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Hitting a nerve on the issue of immunizations
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I struck a nerve. Immunizations are your nerve. I wrote with that raw nerve inflamed. - photo by Joseph Cramer, MD
I struck a nerve. Immunizations are your nerve. I wrote with that raw nerve inflamed.

We have all hit our elbow wrong. The knock against our nerve provokes a shooting pain down our arm. There is a condition that by its name alone you know you have hit a nerve tic douloureux.

This is an extremely painful problem with the sensory nerves of the face. There is an excruciating, some say even tortuous, flash that engulfs one side of the face. The nerve is not hit, but it might as well be.

When I recently wrote about immunizations ("Bringing home measles instead of Mickey Mouse ears"), I struck some of your nerves. What I wrote was out of true regard for children. It was also visceral, derived from my scary experiences. I cared for a child with measles. I know what it is like for a child to suffer with this unnecessary infection. It was horrible. She was one of the sickest children I have ever seen who lived. Her pain struck my nerve.

I once did a spinal tap on a child already blinded by pneumococcal meningitis. He had a second case of meningitis, now from a different germ, H influenza. Today, that boy would be able to have his vision protected by vaccines from both invaders.

I have watched a mother struggle to care for a child who was mentally disabled due to vaccine-preventable meningitis. When one sees the spinal fluid surrounding the brain drip out of the needle as pus, it is never forgotten.

When we feel threatened when a nerve is struck a common reaction is anger. It is natural. The hormones of rage empower our muscles to punch harder and faster.

The question I pose to all who were offended is why that nerve? There are thousands, if not tens of thousands of nerves in our body, both literal and figurative. Why immunizations?

There are so many causes in the world to fight. Anyone could go to bed exhausted every day from the struggles: child soldiers, girls denied schooling, homelessness. There are children exploited as slaves for physical labor or sexual pleasure. Why immunizations?

The study on immunizations and autism by UK doctor Andrew Wakefield was retracted, and he has lost his medical license. Where are the pickets and the celebrities demanding accountability? What he did and the others who have followed should strike a nerve in all of us, but it doesnt even produce a tingle.

In the hospital, I hand out a survey to some parents about the social stresses at home that lead to poor health both physical and emotional. In a matter of a few questionnaires, three mothers marked that they did not have enough food. One mom said that she made sure her two children had enough, but that she would go without. Too many Americans are hungry not because they are on a diet. There is no food for them to eat.

Make hunger in America the cause celebre. Move beyond the anger of immunizations and on to something that is real in our state and across the nation.

The intensity of the anger and the tenor of the comments removed from the subject are interesting. Feeling passionate about something is exciting and makes life interesting. But why not something that is beneficial? Immunizations save lives and billions of dollars.

I am not a political cartoonist. I am not a medical terrorist. Obviously, I am not a diplomat. I am a pediatrician trying to do my best to care for incredible children and amazing parents.

In the end, we want the same thing, your child alive, safe and healthy.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.