Baking Soda and Vinegar for Bee Stings: It Works! But not Really.

You got stung by a bee, put some baking soda and vinegar on it, and ten minutes later the pain was gone! It worked. OR, maybe there is another explanation. Maybe you are not allergic to bee stings, had a minor local reaction, and the pain simply went away on its on. I personally seldom have the pain from a bee sting last longer than 10 or 20 minutes and I forget all about it. Yep.

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20 Home Remedies for Treating Minor Burns: Not!

Instead of listing out twenty tips in an obviously deceitful display of "yeah right you gullible fool," all I really need to say is this: Pick twenty random things from around your house that can be smeared on a burn, poured on a burn, etc. And you have your twenty home remedy tips.

Soy sauce. Mustard. Vinegar. Hey, take some chewing tobacco, chew it up real good, and spit it on your burns. I swear, it works wonders. My grandmother used to swear on it for bee stings, too. The point is it doesn't matter what I say, there is someone who will believe it.

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Overview of Categories of Controlled Substances in the United States

Controlled substances, are defined by The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Actu of 1970, which is usually referred to simply as the Controlled Substances Act. This act established the current categories of controlled substances by dividing them into five areas, called "schedules." Drugs classified in this manner are those which are considered to have a greater potential for abuse than prescriptions drugs. Schedule I drugs have the highest potential for abuse and schedule I the lowest. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is responsible for the regulation of controlled drugs, including oversight of manufacturing, distribution, storage and dispensing.

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Propofol: The Real Story

Most people probably first heard of propofol when reports of Michael Jackson’s untimely death broke. As the shocking circumstances were unraveled and revealed, an unusual drug was reported to be responsible. Propofol became a household word, well, almost, anyway. But, for those who work in healthcare and especially, anesthesiologists, use of this drug really is an everyday occurrence. In fact, most anesthesiologists will probably use this medication in one manner or another on almost every patient.

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What's a "Sausage Finger"?

Many types of arthritis can cause a sausage digit. The technical term for this is "dactylitis."

This is not the kind of sausage you would have with your eggs and pancakes.

Sausage digits are typically seen in conditions such as psoriatic arthritis (the arthritis that accompanies psoriasis), Reiter's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and occasionally ankylosing spondylitis. Of these, psoriatic arthritis is probably the most common culprit. Dactylitis means inflammation of an entire finger or whole toe.

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Pitted and Smelly Feet: Pitted Keratolysis

Pitted Keratolysis is an infection of the skin of the feet caused by a bacterial infection. Excessive sweating and tight, unventilated shoes can predispose you to this condition. The primary symptoms of this foot infection are bad foot odor and shallow pits on the bottom weight-bearing (plantar) surface of the feet. It is their smelly feet that leads most people to seak treatment since there are rarely any other symptoms. However, reaness, soreness, and itching of the feet are possible. This infection rarely occurs on the palms of the hands.

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What is Tinea Pedis?

Tinea Pedis foot is a fungal infection of the skin of the foot. It is also known as Athlete’s Foot. Dermatophytes are the fungal agents responsible for these infections. The most common form of fungal infection, these infections can be acute or chronic.

Acute Tinea Pedis usually has symptoms such as itching, burning and blisters, while chronic Tinea Pedis can be with out these symptoms. Fungal infected toenails are most often associated with chronic and re-occurring Tinea Pedis. The acute form can present with moist scaling around the sloes of the feet or between the toes. Often there are small blisters filled with clear fluid and cracks or fissures present. As the blister break the fungus spreads but the fungus can also spread between the layers of the skin. In addition to the blisters it is not unusual to develop pinkish red circular lesions on the top or bottom of the foot; if found elsewhere on the body the lesions are called by there common name ringworm.

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Numb, Dizzy and Normal - Deceptive Words in Medical Practice

"Doctor, my arm went numb." This sounds like a clear communication, doesn't it? Most physicians would interpret this complaint as meaning that the skin of the arm lacked full sensation. But maybe the patient meant that the arm had extra sensations, like tingling or shocks. Or even that the arm's muscles became weak.

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When Should You Be Concerned About Your Baby's Reflux Symptoms?

Everyone gets occasional heartburn from acid reflux. The medical term for this is gastroesophageal reflux (GER), which refers to any intermittent regurgitation of gastric material into the esophagus. GER is a normal part of life that not only affects adults but people of all ages, including infants, who often spit up after being fed. In adults, when GER occurs more than twice a week it may be a more serious condition called GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). GERD can occur in babies as well. Many parents, upon learning this, may be justifiably worried. After all, not only do babies spit up, some of them spit up a lot. How much is too much and when should we be concerned?

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There is Proof That Chronic Lyme Disease Exists

Abstract

The evidence continues to mount that Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD) exists and must be addressed by the medical community if solutions are to be found. Four National Institutes of Health (NIH) trials validated the existence and severity of CLD. Despite the evidence, there are physicians who continue to deny the existence and severity of CLD, which can hinder efforts to find a solution. Recognizing CLD could facilitate efforts to avoid diagnostic delays of two years and durations of illness of 4.7 to 9 years described in the NIH trials. The risk to society of emerging antibiotic-resistant organisms should be weighed against the societal risks associated with failing to treat an emerging population saddled with CLD. The mixed long-term outcome in children could also be examined. Once we accept the evidence that CLD exists, the medical community should be able to find solutions. Medical professionals should be encouraged to examine whether: (1) innovative treatments for early LD might prevent CLD, (2) early diagnosis of CLD might result in better treatment outcomes, and (3) more effective treatment regimens can be developed for CLD patients who have had prolonged illness and an associated poor quality of life.

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Bruxism: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Bruxism is the act of gnashing and grinding the teeth. Bruxism is common in children and adults of both sexes, affecting about 25-30% of children and roughly one in twenty adults. There is no significant difference between males and females [1].

Bruxism is divided into two main types- Nighttime grinding and daytime grinding. Nighttime grinding (nocturnal bruxism) is a back and forth, side-to-side motion where the lower teeth rub against the upper teeth, creating a characteristic grinding sound. Daytime grinding (clenching) is a rocking motion of the lower teeth against the upper teeth without the teeth actually making the side-to-side motion. While bruxing only happens during sleep, clenching can occur both during the day and at night [2]. Both nocturnal bruxism and clenching are “parafunctional activities,” as they are not part of normal chewing and swallowing.

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The Risks of Being Skinny Obese

Scientists are now talking about a new class of people at risk for heart disease; they are called the 'skinny obese'. Perhaps you know somebody in that category? The skinny obese eat whatever they want without gaining weight. The skinny obese stay skinny without working out. (I usually call them something else but I can't mention that here.) But while many consider these people 'lucky', Mayo clinic researchers consider them 'at risk'.

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Guillain Barré Syndrome: When Legs (and More) Turn to Rubber

Looking on helplessly while a wave of weakness climbs one's body from the ankles upward can cause dismay. This is what happens in Guillain Barré (pronounced GHEE-on bah-RAY) syndrome, known more formally as acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. Occurring in just one or two people per year in a population of 100,000, Guillain Barre syndrome makes up for its rarity by taking people by surprise and quickly disabling them.

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What Is An Aneurysm?

The word aneurysm (AN-u-rism) comes from the Greek word aneurysma meaning "a widening". An aneurysm is a localized abnormal dilation or balloon-like bulge of a blood vessel, usually an artery. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your body. They normally have thick walls to withstand the pressure of the blood. However, certain congenital defects, medical conditions and risk factors such as high blood pressure and smoking can damage or injur artery walls. The force of blood pushing against the weakened or injured walls can cause an aneurysm. Two of the most common and dangerous types of aneurysm are cerebral and aortic aneurysms, the latter being most prevalent.

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Horner's Syndrome - A Medical Discovery From the American Civil War

Unequally sized pupils in combination with a drooping eyelid on the side of the smaller pupil and decreased sweating on the same side of the face is known as Horner's syndrome, named for Johann Friedrich Horner, a Swiss ophthalmologist who wrote up a case in 1869. When present, Horner's syndrome indicates interruption of the sympathetic nervous system on that side of the body and is still a valuable tool in modern diagnosis.

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