July 1st, 2011 by RamonaBatesMD in Health Tips
Tags: Avoidance, Emergency Medicine, Fireworks Safety, Fourth Of July, Injury, Pediatrics, Safety, Surgery
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As the 4th of July approaches, I’ve begun to hear fireworks exploding in my neighborhood. It’s been dry here, so in addition to the risk of injuring a person, there is a risk of setting the fields on fire. I sure hope my neighbors are being responsible.
I hope you will all have a safe and happy July 4th. Be safe and stay out of the ER.
Please use the following tips:
- Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks. A responsible adult should be in charge.
- Read and follow all warnings and instructions.
- Be sure other people are out-of-range before lighting fireworks. Small children should be kept a safe distance from the fireworks; older children that use fireworks need to be carefully supervised.
- Do not smoke when handling any type of “live” firecracker, rocket, or aerial display.
- Keep all fireworks away from any flammable liquids, dry grassy areas, or open bonfires.
- Keep a bucket of water or working garden hose nearby in case of a malfunction or fire.
- Take note of any sudden wind change that could cause sparks or debris to fall on a car, house, or person. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
July 1st, 2011 by DrWes in Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Advice, How To Be A Good Doctor, How To Behave, Interns, Medicine, Physicians In Training, Rules Of The Road, Teaching, Tips For Doctors
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He sat in a crisp white coat, staring at a computer screen, note cards in his lap. Occasionally, I noted him jot a note to himself as he compiled his list. A nurse sat next to him, pounding feverishly on the keyboard as she recorded her nurse’s note. He tentatively moved his mouse, then clicked, still staring.
I recall my first day in clinical medicine: no computer, an ER rotation, a white board filled with names and abbreviated medical problems next to them with little magnetic color-coded labels nearby. Room 1: Head trauma. Room 2: Abscess. Room 3: UTI, Room 4: Rash.
I got room 2. It was the biggest, bad-est infected sebaceous cyst on a guy’s back a newly minted doctor had ever seen. Can you say “softball?” “See one, do one,” they told me. And off I went.
Much in medicine has changed since then, but much remains the same. Medicine is miraculous, terrifying, then rewarding all at once. Fortunately, there’s a method within the madness that can serve to preserve and protect those who first start out. Every doctor has had the fortune to learn from those who passed before them as begin their journey to refine their title of “doctor” (literally, “teacher.”)
I thought it would be interesting to put a few of the “Rules of the Road for Medicine” down on paper (with the help of friends on Twitter) for interns and residents as they embark on their own incredible journey ahead. The list is not exhaustive, but hopefully can serve as a resource for our new doctors as they head off to meet their clinical challenges ahead.
Rule #1: Treat every patient like your mother Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
June 30th, 2011 by DeborahSchwarzRPA in Health Tips
Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, FAQs, Genetic Counseling, HIV, Lovenox, Mammograms, Mastectomy, Oncology, Q&A, Questions And Answers, Thyroid Shield
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Attendees of the breast cancer awareness symposium “Bridging the Gap: Promoting Breast Cancer Prevention, Screening and Wellness” were given the chance to submit questions on breast cancer in the minority community. This is the first part of these questions answered by Dr. Preya Ananthakrishnan, Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery and a host of the event.
Q: I am a 51 year old Black women, whose mother died 13 years ago from breast cancer & her sister was diagnosed last year. I had a mammography 2 weeks ago and got the dreaded come back letter. Should I get genetic counseling?
Dr. Ananthakrishnan: I would suggest that your sister with the breast cancer get tested first, and if her test result is positive then you should get tested. Furthermore, it is likely that even though you got a “call back” letter after your mammogram, it is very possible that you don’t actually have a breast cancer. I would advise you to go in as soon as possible to work up whatever abnormality was seen. If you do in fact have a breast cancer, then you should certainly undergo genetic testing yourself.
Q: What is considered “early detection” of breast cancer?
Dr. Ananthakrishnan: Early detection is finding a breast cancer before symptoms actually occur. This could be by finding it on a mammogram before actually feeling a lump in the breast, or by finding a small lump before it becomes a big lump. Early detection can sometimes allow for less aggressive treatments and improved outcomes.
Q: Is radical mastectomy surgery still performed? I hear little about it now. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Columbia University Department of Surgery Blog*
June 30th, 2011 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Health Tips
Tags: Bisphosphonates, Dangers, Exercise, Fractures, Geriatrics, Osteopenia, Osteoporosis, Rheumatology, Risks And Benefits, Side Effects, treatments
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My 86 year-old mother, who is generally in good health, slipped and fell recently and suffered a fractured femur. She was unfortunate to have suffered the accident, but had the good fortune to be discovered quickly, treated promptly and well by the paramedics who responded to her, and then to have a swift and skillful operation by an orthopedic surgeon to repair the fracture. Almost miraculously, she was standing upright (with a considerable amount of pain) the next day and had begun the rehabilitation process.
At her age—indeed at any age—a fractured femur is a very significant injury. This past year, I have learned of friends and others who have suffered falls and broken their legs, ankles, or backs, as well as others who suffered “pathological fractures.” The latter group had the bones break from normal daily stresses, without a traumatic incident, because the bones were weak and/or osteoporotic. More than a few of these injuries occurred outdoors, associated with stumbles on the trail or falls.
All of this highlights features of an excellent review article that was published this past year in the New England Journal of Medicine. Authored by Murray Favus, MD, it is entitled “Biphosphonates for Osteoporosis” (New England Journal of Medicine 2010;363:2027-35). Anyone who is contemplating taking or administering this therapy would benefit from reading this article. Read more »
This post, Osteoporosis Treatment With Bisphosphonates: Is Exercise Good Or Dangerous?, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..
June 29th, 2011 by Dinah Miller, M.D. in Health Tips
Tags: Complaint, Dissatisfaction, How To, Lodge A Complaint, Psychiatric Hospital, Psychiatry
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For those who don’t follow the comment sections of posts, there have been commenters who have been telling us about the awful experiences they have had as psychiatric patients. In particular (but not exclusively) as hospital inpatients. Commenters have used terms like “abuse” and “humiliation” and describe awful scenarios. One person asked why the mean nurses don’t get fired, everyone knows they are mean including the staff. Others throw the baby out with the bath water, one bad experience. There is implication by at least one commenter that he/she would rather die (presumably permanently) rather than face a day on a psych unit again. The suffering in these posts is palpable.
To those who feel better after leaving comments on Shrink Rap, by all means, feel free to continue, but this will not change the world. May I put in a request? If you’ve had an awful experience as a patient on a psychiatric unit, please tell the hospital. One commenter said she (/he?) complained to the hospital administration and heard that some changes were made. My thoughts? You Go Girl! (If the commenter was a male, I’m at a loss. Way to Go, Joe! perhaps?) Complain, it can’t hurt.
Oh, you say, no one listens to psychiatric patients, they just say we’re crazy so they don’t have to listen. For an isolated complaint, you may be right, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Shrink Rap*
