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| Guess I have to stop drinking alcohol....
(From The New York Times)
Drinkers’ Red Face May Signal Cancer Risk By NICHOLAS BAKALAR Published: March 20, 2009
People whose faces turn red when they drink alcohol may be facing more than embarrassment. The flushing may indicate an increased risk for a deadly throat cancer, researchers report.
The flushing response, which may be accompanied by nausea and a rapid heartbeat, is caused mainly by an inherited deficiency in an enzyme called ALDH2, a trait shared by more than a third of people of East Asian ancestry — Japanese, Chinese or Koreans. As little as half a bottle of beer can trigger the reaction.The deficiency results in problems in metabolizing alcohol, leading to an accumulation in the body of a toxin called acetaldehyde. People with two copies of the gene responsible have such unpleasant reactions that they are unable to consume large amounts of alcohol. This aversion actually protects them against the increased risk for cancer. But those with only one copy can develop a tolerance to acetaldehyde and become heavy drinkers. “What we’re trying to do here is raise awareness of this risk factor among doctors and their ALDH2-deficient patients," said Dr. Philip J. Brooks, an investigator with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and an author of the report published on Monday in the journal PLoS Medicine. “It’s a pretty serious risk." The malignancy, called squamous cell esophageal cancer, is also caused by smoking and can be treated with surgery, but survival rates are very low. Even moderate drinking increases the risk, but it rises sharply with heavier consumption. An ALDH2-deficient person who has two beers a day has six to 10 times the risk of developing esophageal cancer as a person not deficient in the enzyme. Reducing drinking can significantly reduce the incidence of this cancer among Asian adults. The researchers calculate that if moderate- or heavy-drinking ALDH2-deficient Japanese men reduced their consumption to under 16 drinks a week, 53 percent of esophageal squamous cell cancers in that group could be prevented. There is some anecdotal evidence that young people treat the flushing as a cosmetic response to be countered with antihistamines while continuing to drink. Ignoring the symptom and continuing to drink is likely to increase the incidence of esophageal cancer, researchers said. To determine risk, doctors can ask their patients two simple questions. First, do you flush after drinking a glass of beer? Second, in the first one or two years after you began drinking, did you flush after having a beer? The second question covers the possibility that a person has become tolerant to the effect. Dr. Brooks said that the two questions give doctors an easy way to find out if the patient is ALDH2-deficient. There is also a patch test in which an ethanol-soaked pad is applied to the skin. If it causes reddening after 10 or 15 minutes, there is a high likelihood that the person is ALDH2-deficient.
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| Do you know why I act the way I do around you? Because I like you. As much as I try not to, I can't help myself.
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| So, I haven't been good in updating and all that. There are many reasons for that: #1, I'm lazy, #2, I'm on Facebook too much, #3, I got a new television (and cable!).... But, yeah, plenty of excuses for not writing.
I didn't even wish all of you a Happy Chinese New Year! Oops!
But, things are going ok. Over the past six months, I've moved to San Francisco, scrapped and became cheap because I didn't have a job for six months, went to the gym a lot to waste my time, met some new friends, ate at some good (and not so good) places, bought lots of bottles of wine, sent out millions of "I need a job" emails, got back millions of "sorry, but no job for you" emails, got a new 46" television, got cable, got sent to NYC for a job interview, got a job, went to Boston to see my family, and started work last week (which required me to work this past weekend, too).
That's me in a nutshell. Blah, wasn't it? 
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| So, I have to blog about something I felt is so stupid and ridiculous that I just had to get it off my chest.
On Facebook, I'm friends with a number of people, whether because I know them, I play certain Facebook games that others play, or because people just want to be my friend. There's one particular now "ex-friend" whom I apparently pissed off ... over my apparent lack of manners. His name (no point in naming names): JC.
There were two gatherings last year: one for Christmas Eve, the other for New Year's Eve. Both times, the organizer was JC. I was the guest, but I wanted to bring one particular friend with me (NC) since he's not from here and he otherwise had no place to go for those two days. So, I specifically inquired into whether I could bring other people with me for Christmas Eve. And, it was apparently fine since I never got any indication to the contrary. So, for Christmas Eve, I brought NC.
For New Year's Eve, JC had asked me to invite another person (TS) friend, since he didn't have his information, to the dinner party. I, again inquire into whether I could bring NC. And, again, since I didn't get any indication to the contrary, I brought NC. As for TS, I noted to JC that I didn't hear from him, so I wasn't sure whether he was coming.
The night of New Year's Eve, while eating dinner at the restaurant, I get a phone call from TS, and I tell him about the gathering, which I already told him about before. And, so he tells me he'll come. We wait, while eating for him, and I start piling food for him in anticipation of his arrival. He calls about a hour later saying that he couldn't get out of work, and, so he couldn't come. Ok, so the remaining food is split among all the people at the table.
Lo and behold, a few weeks later, I am talking to another friend who tells me that JC was apparently pissed for my apparently being inconsiderate and having no manners over the invitations of these people, saying that I did not let him know that I was bringing people. And, JC's deleted me from his friend's list on Facebook. What apparently was the breaking point was me saving food for TS because I thought he was coming.... Which didn't happen.
It's stupid, I know. For someone of his age and stature - a doctor in his early 30s - you would have thought that he would have grown up a little? Or least have the courtesy/decency to confront me with my apparent lack of manners so there would be a constructive resolution? Instead, I hear it from a friend. And, JC makes a big deal about it in an email ... which is not necessarily the best way to communicate since it will eventually come out.
I consider myself someone who acts relatively appropriately in situations such as this. I grew up in a family high on tradition and high on standards. I wouldn't bring anyone unless I ask. And, even if I didn't ask, let me know instead of making it a big deal to everyone else. I'm not going to bite, and it's just easier to resolve the situation before it gets to this point. Finally, it's not a big deal; it's just an extra plate and an extra set of silverware. It wasn't like he was going to eat and not pay for his meal.
What annoys me more is the fact that he tries to make a parallel to adding an extra person to a dinner at another place, saying that we would have been kicked out. More load of baloney, since restaurants will not do that.
Finally, what annoys me the most is that someone who wasn't even there decides to take sides with him instead of mediating the situation. And he's known me longer than JC. These are apparently my friends....
Well, whatever. As they say, friends come and go, and life continues, whether that friend is there or not.
And, in the meantime, I deal with other people whom I'm ready to let go, as well.
I've been in SF for no more than 6 months, and I've apparently caused so much drama that I'm being ostracized by certain people and otherwise being ignored by others. What a life.
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| Just wanted to wish all of you a wonderful, safe, healthy, and prosperous 2009!
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