Constipation saga (not mine)

 The New York Times published an article that begins, “To maintain continence, the puborectalis muscle chokes the anal canal. The sling of tissue is supposed to release during defecation. Mine has not been doing that.” Her constipation has been going on for over a year. Here are some of her efforts at finding a cure:

• At least nine over-the counter medicines, such as Miralax, Benefiber, Squatty Potty, and Dulcolax.
•  At least twenty-four foods and supplements, such as psyllium, flax seeds, prunes, ginger, dandelion, sea moss, and slippery elm.
•  Colonic massage, fleet enemas, acupuncture, and perianal splinting (involves the fingers).
• A gastroenterologist, who tells her to avoid cruciferous vegetables and prescribes various medications, none of which work.
• An x-ray of her intestinal tract that reveals “considerable stool material in the descending colon as well as the rectosigmoid region.”
• A YouTube video by a masseuse who explains how to heal constipation with love, and who holds up a piece of paper that says, “I allow life to flow freely through me.” Put one hand on your heart, she says, and ask yourself: “How true does this affirmation feel?”
• A colorectal specialist whose test shows “a reversed rectal anal gradient — I squeeze when I should push. I leave with instructions for an exercise called ‘anal winks.’”
• The Gastrointestinal Motility Disorder Center where she receives pelvic floor biofeedback therapy and is told to “synchronize Kegel contractions with the rise and fall of an animated dolphin as it undulates across a monitor that is connected to the wire in my anus.”
•  A proctologist who administers anal Botox.

The author doesn’t say if she’s been cured.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.

Diabetes

 As you know, there are two types of diabetes: Type 1, in which the immune cells destroy the pancreatic cells that synthesize and secrete insulin; and Type 2, in which pancreatic cells still produce insulin, but its effectiveness is compromised. Type 1 used to be called “juvenile” diabetes, and Type 2 was called “adult-onset” diabetes. Here’s something I didn’t know: adults can get Type 1 diabetes and children can get Type 2 diabetes.

 Anyhow, in the past, people used to be treated with cow insulin because there was no source of human insulin. But a lot of people were allergic to cow insulin. A scientist by the name of Arthur D. Riggs figured out how to use recombinant DNA technology to convert bacteria into factories that produce human insulin. He made his discovery while working at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. In order to produce the human insulin, Riggs partnered with scientists at the biotech company Genentech. In 1982, the FDA approved a human insulin product called Humulin.  

 The partnership made Genentech and Dr. Riggs rich. But Dr. Riggs declined the opportunity to make even more money working in the for-profit sector. After his contract with Genentech ended, he returned to City of Hope full time, living in the same modest house for fifty years. He died this year at the age of 82. He donated $310 million to City of Hope, most of it anonymously.

 The price of insulin has nearly tripled over the last fifteen years. A single vial of Humalog (a fast-acting insulin) cost $21 in 1999. In 2019, it cost $332—an increase of more than 1,500 percent. In Canada, the price didn’t budge. The difference is that in the U.S., there’s neither a real free market nor government price controls for insulin. Instead, there’s an oligopoly of three drug companies—Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi—that appear to set prices in sync. In other words, price fixing. I’m sure this is not what Dr. Riggs had envisioned.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.

Vaccinations

 The New York Times recently reported that, as of September 6^th, more than 700 children in Zimbabwe have died from measles and more than 6,500 people have been infected with the virus. In New York state, some people have contracted polio, mostly with flu-like symptoms, but one man has become partially paralyzed. Researchers are finding polio virus in the wastewater. This, of course, is because of the decline in vaccinations.

 I believe in getting vaccinated--at least for some diseases. My kids had all the recommended vaccinations. As for myself, I’m not sure which vaccinations I’ve had. Not the measles vaccination, which wasn’t developed until 1963. I caught the measles as a child and, as a result, lost fifty percent of my hearing in one ear. I remember having to stay in bed in a darkened room so that my eyes wouldn’t be affected also. Polio vaccine wasn’t available until the late 1950s. Happily, I didn’t get that disease, but many people I know are crippled because of it. A man in our golf group was left with a droopy eye. In fact, he can’t close it. I assume I got the polio shot as soon as it was available.

 I’ve also probably been vaccinated for smallpox, which was the first vaccination to be developed, beginning in 1796. Worldwide, smallpox had a mortality rate upward of 50%. Thanks to vaccinations, which were widely distributed in the 1940s, smallpox was eradicated in the U.S., such that routine vaccinations for that disease were discontinued in 1972. I’ve probably also been vaccinated for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough), all of which were available by the late 1940s. But I think that’s all I’ve had—except for the Covid vaccine, of course. Nowadays, there are 14 vaccines recommended for children.

 Many vaccines are now recommended for adults. You can see all of them on a CDC website. It lists seventeen vaccinations you can get—too long and complicated for this blog post. I won’t be getting any of them. Not that I’m opposed. I just don’t worry about it.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.

A New Book: Don't Worry About It: Health Advice You Can Ignore

 I’ve written a new book, called Don’t Worry About It: Health Advice You Can Ignore. You can get it on Amazon. It's a compilation of some of the posts I've been writing since 2015. 

Here’s the blurb I wrote about it: 

People worry unnecessarily about many aspects of their health—such as their cholesterol, blood pressure, and salt consumption. Don’t Worry About It provides evidence-based information to reduce that worry. It refutes much of conventional advice, not only regarding medical treatments but also regarding everyday health concerns, such as eating food past its “sell by” date, getting enough sleep, and losing weight. What’s more, it explains how to limit your interactions with our health care system—an enterprise that routinely turns healthy people into patients through pointless office visits, useless tests, overly strict guidelines, dubious medications, and misguided advice. In our current climate of increasing frustration with our health care system, Don’t Worry About It offers timely encouragement for trusting your body to keep in balance.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.

The big business of blood plasma

If you donate blood, you can donate whole blood, or you can donate just plasma, the yellowish liquid that makes up half of blood volume. The idea of donating just plasma confused me until I learned that donation centers use a process called plasmapheresis. This process uses two lines, one that removes about a pint of blood and another that sends just the cells and platelets back into the body. In between, a machine separates the plasma from the rest of the blood ingredients. Because your body replenishes plasma within 48 hours, you can donate (or sell) up to twice a week.

Hospitals use plasma in transfusions to treat burns and liver failure, relying on donors who are not paid. Biopharmaceutical companies use it to manufacture life-saving drugs. Plasma that is used for medications does not need to be labeled as either voluntary or paid. Because of the high demand for plasma, there’s been a boom in for-profit plasma centers across the U.S. Two thirds of these centers are owned by one of three companies: CSL Plasma, Grifols, and BioLife. The centers are typically located in low rent strip malls.

The thousands of people who sell (“donate”) their plasma to these companies can make five times the federal minimum wage in the 90 minutes it takes to donate. The rates vary, but usually range between $50 and $75. Sellers can increase their earnings with bonuses for referrals, rewards programs, and incentives for those who donate twice a week. A study in Cleveland found that plasma sellers reported at least a third of their income that month came from their “donations.” They spent their earnings on gas, rent, phone bills, food, and student loans. If you’ve had Covid and your blood contains the Covid 19 antibodies, you could make as much as $200 in a single visit. Some people have intentionally tried to contract the virus in hopes of upping their income.

Americans supply two-thirds of the world’s blood plasma. It’s not hard to guess the source of that supply.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.