Hoping to avoid The Big One: little earthquakes and anti-incontinence medication
Dan Brawner
April 22, 2008
Okay, maybe it wasn´t "The Big One", but last Friday´s 5.2 earthquake at 4:38 a.m. was enough to get a lot of Midwesterners out of bed earlier than usual. Excited friends called, trembling with their own personal aftershocks, to confirm the experience. "Did you feel that?" they demanded to know. Feel what–the alarm clock hitting my bare foot as I fumbled for the phone? No, actually, I was asleep–like any sensible person.
It was embarrassing to witness normally unshakable Midwesterners all a twitter about some little earthquake when we routinely have tornadoes that slurp up barns the size of the Notre Dame Cathedral and deposit them in the next county. And nobody even notices because American Idol was on.
There was a real earthquake in 1812 with a magnitude of 8.2 that could have flattened the entire Midwest. If it hadn´t been flat already. I used to live in Los Angeles and we´d get minor quakes all the time. Geologist say this relieves pressure along the fault line–like releasing steam from a boiler–and decreases the likelihood of a major disaster. In contrast, pressure along the Midwest´s "New Madrid Zone" is infrequent, meaning that when it does occur, it is more likely to result in a massive release.
In an unrelated news item, Time Magazine has reported that recent studies show incontinence drugs may cause memory problems in older patients. These anticholinergics drugs are able to block certain nerve impulses including those that cause spasms of the bladder. Unfortunately, they may also interfere with other neurological functions. One test group showed a 50 percent greater mental decline compared with those who did not take anti-incontinence drugs. After taking the medication, one patient reported a noticeable loss of memory as well as hallucinating conversations with her deceased relatives.
This appears to pose a certain dilemma. Patients would be asked to choose between mental control and bladder control. ("I´m thinking, doctor. Don´t rush me!") They can either engage in lively banter with people who aren´t actually alive or spend the remainder of their days in plastic pants.
To even have to consider such a decision would be too much pressure for most people. Surely, it would be better to seek more modest, incremental solutions than to let the problem build up out of all proportion.
We are told that although Friday´s earthquake resulted in no major damage, it was the biggest Midwest temblor in 40 years. But geologists remind us, if it had not been for the quake of 1812 and the hundreds of little ones since then, the built-up pressure might have led to a serious accident. We humans tend to panic every time the earth relieves itself like this. But we should have some sympathy for our planet. Sure, earthquakes are scary for us. But just imagine how good the earth feels afterwards.
It was embarrassing to witness normally unshakable Midwesterners all a twitter about some little earthquake when we routinely have tornadoes that slurp up barns the size of the Notre Dame Cathedral and deposit them in the next county. And nobody even notices because American Idol was on.
There was a real earthquake in 1812 with a magnitude of 8.2 that could have flattened the entire Midwest. If it hadn´t been flat already. I used to live in Los Angeles and we´d get minor quakes all the time. Geologist say this relieves pressure along the fault line–like releasing steam from a boiler–and decreases the likelihood of a major disaster. In contrast, pressure along the Midwest´s "New Madrid Zone" is infrequent, meaning that when it does occur, it is more likely to result in a massive release.
In an unrelated news item, Time Magazine has reported that recent studies show incontinence drugs may cause memory problems in older patients. These anticholinergics drugs are able to block certain nerve impulses including those that cause spasms of the bladder. Unfortunately, they may also interfere with other neurological functions. One test group showed a 50 percent greater mental decline compared with those who did not take anti-incontinence drugs. After taking the medication, one patient reported a noticeable loss of memory as well as hallucinating conversations with her deceased relatives.
This appears to pose a certain dilemma. Patients would be asked to choose between mental control and bladder control. ("I´m thinking, doctor. Don´t rush me!") They can either engage in lively banter with people who aren´t actually alive or spend the remainder of their days in plastic pants.
To even have to consider such a decision would be too much pressure for most people. Surely, it would be better to seek more modest, incremental solutions than to let the problem build up out of all proportion.
We are told that although Friday´s earthquake resulted in no major damage, it was the biggest Midwest temblor in 40 years. But geologists remind us, if it had not been for the quake of 1812 and the hundreds of little ones since then, the built-up pressure might have led to a serious accident. We humans tend to panic every time the earth relieves itself like this. But we should have some sympathy for our planet. Sure, earthquakes are scary for us. But just imagine how good the earth feels afterwards.