Toxic Red Sludge of Death. A Tragedy for Hungary

From what I hear, because I've never actually been there, especially at this terrible moment in time, Hungary really does look like it belongs in a scene in a horror movie.  Pictures of terrible red mud covering everything, destroying so much.  As of now four people have died.  And if the mud wasn't bad enough, it is laden with several heavy metals and is ultimately a toxic environmental nightmare.  Look at some of these pictures found on google:

This picturefrom FT.com in the article Toxic sludge floods Hungarian villages By Chris Bryant in Vienna.  In my opinion this picture is reminiscent of a science-fiction end of the world movie, or maybe a zombie infestation.


I jest but this is truly a sad tragedy.

Also what about this poor puppy.  Who knows what effect the toxic effect will be?  This picture is from www.guardian.co.uk in the article Hungary toxic sludge heading towards the Danube.

John Crossman is a Brave Man and a Brave Cancer Fighter/Survivor. Check out his story at CNN

As published at CNN.com, Cancer 'iron man' puts hope in drug trials, John Crossman, a man that has been put through more radiation and chemotherapy than anyone ever should, has found hope in clinical trials.  Clinical trials and experimental drugs can provide hope to terminal patients is the message that Crossman wants to portray to the world.  More patients should know about these trials.

And he's right!


In part.


Clinical trials can indeed provide hope for people with terrible cancers that are generally considered untreatable by any other means, however, these trials can also provide a sense of false hope as well.  Clinical trials have more than one research arm; an experimental arm and a control arm.  The experimental arm involves the new drug, chemotherapy and/or treatment to be tested while the control arm is necessary to determine that any observable effects from the experimental arms are statistically valid and not just a weird fluke.  Controls can take many forms including already FDA-approved accepted medications, or placebo pills (sugar pills).  Patients are randomly placed in either research arm.  

This means that a patient could get the newest and best drug possible, maybe even treating the disease.  It could also mean that they get nothing of therapeutic value.  Also since these drugs are experimental, it is not always clear of their true effect.  Are they safe?  Will they actually treat the disease in question?  Will the drug make things worse?  It has happened before.

While I'm not trying to take away anyone's hope, I want people to know that there are risks to everything.  I want people to understand that clinical trials have big risks just as much as any other choice.  I want people to know that clinical trials are not the ultimate in regards to treatment, and, in fact, most compounds that enter clincial trials never become FDA approved.

So if a clinical trial opens up and your doctor thinks you'll be a prime candidate, make sure you ask plenty of questions and know everything about the trial before you agree to anything. 

Here's a few important questions to ask about clinical trials.

McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy Raised a McDreamy Cancer Donation

To me Patrick Dempsey is always the perfect example of the 1980's geek, not a handsome doctor from Seattle. 

Real Men Wear Pink for October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Just check out the NFL.

Look at those tough football players.  Dressed in pink; they are showing their respect to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  As NFL.com reports, NFL teams are wearing pink ribbons and pins on the sidelines.  As well many teams are involving themselves in charitable and educational endeavors to increase awareness of this awful disease.   

Men, women, and everyone in between should wear some pink this month.  It could be an official pink ribbon or a breast cancer t-shirt, or even a pink-tie to spread awareness.  According to BREASTCANCER.ORG, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with this disease.  While breast cancer incidence has slowly been decreasing over the past several years, much more research and patient care needs to be done to fully eradicate this disease.  Whether it is through charitable donations, or simple education.  Let us do what we can to cure Breast Cancer.

Let us all say stand with these strong women and fight by their sides. 

As An Atrocity, It's Not Like The Tuskegee Experiment Wasn't Evil Enough...

First, through the years, I have found way to many people who don't know anything about the Tuskegee Experiment.  This is ridiculous.  This is something in history that everyone should know and understand.  Its an racial atrocity in the guise of science that never should have occurred. 

So please, if you don't know anything about this atrocity, read up on it.  Its important to know our history so we can stop it from occurring again.

And it took the US government several decades to apologize for their abhorrent role in these experiments

And finally the US government is apologizing again.  This time to Guatemala.  As reported by CBSnews.com, in the article Tuskegee Experiment Scientist Spread Syphilis in Guatemala Too, Dr John Cutler, a government researcher in the Original Tuskegee Experiments, took his home grown view of evil science to Guatemala.  


I can't believe anyone would think that studying the effects of syphilis on unsuspecting African Americans or Guatemalans was the right thing to do.

Burn in Hell Dr Cutler.