The new address of the NFPMA is:
The NFPMA
Crozer Mills Enterprise Center
600 Upland Avenue
Upland, PA 19015 USA
1-215-499-7486
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I asked YOU who’s at DDSW1! Ok, there’s a guy at DDSW1, right? | Right!
Who? | Exactly! | What? | No, he’s at lll-winken. | Where? | No, What! | I
don’t know! | He’s at gargoyle. | Who? | No, he’s at DDSW1.MCS.COM!
In article <14…@venera.isi.edu> sond…@venera.isi.edu (Jeff Sondeen) writes:
>Having recently acquired some asthma which my doctor thinks is caused by
>a hay fever like allergy, I wonder if it would be fostered or impeded by
>5-10 cups of coffee/day. Albuteral fixes it but I’d rather not get
>addicted to that.
You’re ingesting a significant amount of caffeine with a coffee intake
at that level (assuming it’s not decaffeinated.) Caffeine is a
methylxanthine like theophylline, a common asthma medication, and it
exerts a similar effect to relax the smooth muscle of the bronchioles.
Relative to theophylline, caffeine has relatively more effect on the
central nervous system and relatively less effect on smooth muscle in
the periphery, but at these doses, it may indeed effect a clinically
significant degree of bronchodilation. Caffeine tends to be less toxic
than theophylline in overdose.
While a few cups of strong coffee may be useful in a pinch for someone
who is being treated with theophylline but finds themselves without the
drug, it’s hardly a replacement for appropriate, controlled drug
therapy. First, caffeine isn’t as potent as theophylline for this
purpose and may cause undue side-effects. Second, with coffee, it’s
difficult to be sure how much drug you’re taking, since it depends on
the coffee, how it’s brewed, etc. Third, if you are presently taking
theophylline, this excessive coffee intake really wreaks havoc with
the proper dose of theophylline which your doctor has chosen, since
your total methylxanthine intake must be taken into account. Fourth,
it may very well be that a methylxanthine isn’t the treatment of choice;
there are a variety of different treatments available to your doctor.
Finally, albuterol is a fine drug when used under a doctor’s supervision.
It is not a foregone conclusion by any means that you’ll become "addicted"
to it. I would be as or more concerned with being "addicted" to 5-10 cups of
coffee a day.
–
Steve Dyer
d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
d…@arktouros.mit.edu, d…@hstbme.mit.edu
In article <14…@venera.isi.edu>, sond…@venera.isi.edu (Jeff Sondeen) writes:
> Having recently acquired some asthma which my doctor thinks is caused by
> a hay fever like allergy, I wonder if it would be fostered or impeded by
> 5-10 cups of coffee/day. Albuteral fixes it but I’d rather not get
> addicted to that.
> /jeff sond…@isi.edu "happiness is a non-negative cash flow"
Coffee used to be used as a treatment for asthma and caffeine does
have some beneficial effect. Strong tea contains theophyline which
is a widely used treatment for asthma. I know of no habit forming
properties of albuterol that you should be concerned with, and I
don’t think you can develop a tolerance to it. In fact, several
of my doctors have thought that repeated prophalactic use of it
was beneficial. B.T.W., 5-10 cups of coffee/day is probably more
addictive than albuterol. I never had withdrawal symptoms from
stopping albuterol during seasons of low asthma likelyhood, while
I have had withdrawal symptoms when I stop drinking coffee.
Usual disclaimers apply.
Eric Stern
(I am not a physician)
I was prescribed caffeine for myy asthma when I was younger.
The caffeine excited my breathing and got my lungs pumping.
Anyone else every hear of this therapy?
Jenny
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"’In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be
laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you
look at the sky at night…You-only you will have stars that can laugh!’
In article <1…@kcdev.UUCP> obr…@kcdev.UUCP (John Obrien x4089) writes:
>My wife was yesterday diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumor on
>the right frontal lobe (surface). What should we know about types
>of surgery, i.e. laser vs scalpel. Is it reasonable to expect the
>surgeon to use laser surgery? I think we know what could go wrong
>so no need to dwell on that, just some general guidelines and questions
>we should ask beforehand. Thanks.
Actually, you don’t say enough to tell for sure. The choice between "laser"
and "scalpel" is multifactorial and involves the type and location of the
tumor, and the skill of the surgeon. One is not, necessarily, "better"
that the other (though there is a lot of advertizing value in promoting
yourself as a "Laser Surgery Center"). It is not, for example, like the
difference between "gamma knife" and scalpel where they are used for
different types of lesions. You don’t mention what type of tumor
(though one could hazard a guess), size, symptoms (it is possible that
surgery is not needed), or specific location. Your best bet would be to
talk with the neurologists in your area to get a recommendation. You’ll
probably see a neurosurgeon as well, but it wouldn’t hurt to get an opinion
from someone who has no vested interest in one procedure or another and you’ll
want to have a neurolgist for follow-up, anyway, since neurosurgical
follow-up is typically limited to the surgical recovery period.
In general, non-malignant tumors on the surface of the brain respond well
to traditional surgical techniques when surgery is indicated.
Sean McLinden
Decision Systems Laboratory
University of Pittsburgh
At the present time, saliva is not thought to transmit the AIDS virus. However,
prolonged oral sex could potentially damage the tissues of the lips or mouth,
and transmission could conceivably occur that way. Some people advocate condom
use even for oral sex, which might be wise in the situation mentioned, where
the woman is in a relatively high-risk group (prostitute).