So the anti-vaccine advocates’ fears of having the “natural immunity sterilized out of us” just doesn’t cut it for me. How could I, with my idyllic childhood and my amazing health food, get so freaking ill all the time?

Surgeons will drain their blood and replace it with freezing saltwater. Without heartbeat and brain activity, the patients will be clinically dead.

And then the surgeons will try to save their lives.

In a study published in The Lancet, about twenty-nine percent of patients who recovered from Russell's Viper venom had signs of hypopituitarism or Sheehan's Syndrome. Both conditions have unremarkable symptoms, like a constant feeling of cold and an unusual amount of fatigue. What distinguishes them is a sort of reverse-puberty in adults. They lose their sex drive. They lose fertility. They lose their body hair, especially pubic hair. Men lose facial hair and muscles. Women lose curves as the condition causes them to lose weight. Some doctors even report loss of mental faculties as the condition progresses.

I suspect United States is in fact ahead of the African nations in bringing the dead back to life. It's hard to find a good estimate of how many bodies are resurrected in the U.S. each year, but let's go with this vastly oversimplified figure: 92,000. 92,000 is the number of people the American Heart Association estimates are saved in the U.S. each year after their hearts or their lungs have stopped moving, i.e. by CPR. Or let's go with a percentage: 45.3%. That's the success rate in the bottom-quarter of American hospitals in a 2012 study in restoring circulation to a body whose heart has completely flatlined. 14.5% of the bodies treated managed leave the hospital. And that's in the hospitals with the lowest performance. Wait till you see American rates for getting the lame to walk and the blind to see.

My two kids at home almost lost their mother because someone decided that my life was worth less than that of a fetus that was going to die anyway. My husband had told them exactly what my regular doctor said, and the ER doctor had already warned us what would have to happen. Yet none of this mattered when confronted by the idea that no one needs an abortion. You shouldn’t need to know the details of why a woman aborts to trust her to make the best decision for herself. I don’t regret my abortion, but I would also never use my situation to suggest that the only time another woman should have the procedure is when her life is at stake. After my family found out I’d had an abortion, I got a phone call from a cousin who felt the need to tell me I was wrong to have interfered with God’s plan. And in that moment I understood exactly what kind of people judge a woman’s reproductive choices.

This is the true ‘bomb’ contained in Obamacare and the one item that will have more impact on the future of how medical care is paid for in this country than anything we’ve seen in quite some time. Indeed, it is this aspect of the law that represents the true ‘death panel’ found in Obamacare—but not one that is going to lead to the death of American consumers. Rather, the medical loss ratio will, ultimately, lead to the death of large parts of the private, for-profit health insurance industry.
...
If you believe that the end of private, for-profit health insurance is some type of nefarious step towards a socialist society, then you might want to attend church this Sunday to mourn the loss of health insurers being able to worm out of covering the bills of a cancer patient because she forgot to write down on her application that she had skin acne for three months when she was a teenager.

Some of the most foul smelling creatures on Earth are known simply as odorous frogs. These amphibians have a normal odor like that of rotting fish, but it's worth braving their disgusting smell for the life-saving substances that coat their bodies. Because frogs live in warm, wet places — the ...

The development of general anaesthesia has transformed surgery from a horrific ordeal into a gentle slumber. It is one of the commonest medical procedures in the world, yet we still don't know how the drugs work. Perhaps this isn't surprising: we still don't understand consciousness, so how can we comprehend its disappearance?

"Now there is hope that future implants might be powered not by batteries but by the fuels in our bodies that are used for energy. Scientists have shown that fuel cells implanted in rats can successfully generate electricity from sugar in the rodent's bodies. The devices kept going for months at a time."

"The family of a man with sleep apnea who died during a routine colonoscopy is suing the nurse anesthetist who cared for the patient."

"The Russian surgeon Leonid Rogozov’s self operation, undertaken without any other medical professional around, was a testament to determination and the will to life"

"This, it turns out, is the real problem. My whole life I've been unable to pick up on the scent that is so overwhelmingly good for cilantro lovers that it trumps any possible bad. I come to a disappointing realization: I am not an X-Man with superkeen sensory abilities. I am a sensory dud who's missing the true nature of cilantro."

"This problem is made worse by the fact that actually paying for your health care is a loss from an insurers’ point of view — they actually refer to it as “medical costs.” This means both that insurers try to deny as many claims as possible, and that they try to avoid covering people who are actually likely to need care. Both of these strategies use a lot of resources, which is why private insurance has much higher administrative costs than single-payer systems. And since there’s a widespread sense that our fellow citizens should get the care we need — not everyone agrees, but most do — this means that private insurance basically spends a lot of money on socially destructive activities."

"Health-care reform would put one of the most productive sectors in the U.S. to work to shore up the nation's economy, says BW contributing editor Chris Farrell"

"Anyhow, I want to see him today, before the socialism."

Still somewhat freaked out by the whole concept of Lasik surgery, yet intrigued by the opportunity for enhancement. "Once my corneas were cut open and I experienced that initial pain, I was definitely frightened, and escaped to a corner of my mind where I would not think too much about all the things they were doing to my eyes and what my life would be like if I happened to be the "less than 1%" of patients with vision-reducing complications.None of this bothers me much, save the fact that newer, better, safer technology will come around sooner or later, and my eyes may end up as out-of-date as back-to-school iPods. And I do not know if my eyes will be forward-compatible, having already been sliced. Still, for now I remain top-of-the-line, and I would gladly endure 10 times the (mostly imaginary) pain of LASIK to gain the quality of eyesight found in elite Major League Baseball pitchers."

"As a pharmacist, you have every right to refuse to fill contraceptive prescriptions. But your customers have every right to boycott your store, and your employer has every right to fire you. If you don't like your employer's policy, open your own pharmacy."

"Our study suggests that compounds such as sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes"

"In the body, gradients like this strengthen the ends of tendons that attach to bones. Currently, lab-grown tendons put into the body often fail at the attachment end because they lack this property, says García. ... His new technique should lead to more lifelike artificially-grown tendons, and better treatments for injuries like ruptured Achilles tendons."

"Some lucky evolutionary accident ensured the mammals' safety through a deep sleep, and that accident may still be dormant within us. That which allowed our ancestors to survive millions of years ago might also be a means of our survival now."

"One of the great unanswered questions in physiology is why muscles get tired. The experience is universal, common to creatures that have muscles, but the answer has been elusive until now."

"I can take a woman, in the biggest trouble she has ever experienced in her life, and by performing a five-minute operation, in comfort and dignity, I can give her back her life"

"The new science of resuscitation is changing the way doctors think about heart attacks—and death itself."

"An extraordinary new scientific study, which for the first time documents marked improvement in Alzheimer’s disease within minutes of administration of a therapeutic molecule, has just been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation."

"The so-called ‘combination therapy’ prevents HIV from mutating and spreading, allowing patients to rebuild their immune system to the same levels as the rest of the population."

"A woman has seen her own heart on display at a medical exhibition."

"If you find yourself embodied in a different way, your perceptions and awareness of the world would be changed."

"Well, the week is over -- and still no apology, no retraction, no correction of your glaring mistakes."

"There is not a single fact that is "fudged" in the film. No one has proven a single fact in the film wrong. We expect CNN to correct their mistakes on the air and to apologize to their viewers."

"There has been a growing criticism the administration favoring ideology over competence, and this nomination smacks of that."

"Five years from now? Biotech vagina case-mods on Boing Boing. I’m telling you."

"Drinking coffee can help ward off type 2 diabetes and may even help prevent certain cancers, according to panelists discussing the benefits — and risks — of the beverage at a scientific meeting."

"once the cells have been without oxygen for more than five minutes, they die when their oxygen supply is resumed."

"A Northwestern University scientist describes new research that used an innovative experimental approach to provide unique insights into how scientists can change human metastatic melanoma cells back to normal-like skin cells -- by exposing the tumor cel

"Spiders are getting a bad rap. Get a culture because what you are seeing is probably community-acquired MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus)"

"Scientists are seeking ethical permission to produce synthetic sperm cells from a woman's bone marrow tissue after showing that it possible to produce rudimentary sperm cells from male bone-marrow tissue."

"In a report released Sunday, researchers describe the use of newly discovered enzymes to convert blood types A, B, and AB into O, the universal donor type."

"A new study in the journal Neurology is being hailed as unassailable proof that marijuana is a valuable medicine."

"A "data cable" made from stretched nerve cells could someday help connect computers to the human nervous system. The modified cells should form better connections with human tissue than the metal electrodes currently used for purposes such as remotely co

I need me a new nasal barrel sleeve.

"Smokers who believe they can avoid fatal disease by slashing the number of cigarettes they smoke each day are sorely mistaken, according to a new study which suggests the only safe way to escape the risk is to quit."

"Though an unprotected human would not long survive in the clutches of outer space, it is remarkable that survival times can be measured in minutes rather than seconds, and that one could endure such an inhospitable environment for almost two minutes with

"In just 15 years, we'll begin to see the merger of human and computer intelligence that ultimately will enable people to live forever. At least that's the prediction of author and futurist Ray Kurzweil."

"Ever had to give a cat an injection at home, for feline diabetes, maybe? Here's how to do it painlessly... both for you and the cat!"

Looks like an interesting CPAP interface. "No annoying cpap mask straps or cpap headgear for sleep apnea cpap patients. End the nightly torture of CPAP with our exclusive 'no mask' headgear."

"British scientists have grown the world's first artificial liver from stem cells in a breakthrough that will one day provide entire organs for transplant."

"Actor Michael J. Fox jokes that he may be short in stature, but he's still enough of a "big boy" to withstand criticism over his backing of embryonic stem cell research"

"The Lancet isn't just any medical journal ... It is not noted for publishing random speculation, agitprop, and crank letters — it's the top journal of record in its field."

"I live in rural Ohio and I have been denied EC. "

"The vast majority of people who oppose stem-cell research either haven't thought it through, or have thought it through and don't care."

"While we understand and respect the sincerely held beliefs of those who oppose this research, we are equally sincere in our belief that the life-and-death medical needs of countless suffering children and adults justifies moving forward with this researc

"If the andro that helped McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998 was an unnatural, game-altering enhancement, what about his high-powered contact lenses?"

"The conservative politics of the Bush administration forced me to have an abortion I didn't want."

"Botox comes from the botulinum toxin produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria."

"Notions about marriage, family and work will change in fundamental ways, they say, as will attitudes toward the young and the old."

"Get it put back in, and soon."

"My entire brain, the organ by which my very consciousness is controlled, was reorganized one day ten years ago."

"It's rare to find such a carefully considered and well-informed account of brain damage from someone who has suffered the consequences."

"Stanford neuroscientist Bill Newsome wants to implant an electrode in his brain to better understand human consciousness."

"Although perhaps we can be a bit suspicious of the claim that they have "few, if any, ill effects", as the history of new drugs shows that major effects are often not discovered until several years after the marketing claims them to be virtually side-eff

Really getting tired of these religious whackos getting a say in public health issues.

""

"The crocodile has an immune system which attaches to bacteria and tears it apart and it explodes. It's like putting a gun to the head of the bacteria and pulling the trigger"

"SCIENTISTS have created "miracle mice" that can regenerate amputated limbs or damaged vital organs, making them able to recover from injuries that would kill or permanently disable normal animals."

"Coffee not only helps clear the mind and perk up the energy, it also provides more healthful antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the American diet, according to a study released Sunday."

"A new report from the Nurse's Health Study finds that regular, long-term aspirin use can significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, as suggested by several earlier studies."

"Americans are getting fatter at a rate never seen before, a report shows."

"Stray stem cells from a growing fetus can colonise the brains of mothers during pregnancy, at least in mice."

"Mosquitoes are more attracted to people already infected with malaria. And this appears to be because the malarial parasite orchestrates its own onward transmission from within the human body, a new study suggests."

"I was grateful that we have not only inherited a danger-prone appendix, but a brain that can invent surgery."

"Americans pay twice as much for heart-bypass surgery as the socialized Canadian system, with no difference in outcome, according to today's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine in a study funded by American drug company, Pfizer Inc.. "

"Cranberry juice, long considered a home remedy for urinary tract infections, may also be effective against a number of gastrointestinal viruses"

"I don't need a lecture from the majority leader on moral and ethical leadership." Ooh, ouch.

"During a hibernation-like state, cellular activity slows to a near standstill, which reduces dramatically an organism's need for oxygen."