Woman In The House, Masturbation, and the Bush

I have a rash on my arms and it won't go away, so that's cool, at least it's not on my genitals, which would be the anti-cool. As for the recent news, Saddam was hung by George Bush and George Bush Sr. and Wasington DC is fogged over, like the brain of your stoned friend. I am not excited to be going back to school because I don't like counseling people with metabolic syndrome, it's a losing battle, with myself being the loser and the patient being the losee. although they actually aren't losing anything.

Get In There and Read Some News. Booyakasha.

1. Keep The Woman In The House
"Women who exercise by doing the housework can reduce their risk of breast cancer, a study suggests. The research on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries found doing household chores was far more cancer protective than playing sports."

Fill in the blank and win a high five:

________ can protect men against prostate cancer........


2. Speak of The Devil!
Do it, it's great,
It's great, it's great,
So, Masturbate!
"Men could reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer through regular masturbation, researchers suggest. They say cancer-causing chemicals could build up in the prostate if men do not ejaculate regularly. And they say sexual intercourse may not have the same protective effect because of the possibility of contracting a sexually transmitted infection, which could increase men's cancer risk."

3. Spices and herbs may help you avoid disease.....man.
I mean....really. People have been doing this stuff around the world for longer than the US has been attempting to dominate all other countries. It's about time doctors started making use of natural herbs and herbals and herbies.
"Imagine going to your doctor with joint pain and leaving with a prescription for ginger. Before the advent of synthetic drugs, that might have happened. Herbs and spices have a long history as folk medicine, and not without merit. Today, researchers are working to quantify their health benefits. "We don't have enough evidence to say herbs and spices are 100-percent disease-preventing, but several have positive outlooks," says Milton Stokes, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association."

4. Ads spur eating disorders, premature drinking, docs say
Okay, these "doctors" are idiots. The reason people have eating disorders is because of MTV, Social Difficulties, and George Bush.
"Inappropriate advertising contributes to many kids' ills, from obesity to anorexia, to drinking booze and having sex too soon, and Congress should crack down on it, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. The influential doctors' group issued a new policy statement in response to what it calls a rising tide of advertising aimed at children. The policy appears in December's Pediatrics, published Monday."

Alcohol, Malaria in Jamaica, and Doctors Who Kill

Whoa. The internet service in developing countries can be a bit sketchy at times. With that being said, I appologize for not being too blogworthy over the past 5 days. I am currently in Latin America doing some stuff, and I am enjoying the 2 week break from medical school. It's nice having nothing to do, isn't it? The answer is YES.

Medical Care in the developing world is not the same as it is in the good old US of A. Would you rather start medical school when you are 18 straight out of high school or would you rather start medical school after 4 years of college? I'd actually have to say high school, like in every developing country. College is a waste of time and money. How many people actually learned something that they can apply to real life, besides time management and social skills? Everyone I know who works in the real world as learned everything they know On The Job, aka, OTJ.

Anywhoooo.....

Here is some interesting stuff I've read/seen/other as of recent.....
(click on quotes/comments for stories)

1. Thursday is The Worst Day to Go To The Hospital
For serious......I don't know if this can be real, but a study said so.......I wonder what the power of the study was...?

2. Drinking Alcohol Can Help You if You Injure Your Head
Drink and Drive, Don't Drink And Drive, Drink Some and Drive, I can't even keep things straight anymore. Basically, Keep on Keepin' On.

3. It's Malaria 'Mon. Come to The Tropical Island of Jamaica and Bring Your Malaria Prophlaxis, and be sure, come down to the beach, Boyyyyyyyy!
"Nearly 160 people have been diagnosed with malaria in Jamaica's first outbreak of the disease in four decades, health officials said Wednesday."

4. Malnutrition Is Cheating Its Survivors, and Africa’s Future
"Almost half of Ethiopia’s children are malnourished, and most do not die. Some suffer a different fate. Robbed of vital nutrients as children, they grow up stunted and sickly, weaklings in a land that still runs on manual labor. Some become intellectually stunted adults, shorn of as many as 15 I.Q. points, unable to learn or even to concentrate, inclined to drop out of school early."

5. Doctor's Should Not Take Part In Any Way In Helping to Implement Capital Punishment
Do Harm or Do No Harm?.....What do you think? Click here to see a story about it.......

6. Like a First Year (Dissecting for the Very First Time)

Med School MATRIX, Teens and Drugs, Saving Kids DNA So They Don't Get Kidnapped

Working on pediatrics will make you sick. I know this because those little midget people have given me a nice case of the runny nose, runs, headache, fever, and malaise, all at once. Those little buggers.......

Things that get to me:
1. Classmates who ask questions they already know the answers to in order to make themselves look intelligent even though I see through them and think they are less intelligent for asking the question in the first place.
2. Classmates who ask questions at the end of lecture or on Friday afternoons at the end of lecture when the only thing the entire class wants to do is leave. Get a clue.
3. Classmates who ask questions with a preface, every single time they ask a question.
4. Classmates who ask a question about something that the professor just told us.

Conclusion, don't ask questions if you are trying to look smart or if you weren't paying attention. Only ask them if they are well thought out and are in the middle of lecture, not at the end.

1. Really Great Medical School Matrix Video




And the NEWS...................

(Click quotes for News Stories)

2. Kids Using OTC Drugs to Get Fucked Up.
I am not surprise about this article. What I am surprised about though, is that it took people this long to figure out this was going on. I knew that it was going on 10 years ago!
Story Highlights
• Underage drinking down, but level of prescription drug abuse still same
• Abuse of OxyContin, Vicodin, over-counter cold medicine fairly high
• Crack cocaine use down 50 percent since late 1990s
• Most popular illegal drug continues to be marijuana

PS- The war that is waged on Marijuana is a waste of time and money!

3. Can Antibiotics Keep You From Getting Obese
A study just came out linking obesity to bacteria.......hmmm...........
"The size of your gut may be partly shaped by which microbes call it home, according to new research linking obesity to types of digestive bacteria. Both obese mice -- and people -- had more of one type of bacteria and less of another kind, according to two studies published Thursday in the journal Nature."

4. Parent are Storing Children's DNA Thanks to the TV Show CSI
Wow, America is a crazy place. The media scares people about everything. To be honest, I think that it is kind of sad. See why I think think this......
"News reports about child abductions and television shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" are driving parents' interest in keeping genetic records for their children.
As a result, moms and dads across the country are swabbing the inside of their children's mouths to get a DNA sample just in case they need it if the youngster is kidnapped, runs away or suffers a terrible accident. DNA can be used to identify remains, hair or blood."

Mental Gymnasitcs, MedTV, Baby in X-Ray Machine, Sex, Pregnancy

As I had a busy day at school, in the library, in school, and at the library, I didn't have too much time to ponder what I would blog today. I did, however, come across some rather remarkable stories I wanted to share with you.

Before that, here is some advice:

• Prescribe IUD's instead of Natural Family Planning.
• Be Empathetic.
• Speak Softly and don't carry a stick at all.
• Remember, you are a learnee.

(click on quotes for stories)

1. Mental Gymanastics.....boooooyah!
"Working out the brain can stave off decline in old age. Warning: The FDA says that aspirin isn't as safe as you think. Vitamin D may protect against MS. Kidney transplant recipients also get a boost cancer risk. There appears to be a link between low rates of LDL cholesterol and Parkinson's."

2. In Pediatrics NEWS at LAX
"A woman places her month-old grandson in a bin for carry-on items. Doctors later determine he did not get a dangerous dose of radiation."

3. Good Old Tourists Having Sex With Kids
"The UN children's fund Unicef, which looked at resorts along Kenya's coast, found that 15,000 girls aged 12 to 18 were engaged in casual sex for money."

4. A Pregnancy Timeline In Case You Want to Get Pregnant Over Holiday Break
(Click title for story)



5. MedTV Part 2: From Washington Univeristy

LONG TIME, MASSAGE VIDEO, LONG TIME

Seriosuly, this video is completely ridiculous, and is from a Medical School in Thailand. The music is one thing, but, OVER AN HOUR MASSAGE OF FEET AND LEGS???? WOW.

Facebook Change, Walking With Scrubs

1. So......Facebook told me that I had to change my name from Anon Med Stu to a real name because I was violating a policy of theirs. My new name is Cliff Stanzler. It sounds like a nice name, doesn't it? Since nobody knows me, I am still anonymous!

2. Do people really think that it is okay to wear their dirty scrubs and surgical booties out of the operating room? First of all, you put scrub booties on your feet to keep all the nasty shit in the operating area off of your shoes and to keep from tracking things all over the hospital. Secondly, nobody wants to brush up against you and your dirty, blood and body fluid covered scrubs in the cafeteria, the hallway, or even at the local bar.

STOP WEARING SCRUBS AND BOOTIES OUT OF THE OR. YOU ARE FILTHY. IT IS DISGUSTING. HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT AND RESPECT THOSE AROUND YOU.

3. In other news......
(click on quotes for full stories)

3a: What the hell is wrong with people in the world? Who purposefully injects HIV into other people? Well.......clearly some people do.....
"A court convicted five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor Tuesday of deliberately infecting 400 children with HIV......"

3b: Use some caution when binge drinking...test it out Friday after your exams......
"Excessive drinking can damage brain cells but the brain can repair some of the harm, a team of international researchers said on Monday."

3c: Thank the good lord, someone/some country is coming to their senses when it comes to HIV transmission!
"The government of India's Andhra Pradesh state says a new law will soon make it compulsory for couples to take an HIV test before marriage."

3d: Getting a Botox Shot at the Mall.
-Need I say anymore? This is completely idiotic. We should be helping developing countries, not developing this kind of business.

Stripper, Too Many Y Chromosomes, Poem, and News

1. A true patient interaction that recently happend to me at an office visit:
Me: So, what brings you in today?
Pt: I think I hurt my ankle.
Me: Okay......can you tell me more about that?
Pt: I think I might have hurt it at work.
Me: Uh huh...
Pt: Yeah, so that's what happened.
Me: Okay. Can you tell me how you may have hurt it at work?
Pt: I was just working, you know......
Me: No, I don't understand. Could you elaborate on that a little more?
Pt: On what?
Me: The hurting your ankle at work.
Pt: Oh, ok. It's just that, I have to stand a lot at work, and I think I may have tendonitis or something, so I just wanted to make sure it was ok, so that I could keep working.
Me: Okay, let me have a look at it..........(physical exam happens here).........
Pt: Well, what do you think?
Me: I think it's probably tendonitis, but, we need to check with Dr. X to make sure. Is it possible that maybe you could keep off the ankle for a few days and maybe take some anti-inflammatories?
Pt: I don't think I can stay off it because of work......
Me: Oh. What do you do for a living?
Pt: I am a dancer.
Me: Oh, I love dancing. What kind of dance?
Pt: I am an erotic dancer, a stripper....
Me: Yeah, I can see how it might be hard to say off those high heels.......I'll go get Dr. X so we can take care of this....

2. In regards to the "gender test" a "woman" in India had to take after placing 2nd in a race, the following quote was given to the media:
(click link for story)
"Sounderajan appeared to have "abnormal chromosomes." The test revealed more Y chromosomes than allowed"

Those damn Y chromosomes just popping up again!

......more Y chromosomes that allowed for a woman, you mean one Y chromosome?!

Pseudohermaphrodite!

4. A poem for the people reading this blog....

Yesterday when I studied,
I really learned a lot.
And today when I recalled,
The brain felt really shot.

Tonight I'll try to study,
And if that works, I'll learn,
And tomorrow if I recall,
My brain will crash and burn.

The hope is that by Friday,
I'll have learned enough to pass,
And then, I'll sit and laugh and drink,
And throw back glass by glass.

3. Humans CAN smell as good as dogs and other animals.
(click on quote for story)
"The work, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, asked people to follow scents on the ground, as a dog would do, and found they were as good."

Put Them Fruits and Veggies In Your Mouth

Over the weekend, there were some great news stories for all of the vegetarians out there. Although the news looks promising, I do have to say that I like meat, even though I saw "Fast Food Nation", which almost turned me veg.

For those of you on the fence, or those of you who have already jumped the wagon, check these stories out!
(click the quotes for the stories!)

1. The rainbow effect
Guacamole with salsa. Blueberries mixed with apples and grapes. Combining fruits and vegetables gives them more nutritional punch.


2. Kids With High IQs Grow Up to Be Vegetarians
The smarter they are, the more likely they'll shun meat as adults, British researchers contend.

MedTV

Yo Yo-
Check it. Before you go to bed tonight, enjoy the first installment of MedTV, from the University of Washington School of Medicine. It is ridonkulous and includes:
-Music Videos
-Lil' Jon in Med School
-Beavis and Butt-head
-Bud Light commercials
-PSA's

Need Some Sunday Study Motivation?

If you are having trouble getting your study on today.....then check out this Medical Student music video!
It's titled: "READ"

The Housecall is Back in Urban America

For those of you looking into Internal Medicine, Family Practice, or Med/PEDS residencies and careers, you'll want to check out this story! With flate rates of $250, MD's and PA's are making housecalls in NYC, and have caught onto the fact that patient satisfaction and personal attention can bring in the big bucks. Can this model work in other metropolitan areas? I'd give it a go if I were currently in practice......

For more on this, see this story in the NY Post: Housecalls

BMI Prerequisite?

1. Like most medical students, I have lots of questions running through my head. One question I can't seem to get out of my mind is:

Should there be a BMI prerequisite for those working in the field of healthcare?

Let's look at this question seriously. Is it morally right or even politically correct for a doctor, nurse, or member of the healthcare team who has a BMI that puts them in the obese range, to tell the patient that they need to live a more healthy lifestyle? Is it? From my perspective, it's a hard question to answer. What I do know though, is that if my PCP had a BMI of 34 and told me that I needed to lose weight, I wouldn't take him/her seriosuly.

"Lead by example" or "Live as I say, not as I do". Which is more appropriate in this situation? Is it unfair to the patient to take control of something that the healthcare provider can't even seem to take control of?Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

2. Wine and Yoga
"Medicine" says that a few glasses of wine a week can help protect your heart. Yoga is a good form of alternative medicine/therapy and it is good for your health. Like others in our country, I think that the combination of East and West, or Yoga and Wine in this case, is a novel approach to healthcare. To see what I am talking about, click on this link: "Wine and Yoga".

3. What do medical students want to read in a blog?
I am open to suggestions and new at this game of "blogging", so tell me your thoughts.

Top Health Stories of the Weekend

(click on story quote to see story)

1. Tourism for Fertility: Are you having problems with fertility? If so, try vacationing in Barbados!
"She chose to fly thousands of miles to the Barbados Fertility Centre for treatment because she could not find an egg donor in the UK."

2. A Cannabusiness for patients with Multiple Sclerosis is shut down in the UK.
All three defendants told the court they believed they had a defence of medical necessity in supplying the cannabis-laced bars, but this was rejected by the jury. After the hearing Lezley Gibson said: "The maximum sentence for what we've been found guilty of is 14 years in jail. If you were a child pervert your maximum sentence is only 12. "I think there's a mistake in the law, and I think they really, really really need to re-think the law on cannabis and medicinal use. Bringing ill people to court and torturing them like this isn't what you do. "You look after ill people, and you try to make them better. You do not torture them and drag them back and forward to a court of law."

3. Fast Food in Hospitals- McDonalds, thanks for setting another bad example.
"Having fast-food restaurants in children's hospitals influences patients' families to eat fast food and to think that it's relatively healthy, new research suggests. At least 59 of the nation's 250 children's hospitals have fast-food restaurants, the study found. That is a troubling phenomenon, particularly given rising obesity rates, said the study's lead author, Dr. Hannah Sahud, a pediatrician at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."

4. Good and Healthy Skin on the Cheap
"Spend a fortune on anti-wrinkle creams? Don't bother, said a U.S. study released Tuesday. Luxury-price products don't work any better than drugstore brands, according to the study by Consumer Reports magazine, which ranked Olay Regenerist, priced at about $19, as the most effective in reducing wrinkles."



This is some VERY interesting news. I hope you enjoy it, because I sure did. It says a lot about where medicine is going, but more importantly, where we are going as a civilization.

In the words of the great Anonymous: "Read, and you shall have read"

Number One

Tap, Tap. Is the microphone working?

I would like to share a special haiku, written by me:

Smoking Kills

Smoking kills your brain and lungs,
Smoking will kill you,
You will die young if you smoke.

In honour of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, here is a photograph of Curious George lighting the menorah:

The Bush and the Menorah