It may come as somewhat of a surprise to find out that physicians don’t always think about defibrillator care when considering end of life issues, which can lead to very unpleasant experiences for dying patients. What do I mean? Well, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a device which can be inserted into patients who have heart rhythm problems. Its job is to shock the heart into proper rhythm when it goes astray. However, this may not be desired in someone who has made the decision to use hospice care in order to die as peacefully and pain-free as possible. If an ICD is not deactivated, it can go off repeatedly and deliver very unpleasant shocks to the patient. A study published in this month’s Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that most hospices don’t routinely speak to patients about defibrillator decisions, and nearly 60% of hospices had at least one patient shocked within the past year, sometimes multiple times at once. More surprisingly, only one in twenty hospices had a method to identify whether a patient had an implant or not. Defibrillators continue to be implanted at incredible rates (more than 100,000 a year). Therefore, doctors taking care of patients near end of life should be more aware and proactive in speaking to them about what their wishes are regarding deactivation of their ICD. [via AP News]

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This past weekend thieves infiltrated an Eli Lilly warehouse in Massachusetts and hauled away an estimated $75 million worth of antidepressants and other prescription drugs. The perpetrators apparently cut a hole in the roof, rappelled inside and dismantled the security system. Police say the heist shared many traits with warehouse thefts of pharmaceuticals last year near Richmond, Va., Memphis, Tenn., and Olive Branch, Miss. Those thieves also cut through ceilings and sometimes used trapeze-style rigging to get inside and disable alarm systems. It’s expected that the drugs will resurface on the black market, especially in South America and Asia where drug regulations are not as strict. Overseas online pharmacies are another potential outlet for such drugs. [via NPR]

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Here’s a caution to criminals: forensics is about to get even more high-tech. It turns out that, aside from your traditional fingerprint, you also have a bacterial fingerprint. An emerging field of study involves the detection of the numerous variety of bacteria that live on our skin. As we go about our day, we leave traces of these little critters on the things we touch, each of us having our own unique mix of germs. One study showed that the average human hand contains about 150 species of bacteria with only about 13% shared by any two people. Another study involving a computer mouse (left untouched for 12 hours), the computer’s owner and 270 random people found that the closest match for the bacterial colonies on the mouse belonged to the computer owner. Researchers say that bacterial fingerprinting will someday facilitate identification of smudged fingerprints, in addition to determining who has touched things like fabrics and highly textured materials. [via AP News]

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Most households in the US should be receiving their 2010 Census forms this week. Data from the census, which happens only every ten years, is used for a variety of things, including appropriation of health care dollars that eventually affect you and I. Census data is used in planning for hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and other health care facilities. It’s used in creating more efficient maps to facilitate the speedy arrival of emergency services to your home. It also helps to direct health care services for those in poverty. Questions on the census relating to one’s race and ethnicity also help to identify services of importance to certain racial or ethnic groups, such as screening for hypertension or diabetes in Asians and Latinos. Keep in mind that the census does not ask about your visa or residency status, that is not the point. It merely collects demographic data on individuals living currently in the US. Read more about the 2010 Census.

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Each Monday I answer a question posed by one of our readers. If you have an interesting question which you think will have broad appeal please send it to dailydose@righthealth.com. This week’s question comes from Monica M:

Q: Does eating honey help keep allergy symptoms at bay?

A: I picked this question because it’s allergy season again and people are always looking for that wonder cure for their symptoms. Unfortunately, new treatments for allergic rhinitis (aka seasonal allergies, hay fever) have been few and far between. The most common therapies include avoidance of the allergen, antihistamines, nasal decongestants, and nasal steroids. If your symptoms are severe enough, an allergist may try immunotherapy. A couple of things that have been popular in the US in recent years is the neti pot and local honey. A neti pot is a container designed to irrigate your nasal cavity. Some people who use it regularly say it works better than medications. Local honey treatment refers to the idea of consuming raw, unpasturized honey that is produced by bees which live in the immediate region you live. The idea is that you are consuming honey with small amounts of intact pollens and allergens from the plants which you are likely allergic to. In this way, by exposing yourself to small amounts of allergens your body will be less likely to mount a severe immune response over time. This works, in theory. But, studies are still lacking to say that it is a definite cure. As well, keep in mind that this may work for allergies to plants, but not to molds or animals for obvious reasons. If this is something you’d like to try, there are a few cautions which you should heed. Unpasturized honey can cause allergic reactions – especially because there can be a lot of potential allergens in it. Also, honey can contain bacteria which causes botulism, especially in children. Therefore, unpasturized and/or improperly prepared and stored honey should never be given to young children. And as always, it’s a good idea to first speak with your doctor before starting any new drugs or therapies.

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In the current issue of Nature Medicine, scientists have proven what they long suspected – that HIV can hide in our bone marrow and avoid eradication by HIV drugs. Current medications can reduce HIV levels in the blood to an undetectable amount. But, the virus can often come surging back when one stops taking medication because our current drugs do not attack the bone marrow cells which harbor dormant viruses. Why not? Because if we completely kill off all our marrow cells our body cannot produce blood, which would essentially be fatal. However, we now have a new target for future medications to act. And, who knows, we may discover even more places where the virus is able to hide and evade attack. [via HealthDay]

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Some cosmetic surgeons say that gum chewing can lead to facial wrinkles, as reported by MSNBC this week.  The surgeons contend that chronic, extensive gum chewing “promotes muscle over-activity and potentially breaks down support tissue within the skin.” Although this may be true, there are no studies that have been done which link gum chewing with wrinkling. Nor does money need to be spent on such a study – would it really matter? This makes me wonder whether we should tell perpetually happy people to stop smiling, or habitual snackers to quit munching. Yes, perhaps maniacal gum chewers should be warned, but personally, I’ll take my gum with all it’s wrinkle risks in stride. [via MSNBC]

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For the very first time, a surgical technique used to treat vitiligo patients in Europe, Asia and the Middle East has been performed in the US and shown to be effective in treating the skin condition. Called melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation (MKTP), the surgical technique involves harvesting healthy skin cells from a part of the body unaffected by vitiligo, a disease which causes white patchy skin discoloration. These healthy cells are then applied to an affected area and covered with a specially developed adhesive biologic dressing. Over time, researchers have found that in some patients the affected areas of skin began to regain their ability to produce skin pigment. The study was presented yesterday, March 9, at the 68th annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting in Miami. [via PhysOrg]

Read more at the Guide To Vitiligo.

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In an ironic twist of reality a South Korean couple was arrested for starving their child after spending long hours on the internet raising a virtual baby together. The couple allegedly neglected their prematurely born three month old daughter, feeding her just once in between 12-hour-long periods at an internet cafe. “The couple seemed to have lost their will to live a normal life, because they didn’t have jobs and gave birth to a premature baby,” said Chung Jin-won, a Korean police officer. The couple was raising a virtual child in a popular online Korean role-playing game. “Online game addiction can blur the line between reality and the virtual world. It seems that taking care of their on-line game character erased any sense of guilt they may have had for neglecting their daughter,” said Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of Seoul’s Dongguk University. [via CNN.com]

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Hi Everyone,

We are excited to let you know about a new feature of RightHealth’s DailyDose blog.  Starting today, every Monday will be “Ask the Doctor” day.  In every Monday’s DailyDose post, I will respond to one of the questions posed by our readers.  If you have a question about a personal health issue or want to learn more about health topic that you find interesting, please email it to dailydose@righthealth.com.  Don’t worry, your identity will be kept confidential.

Please understand that we can’t answer all of your questions each week!  But we’ll do our best to select the questions which have the broadest interest among you.

So let’s get started!  This week’s question is from Mark V…

The cardiologist who recently examined President Obama, an admitted occasional smoker, told the Commander in Chief that although he received a clean bill of health, he’s still at risk for heart disease because he is a smoker in a high-stress job. Does smoking less frequently or just occasionally reduce the health risks for smokers?

Smoking accounts for over 400 thousand deaths annually in the United States, mostly in the form of lung cancer, stroke, and coronary heart disease. In fact, smoking increases every kind of cancer risk with 80% of lung cancers linked to smoking. It doesn’t matter if you smoke only one cigarette a day or one pack a day. The act of smoking will increase your risk of these diseases. We also know there is a clear link between second hand smoke and cardiovascular disease. Approximately 23 to 70 thousand premature deaths occur each year in the U.S. because of second hand smoke.

Does smoking less reduce health risks? The answer is yes. If you smoke three packs a day as opposed to one pack a day, you do have more of a risk for heart disease.  But it’s not until you quit smoking do you see some amazing results. Here’s what we know:

• At 20 minutes after quitting your blood pressure decreases and the body temperature of your hands and feet increase, due to improved circulation.
• At 24 hours you begin to see a decrease in heart attack risk.
• At 48 hours your senses of smell and taste improve and nerve endings actually begin to regrow!
• After 1 year your risk of coronary heart disease drops by 50%.
• After 5-15 years your stroke risk drops by 50%.
• After 10 years your risk of lung cancer drops by 50%.
• After 15 years your risk of coronary heart disease and death rate returns to the same level as those who never smoked.

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