Director, Emergency Services, Bikur Cholim Hospital
I have a lot of medical articles sent to me by e-mail, and my
comment in general is that the stuff that makes the news is
usually not the breakthrough it seems. Rather, within six
months, more scrutiny shows that it wasn't what it was
expected to be.
I was sent an article about a test to detect early
Alzheimer's. It is impossible to tell if this test worked, as
the methods for how they did their study were not included.
However, I remind my readers that forgetfulness is a normal
function of aging, but gross error — like not being
able to find your house on your street — is more
troubling.
Medicine is constantly changing. Lidocaine is a local
anesthetic that was used in the Eighties in everyone who had
a heart attack. Then it was found to make things worse and
everyone stopped using it. Now it is back. Your doctor has to
stay current of the literature, or he may not be prescribing
the best treatments for you.
I am reminded of a popular doctor who is very sweet and
kisses the babies he sees. But when I received one of his
patients, it was clear that he had not updated his practice.
The best way to be careful is to be informed.
Melanoma: Most skin cancers are easily treated, are confined
locally, and cause little damage. Not so in melanoma, a
cancer of the cells that causes coloring in the skin. It is
deadly. The biggest risk factor is UV radiation, which is why
a tan for a light-skinned person could be a dangerous thing
to strive for. Light-skinned folks need to be screened for
melanoma by having their dark spots — moles —
checked. Often melanoma is blacker, with irregular borders.
When caught early, prognosis is good.
I was sent an article on a novel treatment for melanoma,
using electricity to open cell membranes to allow cancer-
fighting drugs to enter. The study, however, was done on
mice, and this needs to be proven in humans.
Can emotions cause heart attacks? Yes, this is nothing new.
The way you handle stress can cause a heart attack.
Psychological things that do help the heart are being married
and being religious. Athletes of course have fewer heart
problems, but part-time athletes have a higher risk. People
living under the threat of war, job loss, also have higher
rates. Managing stress is a different problem. If you are a
workaholic, you are taking your life in your hands. If you
are a couch potato, you are also taking your life in your
hands. You must be happy, to live long. Write me in care of
the Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Zeffix is strong treatment for hepatitis B
infection. This form of hepatitis can persist in the body and
lead to liver failure. Zeffix is the only drug approved to
help in this devastating condition.
