The Wildebeast

We are off to see the wildebeast cross the river as the great migration is taking place right now in Tanzania.  EverythingHealth will be on vacation for the next few weeks.  Scan the right side of the page for the best of health blogs and happy reading.

Cholera in Haiti

Water for the Hospital Emergency Room

 Is anyone paying attention to the plight of Haiti anymore?  Unfortunately the rebuild (after the earthquake on Jan 12, 2010)  never really happened and Haiti seems as poor and troubled as ever.  Over 800,000 people still live in makeshift tent encampments. Now they are plagued with a cholera epidemic that just won't stop.  It is nearly impossible to

Italians Not Following The Mediterranian Diet

For years I have touted the health benefits of the "Mediterranean Diet" and encouraged patients to eat like the Europeans.   Fresh farm vegetables, olive oil, fish and red wine have been linked with longevity and good health.  I just read in NPR news that young Italians are forgoing the eating patterns of their elders and are imitating the "U.S. diet".  The result is soaring obesity, just like in

Answer to Yesterdays Medical Challenge

The answer to yesterdays medical challenge is #5-medial nail dystrophy due to trauma.  Here is another photo that is from chronic picking of the cuticle and pushing back the cuticle.

The other answers were good guesses but none of them cause the median (middle of nail) changes.  Traumatic dystrophy from nervous picking is actually quite common.  Other traumas to the nail bed can cause the nail

This Weeks Medical Challenge

This weeks challenge is from Consultant Live.  This 56 year old man was noted to have these thumbnails at his physical exam.  The remainder of his nails were normal.  He denied trauma and worked as a banker.  What is the diagnosis?

1. Psoriasis
2. Vitamin K Deficiency
3.  Lichen Planus
4.  Onchomycosis (fungus)
5. Median nail dystrophy due to trauma

The answer will be posted tomorrow.  Click on

Sixteen Pound Baby Born in Texas

A woman in Texas gave birth to a baby boy who weighed in at a whopping 16lbs, 1oz.   The average size of a newborn is about 7 lbs so this one was considered huge.  This was the 4th child for the mom who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy.  Between 2 and 10% of pregnant women develop this condition.  Women who have a body mass index (BMI) over 30 or who have a strong family history of

Massage Therapy Relieves Chronic Back Pain

The Group Health Research Institute of Seattle, Washington has published a study in Annals of Internal Medicine that showed massage therapy may effectively reduce or relieve chronic back pain.  I am a big believer and supporter of massage therapy and have wondered why it is not a covered benefit for treating back and neck pain.  Even medical benefits savings plans offered by employers (where you

Uterine Environment and Autism

Two news events got people talking today.  One was that Casey was deemed not guilty of killing little daughter Caylee ( "O.J. all over again", I heard repeatedly).  I must admit I was rather surprised....

The second was the results of two new studies that were published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.  One of them stated that environmental factors during pregnancy might contribute as much