As part of my work here, I am regularly confronted with desperately ill individuals who have seen dozens of physicians over the course of many years only to have their health continue to decline. Among the more frustrating aspects of this work is the failure of these physicians to assess and address the most basic […]
A report from Denmark receiving a lot of press lately indicates a connection between the use of NSAID painkillers and an increased risk for a type of arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation. NSAIDs range from the common over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen, naproxen, also, caproxen, ketoprofen, dexibuprofen, piroxicam, and tolfenamic acid, and older prescription COX 2 inhibitors such […]
When we enter professional life, we are taught to present only the parts of ourselves that represent our professional accomplishments. In our resume, we list academics, jobs, and various skills, but it is frowned upon if we mention our age, family status, or non-professional interests like athletics, art, or music. As women especially, we have […]
“Have we fallen into a mesmerized state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having the will or vision to demand that which is good? Such thinking, in the words of the ecologist Paul Shepard, ‘idealizes life only with its head out of water, inches above the limits […]
Ever think about zooplankton? Yea, me neither. Heck, until recently I had only a vague understanding of what these creatures were. I thought they were sea plants of some sort. Perhaps the ‘zoo’ in the name should have clued me in. It didn’t. Go ahead, you can laugh. My knowledge of fifth grade ocean biology […]
Over the last several years, stories of young women, many of them athletes (here, here), suffering from dangerous and sometimes deadly blood clots have filled the press and academic literature (here, here, here). Often mentioned in passing is the fact that these women were taking hormonal contraceptives at the time of the event. As a mom […]
Over the last several months, I have been fascinated by the fuel preferences of the mitochondria in the different organs of the body. It seems that the mitochondria in each organ system have specific fuel preferences. The muscles like protein and carbs, the heart likes fatty acids, and the brain has all sorts of fuel […]
A RantWomen who have been given Lupron (leuprolide) and the other GnRH agonists and antagonists and women who have had their ovaries removed are thrust violently into menopause. Overnight. There is no gradual decline of ovarian hormones that allows for molecular adaptations to the new state of chemical senescence. No, none of that. Just the […]