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How To Help Your Dog Survive The Snow

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If you’ve ever had an Italian greyhound you know they hate the snow.  They hate the cold.  In general they hate the water but ours are starting to discover how fun water can be.  They hate being uncomfortable.  Mrs Happy and I have discovered that Marty and Cooper, our precious little babies, have a very tight range of comfort between 72 and 72.5 degrees Fahrenheit.  Anything below that and they’re shivering.  Cooper, our grey Iggy with the white boots, is slightly more tolerant of having cold feet.  But Marty, our little white Iggy with the grey helmet, has no tolerance for snow or cold feet.

Just the other day I heard a whimper coming from outside only to discover little Marty struggling to climb the stairs of our deck.  He hobbled into the house limping on three feet and  crying, making high pitched shrieking noises and trying to garner all the attention he could get.  Why you ask?  Because his feet got cold after walking on the snow for less than a minute. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist Blog*

X-Rays For ER Dummies?

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heydummyThey’re not allowed to actually write “Hey Dummy, look here” on the x-ray report, but this is what the radiologists do when they want to make sure the idiots in the ER won’t miss the key finding on a film (in this case, a bit of glass from an automobile window):

The wonders of digital radiography allow this to appear on my computer screen.  In the old days they did it with a grease pencil and a post-it note.

*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*

Honey, Why Does My Razor Smell Funny?

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berryscentedrazorWill marketing wonders never cease? A strange, candy-like smell filled the shower today as I pondered my new razor, holding it gingerly to my nose. Yes, in fact Bic saw fit to make it berry-scented. Why would anyone want their razor to smell like food? What’s next, chocolate scratch-and-sniff oil filters?

I was about to make fun of the Bic marketing folks, when I suddenly realized that the razor was in my house because someone bought it… Though I maintain that it was my husband’s doing – and that he probably didn’t even read the small print on the package.

He probably bought the razors because they were on sale. Though now I have a strange fruity craving… and smooth legs.

Thank you, America.

Diabetes: Just Like The Rest Of Them

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Today, I’m revisiting a post from 2006 (writing that makes me realize I’ve been blogging for a while now!), when I met a little boy at a Rhode Island JDRF event who warmed my heart – which I needed on this snowy, New England morning. 😉

*   *   *

I’d guess about ten years old.  Spikey blonde hair, pale blue eyes, chubby little kid face.

His mother stopped by the table we were manning at the School Health Fair, mussing with the pamphlets strewn about the blue plastic tablecloth.  The tri-fold cardboard display announced “Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation” in bright blue letters.  Myself and another volunteer from the RI JDRF stood vigil at the table, handing out trinkets and informational packets, answering questions, and enjoying the sights.

“Hey buddy.  Would you like a t-shirt?”  My fellow volunteer leaned in towards the little blonde boy. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*

A Good Surgeon

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A close relative recently underwent hip replacement at the Texas Orthopedic Hospital in Houston’s Texas Medical Center.  She raved about her surgeon, Dr Richard Kearns.  I had the opportunity to sit by her bed while he made his evening rounds (he didn’t know I was a physician until we were introduced at the end of his visit).

These are the qualities seem to make him successful:

  • Approachable.
    He bridged the technical gap that often separates patient and surgeon.  He used carefully chosen language
    and examples the average person can understand.
  • Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*

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It’s no secret that doctors are disappointed with the way that the U.S. healthcare system is evolving. Most feel helpless about improving their work conditions or solving technical problems in patient care. Fortunately one young medical student was undeterred by the mountain of disappointment carried by his senior clinician mentors…

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I am proud to be a part of the American Resident Project an initiative that promotes the writing of medical students residents and new physicians as they explore ideas for transforming American health care delivery. I recently had the opportunity to interview three of the writing fellows about how to…

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Latest Book Reviews

Book Review: Is Empathy Learned By Faking It Till It’s Real?

I m often asked to do book reviews on my blog and I rarely agree to them. This is because it takes me a long time to read a book and then if I don t enjoy it I figure the author would rather me remain silent than publish my…

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The Spirit Of The Place: Samuel Shem’s New Book May Depress You

When I was in medical school I read Samuel Shem s House Of God as a right of passage. At the time I found it to be a cynical yet eerily accurate portrayal of the underbelly of academic medicine. I gained comfort from its gallows humor and it made me…

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Eat To Save Your Life: Another Half-True Diet Book

I am hesitant to review diet books because they are so often a tangled mess of fact and fiction. Teasing out their truth from falsehood is about as exhausting as delousing a long-haired elementary school student. However after being approached by the authors’ PR agency with the promise of a…

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