January 9th, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Diary, Exercise, Fat Prevention, Jogging, Jogging Log, Primary Care, Running
1 Comment »
Another year is done and my running log for 2009 is complete. For two years now I’ve kept track of my jogging/running/walking that I perform in my leisure time. In 2008 I completed just over 600 miles of leisure time exercise. The great thing about running is that it’s free. Minus the cost of shoes and socks and a few pairs of shorts, anyone can do it. You don’t need a GPS watch to get the job done. You don’t need a gym. All you need are your two front feet and a little inspiration and motivation.
The Biggest Loser lost over 55% of his weight, or 239 pounds and how did he do it? He kept moving. There is no secret to weight loss and fitness. Watch how much you eat. Make smart choices about how you choose to live your life and make it happen. If you have no expectations, you’ll meet them every time. This show is proof positive that even the super obese can lose remarkable amounts of weight with diet and exercise.
Running has become a part of my life. Without exercise, I often feel like my day is not complete. Seeking exercise is a state of mind that happens once you experience the benefits of feeling fit. Here is my running log for 2009: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist Blog*
January 8th, 2010 by Emergiblog in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Burnout, Constipation, Emergency Medicine, Nursing, Tired, Yeast
No Comments »
Constipated since childhood, but after 63 years, she decided to deal with it on Christmas at 0400.
Okay, not really.
Apparently, if you are constipated you should eat yeast.
Plain squares of yeast.
I don’t get the mechanism.
Yeast rises in a warm environment.
So, if you eat it, does it keep expanding until it explodes everything in front of it out the, uh, exit door?
*****
I will say that the most interesting chief complaints tend to cluster around the holidays.
It goes something like this: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*
January 8th, 2010 by Bongi in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Anesthesiology, Hand Washing, Infectious Disease, Perineal Abscess, Pus, Sepsis, Surgery
No Comments »
Shaking hands is not really such a good idea, especially in a hospital where there are all sorts of nasty bugs floating around, seeking whom they may devour. So generally I do not shake hands unless the patient absolutely insists and I think the cultural slight may be more than he can bear. But one incident highlighted to me the reason you generally don’t want to shake hands so well it could just have well been written all over the hospital in bright neon lights.
I was on call that night so it fell to me to evaluate and treat the patient in casualties which the casualty officer said had a perianal abscess. I approached the bed and introduced myself, but I made a point of positioning myself in such a way that the patient wouldn’t be able to greet me with the traditional handshake. Experience had taught me that this was one case where this cultural idiosyncracy was patricularly ill-advised.
I asked what the problem was. without saying a word his hand moved to his gluteal cleft in one smooth motion. Moments later I found myself staring with morbid fascination as he pulled his butt cheeks apart and started prodding what was clearly an abscess with his finger. It had already broken open slightly so there was a thin stream of pus oozing out and following the natural pull of gravity. The patient’s grubby finger scratched, prodded and poked this poor stream of sepsis, completely disrupting its attempt to soil the bed linen. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at other things amanzi*
January 8th, 2010 by Jonathan Foulds, Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Addiction Medicine, Cold Turkey, Cut Down, New Year's Resolution, Primary Care, Quit Smoking, Quitting, smoking cessation
1 Comment »
Most specialist smoking cessation services advise patients to select a quit date and quit smoking completely on that day (usually along with medication), but many smokers prefer the idea of cutting down gradually. What are the pros and cons?
I theory, cutting down gradually might provide a “softer landing” in that it might spread out the nicotine withdrawal over a longer period, rather than giving the nicotine receptors an abrupt shock of no nicotine. It also seems to fit with common sense that it might be easier to change the behavior gradually rather than all at once. Read more »
This post, Trying To Quit Smoking? Should You Cut Down Or Go Cold Turkey?, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Jonathan Foulds, Ph.D..
January 7th, 2010 by Jon LaPook, M.D. in Better Health Network, Expert Interviews, Video
Tags: CBSDOC.COM, Infertility, Jon LaPook, Male Factors, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Parenting, Pregnancy, Sperm, Urology
No Comments »
For thousands of years, infertility was considered a female problem. The word “barren” sounds almost comical now but was a commonplace label a century ago. In “The Cottage Physician,” written at the end of the 19th century, a section entitled “Barrenness” lists possible causes, including “want of tone or strength in the system” and “nervous debility.” Treatments included “cold bathing, general tonics or strengtheners to the system, electricity applied locally” as well as “abstinence from sexual indulgence for a time.” Fortunately, medicine has progressed considerably since then and the diagnosis and treatment of infertility have improved dramatically. But the misconception that it’s solely a female problem has persisted. Read more »
