health

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/45503496

[a video about Cuba from the news collective Belly Of The Beast]
Duration - 8:28

Belly of the Beast’s Liz Oliva Fernández and Drop Site’s Ryan Grim recently visited the William Soler Pediatric Hospital in Havana where they spoke with the chief anesthesiologist, Alioth Fernández, and the parents of some of his patients.

Cuba's public and free healthcare system was long considered one of the best in the world. Its doctors are top-notch, dedicated and caring. This is a story about what happens when the most powerful country in the world uses economic warfare to deprive a smaller country from obtaining the medicine it needs to save lives.

The Cuban government cannot access the international financial system, cannot import freely, cannot buy what its children need — not because of indifference, but because U.S. sanctions have destroyed the country’s economy and drained the public health budget.

When every dollar must be stretched across an entire population in crisis, children like Carlos are the ones who pay the price.

"It's not that the doctors don't want to help," his mother says. "It's that they can't."

publicação cruzada de: https://lemmy.pt/post/11784282

How come I can do push-ups all day, but if I try to bench press I get a piercing pain in my shoulder (just below my calvicle, I think)?!

Haven't noticed any other movement where that pain is so strong. I do feel discomfort if I sleep on that side.

After reviewing numerous user complaints, several recurring themes emerge. These are the issues that would likely form the basis of a collective grievance:

Arbitrary Account Lockouts: Users frequently report their accounts being locked suddenly and without a clear reason. They often state they have not violated any terms of service.

Impossible Recovery Process: The automated account recovery form is a major source of frustration. Users who have lost access to their recovery phone number or email find it nearly impossible to prove their identity to the automated system, even when they have correct passwords or other identifying information.

Lack of Human Support: A critical and widespread complaint is the inability to reach a human support agent who can actually intervene. Users are often stuck in automated support loops that lead nowhere.

Permanent Suspension/Deletion: In some cases, accounts are permanently suspended or deleted, causing users to lose years of emails, photos stored on OneDrive, digital game licenses (Xbox), and other critical personal data without recourse.

Unclear Reasons for Action: Microsoft's communication is often cited as vague, typically referencing a "violation of the Services Agreement" without specifying the exact nature of the violation.

Glitching Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Some users report that 2FA systems fail, either by not sending codes or by not recognizing correctly entered codes, effectively locking them out of their own accounts.

Discover how GLP-1 drugs impact foot health and podiatry. Essential insights for maintaining healthy feet while on treatment.

The AirSense 11 AutoSet with AirFit P10 Pillows Mask by cpapRX offers a smarter, more comfortable way to manage sleep apnea therapy. The AirSense 11 features advanced AutoSet technology that adjusts pressure levels automatically, ensuring personalized treatment all night long. Paired with the AirFit P10, one of the quietest and most lightweight nasal pillow masks available, this bundle delivers exceptional comfort and ease of use. Its slim profile and minimal design make it perfect for active sleepers. Together, they create a seamless, effective sleep therapy experience so you can sleep better, breathe easier, and wake up feeling refreshed.

Research in mice suggests headache medications may reduce pain, other symptoms of the gynecologic disorder

The study, conducted in mice and led by scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, uncovered molecular details of how the nervous system and the immune system communicate in endometriosis.

Specifically, the researchers identified a small molecule called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) that plays an important role in this crosstalk.

The CGRP pathway is a target of several existing migraine medications, and when the team administered these drugs to lab mice, they seemed to reduce endometriosis pain and lesion size.

The researchers are now exploring partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, with the goal of launching a clinical trial to test the migraine drugs in patients with endometriosis.

A woman has a lot to think about when she is pregnant. Women who are pregnant should take care of their teeth, for themselves and their kids. Most regular dental care is safe to do while pregnant, but you should avoid certain medicines and procedures for the first three months. Let your dentist know if you are expecting.

Take care of your teeth when you have morning sickness. Some pregnant women have morning sickness, which can include vomiting or acid reflux. Tooth erosion is more likely to happen when you vomit or have acid reflux, but there are a few things you can do to lower the risk. When you get over morning sickness, make sure you brush your teeth well. If you’re not at home and don’t have your toothbrush with you, rinse your mouth out with water right away or chew sugar-free gum. You can brush your teeth when you get home. Make sure your teeth and gums are healthy. Gum disease can hurt both you and your baby’s health. Poor tooth health in mothers has been linked to kids being born early and having low birth weight. Having healthy gums can also stop bacteria from getting to your baby. Keep an eye out for changes in your mouth health. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can make your body change in many ways. Bad breath, swollen, red, or bleeding gums are all signs of gum disease that you should watch out for. If any of these things happen to you while you’re pregnant, you should see a doctor. Give up smoking! People who use tobacco items are not healthy! If you smoke while you’re pregnant, it’s bad for both you and your baby. Too much tobacco use can cause many illnesses, including gum disease. You and your partner will both be better off if you quit! Take care of your teeth while you’re pregnant. Getting your teeth and gums cleaned by a dentist is important during pregnancy to keep them healthy. Make an appointment with your doctor during your second trimester. Tell them you are pregnant and about any medicines or pregnancy vitamins you are taking.

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Is it safe to wash your anus with water and your (ungloved) hand after pooping, assuming (of course) that you don't touch anything with your hand until you wash it with soap and water?

I'm currently traveling in India. It's common here, instead of using toilet paper after deification, to pour water down your back and use your left hand to wipe your anus clean of feces. I googled to find information from medical professionals to understand if this is safe or not, but I (surprisingly) couldn't find any information on the Internet about this.

Of course, let's assume that we're doing this properly:

1. You only use one hand (typically your left hand), so feces only contaminates one hand.
2. You don't touch anything in the bathroom (eg pitcher, faucet, door knob, etc) with your soiled left hand until after you wash your hands
3. You wash your hands properly, following best-practices: using soap and water, scrubbing vigorously for at least 20 seconds.

I'm less interested in your personal opinion, and more interested if any studies have been done analyzing the efficacy of safety in this scenario, using a proper scientific study.

Have any studies been done to analyze if it's safe to wipe your ass with your hand (and wash your hands properly with soap and water after)?

What are the differences between the different types of Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) tests for laboratory blood work?

I went to a medical laboratory to get yearly blood work done. In addition to testing for some specific "me" things that I'm monitoring, I want to get a CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel).

I'm in a foreign country where I don't really speak the language. When I said that I wanted blood work done at the lab, the agent at the front desk handed me a form with a lot of boxes to choose what I wanted to get. There is no "CMP" option, so I tried to tick the boxes for the 14 blood tests that compose a CMP, but I got stuck when I tried to check the box for the ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) test – because there were 3 boxes:

1. Fost. Alcalina
2. Fost. Ácida Total
3. Fost. Ac. Prostatica

What are each of these, and which of these three is the "normal" ALP test that should be included in a CMP?

I've been diagnosed with a supraspinatus tendon rupture of about 1.1 x 1.2 mm on the supraspinatus tendon (posterior fibers). Roughly, how big is it in relationship with its global size? Half? 2 thirds? I'm a small guy - 1.6m tall.

Also, does the tendon recover?

I notice my arm is still a little bit anterior rotated and down a bit as well. About a year has passed.

Should I be worried with some kind of arthrosis down the line, because of the position of the humerus on the glenoid cavity?

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/6252553

Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Biden Administration on Thursday announced it is setting new policy that will allow it to seize patents for medicines developed with government funding if it believes their prices are too high.

The policy creates a roadmap for the government's so-called march-in rights, which have never been used before. They would allow the government to grant additional licenses to third parties for products developed using federal funds if the original patent holder does not make them available to the public on reasonable terms.

White House advisers said on a press call that cost to consumers is a factor government agencies may consider when thinking of using march-in rights.

"We'll make it clear that when drug companies won't sell taxpayer funded drugs at reasonable prices, we will be prepared to allow other companies to provide those drugs for less," White House adviser Lael Brainard said on the call.

. . .

“We’ve found that antioxidants activate a mechanism that causes cancer tumors to form new blood vessels, which is surprising since it was previously thought that antioxidants have a protective effect,” said Martin Bergö, a new study’s author. “The new blood vessels nourish the tumors and can help them grow and spread.” It's worth noting that there's no harm in consuming normal antioxidant-rich foods in normal quantities, though.

Is There Meat Glue in Your Food? https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/is-there-meat-glue-in-your-food-5466911

Over the past several years, increasingly destructive hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, and other extreme weather events have made it clear that the effects of climate change aren’t some future hypothetical, but our current reality. Not to be outdone, the summer of 2023 has been coming in hot — literally — with July shattering the record for the planet’s hottest month, and coming to a close with “numerous fires” breaking out in the Arctic circle. And while the recent high temperatures and debilitating humidity may not be responsible for as much property damage as a hurricane, it’s been disastrous for our mental health.

Diabetes cases are likely to skyrocket over the next few decades, new research out this week has found. The study estimates that more than a billion people worldwide will be living with the chronic condition by 2050—roughly double the amount of cases seen today. The prevalence of diabetes is expected to be especially high in parts of Africa and the Middle East, but dozens of countries could experience substantial increases.

Mental Health Apps Are a Privacy Nightmare

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In the simplest terms, diabetes is defined as having chronically high levels of blood sugar. This usually happens due to a breakdown in our production of or response to insulin, a hormone that helps move sugar from the bloodstream to our cells. People with type 1 diabetes, for instance, have an overzealous immune system that attacks the cells responsible for making insulin. And those with type 2 diabetes develop a resistance to insulin’s effects and can eventually stop producing it altogether.

Thanks to medications and better blood sugar monitoring, diabetes is no longer the death sentence it once was. But it can still lead to serious complications like nerve damage and chronic kidney disease, especially if not managed probably. It also often raises the odds of many other health conditions, including heart attacks, stroke, and dementia. And according to the authors of a study published Thursday in the Lancet, the burden of diabetes will only go up from here.

The research comes from scientists at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), based at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. To come up with their predictions, the team used the latest data from the Global Burden of Diseases study, a long-running research project also managed by the IHME that tries to track the prevalence of and harm caused by many health conditions and illnesses.

Based on the GBD data, there were about 529 million people living with diabetes worldwide in 2021. After adjusting for age, the current global prevalence was around 6.1%. But by 2050, 1.31 billion people will have some form of diabetes, the authors found. The highest age-standardized prevalence rate for a large region is projected to be in North Africa and the Middle East, at 16.8%, but nearly half of the world’s over 200 countries and territories will have rates higher than 10%.

“The rapid rate at which diabetes is growing is not only alarming but also challenging for every health system in the world, especially given how the disease also increases the risk for ischemic heart disease and stroke,” said lead author Liane Ong, a lead research scientist at the IHME, in a statement released by the organization.

Over 95% of these cases are expected to be type 2 diabetes. And the single most significant risk factor associated with type 2 was high body mass index. But the authors note that many other important factors, including low levels of exercise, poor diet, and a person’s genetics, can influence the risk of developing diabetes and the potential harm or death it can cause. So preventing or managing diabetes cases now and in the future will require widespread improvements in our environment and availability of health care, the authors say.

“Some people might be quick to focus on one or a few risk factors, but that approach doesn’t take into account the conditions in which people are born and live that create disparities worldwide,” said study author Lauryn Stafford, a research fellow at IHME. “Those inequities ultimately impact people’s access to screening and treatment and the availability of health services. That’s precisely why we need a more complete picture of how diabetes has been impacting populations at a granular level.”

Has anyone heard similar?