MICHAEL KENNIS, MD

Welcome to my Tumblr page. Here you will find an assortment of health information that is either interesting or useful, and hopefully both.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

caption refers to the previous post

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Are cell phones safe?

Lately, cell phone safety has been a hot topic in the news.  It is estimated that over five billion people use cell phones globally.  The World Health Orgnanization has a research arm called the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which has recently upgraded the possible risk for cancer to classification 2B.  Category 2B also includes exposure to lead, engine exhaust, and chloroform to name a few. 

Why are people worried?  All electronic objects emit some type of electromagnetic energy, or radiofrequency energy.  Look above this post to see a chart of the electromagnetic spectrum.  Some radiation is ionizing, meaning that it can damage cells.  X-Rays are one form of ionizing radiation.  The inventor of X-Rays himself, Wilhelm Roentgen, died from cancer.  The radiation emitted from cell phones is supposed to be non-ionizing and safe for humans.  They are similar to but less intense than the types of rays that come from microwaves that cook food.  It has some people wondering if the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones can "cook" human tissue (it can heat human tissue at very high levels), and if so, what the long term biological effects may be.  This problem may be made worse by the fact that the places where we hold our cell phones, in our pockets and by our ears, expose our brain cells and sexual reproductive cells to possible effects.  Brain and sex cells are sensitive, and even more so in adolescents, who have thinner walled skulls and where the rate of cell growth is much higher- which could compound any toxic effects.  I recently heard a mother tell her child, "You are not getting a cell phone until you turn ten."  I did not get my first cell phone until I was sixteen, and of course it was bigger than most house phones today.

The only problem is that cell phones have only been in mainstream use since the 1990's, so we would only be beginning to see the results of any health risks.  Further, PDA smartphones that act as small computers have increased the amount of energy they produce.  The FCC has a set guideline for the amount of radiation in order to approve a cell phone for marketing.  The limit is 1.6 Watts/kg of absorbable energy.  However, cell phone makers themselves state in user manuals that cell phones are to be held away from the head when in use, and this is the distance at which the energy guideline is met.  Iphone 4 recommends 5/8 of an inch and the Blackberry manual says .98 inches away.  Most everyone pushes their phone directly against their ear- so that the amount of absorbable energy can actually be greater. 

The largest study to date is called INTERPHONE.  It is a case-control study looking at tumors of the two types of brain tissue that absorb radiofrequency energy, gliomas and meningiomas.  It analyzed over 5,000 patients with these tumors in thirteen countries.  It found that there was an association with the incidence of gliomas in cell phone users who had the highest cumulative amount of cell phone use.  The gliomas were also found to be located in the temporal lobe, the area of the brain where we hold our phones.  Overall, the study concluded that there was no increased risk for brain tumors in general, but that further research is warranted (as there was bias and error that could not validate the results, and due to the fact that none of the study subjects had used a cell phone greater than 12 years).  Here is a link to the study for inquiring minds:  http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/3/675.full.pdf

More data and studies will be coming out as the awareness of possible cell phone dangers is at an all time high, but the limiting factor on when we can use the word "safe" relies on the length of time it would take before cell phone-caused disease manifests itself.  Only time will tell.  In the meantime, I am thinking about buying a wireless headset for my phone- and considering buying stock in companies that make them, because I may not be the only one.  

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How do you get Celiac's Disease?

Celiac's Disease is actually a disease of the immune system, and certain people are genetically predisposed.  In fact, some of the genes involved also play in role in  susceptibilty to thyroid disease and diabetes, among other things. 

What happens in a person with this disorder is due to the response of the immune system, which normally protects us from harmful invaders inside our body.  The immune system recognizes gliadin, a component of gluten, and makes an immune response that damages the cells in the small bowel, impeding our stomach's ability to absorb nutrients and break down the food we eat.  This leads to malabsorption, weight loss, diarrhea, and can even affect the nervous system if left untreated.  Because of how Celiac's Disease presents, it can be misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  There may be many people suffering from Celiac Disease that may not know it at all, although this is changing due to a test used to identify antibodies in the blood, which has lead to a greater awareness of the disease.

So what's the big deal? Why don't we tell these people to just stop eating gluten? It's because gluten is a ubiquitous part of almost any diet- it is present in wheat, barley, and rye.  Even medicines, vitamins, and lip balms can contain gluten. 

Do you have a friend or relative with Celiac's Disease?  If you are hosting a dinner party, allowable grains include buckwheat, sorghum, corn, and rice.  Almonds, potatoes, and soy are acceptable in a gluten free diet.  Tapioca can be served for dessert.  For a more complete list of do's and don'ts, here is the link to the Mayo Clinic's recommendations: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gluten-free-diet/my01140. 

If you just want to make snack to show your Celiac friend you care, here is a recipe sent in by Rachel for Hershey Kiss cookies.  I've tried them, and they are awesome.

Rachel's Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies

1 Cup All-natural crunchy peanut butter 1 Cup Organic brown sugar 1 Large egg 1 Teaspoon baking soda 1 Bag of dark chocolate kisses

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Add chocolate kisses and let cool.

C'est tout!

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These pictures refer to the previous post

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What's a Boxer's Fracture?

I have a friend named Greg who loves to play basketball. The only problem is that it seems every time he plays, he hurts his hand.  One would think that after his third hand injury, he would find another sport.

This time Greg came back from the doctor's office with a diagnosis of hand fracture of the fifth metacarpal- the bone that aligns the pinky finger.  He was told he had a "Boxer's Fracture."  Look above to see a radiograph of what his hand looks like.  

As you can see, there is a break in the neck of the metacarpal, right underneath the knuckle.  It takes place on digit 5, or pinky, as the fingers are counted out with the thumb starting as 1.  

Greg has been ridiculed where he works as a lawyer with comments such as "What's the other guy look like?" and makes up stories so that he doesn't have to say that he hurt his hand on a basketball going for a rebound.  Someone told him he has a "Boxer's Fracture," and Greg asked me why they call it that.  It is nicknamed as such because the injury usually occurs after trauma to a clenched fist, such as when punching a wall or hard object (basketball?).  It especially occurs when there is a roundhouse motion to the punch, meainng when the punch is landed on an angle and all the force is absorbed by the last metacarpal.  That's why this term is actually a misnomer- it rarely takes place in professional boxers, because with good technique, the force of a proper punch is transmitted equally to all the knuckles and each corresponding metacarpal.

How is my friend doing? He has received the standard treatment of three weeks in an ulnar gutter cast.  Click the link to see what the cast looks like.

 http://www.uptodate.com/contents/image?imageKey=RHEUM%2F27464&topicKey=EM%2F187&source=see_link&utdPopup=true

It comes off in a few days, but Greg still has to be careful- he is still at a high risk of fracture for the next four to six weeks and should avoid using the hand in competitive sports unless using a brace.  He should also think about investing in a soccer ball. 

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Is chocolate good for you?

If you are like 99.9% of people in this world, then chances are you like chocolate.  Recent studies have shown that chocolate has some health benefits.  They contain a compound called flavinoids, which act as antioxidants against free radicals that can damage healthy cells.  If that wasn't reason enough for you to go straight to your local chocolatier, this substance has also been known to dilate blood vessels, which can lower blood pressure and take strain off your heart.  In fact, these flavinoids are related to tannins that are found in wine and for the same reasons have had the medical community saying that a glass of red wine is good for your heart. 

There is one caveat though.  Some chocolate contains more of these flavinoids than others.  Watch this link taken from the Dr. Oz website, where one of Dr. Oz's cronies, Dr. Randy Martin of the Piedmont Heart Institute, explains what kind of chocolate should be in your cupboard and why.

http://www.sharecare.com/question/chocolate-good-for-the-heart?partner=droz

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Touch of Death, aka "5 Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique"

Have you ever wondered if the martial arts method method that can stop a person's heart is true?  The theory was made popular by movies such as "Blood Sport", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and most recently, "Kill Bill, volume 2".  In Kill Bill, the technique serves in concluding the climactic scene where Uma Thurman's character, Beatrix Kiddo, finally kills Bill.  Here is a link to the scene:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNJ1DpN07LM

More than likely, the premise behind this idea is the medical phenomenon known as "Commotio Cordis".  It takes place many times in young athletes who are struck in the chest with a baseball or hockey puck.  Due to more compliant chest walls in younger age groups, the force of the object is transmitted more directly to the heart and can disrupt the electrical activity of the heart.  If the force takes place at a certain point in the heart's cycle (15-30 milliseconds before the T-wave peak), the blow can be fatal.  It can take place in baseball when the ball is traveling at speeds starting at 30 miles per hour.

We have just debunked a longstanding Hollywood myth.  If you would like to know more about this topic, click on the link below and read the article.  It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2010.