Smoking is Highly Addictive in Kids (Teens and Babies) [video]

All it takes is one cigarette a month.

A recent study in Pediatrics that tracked the course of addiction to smoking among a group of sixth-graders found that smoking only one cigarette a month was all it took to become dependent.

In the study titled "Early Course of Nicotine Dependence in Adolescent Smokers," the researchers found that one cigarette a month or one cigarette a week was enough to keep addiction satisfied, but as time goes by, the child has to smoke cigarettes more and more frequently. So people may be addicted for more than a year before they feel the need to smoke a cigarette every day.

Read a NPR story on this research here.

Apparently, this may be true not only for tweens, but even infants... Here is a YouTube video of a 2 year old baby who has become addicted and is now a chain-smoker.

A New Method of Allergy Testing (Multi-Array Chip Technology)

A MIT researcher has developed a new and possibly more accurate blood test for allergies using multi-array chip technology. The paper is titled "Multidimensional analysis of the frequencies and rates of cytokine secretion from single cells by quantitative microengraving" and is published in the journal Lab on a Chip.

This chip technology uses a microscopic engraving process to create thousands to millions of tiny wells (or multi-array) on a chip where a different "blood test" can occur in each well. An overly simplified explanation of how testing occurs is as follows:

Inside each well, the chip manufacturer can place a different type of food or pollen protein such as milk or cat dander. A blood sample placed into the well will than allow allergic cells to "react" with the protein. If the cell (and therefore the person) is sensitized to the protein, the cell will release chemicals called cytokines that can be measured.

Given there are thousands to millions of wells, all of them microscopic in size, only a small amount of blood can be used to test for a whole array of food and pollen allergies.

Read the actual research here.

Unfortunately, our office does not utilize this innovative technology... yet... to test people for allergies. We use RAST. Using the results obtained, we are able to provide allergy shots or allergy drops.

Botox - A National Security Threat???

Botox which is commonly used for cosmetic and medical reasons can also pose a national security threat according to a story in the June 2010 Scientific American.

Before this claim can be dismissed out-of-hand, consider that consumer demand for botox is fueling a proliferation of illegal botox distributors. Botox, which is botulinum toxin made by a bacteria in food gone bad, is actually a lethal poison which could potentially be used as a potent biological weapon in large enough quantities. Illegal botox distributors in their quest to make more money can sell botox to terrorists (or be terrorists themselves selling to make money to fund its use as a weapon).

Read more about the story here. Read a LA Times article here.

Read more about illegal botox distributors here.

On a lighter note, Dr. Chang performs botox injections for both cosmetic and medical purposes including facial wrinkles, torticollis, spasmodic dysphonia, etc. See the complete list here. We purchase our botox directly from Allergan, the manufacturer of botox.

Is Cancer Contagious? Well... it depends...

The literal answer to this question is YES... Cancer CAN be contagious, but only if you are a tasmanian devil, hamster, or a dog.

Fortunately, cancer has NOT been found to be contagious in humans... yet...

At this time, the only cancers I am aware of that is contagious are found in the animal world. And even in that world, there are only 3.

1) Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) which causes a contagious cancer of the face in Tasmanian Devils ultimately resulting in death. The cancer originates in the Schwann cells and is suspected to spread when bits of cancer comes into contact with an open wound via biting (which Tasmanian Devils do a lot of to each other).

2) Canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT) is passed between dogs via sexual activity and has been known to science for about 100 years.

3) Contagious reticulum cell sarcoma of the Syrian hamster which can be transmitted from one Syrian hamster to another by means of the bite of the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

SO... the answer to whether cancer is contagious is YES!!! But not (so far) in humans.

Read more about how cancer may become contagious in this Harper's Magazine article published in 2008.

Dr. Chang Receives Patients' Choice Award for 2009

For the year 2009, Dr. Christopher Chang was given a Patients' Choice Award. Apparently, only a handful of physicians receive this honor (less than 3% out of 720,000 active physicians). This honor is determined based on ratings provided by actual patient ratings.

Read more about Dr. Chang here.