tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68477529319765072052024-03-13T20:46:49.715-06:00Sciencebirda bird's eye view of science and medicinesciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-71742651209386659452021-01-05T10:16:00.000-07:002021-01-05T10:16:04.127-07:00Talking To Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell<p>Gladwell's book contains many good stories, but is rather misnamed, as many of the examples he provides are not about talking to strangers, but misreading people. As a psychiatrist, I often wonder if someone is being truthful or not, particularly when evaluating drug use and suicidal and violent intentions. It was comforting to realize that this is a hard task, and that some people are indeed mismatched, and that experts in interrogation can get it wrong, and also disconcerting. We are taught that suicide is difficult to predict, and that is true. There are lists of risk factors, the primary one being a history of suicide is most likely to predict future suicide. The software algorithm that predicted whether an accused person would show up to their hearing made sense to me, that focusing on risk factors without meeting the person had a better predictive rate than the judge.</p><p>Overall, I think there are situations where it pays to be a bit more skeptical than the default truth mode that he doesn't adequately introduce, and I don't think he drew many convincing conclusions. For instance, I agree that drinking too much will make judging other's intentions hard, but I don't think he talked about necessary cultural changes enough, though he mentioned the native tribe that with culture, had people drinking to excess with no issues. The victim of Brock Turner was right, alcohol did not rape her. Gladwell is right that it did make her more vulnerable, but there were many drunk people who didn't rape anyone that night, and I don't think he emphasized this enough.<br /></p>sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-13045605176620765862017-11-14T19:48:00.002-07:002018-01-12T17:24:18.115-07:00Le Tote Review - is the dry cleaning process toxic?<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I recently tried <a href="https://www.letote.com/">Le Tote</a> and was super excited about my first box, however, I began to wonder how the clothing was dry cleaned, as the site says:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A little about our cleaning process: <br /><br />- All clothing items are thoroughly washed, steamed, and checked over twice by our Quality Assurance team before being packed and shipped. <br /><br />- We use hypoallergenic, unscented detergent on all garments</span></i><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I can tell you, the clothes have a scent, a pleasant scent, but they are not unscented. Also, it says on the site that some items are dry cleaned.</span></span></span><br />
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Cleaning<br /><br />All Products will be professionally cleaned and delivered ready to wear for each consumer. We tumble wash and / or dry clean and inspect each product with the utmost care, but use of the product is at your own risk and Le Tote, Inc. shall not be held liable for any health-related complaints associated with a product rented from our site.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This concerned me, because dry cleaning can be bad for the environment, and there is a common agent called tetrachloroethylene, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachloroethylene">PERC</a>, which may cause <a href="https://www.webmd.com/baby/tc/chemical-exposure-and-miscarriage-topic-overview">miscarriage</a>. Le Tote offers maternity rentals, it is unknown if the amount of the chemical left on clothing is significant, however, I asked the company about this on the phone, by email, on twitter, and on facebook, and only got this reply:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks for reaching out! Your membership fee includes complimentary dry cleaning and steaming of all garments and sterilization of all accessories. All items then go through our Quality Assurance department.<br /><br />After being checked in, all garments are sorted by their fabric weight and washed according to specific classifications to ensure thorough cleaning without damaging the item.<br /><br />Once they are washed and dried, clothing items are steamed before being quality checked and re-shelved.<br /><br />We launder all items with EcoLab detergent. EcoLab detergent is hypoallergenic and cleans without using hazardous chemicals while saving industrial laundry customers as much as 3 million gallons of water a year! After being checked in, all garments are sorted by their fabric weight and washed according to specific classifications to ensure thorough cleaning without damaging the item.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay...so, how do you dry clean them? I never got an answer, but it was easy to cancel my subscription and get a refund for my one and only box.</span></div>
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sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-24624369882757054032012-01-27T16:28:00.010-07:002012-01-27T16:34:46.941-07:00I love you like a love song baby<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KH1EQFX0-uk/TyMzl0rhdJI/AAAAAAAAAug/GGuVtdOv7gI/s1600/Selena+Gomez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KH1EQFX0-uk/TyMzl0rhdJI/AAAAAAAAAug/GGuVtdOv7gI/s320/Selena+Gomez.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
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I was listening to, “I love you like a love song baby,” by Selena Gomez, in my car the other day. Initially, I thought, “how stupid, a love song can’t love.” Is her love like the love expressed in other love songs, or does she <i>love</i> love songs? Or does she indeed love, like a love song, a thing?</div><div class="MsoNormal">And the lyrics. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">"There’s no way to describe what you do to me,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">You just do to me, what you do</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">…</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">You are magical, lyrical, beautiful, You are…</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">And I want you to know baby."</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8BKcpIeHn0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8BKcpIeHn0</a></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">There’s no way to describe what he does, he just does what he does? I took this to mean, just seeing him say, eating a sandwich, makes her heart flutter, but I read the lyrics to my boyfriend, and he thought it was something sexual, which makes sense too. She lets us fill in the blanks.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Which is dangerous. I once heard a story: four young men in the south during the 60s were driving in a town, and they heard the radio announcer say that a local high school had been recently integrated, and that there was a crowd of people protesting. “What, I can’t believe it, let’s go over there right now,” they all said. They drove up to the area, and two went to the side protesting the integration, and two went to the side supporting the integration. They had all thought they were outraged by the same idea, but no one explicitly said what outraged them.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Back to Selena. The more I listened to the song on the radio, the more I knew exactly how Selena Gomez felt. She was in teenage love, overwhelmed, and god, he just did what he did, he was just so, so, exactly….yeah.</div><div class="MsoNormal">But I plan to practice the discipline of actually using words.</div>sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-37851986442032948222012-01-16T12:34:00.012-07:002015-09-13T16:02:43.560-06:00Chevron the rat<div style="text-align: left;">
She hears me approach-</div>
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What's that, she wonders.</div>
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Warm and furry, snuggled next to her sister</div>
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atop their cushion of chewed paper.</div>
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She rouses herself at the commotion.</div>
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Four feet extended, she rights herself</div>
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and walks to the opening of her little wooden house on the floor of her cage.</div>
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Whiskers whisking, pink nose pointed,</div>
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she sniffs.</div>
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And puts her hands on the open cage door to greet me.</div>
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sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-64134673174183294332012-01-13T11:33:00.000-07:002015-09-13T16:03:44.791-06:00Top 5 LMFAO parodies<div class="_4-u3 _5cla" style="border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border-top-style: none; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 16px;">
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I love LMFAO's videos, "Sexy and I Know It" and "Party Rock Anthem." They're silly, inclusive of different people, and easy to parody. In fact, the celebratory feel and silliness <em><strong>invite</strong></em> parodies, which then leads to top 5 parodies lists. You may wonder, could my time be better spent? It's possible- working out, cleaning, spending time with family, these could be better uses of my time. But current stressors make for poor sleep cycles, and it feels like nighttime right now although the sun's out. As I wonder, "Where will I spend the next four years of residency?" thinking of silly things is much more distracting than say, reading about autism, doing yoga, planning my future career, or learning in general. <br />
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And so, the top 5 parodies, with #1 being the best:<br />
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1. I'm Gassy and I'm Bloated (I'm Sexy and I Know It)<br />
Suffice it to say, <em>I</em> can't relate, but I know <em>you</em> can. For people less than 15 years, they're called toots. For us adults, farts. Funny, true to original, and relatable for all (except me).<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaMvwjFwI6g" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaMvwjFwI6g</a><br />
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2. Life in India (Party Rock Anthem)<br />
"Everybody grab a bowl of rice." A nice spin on party rock, creative and cheerful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnRb5O4p6c0" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnRb5O4p6c0</a><br />
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3. Staying in Anthem<br />
Who hasn't stayed in, with the best of intentions to work, clean, reflect, and wound up googling actors and commenting on everyone's facebook posts?<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhHfGyhFv0Q" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhHfGyhFv0Q</a><br />
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4. I'm Arab and I Love it<br />
This is a very sweet video, which includes arabic language and music and a cute kid at the end.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_470750&src_vid=gCbHcOQA3AY&v=Oy-QScHUSus" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_470750&src_vid=gCbHcOQA3AY&v=Oy-QScHUSus</a><br />
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5. I'm Elmo and I Know it<br />
Included to show the versatility of LMFAO- everyone can have a good time with the song.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWF86D_UNxc" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWF86D_UNxc</a><br />
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<span class="fbUnderline">Honorable Mentions:</span><br />
I'm Country and I Know it<br />
<a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMJWCGuOGojQ%26feature%3Drelated&h=EAQEg_OeN&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJWCGuOGojQ&feature=related</a><br />
Funny lyrics, lower budget and made by a single person.<br />
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I'm Messy and I Know it<br />
<a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7iVhRRbK_gI&h=-AQFVowYS&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iVhRRbK_gI</a><br />
Cute, but includes stupid vacuum blooper at the end.<br />
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<span class="fbUnderline">Worth watching if the title applies to you</span>:<br />
-I'm Jewish and You know it: too forced to be an honorable mention, but stylish and includes the word "circumcised".<br />
-I'm Geeky and I know it: Good style and fun concept, but repetitive and low energy.<br />
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<span class="fbUnderline">Original Videos LMFAO:</span><br />
I'm Sexy and I Know it<br />
<a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dwyx6JDQCslE%26feature%3Drelmfu&h=LAQGLEWuG&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyx6JDQCslE&feature=relmfu</a><br />
Party Rock Anthem<br />
<a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKQ6zr6kCPj8%26ob%3Dav3e&h=oAQHLJlJo&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6zr6kCPj8&ob=av3e</a></div>
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sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-57838976531320710842011-08-14T17:26:00.010-06:002011-08-14T18:41:37.920-06:00My Little Glass Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rPsMS7btYB8/TkhYzmyItkI/AAAAAAAAAsg/y4RveK6BJWU/s1600/August%2B101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rPsMS7btYB8/TkhYzmyItkI/AAAAAAAAAsg/y4RveK6BJWU/s400/August%2B101.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">My little glass room.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">Viga ceilings and bright light.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">Afternoon sun makes it hot</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">Fans in the window temper the heat.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">I love it so much I don’t want to leave.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">I read</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">I nap</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"> I sweat</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">I feel my solitude.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">Like the last queen of Hawaii,</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">Liliuokalani.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">I write in my upstairs bedroom, a prisoner.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">Sitting on the toilet, </div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">open window doors frame</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">the muted greens, reds, and blues on</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">brown of the desert.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">I awake to sunlight and smell bacon beckoning.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">But I resist </div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;">savoring my last moment in bed.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-59627898791325765572011-03-27T10:25:00.002-06:002011-08-14T17:45:30.003-06:00Labor and Delivery NightsThe last week of my OBGyn rotation, I worked three nights in Labor and Delivery. I had been dreading it and finding an ascetic pleasure in it, admiring and pitying myself for having to stay up all night.<br />
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During days on L&D, I was largely ignored. I felt too tired to assert myself into the unit and compete with the off-service interns and residents, most of them mothers, who seemed very stressed out and talked to each other exclusively about their children. On nights, I was fortunate to work with three men, an intern, an R2, and an R4, who seemed to like their work. The men also had children, but they had stay-at-home partners, who cared for their children. I’ve never liked it when people refer to women doctors or scientists as “bitchy”, stating they are worse than men, because they are trying to be aggressive like men. It was a small sample size, but I think women still have more stress placed on them. They would probably be more mellow if they had a stay-at-home wife or partner caring for their children.<br />
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My first night in L&D was long—I helped deliver a woman’s first child, and it took forever. But by the third night, I was loving L&D. The three residents included me. By my last evening, I felt emotionally and physically drained, and became mawkish, wanting to hug the residents goodbye. I wanted to express how deeply I appreciated my time with them, the opportunity to be pimped and learn from them, to help with births, to see and worry about a pregnant mother who smoked meth for motivation to clean her house, to write patient notes, to try to communicate with native Spanish speakers, and to be awake all night in the hospital when most people are asleep. I did not hug them. I thanked them for teaching me. Then I cried all the way to my car after I left. I find as I approach the end of my required rotations, it’s a struggle to both get going to the hospital, and to leave the unit to go home.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-5290354319273229962011-03-19T09:52:00.000-06:002011-03-19T09:52:04.979-06:00OB Triage and SuperstitionA woman at 33 weeks gestation came into the OB triage after it was noted that her amniotic fluid was low. She was told she may need to be induced, and that she would be staying in the hospital. 33 weeks is four weeks shy of 37 weeks, when the baby is full term, and the baby's lungs may not be fully developed at that time. <br />
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“I usually wear a green ring, that is dear to me” she lamented, “But this morning I changed rings. I can’t help but think that caused this to happen. I know it’s silly. I’m superstitious. If my husband heard me say this, he would say, ‘Don’t be dumb.’”<br />
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I knew exactly what she meant. Superstitions provide comfort to us, giving us a sense of control and reason. An arbitrary cause of a bad event means it could have been prevented. The realization that random luck plays such a prominent role in our lives is quite distressing, while pinpointing a cause can sometimes be satisfying. And we all have people in our lives who dismiss this whole occurrence by saying, “Don’t be dumb.” They mean well too, it takes blame off us, by not making us responsible through superstition.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NXpogpb80Q8/TYTPLCB1PCI/AAAAAAAAAp4/K_GxkRHkfhY/s1600/ring_green_jasper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NXpogpb80Q8/TYTPLCB1PCI/AAAAAAAAAp4/K_GxkRHkfhY/s400/ring_green_jasper.jpg" /></a></div>sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-36752849460841156282011-03-17T21:21:00.008-06:002011-08-14T17:48:24.874-06:00On Reactions to autism: “I’m sorry” vs. “Cool”I told one of the pediatricians I worked with that my nephew has autism.<br />
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“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, with a frowny-face. Her response annoyed me, as he is very healthy. <br />
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I cocked my head and looked at her, then said, “Oh, well, it can be hard.” I made sense of it by considering her to understand how challenging autism can be and simultaneously thinking, “We don’t need your fucking pity bitch.”<br />
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I met a 20 year old patient at a clinic, who said she was going into education for kids with special needs. “People with developmental disabilities are the new, unspoken for minority,” she explained.<br />
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“That’s great,” I told her, “I’m quite familiar with that, because my nephew has autism.”<br />
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“Autism, cool.” She smiled.<br />
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I smiled too. Is it cool that my nephew has autism? In general, no, but my nephew is a mighty cool seven year old. “Kinda immature response,” I thought. Life would be easier for my family, and likely for him too, if autism was less a part of who he is. But my smile was genuine. I thought about all the things I love about my nephew, his odd nuzzling, his repeated exuberant exclamations in line at Costco, (“No, not the lady!” when we hand something he picked out to the cashier, or "No, don't do it!" if we do something he disagrees with), his predilection for gas stations and chain restaurants. “Cool” made me feel good, and I understood it as celebrating him rather than pitying his difference. I preferred that reaction by far, to “I’m sorry".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hN_Oc_j9m6A/TYLZItsMHNI/AAAAAAAAApw/KqMedgESi9Q/s1600/Sandra%2B132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hN_Oc_j9m6A/TYLZItsMHNI/AAAAAAAAApw/KqMedgESi9Q/s400/Sandra%2B132.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-13422010515015823812011-03-13T13:31:00.000-06:002011-03-13T13:31:10.188-06:00Thoughts on urogynecologyUrogynecology is like urology, but for women.<br />
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For the purposes of urogynecology, you are your vagina, your prolapsed uterus. In all fields of surgery, you are draped and covered, with only the relevant part of you left bare, clean and sterilized. I am all for humanistic medicine, the idea of treating the whole person, but in surgery, I find it comforting rather than objectifying, that the person is removed from the procedure, while their organs and pathology are front and center.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-75643792242322063812010-11-23T20:08:00.004-07:002012-04-13T23:04:04.990-06:00Chinese Healing Massage, yes, it's legitimateFirst it was sushi, taking over San Diego, then rolling to Albuquerque. Next, Frozen Yogurt, pull the handle and add your toppings, a pandemic of dead bacteria and sugar disguised as a healthy dessert. And now, Chinese Massage, for $25 an hour.<br />
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I first heard of Chinese Massage when my friend Alegra visited from San Diego, saying, "Everywhere I go, I get Chinese Massage, San Diego, Seattle, Houston, and it's very consistent, fully-clothed, in a public room, stretching style massage."<br />
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When I lived in San Diego, we all thought Asian massage meant "a happy ending", and as a member of the fairer sex, I didn't see how that'd apply to me. But where Alegra's concerned, I'm game for anything. We found several Asian massage centers in town, and luckily happened upon Chinese Healing Massage, on San Mateo and Osuna. The massage was neither clothed nor public. And, the massage therapists are not licensed. You undress to your bottom undergarments, and sit on a footrest with your feet in hot water, with a towel in front for modesty. A small Asian person rubs your back, with hands and elbows. He or she then dries your feet, and you lie facedown on a massage chair (complete with hole and face shield, and she scoots the footrest so that it is now essentially a massage table, with a groove for your hand to gracefully drape over. She massages you, with hands, elbows, and on top of a towel, with knees. You get some head reflexology and stretches too.<br />
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I've had three Chinese massages, and they were all relaxing, but the last one I had was the best massage I've ever had ever, totally top notch, with a very intuitive therapist named Helen. So try it, Chinese Healing Massage, with two locations to serve Albuquerque, on San Mateo by Osuna (505) 884-0830, and on San Mateo by Candelaria (505) 884-1155. Don't be put off by the blackened windows (there is a sign stating the therapeutic and platonic nature of the massage). The interior of the location by Candelaria is spa standard, clean, with soft coloring and Asian style spa music. Refresh yourself with tea or water while you wait. <br />
With all the traffic they receive, call to make an appointment before going. I tip $8-$12 depending on the effort placed. Both male and female therapists are available.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-29768952801724570232010-01-24T10:30:00.000-07:002014-06-01T15:54:40.992-06:00A photon's Life, in AntarcticaWhen I was an undergrad, I was gung ho crazy about <a href="http://icecube.wisc.edu/">IceCube</a>, a high energy physics project which uses the ice of Antarctica as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillation_%28physics%29">scintillating material</a> to track muons.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muon">Muons</a> are a type of sub-atomic particle called a lepton, which is the family electrons belong to, that decay in 2.2 microseconds in their own time frame. They travel close to the speed of light, however, and because of time dilation due to special relatifvity, they travel a long ways in our time frame. <br />
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An undergraduate physics professor of mine, Howard Byrant, once remarked, in the time frame of a photon, the photon lives its entire life in a single instant. What a beautiful thought.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-82750367739250064932009-12-03T20:35:00.000-07:002015-10-03T20:42:31.260-06:00Geri, the elderly cat<div style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XTcvQvsLbPE/SvT42ShTlJI/AAAAAAAABxE/8BzbmmSHqMg/s1600/Alicia%2527s%2BWedding%2Band%2BMore%2B016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XTcvQvsLbPE/SvT42ShTlJI/AAAAAAAABxE/8BzbmmSHqMg/s400/Alicia%2527s%2BWedding%2Band%2BMore%2B016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">During my second year of medical school, I adopted a cat from the animal shelter. Because I wanted a cat to sit by me while I studied, I avoided the kitty route and looked for an older cat. At the shelter, a long, grey-haired cat, with big green eyes looked at me, rubbing against the bars. I fell in love instantly. When the cage door opened he walked to me, and I picked him up and he started to purr.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I could feel every vertebrae on his emaciated body and could smell his butt, but I knew that he was the cat for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When I brought Geri home, he explored his surroundings with confidence. I gave him a bath and fed him. He ate voraciously, getting food everywhere, then opening his jaw wide in a silent roar between bites. In the morning after I showered, Geri would wait for me on the toilet and reach out and place his paw on my arm as I sat on the tub edge brushing my hair, looking intently at me. He reminded me in many ways of my deceased father, and sometimes I wondered if my father's spirit lived inside him. He would meow hideously when he was alone in a room. The shelter said Geri was 11, but the veterinarian I took him to said that was a “kind estimate”, and that he was likely 17. The vet thought Geri had serious health problems and would likely not live a full year. Geri’s lab work showed hyperthyroidism. I took him home and fed him all he could eat and gave him anti-thyroid medication.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Geri gained weight started playing. His favorite toy was a pair of earplugs connected by a wire dangling from the back of a chair. I originally let him out in my backyard because he was unable to jump very high, but one day I looked out and saw him walking by on the fence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I didn’t let him out unsupervised anymore. But those golden days were over much too soon. Geri started having bathroom problems and trouble breathing. I took him to the vet. Geri’s lung x-ray showed congestion, and a fluid sample showed cancer cells. My vet said it was time to let him go. I agreed. Geri had been letting me know he wasn’t enjoying his life, retreating to a corner of the room in solitude, gasping for breath.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I only knew Geri for three months, but I felt loved and understood by him. He would greet me at the door when I came home and follow me when he was well. He was dependable. I loved him more than I thought I could love a cat. Before Geri, I thought people who mourned their pets were silly. Geri made me realize that animals have souls, and that people who love animals are not lonely people looking for a substitute for humans, but loving people making a connection with a fellow being.</span></div>
sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-19414358373677449412009-09-08T11:36:00.015-06:002011-08-14T17:55:53.427-06:00Cat invasion to Come<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SqaXeDimPhI/AAAAAAAAAlo/UHtSV2AvykI/s1600-h/DSCN2633.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379153347542924818" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SqaXeDimPhI/AAAAAAAAAlo/UHtSV2AvykI/s400/DSCN2633.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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After careful consideration and analysis of how much time I'll spend at home next spring while I study for step I of the USMLE, I decided to get a cat.<br />
Me, with a cat? I've always hated pets. Well, over the summer, I spent some quality time with a dog named Bear who changed my mind. Bear belongs to a pediatrician I worked with over the summer. I borrowed Bear to hike with me. After when I went to visit the doctor, Bear wanted lots of attention. It was endearing. I like dogs, but eventually rotations will start, and I won't have time for a dog, but a pet at home will be fun. So I decided an elderly cat will be best.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SqaXmvNF6VI/AAAAAAAAAlw/8WylfHEZsus/s1600-h/DSCrN2652.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379153496702839122" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SqaXmvNF6VI/AAAAAAAAAlw/8WylfHEZsus/s400/DSCN2652.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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I went to the <a href="http://www.cabq.gov/pets/">Albuquerque animal shelter</a> and picked out a lovable 11 year old female cat, or so I thought. This morning I received a phone call informing me that what they thought was an un-spayed female is actually a neutered male. Kitty has lots of fur, mistakes can be made. And the cat has advanced dental disease. Bummer. I have decided to pick him up anyway because he was so friendly. He looked out of his cage at me wanting my attention, and he purred when I held him. He is a grey bundle of hair, skin, and bones, with intelligent green eyes. At the animal shelter, if things don't work out with your furry friend, you can take him back within 30 days and get the adoption fee credited toward the adoption of a different animal. Cats over three years old are currently only $10, which pays for vaccinations, fixing, and a microchip for identification, and you get a referral for one free veterinarian visit. What a bargain!sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-34499099400473161512009-05-15T15:20:00.004-06:002014-06-01T15:42:41.651-06:00Where do you begin?How much of our past defines who we are as people? You can know a person very well, and not know what they did before they met you. Do you know their past self? People change.
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<br />Yet, if you killed someone, people who were close to you would want to know. What past actions define us, and what are we obligated to tell new people in our lives?sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-67207598376244059732009-04-02T18:05:00.041-06:002009-04-03T11:18:21.499-06:00Frozen yogurt everywhere!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVWXI_jphI/AAAAAAAAAjg/p3hMZfG-JRg/s1600-h/stuff+079.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVWXI_jphI/AAAAAAAAAjg/p3hMZfG-JRg/s400/stuff+079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320253490359150098" border="0" /></a><br />I went to San Diego to visit friends, and they told me about a fad centered in southern CA, frozen yogurt. This isn't TCBY or Golden Swirl, though I liked their yogurt. This new trend features tart yogurt, yogurt that still smacks of bacteria, although I don't think acidophilus is an extremophile, so I don't think it survives in frozen yogurt. We sampled three places: Pinkberry in Hillcrest, Yogurt World in Clairmont, and Yogurt Land in PB. Among the three places, the nutritious value of the yogurt, calories, and the amount of sugar was consistent, ranging from 11-20g of sugar for various flavors. Surprisingly, the plain yogurt has the most sugar. Alegra explained this adequately, pointing out that dark chocolate is often higher in sugar than milk because more sugar is needed to overcome the bitterness. The same is true for the plain yogurt. To cut to the chase, the winner was Yogurt Land.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pinkberry</span><br /><br />Pinkberry had the best tasting, but most expensive yogurt. They featured three snobby flavors: green tea, pomegranate, and plain. The yogurt was creamy and tart, but it was not self-serve, so it lacked what I now think of as the "frozen yogurt experience". The toppings were very high quality, and included kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, and candy and nuts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVps86z51I/AAAAAAAAAkg/4Few6oqbnxo/s1600-h/stuff+073.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVps86z51I/AAAAAAAAAkg/4Few6oqbnxo/s400/stuff+073.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320274755796068178" /></a><br />Why so big for so little, cup?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVpDidHmOI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/OpEtqm956G8/s1600-h/stuff+076.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVpDidHmOI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/OpEtqm956G8/s400/stuff+076.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320274044317571298" /></a><br />Lovely yogurt and toppings behind the counter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVWHvm8zsI/AAAAAAAAAjY/0z8sdvAsRnQ/s1600-h/stuff+075.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVWHvm8zsI/AAAAAAAAAjY/0z8sdvAsRnQ/s400/stuff+075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320253225847017154" border="0" /></a><br />Small portions, but tasty and enjoyable.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Yogurt World</span><br /><br />Yogurt World had many flavors, including taro, bananas foster, birthday cake, and green apple, and they have large signs proclaiming the health benefits of yogurt, including making the lactose intolerant lactose tolerant. Some of the machines did not have yogurt, but ice cream. This was not labeled, so it was slightly misleading if the customer only wanted yogurt rather than custard ice cream. Also, the toppings were not as high quality as those at Pinkberry. But at 38 cents/ounce, you can fill your cup. I recommend chocolate Pebbles to top your yogurt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVWv6QVS7I/AAAAAAAAAjw/vgUb_qkwoKE/s1600-h/stuff+080.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVWv6QVS7I/AAAAAAAAAjw/vgUb_qkwoKE/s400/stuff+080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320253915899710386" border="0" /></a><br />The orange decor, signs, and self-serve machines of Yogurt World.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVWirnWrcI/AAAAAAAAAjo/pLNMZlXQg14/s1600-h/stuff+089.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVWirnWrcI/AAAAAAAAAjo/pLNMZlXQg14/s400/stuff+089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320253688631438786" border="0" /></a><br />Got ailments? Get yogurt.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yogurt Land</span><br /><br />Yogurt land has the best-priced yogurt: a mere 30 cents/ounce! They had about a dozen flavors (their tart blueberry is delicious) and they are self-serve. You can pig out on samples because the shop is run by college and high school students who don't give a rat's ass about the business. The toppings are nicely arranged and labeled, and they are also self-serve. The place was hopping at 10pm on a Monday night. Yogurt Land also claims to "build better skin". I believe yogurt can also fix our economy. Probably indulging in lots of samples will not.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVXhOMch6I/AAAAAAAAAkI/ap057C4qS4k/s1600-h/stuff+109.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVXhOMch6I/AAAAAAAAAkI/ap057C4qS4k/s400/stuff+109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320254763065706402" border="0" /></a><br />A blurry treat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVXCrrRhcI/AAAAAAAAAj4/rpPzj9R8kgQ/s1600-h/stuff+116.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVXCrrRhcI/AAAAAAAAAj4/rpPzj9R8kgQ/s400/stuff+116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320254238403691970" border="0" /></a><br />The full shop.<br /><br />Both Yogurt World and Yogurt had tasty yogurt, although the plain tart yogurt was not quite as good as that at Pinkberry. However for the price difference, Pinkberry loses. Yogurt Land has good yogurt and toppings at a great price, and Yogurt World is worth a visit for good yogurt and funny signs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVpXLEvx5I/AAAAAAAAAkY/mXCA9rS9u4M/s1600-h/stuff+081.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SdVpXLEvx5I/AAAAAAAAAkY/mXCA9rS9u4M/s400/stuff+081.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320274381638715282" /></a><br />Crazy concoction for < $7 at Yogurt World. This would have been ~$5 at Yogurt Land. Only the wealthy could afford so much yogurt at Pinkberry in our bleak financial era.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-28393142644959262432009-03-08T15:42:00.000-06:002014-06-01T15:47:33.870-06:00MeaningFor any readers I still have out there, I know of at least two, what gives your life meaning? In medical school, we had an old NY lady lecturing us on palliative care and death. In our first lecture she actually said, "We get meaning from having children. If you don't have kids, let me tell you, you'll be questioning your value." Okay....I may want to have kids, but if we don't believe we ourselves as people have value, why would other people, our kids, give us value? Because they depend on us? Are they our legacy? Do they simply satisfy a biological urge?<br />
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I spend most of my time studying and entertaining myself. Once in a while, I visit my sister and her children, but I try to focus more on my life now. I went to medical school because I want to be a doctor. I like meeting people and hearing about their lives and health problems. You'd think that this would motivate me to study more, and it does, and I do feel it's meaningful, but I still spend a lot of time thinking about television shows and other people, or looking for books to read or reading them. I really love the show Lost and feel that watching it is a good use of my time. The creation of characters and an ongoing plot can say a lot about our human experience. It gives us a way to reflect on our lives and world events, and it makes us feel connected to other people. I get a lot of satisfaction out of following a storyline on television or in novels. I'm sure the people who spend time creating these stories appreciate my appreciation of their efforts. But it doesn't result in much, from a productivity standpoint. Is it better to spend time creating something rather than enjoying other people's creations? Kind of pointless to make a TV show with no audience.<br />
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If I think about having kids, I think, "If I work and feed myself and have kids, I might not have time for TV or books." One time I read an article by a smug journalist with four kids writing about how wonderful it was to be busy, and how, sure, she didn't have time to read novels in the park, but who cares, since she has four kids! Isn't she terrific! But creating new people to give meaning to your life seems kind of pitiful...what makes those people think their kids have meaning? I think they just like having kids. The value of having biological children seems to be getting to see what your own genetic pool can create. Adopting kids seems meaningful, because those kids are already here. I am curious to have a baby for the experience and to see what comes out, but I don't know if that will give me more meaning, it seems more like it will give me responsibility and obligation. And you are only caring for what you produced. Is that productive?<br />
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Right now, I study, interact with patients, spend time with friends and family, watch TV and read. I wonder if I am benefiting other people enough with my life. How do you guys feel about how you spend your time? What gives your lives meaning?sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-42159440156545725492009-02-09T18:51:00.004-07:002009-02-09T18:58:08.400-07:00New Adventures in Med School<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SZDfCFFJEiI/AAAAAAAAAh4/UrsOhwVfwxo/s1600-h/autopsy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SZDfCFFJEiI/AAAAAAAAAh4/UrsOhwVfwxo/s400/autopsy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300981988231549474" border="0" /></a><br />Last week, I performed a neurological exam on a real patient in a real clinic, alone! The situation was quite surreal, involving over-age adoption and a blind monk, but I cannot go into the details due to confidentiality. I was allowed to perform the exam by my supervising physician's assistant, primarily because it was not necessary.<br /><br />On Sunday I witnessed several autopsies. Being a fan of the X-files, I have seen Scully carry out several autopsies, however this situation was completely different, very smelly, and also rather surreal. I would not recommend viewing one.<br /><br />I'm now in the third week of neuroscience, and I'm starting out this block much better than previous blocks. Who knows, maybe it will continue to go well!sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-72790462093712070122009-02-04T20:04:00.002-07:002014-06-01T15:44:11.486-06:00Bikram's YogaI tried out Bikram's Yoga for a month. I did feel like it worked out my muscles and made me more flexible, but it is too freakin' hot! Bikram's yoga is a very regimented yoga, consisting of a series of 26 moves performed in the same order in a room heated to 104 degrees F. During my last session, a woman lost her balance and fell down, and the instructor didn't even stop to inquire if she was okay until the natural break in the routine, about 20 minutes later. This despite the woman laying down and not getting back up, and saying "ow ow". It left a sour taste in my mouth, which is unfortunate, because it was only the red-headed instructor with short hair that works at Bikram's downtown in Albuqueruque. The other instructors were quite nice.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-7717765761182280142008-12-19T09:19:00.006-07:002014-06-01T15:51:44.446-06:00Diarrhea527,000 children under the age of 5 were reported to have died in 2007 in Africa and Asia from diarrhea due to rotavirus. Many deaths were likely unreported.<br />
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Bacteria and parasites also cause diarrhea. There are two kinds of poop that generally result from infection: bloody stools and rice water poop. I hope that you avoid the more serious infections. If you do find yourself on the toilet more frequently than you'd like, you can try this home remedy to rehydrate yourself:<br />
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3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 4 tbl sugar, 1 cup OJ, 4 cups water<br />
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This replaces electrolytes and water. Sports drinks are too concentrated and do not hydrate enough.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-88962837500944993202008-12-15T18:11:00.005-07:002014-06-01T15:52:03.936-06:00World Focus, for Americans<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SUcB1NqwRTI/AAAAAAAAAgU/YcA_2neD3fE/s1600-h/atlas.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SUcB1NqwRTI/AAAAAAAAAgU/YcA_2neD3fE/s400/atlas.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280191101828875570" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
I've caught a great show on PBS a few times, in Albuquerque it comes on at 5pm. It's called World Focus, and it's a 30 minute news show designed to inform Americans about world events. So if you don't know who Mugabe is and what is going on in Zimbabwe, don't be embarrassed, tune in online! There is lots of coverage on Africa, health crises, and other regions left off the networks. <a href="http://worldfocus.org/">worldfocus.org</a>sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-3809694160491820712008-11-13T20:51:00.006-07:002008-11-16T23:35:18.935-07:00AIDs patient cured in GermanyA patient with both leukemia and HIV was cured in Berlin, by receiving hematopoetic stem cells (the basic cell that gives rise to all your blood cells) from a match who was CCR5-. First, the patient had intensive chemo- and radiotherapy, then received a bone marrow transplant.<br /><br />There is a high risk for the patient with a 10-30% chance of death from having your immune system and bone marrow cells wiped out before the transplant. Still, this is fascinating.<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/health/14hiv.html">NYtimes Article</a>sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-11409907085239211602008-11-11T13:34:00.026-07:002008-11-13T19:05:54.314-07:00Autistim, or Schizophrenia?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SRn8lmDyhBI/AAAAAAAAAac/Y4I5jF3tMmg/s1600-h/SociallyInept.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 327px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SRn8lmDyhBI/AAAAAAAAAac/Y4I5jF3tMmg/s400/SociallyInept.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267518961988305938" border="0" /></a>According to Dr. Crespi and Dr. Badcock (thrilling surname!), epigenetic gene silencing of the father's versus the mother's genes may tilt a person more toward autism or more toward schizophrenia (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/health/research/11brain.html">NYTs article</a>, <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7208/full/4541054a.html">Nature essay</a>). Epigenetics is the term that describes changes to the genome that change which genes are expressed but do not change the genome itself. In general, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_methylation">methylation</a>, the adding of a CH3 group to the 5 carbon of the nucleotide cytosine in a promoter, silences the expression of a gene, while demethylation or acetylation (tagging with a -CoCH3 group) increases expression. When a section of a genome is silenced depending on a parent's gender, that is called <a href="http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/I/Imprinting.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">imprinting</span></a>. As we all carry two alleles (one variant of a specific gene) total, one from each parent, when our sperm or eggs are being made only one of each of our alleles gets put into the sperm or egg. With a few genes, a paternal allele in an egg should be silenced, and a maternal allele in a sperm should be silenced (with many genes, both alleles are expressed in the baby). When the sperm and egg come together, there are two alleles, with one or the other silenced through imprinting. The proposed theory of mental health suggests a paternal allele in the mother that should have been silenced results in reduced social skills, and the expression of a maternal allele in the father that should be silenced results in emotional problems. So, too much paternal expression creates social ineptitute, and too much maternal expression makes crazy harpies?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SRn8sgiODHI/AAAAAAAAAak/y5fBB2d6LnY/s1600-h/CrazyHarpy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SRn8sgiODHI/AAAAAAAAAak/y5fBB2d6LnY/s400/CrazyHarpy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267519080764410994" border="0" /></a>At times a mis-expression of an allele is indeed a problem, as an example, consider Prader Willi and Angelman syndrome. A specific region of chromosome 15, designated as 15q11-13, is responsible for both conditions. In this section of the genome, alleles from both the paternal and maternal lines should be expressed. In Prader Willi, either the father's gene is silenced or two copies of the mother's are mistakenly passed along: an imbalance in favor of maternal genes. In Angelman, the maternal gene is silenced or two copies of the paternal alleles are passed along: an imbalance in favor of paternal genes. According to the article, the two syndromes result in very different behavior, more compliance in Prader-Willi's, and more hyperactivity in Angelman's, although from the description in my genetics book, both conditions present unique challenges and temper tantrums.<br /><br />The article also suggests that mother's have, through evolution, silenced genes that result in difficult offspring, silencing any paternal genes that pass through into their eggs. Both articles reference the IGF2 gene, responsible for growth of the baby in the womb. Apparently this gene is expressed in the sperm and imprinted in the egg. If both alleles are expressed, the baby is 50% too big and hard to deliver, if neither is expressed, the baby is too small. It so happens the father's is expessed, resulting in typical fetal growth. What if the imprinting was simply reversed, silenced in the father and expressed in the mother?<br /><br />While Badcock and Crespi propose an interesting theory, I am not sure the evolutionary interpretation holds much weight. A child with autism or schizophrenia can both present a great challenge, and in the accepted discrepancy in imprinting resulting in Angelman or Prader Willi, this is also true. So imprinting and epigenetics are being shown to cause behavioral and physical phenotypes, but the interpretation that places where the maternal alleles are imprinted may be due to ease of child birth and child rearing has only subjective speculation to back it up.<br /><br />I believe I have heterogenous imbalances, as I am of late both social inept <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> emotionally hypersensitive <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> blissfully living in a state of self-deception. But I'm finally doing well in medical school, in genetics and neoplasia.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-58373307293564643932008-10-04T21:32:00.006-06:002008-10-04T21:45:57.944-06:00There Will Be Blood<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SOg1qWU7WSI/AAAAAAAAAZk/3WUagq89VpQ/s1600-h/ThereWillBeBlood.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_obj9DMbYjic/SOg1qWU7WSI/AAAAAAAAAZk/3WUagq89VpQ/s400/ThereWillBeBlood.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253507966991816994" /></a><br />What a terrific movie! There Will Be Blood opens slowly, in real time, with Daniel Day Lewis looking for oil. The story evolves into a biopic of his character, Daniel Plainview, whose hatred for people simmers and gushes out in harsh retribution. I found his character to have some positive traits: independence, self-reliance, intelligence, and the ability to plan ahead. His chief negative trait was that he murdered people. Everyone has some good and some bad in them. At one point he says he has a competitiveness inside, that makes him hate to see others succeed. He channels this negative energy into controlling a large share of the American oil industry and accumulating wealth. I found his single-mindedness rather inspirational, if a bit excessive. I'm fired up to conquer the head and the neck in human structure, function, and development--one more quiz and one more exam!sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847752931976507205.post-78306933257181397102008-09-11T19:59:00.003-06:002014-06-01T15:51:25.528-06:00Poverty in NM-stream of thoughtToday for part of our course on poverty and health at school, I visited a "soup kitchen" called Project Share.<br />
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Project Share serves hot meals to the 87106 community. The project also distributes food boxes to families in need, provides free clothing and books to people, and offers people help in finding work.<br />
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I know very little about social problems, so it was very interesting to go and serve food to people. As an initial impression, some people seemed to be in very dire straits, and some people seemed like people simply down on their luck or caught in a tight economy. Some people seemed like they could be okay, and it was unclear why they were there. People have all kinds of needs. Some people who came to Project Share may even have been filling a social need, I'm not sure.<br />
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So far in medical school I've gotten more exposure to poverty than I did working say, in Los Alamos. I enjoyed volunteering at Project Share, except for the cleaning part, after we served people food. It wasn't hard, but seeing and smelling the bucket of water and chlorine, cold with wet rags inside, brought back unpleasant school cafeterias for me.<br />
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I have heard it said that there are not starving people in the US the way there are in other countries, and I am sure that is more or less true, but there are definitely hungry people here. I wonder how everyone came to fall through our social network and ended up homeless, jobless, and hungry.sciencebirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561972102684141378noreply@blogger.com0