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Issue 114 | Tuesday 24 January 2012

Message from the VMC Medical Spokesperson

Dr Joe Kosterich

Dr Joe

Welcome to this edition of Health eNews!

Of all the aspects of medicine, neurology (that part which deals with the brain and nerves) remains the least understood. It is said that whilst we have learnt a huge amount about the brain, we have just scraped the surface. There continue to be great advances in our understanding of how the brain works and how neurological health affects many aspects of our overall wellbeing.

Read on to learn more about this fascinating area of medicine.

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Yours in good health,

Dr Joe Kosterich
MBBS

New research on multiple sclerosis
	Hopes for reversing nerve damage in MS patients As we get older, our bodies' ability to regenerate decreases. This is not only true for our skin (which is evident in the wrinkles that develop as we age) but also true for other tissues in the body, including the regenerative processes in the brain.... Read complete article

Chronic pain prevention
	Opioids erase memory traces of pain, prevent chronic pain A new study shows that opioids not only temporarily relieve pain, but at the right dose can also erase memory traces of pain in the spinal cord and therefore eliminate a key cause of chronic pain.... Read complete article

Effects of excessive gaming
	Excessive gamers more depressed Researchers are conducting a global study comparing academic results, relationships and physical and mental health in excessive gamers – who spent on average more than 33 hours a week playing video games – with more balanced players.... Read complete article

New HIV drug approved
	New weapon for treating HIV in children The FDA approved raltegravir for use with other antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV infection in children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 years on December 21. Approved for use in adults in 2007, raltegravir is part of a class of medications.... Read complete article

New treatment for Angelman syndrome?
	Discovery could lead to a treatment for Angelman syndrome Known as Angelman syndrome, or AS, its most characteristic feature is the absence or near absence of speech throughout the person's life. Occurring in one in 15,000 live births, other AS characteristics include intellectual and developmental delay, severe.... Read complete article

Sport and alcohol in Australia
	Athletes prone to alcohol-related violence New research has found that rates of alcohol-related aggression and antisocial behaviours are particularly high in young Australian athletes, compared to their non-sporting peers.... Read complete article

Keep your children safe!
	Cars, heat and children a deadly mix warns professor Victorian paramedics have reported 1500 children rescued from cars in the state in the last 12 months. During November and December 2011 nine children were found locked cars, with four such cases in the last four days.... Read complete article

HPV vaccine also recommended for boys
	HPV vaccine recommended for young men On Dec 16 the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) announced a recommended extension of the National Immunisation Program for Human papillomavirus (HPV) in boys which will be provided to the Australian Government for approval.... Read complete article

Virtual Medical Centre Interactive

	VIDEO: Why we get headaches and how to treat them Watch the video
	ANIMATION: Stroke View the animation
	TOOL: Dementia benchmark checklist Use the tool
	ENCYCLOPAEDIA: Popular health topics View the most popular topics on Virtual Medical Centre.

The support of the following commercial entities is gratefully acknowledged:

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Recipe

Nut crusted salmon

This recipe for delicious, easy to prepare salmon steaks makes an impressive main at a dinner party or an easy meal after work.

Makes 1 serve

Ingredients

5 pecan nuts
5 unsalted pistachio nuts
1 slice stale wholegrain bread
1 tsp pesto
120 g salmon steak

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C.

2. Place nuts and stale bread in a food processor and process until they resemble fine breadcrumbs.

3. Combine bread mix with pesto. Coat the salmon with this paste.

4. Place salmon on baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 6–10 minutes, depending on how pink you like your salmon.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty rating: Easy

View more healthy recipes.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

There was only one cure for Rick's problem - a brain transplant.

Having decided to have the operation privately he was given the choice of what sort of brain he should receive.

"The brain of a top-notch mathematician will cost you $10,000. That of a world-renowned astro-physicist will set you back $20,000. But if you want the brain of a politician it will cost $40,000!"

"Why on earth does the brain of a politician cost so much more than those of people who are clearly much cleverer?" Rick asked, very much surprised.

"Ah well, you see, the politician's brain has hardly ever been used."

Message from the VMC Medical Spokesperson

New research on multiple sclerosis

Chronic pain prevention

Effects of excessive gaming

New HIV drug approved

New treatment for Angelman syndrome?

Sport and alcohol in Australia

Keep your children safe!

HPV vaccine also recommended for boys

Virtual Medical Centre Interactive

In This Issue

New on VMC

Today's Survey

Recipe

Nut crusted salmon

Laughter is the Best Medicine