Shout Outs

Updated 3/2017 -- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active. 

Laika,  Laika's MedLibLog, is the host for this week’s Grand Rounds. You can read this week’s edition here.

Welcome to the Grand Rounds, the weekly summary of the best health blog posts on the Internet. I am pleased to host the Grand Rounds for the second time. The first time, 2 years ago, was theme-less, but during the round we took a trip around the library. Because, for those who don’t know me, after years of biomedical research I became a medical librarian. This also explains my choice for the current theme:. ………….

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Margaret Polaneczky, MD, TBTAB, explains Emergency Contraception is NOT an Abortifacent

When patients ask me how emergency contraception prevents pregnancy, I tell them that it’s primary mechanism is to delay ovulation (release of an unfertilized egg from the ovary).  There is no evidence that the EC aborts or prevents implantation of an already fertilized egg.

The efficacy of EC depends on where you are in your menstrual cycle when you have unprotected sex. …..

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H/T to @MtnMD for the link to the NY Times visual guide to the euro debt crisis:  It’s All Connected: An Overview of the Euro Crisis (interactive visual guide).

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H/T to @MedicalNews for the link to CNN article by Elizabeth Landau: When your cancer nurse has cancer, too

When new patients worry they don't know how they'll get through breast cancer, Cindy Davis puts her hand on theirs and says, "I know, but I want to tell you, I truly know, because I went through this two years ago."

"Their eyes light up and they go, 'Whoa. Really?'" says Davis, 54. "Suddenly, I'm a human being. I'm not just the nurse." ……….

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Check out this NY Times piece by Jane Rosett, an artist and a brain injury patient at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital:  Starting Again After a Brain Injury

“WANT a piece of gum, Jane?” asked my friend Andrée.
“What?” I asked her.
“Gum!”
I didn’t know what she was talking about.
“It’s Trident.”
It was delicious.
That evening, I told my friend David about my day’s big discovery. “It’s called gum and you chew it and it’s fun and there’s this one kind that will let me blow bubbles!”
“Yes, it’s called bubble gum, Jane,” he told me, patiently. …………..

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H/T to @ctsinclair for the LifeHacker piece:  Carve and Preserve the Ultimate Pumpkin

Halloween is just around the corner; it's the perfect time to brush up on your pumpkin carving skills and learn how to make sure your masterpiece looks as good for the trick-or-treaters as it did the day you carved it……...

Here’s mine from last year post on Safe Pumpkin Carving

Safe Pumpkin Carving

Updated 3/2017--  all links (except to my own posts) removed as many are no longer active and it was easier than checking each one.

It’s that time of year again!  Carving pumpkins for jack o’lanterns can be fun, but if safety isn’t kept in mind can also result in cut fingers.

Minor cuts will often stop bleeding on their own or by applying direct pressure to the wound. Most of these cuts and scraps will be minor and can be treated by washing with soap and water initially. After this initial care, keep the wound clean and dry while it heals.

However, if the bleeding continues after 15 minutes or if you lose the ability to move the finger properly (very likely a tendon injury), then seek medical attention at a hospital emergency department.

Rather than treating injuries, let's prevent the injuries.

It is best to keep these tips in mind:

• Carve in a clean, dry, well-lit area.   If your tools, hands or cutting table are wet, this can cause slippage and lead to injuries.
• Always have adult supervision (without alcohol use).  Children under age five should never carve. Instead, allow kids to draw a pattern or face on the pumpkin and have an adult carve. Allow the child to be responsible for cleaning out the inside pulp and seeds. They can use their hands or a spoon for this. Children, ages five to ten, can carve but only with adult supervision.
• The right way to cut.   You should always cut away from yourself in small, controlled strokes. A sharp knife is not necessarily the best tool because it often becomes wedged in the thicker part of the pumpkin, requiring force to remove it. An injury can occur if your hand is placed incorrectly when the knife dislodges from the thicker part or slips.
• Use a pumpkin carving kit.
  Special pumpkin carving kits are available for purchase and  include small serrated saws that are less likely to get stuck in the thick pumpkin. If the saw does get stuck and then becomes free, it is not sharp enough to cause a major cut. Fewer injuries occur with use of carving kits.

Here’s my finished carving

Once carved, it is important to remember to KEEP dogs and cats away from Jack o'Lanterns or lighted candles as they could knock them over and start a fire.

Have a safe Halloween season!