Reliable Health Information

"The Bad Doctors" (1892), James Ensor

Now that we can't trust the CDC or any other U.S. government-controlled agencies to give us reliable information, consider using websites in other countries.

• Health Canada
• UK Health Security Agency
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
• World Health Organization

Some other alternatives are private hospitals and clinics. The biggest hospital in your region probably has a good website with lots of information. Also, look into the websites of The Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and MD Anderson Cancer Center.

 

Don't Dry Up and Blow Away

Illustration: "A Mad Dog in a Coffee House" (ca 1800), Thomas Rowlandson

One day, my brother stopped by to visit our mother, then in her eighties. He found her sitting on the couch, slumped over her tray table, lethargic and weak. With some difficulty (she was hard to move), he got her to the doctor, where she was diagnosed with dehydration and revived with the application of fluids.

Dehydration is a serious and all-too-common health problem for seniors. There are several reasons for this.

As people age, sensations of thirst diminish. An older person who needs water may not feel thirsty.

People suffering from cognitive impairment may forget to drink, or may simply ignore feelings of thirst or signs of illness.

Kidney function often diminishes with age, leading to fluid imbalance and a tendency to become dehydrated more quickly than a younger person.

Some medications cause dehydration.

Sometimes older folks deliberately drink less, because they want to avoid frequent trips to the toilet. People who suffer from incontinence may try to stay dry.

Avoiding dehydration may require creating a schedule for drinking water. People who dislike water may be encouraged to drink more if they are given juice, flavored water or herbal teas. Eating foods with a high water content can help. Some sports drinks (not energy drinks) may be helpful.

Always rehydrate after spells of diarrhea or vomiting, or after exercising. Remember to drink more than usual in hot weather.

• WebMD: Dehydration in older aduilts
• Mayo Clinic: Dehydration Symptoms and Causes


 

What is Contraception?

“Conception,” as it relates to pregnancy, is not a medical term. It has become customary to use this term to refer to fertilization, the coming together of egg and sperm. Some people use “conception” to mean the beginning of a pregnancy.

Fertilization by itself does not constitute pregnancy. For a pregnancy to exist, the fertilized egg must implant itself in the lining of the uterus. It is not unusual for fertilized eggs to pass out of a woman’s body without implanting.

Contraception is any method that is used to prevent pregnancy. Contraception is sometimes referred to as “birth control”. Some well-known contraceptives are condoms and birth control pills.

Barrier methods of contraception prevent the sperm from reaching the egg, so fertilization cannot occur. These include condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, sponges, and spermicides.

Hormonal methods of contraception use medication to prevent ovulation. That means that they stop eggs from being released. These include pills, injections, patches, and implants.

An intrauterine device (typically called an IUD) is a device that is placed inside the uterus. IUDs use hormones or copper to prevent sperm from fertilizing eggs.

Emergency contraception, sometimes called “the morning after pill”, can be used after unprotected sex has occurred. This is a hormonal method that delays or prevents ovulation: no egg is released. Some people confuse emergency contraception with abortion, but they are not the same. An “abortion pill” is used to end a pregnancy, whereas emergency contraception prevents pregnancy. They are NOT the same medication.

Behavioral methods of birth control include “withdrawal,” whereby the man withdraws his penis from the vagina before ejaculation; and “fertility awareness,” also known as the “rhythm method,” whereby a couple attempts to avoid intercourse during the days the woman is most likely to be fertile.

Sterilization is a permanent form of contraception, that removes a person’s ability to produce a pregnancy. Methods of sterilization include vasectomy for men and tubal ligation (sometimes called “tying the tubes”) for women. In some cases, these methods can be surgically reversed. A woman who has undergone hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) cannot get pregnant. This is not reversible.

Note that there are some additional methods of contraception not mentioned here. See the links at the end for more detailed information.

Abortion is not a method of contraception. Abortion ends an existing pregnancy, whereas contraception prevents pregnancy.

Some people believe that it is wrong for women to engage in sexual intercourse for pleasure or love, but that they should have sex only for the purpose of getting pregnant. These people oppose the use of contraception, and advise women to remain celibate if they don’t want pregnancy. Thousands of years of human history demonstrate that this is an unrealistic idea.

Article from Medical News Today explaining conception: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/conception

Article from Cleveland Clinic explaining birth control: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11427-birth-control-options

Article from WebMD on the history of contraception: https://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/ss/slideshow-birth-control-history

Article from History on reproductive rights in the U.S.: https://www.history.com/news/reproductive-rights-timeline

 

Abortion, Miscarriage, Birth: Don't Be Confused

"Abortion" is a word used to indicate the expulsion or removal of the contents of the uterus in early pregnancy. Historically, "spontaneous abortion" was the term used when this happened naturally or due to a medical condition, and "induced abortion" referred to performing an abortion intentionally. At some time during the 20th century, it became customary to call a spontaneous abortion a miscarriage, and to refer to an induced abortion simply as an abortion. No matter what terminology is used, this is a situation in which a pregnancy ends without a birth.

Birth is the process by which an infant is expelled from the uterus. This may occur when a pregnant woman undergoes "labor", a series of contractions that enable her to push the infant out. It may also occur surgically, in a process called "Caesarian section", typically shortened to "C-section", during which the surgeon cuts open the uterus and extracts the infant. In some cases, doctors may determine that it is necessary to induce labor medically rather than wait for it to occur naturally. Once a birth occurs, the pregnancy is over.

In recent times, some people have invented the term "post birth abortion" to refer to something that is physically impossible. Abortion ends a pregnancy, as does birth. Once a pregnancy has ended, there cannot be an abortion, just as there cannot be an additional birth.

A typical pregnancy is expected to last about 280 days (40 weeks). An infant born at 39-40 weeks is "full term". An infant born earlier than 37 weeks is considered "premature" or "preterm". Babies born very prematurely are likely to have health problems. The earlier the birth, the greater the risk of severe problems or death. At 28 weeks, a birth is extremely preterm. Successful birth before 28 weeks is not viable; this will be considered a miscarriage.

We now know that more than 30% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, most so early that the woman may not even realize she was pregnant. In some cases of miscarriage, the contents of the uterus are not fully expelled. To avoid infection or other health risks, medical treatment is needed to remove all the tissue. This may involved a procedure called dilation and curettage (D&C) or dilation and extraction (D&E). Sometimes medication is used. Occasionally, some people get confused and think that the treatment following a miscarriage is the same as an abortion. It is not. A miscarriage ends the pregnancy; at that point an abortion is impossible.

Click this link to see the March of Dimes explanation of miscarriage.

Click this link to see the Britannica explanation of birth.

Click this link to see an NIH discussion of termnology.

 

I've Looked At Arsenic From Both Sides Now

Imagine there are two or three people who, for unknown reasons, think arsenic is good food for babies. In the meantime, there are at least 99,763 chemists, 1,567,984 doctors, 258,000 professors of chemistry, and 701,422 nutritionists who know that arsenic is poisonous. The pro-arsenic guys are very busy, writing letters, making podcasts, self-publishing books, and posting all over social media about how great arsenic is. They manage to convince another eight people to join them. One works in a health food store.

The online arguments get the attention of a news network, which decides to explore "both sides of the arsenic issue". Out of the roughly 2,628,169 experts who know that arsenic is poison, they invite one doctor, and out of the twelve arsenic lovers, they invite the store clerk. The interview with these two makes it look as though the pro-arsenic and anti-arsenic groups are equal.

After a few of these interviews, more viewers start to think that maybe arsenic isn't so bad after all. Conspiracy theories arise, claiming that "they" don't want you to have access to healthy, clean arsenic because "it's all about control." More people become convinced, and even a few of the anti-arsenic experts (who are disgruntled because they couldn't get tenure) change sides.

The controversy heats up on social media, fueled by people who claim their children died or suffered permanent brain damage because they were denied access to arsenic. When shown evidence that arsenic sickens and kills, they call it fake news and come up with documents purporting to show that anti-arsenic studies were falsified. One of their doctors writes a book claiming that pharmaceutical companies want to suppress arsenic because it's a natural substance and not profitable.

By now, hospitalizations for arsenic poisoning have tripled. The pro-arsenic faction claims the statistics have been manipulated; all those people got sick or died for other reasons. Many people are afraid to go to Thanksgiving dinner because they suspect Grandma will slip some arsenic into the turkey. Others refuse to attend because their hosts have declared the kitchen an arsenic-free zone. A few mass poisonings occur at church picnics and political rallies. The people most likely to succumb to arsenic poisoning are the elderly, infants, and people with pre-existing conditions. The arsenic lovers say those people were weak and would have died anyway. Portable arsenic test kits become popular. Restaurants lose business. Politicians claim that immigrants are bringing arsenic across the border. China is blamed.

The news media continue both-sidesing the issue.