I suffer from nasal polyps which makes me more inclined to get sinus infections.  I've chosen not to have them removed surgically (at least for the moment), so I've been trying to deal with them with medication, but the sinus infections are a pain.  

My doctor has told me that antibiotics are not reckoned to be effective for sinus infections.  I have done my own research and experimented with various ideas and so far the most effective thing seems to be eating raw garlic, which I crush (to ensure that the cell walls are ruptured and allicin is produced) and then eat within a couple of hours.  

The biggest problem is that I can't manage this for more than a few days and every time I try it my tongue feels like I have burnt it all over for about a week after I stop.  It is extremely painful for quite some time.  While I eat the garlic it is very painful as well, but I can put up with that and get through it.  I have great difficulty in swallowing something without chewing thoroughly first, which probably doesn't help matters.  

I'm wondering whether the sulfenic acid (or possibly other acids) is burning my tongue and I have considered the idea of neutralising it with eg. sodium bicarbonate, but I'm a little nervous that this may cause a chemical reaction which will create something poisonous or neutralise the positive effects (and it really doesn't sound appetising).  

I'm curious to see what different ideas people may have from different disciplines and possibly personal experience?

I can understand that a pulmonary embolism (PE) causes an increase in dead space (an area of lung is no longer perfused but continues to be ventilated and cannot take part in gas exchange).  Increasing dead space alone should not cause hypoxia.

looking at it simplistically, a PE should not cause a shunt.  A shunt happens when an area of lung is perfused but not ventilated (for example in pneumonia).  A shunt causes hypoxia because deoxygenated blood bypasses gas exchange and returns to the left side of the heart.

I have read in a physiology book (West) that the hypoxia in a PE is due to a big increase in the blood flow through healthy parts of the lung, to the extent that gas exchange is limited by the fact that blood passes through the alveolus so quickly that oxygen does not have time to diffuse into the capillaries (diffusion limited).  If this is the case then why don't we all become hypoxic when we exercise?  OUr cardiac output increases dramatically and therefore blood flow through all parts of the lung must also increase dramatically (far more than can be explained by even a PE taking out an entire lung, which would only double blood flow to the healthy lung).

The only explanation that I can come to is that the areas of the lung directly affected by the PE, cause swelling in the adjacent alveoli (which remain perfused) and that the swelling/inflamation limits ventilation in those alveoli causing a shunt.

Does anybody have a better explanation?  I find it strange that hypoxia is one of the signs of a PE and yet there is no obvious explanation as to why it causes this.

There are several conflicting schools of thought on how best to stop the pain felt when stung by a jellyfish.Some people say that the best course of action is to urinate on the affected area (the ammonia prevents the sting), whilst others say to pour vinegar (the acetic acid of which is the active ingredient) on the sting.

Surely both of these cannot work, as the acetic acid in vinegar is acidic and the ammonia in urine is basic. Assuming that the aim is to neutralise the sting as with bees/wasps, surely both of these can't work? Which DOES work?

Is there any reason for this reflex and does it help them medically?

Do medical doctors, because of their knowledge of medicine and proximity to medical services, have a longer life expectancy than other people?

David Ashboren, by email, no address supplied

My daughter has been receiving daily injections of Saizen grown hormone for a few months now and management of the mixed solution (has to remain at 2-8C) is easy in a home environment as it sits in the fridge when not being used.However, we are contemplating a holiday to the US and would like to know if there is a cool bag out there which will give 8-12 hours at 2-8C so that we can take the stuff with us (don't want her to miss out).Failing that, has anyone tried double-bagging ?  Experimental temperature curves by any chance ?ThanksNick

I am wondering if there are statistics on the increase in prevalence of genetic diseases due to people living who otherwise would not. We are currently not fixing the genetic mutations that cause these problems but are treating the symptoms.

I am a firm believer that we are doing the right thing by helping these people but do we have a plan for the future?

How far are we off being able to safely administer germ line genetic therapy so that a person’s offspring will not be at risk of inheriting the disease?