EMT of Not EMT? That Is The Question.
Botoxic
SpaghettiOs
When The Internet Goes Wrong
Placebo Journal Update
Boxers, Weigh-Ins, Claim To Fame
Medicare Cuts by Stella Fitzgibbons MD, FACP
Plum Line
1. EMT or Not EMT? That Is The Question
There is an ongoing
investigation of two instructors in Massachusetts for possibly falsifying
training records for EMTs. Initially they say they did it because the candidates
didn't have enough time or money for the courses. Who knows if that is true but
the report shows the two faked records for 213 emergency medics, from basic
level to advanced paramedic. The response has been dramatic with a whole lot of
suspensions and firings going on. The first thing to come to mind when I heard
this was that popular TV commercial. I can visual someone intubating a person in
the field and a family member thanking him when he responds, "I'm not an EMT but
I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night".
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2. Botoxic
This goes out to all my homeys in Hollywood (of which, I have none but it
sounds good). The Botox you are using not only makes your face
look emotionless but it actually dulls your real emotions as well. A study
published in the June issue of the journal Emotion shows that even
though someone with Botox will respond to an emotional stimulus,
the lack of facial movement dulls how the brain receive this information and
therefore dulls the emotion. In other words, facial expressions themselves
influence emotional experiences through a feedback loop. The motivational people
(i.e. Tony Robbins) kind of knew this all along as they preach for us to force
that smile on your face in order to change your mood. Leave it to the Botox people to prove it.
Now we just need to create a disease for this and give it a cool name. Any
ideas? I'm thinking of: Emotoxism or Botoxophrenic or Bopolar Disorder.
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3. SpaghettiOs
Well, it's time for another food update. ConAgra is recalling the
Marie Callender's
brand cheesy chicken and rice frozen meals after the company was informed by the
CDC that at least eight people who had fallen ill with salmonella poisoning
after eating the dinners. "Hey, honey, this cheesy chicken is extra cheesy
tonight!". Campbell Soup Company is recalling 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs with meatballs
after a cooker malfunctioned at one of the company's plants in Texas. The food
was supposedly undercooked leading to a high risk of bacteria in the product.
Okay, everybody sing with me:
Uh, oh.....BacteriOs
4. When The Internet Goes Wrong
I may be as naïve as the next parent but I was blown away to find out that
something called Pro-Eating Disorders sites exist on the Internet. These
sites try to proliferate the problems of anorexia and bulimia by offering
tips to successful purge, fast or hide rapid weight loss from parents and
doctors. Researchers found 180 pro-eating disorder sites with 91 percent of
sites were open to the public. Along with some of the sites having disturbing
prose and poetry on it they also have what is call an "oath to Ana," such as the
"Thin Commandments," or 10 rules for eating disorders, such as:
- "Thou shall not eat without feeling guilty."
- "Thou shall not eat fattening food without punishing oneself
afterward."
- "What the scale says is the most important thing."
How scary is this? Watch your kids people. 5. Placebo Journal Update
 We are presently working hard on the August issue. If you have any stories you want to share then this is the time to send them in.
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6. Boxers, Weigh-Ins, Claim To Fame
When I was in my early twenties, after college, I used to work for what was
called the Houston Boxing Association. It was the late '80s. It was an
incredible but stressful experience. My job was working with these guys with
weights, running and nutrition. The old school boxing trainers hated me and it
was hard to get some of the boxers to buy in as well. Anyway, I worked with five
different world champs during that time. One of them, by the way, was Roger
Mayweather who now trains his nephew Floyd Mayweather, Jr. There was no love
loss between Roger and I as we constantly fought. But I digress. For those who
don't know that much about the sport, here is a brief history lesson. Other than
heavyweights, fighters would normally weigh-in the day of the fight. They would
then eat and drink back much of the weight they had drained off themselves. The
problem was that many really couldn't recover that well and there was a risk of
a fighter not able to truly perform at his best. He could also be at risk of
really getting hurt. This is a controversial theory but it led to a movement to
move all weigh-ins to the day before the fight so that the fighters could
properly rehydrate. Today it is now common place for ALL fights to do it this
way but it was a huge war to make that change back then. Changing a traditional
sport like boxing wasn't easy, as I knew from my experience in getting them to
lift weights and eat right.
I am proud to say that I was involved in making a difference 22 years ago
over the objections of Bob Arum and Dan Goosen (both very much still involved in
the sport). No one believes me when I explain this but with the power of the
Internet and some embarrassing ego-searching I have found
this article to prove it. You will see my name mentioned as below:
Monday, Goossen was informed that the weigh-in had been moved to this
evening, a time favored by Doug Farrago, Tate's nutritionist.
Read the rest to see how it all went down. So there you go. The first
non-heavyweight fight to ever have a weigh-in the day before a fight. Just
thought it was fun to reminisce until I remembered that our guy lost that fight
anyway. Such is life.
FOLLOW this link to comment on this story 7. Medicare Cuts by Stella Fitzgibbons MD, FACP
You know what? I think the AMA should tell Congress to just go ahead and
let the Medicare pay cut go into effect. Doctors will, of course, be squeezed
further than we already are, and more outpatient practices will shut down or
stop accepting new Medicare patients. More hospitals will close, and ER crowding
will get worse (maybe causing some of the primary care docs who close their
practices to go to work in ER's or public clinics, discovering the wonder of
getting to go home and turn off the beeper at the end of a shift).
And
maybe some people will choose not to apply to med school. This will include
those guys--you remember who they were--who viewed a medical degree as a license
to print money and drive expensive cars. Their spots can go to people who love
the work and want to do some good.
Waiting lists for elective procedures
will get longer. People who demand an MRI today for that disc they popped out
yesterday, and a neurosurgery appointment tomorrow, will find that they just
have to do the physical therapy instead, and the surgeries that don't happen
will mean fewer deaths from unanticipated operative complications.
The
American public has spent the last several decades learning that you can get any
medical care you want when you want it, paid for by somebody else, if you holler
loud enough or pull the right strings. But the first wave of hospital closures
has already started, and the AMA's statistics on retirements and reduced
physician hours make it clear that Atlas is ready to start shrugging.
It
will be a painful learning experience, but one that Canadians and Europeans have
already handled. We will likely lose a few stars on our patient satisfaction
ratings...but continuing as we've done for the last thirty years is only going
to bankrupt the country.
Go ahead, Congress, do your worst...and watch
what doesn't happen when you do. FOLLOW this link to comment on this story
Doug Farrago MD King of Medicine
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