Stomach illness stemming from marijuana use on the rise

In states where marijuana is legal, doctors are seeing increase in a violent illness that causes severe abdominal pain and vomiting. Dr. Jon LaPook reports on the little-known illness that is treated with hot showers or baths.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/stomach-illness-stemming-from-marijuana-use-on-the-rise/

Little-known illness tied to smoking weed on the rise

For unclear reasons, the nausea and vomiting from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome relieved by hot showers or baths

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mysterious-illness-tied-to-marijuana-use-on-the-rise-in-states-with-legal-weed/

Why some women still get acne as adults

20 to 40 percent of adults continue to experience breakouts beyond their teen years

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/acne-women-skin-risks/

Spinning out of control: Vertigo

Vertigo isn’t just a catchy song by the band U2, but is also a common symptom that has multiple potential causes. Although most people think that vertigo has to involve a spinning sensation, vertigo is actually the sensation that one is moving or that one’s surroundings are moving in the absence of any actual movement. To understand vertigo, one must understand that our sense of balance comes from multiple different systems in the body.

A balancing act: processing system inputs

There is your visual system, which tells you where your body is in space and time in relation to your surroundings. There is the sensory system, which allows your feet to send information to your brain about the terrain you are walking on. A third system, the vestibular system, often goes unappreciated in day-to-day life, but can cause havoc when not working properly. The vestibular system is composed of structures in your inner ear that function like a carpenter’s level.

Like a level, when the device is tilted in one direction or another, the bubble moves indicating imbalance. Similarly, during head and body movements, the inner ear transmits information regarding movement or balance to the brain. When there is a mismatch between the visual, sensory, or vestibular systems, people can at times have balance issues. Those balance issues can include vertigo.

Medications for the treatment of vertigo are used to target structures in the brain that process these at times conflicting signals. Antihistamines like dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and meclizine (Antivert) can be useful treatments for vertigo. Anticholinergic medications like scopolamine can be particularly useful, as it comes in a patch form, which can be applied just prior to entering a situation where motion sickness can be anticipated.

Shipwrecked

One of the most common manifestations of vertigo occurs when someone travels on a boat. While on a boat, particularly when not standing on the deck, your visual system indicates that there is not much movement, and your surroundings appear still. The vestibular system (inner ear), on the other hand, is telling your brain that there is back and forth rocking movement, which naturally occurs with sea travel. The result is that one part of the brain is registering movement while the other part of the brain is registering no movement. This mismatch leads to vertigo, nausea, and at times vomiting, which is commonly known as seasickness.

Unfortunately, when people feel seasick many go below deck to lie down, which makes the problem worse. The best remedy for seasickness is actually to go above the deck, and look at the motion of the water or off at the horizon. By doing this, the visual system perceives the motion that the vestibular system perceives, which can alleviate the sense of imbalance. For many who have experienced seasickness, the symptoms can persist for hours to days after getting off the boat. Another place where such balance mismatches frequently occur is when transitioning onto or off of an escalator.

I explained this concept to one of my patients who is an avid fisherman as he complained about his wife, who frequently gets seasick. After providing the advice, he said, “Dr. Mathew, your care has been life-changing. As a thank you, you must join me on my boat some day.” I replied, “Thank you for the offer, but I am horrible at fishing.” He said, “Oh really, why is that?” I replied, ‘’Because it is difficult to catch any fish when you are holding two cocktails.” He chuckled, and proceeded to tell me about how he often catches mackerel, which other fishermen call inedible, advising him to throw it back in the water. He ignores their advice and keeps the mackerel, noting, “My wife loves that greasy fish.” I then asked him, “Is fishing a religious experience for you?” He said, “No doctor, why do you ask?” I then shrugged my shoulders and said, “Holy mackerel?” As he tried to hide a smile, he indicated that he was not amused. I then said, “Like the mackerel, I guess I should have thrown that bad joke overboard”, which caused him to laugh out loud. Apparently, the post-punch line was a bigger hit than the actual punch line.

The post Spinning out of control: Vertigo appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Paul G. Mathew, MD, FAAN, FAHS http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/spinning-out-of-control-vertigo-2016122710919

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): First aid

From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600

Skin cancer trend in one region defies national stats

Fewer cases in these states suggest skin cancer prevention programs may be having an effect

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/skin-cancer-melanoma-trend-in-northeast-defies-national-statistics/

Your brain on alcohol, and more science for New Year's

Experts explain why drinking makes you drunk, and how to avoid – or at least cope with – a hangover

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/your-brain-alcohol-science-for-new-years-drinking-hangover/

Official: Ban the lie that is the "vegan" meat label

In Europe, vegetable-based products cannot be labeled as cheese and milk, but what about meat?

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/german-official-vegan-vegetarian-meat-labels-misleading/

Food Aversions During Pregnancy

A lot of women have pregnancy cravings, but there’s also a flip side: food aversions.

From: http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/pregnancy-food-cravings-aversions?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Diabetes Takes Biggest Bite Out of U.S. Health Care Spending

Top 5 diseases, conditions accounted for $437 billion in 2013

From: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20161228/diabetes-takes-biggest-bite-out-of-us-health-care-spending?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Why Acne Can Strike Women After the Teen Years

Study suggests diet, stress and family history may play a role

From: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/news/20161227/why-acne-can-strike-women-after-the-teen-years?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mayo Clinic Minute: The link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leTwVcukRBg

How Carrie Fisher helped fight stigma of mental illness

The 60-year-old actress and writer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her twenties and became a powerful advocate for mental health

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/carrie-fisher-bipolar-disorder-addiction-mental-health-stigma/