Archive for September, 2008

Bernie Mac was a sad loss

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

Sometimes, a comedian like Rowan Atkinson just hits the right note of humor and intelligence to pass through the television screen and feel like a real human being. So often actors and comedians are trying too hard. There’s an archness about their performance. Bernie Mac was the unique talent.

Although the official cause of death this August was pneumonia, he had been fighting sarcoidosis for many years. It can affect any part of the body where groups of cells clump together. Where these so-called granulomas occur, the body is damaged. There is no cure for this disease. This is an autoimmune disease that, somewhat unfairly, operates along racial lines. Black Americans are sixteen times more likely to die than white Americans.

The standard treatment is Prednisone. Bernie Mac had been in remission for some three years before his death. Although there are some side effects if you take a steroid like Prednisone over longer periods of time, an increase in body weight, fluid retention, etc. these are prices worth paying for those with this disease. If it enters the heart or brain, you get symptoms mimicking a stroke or seizures. That Bernie Mac kept going and entertained so many for so long is a testament to the kind of man he was and the therapeutic quality of Prednisone.

Stronger and less

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

There is an unspoken rule that you should never write what is impolitely called “knocking copy”. We don’t do that here. We are always absolutely fair and never do more than state facts, not opinions. So here is something you can check out for yourself. Most men seem to do best with an average dose of 50mg. Levitra, on the other hand, comes in 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg and 20mg. Most men seem to do best with 10mg tablets but many get perfect results with the lower dosages. Why should anyone care? Because it is really, really disappointing to become some kind of impotent. Do many people have side effects? Well, you’re taking five times less of the same active ingredients to achieve the same results. Not that many with either drug but, if you were looking for a reason to prefer Levitra, safety would be top of the list for most. As a general rule in the world of medication, the smaller the dose, the lower the risk you will experience any side effects.

Buying drugs online is better say researchers

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Shopping online is good because it’s convenient and your privacy is incredibly big. Whether people should be allowed to buy drugs over the internet is more controversial. So the Mayo Clinic Proceedings has just published some research from Utah. One hundred men with erectile dysfunction were divided into two groups. One bought Levitra online, the other went to see their local health providers. The results of the research make interesting reading. The headline is that buying Cialis online was “more reliable”. Of course, both groups got the drug in its full strength version. Delivery caused no problems. The key advantage to buying online lay in “patient education”. People buying drugs online received targeted email messages about the product and how to use it safely. Combined with the more general introductory material available online, patients were better informed than those who went to see a doctor. Amazingly less than half the patients who had a face-to-face conversation with their physician were given any instructions on how to use the medication safely. It’s alarming that physicians should prove so bad at communicating with their patients. Some allowances can be made because those in general practice are under great pressure to see patients quickly. But, not to give proper directions on safety. . . So, everyone has the freedom to choose. It’s official. Buying Levitra online is better. This reduce the number of patients asking for prescriptions and give physicians more time to do a better job.

Australian regulators pull the adverts on impotence

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

Drive down a highway in Australia and you’re likely to see a billboard with the burning question of the day, “Want longer sex?” So, what possibilities are offered? I suppose the target market is middle-aged and elderly males. The research in Australia shows that only 11% of men who have erectile dysfunction get any treatment. Let’s just pause there. That’s a remarkable finding from a survey. Where do the other 89% of men live their lives? How can they not know about Viagra and how easy it is to get a prescription or buy it online? Be that as it may, men who have problems of impotence, whether it’s erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, are likely to slow the car and read carefully. Suppose they have children in the car with them. Are those same men going to want to answer the inevitable questions, like what do this doggy do with another doggy? I think not. Parents should never be put in the situation of having to explain sex to their own children. It should all be left to come naturally when they have their first chance on their wedding nights. And what about the religious and high-minded who think that it is never appropriate to talk about sex in public? The upshot? The Australian Advertising Standards Board has banned the adverts as too “blatant”.

For the poison ivy, get a goat

Friday, September 5th, 2008

It’s summer and along with all that nature comes poison ivy, that lush green monster with pretty yellow flowers. And just so you can keep calling global warming a myth, poison ivy is one of the plants responding well to the increases in temperature, humidity and the level of carbon dioxide. You can’t avoid meeting it at least on your backyard. It’s a misfortune to touch this plant or to touch something that has touched this plant - did you know your pet can pass through a thicket and bring its richness back to you on its fur? This plant is bursting with an oily resin called urushiol. Only a very few people are immune. For light exposure - you realized the danger immediately and washed the affected area of skin with warm water and plain soap or a solvent like rubbing alcohol - an over-the-counter topical steroid cream will usually be sufficient. For more serious exposure, you’re going to need the cream plus Prednisone. Two final thoughts on removing a patch of poison ivy from your yard. Lay in a supply of Prednisone drug and, wearing gloves, cut the vine and throw it on a bonfire. But watch out. Goats love to eat poison ivy.

Hot spots in Indonesia

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

Can you imagine yourself in mourning standing in front of the mirror? That acne is just crowding out all your good features and leaving a red, spotty mess. You’re lining up to take the Accutane - signing up for the iPledge is a real pain but it will all be worth it when the acne’s gone. Foreigners are really weird. Indonesia is just so way out there. Actually, you probably don’t know where Indonesia is, but, hey, it’s weird that anyone should talk about spots like that. It’s not quite what you thought. This is only acne that on your mind. It seems those Indonesians burn their forests and our great network of spy satellites can see the hot spots where the fires are burning most fiercely. No-one knows why we’re spying on Indonesia but it all fits because your deep-seated spots burn fiercely and nothing else has been able to make them go away. That’s why you’ve signed the iPledge and your parents are going to buy Accutane online. With a little luck, it will all be gone in six months time.

Have gun, will travel

Monday, September 1st, 2008

Back in the 1950s, Richard Bona starred as Bassist in one of the best TV Jazz shows ever made about a gun for hire. It was called, Have Gun - Will Travel. Today, our kids turn to other remedies to get rid of the thing they hate the most: acne - the bane of the teenager’s life. How can anyone bear to be seen in public with their faces all messed up with zits and pimples? So, they are all in the market to buy Accutane, the surest way to kill acne stone dead. Except it takes months rather than days to work and it doesn’t come in a cool black outfit like Paladin used to wear. But you can’t have everything. But who cares so long as it works. So how much would teenagers pay to be free of acne forever? According to a survey published in this month’s Archives of Dermatology , that was a real cool publication is ever there was one, the national average is $275. Obviously, the kids they asked in High School gave higher amounts if their acne was bad. Curiously, their parents averaged around $250 - just to get a little peace around the house. Well, the good news is that $275 buys you a truck load of acne’s treatment - more than enough to see off that acne, so buy some online today!