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Topics
INTRODUCTION
WEIGHT_TIPS_- Q-TIPS -_MORE_TIPS
OUR DIABETIC EPIDEMIC:
SUGAR, SUGAR EVERYWHERE
TRANSLATING MEDICALESE
ORTHOPEDICS:
THE FRAMEWORK THAT HOLDS YOU TOGETHER
MEDICATIONS:
GENERICS, ANALGESICS, ANTIBIOTICS, VACCINES, ETC.
YOUR LUNGS:
JUST TAKE SOME NICE, DEEP BREATHS
TRAUMA:
CRASHES, FALLS, AND BULLETS
GLOSSARY
REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
R U MEDICALLY CURIOUS? Not just a little, but really curious? You spend your whole life in the same body. Yet, most of you know almost nothing about it. As a physician, what always intrigued me were my patients’ questions. Otherwise very bright people seemed absolutely clueless in medical matters. It’s not for lack of information. The Media and the Internet supply tons of that – both good and bad. No, the problems are language and understanding.
Here’s how it works: I take your history, do a physical exam, and review your tests. Then, I slowly nod my head as I tell you my diagnosis. To be polite, you slowly nod your head, even when you have no idea what I just said. Your mothers would be proud. You always nod politely.
So, language is the first problem and doctors get full blame. We created a whole new secret lingo called “Medicalese”. It’s not your thigh bone. It’s your Femur. You didn’t have a heart attack. You had an Acute Myocardial Infarction. Even a simple toothache might be an Anaerobic Gingival Abscess! (see Chapter 3 – Translating Medicalese)
But, not understanding? You get full credit for that one. Why? The Media and Internet feed you a steady diet of medical oddities, rarities, and misleading information. You swallow those like vintage champagne. You eagerly discuss them with all your friends. But, when’s the last time you pushed your doctor so you could understand something? Hmmm… Old saying: An expert who can’t explain his expertise is not an expert.
R U MEDICALLY CURIOUS? is written at a high school reading level to present Evidence Based Medicine on common medical topics.
TED is Ted Heyman, the Editor. He’s a computer guy from Florida who’s known Larry since high school. He edited Larry’s respiratory textbook Simple as ABG and created the e-version of it.
LARRY is me, Dr. Larry Romane. I’m board certified in Emergency Medicine, worked as an ER doc for 35 years, retired, and now teach and write about medicine.
Can you answer these simple medical questions in 10 words or less?
Exactly what is a heart attack?
Why are strokes so disabling?
Aren’t brand name medicines safer than generics?
Why is everybody I know getting Diabetes?
My diet is terrible. Shouldn’t I be on some vitamin or supplement or something?
If not, maybe you’re more medically curious than you thought.
APOLOGY: Sorry healthcare professionals, this book is not for you. It’s written for laymen. You’ll say “it’s over-simplified”, “numbers are rounded off”, “pictures are only schematics”, “averages can be misleading”, etc. And… you’re RIGHT! (But, before you get too condescending, please review the “References” section at the back of the book.)
WEIGHT TIPS
One third of all Americans are obese. Another one third are overweight. (See Height/ Weight chart at end of this chapter) When 2/3’s of the population weighs too much, it begins to look ‘normal’. Things like Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, and knee replacements should remind us - it’s definitely not normal.
A few weight loss tips:
A pound of fat contains about 3,500 calories. Cutting back 100 calories every day for a year, takes off about 10 pounds.
3 basic food groups: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates and proteins have the same calories per ounce. An ounce of dietary fat has double the calories.
Exercise is great for your heart, your blood pressure, your brain, etc. But, the human body is a very efficient machine. Exercise only burns about 200-300 calories per hour.
2 body parts cause 98+% of overweight and obesity. The Thyroid Gland and the hands. If a simple TSH Thyroid test is normal, you’re hands are putting too many calories in your mouth.
BITE WOUNDS
We own about 70 million dogs and 75 million cats.3 We also get more than 5 million mammal bites every year4costing over $100 million for treatment! What bites are most likely to get infected? About 5% of dog bites get infected, 60% of cat bites, and 90+% of human bites. Another reason why dogs are man’s best friend.
ALCOHOL – NECTAR OF THE GODS?
Alcohol has been around since ancient times. Drunken chariot drivers were killing people long before there were drunken motorists.
Wine? Whiskey? Beer? Regardless of what form it’s in, we like the feeling. In fact, a little may even be beneficial. Most risk assessments for heart attack or stroke list “1-2 drinks per day” as a positive influence.
Ah, there’s the rub. Exactly what is ‘a drink’? It’s not, “just a 6 pack, doc”. Nor is it, “just a little Jack on ice, Your Honor”. ‘A Drink’ is:
One 12 oz. can of beer or
One shot of 80 proof whiskey (1 ½ oz.) or
One 5 oz. glass of wine.
CLEANING EARS WITH Q-TIPS
3 good reasons to never ‘clean’ your ears with Q-Tips:
Ear wax is as normal in your ear canals as saliva is on your lips – and just as protective. The wax is secreted by cells deep in the canal, dirt and dust stick to it, daily cell growth pushes the wax out the canal, showering washes it away when it gets to the outside. Perfect design.
Shoving a Q-Tip down a tapering funnel makes no sense. You push in more wax than you get out. You may even push it right thru your eardrum (bad idea)
Otitis externa – ‘Swimmer’s Ear’ is a painful, smelly, draining infection of the ear canal. What starts it? First, Q-tips wipe away protective wax. Then, they scratch and scrape the delicate canal lining. Finally, water from the 'ole swimmin’ hole may not be exactly sterile… As the “International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology" put it, “Use of cotton tip applicators to clean the ear seems to be the leading cause of otitis externa in children and should be avoided.”
MELANOMA's A, B, C, & D
MELANOMA: A very dangerous skin cancer. Early treatment has over 95% cure rate. Late disease is almost always fatal. Most common in fair-skinned patients with a family history of melanoma. As with most skin cancers, sun exposure is a key risk. Any suspicious or changing lesion needs biopsy.
Melanoma's 4 Classic Warning Signs are A, B, C, and D.
National Weight Guidelines *