My daughter uses the term "lactard" for those of us in her family and friends who are lactose intolerant. I thought she invented it, but I have since discovered that is not the case. I'm not sure how I feel about the term, in that it feels vaguely politically incorrect, but it has now become a regular part of our family's language.Anyway, she sent me and others the ad above, with the following note: "To my favorite lactards, I think this is supposed to be about the treatment of cows, but it's funnier if you read from a lactose-intolerant point of view."
You know, it took me three different visits to this post before I REALLY got it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have a lactard wife!
This may be of some interest to you
ReplyDeletewww.epaper.indianexpress
Published on November 30 2007 ,
SCIENCE & HEALTH NOTES - CT scan: docs sound alarm bells on radiation exposure
LIZ KOWALCZYK
WASHINGTON
Dr David Bor, chief of medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance, had been concerned for years about the financial cost of the rampant use of CT scans. But several months ago, after a conversation with the system's head of radiology, he started to worry about another kind of cost: radiation exposure to patients.
Bor sent a memo to 150 doctors in his department in June, warning them about overreliance on CT scans and about the potential risk to patients; he recently invited in a radiation specialist to educate physicians; and he has altered his medical practice. Bor said, for example, that he no longer automatically orders a CT scan to diagnose abdominal pain in a patient with previous bouts of kidney stones.
"I am much more likely to suggest they have an ultrasound," which is harder to interpret but does not emit radiation, he said.
"I'm much more vigilant about it now."
The use of CT, or computed tomography, is soaring. The number of scans performed on patients nationwide grew from 20 million in 1995 to 35 million in 2000 to 63 million in 2005. The rise has been fueled by improvements in the technology that give doctors clearer, more detailed pictures of the body, making CT an invaluable diagnostic test.
Early data show that a CT scan of the colon may be as effective as a colonoscopy for finding polyps that could lead to colon cancer and if these results are borne out, tens of thousands more people could get regular CT scans. Researchers also are studying the effectiveness of CT scans in screening smokers.
But some physicians are starting to sound alarm bells about radiation exposure from the expanding use of CT scanning, which uses multiple X-rays to create crosssectional pictures of the organs and blood vessels.
Dr David Bor, chief of medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance, had been concerned for years about the financial cost of the ram- pant use of CT scans. But several months ago, after a conversation with the system's head of radiol- ogy, he started to worry about an- other kind of cost: radiation expo- sure to patients. Bor sent a memo to 150 doctors in his department in June, warning them about overreliance on CT scans and about the potential risk to patients; he recently invited in a radiation specialist to educate physicians; and he has altered his medical practice. Bor said, for ex- ample, that he no longer automat- ically orders a CT scan to diagnose abdominal pain in a patient with previous bouts of kidney stones. "I am much more likely to sug- gest they have an ultrasound," which is harder to interpret but does not emit radiation, he said. "I'm much more vigilant about it now." The use of CT, or computed to- mography, is soaring. The number of scans performed on patients na- tionwide grew from 20 million in 1995 to 35 million in 2000 to 63 million in 2005. The rise has been fueled by improvements in the technology that give doctors clearer, more detailed pictures of the body, making CT an invalu- able diagnostic test. Early data show that a CT scan of the colon may be as effective as a colonoscopy for finding polyps that could lead to colon cancer - and if these results are borne out, tens of thousands more people could get regular CT scans. Re- searchers also are studying the ef- fectiveness of CT scans in screen- ing smokers. But some physicians are starting to sound alarm bells about radia- tion exposure from the expanding use of CT scanning, which uses multiple X-rays to create cross- sectional pictures of the organs and blood vessels.
Stanford pediatrician John D. Mark, MD, an expert on the lung diseases of children, has long been concerned about the effects of dairy products on asthma and other respiratory problems. Cow’s milk and dairy products, due to their saturated fat content, can increase inflammation in the airways and other parts of the body, says Dr. Mark. “This inflammation may exacerbate asthma, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and colds." See http://ownyourhealth.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/got-milk-for-some-children-the-answer-should-be-no/
ReplyDeleteWell, well, as one lactard to another, we MUST unite! It's a cold cruel world out there for those of us who cannot tolerate dairy products.
ReplyDeleteI confess, I'm a lactard - and I grew up on a yogurt farm! Sympathy please... :)
ReplyDeleteMe, too, but I can eat yogurt.
ReplyDelete