It has been described as the ‘world’s largest collaborative online encycopedia of medicine’ and it’s easy to see why. The brainchild of James Currier, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Medpedia is being developed in conjunction leading Medical Schools (Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and Michigan) and leading global health organizations such as the American College of Physicians (ACP), the Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA.org), the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies, (FOCIS), and the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA).

Medipedia promises to deliver free relevant, reliable, and up-to-date medical information written and edited by volunteer medical doctors or experts with Ph.D. degrees.

Accurate medical facts at your fingertips – what more could you ask for.

Sounds like a winner.

Full launch of the site is expected at the end of the year. Meanwhile you can see a preview of things to come at http://medpedia.com

(source)

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Isn’t this the most unusual thing? I hate to say that anomalies such as Siamese twins are status quo these days, but truly, we’ve seen plenty of those images and, while still engrossing, they don’t shock us quite as much as maybe they used to.

But this! Two faces on the same head? Amazing!

Aside from ears, baby Lali has two sets of every other facial feature: eyes, nose, and lips. She suffers from a rare condition called craniofacial duplication, but the villagers where Lali was born in northern India don’t view her as a freak – they believe she is the reincarnation of the Hindu goddess, Durga. Hundreds of people have dropped by the dilapidated home of the Singh family to touch Lali’s feet out of respect, ask for blessings, and offer the family money.

Perhaps even more amazing than all the attention Lali’s receiving is that she drinks from both mouths and blinks all four eyes. Which gets me wondering exactly what is going on internally for her to be able to process taking milk from two mouths and digesting it. The baby’s family, however, has turned down any further screening and x-rays of Lali, stating that she’s acting like a normal child and they didn’t find such measures necessary at this time.

Pretty captivating, isn’t it? It will be interesting to see Lali’s progress as she grows – another medical mystery to behold.

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Babies not Eco-Friendly ?

Seems that some people think that babies are simply not eco-friendly and need to either be banned or taxed.

Meet the women who have decided to ’save the planet’ by not having babies. According to one of them ‘Having children is selfish. It’s all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet.’ Me thinks that maybe the child has had a lucky escape. (Meet the woman who won’t have babies – because they’re not eco-friendly)

A medical expert in Australia, while not saying ’stop having babies’, wants all families with more than two childern to be taxed. How much? He suggests a baby tax to cover the costs of enough trees to offset the carbon emissions that the child will generate over their lifetime. (Baby tax needed to save planet)

Bizarre but True

Remember The Tree Man from Indonesia..

Appears he’s not the only one causing medical intrigue.

There’s a man in China who noticed that his ‘…underwear and bed sheets were all green, and even the water in the shower.’ Blood tests at the local hospital have not yet revealed the cause. Maybe he’s just a ‘greenie’ at heart. (Doctors Baffled by Green Sweat)

And what about this man who nearly drank himself to death. He arrived at a European airport with a liter of vodka in his carry-on bag. When told he couldn’t take it onto the plane, he promptly downed the lot. Needless to say, he never got off the ground. (Dying for a Drink)

Finally

For those who missed it, ice swimming season has already started in Russia. While not so popular in the States, ice swimming is seen by many as a way of improving circulation, relieving symptoms of arthritis, and helping build up the immune system. Don’t know about that, but sure got a good laugh watching a group of Russian men ice swimming in tutus…

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Scientists Create (heh) White-House Friendly Stem Cells

Where there’s a W, there’s a way. Scientists have developed cells that look and behave just like embryonic stem cells, but they’ve managed to do it without any actual embryonic source. The cells were created using human skin cells. What’s truly disappointing about this is that in addition to the fact that no embryos were used, no cloning was involved, either. Fine, fine. We’re going to have to get our festive scientific melodrama elsewhere…

Sugar Increases Your Sex Hormones

This isn’t a good thing. Fructose and glucose have been shown to turn off the gene that regulates production of testosterone and estrogen in the body. What actually happens is that consumption of too much sugar burdens your liver. To cope, your liver converts the excess sugar to lipids. These lipids happen to turn off the gene that controls your sex hormones, and said hormones go into overdrive. The consequences are myriad and unpleasant: acne, cancer, cysts, and cardiovascular disease.

Conversation Impairs Your Vision Even if You Think It Doesn’t

It doesn’t matter if you think you are visually “paying attention”. Talking on your mobile phone is dangerous because it alters your brain’s ability to process images accurately. According to researchers, even hands-free headsets do not stop your vision from becoming impaired. Watching the road and chatting is the modern day equivalent of walking, talking, and chewing gum.

Post from: Healthbolt

Good morning, everyone. Here’s a batch of inspiring health news. It happens!

New Kit Could Nix the Foodborne Pathogen Problem

Current detection kits take six days to yield results. Foodborne pathogens have been a huge problem this year, particularly with spinach and beef. A new kit in development will shorten that time to 5 hours.

Muscular Dystrophy: Amazing Development Could Offer Cure

Myotonic dystrophy is the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults, and scientists have successfully reversed it in a new murine study.

New Meningitis Vaccine Could Stop All Types, Safe for Kids

Researchers have developed a child-safe vaccine for all four strains of meningitis (A, C, Y and W-135). This breakthrough offers significant hope for children in heavily affected areas such as Africa and Eastern Europe.

And this is for two little birds in Los Angeles.

SeeqPod Music beta – Playable Search

- Raymond Brigleb Photo on Flickr (CC)

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The cure.

Listening to Beethoven Eases Depression

But listening to Ja Rule cures it. No, no. Iranian researchers who treated depressed patients with sonatas saw measurable improvement in their patients.

Hypnosis an Effective Surgery Tool

Women who underwent hypnosis before their breast cancer surgeries experienced less pain, nausea, drug use, and emotional trauma than women who met with a therapist before their surgeries. Apparently, hypnosis is incredibly effective for addressing many health issues – and there are the studies to back it up. Did you know that? I didn’t know that. The problem is that hypnosis has the Woo factor.

Curvy Women Are Smarter

And that’s why men like them better! A new study finds that women with a more hourglass waist-to-hip ratio are more intelligent. The (unlikely) theory: fat in the hips is rich in Omega-3’s, which is good for the brain. Another possibility: dumb teen girls have thin, stupid children. The “ideal” waist-to-hip ratio is between .6 and .7. Translation: if you look like a brick, you’re dumb as a brick. It’s a tough day for bricks and beanpoles alike, so in other words it just generally sucks to be a woman. Scientists report that thin women are prone to osteoporosis. (via Slate)

Post from: Healthbolt

Remember that thing we used to do called the Morning News Fix? Good godlet, we’re neglectful. What’s up, kids? My toe is intact, my move is complete, and the cat says mew. Let’s get down to business, because we’re gangsta like that:

Mixing Vodka and Red Bull Is Unhealthy

More importantly, it’s disgusting. As usual, the health is really beside the point, isn’t it? Anyway, Fox is all in a tizzy about this study that shows college kids who drink caffeinated beverages mixed with alcohol are not only more likely to wear graphic tees with skulls and have skunk stripe highlights, they are also twice as likely to get sick and injured.

You Are Not Allowed to Blame It on a Spider Bite, Sicko

A rapist is blaming his actions on a spider bite. Apparently there were no Twinkies available. Here is a list of typical symptoms of a poisonous spider bite.

Dark Chocolate Heals the Heart

And we’re not talking about filling any gaping void of lovelorn loneliness here. Dark chocolate is good for your cardiovascular system, and your heart in particular. A Japanese study finds that dark chocolate increases blood flow to your thumper.

Captain Obvious Roundup

Music is good for your emotional health. Children are over-medicated. The FDA announces another new oversight committee to deal with all its screw-ups.

- Mug

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The government has a long history of successful anti-drug campaigns.

Lots of Kids Do Drugs

In a new report, researchers found that hundreds of thousands of children do drugs – from cigarettes and alcohol to marijuana and cocaine – on any given day. In fact, 1.2 million teenagers light up cigarettes every single day. If only they wouldn’t have given up on those D.A.R.E. shirts.

Worst States for Women’s Health

The gimlet eye of science has swept from Kentucky and its hillbilly heroin to the absolute worst states for women’s health. Among them: Indiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In everything from diabetes to obesity to prenatal care to heart disease, women in these states are lagging far behind and health care is not set up appropriately in said states to address the problems. I blame Oprah.

Pap Smear Test not Best for Cancer

The pap smear – you know, that glorious good fun wherein your cervix is scraped with a tiny wooden spatula – may not be so glorious for detecting cervical cancer. When scientists used an HPV test instead of a pap smear to look for possible cancer, the former test was dramatically more effective (95% vs. 55%). If you want to see an actual pap smear instead of the usual medical equipment stock photo they always show with these sorts of stories, here you go. Go on. I know you’re curious.

Post from: Healthbolt

Topps Hits Bottom

And the Obvious Headline Award goes to…me. Score! Quick update on the big beef recall: Topps is shutting down. In other meat news, experts are urging pregnant women to eat more fish despite the concerns about toxic contamination. (Oh, and for all my sickos, peep this.)

Kentucky Is Being Annoying

Several Kentucky counties are suing Purdue, the maker of OxyContin, or “hillbilly heroin”, because that state’s facilities are overwhelmed with oxycodone addicts. The problem is most severe in Pike County with 40 fatal overdoses. Recognizing that litigation cures problems, Kentucky government officials also plan to sue themselves for being douchebags.

Oh, Come On, Just Say It: Male Children Are Worth More!

It’ll be fun! Older brothers really are the best. The BBC reports that people with older brothers are more likely to have fertility problems than people without older brothers. The theory is that the reproductive cost of bearing a son is so great, any subsequent rugrats – male or female – get mom’s reproductive leftovers, which may mean weaker hormone levels and hence weaker fertility. But the rational person featured in the article (at the very end, because this is the BBC we’re talking about) explains that while the study does provide an insight into our biological past – it does “cost” a lot to bear a son – the advent of industrialization and modern health care has eliminated any sibling short shrift.

Is Alzheimer’s Actually Diabetes?

Check out this story! Alzheimer’s rates and diabetes rates have increased (really more like snowballed) in recent years, and there may be a surprising reason why: Alzheimer’s might just be type 3 diabetes.

(Brian Bennett Photo – CC)

Post from: Healthbolt

“Why Are Our Kids Obese?” Scientists: “Um, Isn’t It Obvious?”

Scientists have released a study that essentially says kids are obese because, given our lifestyle, it would be weird if they weren’t. The environment children grow up in is all but designed to support obesity. The major problems: long school days with almost no emphasis on physical activity and the incessant marketing barrage of “fun” processed foods and drinks aimed exclusively at children.

‘Economy Class Syndrome’ Fear Is Overblown

The chance of developing a fatal blood clot in your cheapster seat is pretty low for most people. While it’s still a good idea to stretch during your flight, the actual risk only applies to about 1 in 5,000 people. Long-haul flights, being very tall or very short, pre-existing conditions, and oral contraceptive use increase the chances that you’re the “1″. Venous thromboembolism is when blood clots form in the legs (thank you, prolonged sitting) and escape to the heart, lungs, or brain. However, the scientists say many people are worrying needlessly and taking excessive safety precautions. For comparison, 1 in 5 of you will get in a traffic accident this year. Traveling by car is the number one killer of people under 44, in fact.

Thank Goodness for Geeks

Computer modeling may improve the accuracy and effectiveness of an important class of drugs. The technology being developed can predict structural changes in antibodies. The results are already exciting: in one cancer treatment that used the modeling, the drug’s binding affinity increased tenfold. That’s a good thing.

(Stricklands Menu)

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