Kendra does Emotional Automation
Another interesting person I met at #healthfoo: Kendra Markle hangs out at Stanford and does work on emotional automation, asking the question,”How can technology represent and convey compassion to augment the doctor-patient relationship?” It turns out that having a compassionate listener, even a computerized one, can help people improve adherence with medical treatment regimes. An [...]
Exercise pioneer Jack LaLanne died at 96 and was doing great until the very end (video)
Jack LaLanne, the fitness pioneer who inspired TV viewers to trim down, eat well and pump iron for decades (34 years), died at 96 of respiratory failure due to pneumonia at his home in California. He ate healthy and exercised every day of his life up until the end. Just before he had heart valve [...]
The use of neuromuscular blockers in ARDS—is the pendulum swinging back?
You’re no doubt aware of the hype surrounding this issue as a result of a new NEJM study. From the study: …340 patients presenting to the intensive care unit (ICU) with an onset of severe ARDS within the previous 48 hours were randomly assigned to receive, for 48 hours, either cisatracurium besylate (178 patients) or [...]
Fear of lightning and thunder – Brontophobia
Brontophobia also known as Astraphobia or Keraunophobia or Tonitrophobia is the persistant and abnormal fear of lightning and thunder. This phobia is mostly seen among childen and at times among adults also. The unnecessary fear causes anxiety even though the person knows that thunder will not cause any harm to him. When outside this very [...]
Methland
I recommend Nick Reding′s Methland, in which the author embeds himself in the small town of Oelwein, Iowa and tries to come to grips with the causes and effects of the meth epidemic in rural America. This is a work by a reporter, not an academic, and a good thing too – we get to [...]
