Dr. John's Health Matters
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The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
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Posts tagged "surgery"
Monday, Aug 31st, 2009 ↓Exercise beats angioplasty: heart experts →
Aug 31, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Working up a sweat may be even better than angioplasty for some heart patients, experts say.
Studies have shown heart patients benefit from exercise, and some have shown it works better than surgical procedures. At a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona on Sunday, several experts said doctors should focus more on persuading their patients to exercise rather than simply doing angioplasties.
Angioplasty is the top treatment for people having a heart attack or hospitalized with worsening symptoms. It involves using a tiny balloon to flatten a blockage and propping the heart artery open with a mesh tube called a stent. Most angioplasties are done on a non-emergency basis, to relieve chest pain caused by clogged arteries cutting off the heart’s blood supply.
“It’s difficult to convince people to exercise instead of having an angioplasty, but it works,” said Rainer Hambrecht of Klinikum Links der Weser in Bremen, Germany.
Hambrecht published a study in 2004 that found that nearly 90 per cent of heart patients who rode bikes regularly were free of heart problems one year after they started their exercise regimen. Among patients who had an angioplasty instead, only 70 per cent were problem-free after a year.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: exercise heart attack angioplasty cardiovascular physical activity surgery artery chest pain clogged blood flow prevention
Warning Over Codeine Use After Tonsillectomy →
Aug 21, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A report out of The University of Western Ontario, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, warns the use of codeine to treat pain following a tonsillectomy could prove fatal for some children. Dr. Gideon Koren, who holds the Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology at Western, zeroed in on the danger after investigating the death of a two year old boy following a relatively easy operation to remove his tonsils.
Koren is a pediatrics professor at both Western and the University of Toronto, and the Director of the Motherisk program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Enlarged tonsils are usually treated with antibiotics, but Koren says tonsillectomies are still performed in the case of sleep apnea, where the child stops breathing while asleep.
In this particular case, the toddler had a history of snoring and sleep-study-confirmed sleep apnea. He was taken to an outpatient clinic, had the operation, and was taken home. The mother was given syrup of codeine and instructed how to administer it to her child for pain relief. On the second night after surgery, the child developed a fever and wheezing, and was found dead the next morning. Tests later showed the mother had given the proper dosage, and yet the child’s body was found to have high levels of morphine. The coroner asked Koren to look at the case.
“The sudden death of a healthy child was quite sobering because tonsillectomies are done every day, all over North America,” says Koren. “And more and more of them are done on an outpatient basis, with the child going home the same day.” The child was found to have the ultra-rapid metabolism genotype which causes the body to metabolize codeine at a faster rate, producing significantly higher amounts of morphine.
For full article see link above.
Tags: risk codeine tonsillectomy fatal danger tonsil sleep apnea snoring surgery operation pain relief fever wheezing morphine
MRI May Cause More Harm Than Good In Newly Diagnosed Early Breast Cancer →
Aug 13, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A new review says using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery to assess the extent of early breast cancer has not been shown to improve surgical planning, reduce follow-up surgery, or reduce the risk of local recurrences.
The review, appearing early online in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, says evidence shows that MRI increases the chances of more extensive surgery over conservative approaches, with no evidence that it improves surgical care or prognosis.
Randomized controlled trials have shown women with early stage breast cancer who are treated with breast-conservation therapy (local excision and radiotherapy) have the same survival rates as those who undergo mastectomy. Recently, MRI has been introduced in preoperative staging of the affected breast in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer because it detects additional areas of cancer that do not show up on conventional imaging.
In the current review, Nehmat Houssami, MBBS, Ph.D., of the University of Sydney, Australia, and Daniel F. Hayes, M.D., of University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, Mich., reviewed available data on preoperative MRI’s detection capability and its impact on treatment. The use of preoperative MRI scans in women with early stage breast cancer has been based on assumptions that MRI’s detection capability in this setting will improve surgical treatment by improving surgical planning, potentially leading to a reduction in re-excision surgery, and by guiding surgeons to remove additional disease detected by MRI and potentially reducing recurrence in the treated breast.
The authors say emerging data show that this approach to local staging of the breast leads to more women being treated with mastectomy without evidence of improvement in surgical outcomes or long-term prognosis.
For full article see link above.
Tags: MRI surgery early breast cancer recurrence surgical care prognosis survival rate
Tags: weightloss obesity heart cardiovascualr disease diet nutrition blood bariatric surgery metabolism aorta mortality prevention
Woman Hypnotized to Believe She Had Gastric Band Surgery Loses 55 Pounds →
Aug 7, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— A woman lost 55 pounds after undergoing hypnosis to implant memories of a gastric band surgery in her head.
“I’ve tried every other diet and exercise plan the world has to offer,” said the woman, Marion Corns. “Now I am able to shed up to three pounds a week because I believe I’ve had a band fitted into my stomach. Bizarrely, I can remember every part of the ‘procedure’ - including being wheeled into theatre, the clink of the surgeon’s knife and even the smell of the anesthetic.”
Corns underwent the hypnotherapy at the Elite Clinic in Spain, which was recommended to her by a friend who had gone there to quit smoking. The therapy involved a number of sessions in which she was familiarized with the procedure of a gastric band surgery, including a real surgical gastric band and stomach model. She then underwent several sessions of hypnosis, in which every stage of the surgery was narrated to her. She was made to touch the gastric band, while a recording of surgical tools played in the background. The hypnotherapists also pumped smells into the room to simulate those found in the operating and recovery rooms of a hospital.
After her first hypnosis session, Corns began to lose weight, just as if she had undergone the real surgery.
“Now if I try and eat a large portion I feel a pulling sensation in my tummy as if my stomach is stretching,” she said. “I simply cannot eat large portions of food any more.”
For full article see link above.
Is There Long-term Brain Damage After Bypass Surgery? More Evidence Puts The Blame On Heart Disease →
Aug 6, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Brain scientists and cardiac surgeons at Johns Hopkins have evidence from 227 heart bypass surgery patients that long-term memory losses and cognitive problems they experience are due to the underlying coronary artery disease itself and not ill after-effects from having used a heart-lung machine.
Researchers say their latest findings explain study results presented last year, which showed that the heart-lung machines – used to pump blood and supply the body with oxygen while the heart is stopped during surgery – did not cause postoperative long-term brain deficits.
“Our results hammer home the message that heart-lung machines are not to be blamed for cognitive declines observed years later in people who have had bypass surgery,” says lead study investigator Ola A. Selnes, Ph.D., a professor in the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience in the neurology department at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The new results stand in contrast to the impact of heart-lung machines on so-called “pumphead” syndrome, the temporary memory loss, vision and slurred speech observed right after surgery in many heart bypass patients.
For full article see link above.
Tags: heart disease cardiovascular coronary artery heart-lung machine blood oxygen brain cognitive decline bypass surgery memory vision speech
Heart Disease Patients With Previous Blockages More Likely To Die →
Aug 5, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Heart disease patients with previous atherosclerosis (fat deposits in the walls of the arteries) are more likely to die in the hospital and less likely to be treated with recommended therapies, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers analyzed data from the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease database to determine whether compliance with quality of care treatment for heart disease was associated with the extent of prior vascular disease. They examined records from 143,999 patients hospitalized in 438 facilities between 2000 and 2008. Overall in-hospital mortality for all patients was 5.3 percent, but those who had previous artery blockages were more likely to die while hospitalized than those who had no prior vascular disease.
They were also less likely to undergo surgery to clear their new blockages, had longer hospital stays and received cholesterol-lowering drugs, counseling to stop smoking and angiotensin-coverting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for left ventricular dysfunction less often.
“The results are surprising,” said Emmanouil S. Brilakis, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study and director of cardiac catheterization laboratories at Veterans Administration North Texas Healthcare System. “Patients with prior atherosclerosis have a higher risk for complications compared to those without prior atherosclerosis. Therefore, one would expect them to be more likely to receive these evidence-based treatments.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: heart disease cardiovascular coronary artery blockage death die hospitalization surgery cholesterol smoking counseling atherosclerosis risk
Ovary Removal May Increase Lung Cancer Risk →
July 21, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Women who have premature menopause because of medical interventions are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer. The startling link was made by epidemiologists from the Université de Montréal, the Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and the INRS—Institut Armand-Frappier.
“We found that women who experienced non-natural menopause are at almost twice the risk of developing lung cancer compared to women who experienced natural menopause,” says Anita Koushik, a researcher at the Université de Montréal’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and a scientist at the Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. “This increased risk of lung cancer was particularly observed among women who had non-natural menopause by having had both their ovaries surgically removed.”
The scientists studied 422 women with lung cancer and 577 control subjects at 18 hospitals across Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They assessed socio-demographic characteristics, residential history, occupational exposures, medical and smoking history, and (among women) menstruation and pregnancy histories.
“A major strength of this study was the detailed smoking information which we obtained from all study participants; this is important because of the role of smoking in lung cancer and because smokers generally have lower estrogen levels than non-smokers,” says Dr. Koushik. “Although smoking is the dominant cause of lung cancer, we know other factors can play an important role in enhancing the impact of tobacco carcinogens; this research suggests that in women hormonal factors may play such a role.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: lung cancer estrogen women woman smoking smoker premature menopause ovary removal risk surgery carcinogens hormone
Athletes And Weekend Warriors Can Keep Playing After Shoulder Joint Replacement, Study Suggests →
July 13, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Replacing a joint in any part of the body often leads to a long recovery process and the possibility of not being able to return to a sport or activity. However, a new study presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado, (July 9-12) presents findings that even an older individual who receives a total shoulder joint replacement can return to full participation within approximately six months of surgery.
“In our study, approximately 94 percent of the patients who have a total shoulder arthroplasty or joint replacement, were able to return to sports and 85 percent were able to return to the type-specific sport they were involved in before the surgery,” said lead author, Gregory N. Drake, DO, shoulder and elbow fellow, Fondren Orthopaedic Group, Texas Orthopaedics Hospital.
For full article see link above.
Heart Transplant Recipients Can Improve Fitness And Perform High Intensity Workouts →
July 13, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Heart transplant recipients’ cardio-respiratory fitness is around 30 to 50 per cent lower than age-matched healthy sedentary individuals. As a result, exercise rehabilitation should be very important to these patients, and a University of Alberta study shows they can improve their overall physical fitness.
Mark Haykowsky, in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, led the largest randomized exercise intervention trial in heart-transplant patients, which was published in the April edition of American Journal of Transplantation. The study involved 43 participants, half sedentary, and the other half on a 12-week exercise program. He found that exercise improved cardio-respiratory fitness, muscle mass and maximal strength; surprisingly, however, exercise training didn’t improve heart or blood-vessel function. Those exercising improved the size of the muscle mass, but blood vessels were still hardened and the heart’s ability to fill and relax was not improved.
For full article see link above.
Tags: cardio cardiovascular circulatory rehabilitation exercse heart transplant fitness muscle strength surgery blood vessel function
Tonsillectomy Linked to Weight Gain in Kids →
July 12, 2009 (Naturalnews.com)—Children who have their tonsil surgically removed early in life are significantly more likely to become overweight or obese by age eight, according to a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, and published in the journal Pediatrics.
The researchers measured the height and weight of 3,963 eight-year olds who were participating in the Dutch Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy (PIAMA) birth cohort study. Every year up to age eight, the children’s parents had filled out detailed questionnaires supplying information about height, weight, surgical procedures and a number of other factors.
Analysis of the data showed that children whose tonsils had been removed (tonsillectomy) were 61 percent more likely to be overweight at age eight than children whose tonsils had not been removed, and 131 percent more likely to be obese. This statistic remained the same whether or not the adenoid glands were also removed (adenoidectomy), and after adjusting for possible complicating factors such as sex, birth weight, breast-feeding, smoking in the home, and maternal education, weight or smoking during pregnancy.
For full article see link above.
New Evidence: Exercise Helps Heart Disease, Increases Survival Better than Angioplasty →
July 11, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— At the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation meeting recently held in Barcelona, Spain, new heart research was presented that shows one treatment in particular can provide remarkable help for patients with certain forms of serious heart disease. It’s not a new drug or surgical procedure. Instead, it’s a natural therapy — plain old-fashioned regular exercise.
In fact, in several studies just presented at the meeting, exercise reduced the markers of heart disease in patients following coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). What’s more, it improved indications of disease in people with heart failure, a condition usually thought to be incurable and often just treated with symptom-relieving drugs. But the news that’s perhaps most likely to make some interventional cardiologists’ hearts skip a beat or two was the evidence presented that showed that exercise improved cardiac event-free survival in coronary patients better than angioplasty with stents.
For full article see link above.
Tags: heart cardiovasular exercise rehabilitation disease bypass surgery failure coronary angioplasty PCI plaque prevention
Chinese Herbs May Relieve Endometriosis Symptoms, Review Finds →
July 11, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may relieve symptoms in the treatment of endometriosis. A systematic review by Cochrane Researchers found some evidence that women had comparable benefits following laparoscopic surgery and suffered fewer adverse effects if they were given Chinese herbs compared with conventional drug treatments.
Endometriosis is a gynaecological disorder affecting as many as one in six women of reproductive age. It can cause pelvic pain, irregular and painful periods, and infertility. Surgical treatments do not always lead to long-term improvement in symptoms and drug treatments can have unpleasant side effects such as hot flushes, acne and weight gain.
The researchers conducted the first English language systematic review of CHM for treatment of endometriosis. Two trials, which together focused on a total of 158 women, were included in the review. In one trial, CHM provided symptomatic relief comparable to that provided by the hormonal drug gestrinone, but with fewer side effects. In the other trial, CHM was more effective than the hormonal drug danazol, and also resulted in fewer side effects.
“These findings suggest that Chinese herbs may be just as effective as certain conventional drug treatments for women suffering from endometriosis, but at present we don’t have enough evidence to generalize the results,” says lead researcher Andrew Flower of the Complementary Medicine Research Unit at the University of Southampton in the UK.
For full article see link above.
Tags: treatment supplement herb chinese laparoscopic surgery drug endometriosis pelvic pain infertility improvement
Roux-en-Y Weight Loss Surgery Raises Kidney Stone Risk, Study Suggests →
July 1, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—The most popular type of gastric bypass surgery appears to nearly double the chance that a patient will develop kidney stones, despite earlier assumptions that it would not, Johns Hopkins doctors report in a new study. The overall risk, however, remains fairly small at about 8 percent.
As rates of morbid obesity have climbed in recent years, so has the popularity of various weight-loss operations, with more than 200,000 patients expected to have one of these procedures this year. The most common type of weight loss, or bariatric, surgery, called Roux-en-Y in a nod to the Y-shape of the surgical connections that go around part of the bowel, accomplishes weight loss by decreasing the size of the stomach and allowing food to bypass part of the small intestine.
While other bariatric procedures have been shown to decrease calcium absorption and increase the risk of kidney stones, doctors have long assumed that the Roux-en-Y procedure did not.
For full article see link above.
Chronic Ear Infection, Neck Pain, Headaches & Sinus Infection in a Child Resolved by Chiropractic Care and Postural Correction →
Resolution of Chronic Otitis Media, Neck Pain, Headaches & Sinus Infection in a Child Following an Increase in Cervical Curvature & Reduction of Vertebral Subluxation
Author(s): Curtis Fedorchuk, D.C.1; | Austin Cohen, B.S., D.C.2 Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health - Chiropractic Volume: 2009 | Issue: 2 Cover date: Spring 2009Page(s): 1-8 Abstract
Objective: This paper describes the chiropractic care of an 8 year old female with a 3-year history of otitis media, cephalgia, cervicalgia, and sinus infections.
Clinical Features: An 8-year old female presented with complaints of severe, debilitating otitis media with constant bilateral sub-occipital headaches and sinus pressure for the last 3 years. Previous treatment included 2 tympanectomy surgeries bilaterally, several rounds of antibiotics, and sinus surgery. Due to persistent headaches, neck pain, continued otitis media, and sinus infections the patient’s parents sought chiropractic care for their child. X-ray of the cervical spine revealed severe segmental kyphosis from C2–C4.
Interventions and Outcomes: Chiropractic care over 29 visits included m irror image adjustments, exercises, and traction to the cervical spine. The patient reported a decrease in headaches, sinus, and ear pain. The patient also demonstrated a significant improvement in her cervical curve upon review of a follow-up radiograph.
Conclusion: The patient experienced subjective and objective improvement from Clinical Biomechanics of Posture (CBP) chiropractic care. Further research is recommended.
Author(s): Curtis Fedorchuk, D.C.1; | Austin Cohen, B.S., D.C.2