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Your can manipulate your thought to determine the effect of drugs
A positive attitude in life is not only essential for career development and success, in fact according a new study published in Science Translational Medicine, pessimism can determine whether a drug works for you or not. According to the study, a patient’s belief that a drug will not work can become a self fulfilling prophecy.
What this means that if one expects that a tablet of ibuprofen will do nothing to alleviate his or her pain, the body may actually not experience any benefit from taking the pill. Simply put, you can change the outcome of the drug by manipulating your thoughts and expectations. It all boils down to the state of mind.
I’ve summarized the study for you below
The experimental Setup:
The researchers assembled 22 patients for the study. At the beginning of the experiments, heat was applied to the legs of the patients. On a scale of 1 to 100, the patients were then asked to report the level of pain. Then the patients were attached to an intravenous drip in order to administer drugs to them in secret.
The Result:
The initial average pain rating was 66. After the patients were given remifentanil, which is a potent painkiller, without their knowledge, the pain score went down to 55.
They were then told they were being given a painkiller and the score went down to 39.
Then, without changing the dose, the patients were then told the painkiller had been withdrawn and so they should expect pain. The score went up to 64.
So even though the patients were being given remifentanil, they were reporting the same level of pain as when they were getting no drugs at all.
The conclusion (mine)?
Your brain or state of mind plays a big role in the way you perceive pain, feel your environment and even acknowledge the effect of sickness. In essence, there is a cognitive side of sickness. If the magic pill that works for everybody isn’t working for you, it may be time to recondition your thought rather than switch doctors or blame the drug manufacturer.
But the bigger picture here is the need to acknowledge how pessimism can derail your progress in several facets of life. If nothing is working, it may all be in your mind.
Begin to think positively; you won’t lose anything if you find out your were wrong. Someone once said
“In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.”
A 29-year-old self-styled Man of God has been nabbed by the Adenta District Police Command for allegedly inserting his fingers into the private parts of five women under the pretext of praying for them.
Prophet Richard Addo, who claims to be a member of Word Miracle Church at Nungua, a suburb of Accra, was arrested after one of the women boldly reported the incident to the police.
As at press time yesterday, the five complainants had given their statements to the Adenta police about the alleged acts of Prophet Richard Addo. According to information available to DAILY GUIDE, Prophet Addo also charged the women various amounts of money ranging from GH¢150 to GH¢200 and as well tried to ravage their bodies.
According to one of the victims (named with-held), she met the man of God in November 2010 on the street where he told her that he had had a vision in which a baby was walking behind her and crying. “I then confessed to him that I have had an abortion before and he said that he will help me pray to break that bondage. “We then made an appointment to meet at my hostel for prayers. Later, he asked me to give him G¢150 to purchase olive oil for the deliverance prayers while the remaining balance will also be used as seed money for prayer request.”
According to her, during a subsequent prayer session, Prophet Richard Addo asked her to strip naked in a hotel room while he used the olive oil to rub her whole body, following which he inserted the olive oil into her vagina.
Another victim also narrated that Prophet Richard Addo after meeting her, said it had been revealed to him that she was barren. “He made me to pay GH¢200 for olive oil and the rest to be used as prayer request fees.” She maintained that Prophet Richard Addo inserted four of his fingers into her private parts while praying for her.
Confirming the story to Daily Guide, Adenta District Police Commander, DSP Stephen Kofi Ahiatafu, said the victims reported to the police on Monday February 14, 2011 about what they allegedly went through at the hands of the self-styled pastor.
He said one of the victims reported first to the station that the said man of God took her laptop, an amount of GH¢150 and fingered her as well under the pretext of praying for her.
DSP Ahiatafu said in all, five women, some of whom were married and others students, had lodged complaints against the pastor. “After collecting money from them, Prophet Richard Addo then takes them to a hotel room, rubs olive oil on their bodies, and inserts his fingers into their private pans as well,” the commander said.
He appealed to other women who might have fallen victim to his acts to report at the station. When the self-styled man of God was asked to demonstrate how he did it, he said he inserted his four fingers into the women’s vaginas with the help of the olive oil.
Clooney contracted malaria while in Sudan to monitor the election
George Clooney is used to creating a buzz no matter where he goes. However, on a recent trip to Sudan he experienced a buzz he could have done without.
‘I was so sick with malaria, I didn’t care if I lived or died’
The Hollywood heartthrob was bitten by a mosquito and contracted malaria while in Africa working on his Enough project, in a bid to put an end to genocide.
“I guess the mosquito in Juba looked at me and thought I was the bar,” he quipped. But while Clooney ironically joked catching malaria “was good fun” the disease is deadly and often fatal. In fact, it is the fifth-leading cause of death around the world, according to the US-based Centre For Disease Control And Prevention.
The 49-year-old is not the first celebrity to pick up malaria. Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba recently fell foul of the disease when in the Ivory Coast, while Cheryl Cole contracted it on a trip to Tanzania. The Girls Aloud singer and X Factor star was originally misdiagnosed and ended up in hospital after collapsing on a shoot.
“I am pretty much evangelised now when it comes to warning people of the dangers of malaria,” says Joe Kearns from Dublin, who picked up the disease while working for Concern in Ethiopia.
Like Cheryl Cole, Kearns was also misdiagnosed and ended up in hospital in a critical condition.
“The first thing is it feels very like a flu,” he says. “You get aches and pains in your bones and you have a temperature and you feel crap. It was almost two years since I had come home from the zone that had malaria so it didn’t trigger any alarm bells.”
While the symptoms usually take a period of between two weeks and several months to appear, in extreme cases can appear up to 30-40 years later.
“I went into hospital and they sent me home with no idea what was wrong with me,” says Kearns. “I was getting sicker and sicker and after about 10 days I was hospitalised again. My wife was told they didn’t think I would live. I had had three blood transfusions, I was unable to eat and I weighed 8.5 stone – I normally weigh about 11 stone. I was so sick I actually didn’t care whether I lived or died.”
Luckily, his brother, a doctor, had a tissue sample sent to the Tropical Medicine Clinic in the Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda after recalling Joe had been in Africa. That is when he was finally diagnosed as suffering from malaria.
“Basically speaking, Irish-trained doctors are not sufficiently trained in considering tropical medicine in their consultations, and that’s the same whether they are GPs or a hospital doctor,” says Dr Graham Fry, Medical Director at the Tropical Medical Bureau. “It takes an exceptional doctor to consider outside a box and consider a person’s geographical history.”
The symptoms of the mosquito-born infectious disease, widespread in parts of the Americas, Asia and Africa, include fever and headache, but in severe cases can lead to hallucinations, coma and death.
Indeed, former No Frontiers presenter Kathryn Thomas experienced “hellish visions” and couldn’t feel her legs after catching malaria while filming an adventure special in Papua New Guinea.
But just like George Clooney, Cheryl Cole, Kathryn Thomas and many others who catch the disease, Joe Kearns had taken what he thought were the proper precautions.
“I went out to Africa for two years and beforehand got a lot of medical advice from Concern,” he says. “We were told to take tablets while we were there and I was very diligent about making sure I took my tablets. I was not sick at all with malaria when I was in Africa. But the tablets don’t guarantee that you won’t get it, as in my case. The only way to be sure you don’t get it is to ensure you don’t get bitten. If you take the tablets you are improving your chances but it is only improving your chances.”
In fact, according to Dr Fry of the Tropical Medical Bureau, tablets only offer 95% protection.
In Africa, it is estimated that two children die from malaria every minute. Every year there are about 250 million malaria cases and nearly one million deaths, according to the World Health Organisation. But malaria is also a growing phenomenon in Ireland.
The National Surveillance Centre report on Notifiable Diseases issued earlier this year shows 82 reported cases of malaria in 2010 in comparison to 90 cases for the previous 12 months.
“Up until four or five years ago there was only about 20 cases every year in Ireland,” says Dr Fry. “However, over the last five years that has shot up into the 80s and 90s.
“Over half of these are from people who have come to live in Ireland over the last 10 years from Africa. They have had a couple of children they have settled in to Ireland and they now want to go back to their home country in West Africa to visit family and friends.
“They don’t think they are going to be at risk because they are going home, but they are not. Ireland is now their home so they have lost the antibodies that protect them.”
With the numbers of malaria cases on the rise, the Tropical Medical Bureau is urging Irish travellers to be more cautious and to acquire the appropriate vaccinations before travelling to malaria-prone areas.
“I don’t think Irish people are aware of the risks,” says Dr Fry. “Reading about George Clooney or Cheryl Cole people think they must have done something really odd and it is never going to happen to them. People never think it is going to happen to them, because it always happen to someone else.”
George Clooney and Cheryl Cole also probably thought it always happens to someone else, but like an increasing number of people they were wrong. Luckily for them the disease was diagnosed early enough before they ended up being dead wrong. – Irish Independent
Bawku (UE) Feb.16 GNA-P articipants at a workshop on the negative impact of malaria have been urged to wage war against malaria because it is the main cause of poverty in the Bawku area.
The workshop, organized in Bawku on Wednesday sought to inform, educate, and communicate the negative impact of malaria on the socio-economic development of the people and its burden on the family, municipality and the nation.
The participants, drawn from Pusiga, Mandago, Sugudi, and Kaltimise, were taken through the use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN), adoption of the intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (ITPP), case management and home-base care (HBC) methods.
Rural Urban Women and Children Development Agency (RUWACDA), a non-governmental organization working in over 60 communities in the three northern regions, organized the workshop.
The Executive Director of RUWACDA, Mr Braimah Abdulai, said malaria was the leading cause of death among women and children less than five years.
Also, statistics from the Ghana Health Service indicate that malaria accounted for than 61 percent of under-five hospital admissions and eight percent of pregnant women admissions.
Malaria was responsible for an estimated 22 percent under-five mortality and nine percent of maternal deaths in Ghana.
Mr Abdulai called on the participants to take the training serious to contribute to the prevention and control of malaria so as to help reduce human and the socio-economic cost of malaria in the Bawku Municipality.
Not the most appealing-looking house guest, but it could help combat malaria
Victoria Gill
A spider that preys on the malaria-carrying mosquito Anopheles gambiae is attracted to the odor of sweaty socks, according to a study.
Scientists in the UK and Kenya used previously worn socks in an experiment to find out if the spider, like its prey, was attracted to human odors.
The jumping spider appears to have evolved an affinity for smelly human feet in order to help find its prey.
The team reports its findings in the journal Biology Letters.
They say that people might be able to “recruit” this East African jumping spider, Evarcha culicivora , in the battle against malaria by encouraging the arachnids to live in their homes.
Smelly experiment
Fiona Cross, from the University of Canterbury, and Robert Jackson, from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Kenya, carried out the study.
They were interested in this species because it is the only known predator that specifically preys on blood-carrying mosquitoes.
“We had a suspicion that human odor was attractive to the spiders before we even ran the experiment,” Ms Cross told BBC News. “We generally find these spiders in the tall grass next to houses or other buildings occupied by people.”
To test this suspicion, the team devised an aroma-based experimental set-up called an olfactometer.
They put each “test spider” into a small holding chamber into which air was pumped, either from a box containing a clean sock or one containing a worn (and therefore
The jumping spiders can kill 20 mosquitoes in one "feeding frenzy"
smelly) sock.
Each spider was able leave its holding chamber at any time and escape into an exit chamber, which did not have sock-scented air pumped into it.
The spiders supplied with the aroma of worn socks always remained in the holding chamber for longer than those exposed to the freshly washed sock.
Ms Cross said it was “unprecedented that a spider should find human odour attractive”.
But, she added, the discovery tied in with some of the spiders’ remarkable behaviour.
“When they smell blood, they can launch into feeding frenzies where they kill up to 20 mosquitoes in rapid succession, and not necessarily to eat all of them,” she explained.
“We need to learn more about why they do this – they really do go quite crazy when they are in the vicinity of blood.”
Anti-malaria arachnid
It may be a rather ugly, bloodthirsty little creature, but Evarcha culicivora could help in the ongoing and complex battle against malaria.
“It’s something that’s there in the environment for free,” said Ms Cross. “So why not do what we can to find out about this remarkable predator?”
She and her colleagues are currently trying to find out what exactly people might be able to do to attract the spiders into their homes, without also attracting the mosquitoes.
The scientists say that, in malaria zones, people should welcome these particular creepy crawlies into their houses.
(CNN) — Unrest has spread across the Middle East and North Africa. Here’s a look at what has happened — and what is happening — in various countries:
ALGERIA
Authorities in Algeria said Monday that they would lift a 20-year state of emergency in the “coming days,” but it had not been canceled as of Tuesday. They acted after anti-government protesters chanting “Change the power!” clashed with security forces in the capital over the weekend, witnesses said. The state of emergency was imposed in 1992 to quell a civil war that led to the deaths of what U.S. officials estimate to be more than 150,000 people. About 100 protesters were arrested during the protests in Algiers on Saturday, according to the opposition Algerian League for Human Rights.
BAHRAIN
The king of the small Gulf nation addressed his country on national television Tuesday, promising changes in the law after two people were killed in as many days. King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa said he would “ask the legislative authority … to
suggest the necessary legislation which will solve this in a way that will benefit the homeland and its citizens.” One person was killed in a demonstration demanding reform on Monday, and another was killed at the funeral of the first victim on Tuesday. Protesters initially demanded reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy. But some are now calling for the removal of the royal family.
EGYPT
The military council now running Egypt said Tuesday it is moving ahead with constitutional reforms, appointing a committee with instructions to propose changes within 10 days. Banks were closed and were set to remain shut for the rest of the week after an 18-day revolution toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak, who stepped down Friday. The nation’s stock market remained closed until further notice because of turmoil in the banking sector. In addition, current and former police officers continued a peaceful protest Monday in front of the Interior Ministry, saying they want higher pay, shorter hours, better benefits and more respect. And some police officers told reporters they were ordered to shoot protesters during demonstrations last week and threatened with prison if they did not.
IRAN
Iranian lawmakers called Tuesday for the execution of key opposition leaders, a day after tens of thousands of demonstrators marched along Revolution Avenue in downtown Tehran. They issued fiery chants against former presidential candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein Moussavi, in video shown on government-run Press TV. Monday’s wave of people protesting the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remained largely silent as they walked toward the capital city’s Azadi Square, though some clashes between security forces and demonstrators broke out in several parts of Tehran, according to witnesses. Security forces fired tear gas in some places and detained demonstrators in other areas of the city. The Iranian government rounded up activists last week after Karrubi and Moussavi called for supporters to gather at Azadi Square — the site of mass protests by Iran’s opposition movement after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.
IRAQ
Thousands of people have rallied this month in cities across the country, protesting rampant poverty, a 45% national unemployment rate and shortages of food, electricity and water. Hundreds took to the streets Tuesday in at least two areas — the predominantly Sunni town of Falluja, about 35 miles west of Baghdad, and the Shiite district of Sadr City in eastern Baghdad. Police also reported smaller protests elsewhere in Baghdad and in several provinces. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced earlier this month that he would cut his salary in half amid the growing unrest over poor public services and water shortages. State television also reported this month that al-Maliki would not run for a third term when his current one expires in 2014.
JORDAN
U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, traveled over the weekend to Jordan, where King Abdullah II swore in a new government last week following anti-government protests in his country. The new government has a mandate for political reform and is headed by a former general, with several opposition and media figures among its ranks. The appointment of Marouf al-Bakhit as the new prime minister was seen as an attempt to shore up support among Jordan’s Bedouin tribes — the bedrock of the monarchy. Jordan’s economy has been hard-hit by the global economic downturn and rising commodity prices, and youth unemployment is high, as it is in Egypt. Officials close to the palace have told CNN that Abdullah is trying to turn a regional upheaval into an opportunity for reform.
LIBYA
Calls were made through Facebook for a day of peaceful demonstrations in Libya on Monday. The call came in the shadow of leader Moammar Gadhafi, who has ruled the country for almost 40 years and had expressed support for former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during the crisis there. It was not immediately clear Monday whether protests had taken place.
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s Cabinet submitted its resignations to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, days after the announcement the legislative and parliamentary elections will be held before September. The Palestinian Territories have not seen the kind of demonstrations as in many Arab countries, but the government has been under criticism since Al-Jazeera published secret papers claiming to reveal some of the wide-ranging concessions Palestinian officials were prepared to make in negotiations with Israel. Negotiations have collapsed. Abbas’ Palestinian Authority holds sway only over the West Bank. The militant Islamist movement Hamas controls Gaza.
SYRIA
As protests heated up around the region, the Syrian government pulled back from a plan to withdraw some subsidies that keep the cost of living down in the country. President Bashar al-Assad also gave a rare interview to Western media, telling The Wall Street Journal for a January 31 article that he planned reforms that would allow for local elections and included a new media law and more power for private organizations. A planned “Day of Rage” that was being organized on Facebook for February 5 failed to materialize, The New York Times reported.
SUDAN
Demonstrators have clashed with authorities on several recent occasions in Sudan. Human Rights Watch has said that “authorities used excessive force during largely peaceful protests on January 30 and 31 in Khartoum and other northern cities to call for an end to the National Congress Party rule and government-imposed price increases.” Witnesses said that security forces used pipes, sticks and tear gas to disperse protesters and that several people were arrested, including 20 who remain missing. The Sudanese Embassy said that people in Sudan have the right to “demonstrate as they wish” but that “some opportunists capitalize” on incidents “to inspire chaos or smear Sudan’s image.”
TUNISIA
The European Union’s top foreign policy official, Catherine Ashton, met Monday with government and civil society leaders in Tunisia, the North African country where protests in December sparked unrest that has spread across North Africa and the Middle East. After weeks of demonstrations that started in December, longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country. Since then, Italy has complained about a wave of migrants from Tunisia coming into its territory.
YEMEN
Clashes broke out between pro- and anti-government protesters in Yemen’s capital on Tuesday, at least the fourth day in a row of protests. A group of anti-government protesters marched toward the center of Sanaa Tuesday afternoon and were attacked by pro-government supporters with sticks and rocks, said Abdul Rahman Barman, a human rights activist who marched in the anti-government demonstration. Human rights group Amnesty International condemned the use of force in a statement issued Monday. Yemen’s Embassy in Washington said the opposition coalition had announced its intention to hold a dialogue with the administration. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power for 32 years and has pledged not to run for re-election when his current term ends in 2013.
History was made last week in Egypt when the incumbent President Hosni Mubarak after what has been described as an ‘unprecedented protest’ which lasted for about two weeks finally in a press briefing declared he was quitting office. Presently, Egypt’s national administration is temporarily in the hands of the military until fresh elections are conducted to meet the yearning and aspirations of the people. True sovereignty was restored to the people after a 30 years rule that lost the support and confidence of the majority. Congratulations Egypt, Congratulations Africa!
There is no doubt that true sovereignty and freedom ultimately lies with the people as demonstrated by Egyptians in their recent struggle and unrelenting demand for a change in government. In a previous article on the protest in Egypt titled ”AFRICAN LEADERS MUST LEARN TO ACCEPT CHANGE”, I fervently addressed the need for Mubarak and His allies to give a responsive ear to the cries, yearnings and sacrifices of the people. He must accept the call for ‘CHANGE’ from his people. Similarly, in an article I coined ‘GLOCALISATION’; therein it was defined as an idea and a process. As an idea ‘it refers to a set of principles wherein developing sovereign national states in the Global community, will formulate policies of regional and local content for the actualization of development in their respective regions. As a process, ”Glocalisation” is the beginning of a new era for developing states to attain optimum development viz-a-viz globalizing the local, and localizing the global’. Egypt’s recent transformation is a practical application of ‘GLOCALISATION’.
Out of international relations and diplomacy, the United States, Great Britain, and other concerned nations intervened in the Egyptian crisis. Both President Barrack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron were reported to have called on Hosni Mubarak to tell him that Washington and the British parliament were interested in a ‘transitional government’ that will be smooth and transparent. However, much of what resulted into this change is entrenched in the principle of Glocalisation. Though foreign pressure was applied, through Glocalisation, the voice of the people mattered and their demands were granted.
However, other nations intending to replicate the success in Egypt must be caution. In my view, the success achieved in Egypt was predicated on the localizing of the global to the prevailing circumstances in their country. Hence, it is imperative that other nations in the similar struggle and those who might be naturally inclined to want to emulate Egypt be wary of measures adopted.
That the two weeks of protest yielded positive result in Egypt does not necessarily guarantee success in similar situations. Countries who believe that there is an urgent need for a change locally as recently demonstrated by Egyptians should look inwardly and work with available laws and circumstances peculiar to those nations. In other words, nations should learn to take advantage of other legal means in their struggle for a change. This could come in the form of industrial strike, petitions, law suits or any other available measure at their disposal. Danger looms for any country that believes that Egypt’s prolonged protest can be automatically replicated in her situation. The same principle can equally be applied by individuals or groups who are in need for a change. ‘Glocalisation’ must guide us as individuals and nations in proffering workable and lasting solutions to our challenges.
The focus on Egypt recently with the eventual victory of the populace only proves beyond reasonable doubt that true sovereignty lies in the hands of the people. Those in autocratic power elsewhere and henceforth must learn to respect the call of the people for ‘CHANGE’, because true sovereignty belongs to the PEOPLE.
Once again, congratulations Egypt, Congratulation Africa!!!
14 February 2011 –Hundreds of infants in Kenya received their first shots against pneumococcal disease today at a special United Nations-backed event to celebrate the global roll-out of vaccines targeting the world’s leading cause of child deaths – pneumonia.
President Mwai Kibaki joined parents, health workers, ambassadors and donors in Nairobi to witness children being immunised as part of the Government’s formal introduction of pneumococcal vaccine in its routine immunisation programme for all children.
Kenya is the first African country to introduce the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine which has been tailored to meet the needs of children in developing countries.
Nicaragua, Guyana, Yemen and Sierra Leone are also rolling out the vaccine with support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) which brings together governments, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other key players in global health.
Pneumococcal disease currently takes the lives of over a million people every year – including more than half a million children before their fifth birthday.
Pneumonia is the most common form of serious pneumococcal disease and accounts for 18 per cent of child deaths in developing countries, making it one of the two leading causes of death among young children.
“The pneumococcal vaccine can help us to dramatically reduce the number of children who die from pneumonia, a killer disease that is responsible for millions of deaths globally every year,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.
“By combining the power of immunisation with other measures like better nutrition and sanitation, we can change – and save – millions of children’s lives.”
The GAVI Alliance has committed to support the introduction of pneumococcal vaccines in 19 developing countries within a year and, if it gets sufficient funding from its donors, plans to roll them out to more than 40 countries by 2015.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan noted that the rapid roll-out of the pneumococcal vaccine shows how innovation and technology can be harnessed, at affordable prices, to save lives in the developing world.
“The payback, as measured by reduced childhood mortality, will be enormous,” said Dr. Chan.
GAVI needs an additional $3.7 billion over the next five years to continue its support for immunisation in the world’s poorest countries and introduce new and underused vaccines, including the pneumococcal vaccine and the rotavirus vaccine which tackles diarrhoea – the second biggest killer of children under five.
“Routine vaccination is one of the most cost-effective public health investments a government can make and we are counting on our donors to continue their strong backing for our life-saving mission,” said Helen Evans, interim CEO of the GAVI Alliance.
Since it was launched at the World Economic Forum in 2000, GAVI has prevented more than five million future deaths and helped protect 288 million children with new and underused vaccines.
