Archive for January, 2019

Vacation is a time where you can get a break from the monotonous routine. Your vacation can be a fun-filled time allowing you to unwind, de-stress, and rejuvenate your mind.

However, if you don’t take safety precautions, your vacation can turn into a nightmare.

Here, you will learn about some tips that can help you to remain safe and have fun while you’re on vacation.

1. Protect Yourself from the Sun

You should wear sunglasses and put on sunblock (ideally SPF+50) to protect yourself from the damaging effects of the sun. Also, wear hats when you are outside. When you leave the car in the sun, you should consider covering the seat belts with a cloth.

As we slowly drove west, our cab had a palpable tension. Our taxi driver who was driving us to our patient’s retirement home had numerous stories to tell us about how the locality was beautiful during summer time and things about the local prisons. Even though I laughed at these stories, my heart beat became faster and louder as we neared our destination and I felt anxious. Even though I had read a lot about death and talked about it, I really hadn’t literally engaged with somebody about their life coming to an end.

Supporting a dying person

Finally, when we entered our patient’s room, the sight of an elderly woman who was relatively good looking relieved me. This is a rather strange feeling to experience as you set in a dying patient’s room. I felt good that I didn’t get face my perception of what I believed about death and dying. Recently, Mrs. Jones had been diagnosed to be suffering from pancreatic cancer and this really struck me being an oriented, engaged and intelligent woman. As we slowly learned about Mrs. Jones’ children, grand children, medical history and hobbies, I became a little at ease. Even though the conservation was nice, it lacked something. I was gently broaching the idea of death as it engaged her about what the physicians had told her about the disease and its natural course.

Rather than talking about death or illness, the patient surprised me as talked of how she will soon be feeling better and walking again. Well, I was relieved as she vividly convinced us how she was surely going to recover from her illness. Now, I know her to be even more unwell and confused than I thought initially. Her misunderstanding could have resulted from her unwillingness of accepting death and her mental incapacity. For me, I seriously hoped that she would recover and get fine and as a result, death wasn’t part of our conversation. I strongly believe that engaging and believing in stories provided to us by patients can relieve us, which is quite normal even though it might be particularly helpful or patient-centered.

Supporting a dying person

For us to be able to support the spiritual, social, medical or emotional help of any dying person, we really can’t be preoccupied with selfish desires. Just like any other patient, a dying patient also has his or her own unique needs, reference and frame of reference. Such must be addressed and recognized fully by the team providing health care to the patient. As we drove back from the retirement home, I felt a little disappointed with the fact that I wasn’t able to interact with Mrs. Jones in a meaningful way. At the back our car, a heated conversation was continuing on palliative care, taking care of a dying patent and even death itself. This experience reminded me once again that death isn’t really a comfortable subject to talk about.

Recently over lunch hour, we were talking together with some new friends at the famous Hominy Café, Charleston. I had a burning question to these esteemed educators of emergency medicine. I want to know if they have any irrational fears of the people they love given the kind of work they engage in. The answer they gave me was a resounding yes. Just like me, the doctors worried a lot when an ambulance was dispatched and their children were playing out with some friends. They are also worried that their loved ones drove in the heavy traffic and as the list continued to go on, I only shook my head as I agreed to what I was hearing.

Consequences of working in ED for years

For quite a long time, I had always contemplated to ask this question about the consequences of working in an emergency department for years. Sure, I know about the consequences too well: bitterness, anger, distrust, frustration and cynicism. Fortunately, this is balanced by perspective, compassion, and love of life’s gifts, appreciation of the common people as well as being able to hangout with former felons and heaving tattooed drunks and bikers without feeling uncomfortable.

Technologies have progressed at an astounding pace. New technologies are becoming available in the medical field; that could help save a lot of lives.

In this post, we will shed light on six upcoming technologies that could reduce the loss of life on a global scale.

1. Nanorobots

Nanorobotics is a growing field that has the potential to impact many fields. Research is being undertaken to use nontechnology to cure various different diseases.

In the not so distant future, we could see nanorobots in the bloodstream that could help ward off diseases. The nanobots can enter the bloodstream and fight off diseases.

Studies are underway to research how to use nanobots to keep tissues oxygenated after a heart attack.  Researchers believe that we can create nanobots to perform complex diagnosis, remove platelets and dangerous cancer cells.

No one wants to imagine the prospect of getting caught in the middle of a natural disaster. However, thinking proactively about potentially dangerous situations can make all the difference between life and death.

In this post, you will learn about safety rules that can help you to stay safe and sound during different types of disasters.

1. Flood

No other natural calamity causes more devastation than floods. Make sure that you remain prepared if you live near a flood-prone area. Consider preparing your home for flooding. If you are advised to evacuate in case of an imminent flooding, you should do so immediately. Pack a bag containing important items such as medications that will be required for your stay away from home.