The White Room

The Essentials of O Blood Type

2011-09-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Blood can be grouped using various systems. Two of the most well known systems are the Rh system and the ABO system. The ABO blood types were found in the beginning of the 20^th century by Karl Landsteiner. He learnt that blood transfusions could sometimes result in the death of the recipient and then discovered the cause. He discovered that certain blood types had antigens and antibodies. For example: A type contains antigen A and antibody anti-B, B type has antigen B and antibody anti-A, AB type has both antigens A and B but no antibody, whereas O blood type contains no antigen but has both antibodies anti-A and anti-B. Antigens coat the surface of red blood cells and quite susceptible to rejection from the antibody. If a donor antigen was rejected by the recipient antibody, it would cause agglutination or destruction of the donor red blood cells in the body of the recipient.

A few O blood type facts are that O does not have ABO antigens therefore will not be rejected by other blood types and that it has all ABO antibodies therefore will always reject blood types aside from O. That is why people with type O blood are called “universal donors”. More fun facts of the O blood type are that mosquitoes in general prefer the O type to others (higher risk of contracting malaria) and that type O individuals are more susceptible to cholera and peptic ulcers. By natural selection, O blood type is probably the most common throughout the whole world.

The less scientific facts of the O blood type concern with personalities of type O individuals. Some consider type O people as energetic and social, as well as flexible in the terms of their viewpoint. Others think that type O people are quitters and often give up midway. Although most people agree that they are honest and respectful toward others and have very strong confidence.

As the most well known blood group classification system, the ABO system gives rise to a kind of fad diet called “The Blood Group Diet”. The base of this diet is the existence of antigens that form different blood types. These antigens allegedly react either positively or negatively toward certain kind of food. Based on this diet, type O people are basically carnivores, A are vegetarians, B are omnivores and AB are mixed diet eaters. For type O individuals, practicing this diet might have some pros and cons. The pros: they can eat meat and fish freely as the diet calls for high protein intake, vegetable haters don’t have to eat vegetable too much. The cons: facts stated that type O individuals are already susceptible to various diseases, so practicing this diet will only add a notch in the disease column because it increases the risk of developing heart disease.

Acne, What You Need To Know

2011-09-08T23:18:00.001-07:00

Acne, a non-life-threatening but equally devastating skin disorder, is the factor that can cause a terrible case of low self-esteem in teenagers and young adults. If left untreated or treated incorrectly as to leave scars, it can also lead to depression.

Acne is a type of skin inflammation that is triggered by the plugging of the sebaceous gland. Sebaceous glands produce natural oil to protect our skin from drying. Some people might have slightly more active sebaceous glands than others.

Other factors that can trigger the growth of acne are hormones, diet, weather and unhygienic environment. Some bad habit can cause acne, including not cleansing the skin from makeup and using dirty makeup brushes. The state of a person’s peace of mind might also contribute the growth of acne. Psychological stress, as we all know, causes hormonal imbalance which is partial to androgenic hormones. These hormones increase the activity of the sebaceous glands and therefore, increase oil production. Aside from the above mentioned factors, we also cannot ignore the significance of genetics in the problem of acne.

The location of acne is not always on the face, but also on the chest, the back, the neck, and even the scalp. These areas have an abundance of sebaceous glands and have high oil production. Higher number of sebaceous glands in an area increases the risk of developing acne.

To treat acne, we need to focus on reducing oil production and preventing bacterial infection. One advice that has been the golden rule of handling acne is to never touch the acne with unwashed hands. Better yet, do not touch, period! Forget picking at it. Do not look at the mirror unless you need to apply acne medicine to prevent the urge to pick at the acne. The most important thing to do is to keep the face clean by washing it twice daily, using the correct cleanser (preferably containing salicylic acid). Avoiding excessive use of makeup and stress can reduce the risk of acne significantly, as well as avoiding acne-inducing food.

Dare to Take a Chance in GRE?

2011-07-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Studying abroad had always been a dream of mine since I was a little child. I thought it would be a great experience to live in an entirely different environment with different culture. Not to mention, it would also be really cool to show off to friends and family. To accomplish that, I decided to take a GRE test required for application to this one University in Germany. I have already done my IELTS with adequate result. I would need GRE with the subject of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology.

So I checked the GRE website and found out that the test would have about one hundred and seventy five MCQs, divided into three sections. There would be problem-solving questions too. And each section would have a question in methodology, possibly statistics. Darn it! I hate statistics.

As I mentioned before, the GRE test is divided into three sections. The first one, BIOCHEMISTRY will take about 36% from the whole test.
1. Chemical and Physical Foundations
* Thermodynamics and kinetics
* Redox states
* Water, pH, acid-base reactions and buffers
* Solutions and equilibria
* Solute-solvent interactions
* Chemical interactions and bonding
* Chemical reaction mechanisms
2. Structural Biology: Structure, Assembly, Organization and Dynamics
* Small molecules
* Macromolecules (e.g., nucleic acids, polysaccharides, proteins and complex lipids)
* Supramolecular complexes (e.g., membranes, ribosomes and multienzyme complexes)
3. Catalysis and Binding
* Enzyme reaction mechanisms and kinetics
* Ligand-protein interaction (e.g., hormone receptors, substrates and effectors, transport proteins and antigen-antibody interactions)
4. Major Metabolic Pathways
* Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur assimilation
* Anabolism
* Catabolism
* Synthesis and degradation of macromolecules
5. Bioenergetics (including respiration and photosynthesis)
* Energy transformations at the substrate level
* Electron transport
* Proton and chemical gradients
* Energy coupling (e.g., phosphorylation and transport)
6. Regulation and Integration of Metabolism
* Covalent modification of enzymes
* Allosteric regulation
* Compartmentalization
* Hormones
7. Methods
* Biophysical approaches (e.g., spectroscopy, x-ray, crystallography, mass spectroscopy)
* Isotopes
* Separation techniques (e.g., centrifugation, chromatography and electrophoresis)
* Immunotechniques

The second section is CELL BIOLOGY (28%). The questions would no doubt be about cellular biology and the technology surrounding the imaging of it.
1. Cellular Compartments of Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes: Organization, Dynamics and Functions
* Cellular membrane systems (e.g., structure and transport across membrane)
* Nucleus (e.g., envelope and matrix)
* Mitochondria and chloroplasts (e.g., biogenesis and evolution)
2. Cell Surface and Communication
* Extracellular matrix (including cell walls)
* Cell adhesion and junctions
* Signal transduction
* Receptor function
* Excitable membrane systems
3. Cytoskeleton, Motility and Shape
* Regulation of assembly and disassembly of filament systems
* Motor function, regulation and diversity
4. Protein, Processing, Targeting and Turnover
* Translocation across membranes
* Posttranslational modification
* Intracellular trafficking
* Secretion and endocytosis
* Protein turnover (e.g., proteosomes, lysosomes, damaged protein response)
5. Cell Division, Differentiation and Development
* Cell cycle, mitosis and cytokinesis
* Meiosis and gametogenesis
* Fertilization and early embryonic development (including positional information, homeotic genes, tissue-specific expression, nuclear and cytoplasmic interactions, growth factors and induction, environment, stem cells and polarity)

The third section is MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS (36%)
1. Genetic Foundations
* Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance
* Transformation, transduction and conjugation
* Recombination and complementation
* Mutational analysis
* Genetic mapping and linkage analysis
2. Chromatin and Chromosomes
* Karyotypes
* Translocations, inversions, deletions and duplications
* Aneuploidy and polyploidy
* Structure
* Epigenetics
3. Genomics
* Genome structure
* Repeated DNA and gene families
* Gene identification
* Transposable elements
* Bioinformatics
* Proteomics
* Molecular evolution
4. Genome Maintenance
* DNA replication
* DNA damage and repair
* DNA modification
* DNA recombination and gene conversion
5. Gene Expression
* The genetic code
* Transcription/transcriptional profiling
* RNA processing
* Translation
6. Gene Regulation
* Positive and negative control of the operon
* Promoter recognition by RNA polymerases
* Attenuation and antitermination
* Cis-acting regulatory elements
* Trans-acting regulatory factors
* Gene rearrangements and amplifications
* Small non-coding RNA (e.g., siRNA, microRNA)
7. Viruses
* Genome replication and regulation
* Virus-host interactions
8. Methods
* Restriction maps and PCR
* Nucleic acid blotting and hybridization
* DNA cloning in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
* Sequencing and analysis
* Protein-nucleic acid interaction
* Transgenic organisms
* Microarrays

All these informations, I got from http://www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/content/biochemistry.

I would have to prepare the materials for months before I'm ready to take the exam. So If I wanted to take it in February, I would have to start studying ... now?

Anti Aging: Home Remedies for Wrinkles

2010-03-06T02:20:00.000-08:00

Aging affects everyone. But for women in particular, the most bothersome is none other than wrinkles, the aging sign of the skin. Most women want to achieve and maintain youthful skin, which is wrinkle-free and supple, but very few know how to do it.

There are a lot of different skin care products designed for anti aging purposes, so it might be hard to choose one that will work the best for your skin. And chance is the one that does work a miracle costs an arm and a leg. Fortunately, there are a few budget-friendly alternatives we can try.

The first one is castor oil. No need to pay hundreds for a bottle. Women of the olden days have used this item to smooth wrinkles around their eyes. As it is definitely natural oil, so it should be safe. You only need to massage castor oil around the eye area before bedtime to get fresh looking skin when you wake up in the morning.

Another home remedy for wrinkles is orange juice, used topically. Soak cotton pads in orange juice, place them on the eyes, then sit back and relax for around ten minutes. The chemical compounds within orange juice will help toning and tightening the skin, and thus reduce wrinkles and fine lines. Or you can also make facial mask by beaten egg white, two tablespoons of orange juice, one-half teaspoon of lemon juice, and a few drops of sweet almond oil. Apply the mask to your skin and let dry for thirty minutes, then rinse.

Of course, using only topical means is not effective in fighting wrinkles. It needs to be helped with diet. Your daily meals have to be balanced, full of antioxidants and vitamins (especially vitamin A through E) as buffer against free radicals and the loss of elasticity. Also, it won't hurt to add Omega-3 oils in the list, because those are important elements in maintaining smooth skin and keep skin elasticity and flexibility. Keep a healthy lifestyle and you might have a big chance to fight wrinkles off your face.

Anti Aging: Slow the Aging Process

2010-02-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

Since the dawn of time, we are taught to believe that aging is inevitable and there is nothing we can do about it. Is this the inarguable truth? Well, yes and no. It is true that no one can alter the flow of time. No one can turn back the clock and make old people young again. Short of plastic surgery. And even that only alters the outside appearance, not the actual age. But we can somehow slow it down a little.

Take Nicole Kidman, for example. Does she look 40? Not to me, she doesn't. To me, she looks ten years younger than her actual age. Why? Is it the slimness of her figure? Or maybe, the lack of wrinkles? She definitely looks healthy for a skinny girl, which means we have to dump the issue of anorexia. No anorexic can look that bright.

As mentioned from previous posts, the aging process is affected by both internal factors and external factors. Some of those factors can be manipulated to our advantage. The way to achieve this is rather simple. Be healthy, inside out. That's it. It means regular exercise, healthy diet, no stress, no toxin (alcohol and nicotine included), and plenty of relaxation. Think positive, think young. Everyone can do this.

Most people will argue. What about environmental pollution? It is a difficult question to answer. We don't have that much power to alter the condition, aside from doing what we all can. The three Rs from the three arrows symbol. You know, reduce-reuse-recycle. If we all do these, maybe we can bang the government to pay more attention.

Aging: Assessment of Aging Process

2009-11-05T03:05:00.000-08:00

After knowing what aging is and how aging progresses, we'll want to know in what aging stage we're in. We start by assessing the parameters of aging, also called the biomarkers of aging. The first step is listing health status and risk factors, such as family history of disease, nutrition status, our exercising habit, environmental risk factors (e.g.: pollution), and our own history of medicine taking. Additional factor that effects aging is psychiatric condition, how we handle stress.

The second step is physical examination, including blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and temperature. Systolic blood pressure need to be observed closely for people over 45 years of age. On the other hand, diastolic blood pressure is the more important point for people below 45 years of age. One simple examination that we can do at home is the skin elasticity examination. We only need to look in the mirror and see if we can find wrinkles. Another one is to lightly pinch your skin and see if it returns back to its smooth state in an instant or not.

Some examinations need to be done in a clinic or a hospital, including the functional capacity examination and the biochemistry examination. Functional capacity is an important indicator of aging as it connects directly to daily activity. These include the lung and heart capacity, neurological capacity, kidney function, and bone density. Biochemistry examination needs to be done in a laboratory, including the assessment of neurotransmitters, hormones, tumor markers, genetic markers, toxins, and mineral serum level.

These biomarkers of aging closely relate to the quality of life. Therefore, assessment for these signs of aging should be done before the symptoms start to disturb your daily life activity.

Aging: Stages of the Aging Process

2009-10-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

The aging process is commonly divided into three stages. They are the subclinical stage, the transitional stage, and the clinical stage.

In the subclinical stage, hormone production level decreases. Testosterone, growth hormone, and estrogen are only a few of them. Free radicals may start to disrupt our cell's DNA. These processes however are not visible from the outside. There are no symptom or complaint of aging here. This stage happens around the age of 25 to 35, still can be considered young.

The next stage, called the transitional stage, happens around the age of 35 to 45. Hormone level drops to around 25 %. Muscle mass also starts to decrease, while body fat composition increases. People at this stage may complain about losing energy, losing the "spark". The changes in hormone level, muscle mass, and body fat might cause insulin resistance, higher risk of coronary heart disease, and higher risk of obesity. Other symptoms may appear, such as vision and hearing deterioration, lower melanocytes activity, lower skin elasticity, and lower libido, the bane of human kind. Around this period, people may look less fresh and less young.

The last is the clinical stage that happens over the age of 45. The level of hormone production continues to drop. It may start to effect the gastrointestinal tact and disrupt nutrition absorption, including vitamins and minerals absorption. Besides muscle mass, bone density also starts to decrease. Lack of energy significantly disturbs daily activity. Sexual dysfunction is more prominent. All in all, it's an impending disaster waiting to explode.

Aging: Knowing The Signs

2009-09-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

The aging process starts with a minimal decreasing in metabolism. Like with a car, early aging is the time when you just put your foot on the brakes. Organ function is only just starting to slow. Signs of aging are only just starting to pop up little by little. And those signs will not only be physical, but also psychological. The physical signs include diminishing muscle mass, increasing body fat level, sexual dysfunction, disorder of the joints and bones. The psychological signs may include depression, insomnia, anxiety, and so on.

When we age, all our body functions will deteriorate. All systems in the body, including the endocrine system, immune system, metabolism, sexual and reproductive system, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, muscular and skeletal system, and also the nervous system will feel the impact of the aging process. These deterioration that will then cause the signs and symptoms that show the manifestation of the aging process. Only if we do something to stop the signs from developing any further, will we have a longer and better quality life.

Aging: A Few Theories

2009-09-06T05:18:00.001-07:00

There are many theories that explain the factors contributing to aging process. Two of the most famous theories are the "wear and tear" theory and the "programmed aging" theory. The "wear and tear" explains that the causes of aging include DNA damage, glycosilation and free radicals. The "programmed aging" on the other hand explains that the factors include cell replication limit, immune process, and neuroendocrine theory.

The W&T basically tells us that our body weaken and die because of the continuous usage and damage of our cells. Our cells are damaged because of constant abuse by toxins, excess fat, sugar overload, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, UV rays, and stress. So, even if we were not smokers or alcoholic, our cells and therefore organs would still deteriorate. The difference is that with the additional abuse, the body would crumble a lot faster.

The free radicals hypothesis is up till now the most talked about theory of aging process. Free radicals are molecules with excess unpaired electron. These molecules are unstable and can create a chain reaction where unstable molecules will try to rip away electrons from other molecules to balance themselves. And the ones that are mobbed will be unstable also and become the next electron-robber. These reactions cause cellular dysfunction and contribute greatly to some diseases, such as atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer syndrome, and immunity disorder.

The programmed aging theory talks about biological clock that is programmed from the day of conception to the day we die. One theory mentions about telomere, a special structure at the end of a chromosome. Every time a cell divide, the telomere will shorten. After a number of cell divisions, the telomere will be too short to be used for another division. The cell multiplication stops there.
Another theory talks about the role of hormone to aging process. When people grew old, their body would produce less hormones than when they were young. When the serum level dropped, there came the physical problems, such as intolerance to low temperature, difficulty to move, decreasing muscle mass, increasing body fat, memory disturbance, and sexual dysfunction.

Aging: Why We Grow Old

2009-09-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

People, on principal, grow old after they reach a certain point in their lives. Of course, it does not happen after we become an adult. It is an on-going process since birth. We just never call it growing old, just "growing". Some say growing old is a set-back, a repression, a descent. But none ever wonders why the event happen. Why do we grow old? Why do we get ill? In the end, no one questions, why do we die?

We accept it as the course of nature. People have to grow old, get sick and die. Some even go as far as saying, life is predetermined by fate. Now, what's with that? I kind of understand about it being a natural occurrence. But fate? Not so much. It wouldn't be fair.

As all people of the world agree, we cannot stop time, we also admit our inability to stop death. It happens. Get over it. The thing we can get our hands on is the getting sick part. We just need to know what causes said disease. Simple, really. Not.

Alright, not so simple. But we can simply simplify it. OK, we take a jumble of factors and divide them into two categories, the internal factors (IFs) and the external factors (EFs). Under IFs, we put genetic factor, immune system disturbance, hormonal imbalance, and other inappropriate metabolic processes that I don't understand. Oh, and free radicals, must not forget that.
Under EFs, we can jot down bad life style, bad diet, bad habit, pollution, stress, and all other bad things.

See? Simple.

These factors, we can meddle in. Hopefully, an intervention at a right time can prolong life. Or at least, can make us live healthy longer.

Aging: An Introduction

2009-07-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

AGING: IN A FLASH

When talking about aging, we could not avoid thinking about life expectancy. In a demographic trend, the precise term would be "Life Expectancy at Birth (years)". The term indicates the average living years of the people in a certain nation. Looking at the demographic trend, we could not help but compare the lower life expectancy of people in developing countries to the higher in developed countries.

Based on the Human Development Report by the UNDP (2005), the life expectancy at birth of people in Japan is 82 years, followed by Switzerland (80.5 years), Singapore (78.7 years), and US of A (77.4 years). Those are only a few countries with high life expectancy at birth. Compare those numbers to the life expectancy in Kenya, where the life expectancy of women only reaches 51 years and men 50 years.

When faced with these hard facts, we must ask ourselves "Why?"

The immediate answer would be "Because." Of course, that does not help a bit. The truth is that there are certain factors which cause some people to live longer and others to live, well, not so long. None of those factors coincides with fate in the biblical sense. If you are pagan, life expectancy has nothing to do with Clotho, Lachesis, and Apropos.

One important factor would be health. Without further explanation, people with good health should be able to live longer, barring accidents and bad luck. So there is something we can actually do to get a few additional years. We only have to keep health and keep functioning as we grow old.

Easier said than done.

Mal Aria

2009-03-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Malaria is a name that may sound pretty but it actually means "bad air". It is basically an infectious disease caused by parasites, called Plasmodium, and distributed by some kind of insect, mainly mosquitoes. Some tropical regions, mainly Asia and Africa, have the poor luck of being endemic. Developing countries seem to be more affected by the disease than do their more developed brethrens and sistrens.

Only female mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus can transmit malaria after they suck blood containing malaria parasites from an infected person. The parasites then enter the blood circulation and multiply within red blood cells, causing symptoms including fever, shivering, joint pain, vomiting, anemia (caused by red blood cells destruction), a trace of hemoglobin in urine, retinal damage, and convulsions. The classic symptom of malaria is fever and sweating switching on and off lasting four to six hours, which occur every two days or three days depending on the species of the parasites. Children with malaria often show abnormal posturing that may be caused by severe brain damage. Children are also more prone to having neurological damage from malaria that attacks the brain.
The kind of parasite called Plasmodium falciparum can cause a severe case of malaria which arises 6-14 days after infection. Some morbid after-effects of severe malaria include coma and death if left untreated. Children and pregnant women, as usual, are especially vulnerable. Some other symptoms that may occur are enlarged spleen, a world of headache, disturbed circulation to the brain, enlarged liver, low blood sugar, and renal failure. Now, this renal failure is the cause of blackwater fever, where hemoglobin from damaged red blood cells leaks into the urine. Severe malaria can cause death in the matter of days, even hours.
Malaria can be chronic if it is caused by Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale. Not by their falciparum mate, though, for some reason. When chronic, malaria may begin to show symptoms in a few months or years after exposure, because the parasites in the liver are in latent phase. In latent phase, laboratory exams may fail to show the presence of malaria parasites in the blood stream.
Malaria transmission can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites with mosquito nets and insect repellents, or by spraying insecticides inside houses and draining or covering any container of water where mosquitoes may lay their eggs.

Even with the recent development of medical technology, no vaccine is currently available for malaria. People in the endemic regions have to take preventive drugs to reduce the risk of infection. Quinine has been used since ever as a cure and preventive medicine against malaria. Nowadays we can use other effective alternatives such as quinacrine, chloroquine, and primaquine and reduce the reliance on quinine. Although, quinine is still used to treat chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum, as well as severe and cerebral stages of malaria. Beside quinine, other antimalarial drugs used to treat malaria infection are the derivatives of artemisinin. However, some of these parasites have evolved to be more resistant to many of antimalarial drugs. In such case, only a few drugs remain as effective treatments for malaria.

The Floo?

2008-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

No, not the "Floo", as in a way of transportation by means of a traditional fireplace. The flu, as in "Influenza", a kind of infection sort of caused by virus. Annoying beings, viruses are. They always make healthy people sick, even worse in children or in other not so healthy people.

The flu can be severe to the point that a sufferer might need to be hospitalized. Sometimes the flu can involve the lungs too. Not a happy thought, that. Most of the time, the flu can be merely an annoyance because of the runny nose and the sore throat. But some people, especially children and others already not so healthy, may experience fever, headache, coughing, and stomach problems. Yes, diarrhea can happen now and then. It's caused by virus, remember?

Unfortunately, the spreading of said virus is a little too easy to be true, such as sitting near a sneezing flu-affected-someone in a bus or subway. Close contact is not necessary, but it helps in the spreading.
Fortunately, if the immune system is top notch, chance is the healthy body will prevail. Virus, begone! How about a child whose immunity isn't fully developed? Simplest answer, flu vaccine. Doctors would be so happy when parents asked for the flu vaccine for their children. The immunization does prove to reduce the risk of getting the flu. It's worth the try. It's better than taking medication after getting the flu, although giving a doctor-approved-antiviral drug can make children with flu a little less miserable. Still, no antibiotics. Doctors could go on a tantrum if you give antibiotic to the flu infected. They'd rant about this resistance-thingy, for multiple drugs or the like.

Also, there are other ways in avoiding the flu, especially if the flu vaccine is unavailable. Not going anywhere near people who are sick, for one. Cleaning the hands with soap and water often is another good way. Do all that plus plenty of rest and nutritious food, you won't have to see the doctor too many times.

Keep in mind that even a strongest fortress might fall. Children are not the strongest. If they do get sick, lock them inside the house, make sure they rest and give them a lot of fluids. OTC medicine can be used to reduce fever or sore muscle, but take care to not give them aspirin. Just ask the doctors, they'll explain.
Always be prepared to contact a contact a doctor. The disease can get worse. Mind the degree of the fever, and how long it stays. Listen to the breathing, observe the skin color (be careful of bluish tint). Children who have high fever or not drinking enough water might seem confused or lethargic or cranky. Seizure is dead-set one point to have a child in hospital care.

The flu, while most of the times is just plain annoying, is not a joke. Where is the fun in blowing your nose off, or coughing your lungs out?
Better to stay healthy. More fun this way.

Tropical Paradise

2008-07-31T01:30:00.000-07:00

A tropical island with its tropical climate and tropical surroundings is indeed a tropical paradise. Warm weather all year round. Guaranteed to attract a lot of people of non-tropical origin. And it is good, all in all. The tourists will have a nice place to relax and the locals will get a lot of them nice greenbacks.

A tropical island with its tropical climate being paradise to people is good. The problem is that tropical climate is also paradise for the less visible type of locals, namely parasites. These parasites ranging from the least visible, namely viruses, to the more visible such as tape worm can cause exquisite difficulties. More so to the tourists because they haven't had the time to develop immunity against said health-sucking mongrels.

One of the most famous and quite deadly parasites is the protozoa, Plasmodium sp., which causes malaria. People sort of know it if they're infected by them red-blood-cell-destroying minions. Very few people can ignore high fever, shivering, joint pain, vomiting and sometimes, convulsions. The disease sometimes causes fatalities, which is kind of sad because death from malaria is avoidable. Infected people need only to contact their doctors and ask to be treated with chloroquine or quinine or the like. People can even avoid being infected by taking drugs, such as proguanil or mefloquine.

Traveller's diarrhea is known to be the most annoying disease you can contract. Imagine, you're in a beautiful tropical island and you're supposed to roam said island, but you're stuck in your dingy little room due to having to spend most of your day in the restroom. How does that feel? Unfortunately, the most common cause of TD, namely E. coli, rules the entire tropical climate. People would argue, Oh, ... but what about the locals? The locals are fine, mostly because they are immune to it. They consume contaminated food and water on daily basis. It's like weight-lifting. You don't go 100 kgs in a single day. You do it gradually for years.
But, fear not, dear travellers. Medical workers in the tropical region are well versed in treating infectious diseases. Mind you, don't let the diarrhea go on and on for days. Dehydration is no fun, and you might have to be hospitalized. So much for vacation...

I Feel Blue

2008-06-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

I don't feel like it. I'm just nothing. I can't do anything. Why does it always happen to me? I'm worthless. I'm weak. I want to die. Maybe it will be better when I'm gone.

Ever hear anything like it coming from a loved one? Ever ridicule or humiliate them because of it? Ever try to help? Did it work? Sometimes they never said anything until it was too late. Most of the times they did say something but no one understood until the worst happenned.

Depression. Doctors, general practitioners and psychiatrists alike, fear this word. Why? Because even the best effort might not help. Even with all the drugs and counselling and relentless support, a single slip of attention is all it takes for everything to crumble to dust. For people with depression, the bridge towards healing is narrow and brittle. Should we sit back and relax, while they were fighting to keep body and soul attached?

Suicide is not an option. People who did it, did not choose to kill themselves. It was only one way in front of them, surrounded by high walls. Where else would they walk? It was up to the people outside said walls to pull them up and away from the edge, and watched over them just in case.

Call for help. Before it was too late.

Que Sera Sera?

2008-04-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

Would you honestly say, "what will be will be" about your own life, your own future?

Would you really block your vision from from the rotting environment you live in?

Boy, you better not.

It's become common knowledge that air pollution can cause diseases to your breathing system, to your heart and blood vessels, and worst of all, death. Not only the effects are devastating, now we have to worry about water pollution. And then, there's noise pollution. I assume that loud noises can increase your stress level. Just imagine, if a baby's crying can make you swear, what can a building construction with all its hammering dan sawing do to you?

Cars, fancy though they are, emit carbon dioxide, the so-called greenhouse gas. Lots of it. Your average factories are marginally worse, but you get the point. This CO2 is the major contributor to global warming, nasty issue but real. Not only that, the twice cursed gas can also disrupt marine life as it can increase sea water acidity. Soon, we might not be able to taste the delightful sushi, the marvelous cuisine, the pearl of ..... you know lah.

For vain people, listen up. Environmental pollution can cause wrinkles to appear earlier, skin and hair to appear duller, and might even increase the possibility of having acne attack ground zero. Think about it.

So, no more "que sera sera" attitude when dealing with this problem.

Alright, guys?

Inner Universe

2008-03-30T07:53:00.001-07:00

Some people might see it as bad thing, a sad thing, for a child who can't express a response. They might even pity the poor little baby, oh, how the parents must've felt.

They really should stop thinking like that. Autism is not a fatal disease. While incurable, it is generally manageable with a proper education and training for both the child and the parents.

It has become common knowledge that autistic children are unresponsive towards external stimulations, and that they live in their own little world they create inside their own little head.
Not really. Physical contact can be an alternative means of communication with the child.
The key is not to give up trying to coax a response.

The road will, perhaps, be filled with obstacles the size of a mountain. But the result is worth the effort. There are people who will readily lend a helping hand if you know where to look.
So, for parents whose child has autism, you are not alone. Ask for help. It can either be from hospitals or institutions devoted to help managing the disorder.
The child is worth the effort.

Break This, Break That

2008-03-08T03:22:00.000-08:00

I don't remember the second part because of the cliched reason about being too preoccupied with the first part. The expression is quite true, so don't even think of trying it just for fun. Sticks and stones can indeed break bones. Let's imagine about the pain ..., or not. And the length of time you need to recover? It's no doubt a waking nightmare, ...or a living hell, take your pick.

Some people might not know that a broken bone needs a lot of time to repair whatever damage it gets. The average is about 4 to 6 weeks, with 2 weeks at best and 12 or so weeks if you're unlucky. Depends on the severity and perhaps the location of said fracture, I guess. The therapy procedures, such as traction and fixation, take a lot of time and cause a lot of suffering. Nothing too dramatic, I hope.

A fractured bone may heal completely without any deformity or complication if it only sustains minor damage of a simple fracture. Well, that is one thing, infection is another thing. The miniscule problem called infection has vexed medical practitioners for ages, especially with the rise of the so-called multiple drug resistent microorganisms. The mildest thing the infection can do is delaying recovery. The worst thing ...You may not want to know.

If said fractured bone is moderately or even severely damaged, it usually recovers slowly or with complications. It might even not recover at all.

Such hard consequense for something as simple as sticks and stones.

The Hippocratic Oath

2008-03-03T02:49:00.001-08:00

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, once wrote a statement that has become a traditional oath taken by practitioners of medicine.

The ancient version of the oath runs as follows:

"I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfil according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:

To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art - if they desire to learn it - without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but no one else.

I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.

I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.

Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.

What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about.

If I fulfil this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot."

Nowadays, the new version of this oath updated by the Declaration of Geneva, has become a guidance of ideal conduct for medical practitioners worldwide.