Shaheen L.

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Drugs and Pharmacology, Eighteenth Edition

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Dec 16, 2009, 8:51 am
Welcome to the eighteenth edition of Drugs and Pharmacology. Today, we discuss why pharmaceutical companies really call themselves biotechs, do people with high cholesterol really live longer, and a v...
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Weight in the Workplace

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Dec 13, 2009, 4:05 pm
The statistics are everywhere: most of the adults in the United States are overweight or obese. These conditions are, of course, responsible for increased health care costs owing to chronic diseases s...
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Brain Blogging, Forty-Eight Edition

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Dec 10, 2009, 8:55 am
Welcome to the forty-eight edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss the feasibility of brain transplantation, how to use your mind properly, the brain computer interface with a wireless ne...
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White Bears – The Paradox of Mental Suppression

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Dec 9, 2009, 9:41 pm
Whatever you do, don’t think of a white bear. Go on, close your eyes, relax, but don’t think of a white bear… So, what happened? Most likely, you were overwhelmed by thoughts of a white bear. Th...
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Is Your Doctor Happy or Burnt-Out?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Dec 4, 2009, 4:33 pm
Is your doctor happy? This is something that may have never crossed your mind: the idea that your personal physician may not be pleased with the current state of his or her life. Even if it has, perha...
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One Size Does Not Fit All

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Nov 30, 2009, 9:19 am
Up to half of drug therapy is ineffective, according to recent statistics. This leaves patients’ diseases untreated, but also places them at risk for side effects and drug interactions. The reason f...
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The Secret to Good Health – Listen to the Data

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Nov 27, 2009, 9:17 am
A recent study proved what we all already know… that healthy living really does improve long-term health. A lot. The US-based study found that not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight (BMI <30)...
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Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Nov 23, 2009, 6:09 pm
If we are what we eat, then we might expect children who eat a lot of candy to be sweet and lovable. Quite the opposite, according to recent research. Authors of a study published in a recent issue of...
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A New Look at Medical Errors in Residency Training

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Nov 18, 2009, 7:47 am
It’s a phenomenon that medical educators have long suspected but haven’t been able to prove: a rise in medical errors when newly-hatched physicians begin their residency training programs in July....
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Cancer – To Screen or Not to Screen?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Nov 14, 2009, 10:02 am
... tuning screening techniques and evaluating the patient’s stage in life and overall health are important before proceeding with mass cancer screenings for ... Related Articles at Brain Bl...
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The Evolution of Depression

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Nov 10, 2009, 10:58 pm
Millions of people around the world suffer from depression, the most common mental disorder of all. Since depression appears to be largely genetic, several long-standing questions continue to bedevil ...
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A Small Sip from the Fountain of Youth

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Nov 6, 2009, 6:00 am
The search for eternal youth is as old as time itself. The theme of immortality winds its way through religion, mythology, poetry, fiction, and modern movies. Usually, stories of those who have achiev...
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Why So Serious About The Self?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Nov 3, 2009, 6:00 am
You have seen movies in which characters have acted violently. Many times, these characters also have a mental illness. Violence is one common stereotype of psychological disorders, along with rebelli...
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Is Knowledge Power? Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 31, 2009, 7:00 am
The completion of the sequencing of the human genome in 2003 was an outstanding scientific accomplishment. This achievement, together with advances in technology and the forces of capitalism and compe...
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Bruxism and the Brain

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 28, 2009, 7:00 am
Do you grind your teeth at night? Bruxism is the technical term for teeth grinding or teeth clenching that usually occurs in sleep. Bruxism may lead to jaw pain, shoulder pain, ear ache, and all sorts...
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Are Physicians Spending Too Much Time Diagnosing Patients?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 25, 2009, 7:00 am
Dizziness is responsible for nearly 3 million emergency room visits every year in the United States. In most of the cases, the dizziness is caused by a benign inner ear problem, or is the result of sh...
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Possible Medical Application of a Smart Drug

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 22, 2009, 7:00 am
Cognitive enhancers, also known as nootropics, are a category of drugs with the ability to increase mental performance. Many rave about such “smart drugs” helping them to study, take tests, or inc...
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Two Wrongs Make a Right – Abnormal Brain Circuitry May Stop Abnormal Movement

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 19, 2009, 7:00 am
A solution to an abnormal neurological movement problem can perhaps be abnormal as well. The irregular wiring of the brain may actually eliminate dystonia — repetitive movements and atypical pos...
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If Herbal Medicine is Medicine, Shouldn't it be Treated as Such?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 16, 2009, 7:00 am
Recently, the UK Government announced a consultation on whether practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine should become subject to statutory regulation. Unsurprisi...
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Off-Label Use of Psychiatric Medications Common for Veterans

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 13, 2009, 7:00 am
Men and women of the United States military are suffering from mental illnesses at an increasing rate. Among service members involved in the on-going conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, recent research...
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How Culture Shapes Our Mind and Brain

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 10, 2009, 9:07 am
Most people would agree that culture can have a large effect on our daily lives — influencing what we may wear, say, or find humorous. But many people may be surprised to learn that culture may ...
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New Report on the Use of Antidepressants During Pregnancy

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 6, 2009, 8:45 am
Depression is a major health concern worldwide, and is the second leading cause of disability for people of reproductive age (15 to 44 years), according to the World Health Organization. Women experie...
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Post-Partum Psychosis – Rare but Real

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Oct 1, 2009, 12:16 pm
The existence of post-partum psychosis and post-partum depression has been hotly contested publicly. Tom Cruise’s denouncement of Brooke Shields’ diagnosis of post-partum depression is perhaps the...
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Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 28, 2009, 7:00 am
In the mid 1950s, Dr. Bedford reported on a number of older adults who exhibited cognitive problems (memory or planning or being able to sustain attention) following surgery where anesthesia was used....
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Religion – A "Natural" Phenomenon?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 25, 2009, 8:38 am
All human societies have some phenomenon that can be described as religion. It is difficult to understand why religion is so pervasive in human culture. Some theories suggest that religion is a byprod...
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Hearing Voices – Underpinnings of Auditory Hallucinations

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 22, 2009, 7:00 am
In “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind,” Julian Jaynes suggested back in 1976 that schizophrenia — like spirit possession and imaginary playmates — was ...
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The Neural Basis of the Self

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 19, 2009, 7:00 am
Perhaps the most personal and most quintessentially human aspect of our existence is the experience of our ‘self.’ What contemporary philosopher Daniel Dennett has described as the unitary narrati...
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Effect of Early Life Stress on Behavior and Cognition

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 16, 2009, 7:00 am
The human brain undergoes rapid development from late gestation to early childhood. The brain structures that are developing or undergoing age-related changes are more vulnerable to the effects of str...
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Logging On for Psychotherapy

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 13, 2009, 7:00 am
The explosion of the Internet allows people to use their computer for things that previously needed to be done in person. Now, communicating with friends and family, networking with business contacts,...
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Drugs and Pharmacology, Seventeenth Edition

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 11, 2009, 12:58 pm
Welcome to the seventeenth edition of Drugs and Pharmacology. Today, we discuss how banning over-the-counter drugs to thwart drug abuse could affect you, how bacteria respond to antibacterials, the li...
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Laughter's the Best Remedy

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 10, 2009, 7:00 am
Groucho Marx once said, “A clown is like an aspirin, only he works twice as fast.” Indeed, research suggests that humor can minimize our perceptions of physical pain. Various theoretical e...
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New Antipsychotic Agent in the US Market

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 7, 2009, 7:00 am
More than 50 years ago, the first antipsychotic medications appeared in the United States. While these drugs -– fluphenazine, haloperidol, chlorpromazine, and others — were effective in treati...
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Will Healthcare Workers Refuse the Swine Flu Vaccine?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 4, 2009, 7:00 am
The first doses of vaccine for the Influenza A H1N1 virus (“swine flu”) should be available in October of 2009. Due to an initial limited supply, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends tha...
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Brain Blogging, Forty-Seventh Edition

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 2, 2009, 10:06 am
Welcome to the forty-seventh edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss whether science is in need of another cognitive revolution, how to reinforce our cognition, how reduced hippocampal ne...
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Mood and Functional Disability – A Positive Feedback Loop

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Sep 1, 2009, 7:00 am
Emotional or mood problems are more frequent in people with disabilities (of any severity or duration) than in the general population. Rates range from about 20% to 50%, depending on the study and the...
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Do Warning Labels Work?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Aug 29, 2009, 7:00 am
While illicit drug use in the United States is certainly a public health concern, the increasing use of legal, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for non-medical use is alarming. The most recent data availa...
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How Young is Too Young to Diagnose Depression?

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Aug 26, 2009, 7:00 am
Any parent can attest that the “Terrible 2’s” are a moody, temperamental time in the life of a toddler. Many kids are irritable and seem to throw temper tantrums for no reason, and some engage i...
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Swine Flu – A Lose-Lose Situation for Public Health Authorities

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Aug 23, 2009, 7:00 am
After the great SARS terror of 2002 which was predicted to cause more devastation than AIDS, and the bird flu panic of 2006 when we were warned that a quarter of Britons might die, we now have the gre...
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Creating an Artificial Brain

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Aug 20, 2009, 7:00 am
Dr. Henry Markram recently announced that he expects to have a computer model of the human brain in ten years. As part of the Blue Brain Project, he is part of a team trying to “reverse-engineer...
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Health Insurance for All – A Weighty Issue

Shaheen L. posted an article on - Aug 17, 2009, 7:00 am
The prospect of universal health coverage for all Americans is weighing heavily on lawmakers right now. But, if the current proposals pass Congress, Americans may be looking at an even “weightier”...
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