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Category Archives: Health
In flu Enza
I had a little bird, Its name was Enza. I opened the window, And in-flu-enza. — Children’s Skipping Rhyme, 1918 Ed note: Australia has had a bad flu season and there are reports of cases already showing up in Seattle. … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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Does Amazon Alexa have a future in diabetes management support?
Amazon’s Alexa is a lot of fun. However, it may be more that just a toy or household helper. What if voice activation could help you with diabetes control or call 911 if you fall and can’t reach your pendant? … Continue reading
Posted in Health, Science and Technology
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Why are African-Americans not completing advance directives?
First a disclaimer. As a Caucasian, I have only personal anecdotal impressions from the African-American patients I have cared for. To me their approaches to end of life decisions were not uniform by any means, but there was clearly often … Continue reading
Posted in end of life, Health, Hospice, Race
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SAFE & SOUND in the Hospital – Tuesday September 19th at 2:30PM in the MBR
Medical errors in the hospital are the third leading cause of death in our country. A successful hospital experience includes knowing what actions patients and their families should take. Learn about some of the opportunities and challenges that hospitals face … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Health
2 Comments
Football and brain injuries – ESPN sportscaster resigns
It’s now being called the guilty pleasure of watching. Personally I loved playing football and still watch. But like Ed Cunningham, I’m feeling more queasy about brain injuries. From Salon: “Ed Cunningham, a college football analyst and prominent color commentator … Continue reading
Good news from Congress
Sometimes we don’t hear good news from Washington. But there has been a positive bi-partisan effort which benefits our health, research and innovation. Both the House and Senate have rejected the Trump administration’s attempts to severely reduce spending at the … Continue reading
Blood pressure medications and falls
September 22nd is the national fall prevention day. All to often, a major decline in our health is precipitated by a fall, broken bone and subsequent complications of treatments. There are multiple on-line sites such as the Mayo Clinic which … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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In the hospital? Under observation or admitted – a big difference
If I’m ever in the hospital, why should I have to double check to find out whether I’m “under observation” or “admitted?” Well, it makes all the difference to Medicare if you’re going to need skilled nursing (SNF) care. Medicare wants … Continue reading
Seeing with your tongue
The eyes don’t see, the brain does. So can a blind person find a way to bypass the eyes? It sounds like it’s impossible but images transmitted in pixels to the tongue, have become an amazing breakthrough for the blind. … Continue reading
Do we need an antibiotic ointment for cuts?
Mother nature does the healing, the doctor sends the bill – or in this case the pharmaceutical company cashes in. A little soap and water alone are just fine for our scrapes – and keep the area clean. The temptation … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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There is nothing inevitable or natural about chronic disease
“The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman” is a favorite quote from Jonathan Swift. (Doctor Exercise is equally important.) Another favorite quote is from William Osler: “The desire to take medicine is perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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Buy or lease a new car as we age? Does new technology help the aging driver?
From the NYT: “More than three decades ago, I fell in love with the first minivan I spotted parked in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Though I was never a “soccer mom,” I travel as if there were no stores at my … Continue reading
Posted in Health, Science and Technology, Transportation
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Hearing aids at the Mall – progress in much less expensive hearing aids
From the NYT: “A few years hence, when you’ve finally tired of turning up the TV volume and making dinner reservations at 5:30 p.m. because any later and the place gets too loud, you may go shopping. Perhaps you’ll head … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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Can we stop antibiotics earlier than prescribed?
Why do so many prescriptions say, “Take for 10 days” or “Take for 7 days”? Well, we have 10 fingers and there are 7 days in a week. These are historic guesses because often the answers haven’t been critically studied. … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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Primum Non Nocere
One of the first tenets of medicine is “Do No Harm.” Yet, the incentives in medicine (fee for procedure) often leads to too much being done. For example my brother recently had a second total knee replacement. Yes he’s overweight … Continue reading
Posted in Health
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Should we record the visit with our doctor?
I used to be a bit nervous when a patient would ask if they could record our visit. Could it be made public, put up on YouTube or used in a later lawsuit? But in reality, it might be a … Continue reading
Add Ozone to the miseries of the Seattle Smoke
To quote Cliff Mass: According to Dr. Jaffe, we have not seen [ozone] like this in decades. So with smoke adding lots of particles into the atmosphere (documented in previous blogs), high ozone levels, a depressing sky with little visibility, and … Continue reading
Posted in environment, Health, Science and Technology
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The sad fact is that we frequently don’t know how to best care for the old
There’s a new book in progress about “oldhood.” Writer and Professor of Geriatrics Louise Aaronson points out in a NYT Opinion column that we don’t really treat the new-old and old-old any differently. Studies often don’t include the elderly. We don’t … Continue reading
Posted in Aging Sites, Health
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Street drugs, a threat to police officers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w48y6tzkpkg I used to use fentanyl frequently. Not recreationally, but medically in doing procedures such as a bronchoscopy. With the patient monitored, I would be gloved and masked and very small titrated doses of fentanyl and versed would at times … Continue reading
Eclipse solar glasses
From Ann Milam: The market is flooded with “solar glasses” that are unsafe. Please check this reference from the National Science Foundation before ordering a pair: https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters
Posted in environment, Health
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Why I didn’t become a surgeon
Every medical student goes though a process of elimination when deciding what kind of doctor they want to become. We hear the old saying, “Internists know everything and do nothing; Surgeons know nothing and do everything; Psychiatrists know nothing and … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Health
3 Comments
Cliff Mass’s updates on the smoke, fires and global warming
The following is from his website: Click here for more If you want to escape smoke, go south of Olympia or head to the coast. Now the bad news. Today is the good day for air quality around Puget Sound. The … Continue reading
Posted in environment, Health
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Air quality continues to deteriorate as B.C. wildfire smoke fills Washington skies
“SEATTLE (KOMO) — A thick, smoky haze from wildfires burning in British Columbia continued to blow into Washington on Wednesday, giving the skies an orange-brown tint and degrading the air quality. Air quality monitors with Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and … Continue reading
Posted in environment, Health
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Living with benign essential tremors
Try putting a pea on a fork and getting it gently to your mouth without shaking. I’ve not been able to do that for some time. I don’t have the tremor at rest which is so common with Parkinson’s often … Continue reading