Subaqua Sternal Rubs

Subaqua Sternal Rubs Archives

Visits to ER plummet during key baseball games - “Visits to hospital emergency rooms in Boston plummeted during the city’s most nail-biting sports moments, according to a group of local doctors. The team found that visits went down to as little as 80% of the average for the key Boston Red Sox games that attracted the most TV viewers. [An explanation] is that people who attend ER are often not experiencing a medical emergency in the true sense of the word. “There is clearly some discretionary component that explains the timing,” says co-author Kenneth Mandl of Harvard Medical School.”

Yeah, some “discretionary component?” How about studies that show ony 13% of ED visits are actual emergencies? 1 Comment

Man plays doctor with dead deer in stolen ambulance - “Leon Holliman Jr., 37, of Jacksonville, Florida was reported missing from the River Region Human Services facility last month. On Sunday, he was found in North Carolina dressed like a doctor and driving a stolen ambulance with a dead deer in the back. The police had to shoot out the ambulance’s tires to catch him. He’s now undergoing psychiatric evaluation.” 1 Comment

Something Different

Friday, September 30th, 2005 Print Email

Notice something different? No, I did not get a new hair cut (that reminds me…) No, I did not loose weight (Not with my cooking, or I mean heating up packed, frozen, or processed foods)…

Yup, that's right, the official "Until I Get Off This Rock" countdown timer has magically decreased by 8 days. While when I called the agent in Grenada said no ticket changes were possible, my personal travel agent miraculously got me home much, much sooner for only a *slight* change in fare. Though seeing my family and extending my vacation from 2 weeks to three weeks will be worth it. I can work a few shifts at the hospital, or do a few calls at the ambulance for incentive points to earn it back. I am so happy! Too bad it's still 3 months away.

And in other news, my A/C is broken again.

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Filed under: Life in Grenada

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How timely, from ABC “Healthology” (Making up words now, are we?) Smokers Who Cut Down Trim Lung-Cancer Risk - “Heavy smokers who cut down on the number of cigarettes they have each day can also reduce their risk of lung cancer, a new Danish study suggests.” 1 Comment

Court to Hear Oregon Suicide Law Case - “The Bush administration is challenging Oregon’s assisted suicide law, arguing that hastening someone’s death is an improper use of medication and thus violates federal drug laws. U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case on Oct. 5. Supporters of the assisted suicide law say a favorable high court ruling could lead other states to follow Oregon’s lead.” 2 Comments

Plastic surgeons disapprove of face transplant - “Surgeons in the United States and Europe are planning to perform the world’s first face transplant in the not-too-distant future. About 200 plastic surgeons who attended a debate on the topic were asked that question Sunday. In a show of hands, they expressed their disapproval by at least a 2-to-1 margin. 1 Comment

Medical Breakthroughs Will Extend Lives, But at a Cost - “Emerging biomedical technology may be a double-edged sword, simultaneously resulting in healthier, longer lives while also fueling Medicare spending. And, with the exception of obesity, curing any one disease won’t save Medicare money, a new report finds.” Post a Comment

Full-Time Job

Saturday, September 24th, 2005 Print Email

I didn't realize how nice our pre-first exam schedule was. I don't know what they were thinking, but we now have classes and labs scheduled from 8 AM to 5 PM every day, with a one hour break for lunch. It's almost like medical school is a full-time job. From 8 to 12 we have lectures, and then from 1 to 5 we have labs, in pathology, microbiology and physical diagnosis. Then we have to go home and study. Oh yeah, there is sleeping and eating in there some time too. You first-termers think you have it bad? Just wait until fourth term.

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Filed under: Medical School

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Vacation Update

Friday, September 23rd, 2005 Print Email

Wow it's been a busy week. My vacation seems so long ago, I can barely remember it. I promised you all a short synopsis, so here's what I recall:

After picking up gear from the local dive shop (and borrowing a gear bag — that reminds me I need to return it), our group of three divers headed to the airport for the short (25 minute) flight to Tobago. Unlike in Grenada, we breezed through Customs and Immigration, and took a taxi to our hotel - the Hilton. Our reservation was theoretically for two people, since the website wouldn't let you put three adults in a room. Not a problem, I thought, an extra cot is usually $10-15/night. Boy was I wrong. The staff member at the front desk wanted to charge an extra 50% for the third person. I wasn't having that, so I ended up speaking with the manager. Seeing as it was low season, I successfully negotiated her down to an extra $6/person/night. Not bad.

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Filed under: Scuba Diving, Life in Grenada

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Back

Monday, September 19th, 2005 Print Email

I survived the weekend, and am now back in Grenada. After 7 dives in 30 hours, going to lab this afternoon, and then doing slides for path lab this evening, I am pretty exhausted. The vacation was great — uneventful plane trips, nice hotel, great food, and awesome diving. I am just too tired to write much now. Update on the trip will be coming shortly, hopefully with some nice underwater pictures that my friend took. (If/when she sends them to me.)

Sorry for the delay, but I need a vacation from my vacation — but unfortunately I have to get up early tomorrow for classes…