I am really stretching the vitamin D thing lately but I just saw some medical news out of a skin conference in Praugue that explained research that a certain kind of Vitamin D supplement was more effective that topical steroidal cream for getting rid of eczema, this is bound to be big news in my house.

Almost half of patients with steroid-resistant hand eczema had complete or near-complete clearance when treated with the oral vitamin D analog alitretinoin, according to data from two randomized clinical trials.

Almost 80% of patients who relapsed after alitretinoin withdrawal regained disease control when treated again with the 9-cis retinoic acid agent, Uwe Hillen, M.D., of University Clinic in Essen, Germany, reported here at the International Congress of Dermatology.

“Alitretinoin produced improvement in all of the individual signs and symptoms of chronic hand eczema,” said Dr. Hillen. “Patients who relapse after initial treatment can be effectively retreated with alitretinoin, suggesting it is a suitable, intermittent treatment option for the long-term management of this chronic, relapsing disease.”

So the question is how hard would is be to get alitretinoin prescribed for this. The other question is weather taking alitretinoin is a bit of overkill for most people that have eczema probably this is suspected to be the best treatment for people with very bad rashes.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: D, eczema, Essen, Germany, International Congress, University Clinic, Uwe Hillen, Vitamin D

The Center for Disease Control is reporting that Measles Cases are at the highest rate in over 10 years. Most of the reason for the really high rate of Measles outbreaks is because of the fear of Autism from kids getting the

More measles cases have been reported in the United States since Jan. 1, 2008 than during the same period in any year since 1996, according to a report released today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Measles Results for 2008

Between January 1 and July 31, 2008, 131 cases were reported to CDC′s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). At least fifteen patients, including four children younger than 15 months of age, were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Academy of Pediatrics, Anne Schuchat, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Autism, Belgium, California, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, China, D.C., director, encephalitis, Europe, Georgia, Germany, hawaii, Illinois, immunization, India, Israel, Italy, Louisiana, measles, Michigan, Missouri, mmr vaccine, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Mumps, National Center for Immunization, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, New Mexico, New York, Pakistan, Pennsylvania, preventing infections, Respiratory Diseases, rubella, Russian Federation, Switzerland, the Philippines, United Kingdom, United States, vaccination, vaccination program, vaccination status, vaccines, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

My wife has been taking high dosages of aspirin tow or three times a day for the last few months as she had some clots show up on her legs and the doctor, after having me give her injections to thin her blood, gave her this prescrition for a generic type of aspirin derivative that she is taking. As always I scoured the internet to find more information on taking aspirin and I have copied the following info from both Wikipedia and the FDA in case you have a simeilar interest. The wiki info is an outline on aspirin itself and the FDA info is a bunch of questions and answers about aspirin.

Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid (acetosal) is a drug in the family of salicylates, often used as an analgesic (against minor pains and aches), antipyretic (against fever), and anti-inflammatory. It has also an anticoagulant (”blood-thinning”) effect and is used in long-term low-doses to prevent heart attacks.

Low-dose long-term aspirin irreversibly blocks the formation of thromboxane A2 in platelets, producing an inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation, and this blood-thinning property makes it useful for reducing the incidence of heart attacks. Aspirin produced for this purpose often comes in 75 or 81 mg dispersible tablets and is sometimes called “Junior aspirin”. High doses of aspirin are also given immediately after an acute heart attack. These doses may also inhibit the synthesis of prothrombin and may therefore produce a second and different anticoagulant effect.

Several hundred fatal overdoses of aspirin occur annually, but the vast majority of its uses are beneficial. Its primary undesirable side effects, especially in stronger doses, are gastrointestinal distress (including ulcers and stomach bleeding) and tinnitus. Another side effect, due to its anticoagulant properties, is increased bleeding in menstruating women. Because there appears to be a connection between aspirin and Reye’s syndrome, aspirin is no longer used to control flu-like symptoms in minors.[1]

Aspirin was the first discovered member of the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), not all of which are salicylates, though they all have similar effects and a similar action mechanism.
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Tags: A. Consumers, A. Patients, acetyl group, aches, allergy, angina pectoris, angioplasty, arthritis, Arthur Eichengr, Arthur Eichengrun, aspirin, aspirin products, Asthma, Bayer, body systems, British Columbia, bypass, Cerebral Ischemia, Charles Frederic Gerhardt, chemical, chemical structure, chemist, chest pain, chills, coronary artery disease, Cox, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Derek W. Gilroy, diarrhea, Egypt, fda, fever, first discovered member, Friedrich Bayer & Co., Gerhardt, Germany, Glasgow, headaches, hearing loss, heart attack, heart attacks, Henri Leroux, Heyden Company, high blood pressure, Hoffmann, hydroxyl functional groups, ibuprofen, ISIS, John Robert Vane, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, ketoprofen, kidney disease, London, Michigan, myocardial infarctions, osteoarthritis, pain, pains, pharmaceuticals industry, pharmacist, physician, pleurisy, Raffaele Piria, research assistant, researcher, Reye's syndrome, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, Royal College of Surgeons in London, selective inhibitors, spondylarthropathies, stroke, Stroke Prevention, strokes, Sumeria, systemic lupus erythematosus, thrombus, tinnitus, transient ischemic attack, treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, United Kingdom, United States, University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, unstable angina, Walter Sneader

Here are 10 foods that will increase your metabolism and help you lose weight. This great article from Sheri Strykowski is sure to have you nodding your head in agreement but there are a few that will probably be new to you as well. I have made comments in bold just to highlight some of my own opinions

Stoke your metabolic fire and burn calories faster with diet-friendly foods and beverages. Post this list on your fridge next to the photo of you in your “skinny jeans” and make a copy to bring with you the next time you shop for groceries.

Just remember: Calories count, portion control rules and there’s no substitute for a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. So get moving!

Here are the top picks culled from some of the latest research:

1. Water! A new study seems to indicate that drinking water actually speeds up weight loss. Researchers in Germany found that subjects of the study increased their metabolic rates (the rate at which calories are burned) by 30 percent after drinking approximately 17 ounces of water. Water is also a natural appetite suppressant that banishes bloat as it flushes out sodium and toxins. Drinking enough water will also help keep you from mistaking thirst for hunger. So drink up! Make sure that you are starting your day with a big big glass of water and drink throughout the day not just all at one time.

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Tags: calorie bank, Canada, cancer, chemical found, chemical properties, christmas, energy, food, freelance journalist, Germany, head, heart disease, Laval University in Canada, Lerner, National Safety Council, Penn State University, Scripps Clinic, Sheri Strykowski, State University of Rio de Janeiro, steel cut, thanksgiving, The Chicago Tribune, Turkey, vitamin a