So a lot of people are making a meal out of an off-colour joke made by Tim Mathieson.
We can get a blood test for it, but the digital examination is the only true way to get a correct reading on your prostate, so make sure you go and do that, and perhaps look for a small female Asian doctor is probably the best way.
Here is the thing; a lot of men are very uncomfortable with the digital test for prostate cancer. As the Age reported:
One attendee at The Lodge function described the audience response to Mr Mathieson’s comments as awkward laughter.
That awkwardness would have been the tension brought about by thinking of an invasive test that makes many men uncomfortable while thinking of the benefit of having the test done. By including that final comment Tim Mathieson is acknowledging that reality while getting the message out, “so make sure you go and do that”.
No doubt the PC brigade would have preferred him to have said something different to get the message out – but he he has probably highlighted one of the major reasons why men procrastinate in prostate cancer testing. In that he has a better understanding of human nature than those social engineers who believe that people can be different.
And as alluded to in the previous post – for very sound reasons.
One of my best mates is one of the top statisticians in the country and he’s done extensive research work on various health programs.
He’s stated the evidence is in – DREs are useless.
So – invasive, demeaning, utterly useless and superseded by other more accurate tests.
Count me out.
Rabz
29 Jan 13 at 10:47 am
He should have said make sure you find a child doctor, like Doogie Howser… they have small hands too…
ar
29 Jan 13 at 10:51 am
The blood test is just as accurate – certainly as a screen, but some people prefer the digital exam.
Grey
29 Jan 13 at 10:52 am
Sinclair – a rectal digital examination is not sufficient. The cancer could be developing within the casing of the prostate and not cause any roughness on the shell that is felt by the doctor. Far better to also have a PSA test, which may indicate abnormal behaviour which then needs to be checked by a (much more invasive) biopsy. This will tell the experts about the extent and seriousness of the cancer. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that early assessment may permit one to pinch a few years (even if not ‘cured’).
Tim is stupid. He could have said simply ‘a doctor with a small hand’. It is hard not to be pleased that this might put a stop to the ranting about Abbott, but it is probably the case that Tim has done a lot to make men more aware. And from about 50 is the time to get the test, or earlier if there is family history.
rafiki
29 Jan 13 at 10:54 am
Oh well, whatever floats your boat!
Rabz
29 Jan 13 at 10:55 am
see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1enmyAmpik for Billy Connolly on his Prostate Examination
Jim Rose
29 Jan 13 at 10:57 am
Couldn’t agree more. A few hysterical hypocrites are coming out trying to score political points. It was a throw away line. I found it funny. And I can’t stand Julia!
Anon
29 Jan 13 at 10:58 am
Stedman must be arrested immediately for this remark.
C.L.
29 Jan 13 at 10:58 am
Rabz is right. Prostate exams are totally useless.
http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1378413
C.L.
29 Jan 13 at 11:01 am
Of course if Tony Abbott had made the same statement we’d still be hearing about it right up until the Election,particularly from the fellow travelers at Fairfax and the ABC.
Bruce
29 Jan 13 at 11:07 am
Crass remark, crass bloke. Prboably scared off a few more thousand men from a rectal exam too.
candy
29 Jan 13 at 11:10 am
The poor Labor machine can’t find anything safe to plunk the first bloke in. One would have thought men’s health was fairly safe. Maybe haircutting, but that’s risky as well. Maybe the joys and pitfalls of owning a designer dog? But alas, I can foresee problems there too. Best to send him to war, have him lose a limb or something and then spend his time in office trying out for the next paralympics.
Sleetmute
29 Jan 13 at 11:13 am
Tim’s flop sweat was distasteful, his throw away line wasn’t.
lotocoti
29 Jan 13 at 11:15 am
I have been told by qualified people that an MRI is actually the best thing for prostate and most kinds of tumour detection.
Anyone else know anymore?
.
29 Jan 13 at 11:17 am
Bogans in The Lodge.
Econocrat
29 Jan 13 at 11:20 am
From the same cited article in the Age: ”I don’t think we want to have in this country a culture of finger wagging,” Senator Brandis said.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Of course, the wizard wheeze here is that Mr Gillard said ‘a small FEMALE Asian doctor’, which makes his remark homophobic as well.
Where’s our ABC when we needz em?
Philippa Martyr
29 Jan 13 at 11:22 am
If you double up with a colonoscopy you can sleep through the whole thing. On the downside, you need to spend the previous night getting empty. Oh, and tell your doctor about the stomach pains you have so that bulk billing will apply.
You gotta feel sorry for tim, having to do that stuff. He’s already having to pay a high enough price seeing Julia naked.
Pedro
29 Jan 13 at 11:23 am
MRI’s and C.T’s will detect all kinds tumors in various organs,liver,lungs,pancreas,bowel,kidneys etc.but those scans cost big bucks,particularly the MRI’s.
Bruce
29 Jan 13 at 11:27 am
I didn’t read it that way. Females have smaller fingers than males.
There are 2 possible readings of his quote:
1. Go to a small asian female doctor. They have small fingers, it won’t hurt so much.
2. Go to a small asian female doctor, they are all whores, imagine you’re getting a massage with a happy ending.
I’m guessing he was going for 1 but didn’t realise 2 until it was too late to take it back.
Yobbo
29 Jan 13 at 11:28 am
Agree with all of the above.
But actually, it is the reverse of what he proposes. Doctors with small hands should probably not too the digital examination; I understand that some actually decline to do it because their figures are too short to produce any clinical test at all.
So fine that he said it, but it was actually very dodgy advice which he should not have been giving.
Judith Sloan
29 Jan 13 at 11:30 am
Three readings, Yob my friend -
3. Get a woman to do it, because a bloke might enjoy it and secretly be a bit of a woolly woofta, and worse, if you accidentally enjoy it as well, that makes YOU a woolly woofta. Proven scientific fact.
None of these readings reflects all that well on poor old Tim. I feel sorry for him for a whole range of reasons, and especially after that rather pointed remark in the Age that he is ‘rarely seen in public’ with Mrs Mathieson.
Philippa Martyr
29 Jan 13 at 11:32 am
Phil the Greek and now a reference to a small Asian woman digit up the rear. These two bogans seem to be wacist.
I wonder what Penny Wong thinks about all this.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 11:34 am
Anyone think Tim has a crush on Dr Cindy Pan?
.
29 Jan 13 at 11:35 am
It’s not the joke, it’s the hypocrisy. Imagine if Tony Abbott let this one go at the recent Coalition get-together? How long until Wong/Plibersek/Roxon came out thundering about Misogynist Neanderthals not fit to lead?
Greigoz
29 Jan 13 at 11:36 am
Judith, to be honest who in their right mind would be listening to steddman about anything other than hair cuts and hair products?
JC
29 Jan 13 at 11:36 am
He’d be fine with it, JC. Comrades can do no wong, after all.
Rabz
29 Jan 13 at 11:38 am
Philippa Martyr: “Where’s our ABC when we needz em?”
We all know where they are – they’re flat chat checking every word T. Abbott, G. Cardinal Pell and Pope Benedict XVI have said to see if it can be twisted into something sexist/homophobic/anti[choose your personal favourite here] so the real scandals can be front page news. And to confirm yet again that the Catholic Church is the real enemy.
PS – Yet to see any Greenie say all the rain the east coast just had was caused by Global Warming
Just A View
29 Jan 13 at 11:45 am
Mooon river…
Pickles
29 Jan 13 at 11:47 am
Judith – yes, it occurred to me afterwards that you don’t want a doctor with small fingers, but a doctor whose fingers are long enough. How long that would need to be, I don’t know.
Sinclair Davidson
29 Jan 13 at 11:50 am
Its a sad night when a blokes disease cant be laughed at in a blokes way by blokes, because women and manginas might take it the wrong way..
Ive got no time for Matheson, but anyone confecting outrage over this needs a kick in whatever genitalia they have and told to f%ck off princess.
thefrollickingmole
29 Jan 13 at 11:51 am
Like Judith and Sinc, my first reaction was that a small asian female finger simply would not do the job. Where does that leave the joke?
Sirocco
29 Jan 13 at 11:57 am
Surely it is a matter of cost. A simple trip to your GP is cheaper than the PSA and far cheaper than an MRI.
What’s the big deal though, it’s the doctor who gets shit all over his finger.
Dan
29 Jan 13 at 12:03 pm
Yea, but why not judge the Emily’s listers the way they judge and destroy other peoples reputations. By their standard Mr Slapper made a wacist joke. Hit them with it.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 12:05 pm
Tim put foot in mouth as he put tongue in cheek and hand in glove. Better digit then death of course.
stackja
29 Jan 13 at 12:09 pm
Not really, Mole. His remarks were oafish and idiotic.
There seems to be this notion abroad that the ONLY way to discuss men’s health is as a joke – in an Aussie-Aussie-Aussie-Oi-Oi-Oi blokey-bloke-bloke way. This is simply childish and I don’t think it speaks to many modern Australian men anyway. With women’s boobs and private parts, it’s always oh-so-serious. I don’t think Glenn McGrath will be joking about women choosing a hunky big-handed man for a boobal or vaginal examination.
C.L.
29 Jan 13 at 12:14 pm
Medicare pays $38 for a PSA test. Don’t know how much a doctor will charge for a DRE.
Grey
29 Jan 13 at 12:21 pm
In other news Jezebel have come out in support of Tim’s joke. They are now a badass couple.
Rousie
29 Jan 13 at 12:23 pm
I agree that we all should be able to get our message out without recourse to political correctness. BUT, if Tony Abbott had uttered the same phrase, would he have been treated with the same quality of ‘mercy’ as Tim Mathieson was? Political correctness is only applied to the non-Labor sector, just as the proposed anti-discrimination law changes will be.
GerardB
29 Jan 13 at 12:24 pm
My issue is that he should have left out reference to asian and female. It would have been better had he just said find a doctor with skinny fingers.
What if he had been advocating a Women’s health issue that recommended a pelvic vaginal examination. Would everyone have laughed if he said look for a small asian male doctor?
I was not offended by the joke just curious that the luvies in the media think if the left says something it’s okay but if Abbott or the right said this it would be howled down with wall to wall MISOGYNY.
When I had my last prostate check my Doctor said to me as he was snapping on the rubber glove “I don’t mind doing it as long as you don’t mind not enjoying it”. With that we had a laugh and it was over in a few seconds.
Splatacrobat
29 Jan 13 at 12:24 pm
Tweak their laws a little and you’d end up with 50% of the left either in jail or destitute. It’s not hard and in the immortal words of Tubbsie Milne… “it’s just common sense really”.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 12:26 pm
Labor MP Mike Kelly described Mr Mathieson’s comments as a ”poor choice of words”, but said that the Prime Minister’s partner had been doing a ”huge amount” of work for men’s health.
”We shouldn’t allow anything to detract from the important work that he’s done in this space.”
????????
Pedro
29 Jan 13 at 12:31 pm
Greigoz – 11.36 – got it right when he said “its not the joke its the hypocracy” Alan Jones got scalded for his “died of shame” jibe – the reaction by the leftoids was completely over the top. Give it back to them, with spades I say.
Sirocco
29 Jan 13 at 12:38 pm
“Give it back to them, with spades I say.”
What do we want?
Confected outrage!
When do we want it?
Now!
Pedro
29 Jan 13 at 12:39 pm
Yes for far too long the leftoids have been the Masters of Confected Outrage. Now that someone else in their ranks has committed the Mortal Sin of Misogyny, a taste of their own medicinal confected outrage may actually enlighten them to the error of their doctrine: It’s different when we do it.
Gab
29 Jan 13 at 12:56 pm
You can have blood tests for things like prostate and colo-rectal cancer now, so why did Mr Gillard even raise the matter of Asian ladies’ fingers?
The man’s a boofhead, and so is his roomie.
mareeS
29 Jan 13 at 12:57 pm
I hear Bobby Brown is frantically trying to get ashore from the Sea Perverts flaoting hazard to navigation to volunteer for the appropriate proctological training.
Mk50 of Brisbane
29 Jan 13 at 12:59 pm
Hey, he’d get RPL at least.
Mk50 of Brisbane
29 Jan 13 at 1:00 pm
As an illustration of just how absurd the whole DRE scenario is, behold:
The scene: A GP’s surgery in Melbourne. The GP is a petite asian woman with small hands. The patient is a middle aged white conservative male.
GP: So, patient, it’s time you had a DRE – you are of that age, after all.
Patient: What is a DRE?
GP: Just a very simple procdure.
Patient: What do I need to do?
GP: Get your gear off, bend over and stay very still while I stick my finger up your bottom.
Patient: What the f*ck!
Disclaimer: Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental…
Rabz
29 Jan 13 at 1:03 pm
That the whole episode is a story just goes to show the corruption of political dialogue in this nation.
Winston Smith
29 Jan 13 at 1:03 pm
Well I had it done by two male doctors. I didnt even think of asking if they had big hands, (or big anything else in case you’re wondering).
Mathieson needs to harden up if he wants to be reelected as First Bloke.
Bill
29 Jan 13 at 1:06 pm
It won’t Gab, they’re hypocrites.
Bill, if Tim needs to harden up then the first thing he’ll want is a bag. A big one.
Pedro
29 Jan 13 at 1:12 pm
At the same time? Dude!
JC
29 Jan 13 at 1:12 pm
Can’t be a pleasant job for the doctor, either… though it would help their fingernails grow.
Fleeced
29 Jan 13 at 1:12 pm
No JC. First one was a GP who thought there was a lump. So he had a PSA done, I was a bit worried for a few days but it came back negative. In view of the “lump” I got it from a specialist as well, (just in case). The lump was the roughened area where the tubes hook up.
Bill
29 Jan 13 at 1:16 pm
Couldn’t agree more with Greigoz and GerardB – it’s the monumental hypocrisy of the Left that gets me.
Mr Anderson
29 Jan 13 at 1:16 pm
this is where the ABC has been….
go to the website now and it states
“Editor’s note: the caption of this image has been changed to correct an error in the Prime Minister’s name”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Maws
29 Jan 13 at 1:17 pm
Sir Les Mathieson lies on the couch all day drinking tinnies and raiding the Lodge’s wine cellar. He’s Norm from the Life Be In It campaign.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNjEge3Awl8
Infidel Tiger
29 Jan 13 at 1:19 pm
Men should just get over it. When it comes to things medical women get investigated every which way with whatever and by whoever. Try having a forceps delivery – great fun – with onlookers. We just don’t sexualise these medical things (mostly – tho’ a big fat leso nurse making a meal of check examining me for Ca breast said that this really was a job for ‘your husband’ – like it’s NOT and she shouldn’t sexualise it like that). Nor should men.
Get the finger, get the PSA, get a biopsy, get your information somehow. It’s what you do with the information that is contentious. Read up on that too. This is a rapidly changing field and sticking to old beliefs without the latest info is stupid.
Timmy is a drongo, but we knew that.
Elizabeth (Lizzie) B.
29 Jan 13 at 1:20 pm
If men carried on like women the nations health bill would quadruple. Far too many people go to the doctor as it is.
My grandfther saw a doctor 5 times in his life. Once when he was born, 3 times to pick up my Nana after she’d given birth and finally to be pronounced dead. Anything more would have been an outlandish waste of resources.
Infidel Tiger
29 Jan 13 at 1:29 pm
The easiest way to get over the poofter issue is to have a (female) nurse present while the doctor does the test. That way it’s a 3 way, and everyone knows that it’s not gay if it’s a 3-way.
Unless the balls are touching.
Yobbo
29 Jan 13 at 1:31 pm
Lol@Mk50
Lloyd
29 Jan 13 at 1:31 pm
Good news Tim, the new Canadian Premier is gay. You can finnaly go to the “partners’ bbq” and shake hands with a man.
I’ll stick to psa.
pete m
29 Jan 13 at 1:31 pm
I also put this on the ABC Thread
DRE is just one step.
PSA is an indicator – a sudden spike in numbers can lead to a DRE.
Most reliable is the biopsy if there are still doubts.
In my case, a spike in PSA numbers occurred over 18 months. A DRE was not conclusive and the Biopsy proved I had Prostate Ca. MRI was undertaken to map the scope of the Cancer and see if it could be curtailed with Brachytherapy Procedure. It was later proven that Brachytherapy procedure was not a choice.
Had a Radical Prostatecomy April 2009.
NIL Erectile Function. Permanently “28 minutes past six disease.” Have complete control of Bladder Function.
I’m on bonus time I’m alive!!
Urologist has confirmed something else will get me!!
Mike
Mike of Marion
29 Jan 13 at 1:34 pm
That’s a great idea Tim.
While the little one checks out the back drain, the rest of the family can wash and iron your shirt, cook up a feed of dog dim sims and the old man can pack the opium pipe. They’re all good for something, but not “those f#%^& Vietnamese Balts” much loved by Saint Gough.
Pickles
29 Jan 13 at 1:39 pm
I have a feeling that Chef from South Park might disagree with you…
Rabz
29 Jan 13 at 1:40 pm
In what sense “better”?
Why do men have to be addressed as 12 year olds?
But just to repeat: these tests are utterly useless.
C.L.
29 Jan 13 at 1:50 pm
They aren’t really. They are the first line of defense. A physical exam helps determine if there are any evident problems such as infection etc.
You can’t have a biopsy for suspected prostatitis for instance.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 1:53 pm
“Why do men have to be addressed as 12 year olds?”
true, perhaps it would be better to appeal to a man’s sense of responsibility to his family in looking after his health for their sake, financially and so on.
candy
29 Jan 13 at 1:56 pm
And another thing… Plenty of men end up with prostrate cancer in their old age and it’s not an automatic thing that you would need removal in your 80′s.
A biopsy would tell if there is cancer at the microscopic level which at that point also makes the decision pretty difficult to remove it.
This stuff isn’t black and white… (no racist pun intended)
JC
29 Jan 13 at 1:57 pm
The science in in on these tests, JC.
95 percent useless.
C.L.
29 Jan 13 at 1:57 pm
Agree CL. Even better he had said nothing at all.
Splatacrobat
29 Jan 13 at 1:58 pm
Tim is a dickhead!
He has simply perpetuated those myths (which have homophobic undercurrents, incidentally) that DRE’s are an horrendous ordeal.
A DRE could best be described as “slightly uncomfortable” for about 20 seconds.
I had one recently and the doctor agreed with me that it would be most unwise to go home and sook about it, given the invasive tests women have to endure.
Mathieson has simply (wink-nudge) re-affirmed to waverers that avoiding a DRE is a good thing.
As to the effectiveness of PSA Blood Test vs DRE, my doctor assures me that we should do both. He is of the view that the PSA can throw false negatives.
And, dot, an MRI may be highly effective as a diagnostic tool – I don’t know.
But it would be expensive when we have two relatively inexpensive tests (PSA and DRE) which, when used in conjunction, are highly successful at early diagnosis.
Let’s save the MRI for really important stuff like brain tumours, heart disease and footballer’s knees!
Leigh Lowe
29 Jan 13 at 1:59 pm
Cl
A physical exam is able to tell the doc if the tissue is soft or hard, or even too soft in which case it would suggest infection with other symptoms such as bone joint pain.
If someone has say suspected prostatitis a course of antibiotics would solve the problem and nothing much else needs to be done.
So there is a need for old finger up the butt type exam.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 2:01 pm
Infidel Tiger @ 1.29 pm
I’m here to say that I’m full of admiration for that view.
Too many visits, too many tests
My husband has all the tests – I have none
If I die before he does, they can point a finger at my grave and say “She didn’t have those tests!”
Well, so be it
Giffy
29 Jan 13 at 2:02 pm
???
“Don’t complain unless you are at the very, very bottom”?
.
29 Jan 13 at 2:04 pm
Also the PSA is effective over time… it’s the direction of the tests over time which offers revealing information.
Leigh is right though the old finger and the PSA done repeatedly is the best way to go.
Then say if someone ends up with diagnosed cancer. It’s not a done thing there needs to be an operation to remove it. It depends on a lot of stuff. Depends on the type where it’s located exactly, the age of the person…. and tons more stuff.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 2:05 pm
Let’s not forget that JC is Catallaxy’s chief hypochondriac.
Infidel Tiger
29 Jan 13 at 2:05 pm
Lol… used to be. I haven’t been to the doc for at least a week. hahahahahahhaa
JC
29 Jan 13 at 2:06 pm
It would have been better he just said “regular prostate testing just like bowel cancer testing for high risk groups is the best way to ensure early detection.”
Interestingly he did his Prostate awareness spiel to a bunch of 20 something fit West Indian Cricketers who would be at the complete opposite end of the risk group.
Splatacrobat
29 Jan 13 at 2:08 pm
I know about this shit because I’ve had recurrent prostatitis which some research suggests is 50/50 chance of getting the big C.
It’s a fucking awful thing as it manifests with bone joint pain and heavy duty fever.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 2:09 pm
The science in in on these tests, JC.
95 percent useless.
You clever little dick …
What doctors won’t do
From steroids to sleeping tablets, IVF to the flu jab – doctors reveal the treatments they would avoid
So having a PSA may end up giving you information you would have been better off not knowing. That’s if you can trust the result: it’s notorious for inaccuracies, with false positives, false negatives and an inability to distinguish between harmless pussycat prostate cancers and the less common aggressive tigers.
But then …
Lifetime risk of prostate cancer ‘has trebled’
John H.
29 Jan 13 at 2:11 pm
and I thought JC was a perfect specimen …
candy
29 Jan 13 at 2:14 pm
CL if you’re getting up and down at night several times and it’s making you cranky, it’s time to see the GP.
candy
29 Jan 13 at 2:15 pm
That’s pretty misleading though John.
A PSA test can suggest if there is a cancer. If a physical exam and a PSA over time is suggestive then a biopsy would be ordered which is the only way of determining if there is and what type of cancer it is . Then of course other decisions have to be made.
I don’t think any doc worth is fee would tell a person that the PSA is the be all of testing.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 2:16 pm
With tiny imperfections, Candy. This stuff doesn’t count.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 2:17 pm
Some crackpots there John
I would never go on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet like Atkins, Dukan or Cambridge. Why? Because although you will probably lose weight, they may kill you. Don’t take my word for it – read about the 43,396 Swedish women followed for an average of 15 years. Those who stuck to low carbs and high protein had a rising risk of dying from heart attacks and strokes, depending on how strict they were and for how long they endured them. There was a staggering 62% higher risk of such illnesses among the women eating the strictest diet over those who ate normally. Eating is for enjoyment; these diets turn food into medication, and it’s patently the wrong medicine – it is often lethal.
Tom Smith, GP
I won’t have the flu jab. Elderly patients, or those with a chronic debilitating condition such as heart failure, should consider it, but there is not much evidence that it is of benefit in otherwise healthy young people. Furthermore, the evidence that inoculation of healthcare workers protects patients is very scanty and yet there is massive pressure brought to bear on healthcare workers to be inoculated.
Stephen Leslie, cardiologist and honorary professor, University of Stirling
.
29 Jan 13 at 2:17 pm
They would be more at risk of chlamydia, crabs or some other schlong suppurating disease.
Splatacrobat
29 Jan 13 at 2:20 pm
Don’t take my word for it – read about the 43,396 Swedish women followed for an average of 15 years.
Yeah read that. It is a good way to lose weight, it is a dangerous over the long term. I agree with them. The best diet is the diet that works for your metabolism and lifestyle. The results of a group are not relevant to individuals. And a study released last week found that contrary to prior studies the Mediterranean Diet does not protect against dementia. Today a friend of mine sent me a study on caffeine and dementia. Nice result and concordant with the known effects of caffeine.
John H.
29 Jan 13 at 2:27 pm
Storm in a teacup.
It’s not like they need to do anything drastic like redefine “small female Asian doctor”.
Derp
29 Jan 13 at 2:28 pm
ALPBC 720 currently running damage control for The First Hairdresser who “allegedly” may have caused offence with his racist, sexist joke.
Deafening silence from Nanny Roxon, Plibersek and the Wong chap who seem to spend most of their time in a permanent outrage at the misogyny that daily rages around them.
H B Bear
29 Jan 13 at 2:28 pm
Golly, not even Julian Assange has the stamina to manage that.
Grey
29 Jan 13 at 2:29 pm
Caffeine causes dementia? Noooooooooooooooooooo……I can’t survive without my daily dose!
Gab
29 Jan 13 at 2:29 pm
No, it prevents dementia, has v. slight reductions in some cancer risk, appears protective of the liver, seems to impede diabetes type 2. But look at this: THC superior to current drugs for treating Alz.
Mol Pharm. 2006 Nov-Dec;3(6):773-7.
A molecular link between the active component of marijuana and Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
Eubanks LM, Rogers CJ, Beuscher AE 4th, Koob GF, Olson AJ, Dickerson TJ, Janda KD.
Source
Department of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly, and with the ever-increasing size of this population, cases of Alzheimer’s disease are expected to triple over the next 50 years. Consequently, the development of treatments that slow or halt the disease progression have become imperative to both improve the quality of life for patients and reduce the health care costs attributable to Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we demonstrate that the active component of marijuana, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as prevents AChE-induced amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) aggregation, the key pathological marker of Alzheimer’s disease. Computational modeling of the THC-AChE interaction revealed that THC binds in the peripheral anionic site of AChE, the critical region involved in amyloidgenesis. Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of Abeta aggregation, and this study provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease.
PMID: 17140265 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] PMCID: PMC2562334 Free PMC Article
John H.
29 Jan 13 at 2:32 pm
John H. Honestly you can find a paper that proves anything.
Just remember: 80% of medical studies are wrong.
Grey
29 Jan 13 at 2:36 pm
Panic over then. Phew! It was touch and go there for a minute.
Gab
29 Jan 13 at 2:37 pm
Do you even understand the importance of the last statement, Greys, you nincompoop?
Adding to that a little more…
How many climate science papers are wrong?
JC
29 Jan 13 at 2:38 pm
from ‘mole.
Hear, hear.
Pedro the Ignorant
29 Jan 13 at 2:39 pm
LOL JC!
Woolfe
29 Jan 13 at 2:39 pm
John H. Honestly you can find a paper that proves anything.
Just remember: 80% of medical studies are wrong.
Yeah yeah know about Ioannidis. That’s why I have always used a mass action strategy. Not one study, but read hundreds. I have read a huge number of studies on cannabinoids and there is a clear consistent trend towards neuroprotection.
The irony of a recent study rebutting Ioannidis’ claims is that in that paper they stated that 80% of studies were correct but they made methodological flaws in their analysis!
If the medical research is so botched then explain why so many great treatments have been derived from the same? It is good to by cynical, it is better to be work hard, think hard, and find ways to overcome the shortcomings of so much research.
John H.
29 Jan 13 at 2:43 pm
Fair enough John H.
Just on the face of it, to me, it seems unlikely. I mean why cannabis and not parsley or daffodil petals or wollemi pine needles? That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be true, but I have just seen to many of these types of studies to be bothered personally descending down that particular rabbit hole. It is too easy to generate in vitro data that are meaningless when applied to real physiological systems.
In this case I am happy to let the scientific process do its work. If its true, it will eventually triumph, but may be it is just research generated in the heat of California’s [La Jolla] debates on medical cannabis.
Grey
29 Jan 13 at 2:55 pm
Outraged gay white doctors with petite fingers slams First Hairdresser’s comment’s as homophobic.
News at 11.00
Splatacrobat
29 Jan 13 at 3:01 pm
Outraged gay white doctors with petite fingers slams First Hairdresser’s comment’s as homophobic.
News at 11.00
What a shame the PM’s bo did not make that comment after Roxon’s bozo legislation. Now wouldn’t that be an interesting test case.
John H.
29 Jan 13 at 3:16 pm
Wouldn’t too much cannabis cause Alzheimers in the first place – or at least lead to almost indistinguishable symptoms*?
There is a very good reason hippies are incessantly mocked for being braindead…
* Duuuuhhhh, who am I man, what day is it and what planet am I on, man? Oh, hey man, there’s that woman with the big nose and the funny voice and who’s that bloke with her, man? He looks like a real pothead, man!
And on and on and on ad nauseam…
Rabz
29 Jan 13 at 3:23 pm
Can you imagine the squeals of testicles being squished between two glass plates and subjected to Xradiation every two years after the age of 50?
Sorry, not funny, but there’s a blood test for prostate cancer now, and there’s still no blood test for breast cancer. As of last week my boobs still had to be squashed between glass plates.
Men’s health was awfully and wrongly eclipsed by women’s interests for decades, but the progress in prostate cancer research and treatment has been impressively swift.
One observation: the only thing to be said about a mammogram is that it’s quick and efficient. It’s also the only less invasive procedure than a pap smear or a prostate check, and women have 2/1 life experiences over men in that regard.
btw, my husband prefers the blood check for prostate as compared to the finger check, regardless of the sex or ethnicity of the checker.
mareeS
29 Jan 13 at 3:31 pm
And do we know what effect all that radiation has on breast tissue?
Ellen of Tasmania
29 Jan 13 at 3:48 pm
It’s not the same sort or level of pain, maree. Get real. You can squeezes breasts and do in a nice gentle way. You can’t do that to old fellas. Any level of squeezing causes intense pain.
Was that for recreational or medical reasons?
Perhaps, but the real money has been spent on breasts.
Can’t blame him.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 3:49 pm
Of course David Marr’s favourite rectal examiner suffers from acromegaly.
Harold
29 Jan 13 at 3:49 pm
The final paragraph on that link says it all, “Due to a significant legacy of underinvestment, men with prostate cancer are still faced with diagnostic tests and treatments which are decades behind where we need to be”.
Open up any newspaper or magazine feature section on ‘health’ and nine times out of ten it will be about ‘women’s health issues’.
And why do men need to be persuaded to endure a briefly uncomfortable test by appealing “to a man’s sense of responsibility to his family in looking after his health for their sake, financially and so on”?
I get it done annually together with the PSA and other blood test indicators like liver function etc. because I prefer living to the alternative and malignant prostate cancer has a particularly nasty habit of spreading to the bones.
My doctor says that past the age of 70 or 75 there’s not much point doing anything about it anyway.
manalive
29 Jan 13 at 4:19 pm
First, was the function primarily to meet the West Indian cricket team and welcome them, enjoy a lighthearted time, or was this a fund raising function dealing with ‘mens’ problems? Viewing the clip over at Andrew Bolt’s site, wasnt impressed with Tim’s public speaking manner, joke neither here nor there. However was interested to hear him, as a lay person, extoll the virtues of the digital exam. Has he had prostate cancer? Does he have intimate knowledge this is the best way, so to speak. My former husband (when we were still together), had been advised by a colleague who had gone the whole nine yards with prostate cancer, to request a PSA test next time he visited his GP. He did so, being in his early 50′s, didnt think much about it. Next minute he was at the specialist, another blood test (maybe digital as well), two days later, summoned to specialist who advised an operation rather than radiation, as the PSA was high and further tests pointed out a quite aggressive cancer. Anyway regardless of the joke from Timmy, it seems to me a bit of a dicey thing to recommend only one form ‘as the best’ which could put men off, when there are other opinions by specialists. My former husband is luckily still alive, but the operation produced the dreaded I & I. Impotence and incontinence. Well partial impotence, so there are mental challenges when faced with both things. So basically a message should be, men over 50 or under if they are experiencing certain symptoms, go and discuss with their medicos all the up-to-date alternatives. Sorry to have gone on. Cheers.
delfino
29 Jan 13 at 4:28 pm
I was having a laugh, JC.
mareeS
29 Jan 13 at 4:53 pm
Not really.
The left think this law won’t apply to them – and they’re right!
This application of this law will be the combination of the legislative instrument and the application from the bench.
Timbo would be excused on the grounds that it was an “in good faith” remark for a good cause.
People like the Whitehaven hoaxer would be able to say what they liked in the interests of “legitimate protest”.
Make no mistake.
The only people who will feel the weight of this law as applied by the likes of Judge Mordy will be white Anglos born around mid 20th century.
Leigh Lowe
29 Jan 13 at 5:18 pm
Will someone do that?
If so, where do I get it?
And am I really restricted to only one go every two years?
Leigh Lowe
29 Jan 13 at 5:20 pm
Only if you’re a man, and it’s for screening purposes, Leigh.
mareeS
29 Jan 13 at 5:24 pm
Yep. Agree 100% and the leftoids know this too. Any wonder they don’t furiously object to restrictions to free press and free speech a la Finkelstien and von Roxon’s discrimination laws.
Gab
29 Jan 13 at 5:25 pm
Ever the optimist…
mct
29 Jan 13 at 5:25 pm
Fair suck of the sauce. I’m of Italian background, Bolt is Dutch. I wouldn’t be spared a tongue lashing by the mordster.
You have to be a special kind of person to escape Mordy like punishments.
It’s equal opportunity for whites in Mordy’s kangaroo court.
If they dare put these laws through the right shouldn’t fear it. The law can be teaked (as I said) to cause the left a great deal of hardship and serious fucking pain.
I’d be happy to be the Right’s judge Mordy.
JC
29 Jan 13 at 5:28 pm
@ Rabz
A bit like the TISM song, “Thou shalt not Britney, Spear”
Huckleberry Chunkwot
29 Jan 13 at 5:32 pm
Delfino Your ex-husband was youngish to be having that experience, really bad luck. Quite an ordeal for a man to go through.
candy
29 Jan 13 at 5:33 pm
Chunks, I was wondering if anyone was going to notice!
Rabz
29 Jan 13 at 5:46 pm
Comradesses on the other hand………..
Huckleberry Chunkwot
29 Jan 13 at 5:49 pm
Oh, for fuck sake, it was a bit of a light hearted joke to a difficulty that most men view with a fair bit of consternation.
I saw the video clip this morning.
I thought it was amusing and if nothing else provided a bit of light hearted banter to an awkward mental thought.
Brandis got it right in his response – ie we should be able to handle a bit of banter like this without a heap of confected outrage.
Abbott got it wrong; albeit I can understand his response given the misogyny rants that have been spewed at him over the last months by Gillard and her disgraceful misandrists of the Handbag Hit Squad.
Greg James
29 Jan 13 at 6:46 pm
This stuff is the equivalent of the man flu compared to women getting the common cold.
For Christs sake, just do it without the squeals.
Winston SMITH
29 Jan 13 at 7:37 pm
Brandis and Abbot are right. Personally I don’t care but for the hypocrisy.
.
29 Jan 13 at 7:53 pm
But what about the important question – WTF was he doing talking about prostate checks to a cricket crowd including West Indians who were likely saying WTF is this guy on about?
pete m
29 Jan 13 at 11:01 pm
“But what about the important question ..”
It does seem odd and pointless. Perhaps it’s in his job description to speak to every visiting male group to the Lodge … or he’s practising for something bigger?
candy
29 Jan 13 at 11:27 pm
Thank you for your comments Candy. I hope I didnt frighten the ‘boys’ here. Scare them off examinations, I mean. And as for your recent comment, ‘perhaps it’s in his job description…’. That was my interest, did he just decide to stand up and earn his keep, bringing up a men’s issue. Wonder if the cricket team went off for a few ‘roadies’ in the men’s shed at the bottom of the Lodge garden??
delfino
30 Jan 13 at 1:07 am
Mr Penny Wong to you JC, or that Wong chap ™ Mk50.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
30 Jan 13 at 1:22 am
I wish he’d get rid of the pin striped suits, Mick.
JC
30 Jan 13 at 1:24 am
He’s from Adelaide mate, it takes a while for the memo to reach there.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
30 Jan 13 at 1:26 am
I’m Chinese. My sister’s a doctor. We work hard in this country to make a contribution to this society…We didn’t come to this country to be belittled by an emasculated man who has a fetish for Asian females playing with his rectum. We found his remark offensive.
ALP has lost our vote. We will now promote LNP to our relatives and friends.
asian_guy
30 Jan 13 at 8:47 am
TV ads promoting awareness of intimate examinations to safeguard against cancer in women also use earthy humour and raucous laughter with the actors from ethnic communities where this issue is most sensitive.
have people lost their sense of context.
Jim Rose
30 Jan 13 at 10:39 pm