft</em>) bone marrow is now the main source of immune cells in the body, it can in fact attack elements of the person's body. This is called <a href=\"https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/coping/physically/gvhd/about\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">graft versus host disease</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Over time, the recipient’s blood cells will be replaced by those of the donor, meaning that the recipient will acquire the blood group of the donor.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "blood", "immune-system", "blood-type", "bone-marrow", "transplant-rejection" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12105, "body": "<h2>Resting energy</h2>\n\n<p>The number you are looking for is basically the energy the body needs in a resting state.<br>\nWhen resting, we assume that no energy is used for any actions but vital ones, as the body is not exactly doing anything.</p>\n\n<h2>Measuring that energy</h2>\n\n<p>Measuring that energy is slightly more complicated. Here is my solution to it:<br>\nWith any machine, we are talking about efficiency. This is basically the percentage of energy that is actually used and not turned into heat. </p>\n\n<p>The efficiency of the human respiratory system (the ATP cycle) is <a href=\"http://history.cpet.ufl.edu/lm/Respiration/efficiency01.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">39%</a>. This means that 61% of the energy is transferred as body heat and 39% are actually being used.<br>\n(The maximum practical efficiency of combustion engines is <a href=\"https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/98966/maximum-theoretical-efficiency-of-internal-combustion-engine\">35-37%</a>, just for comparison.)</p>\n\n<h2>Doing the maths</h2>\n\n<p>The energy of our body heat is approximately <a href=\"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_power\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">80 watt</a>. Because 61% of the total energy vital for our body is the body heat, the 80 Watt are 61% of the total energy necessary. </p>\n\n<p>Therefore, the total energy needed for the body is 130 watt or 130 Joule / second.</p>\n\n<h2>The result in perspective</h2>\n\n<p>This energy is the same as 468kJ per hour or 11MJ per day. Converting this into kcal results in 2629kcal. </p>\n\n<p>This is roughly 200kcal more than <a href=\"http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/estimated-calorie-requirement\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">WebMD</a> lists as requirements for a sedentary average male.\nWhy could this be the case? It is probably because the body heat energy is difficult to measure and prone for errors. If it was 60 watt instead, we would end up with 2000kcal / day, which seems a bit more realistic to me. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Edit</strong>: According to Jason's answer, my end result should be around 1200kcal / day. This leaves me wondering what has messed up my calculations...</p>\n\n<h2>Note on Wikipedia</h2>\n\n<p>I couldn't find a link to an online version of the source that Wikipedia cites. There seems no other reliable reference out there that has a number. This is why I cited wikipedia.</p>\n", "score": 3 }, { "answer_id": 12104, "body": "<p>It sounds like what you are looking for is the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">basal metabolic rate</a>, which is the rate that you expend energy at rest, which roughly translates to the minimum rate that you need to consume energy in order to survive long term.</p>\n\n<p>It varies significantly from person to person based on a large number of factors. A number of formulas to estimate it for a given person are present <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate#BMR_estimation_formulas\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">in that article</a>, as well as details on factors that contribute to variance. Too much to summarize here, but BMR is the term you'll want to search for for more information.</p>\n\n<p>As for the metabolic rates of various tissues, there is also a lot of research on that as well, <a href=\"http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dissecting-the-energy-needs-of-the-body-research-review.html/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here is one example</a> (<a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20160405121358/http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dissecting-the-energy-needs-of-the-body-research-review.html/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">archive</a>), and general search terms are things like <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=energy+expenditure+per+organ\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">\"energy expenditure per organ\"</a>.</p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "energy", "organ-damage", "internal-organs" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12135, "body": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is there any risk for a diabetes patient to undergo this procedure?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Yes, root canals carry some risks for everyone, and the degree of risk depends on your health status. Surgical risks for diabetics are generally related to how well their blood sugar is controlled and their other comorbidities. <a href=\"https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000702.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This is a simple MedLine article on surgery for diabetics.</a> In general, for a dental procedure, the major potential complications that are directly related to diabetes include infection and slow healing, but others are possible.</p>\n\n<p>There are several risk stratification assessments that are used to determine the level of risk someone has going into different types of procedures. So it is impossible for anyone online to counsel you on your own risks and benefits.</p>\n\n<p>You should go ASAP for evaluation of what it is. It could be a cavity that may or may not require a root canal, or it could be an abscess developing. Consider going to the ER if you can't get into the dentist right away - especially if you develop a fever or anything like that.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "dentistry", "treatment", "swelling", "type-2-diabetes", "root-canal" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12181, "body": "<p>Links:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26853923\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">2016 study</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24566947\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">2014 study</a></p>\n\n<p>They are both meta analysis. Long term effects though.</p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "diet", "lasting-effects-duration", "risks", "vegetarianism", "vegan" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12197, "body": "<p>There are three major reasons why we can't just keep someone in an aseptic environment and wait for their CD4 count to drop to zero and - presumably - for HIV to have consumed itself to extinction in the patient:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Time. In the Pre-HAART era in a middle-income country like <a href=\"https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-014-0599-8\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Brazil</a>, the median survival time for someone with AIDS was 1.1 years, but that can be a very long tailed distribution. That's <em>extremely</em> expensive, and the logistical capacity to keep someone in perfect isolation and containment for that period of time doesn't really exist on a population scale. And keep in mind you'd have to be <em>perfect</em> that entire time, with no room for errors of any sort, as you're essentially allowing people to become extremely immune compromised. That's not at all practical, even on a theoretical level.</li>\n<li>Native flora, cancers, etc. An HIV+ individual still has their own native flora, which may become dangerous due to a compromised immune system, such as <em><a href=\"http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/814253\" rel=\"noreferrer\">C. difficile</a></em>. They may have been previously infected by a dormant herpes virus. And they're at <a href=\"https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hiv-fact-sheet\" rel=\"noreferrer\">higher risk of cancers</a>, only some of which are infectious in origin and thus could be prevented in a perfectly sterile environment.</li>\n<li>HAART. HAART therapy is awesome, and while not a cure for HIV/AIDS, is an extremely effective treatment for the disease. Any amount of money used keeping people in perfectly sterile isolation for years on end is likely better spent increasing screening and access to HAART.</li>\n</ol>\n", "score": 8 } ]

[ "immune-system", "hiv", "cure" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12203, "body": "<p>I had an uncle that could do this trick, and it always amazed me. </p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"spoiler\">\n <p>\"Swallowing\" the sword is really just letting it slide down your throat, but this is much harder than one might think. It requires the peformer to relax all the muscles in the throat (and resist the body's natural urge to gag or get the object out) - this requires a lot of practice.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Perhaps it's obvious, but I should mention that they always use a sword with a dull blade. </p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"spoiler\">\n <p>So it's not exactly \"swallowing\" a sword - instead, the performer relaxes his throat muscles, allowing the blade to enter the esophagus. </p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "swallow-swallowing", "choking", "foreign-body-object", "knife-stab-wound", "perforate-perforation" ]

[ { "answer_id": 28885, "body": "<p>According to the review of <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4414527/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Valenta et al.</a>, nuts and peanuts give rise to IgE-mediated allergy, which is indeed a type of reaction that is subject to a form of sensitization. Although the process mostly occurs early in life, it seems that some level of &quot;boosting&quot; can happen on repeated exposures:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>IgE-associated food allergies appear to develop early in childhood. This process is termed allergic sensitization. (A) Allergen contact via the gastrointestinal tract, via the respiratory tract, and eventually via the skin induces IgE production (primary sensitization) in genetically predisposed individuals. Repeated allergen contact activates allergen-specific T cells and induces IgE responses during the secondary immune response. [...]</p>\n<p>In atopic individuals who have a predisposition toward developing IgE-associated allergies, encounters with allergen activate, after processing by antigen-presenting cells (eg, dendritic cells or B cells), allergen-specific T-helper 2 (Th2) cells, which produce cytokines such as interleukin (IL)4 and IL13. These cytokines induce class switching and production of allergen-specific IgE. Primary allergic sensitization (such as a class switch toward IgE production) occurs early in life and leads to T-cell and IgE memory, which can be boosted with repeated allergen contact (secondary immune response). Upon contact with a primary food allergen, nonallergic individuals produce allergen-specific IgG and IgA, which do not induce allergic reactions. The formation of food allergen–specific IgE is a main feature of IgE-associated food allergy and its diagnosis. [...]</p>\n<p>Milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, nuts, sesame, fish, fruits, and vegetables are common inducers of IgE-associated food allergy.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is alas mostly a qualitative explanation (mechanism analysis). Unfortunately all of the (quantitative) boosting studies cited in that review were to respiratory allergens [quite a number of these are IgE-mediated as well].</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "diet", "allergy", "allergen", "nuts" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12242, "body": "<p>Using noise isolating headphones poses no additional risks beyond regular headphones. Using high quality headphones poses no additional risks beyond wearing hearing aids, and in fact the materials are often the same. The risk of prolonged listening is overall exposure. There are a who bunch of standards for calculating the overall noise exposure dose. This a a nice <a href=\"https://www.noisemeters.com/apps/occ/twa-dose.asp\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">online calculator</a>.</p>\n\n<p>There is no standard that makes use of <em>breaks</em>. The goal of the standards is to limit your total exposure. As an example, with OSHA, you can be exposed to 90 dBA for 8 hours and 79 dBA for 16 hours. It doesn't care you the 90 dBA period is divided. In other words, OSHA does not care if you take breaks.</p>\n\n<p>That said, there is not a strong evidence base supporting the standards. As I said in this <a href=\"https://health.stackexchange.com/a/7574/55\">answer of mine</a>, <em>hidden hearing loss</em> is an active area of research. The focus of the research is predominately on non-maximal noise doses. I am not aware of any research looking at the effects of breaks on maximal, or non-maximal, noise doses.</p>\n\n<p>As i said in my other answer, <em>What is known is that there is no way to reverse hearing loss. There is no pill you can take. While hearing aids do restore some level of hearing, you should take care of your ears.</em> If possible, you should stay well below a maximal noise dose.</p>\n\n<p>If you listen to your music at 80 dBA for 16 hours a day with 8 hours of quite at night, that is a 50% noise dose based on OSHA. This is the <em>action level</em>, where an employer would be forced to institute a hearing conservation program. You should attempt to stay even further below this.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "prevention", "hearing", "noise-induce-hearing-harm", "hearing-loss", "white-noise" ]

[ { "answer_id": 17538, "body": "<p>While official government recommendations seem to indicate a very low risk:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225636/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Toxicological Risks of Selected Flame-Retardant Chemicals. (National Research Council (US) Subcommittee on Flame-Retardant Chemicals.\n Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2000.)</a></p>\n \n <p>TOXICOKINETICS</p>\n \n <p>Absorption:\n Dermal<br>\n No information was found on the dermal absorption of Mg(OH)2 in humans or experimental animals.</p>\n \n <p>HAZARD IDENTIFICATION</p>\n \n <p>The toxicology database on Mg(OH)2 is sparse. Therefore, the subcommittee decided that this review should also include toxicity data on magnesium salts that are expected to dissociate in stomach acid to Mg2+ cations. These include MgCl2, magnesium lactate, and magnesium citrate.</p>\n \n <p>Dermal Exposure:\n No studies were found on the toxic effects of Mg(OH)2 following dermal exposure.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>this is for the use case flame retardant. Consulting a cosmetics database it says:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><a href=\"https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/720445/MAGNESIUM_HYDROXIDE/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE</a><br>\n Health Concerns of the Ingredient: </p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>Overall Hazard low to moderate </li>\n <li>moderate use restrictions</li>\n <li>enhances skin absorption</li>\n </ul>\n \n <p>Concern<br>\n Violation of industry recommendations </p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions </li>\n <li>Avoid or minimize skin exposure: recommendation from industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) (only for products for use on skin) </li>\n </ul>\n \n <p>Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That seems to indicate that if that ingredient is found in a commercial formulation the overall risk this substance alone represents seems to be very low. Potential interplay with other ingredients needs to accounted for. Using this in homemade ointments needs some precautions.<br>\nUsing this in the long term and at higher concentrations is <em>not</em> recommended. While beneficial in the sense that as an absorbent it reduces excess moisture to a degree, this substance is also alkaline (pH 10.5), human skin is slightly acidic, and it needs to be. MgOH raises the pH. That is not good. </p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "lasting-effects-duration", "sweat", "magnesium", "antiperspirant-deodorant" ]

[ { "answer_id": 14985, "body": "<p>Aspirin, just like all NDSAIDs, affects enzymes associated with pain transmission; they are COX-1 and COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-1 and 2). COX-1 helps protect the stomach and intestinal lining from the acids the stomach produces <a href=\"https://www.rxlist.com/cox-2_inhibitors/drugs-condition.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">¹</a>. Since NSAIDs inhibit the production of these enzymes, they also leave your stomach and intestinal lining somewhat unprotected from acids. This is what can cause damage from long-term use of NSAIDs. It's not so much that they burn a hole in your stomach, but that they reduce the protection offered by the COX-1 enzyme. Of course, the higher the dose, the greater the effect on these enzymes, and the longer NSAIDs are taken, the greater the gastrointestinal risk. Except for low-dose aspirin, NSAIDs should not be taken longer than necessary.<br><br>__________<br>1. <a href=\"https://www.rxlist.com/cox-2_inhibitors/drugs-condition.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.rxlist.com/cox-2_inhibitors/drugs-condition.htm</a></p>\n", "score": 4 }, { "answer_id": 14983, "body": "<p>Aspirin is a platelet inhibitor. As such it has a <a href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/daily-aspirin-therapy/art-20046797?pg=2\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">number of bleeding risks</a> - including GI bleeding as described above. Risks also include increased bleeding risk from injury including cuts, bruising, or hitting your head and having a brain bleed. And actually, even without head trauma, an <strong>intracranial hemorrhage risk increases with the dose of aspirin.</strong> The same dose of aspirin is not safe for everyone.</p>\n\n<p>This does NOT mean that aspirin is too risky to <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/weighing-the-risks-and-benefits-of-aspirin-therapy\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">take for primary or secondary prevention of heart disease, ischemic stroke, etc</a> - it means you need to have a discussion with your doctor on the <a href=\"http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/36/8/1801\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">risks and benefits of whether daily (or even as-needed) aspirin is <strong>right for your personal situation</strong></a> and if so, what dose. And you/your doctor need to know what other medications you take daily and what others you might take when you need it - because some interact with aspirin. Again you need a doctor to advise you on what daily dose is right for you.</p>\n\n<p>Arthritis pain has many possible treatments. Your doctor can help develop a specialized treatment plan.</p>\n", "score": 3 }, { "answer_id": 14982, "body": "<p>Commonly prescribed dose of aspirin for certain types of arthritis can be as high as 4 g/day (<a href=\"https://www.drugs.com/dosage/aspirin.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Drugs.com</a>).</p>\n\n<p>For angina pectoris and heart attack prevention, even low doses (75-325 mg/day) can result in gastrointestinal bleeding (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17257477\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed</a>).</p>\n\n<p>According to one study (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10643705\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed</a>):</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Mini-dose aspirin...(75 mg/day), caused significant changes in renal\n function and uric acid handling within 1 week in a group of elderly\n inpatients...</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Surely, side effects depend on the dose and treatment duration but also on an individual's susceptibility. So, I think it would be irresponsible to mention any specific aspirin dose as \"safe dose\".</p>\n\n<p>The recommendations about \"Safe Daily Use of Aspirin\" by the US Food and Drug Administration <a href=\"https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/UnderstandingOver-the-CounterMedicines/SafeDailyUseofAspirin/ucm291434.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">FDA.gov</a> do not mention any aspirin dose at all.</p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "medications", "toxicity", "dosage", "nsaids-pain-meds" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12491, "body": "<p>Is dental floss really effective?\nThe evidence shows that we don't know. Here the main issue is the lack of good evidence. </p>\n\n<p>How we find how effective is? Simple: we took a group of people with similar age, similar dental status, and divide randomly to one group who will use floss and other who don't. Then, we wait for one, two or five years and compare caries and periodontal disease. </p>\n\n<p>This is the theory. </p>\n\n<p>In practice, there is <strong>no experimental trials</strong> like this. All that we have are <strong>observational studies</strong> tracking the oral health of people who floss and people who don't. Hence, sometimes we see that people who floss have better oral health that people who dont and sometimes the contrary. For example, if we ask @jess, we will record the he floss AND he have periodontal issues.</p>\n\n<p>The main issue with observational evidence is that, maybe, for some reason, the people who floss is essentially different from the people who don't. For example maybe the people who floss eat more vegetables and that is the reason why they have better oral health. Or, on the contrary, maybe the people who floss have more periodontal problems, and in such case we will find the opposite, that floss is correlated with periodontal disease. </p>\n\n<p>Is hard to extract conclusions from observational evidence and that is the conclusion of most systematic reviews: we don't have evidence that indicate that floss is effective. <strong>But</strong> also we don't have evidence showing that floss is ineffective. </p>\n\n<p>Hence, is wise to ask your dentist for your personal condition, taking in consideration all your particular characteristics and follow her/his advice. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>TL;dr: The scientific research does not show that flossing is\n effective against tooth decay or gum disease. But it\n doesn’t show it’s not.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>More info: </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.cochrane.org/CD008829/ORAL_flossing-to-reduce-gum-disease-and-tooth-decay\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Sambunjak et al. Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults. <em>Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews</em> 2011, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD008829. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008829.pub2</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0023143/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Hujoel et al. Dental flossing and interproximal caries: a systematic review. <em>J Dent Res</em>. 2006 Apr;85(4):298-305.</a></p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "dentistry", "effectiveness", "oral-health", "floss-flossing", "dental-floss-pick" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13014, "body": "<p>Aspirin has a \"blood thinning\" effect; it inhibits platelet aggregation. Therefore, it gives a higher risk of bleeding in the period surrounding the surgery.</p>\n\n<p>I have not found a review about specifically cataract surgery, but <a href=\"http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1401105#t=article\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this</a> large trial (>10000 patients) shows that in noncardiac surgeries, aspirin gives an increased risk of major bleeding.</p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "eye", "surgery", "ophthalmology" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12386, "body": "<p>The average person has never felt chest pain of cardiac origin so has no idea what it \"should\" feel like, and therefore they have no way of knowing how to distinguish it from other sources of chest pain.</p>\n\n<p>Yes, reflux causes actual chest pain in some people. Just because you can easily recognize it as reflux doesn't mean everyone can. What if you've felt reflux before, but the pain seems a bit different this time? Do you just wave it off and hope you're right?</p>\n\n<p>Esophageal spasms can be intensely painful, and if it's the first time you've felt it how would you know what it was? </p>\n\n<p>But perhaps most importantly, the very notion of what cardiac chest pain \"should\" feel like is a dangerous generalization created by Hollywood and urban legend. Cardiac chest pain comes in a wide range of varieties, many of which can be mimicked by reflux, esophageal spasm, muscle strains, spinal problems, pleurisy, and a dozen other conditions. It can be sharp or dull; it can be more like a pressure than actual pain; it can radiate to one or more arms, the jaw, shoulders, or back. In fact, it might be felt somewhere other than the chest entirely, or there may be no pain at all. So-called silent heart attacks are not unusual, especially in diabetics, women and the elderly. </p>\n\n<p>So, no, distinguishing cardiac chest pain from other sources is neither easy nor obvious. Walk into any ER (A&amp;E) the world over complaining of chest pain, and they will work you up under the assumption that it is of cardiac origin until that possibility has been ruled out. Nobody ever died from misdiagnosed reflux, but they most certainly have died of misdiagnosed chest pain.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/signs\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/signs</a></p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "pain", "gerd-acid-reflux", "chest" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12393, "body": "<p>The biggest issue with using supplements instead of food is that studies don't always measure what they think they're measuring. A lot of near-magical powers were ascribed to Vitamin C, for example, that have not held up when done with supplements. It may turn out that many of the benefits of \"Vitamin C\" are really be related to fibre, since people were getting that Vitamin C from fruits and veg. Or to some other phytonutrient. Or to being the kind of person who spontaneously eats a lot of fruit and veg, or at least doesn't get kicked out for noncompliance when in a study that asks you to eat a lot of fruit and veg.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007176.pub2/abstract;jsessionid=E796FD224092DA6898069BE31C21EB69.f02t01\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Example</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The present systematic review included 78 randomised clinical trials. In total, 296,707 participants were randomised to antioxidant supplements (beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium) versus placebo or no intervention. Twenty-six trials included 215,900 healthy participants. Fifty-two trials included 80,807 participants with various diseases in a stable phase (including gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, ocular, dermatological, rheumatoid, renal, endocrinological, or unspecified diseases). A total of 21,484 of 183,749 participants (11.7%) randomised to antioxidant supplements and 11,479 of 112,958 participants (10.2%) randomised to placebo or no intervention died. The trials appeared to have enough statistical similarity that they could be combined. When all of the trials were combined, antioxidants may or may not have increased mortality depending on which statistical combination method was employed; the analysis that is typically used when similarity is present demonstrated that antioxidant use did slightly increase mortality (that is, the patients consuming the antioxidants were 1.03 times as likely to die as were the controls). When analyses were done to identify factors that were associated with this finding, the two factors identified were better methodology to prevent bias from being a factor in the trial (trials with ‘low risk of bias’) and the use of vitamin A. In fact, when the trials with low risks of bias were considered separately, the increased mortality was even more pronounced (1.04 times as likely to die as were the controls). The potential damage from vitamin A disappeared when only the low risks of bias trials were considered. The increased risk of mortality was associated with beta-carotene and possibly vitamin E and vitamin A, but was not associated with the use of vitamin C or selenium. The current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in the general population or in patients with various diseases.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There was also the whole \"oat bran fibre\" thing that turned out to be mostly about what participants <strong>didn't</strong> eat because they were so full from eating three huge fibre-filled muffins every day. Choosing a sweetened breakfast cereal that happens to have a little oat fibre in it isn't going to have that effect.</p>\n\n<p>When there is an observation that \"people who eat a lot of food X have less Y\", reasoning about exactly the reason for it - a compound in food X, a compound in a thing people often eat with food X, a food they don't eat instead, a cultural habit -- is more of a challenge than you might think. To use a non-food example, studies about whether circumcision affects the spread of STDs was complicated by different rates of being piously religious and monogamous in the two groups. As a result, just taking a Vitamin C pill may not help you at all, if you're not generally eating good food.</p>\n\n<p>For the specific case of vegans, <a href=\"https://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-A-Z/Vegetarian-Diets/Eating-Guidelines-for-Vegans.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dieticians of Canada</a> seems to be in favour of supplements-in-disguise by recommending fortified products a lot:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Vitamin B12:</strong> Vitamin B12 is important for making red blood cells and helping the body use fats.   Good sources of vitamin B12 include:\n Red Star nutritional yeast,\n fortified soy beverages and other fortified non-dairy beverages like rice and almond beverage,\n fortified meat alternatives like TVP, veggie burgers and meatless chicken, fish and meatballs.</p>\n \n <p><strong>Vitamin D:</strong> Vitamin D helps the body to absorb and use calcium and phosphorus for strong bones and teeth.  Good sources of vitamin D include:\n fortified soy beverages and other fortified non-dairy beverages like rice and almond beverage,\n non-hydrogenated margarines.</p>\n \n <p><strong>Calcium:</strong> Calcium helps bones to grow and stay healthy. It also helps muscles to contract, including making the heart beat.  Good sources of calcium include:\n soy yogurt, fortified soy beverages and other fortified non-dairy beverages like rice and almond beverage,\n soybeans, navy beans, white beans and tofu prepared with calcium sulfate,\n almonds,\n sesame butter (tahini),\n blackstrap molasses,\n some vegetables, such as bok choy, okra, collard greens and turnip greens,\n some fruit, like figs and fortified orange juice.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>They do include sources that are not supplements though, and these probably are still the wiser approach.</p>\n\n<p>A <a href=\"http://veganhealth.org/articles/bones\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">long article</a> on vegans and calcium (among other nutrients) includes this conclusion:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Conclusion on Calcium and Vegan Diets:</strong> There is no reason to think that vegans are protected from osteoporosis more than other diet groups, and they should strive to meet calcium recommendations. Although it is possible to meet the calcium recommendations by eating greens alone (see chart below), the average vegan probably will not meet recommendations without drinking a glass of fortified drink each day, eating calcium-set tofu, or taking a 250 - 300 mg supplement (in addition to eating an otherwise balanced diet). Although it is important to get enough calcium, do not get more than 1,400 mg of calcium per day.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The article itself includes links to studies if you need the science behind the conclusions.</p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "nutrition", "micronutrients", "supplement", "deficiency" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12487, "body": "<p>Viagra <a href=\"https://www.bpas.org/more-services-information/erectile-dysfunction/viagra/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">does not cause a spontaneous erection</a>. You have to be sexually stimulated in order for it to take effect. This particular film scene would suggest that Franco was sexually aroused by the 'chase'. \nHope this helps clear things up for you. </p>\n", "score": 3 }, { "answer_id": 12739, "body": "<p>I generally agree with <em>jj78</em>, although I would add a couple of provisos.</p>\n\n<p>a) The answer partly depends on how one defines 'spontaneous', an adjective with more than one meaning:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>spontaneous</strong> <em>adj.</em> 1. occurring, produced, or performed through natural processes without external influence: <em>spontaneous movement</em>. 2. arising from an unforced personal impulse; voluntary; unpremeditated: a <em>spontaneous comment</em>. - From Late Latin <em>spontāneus</em>, from Latin <em>sponte</em> (voluntarily).<code>[i]</code></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Along the lines of what <em>jj78</em> wrote, if the thrilling chase caused the character to become sexually aroused, then his erection would not meet the first definition of 'spontaneous' because there was an external influence.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, one might argue that since Franco took Viagra, he <em>wanted</em> to achieve an erection at some point in the near future, which would satisfy the second definition of 'spontaneous', i.e., it was a voluntary act. Sure, that argument is a bit of a stretch, so let's move on to a more important point.</p>\n\n<p>b) Perhaps <em>Dhanraj Kumar</em>, the OP <code>[ii]</code>, is asking if Viagra can cause an <em>unwanted</em> erection. If that is the case, then the answer is a qualified 'no'.</p>\n\n<p>I say 'qualified' because there are two uncommon exceptions:</p>\n\n<p>1) About 2.5% of men <code>[iii]</code> who take sildenafil (the generic name for Viagra) report experiencing priapism <code>[iv]</code>, a condition made famous by the commercials for Viagra and similar medications that warn of \"an erection that lasts for more than 4 hours.\" </p>\n\n<p>In the cited journal article (see footnote <em>iii</em>) the authors note, \"However, for most of the priapism cases, the reporter indicated that the case was not clinically severe. Also, for most of the priapism cases, the reporter indicated that the patient had recovered or was recovering without sequelae at the time of the report.\" <code>[v]</code></p>\n\n<p>2) In another sildenafil research study <code>[vi]</code> 15% of the men reported \"recovery of spontaneous erection\" after taking the medicine for a limited period of time. (They subsequently stopped taking sildenafil and continued to enjoy normal erectile function.) In this instance, the authors are using 'spontaneous' in the sense of a 'natural process', which I recognize is not exactly what we're talking about here, but I wanted to mention it for completeness. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<h3>Footnotes</h3>\n\n<p><em>i.</em> \"spontaneous.\" <em>Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary.</em> 2010. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. Accessed 24 Jun 2017.</p>\n\n<p><em>ii.</em> OP = original poster, i.e., the person who asked the question.</p>\n\n<p><em>iii.</em> Giuliano F, Jackson G, Montorsi F, Martin-Morales A, Raillard P. Safety of sildenafil citrate: review of 67 double-blind placebo-controlled trials and the postmarketing safety database. <em>International Journal of Clinical Practice.</em> 2010;64(2):240-255. doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2009.02254.x <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2810448/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"PMCID = PubMed Central Identification Number - PubMed Central (PMC) is the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature.\">PMCID:PMC2810448</a></p>\n\n<p><em>iv.</em> <strong>priapism</strong> <em>n.</em> an abnormal condition of prolonged or constant penile erection, often painful and seldom associated with sexual arousal. It may result from localized infection, a lesion in the penis or the central nervous system, or the use of medications or recreational drugs such as cocaine. It sometimes occurs in men who have acute leukemia or sickle cell anemia. - <em>Mosby's Medical Dictionary,</em> 8th edition. 2009. Elsevier. Accessed 24 Jun 2017.</p>\n\n<p><em>v.</em> Giuliano, et al., p. 248.</p>\n\n<p><em>vi.</em> Son, H., Park, K., Kim, S.-W., &amp; Paick, J.-S. (2004). Reasons for discontinuation of sildenafil citrate after successful restoration of erectile function. <em>Asian Journal of Andrology,</em> 6(2), 117–120. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15154085\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"PMID = PubMed Identification Number - PubMed is the U.S. National Library of Medicine medical research literature database\">PMID:15154085</a>.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"/questions/tagged/priapism\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged &#39;priapism&#39;\" rel=\"tag\">priapism</a> <a href=\"/questions/tagged/sildenafil\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged &#39;sildenafil&#39;\" rel=\"tag\">sildenafil</a> <a href=\"/questions/tagged/viagra\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged &#39;viagra&#39;\" rel=\"tag\">viagra</a> <a href=\"/questions/tagged/erectile\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged &#39;erectile&#39;\" rel=\"tag\">erectile</a></p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "sex", "penis", "sexuality", "erection" ]

[ { "answer_id": 31274, "body": "<p>Right now I can address the question on intensity, it seems that pushing things a bit too hard at the gym can cause elevated levels to trigger a detectable increase in AST and LDH, this is also dependent on how &quot;fit&quot; you are as well.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Exercise is known to contribute to increased levels of potassium,\nurea, creatinine, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),\naspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin,\nuric acid, as well as the white blood cell count. The amount of\nincrease depends on several factors, including duration and intensity\nof exercise and the patient’s fitness level. One thing is clear: the\nless fit you are, the more vigorous and prolonged exercise may affect\nyour results.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://www.biron.com/en/education-center/specialist-advice/impact-exercise/creatine-kinase/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.biron.com/en/education-center/specialist-advice/impact-exercise/creatine-kinase/</a></p>\n<p>Paper: <strong>Muscular exercise can cause highly pathological liver function tests in healthy men</strong></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Weightlifting results in profound increases in liver function tests in\nhealthy men used to moderate physical activity, not including\nweightlifting. Liver function tests are significantly increased for at\nleast 7 days after weightlifting. It is important to impose relevant\nrestrictions on heavy muscular exercise prior to and during clinical\nstudies.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17764474/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17764474/</a></p>\n<p>Paper: <strong>Elevated liver enzymes following polytraumatic injury</strong></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Currently I am not able to find any solid research if superficial injuries such as scrapes,\ncuts, or bruises cause elevated liver enzymes. However Traumatic Brain Injuries(TBI) and<br />\nPolytraumatic injuries, traumatic injuries that affect two or more body systems or organs, along\nwith traumatic amputations, severe burns, orthopedic trauma and or damage to internal organs\ncan cause liver enzymes to be elevated.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25479083/#:%7E:text=Regardless%20of%20demographics%2C%20mechanism%20of%20injury%2C%20or%20extent,most%20cases%2C%20no%20specific%20etiology%20was%20ever%20defined\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25479083/#:~:text=Regardless%20of%20demographics%2C%20mechanism%20of%20injury%2C%20or%20extent,most%20cases%2C%20no%20specific%20etiology%20was%20ever%20defined</a>.</p>\n", "score": 6 } ]

[ "blood-tests", "statistics", "liver" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12730, "body": "<p>Currently, <a href=\"https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/lifetime-probability-of-developing-or-dying-from-cancer.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">about 20% of people die of cancer</a>. As our ability to cure things that aren't cancer gets better, that number will only go up.</p>\n\n<p>If you compute the probabilities, it turns out that for ever five houses where the previous four occupants died while living there, one of those houses will have had two or more occupants die of cancer (exact odds: 18.08%). In short, what you've encountered is only slightly more unusual than flipping a coin twice and having it come up \"tails\" both times.</p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "cancer", "prevention" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13018, "body": "<p>This question cannot be answered. It is individual and based on, among many other things, red blood cell survival. To understand why this is so, you need to understand than A1C is more accurately called Hemoglobin A1c <em>or</em> glycated hemoglobin. It's a form of hemoglobin that is formed due to hemoglobin's exposure to plasma glucose.<br>\nIt has been found that red blood cell (the cells that contain hemoglobin) survival <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604523/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">has considerable variation, even in hematologically normal people</a>. </p>\n\n<p>Ultimately, however, it is more important to realize that HbA1c is a measure for <a href=\"http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">glucose control over a few months</a>, than to know how long exactly it \"has been measuring for\"</p>\n", "score": 3 }, { "answer_id": 23137, "body": "<p>It should be noted that the HbA1c is an approximation to an average of the glucose levels over the period of the life of red cells for an individual. There is considerable variability in the result</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>RESULTS—The slope (95% CI) for mean sensor glucose concentration (area under the curve)\n versus a centrally measured HbA1c was 24.4 mg/dL (22.0–26.7) for each 1% change in HbA1c,\n with an intercept of 216.2 mg/dL (232.9 to 0.6). Although the slope did not vary with age or\n sex, there was substantial individual variability, with mean sensor glucose concentrations ranging from 128 to 187 mg/dL for an HbA1c of 6.9–7.1%. The root mean square of the errors\n between the actual mean sensor glucose concentration versus the value calculated using the\n regression equation was 14.3 mg/dL, whereas the median absolute difference was 10.1 mg/dL</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The test measures how much hemoglobin becomes glycosalated which means that how many glucose molecules attach to the hemoglobin molecule. The amount of hemoglobin around depends on the number of red cells, and the number of red cells depends on the red cell life, their production and destruction. Some conditions shorten the life of a red cell from the average of 120 days but in sickle cell disease it can drop to 28 days</p>\n\n<p>As red cells age they accumulate more glycosalated hemoglobin so conditions which shorten red cell life span would tend to lower the HbA1c</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Blood HbA1c is a mean for RBCs with values that range from very low for reticulocytes to approximately twice the mean for the oldest RBCs.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>We also see that diabetic patients can have RBCs with shorter lives</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The mean age of circulating RBCs ranged from 39 to 56 days in diabetic subjects and 38 to 60 days in nondiabetic controls</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>but anemia, and even exercise can shorten the life of a red cell</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Exercise and professional sport increase RBC turnover and maximize oxygen delivery to the tissues (Mairbäurl, 2013). Maturation and aging of RBCs is accompanied by multiple processes occurring at various rates driving the circulating RBCs from adolescence to senescence within approximately 120 days (Lew and Tiffert, 2013; Lutz and Bogdanova, 2013). The resulting “markers of senescence” are recognized by the macrophages and clearance of RBCs is promptly initiated (de Back et al., 2014). Premature clearance is a hallmark of various disorders associated with anemia. In each case one or multiple markers of senescence appear prematurely. Those include excessive oxidative stress (Mohanty et al., 2014), excessive cation leak with the following dehydration (Wang et al., 2014), decrease in RBC size and loss of RBC membrane through vesiculation (Alaarg et al., 2013), metabolic abnormalities (Vives-Corrons et al., 2013), or following auto-immune diseases (Lutz and Bogdanova, 2013). Blood storage damages RBCs facilitating aging. As a result clearance of transfused cells is dramatically facilitated (Bosman, 2013; Flatt et al., 2014).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>With normal activity, and no other health conditions that affect red cell life, one can expect the HbA1c to apply over a period of 115 days +/- 15% which is the average life span of red cells.</p>\n\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/TeRWM.png\" alt=\"Imgur\"></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/45/2/273/160155/Red-cell-life-span-in-sickle-cell-hemoglobin-C\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/45/2/273/160155/Red-cell-life-span-in-sickle-cell-hemoglobin-C</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2581997/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2581997/</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2014.00269/full\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2014.00269/full</a></p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "diabetes", "blood-sugar", "glycated-hemoglobin-hba1c" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12751, "body": "<p>A diuretic increases diuresis, which means it causes your kidneys to excrete more urine. It has nothing to do with your bladder and both of those definitions you quote are wrong, especially the one saying it doesn't alter the water levels in your body. Diuretics definitely reduce the water levels in your body; that's the most common reason for taking them. The second quote is wrong by saying they cause water to be redirected to the bladder. There's no redirection involved. Water is removed from your system the same way whether you take a diuretic or not. It's simply removed faster with a diuretic.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diuretic\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Wikipedia</a> has a good summary of their medical uses:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>In medicine, diuretics are used to treat heart failure, liver\n cirrhosis, hypertension, influenza, water poisoning, and certain\n kidney diseases. Some diuretics, such as acetazolamide, help to make\n the urine more alkaline and are helpful in increasing excretion of\n substances such as aspirin in cases of overdose or poisoning.\n Diuretics are often abused by those with eating disorders, especially\n bulimics, in attempts to lose weight.</p>\n \n <p>The antihypertensive actions of some diuretics (thiazides and loop\n diuretics in particular) are independent of their diuretic\n effect.[citation needed] That is, the reduction in blood pressure is\n not due to decreased blood volume resulting from increased urine\n production, but occurs through other mechanisms and at lower doses\n than that required to produce diuresis. Indapamide was specifically\n designed with this in mind, and has a larger therapeutic window for\n hypertension (without pronounced diuresis) than most other diuretics.</p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 5 } ]

[ "diuretics" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12812, "body": "<p>This is currently a researchable topic in neuroscience.\nActually its not about light sleep or deep sleep or resting.Neuroscience prefers to describe sleep in the context of the immunity into mainly two stages: REM(Rapid Eye movement)sleep and non-REM.</p>\n\n<p>Every sleep cycle occurs broadly in the given stages:\nwakefulness ->rest ->non REM->REM-> non REM/wakefulness</p>\n\n<p>You see every stages has varying hours in total sleeping duration and is different at different ages.\nThe REM sleep is the also called paradoxical sleep because the EEG records are similar to that of wakefulness and it is during this stage that we dream.\nIt is actually this stage of sleep that is responsible for boosting immunity.That is why it has been experimentally determined in rats that when they are deprived of REM sleep continuously for a few days they die.</p>\n\n<p>Like I said REM sleep is still under study and is a matter of greater reasearch.</p>\n\n<p>REFERENCES:<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2839418/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2839418/</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4568388/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4568388/</a></p>\n", "score": 5 } ]

[ "sleep", "immune-system" ]

[ { "answer_id": 12838, "body": "<p>When you put it that way... </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"...a cerebral circuit of evil...\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>...no, that is absolutely ridiculous (no offense). </p>\n\n<p>In the human body (and generally in nature) there are only physical and <strong>biochemical mechanisms</strong>.</p>\n\n<p><strong>All behaviours</strong> that are described by the behavioural sciences (e.g. psychology) can be interpreted by biochemical mechanisms. For example, if you suddenly feel threatened then your heart rate will increase and you will feel the urge to either run away or get very aggressive and stay put. That's because a chemical reaction in your brain triggered the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">fight-or-flight response</a> and cortisol is having a party with adrenaline and all your internal organs are invited.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/E3yg5.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/E3yg5.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>You won't be a coward if you run away and not evil if you decide to fight... it doesn't matter how you were raised or what you believe in because even if you are a pacifist, you will try to protect yourself if you have to and chemistry is on your side.\nThe same principle applies to everything else, including \n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggression#Physiology\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">aggression</a> which can be influenced by numerous hormones that themselves are influenced by numerous situations and of course <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics_of_aggression\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">genetics</a>.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>Biochemical mechanisms and pathways</strong> are very complex and they even overlap and interact with each other.</p>\n\n<p>Here's a map of all the <a href=\"http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~turk/bio_sim/articles/metabolic_pathways.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">metabolic pathways</a> to get an idea.</p>\n\n<p>Now, when it comes to the complex human behaviour, you can imagine how difficult it is to put the pieces together.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Thought is not arbitrary or philosophical, it is pure chemistry! It's\n just... not easy to understand, measure, describe, experiment with...</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/what-are-thoughts-made-of/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">What Are Thoughts Made Of?</a></p>\n\n<p>So in order to scientifically explain \"evil\" one has to take all knowledge we have on biochemistry and genetics and apply it to human behaviour. That's a very daunting task and concept to grasp, which if you want to do then you should walk in the path of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuropsychology\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">neuropsychology</a> and organic psychiatry while taking up physiology, biochemistry and genetics.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, other keywords you're looking for are <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obedience_(human_behavior)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">obedience</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_influence\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">compliance</a>. \nThe problem with those terms though is that they're a bit abstract when it comes to science. We haven't established any satisfying connection between them and the human brain. </p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "brain", "neurology", "neuroscience", "neurotransmitter" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13019, "body": "<p>Autoimmunity triggered by vaccination is a documented, but <strong>rare occurrence</strong>. The current research shows a correlation between autoimmune conditions and elevated levels of HLA proteins. Certain HLA proteins tend to have a predilection for activating the immune system against “self” cells. <strong><em>HLA proteins also can explain why certain people are more prone to autoimmune conditions that are induced or exacerbated by vaccines.</em></strong></p>\n\n<p>The risk of vaccine-related autoimmunity is by orders of magnitude lower than that of autoimmunity triggered by infectious disease. Since the latter includes vaccine-preventable infections, for most autoimmune conditions there is a <strong>net protective effect of vaccination</strong>. </p>\n\n<p>Current evidence supports administering appropriate vaccines in the absence of specific contraindications.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong><em>Sources</em></strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26728772\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26728772</a><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27435705\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27435705</a><br>\n <a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S104366181400139X\" rel=\"noreferrer\">http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S104366181400139X</a><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25937813\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25937813</a><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10648110\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10648110</a><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Srdja_Jankovic/publication/315656865_Vaccination_and_Autoimmune_Phenomena/links/58e1ed7eaca272059ab07f9c/Vaccination-and-Autoimmune-Phenomena.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Srdja_Jankovic/publication/315656865_Vaccination_and_Autoimmune_Phenomena/links/58e1ed7eaca272059ab07f9c/Vaccination-and-Autoimmune-Phenomena.pdf</a><br></p>\n", "score": 5 }, { "answer_id": 13039, "body": "<p>Like many health issues that are currently on the rise, anything you can potentially say is vaccine related can also easily be said to be environmental toxin related. There is quite a bit of research on autoimmune issues as it's currently a serious cause for concern to many researchers. It is much more common today than it was 50 years ago and they are trying to understand why &amp; what we might be able to do to stem that increase. This book is a great one for explaining the links between toxic exposures &amp; why it is believed to be the major factor in autoimmune disorder. <a href=\"https://donnajacksonnakazawa.com/the-autoimmune-epidemic-excerpt/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://donnajacksonnakazawa.com/the-autoimmune-epidemic-excerpt/</a></p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "vaccination", "autoimmune-disease", "epidemiology" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13045, "body": "<p>No.</p>\n\n<p>The only exception is if your doctor has conducted a <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0025038/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">semen analysis</a> and determined that you have <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0025036/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">oligospermia</a>, in which case your doctor <em>might</em> recommend having sexual intercourse with your wife 3-4 times a week instead of every day. </p>\n\n<p><em>The bottom line:</em> Don't start any unproven 'methods' for increasing the chances of pregnancy without talking with your wife about your idea, and asking your doctor(s) if the method has been scientifically proven to work. </p>\n\n<p>Here's what some experts have to say on the topic:</p>\n\n<p>\"...prolonged abstinence has little positive effect on conception and can actually decrease a couple’s chances of [getting pregnant] — even for men with low sperm counts. How so? While holding back does increase the number of sperm, ... abstinence longer than one day <em>decreases</em> sperm [motility]...\" - <a href=\"https://www.whattoexpect.com/preconception/boosting-male-fertility.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Boosting Male Fertility</a> (WhatToExpect.com)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://Does%20frequent%20masturbation%20affect%20male%20fertility?\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Does frequent masturbation affect male fertility?</a> by Erik P. Castle, M.D. - \"Ultimately, having sexual intercourse ... several times a week will maximize your chances of getting your partner pregnant, whether you masturbate or not.\"</p>\n\n<p>Turning it around to what actually works, see: <a href=\"http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/fertility/art-20047584?pg=1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Healthy sperm: Improving your fertility</a> and <a href=\"http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/fertility/art-20047584?pg=2\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">What's the best way to produce healthy sperm?</a> (both on the Mayo Clinic website).</p>\n\n<p>Also on the Mayo Clinic site: <a href=\"https://connect.mayoclinic.org/2016/03/14/how-to-increase-chances-of-pregnancy-5-tips-to-improve-sperm-quality/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How To Increase Chances of Pregnancy: 5 Tips To Improve Sperm Quality</a></p>\n\n<p>From <em>PubMed Health</em> - <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0076677/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Infertility: Overview</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.parentherald.com/articles/28103/20160314/increase-chances-pregnancy-5-tips-improve-sperm-quality.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How To Increase Chances Of Pregnancy: 5 Tips To Improve Sperm Quality</a> - an interview with Mayo Clinic doctors by <em>Parent Herald</em> online magazine.</p>\n", "score": 5 }, { "answer_id": 13044, "body": "<p>Your actual sperm count will matter as well as volume to <em>some</em> degree, as well as her level of fertility. If your wife is not currently releasing a fertile egg nothing else at all matters of course. If there no fertile egg there to be ready, then volume &amp; count mean nothing. You have to account then for timing as well of course. But you can have a high sperm count with low volume &amp; have better chance than high volume with a low count. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.fertilitycenter.com/fertility_cares_blog/andrology-blog-part-ii/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.fertilitycenter.com/fertility_cares_blog/andrology-blog-part-ii/</a></p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "obstetrics", "fertility", "ejaculation", "sperm-count", "semen" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13310, "body": "<p>I think I can answer this myself now.</p>\n\n<p>After ~3 weeks I started having problems with my intestines. My stool got very soft, sometimes more like diarrhoea. So I stopped eating tomatoes.<br>\nIk took about 2 weeks for things to normalize again.</p>\n\n<p>So I guess moderation is in place here. 1 or 2 times a week shouldn't be a problem, but don't overdo it.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "diet" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13098, "body": "<p>You're asking about the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_positives_and_false_negatives#False_positive_error\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">false positive</a> rates of syphilis blood tests in primary syphilis. It's a biostatistics thing.</p>\n\n<p>The AAFP has a good article on the \"<a href=\"http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/0415/p2233.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">clinical dilemmas of syphilis</a>.\"</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The VDRL and RPR, respectively, are reactive in 78 percent and 86 percent of patients with primary syphilis. They become positive within approximately four to six weeks after infection or one to three weeks after the appearance of the primary lesion. Thus, these tests can be negative in early syphilis, when patients have lesions. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This means that a test could be incorrectly negative if:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>The person is not in the 78% (VDRL) or 86% (RPR) of people with the disease that the test is able to identify correctly</p></li>\n<li><p>The test is done before the body has made enough antibodies for the test to detect them yet</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>FTA-ABS is <a href=\"http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/229461-workup\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">often used as a confirmatory test</a> after a positive VDRL or RPR. Sensitivity is 84% in primary syphilis and nearly 100% in later stages. Its specificity is 96%.</p>\n\n<p>Usually clinicians start with a screening test like RPR, then if it's positive, follow up with a confirmatory test. </p>\n\n<p>Ideally screening tests should be highly sensitive (rule out); confirmatory tests should be highly specific (rule in).</p>\n\n<p>With something like syphilis, often a chancre is treated as syphilis even with a negative test in case it's a false negative, due to the serious transmission and complications possible from untreated syphilis.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "syphilis" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13110, "body": "<p>The term deaf (with a lowercase d) is generally not used clinically. In lay usage it can mean various degrees of hearing loss from moderate (possibly even slight or mild) impairments through profound loss. Similarly <em>eliminating deafness</em> is not a well defined concept.</p>\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_system\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">auditory system</a> is complex and hearing loss can be caused by damage to any part from the outer ear all the way up to the auditory cortex (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortical_deafness\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortical_deafness</a>).</p>\n\n<p>Conductive hearing losses are generally caused by <em>damage</em> to the outer and middle ears and can often be <em>eliminated</em> through <a href=\"http://www.hearingloss.org/content/types-causes-and-treatment\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">surgery or hearing aids</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Damage to the inner ear can be treated with hearing or bypassed with <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">cochlear implants</a>. Neither of these <em>eliminate</em> deafness, but can restore a significant amount of functional hearing. The auditory system is described as having thousands of channels while a cochlear implant has a dozen or so. Hearing aids simply turn up the volume so other channels can detect the sound, but there are still missing/damaged channels.</p>\n\n<p>This is also research into <a href=\"http://www.cochlea.org/en/future-cures\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">hair cell regeneration</a> that could repair some types of damage to the inner ear. While the research looks promising, it is technically difficult. You have to regrow the hair cell in the correct location with the right orientation and size. Then you need to stimulate nerve fibers to synapse on the regrown cell. you have to also worry about the supporting cells and the rest of the structures in the inner ear.</p>\n\n<p>Damage to the auditory nerve can be bypassed with <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_brainstem_implant\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">auditory brainstem implants</a> and <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19762428\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">midbrain implants</a>. These devices do not <em>eliminate</em> deafness, but do restore functional hearing. Again, the number of channels (and the processing the brain does on the sound) limit the performance of the device.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "hearing", "hearing-impaired" ]

[ { "answer_id": 17876, "body": "<p>You can neutralize bile by <strong>bile acid sequestrants,</strong> such as cholestyramine or colestipol. However, these and other medications, such as H2 blockers and metoclopramide, <em>may not be very effective</em> (<a href=\"https://www.drugs.com/mcd/bile-reflux\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Drugs.com</a>, <a href=\"https://www.uptodate.com/contents/approach-to-refractory-gastroesophageal-reflux-disease-in-adults\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">UpToDate</a>, <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6372664\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed</a>).</p>\n\n<p>The following <em>may prevent</em> bile reflux symptoms:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lifestyle modifications:</strong> avoiding large meals, lying down after meals, eating before sleep and smoking; maintaining health weight </li>\n<li><strong>Baclofen,</strong> which prevents excessive relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter and thus entering bile from the stomach into the esophagus (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3745208/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed</a>)</li>\n<li><strong>Ursodeoxycholic acid,</strong> which promotes the bile flow (<a href=\"https://www.drugs.com/mcd/bile-reflux\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Drugs.com</a>)</li>\n</ul>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "digestion", "stomach", "gerd-acid-reflux", "bile" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13198, "body": "<p>Within the E.U. the European Commission consider a product labeled as or 'claims' to be a source of protein must contain at least 12% and a high-protein product — or one labeled as such to likely have the same meaning for the consumer must be at least 20% protein.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>A nutritional 'claim' means any claim which states, suggests or\n implies that a food has particular beneficial nutritional properties\n due to:</p>\n \n <ol>\n <li><p>The energy (calorific value) it:</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>(a) provides</li>\n <li>(b) provides at a reduced or increased rate or</li>\n <li>(c) does not provide</li>\n </ul></li>\n <li><p>The nutrients or other substances it:</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>(a) contains</li>\n <li>(b) contains in reduced or increased proportions or</li>\n <li>(c) does not contain</li>\n </ul></li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Your bar then — having 29.6% protein — is indeed high-protein. In the E.U.</p>\n\n<p>In the U.S. it is more difficult to define.</p>\n\n<p>The Food &amp; Drug Administration state:</p>\n\n<p>In the U.S., similarly a product \"high,\" \"rich in\" or described in \"excellent source of\":</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Contains 20% or more of the DV per RACC. May be used on meals or main\n dishes to indicate that the product contains a food that meets the\n definition, but may not be used to describe the meal.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>DV being Percent Daily Value and RACC being Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed.</p>\n\n<p>From the Frequently Asked Questions for Industry on Nutrition Facts Labeling Requirements factsheet the RACC for most cooked meats and fish is 85g.</p>\n\n<p>So for a meat to be high-protein it must have 17g (20%) of protein if the RACC was 85g.</p>\n\n<p>This would vary by protein source, however.</p>\n\n<p><strong>In general, the 20% mark is considered to be high-protein.</strong></p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "nutrition", "diet", "proteins" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13216, "body": "<p>I cover the answer to the vast majority of this question in <a href=\"https://health.stackexchange.com/questions/12240/optimal-length-of-music-break-to-reduce-long-term-risks-of-noise-induced-hearing/12242#12242\">this answer</a>. Basically, there are standards regarding the total <em>sound</em> exposure that is safe, but the evidence base for these standards is limited. This a a nice <a href=\"https://www.noisemeters.com/apps/occ/twa-dose.asp\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">online calculator</a> for calculating the noise dose.</p>\n\n<p>The unique part of your question relates to the difference between audiobooks and music. The safety standards are essentially based on the average sound level and the duration (there are special standards for impulsive noises like gun shots). With some relatively simple signal processing (phase randomization), it is possible to transform speech or music into noise without changing the average sound level. Therefore the standards and safe exposure limits are the same for speech, music, audiobooks and noise.</p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "hearing", "noise-induce-hearing-harm" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13468, "body": "<p>Caffeine is an antagonist at adenosine receptors 1 and 2A. This means it binds to said receptors without activating them. The presence of caffeine at the adenosine receptors prevents adenosine (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) from binding (and producing a response), thereby causing stimulation (1) . This activity also induces neurotransmitter release (2) .</p>\n\n<p>Caffeine is structurally similar to adenosine. (3) This underlies it ability to bind to the same receptors. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/oMbEn.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/oMbEn.jpg\" alt=\"Comparison of adenosine and caffeine structure\"></a>\n<strong>Figure 1</strong> Comparison of the structural formulas of caffeine and adenosine (4)</p>\n\n<p>The autonomic effects of caffeine are also mediated through caffeine's activity at the adenosine receptors (2). </p>\n\n<p>References</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/coffee\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/coffee</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20170208153409/https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00201\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://web.archive.org/web/20170208153409/https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00201</a> </li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8608761_Caffeine_as_a_psychomotor_stimulant_Mechanism_of_action\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8608761_Caffeine_as_a_psychomotor_stimulant_Mechanism_of_action</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/2456-caffeine-and-adenosine-structure\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/2456-caffeine-and-adenosine-structure</a></li>\n</ol>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "caffeine", "nervous-system" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13361, "body": "<p>I am so sorry you are not getting answers. It is very frustrating to seek help and find no relief and no explanation.</p>\n\n<p>Where I live, about an hour from me, is a doctor that is rather unusual but specialized in differential diagnosis. She works in a large compound of her own in the middle of nowhere and all she does is diagnose &amp; then recommend your options. She takes patients only on a retainer and last I knew it was pretty high, like $5000 USD. I have to think she cannot be the only gifted diagnostician out there. I found her asking around in the alternative medicine community about medical doctors that others knew of that might be of help. She is <em>not</em> alternative. She is simply someone who is not within the normal scope of who I might get referred to as she isn't covered by insurance. She didn't just take my money to see me and then charge me a ton more. The retainer covered a lot of things, labs, tests, visits, etc. I believe I saw her about a dozen times (all covered) and she spent 3 hours with me on intake, just asking questions, checking me over, etc. Getting a differential diagnosis the way <em>she</em> does it was nothing like I have ever had before or since. She was absolutely highly involved in time spent with me, with labs onsite and equipment to sometimes get results while I was there. Her recommendations that follow are also pretty different, including dietary recommendations, vitamins, supplements, exercises, the whole thing, on top of any prescribed treatments. And once you are diagnosed, you are done. She is on to other people needing help and you are back to your main care physician with huge folder of test results &amp; documented conclusions. </p>\n\n<p>I tried looking a little online to see if I could find some terminology for you that might assist locating a physician like this, but I am not sure that is the right way. I suggested you asking around as I am not sure I would have ever found her any other way. I will say too that if you suffer, do not give up. There is always a chance they <em>will</em> find an answer and finding your relief is worth that fight. </p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "health-education", "chronic-pain" ]

[ { "answer_id": 14459, "body": "<p><strong>PREVENTATIVE AND RISK FACTORS FOR GALLSTONES</strong></p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>BREASTFEEDING:</strong></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18775873\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Childbearing, breastfeeding, other reproductive factors and the subsequent risk of hospitalization for gallbladder disease</a> (PubMed) (A prospective cohort study on 1.3 million women in England and Scotland from 1996-2001)</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hospitalization for gallbladder disease is common in middle-aged\n women. <strong>The risk</strong> increases the more children a woman has had, but\n <strong>decreases the longer she breastfeeds.</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>OBESITY:</strong></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The known risk factors for gallstones (and hence cholecystitis) are (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3343155/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed Central</a>):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Obesity</li>\n<li>Rapid weight loss (>3.5 lbs/week; 0.5-2 lbs/week is considered low risk) due to a very low calorie diet (&lt;800 Cal/day)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>(Some women who have more children go through repeated cycles of obesity and rapid weight loss.)</p>\n\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><p><strong>GENETICS:</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Genetic predisposition</li>\n<li>Ethnicity (<a href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gastroenterology_hepatology/_pdfs/pancreas_biliary_tract/gallstone_disease.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Hopkins Medicine</a>): </li>\n</ul></li>\n</ol>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The Pima Indians of Arizona have the highest prevalence of gallstones\n worldwide. Ninety percent of Pima women over the age of 65 have\n gallstone disease. Micmac Indians of Canada, Hispanics, and Mexican\n American women also have a higher prevalence of gallstone disease, as\n do both men and women in Norway and Chile.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong>DIET:</strong></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>There is INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE about high fat, high saturated fat or high cholesterol intake as risk factors, and fiber, vitamin C or unsaturated fat intake as preventative factors for gallstones (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3343155/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed Central</a>).</p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "breastfeeding", "gallbladder" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13412, "body": "<p>There are a <a href=\"https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/bdt\" rel=\"noreferrer\">variety of blood tests a medical provider could use</a>. Your medical provider isn't going to do every blood test in existence on your blood, so if your only concern is about THC detection, unless the consultation is a drug screening (for example, if it were mandated by a court due to previous drug convictions, or part of an employment screening that includes drug testing), they have no reason or time to bother testing for THC.</p>\n\n<p>However, partying of any type, even staying up late eating potato chips and watching movies, could influence the results of blood tests (things like blood sugar and cholesterol levels, for example; see some <a href=\"http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1018.aspx?CategoryID=69\" rel=\"noreferrer\">guidance from the UK's NHS</a>), as well as other tests (your blood pressure <a href=\"http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/33/1/79.short\" rel=\"noreferrer\">could be elevated post-drinking</a>, for example) and make those tests less useful for diagnosis. Usually your physician will provide instructions prior to such tests (if they don't, <em>ask them</em>, those of us here can only guess what tests they might be running), such as \"no food for ___ hours\" before - that's one of the reasons for the early morning hours, because it is typically easiest to fast overnight.</p>\n\n<p>In conclusion, of course you are safest not consuming illegal substances, but it is important to know the reasons for the medical exam and consider those reasons ahead of the tests.</p>\n", "score": 5 }, { "answer_id": 13404, "body": "<p>This is not a medical diagnosis, however though; Yes it can be detected. Generally THC can be detected in blood, urine, and hair. The length of detection depends on the method used to determine what substances are in your system and how long you have been consuming them. If you smoke it, detection for single time use is 12-24 hours via blood and 1 - 7 days or more via urine. A hair test could be used for detection of up to months after use. Regular use is A MINIMUM of 6 - 7 days via urine and 2 - 7 days for a blood test.</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "blood-tests", "alcohol", "marijuana" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13457, "body": "<h2>Thrombolytics: Risk vs Reward</h2>\n<p>The thrombolytics risk vs reward debate isn't going anywhere for a while. It isn’t due to lack of numbers or statistics. The reason that this issue is still debated is all about the reliability of the data.</p>\n<p>Stroke is a devastating condition and every clinician wants to do everything in their power to help their patients. Unfortunately, good intentions are not enough, and it is generally our sickest patients in whom we need to be most careful about the delicate balance between doing good and doing harm.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I can’t tell you for sure whether thrombolytics work. Physiologically\nspeaking, they are clearly doing something, as is evidenced by the\nincrease in bleeding.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>There is a hint at benefit throughout a number of studies, but that has to be tempered by the various sources of imbalance and bias in this literature.</p>\n<p>My guess is that there must be some subgroup of patients who are benefiting to balance out harms in others. Unfortunately, our currently approach is akin to giving thrombolytics to all chest pain patients, or at least to any patient with a positive troponin. In that population, lytics fail. We don’t have an ST elevation equivalent to guide us in stroke.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>My biggest concern is that the push to define tPa as the “standard of care” has <em>robbed us of the important research</em> that would have discovered this subgroup.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<hr />\n<h2>Bottom Line?</h2>\n<p>I don’t know. If NINDS was replicated today, I would open the odds between 4:1 and 9:1 against the same results. (In other words, I think there is about a 10-20% chance that if the same protocol was run, we would see the same results). I think we clearly need more research. I think basic philosophy of science and statistical tenants tell us that we must attempt to replicate NINDS. Or maybe this whole debate will simply disappear, as endovascular therapy becomes the new norm. More on that next time…</p>\n<hr />\n<h2>How tPA Should be Presented to Patients</h2>\n<p>“There is a treatment we sometimes use for stroke that is supposed to break down the clot causing the stroke. The treatment is controversial, and you will probably hear different things from different doctors. The issue is that out of 13 major trials, only 2 have shown benefit, and both of those trials have some problems, and they were both paid for by the people who make the drug.</p>\n<p>There are some risks that we’re certain about: about 1 in 12 patients will have severe bleeding resulting in worse neurologic outcome. Despite that risk, in the best case scenario, about 1 in 10 people given this drug early will have a noticeable improvement in their function after 3 months.</p>\n<p>Unfortunately, it isn’t clear how reliable the science has been, and we don’t know which patients have the greatest chance at benefit or harm. The choice to receive this medication remains up to each individual patient.”</p>\n<hr />\n<p>Source: https://first10em.com/2017/05/26/thrombolytics-for-stoke/</p>\n", "score": 1 } ]

[ "thrombosis", "embolism" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13495, "body": "<p>Articular cartilage, which covers the ends of bones in all synovial joints is avascular. Without a blood supply it is unable to heal or regenerate. Over time the loss of this cartilage is what causes the condition known as osteoarthritis. </p>\n\n<p>The modalities you've listed are indicated for swelling / healing and pain management. So they'll only help with secondary symptoms that are seen with cartilage loss.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.hindawi.com/journals/sci/2017/4130607/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Stem Cells seem to offer the most promise but nothing has been approved yet.</a></p>\n\n<p>Kobe Bryant had a non FDA approved treatment called <strong>Regenokine</strong> done in Russia, <a href=\"http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1798763-what-is-this-knee-treatment-kobe-bryant-goes-all-the-way-to-germany-for\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">you can read about the procedure here.</a></p>\n", "score": 2 } ]

[ "exercise", "physical-health" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13472, "body": "<blockquote>\n <p>What guarantees that the doctor is willing to help, especially if they are hired in a public system?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<h2>Nothing</h2>\n\n<p>In the end, the doctor with the perfect resume could end up killing you because for whatever reason.</p>\n\n<p><strong>However</strong>, you have this issue with any group of humans. How do you know your fellow teammate in sports will not choke you? How do you know your fellow soldier will not shoot you?</p>\n\n<p>There are systems that <strong>prevent doctors from abusing their option</strong>s:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Law</strong><br>\nObviously, killing someone will lead to persecution and possible conviction with different penalties depending on the legislation</li>\n<li><strong>Employment</strong>.<br>\nIf a doctor messes up and it's solely their fault, chances are they are going to get fired and have a hard time (as in <em>impossible</em> in Germany, for example) to get employed again and will usually have their certificate revoked in the meantime.</li>\n<li><strong>Reputation</strong>.<br>\nDoctor have to make money. They have either themselves or a family to feed. If they do you harm, they are going to lose reputation and make less money</li>\n<li><strong>Helper Syndrome.</strong><br>\nThose who care not that much about money usually become doctors because of the helper syndrome. They want to help other people. (That's why I'm answering your question here, as an example). They would not do you any harm because it goes against their ideals, and against the reason for why they became doctors in the first place.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<h2>What you can do</h2>\n\n<p>Doctors are humans (apart from the people who work 80 hour weeks and 3 24-hour shifts in a week, which I suppose are either vampires or zombies).</p>\n\n<p>You can rely on common sense which will usually tell you whether you should trust that person. <strong>If you don't trust your doctor, change them</strong>. Trust is very important in a doctor-patient relationship.</p>\n\n<p>If you feel bad or have fears, either confront the doctor directly, talk to someone else or make an appointment with a psychologist.</p>\n\n<h2>In the end</h2>\n\n<p>Doctors might be more scary because they know more about you and your body/health, but in the end the taxi driver around the corner could also kill you. </p>\n\n<p>It's just a matter of reasonability. The health system has options implemented to make abuse more difficult, but it's possible. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Trust in your ability to judge other people and use it.</strong></p>\n", "score": 8 } ]

[ "practice-of-medicine" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13485, "body": "<p>Vomiting does not restore alertness. It might rouse them from their stupor because of the physical activity it involves, but it does nothing specific to increase their level of consciousness. If vomiting accomplishes this temporary feat, vigorous efforts to rouse them would probably accomplish the same. Trust me, people can and do choke to death on their own vomit while unconscious due to alcohol. By no means is vomiting guaranteed to wake them.</p>\n\n<p>What vomiting does do is remove alcohol still in the stomach, which means it reduces the intoxication level that is yet to come. If someone is drunk enough to be unconscious and has a stomach full of alcohol that hasn't been absorbed yet, vomiting might very well save their life. What most people who drink to the level of stupor don't understand is just how close to death they are at that stage. Respiratory depression and death are the next stages.</p>\n\n<p>General info: <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_intoxication\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_intoxication</a></p>\n", "score": 4 } ]

[ "alcohol", "vomit", "toxicology", "drunk-inebriated" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13499, "body": "<p>For the case I'm talking about this is the current situation:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Eye lashes turning? No, the patient is in the scarring phase (TS in picture below). </li>\n<li>How long did the patient have it for? Hard to say but probably 4/6 months, not years. </li>\n<li>After one week under treatment with <em>Azithromycin</em> antibiotic and <em>Erythromycin</em> eye ointment the patient isn't getting worse but isn't getting better either. </li>\n<li>The patient is negative to Chlamydia test</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The <em>patient's doctor</em> (in the US) confirmed that:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>The patient is contagious until the swelling goes away and no follicles have swelling in the eyelids</strong>. It can only be spread if the patient touches her eye and touches something and someone else touches it and it reaches his/her mucoses. </p></li>\n<li><p>What is the worst possible scenario of the patient's vision loss? Or contact\nwearing? \nThe patient could have partial vision loss in her old age due to the scars ruining the surface of the eye. May not be able to wear contacts again. Will have to evaluate when the patient is healed. The scarring is permanent and may cause irritation using contacts. </p></li>\n<li><p><strong>How long does trachoma live on inanimate objects</strong>? \nNot sure. <strong>Not enough research</strong> (<strong>PS.</strong> see update below).\nIf children touch the patient (the patient likely got the disease from her students coming from countries at risk of Trachoma), she should just wash her hands immediately. </p></li>\n<li><p>What can the patient do in the future to reduce chances of getting trachoma again? \nGood hand washing. </p></li>\n<li><p>Can the patient be around people? \nYes, the patient should avoid to hold babies or touch children and make sure not to touch her face without washing her hands. </p></li>\n<li><p>Why is the patient getting headaches? \nThe patient strains her eyes during the day to see, because of the medication and inflammation.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UJNnv.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UJNnv.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://figshare.com/articles/_WHO_Simplified_Grading_System_A_Guide_for_the_Assessment_of_Trachoma_/633115\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Image source</a></p>\n\n<p><strong>UPDATE:</strong></p>\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"https://www2a.cdc.gov/stdtraining/self-study/chlamydia/chlamydia_pathogenesis_self_study_from_cdc.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this source</a> <em>\"The life cycle of Chlamydia trachomatis is approximately <strong>48–72 hours</strong>. It requires that the bacteria live within a host cell and that they survive by replication those results in death of the cell.\"</em></p>\n\n<p><strong>UPDATE 2:</strong>\nReceived an answer from <em>[email protected]</em>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Chlamydia trachomatis survives ≈ <strong>30 minutes</strong> on a dry surface (e.g.\n glass) and up to <strong>2-3 hours</strong> under humid conditions.</p>\n \n <p>Trachoma is <strong>contagious</strong> in the active, <strong>inflammatory phase</strong>\n (TF/TI).</p>\n</blockquote>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "trachoma" ]

[ { "answer_id": 13524, "body": "<p>This is a question to ask the surgeon who operated on the leg. Eventually, once the femur heals, you should be able to exercise on it unless there are some unusual individual circumstances. However, you do not want to start exercising if the bone has not healed yet. Whether the bone is healed or not will depend on (a) how long it has been since the surgery (a day? a year?), (b) how bad the break was, (c) the type of surgery performed to repair it, and (d) the general health of the patient. Pain is generally a warning sign that means \"be careful\" so if your leg is in pain, you should listen to that warning sign and avoid stressing the area. So, in summary: (1) Talk to the doctor who operated and ask how long you need to wait before you can exercise, and what types of exercise would be appropriate; (2) After your doctor clears you for exercise, consider talking to a physical therapist about the best way to strengthen the area. Exercise is great for improving many aspects of health, but you need to be careful if you have a broken bone. </p>\n", "score": 3 } ]

[ "exercise", "broken-bones", "femur" ]