MedFriendly has just entered the most comprehensive single page entry on mesothelioma on the internet, following up on the same type of entry for asbestos that was recently posted about a month ago. Please take the time to check out these articles and/or send them to a family member or friend. Decreasing exposure to asbestos decreases the risk of mesothelioma. You do not want your lung to wind up looking like the one in the picture above.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
What you NEED to know about Mesothelioma
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Top 10 Ways to Lose Your Patients
10. Not accepting lists of signs, symptoms, or timelines from patients:
7. Not following the Golden Rule:
This is an easy one and has been addressed extensively by others, but don’t do things such as repeatedly looking at the clock, repeatedly interrupting patients, focusing more on you than the patient, talking rudely, making poor eye contact, etc. Follow the Golden Rule and you will easily establish rapport the majority of the time.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Man vs Vile: Surviving a Trip to a Public Restroom
Sometimes, you will walk into a public bathroom and actually find one that looks relatively clean, although doing so often feels like you won the lottery after looking in a about eight consecutive stalls with urine covered toilets or bowls filled with brown water and/or feces. I don’t know if women have the same issues in their public bathrooms, but men’s public bathrooms can be absolute total nightmares to deal with.
That means the toilet seat, the flusher, the sink, the hands dryer, and the door handle on the way out. This is why you really should have a small hand sanitizing gel container with you so that you can clean yourself after you leave the bathroom. After all, what is the sense of washing your hands well and then getting contaminated by the door when leaving?
Thursday, October 20, 2011
How to Find a New Doctor
There is an old saying that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. This is one of the best ways to find a new doctor, provided you are getting the information from a source you know and trust. While friends and family can be good sources to ask about which doctors they use and like, it is also a very good idea to ask a friend (or friend of a friend) who works in a local hospital or health care setting. Here’s why.
An internet search is another good way to research a new doctor as you may discover news articles that a doctor was interviewed for, which may give you more confidence in the doctor’s expertise. Be careful, however, of doctor review websites because they tend to be skewed towards people who had a negative experience versus a positive experience and thus may not tell the entire story. Be sure to check the website for your state’s licensing board as this can tell you if there are any disciplinary complaints pending against the doctor.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Overdiagnosis of "Post Concussion Syndrome"
To be precise, the correct diagnostic terms are post-concussional syndrome (PCS) per the International Classification of Diseases-10th edition (ICD-10, 1992) and post-concussional disorder (PCD) per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (APA, 1994). These criteria are listed at the end of this blog entry in Appendix A.
In fact, as McCrea (2008) summarized in his text, many of these groups report such symptoms at higher frequencies than patients with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). In a fascinating study by Iverson (2006), he showed that about 90% of patients with a depressive disorder (with no recent history of brain injury) met liberal self-report criteria for postconcussional syndrome.
REFERENCES
(2) Emotional changes, such as irritability, emotional lability, both easily provoked or exacerbated by emotional excitement or stress, or some degree of depression and/or anxiety.
(3) Subjective complaints of difficulty in concentration and in performing mental tasks, and of memory complaints, without clear objective evidence (e.g. psychological tests) of marked impairment.
(4) Insomnia.
(5) Reduced tolerance to alcohol.
(6) Preoccupation with the above symptoms and fear of permanent brain damage, to the extent of hypochondriacal over-valued ideas and adoption of a sick role.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
1 of 6 Cell Phones Contaminated with Feces
If this is happening in England, it is most certainly happening in the U.S. And not only on cell phones, but on shopping carts too. The same shopping carts that little children rub their hands all over and try to put their mouths on. Grocery stores contain hygienic wipes to wipe down a cart when you walk into the store. Use them.
Monday, October 17, 2011
New ADHD Guidelines and the Omission of Neuropsychology
The fact is that the diagnostic criteria for ADHD have already been in existence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (Text-Revision), referred to as DSM from this point forwards. This is the book, published by the American Psychiatric Association, which mental health and medical professionals refer to for making diagnostic decisions in this particular subject area.
While a primary care clinician can easily refer a patient for a sleep apnea study and order other tests to rule out a physical cause of ADHD-like symptoms, what primary care clinician is going to have the time to go over all 18 symptoms, interview teachers and other sources of information, evaluate for a learning disorder, and evaluate for psychological causes of the symptoms? None who I know of. For example, evaluating for a learning disability is going to require time intensive psychological testing and primary care clinicians simply do not administer IQ tests and test of academic achievement.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Don't Worry, Be Happy
In yesterday’s blog entry, Dr. Allen ended it with the following question: So what are some take-aways on how to increase well-being and happiness? Here are some suggestions.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Guest Blog Entry. The Happiness Hype: What’s All the Buzz About and Is it Worth It?
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Attack of the killer bean sprouts
What many people do not realize, however, is that bean sprouts can be just as dangerous as raw meat. Yes, bean sprouts. Why? Because the sprout seeds can easily become contaminated in the fields where they are grown. Bean sprouts need to be grown in a warm and moist environment. Such environments are the ideal setting for bacteria to grow, including salmonella and E. coli. Some of the sprout seeds can also become contaminated by animal manure where they are grown.
To be safe, it is best to avoid bean sprouts at restaurants because you have no way of knowing how well they were cooked, unlike meat, which you can inspect. If you want to eat bean sprouts at home, health officials suggest immersing the sprouts in boiling water and cooking them thoroughly to kill harmful bacteria.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
The Chinese Elephant Man
RECOMMENDED BOOK: The Elephant Man
He was mentally and physically tortured by his disease and was keenly aware of how his appearance affected others. He ultimately died when trying to sleep like a normal person but the weight of the tumors in his head, crushed his trachea and caused him to suffocate. An autopsy revealed a broken neck. Here is a picture of Mr. Merrick when he was alive.
I remember watching The Elephant Man movie as a teenager in my basement one evening and being profoundly affected by sadness that someone would ever have to go through such a terrible experience. It has always made me reflect on my life and deal with life stressors much easier by putting things in perspective. There is not much in life we can go through that would be worse than such an experience.
Below is a video of how he appeared before and after surgery, but it is obviously disturbing so be warned before viewing. The case is remarkable, sad, and inspiring all at the same time. If Mr. Chuncai can get through his days and find some positives (see the video) there is no reason that any of us cannot either, even when we hit rock bottom.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Exercise & Eat Fruits & Veggies All You Want: You're Still Going to Die
The reason why so many people need to listen to music on a jog, jog with a partner, watch TV on a treadmill, or read a book while on an exercise bike is because they are trying to distract themselves from an activity that is usually not that fun on it’s own. That being said, there are some people who enjoy running on it’s own due to their body being sensitive to the release of endorphins (pleasure producing chemicals) but this is an experience I have never had, despite doing my fair share of jogging and trying without success to get high from it (i.e., joggers high).
If you are reading this and absolutely love exercising every day and eating nothing but a vegetarian or vegan diet, then that’s great and this blog entry does not apply to you. But if you do not like it or do these activities under the false belief that they are going to cause you to live until you are 100, and/or automatically going prevent you from getting a serious disease such as cancer, then this blog entry does apply to you. The fact is, life is short and no matter how many carrots or apples you eat or laps you run, you are still going to die. What’s worse is that you could die from a cause that has nothing to do with diet or exercise (e.g., a car accident). Also, following a strict diet and exercise routine may do nothing at all to stop a spontaneous cancer from developing or from dying before your natural life expectancy.
Related Blog Entries:
1. When Fruits and Vegetables Kill
2. Michael Clarke Duncan Turns Vegetarian, Loses Weight, and Dies of a Heart Attack
3. How Fruits and Vegetables Killed Steve Jobs
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Ten Alternatives to Corporal Punishment
- Instill a good sense of moral values with your child from a very early age. Teach the Golden Rule (“Treat other people the way you would want to be treated”) as the basic principal underlying personal interactions. Remind children of this whenever they violate the Golden Rule and remind them that they would not like it if someone behaved to them in the way they just behaved to someone else.
- Model positive behaviors when you are upset. Try not to scream, curse, or physically act out in front of the child so you do not model the very behaviors that you do not want the child to do when upset. No one is perfect and you will occasionally slip up, but when you do, admit the mistake. It is frustrating and confusing for a child to see double standards in behavioral expectations and rules.
- If the child makes a mistake in behavior (e.g., does not say thank you) correct it immediately and explain what was wrong and why.
- Teach the child that there will be consequences for undesirable behaviors in the form of privilege withdrawal. Try to use a warning first unless the undesirable behavior is particularly problematic. Many children will tell you that this is actually the worst type of punishment because they do not want their toys taken away from them, do not like being grounded, do not want their phone or ipod taken away, etc.
- Follow through with threats of consequences. If you say you are going to take a privilege away but do not follow-through with this after an undesirable behavior, then the child is not going to believe you and will continue with the behaviors. Ideally, a warning will ultimately suffice to modify behaviors because the child will learn that you mean business when you issue a warning. Do not give in to temper tantrums as the child will only learn that this is an effective way to get out of the punishment.
- Only allow the child to get the privilege back by doing something positive and desirable rather than just giving it back the next day or later in the day.
- Talk with the child about why the privilege was taken away, what he/she did that was wrong, why it was wrong, and how to handle the situation differently next time. Tell the child what they need to do to get the privilege back, to apologize to anyone who was affected by the behavior, and most importantly, always tell them that you still love them and give them a hug at some point. It is important that you have a positive bond with the child to most effectively provide discipline.
- Reward the child for positive and desirable behaviors. This can be spontaneous at times but also consider implementing a system in which the child earns points for positive behaviors. Earn enough points and the child receives an award (e.g., 10 points earns a cookie). The points can be in the form of tangible objects (marbles, tokens stored in a jar) so the child can monitor progress better. Points can be taken away for undesirable behavior and regained with positive behaviors. For more information on this topic, do an internet search for “token economy.”
- Talk with your child from an early age about societal expectations and demands. Teach them from an early age why learning, reading, staying in school, and staying out of trouble are important. Teach them about staying away from drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, other children who get into trouble, and age-inappropriate violent media. Talk with them about the consequences of bad behaviors and/or a poor education in childhood and adulthood (e.g., suspensions, jail, homelessness, low income). The content of these conversations will obviously depend on the child’s age.
- Surround the child with positive role models. This can be real role models such as parents, siblings, other family members, and friends but can also apply to positive fictional role models on television (e.g., He-Man or Franklin as opposed to Jason and Freddy Krueger).
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Why Corporal Punishment Is Wrong
The context of this blog entry is that today, a man in Orlando Florida, was arrested for humiliating a child (that he was not even the parent or legal guardian of) on a video he posted online by shaving off the child’s hair, threatening him with a belt, beating him with a belt, and then making him do push-ups and sprints as a form of boot camp. This was all done because the child got in trouble in school and the man was concerned that the child would go to prison one day. Valid concerns. Invalid approach…which is why he was later arrested. While this man’s behavior may have been considered acceptable 20 years ago, today it is considered a form of child abuse.
- It causes fear in the child towards the parent. “Good,” you may say. “I want the child to fear me so he/she will listen.” But children do not need to suffer physical trauma to induce fear and respect for you. If you have established proper boundaries with the child and he/she knows that you are the boss, simply raising your voice slightly or looking at them wide eyed with a serious look could be enough to send the message that you are not happy and that the child needs to listen and take you seriously.
- It causes anger in the child…towards you. No one likes to be hit and because of that, the child will not like the source of the hitting.
- It will damage the attachment that the child has with you because of points one and two. Some withdrawal from the parent is likely. Think about your own life. Would it be easy for you to have a good relationship with someone who was hitting you and causing discomfort, pain, and/or injuries?
- It teaches the child that it is appropriate to respond to anger with physical violence. Think about it. You are upset at the child. You then model to the child that the way you are going to handle that is by hitting him/her. So, when the child goes to school and another child upsets them, he/she may respond by striking the other child in response.