Those seeking viable  “remedies” to age well by altering consumption of specific foods to increase their antioxidant free radical scavenging capacity (ORAC), are off to a good start. But that is basic old school of antiageing news, especially to those who have been experimenting with the scientific fountain of youthful ageing. The latest meaningful antiageing news addresses the dietary effect of nutrition on your genes. Nutriogenomics.

1) Genomics: The growing field of nutriogenomics entails selectively picking what you eat to turn on the genes expressing the antiageing capabilities of your genetic makeup. Foods grown organically are different. They are natural. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) foods are altered and have not been tested on humans but causes sterility in hamsters. Consider that food labels do not require GMO facts. When you go shopping for food, if it does not say organic or non-gmo on the label, that food may very well be genetically modified.

The latest genetic antiageing product I have located is TA-65, a telemerase activase.  The product is a specific concentrated extract of the astralgus plant. Consider the science of TA-65, to protect and slow the ageing process by selectively decreasing the rate of degradation of the human telomere, the antiageing gene.

2) Ginger:   In Ayurveda, ginger is portrayed as vishwabhesaj, or “universal medicine.” The essential oil of ginger, for example, is a wonderful remedy for headaches and migraines. The Chinese have used it traditionally for male balding and as an aphrodisiac. A recent study describes using the essential oil of ginger as a method for tapering off antidepressant medications. The mechanism of action may be due in part to the serotonin neurotransmitterreceptor strengths of the sesquiterpenes found in oil of ginger.

Carbon dioxide distilled oil of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Zingiberaceae) contains potent phytomolecules, as [6]-gingerol and [6]-paradol, which also have antitumor promotional and antiproliferative effects of abnormally dividing cells. Specifically, the transdermal application and nasal inhalation of vapors of 10% CO2 extracted essential oil of ginger Zingiber officinale can be a safe and effective addition to the medical management for the prevention and treatment of complications of nausea and vomiting associated with general anesthesia.

3) Green Tea: The wellness properties provided by the major antioxidative polyphenols and epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG). The epigallocatechin gallate, a major antioxidative green tea polyphenol, exerts striking inhibitory effects on diverse cellular events associated with multistage carcinogenesis. In addition, these phytomolecules have the ability to suppress proliferation.

4) Ginseng: This all healing panacea, Panax, ginseng is an awesome adaptogen, raising the quality of life by increasing bodily ability to cope with stress. Source of supply of this adaptogen matters because American ginseng is Yin keynoting circulation. Eastern ginseng keynotes Yang effects. Take your Ginseng  in the morning to create a less stressful and energized day.

5) Ginkgo: An is herbal supplement with mixed efficacy findings. Recently, the United States Institute of Medicine has determined a link between Agent Orange and hypertension, and has recommended that the VA cover hypertension as well as the current list of diseases caused by the toxin. The Federal Govt. determines disability through the VA system, using a “means test” for exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam which has to meet the standard of “at least as likely as not” in order to be considered the cause of physical disability.

This means testing phrase appeals to me but not the FDA, as a means of evaluating experimental studies of supplements. Rather than casting aside many supplements for not providing big pharma designed statistically significant results, perhaps a more reasonable method of analysis could be that supplements, like Ginkgo, are “at least as likely as not” the reason for improved health and ageing benefits.

Your ageing decision tree: you study this Input, you work the Process, you make your Decisions and hopefully your Result in this experiment will be that, over time, you will look and feel younger than your actual age.

Wellness wins over the long haul. AKEA

James Geiger MD
Chief Wellness Officer of oilMD.com
Promoting Wellness through nature since 2004

The Fountain Youthfully Ageing

As you know, last week, the Senate failed to pass a series of extensions that included a temporary halt to the 21.2 percent cut in Medicare physician payments. As a result, the cut went into effect on March 1st.  It does appear that Congress will extend current rates — hopefully this week — but we expect the extension to only provide temporary relief.  This pattern of short-term patches has created a crisis that will have negative and far-reaching impact on providers, patients and the health care delivery system and violates one of the College’s core principles — access to care, enabled by an adequate surgical workforce. We share your concerns about the long-term viability of your practices and your ability to continue providing quality surgical care to patients.

The American College of Surgeons has always maintained that access to medical care is essential.  We also recognize that the instability and uncertainty of the Medicare payment system will make it impossible for some of our fellows to provide the quality of care that our patients deserve.  With that in mind, we feel it is important we inform Fellows with factual information on your available options as a practicing surgeon.

We hope the information below serves as a useful tool for you and your practice. We urge you to carefully digest and consider the information about the available options and proceed thoughtfully when selecting your Medicare participation status.  In the coming days and weeks, the College is committed to providing all Fellows with the most up-to-date information on Medicare physician payments so that you can make an informed decision about your participation with the Medicare program.

Sincerely,

Brent Eastman MD, FACS, Chair of the ACS Board of Regents
LaMar McGinnis, MD, FACS, President of the American College of Surgeons
Andrew Warshaw, MD, FACS, Chair of the ACS Health Policy and Advocacy Group
Michael Zinner, MD, FACS, Chair of the ACS Board of Governors
David Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director
Christian Shalgian, Director, Division of Advocacy and Health Policy

Medicare Participation Status Information

Physicians have until March 17 to change their Medicare participation or nonparticipation status for this year. Fellows wishing to change their participation status can do so by supplying written notification to their Medicare contractor. The decision will be retroactive to January 1, 2010 and is binding through the calendar year, unless CMS reopens the enrollment period or the physician qualifies for an exception such as relocation to a different geographic area or to a different group practice.

Below is a brief overview of Medicare contractual options available for physicians. The College is not recommending or offering legal advice on any of the three options discussed below and we recommend that Fellows consult with an attorney to ensure full compliance prior to making a status change decision.

There are three Medicare contractual options for physicians: participating (PAR), non-participating (non-PAR) and private contracting.  Physicians considering a change in status should review any current contractual agreements with hospitals, health plans or other entities that require them to be PAR physicians.  In addition, some states have laws prohibiting physicians from balance billing patients.  Please click here for an example of how the Medicare fee schedule breaks down under each option.

Medicare Participating (PAR) Physician

PAR physicians agree to accept assignment on all Medicare claims, which means that they must accept Medicare’s approved amount (80 percent paid by Medicare plus the 20 percent patient copayment), as payment in full for all covered services for the duration of the calendar year. The patient or the patient’s secondary insurer is still responsible for the 20 percent copayment, but the physician cannot bill the patient for amounts in excess of the Medicare allowance. While participating physicians must accept assignment on all Medicare claims, Medicare participation agreements do not require physicians to accept every Medicare patient who seeks treatment from them or their practice.

Medicare Non-Participating (non-PAR) Physician

Physicians may elect to be a non-participating (Non-PAR) physician, which permits them to make assignment decisions on a case-by-case basis and to bill patients for more than the Medicare allowance for unassigned claims.  Non-participating physicians agree to accept 95 percent of the Medicare approved amounts for services provided.  Non-participating physicians may charge more than the Medicare approved amount, but are limited to 115 percent of the Medicare approved amount for non-participating physicians.  Since approved amounts for non-participating physicians are 95 percent of the rates for participating physicians, the 15 percent limiting charge is effectively 9.25 percent above the participating approved amount for services provided

Private Contracting

Physicians may privately contract for health care services, agreeing to bill patients directly and forego any payments from Medicare to their patients or themselves.  However, private contracting decisions may not be made on a patient-by-patient basis. To become a “private contracting physician,” a physician must first opt-out of the Medicare program.  Once a physician has opted out of Medicare, they cannot submit claims to Medicare for services provided to any Medicare patients for a two-year period.  To privately contract with a Medicare beneficiary, a physician must enter into a private contract that meets specific requirements and file an affidavit that also meet certain requirements.  There is a 90-day period after the effective date of the first opt-out affidavit during which physicians may revoke the opt-out and return to Medicare as if they had never opted out of the Medicare program.

Even if a physician has opted out of Medicare, as long as the physician has not been excluded from participation in Medicare by the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General (OIG) based on convictions for program-related fraud and abuse, licensing board actions, or defaults on Health Education Assistance Loans he/she may order, certify the need for, or refer a beneficiary for Medicare-covered items and services, provided the physician is not paid, directly or indirectly, for such services (except for emergency and urgent care services). For example, if a physician who has opted out of Medicare refers a beneficiary for medically necessary services, such as laboratory, DMEPOS or inpatient hospitalization, those services would be covered by Medicare. For more information about exclusions: http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/exclusions/authorities.asp.

Emergency Services Furnished by a Privately Contracting Physician

Physicians who have opted-out of Medicare under the Medicare private contract provisions may furnish emergency care services or urgent care services to a Medicare beneficiary with whom the physician has previously entered into a private contract so long as the physician and beneficiary entered into the private contract before the onset of the emergency medical condition or urgent medical condition. These services would be furnished under the terms of the private contract.

Physicians who have opted-out of Medicare under the Medicare private contract provisions may continue to furnish emergency or urgent care services to a Medicare beneficiary with whom the physician has not previously entered into a private contract, provided the physician submits a claim to Medicare in accordance with both 42 C.F.R. part 424 (relating to conditions for Medicare payment) and Medicare instructions (including but not limited to complying with proper coding of emergency or urgent care services furnished by physicians and practitioners who have opted-out of Medicare) and collects no more than the Medicare limiting charge, in the case of a physician (or the deductible and coinsurance, in the case of a practitioner). A physician who has been excluded from Medicare must comply with Medicare regulations relating to scope and effect of the exclusion (42 C.F.R. § 1001.1901) when the physician furnishes emergency services to beneficiaries, and the physician may not bill and be paid for urgent care services.

Can aging be slowed down or even reversed? The first decade of the 21st Century has provided insight into the age old search for the fountain of youth. The various schools of thought and practice exploited by longevity experts remain unproven.

Decrease Oxidative Stress to Age Well

Is that all there is to staying young? Chemical stresses due to dietary and environmental factors have negative effects, notably, acceleration of aging (Bonnefoy, 2002). As we age, body tissue, including fat, is oxidized by free radicals, which basically are chemicals with unpaired electrons exerting oxidizing, rustlike damage at the cellular level (Barja, 2004). The aging reaction of the body as a result of these combined negative energies is called “oxidative stress.” Antioxidants protect the over eighty trillion body cells from oxidative stress by scavenging free radicals and binding them to render them harmless.

Supplementing with antioxidants,essential oils,vitamins, specific dietary foods, juice therapy,hormones or extremes of surgical procedures and genetic engineering have all been suggested as the possible tools of aging meaningfully.

The aged population of the notable blue zones of planet earth have been consulted and studied. The centenarians (>100 years of age) prescription for successful aging is based on certain key principles.

What really works?  The centenarians reveal the secret significant adaptations which have  contributed to their process of  growing old gracefully. Their secrets are found in these four powerful and yet simple topics.

• What to do

• What to think

• How to eat

• How to build social relationships

The details of this prescription for successful aging will be one of  the foundational topics of this blog throughout 2010.

James Geiger MD
the oilMD

Dear Dr. Geiger,

Early this morning, the Senate took the first of three procedural votes on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), successfully voting to end debate on the manager’s amendment on a 60 to 40 party line vote.  A vote on final passage of H.R. 3590 is scheduled to occur the evening of December 24th and expected to pass by an identical vote margin.  The manager’s amendment, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on December 19th, did address some of the significant concerns that the American College of Surgeons and the surgical societies have continued to raise in discussions with Senate leadership including:

* Removal of the Medicare buy-in plan;
* Removal of the application of budget neutrality for bonus payments for primary care physicians and general surgeons;
* Removal of the five percent cosmetic surgery tax;
* Removal of the Medicare physician enrollment fee.

While there were positive changes, ACS leaders evaluated the complete revised proposal (as all previous proposals) using the ACS core principles (developed by the Regents and Governors) which are quality and safety, patient access to surgical care, medical liability reform, and reduction of health care costs.  The American College of Surgeons leadership has consistently maintained in face to face meetings with Senate leadership that ACS top priorities included a permanent fix to the SGR and the opposition to the Independent Medicare Advisory Board.  To date, neither of these issues have been appropriately addressed and therefore the ACS has not changed our current position of opposition to the bill.  In addition, despite continuing efforts by College staff and leadership, the Senate bill fails to appropriately address the issue of medical liability reform.

As you know, Congress temporarily halted the 21 percent cut in the Medicare conversion factor that is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2010 last week with a 60 day freeze of the current conversion factor. However, the College has not received any indication from Senate leadership of a pathway for permanent reform of the physician payment system, which must include resetting the sustainable growth rate (SGR) baseline and repealing the SGR formula.  In addition, the College remains opposed to the creation of IMAB and the manager’s amendment broadens the scope of the board to include non-federal health programs (although non-binding) and still exempts hospitals from the cost-containment mechanism.

Upon the Senate’s final passage of H.R. 3590, the House and Senate leadership will immediately begin reconciling the differences between the two bills in a conference committee.  Those negotiations are expected to continue through the first full week of January.  During this process, the College will continue to vigorously advocate for the removal of IMAB and a clear and viable pathway for a permanent repeal of the SGR.

Our efforts will continue to be based on our core principles and aimed at helping create a health care system in this country that is sustainable and has a surgical workforce to provide the highest quality care for our patients.

We will continue to keep Fellows updated as additional details emerge on the health care reform debate over the next several weeks.  If you have questions, please contact the College’s Division of Advocacy and Health Policy in Washington, D.C. directly at 202.337.2701.

Sincerely,
Brent Eastman, M.D., FACS, Chair of the ACS Board of Regents
LaMar McGinnis, M.D., FACS, President of the American College of Surgeons
Andrew Warshaw, M.D., FACS, Chair of the ACS Health Policy and Advocacy Group
Thomas R. Russell, M.D., FACS, Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons

There is no shortage of emotions when your child is sick. Especially in light of the recent statistics documenting the increased trend in this point of the pandemic of deaths of children from Swine Flu. Although the CDC has verified that the deaths were among children with serious chronic illnesses like diabetes, asthma and immune compromised patients, that is not comforting to parents of well children. Nonetheless, during this H1N1 Swine flu pandemic there are pre-existing conditions which the CDC has identified and publicized which must be considered when making medical care decisions for special groups, such as pregnant women, children and the elderly. These emotions and conditions may generate considerable questions which must be answered by the patient’s parents and doctor prior to initiating any treatment.That process is known as obtaining  informed consent.

A virus does not need consent to infect a child but a doctor must obtain the informed consent of the parent or guardian in order to vaccinate a child or initiate treatment for an infected child.

What constitutes informed consent?

According to the FDA, it is the process of obtaining a patient’s permission for a procedure after the patient and doctor have discussed the risks, benefits, and alternatives of the procedure and the patient understand them.

For example, as an anesthesiologist, the process of obtaining informed consent prior to surgery involves a discussion of both allopathic and integrative medical methods of administering an anesthetic. Intravenous medications such as propofol and inhaled anesthetic gases are administered to keep a patient asleep throughout surgery. A potential anesthetic complication often discussed before surgery is the patient’s fear of having nausea and vomiting while  recovering from anesthesia. I obtain consent to use essential oil of ginger as an integrative medicine technique as well as intravenous medications like ondansetron, to prevent and treat post-op nausea and vomiting (PONV).

The topics surrounding the  Swine flu pandemic are so complex and emotions are so high during this season of national debate on health care reform, that one would be  hard-pressed to say they are truly informed . Especially, when you are in line of people waiting to get immunized by a caregiver at a  minute clinic. Our government has spokespeople saying the flu vaccinations are necessary and safely tested. Some lawgivers have written into law that all health care providers must be vaccinated. There are numerous opponents making claims otherwise.

Say your doctor recommends the live, attenutated virus intranasal vaccine (LAIV),  for your child. Are you one of the 27% of parents who say they will not allow their child to be vaccinated?  Are you informed enough to ask the doctor if the vaccine will harm an unborn child if my child sheds virus for the next 21 days around me? Is the clinic where you are seeking treatment aware that your child has asthma and is therefore not a recommended candidate for FluMist? If your child gets a complications of the vaccine are you aware  that the manufacturer is protected from lawsuits. You can apply for government assistance to cover the added medical expenses if it is determined that the complications are indeed from the vaccine.

What is a person to do? Do your due diligence. Seek help using online digital triage.

Be as informed as you possibly can while adopting safe practices. Besides watching Sesame Street videos with your kids to teach them the proper techniques of sneezing and handwashing, one could adopt natural methods of boosting immunity. Using food as your medicine, consider that mangosteen, acai, garlic, olive, onion, ginger, echinacea, cat’s claw, shiitake & maitake & reishi mushrooms, lomatium dissectum, lemon balm, St John’s wart, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc and probiotics are known traditional remedies with anti-viral and immune boosting function.

Have you heard of Inhalational Therapy? Then stay tuned. Breathing the vapors of essential oils distilled from plants is wonderful.

Be proactive and stay informed.

The oilMD

James Tad Geiger MD

The Sweet Smell of Success by James Tad Geiger MD

Books on wellness and aromatherapy have been written from many points of view. The Sweet Smell of Success takes a very unique approach to both of these topics. As an acute care anesthesiologist, I believe clinical aromatherapy should be integrated with conventional allopathic Western Medicine in the Wellness Revolution of the twenty-first century.

Aromatherapy with essential oils is one entity of the vast array of holistic specialties comprising nutriogenomic medicine and complementary alternative medicine. Although these specialties and aromatherapy are not appreciated by many physicians and are often misrepresented to the public, there are tremendous advantages to be gained from their diverse applications.

There is a widening health care information gap between health consumers and care providers. The material presented here bridges the gap between laypeople as health care consumers and medically oriented health care providers, with detailed natural healing information based on the art and medically scientific knowledge. It is my impression from working with my patients and their families that many people have an interest in using “natural” ways of healing but have doctors who are uninformed, disinterested, or not accepting of alternative medicine. This text contains current and compelling scientific explanations and references, offering food as medicines alternatives meant to be integrated with all forms of healthcare including traditional medical treatment. Patients can give this book to their doctor to provide another medical doctor’s viewpoint, a second opinion.

This process represents a tremendous shift in thought and action for most people. Awareness and concern for the health of the people of our country and all the nations of the world are increasingly shared by growing numbers of medical and health care workers, professionals, celebrities, and even some politicians. The maldistribution of food worldwide perpetuates starvation and obesity epidemics, affecting more adults and children with each passing day. A generation of premature deaths, whether from obesity or starvation, is a sad and unacceptable result. Awareness of these problems is the critical first step to circumvent the predictable progression of illness, disability, and death due to these malnourished states.

Another major concern for our society is aging. Aging increases the need for essential foods as medicines that function as antioxidants, which the body uses as critical building blocks for the formation of free radical scavengers and the energy required for effective metabolism. Read and get enthused to practice these revealing wellness secrets, acting on exciting healthy choices that are naturally good for you.

Aromatically Yours,

James Tad Geiger MD

the oilMD

Peace and Safety

Another Consultation with the Muse of  Wellness.

Metalloproteinases:Enzymatic impact on cardiovascular and prostate health.

Metalloproteinase:Enzymatic impact on cardiovascular system.

An enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase-8 plays a crucial role in raising blood pressure and causing abnormal build-up of cells in the arteries – both of which increase the risk of heart disease.

The same metalloproteinase family of enzymes  is inhibited by alpha-mangostin found in the mangosteen fruit and impacts prostate cancer cells in the laboratory.

J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Feb 25;57(4):1291-8.

Alpha-mangostin suppresses PC-3 human prostate carcinoma cell metastasis by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 and urokinase-plasminogen expression through the JNK signaling pathway.

Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, No. 901, Jhong-Hua Road, Yong-Kang, Tainan 710, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Alpha-mangostin, a component of Garcinia mangostana Linn, is a xanthone derivative shown to have antioxidant and anticarcinogen properties. In this study, we first report the antimetastatic effect of alpha-mangostin in the human prostate carcinoma cell line PC-3. The results show that alpha-mangostin exhibited an inhibitory effect on the abilities of adhesion, migration, and invasion by cell-matrix adhesion assay, wound healing assay, and Boyden chamber assay. In the cancer cell metastasis process, matrix degrading proteinases are required. Results from zymography showed that alpha-mangostin treatment could decrease the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and urokinase-plasminogen activator (u-PA) in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, alpha-mangostin also exerted an inhibitory effect on phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 and 2 (JNK1/2) and inhibition of activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB), c-Fos, and c-Jun. Furthermore, the treatment of inhibitors specific for JNK (SP600125) to PC-3 cells could result in a reduced expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, and u-PA. These results demonstrated that alpha-mangostin could mediate PC-3 cells metastasis by reduction of MMP-2, MMP-9, and u-PA expression through the suppression of the JNK1/2 signaling pathway and inhibition of NF-kappaB and AP-1 binding activity. These findings proved that alpha-mangostin might be offered further application as an antimetastatic agent.

James Tad Geiger MD

Is there a well balanced wellness paradigm  available to  adopt which would increase  a healthy lifespan?

Heal the US health care system by promoting integrative medicine which is preventative and enhances meaningful ageing.

Nutriogenomics of the Body/Soul/Spirit

Meaningful Ageing Begins Early

Can we intervene in human ageing?

Faragher RG, Sheerin AN, Ostler EL.

School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science, University of Brighton, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK. rgaf@brighton.ac.uk

Ageing is a progressive failure of defence and repair processes that produces physiological frailty (the loss of organ reserve with age), loss of homeostasis and eventual death. Over the past ten years exceptional progress has been made in understanding both why the ageing process happens and the mechanisms that are responsible for it. The study of natural mutants that accelerate some, but not all, of the features of the human ageing process has now progressed to a degree that drug trials are either taking place or can be envisaged. Simultaneously, a series of mutations have been identified in different species that confer extended healthy life, indicating that the ageing process is much more malleable than might have been expected and that single interventions have the potential to delay the onset of multiple age-associated conditions. Data generated using these organisms have led to the formulation of a powerful new hypothesis, the ‘green theory’ of ageing. This proposes that a finite capacity to carry out broad-spectrum detoxification and recycling is the primary mechanistic limit on organismal lifespan. This is turn suggests important new experimental approaches and potential interventions designed to increase healthy lifespan.

Wellness paradigm  increases healthy lifespan.

James Geiger MD

Twitter: @theoilMD" href="http://twitter.com/theoilMD" target="_blank">@TheoilMD

www.oilmd.com

Lungs are a big part of my job.  As an anesthesiologist I use an anesthesia machine to breathe for patients undergoing surgery, administering anesthetic  gases  into the patients lungs.  Smoke from fire contains toxic gases plus particulate matter that injures the entire respiratory system. When I saw the pictures of monstrous clouds of billowing smoke over Los Angeles it made me wonder what are the consequences of breathing that air. What are the risks of smoke inhalation to people with heart diseases or respiratory diseases,  like asthma?  Does it predispose to influenza complications? Perhaps you are even asking yourself if you should see a doctor after breathing what that smoke contains.

LA Times Pulitzer Reporter Julie Cart, has  described the emotional and physical costs of wild fire management. The Australian property protection “stay or go” policy during wildfires rests on the homeowner to decide if they will defend their home or not. In Southern California, the evacuations have been mandatory for tens of thousands of people.

Climates have changed and so have the global health risks due to effects of massive firestorms burning the earth’s biomass. Newscasters are broadcasting prescription weather conditions to inform humanity of  new health worries impacted by events of global warming. Medical science has learned from the injuries fire damage  has caused to  firefighter and civilians from the firestorms of Southeast Asia, Darwin Australia, Athens Greece and now Southern California again. Fire fatalities are more commonly the result of  inhalation of the toxic gases produced during combustion of vegetation producing mucosal irritants such as acrolein and formaldehyde, rather than actual burns. The following  studies of patients  describes how inhalation of airborne pollutants has caused ongoing health problems.

• Short-term exposure to Fine Particulate Matter less than 2.5microns  increases the risk for hospital admission for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Medicare patients.
• Emergency Room Visits: Ambient levels of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon matter (OCM), which are generated primarily from vehicle emissions, diesel, and wood burning, were associated with the largest risks of emergency hospitalization for Medicare patients across the major chemical constituents of fine airborne particulate matter less than 2.5 microns.
• Smoke Inhalation and Hospital Admissions: Airborne coarse particulate matter of less than 10 microns derived from vegetation fires of ambient biomass producing smoke pollution were predominantly associated with more respiratory than cardiovascular admissions.  The indigenous peoples of Australia in this study appear to be at higher risk of respiratory as well as cardiac hospital admissions associated with exposure to particulate matter less than 10 microns.

There is increased lung injury caused by air polluted with small and large airborne particulate matter resulting in acute and chronic respiratory aliments that require ER visits and hospital admissions. These events coinciding with flu season may contribute to future increased morbidity and possibly mortality of these patients when exposed to  influenza and swine flu. Descriptions of  when to seek medical help after exposure to inhalation of smoke are found in extensive detail on WEBMD and emedicine.

Firefighters are special people. Fire fighters have  increased short term and long term health concerns including respiratory and  risk of urogenital cancer. There are few jobs in which people willingly go  into risky situations like firestorms, risking everything,  to save people and their property. Special thanks for a job well-done.

This post is a dedicated tribute to Capt. Tedmund Hall and Specialist Arnaldo Quinones and the brave public servants both men and women  of  fire, EMS and police, taking enormous risks even loss of life to protect and serve.

James Tad Geiger MD

the oilMD