27 Ocak 2010
The health benefits of effective meditation are slowly gaining popularity in the world of alternative medicine. Meditation is believed to result in behavioural, attitudinal and health transformation in most people. The practice of different meditation techniques in the modern western world is being adopted by most alternative medical practitioners to help their patients reach deep into their consciousness and into the root of their physiological as well as psychological concerns.
Meditation traces its roots from religious practices of Hindu and Buddhism. It has a history of over thousands of years, stretching back to the first Indian civilizations. Vendic Hinduism, one of the oldest religions, is known to profess meditation as part of its spiritual and religious practices. This form of mental discipline involves the attainment of a deep state of relaxation and a higher state of consciousness through the channeling of mental energies to a single focal point. Originally done in religious and ritualistic affairs, meditation has now evolved into other uses including alternative healing.
There are different ways by which meditation can be done. One meditation technique focuses on specific fields or background perception and experience referred to as “mindfulness.” Another meditation technique, called “concentrative,” focuses on a specific object. Both techniques can be combined or used interchangeably with the expectation of the same results of a relaxed consciousness. These techniques are separated by the object of focus used in inducing the desired state of mind.
1) Mindfulness meditation is characterized by open focus. The present status and experiences are kept in the consciousness. It is this focus on present perceptions that serves to anchor the meditator to the whole process of meditation. The awareness of what is and what is not are processed in the mind as it is, without analysis or interpretation.
2) Concentrative meditation, commonly used in religious and spiritual practices, focuses the meditator on a particular object. All other thoughts and distractions are banished from the meditator’s mind. This type of meditation clears the mind of all other things but the object of focus.
3) Combined meditation brings together mindfulness and concentrative meditation. In this meditation technique movement is allowed, making the meditator aware of the energies flowing through his body and making body movements smooth and fluid.
In all these meditation techniques, introspection is common. All are done in a period of quietness, inviting relaxation and a feeling of inner peace. These meditation techniques are practiced in modern ways of counselling and psychotherapy. As they result in mental and muscular relaxation, these meditation techniques are considered to be effective tools in relaxation training, one of the procedures done by psychologists and psychiatrists to help an individual uncover the inner self and consequently address present behavioral, attitudinal and mental concerns.
These meditation techniques are also used in alternative medicine to help treat diseases particularly heart or cardiovascular diseases. As meditation ultimately results in a relaxed state of mind and a general feeling of well-being, these meditation techniques are credited for reducing incidences of cardiovascular diseases through effective stress relief in most patients.
Etiketler: consciousness, focus, health, health transformation, higher state of consciousness, indian civilizations, meditation, meditation technique, meditation techniques, meditator, mental discipline, mind, mindfulness meditation, object, psychological concerns, relaxation, ritualistic affairs, State, state of consciousness, technique
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27 Ocak 2010
One of the most important terms that will help us understand our weight is the Body Mass Index or BMI. It is the universal standard around the world in determining whether a person is healthy or obese and for most of us, it is related very strongly to how much fat our body has. It is arrived at by considering our height and weight.
Many studies have led to the agreement that a BMI of between 19 and 24.9 is healthy, one between 25 and 29.9 is overweight and one over 30 is obese. The risk of disease goes up as BMI goes over 25 but the risk of disease and death goes up dramatically as the BMI goes over 30. Here are some examples:
An average female in America is 64 inches tall is healthy if she weighs between 110 and 144 pounds. Between 145 and 173 pounds, she is overweight and if she is obese if she weighs more than 174 pounds. The average American male is 70 inches tall and has a healthy weight range of 132 and 173 pounds. Between 174 and 208 pounds he is overweight and at over 209 pounds he is obese.
A lot of people are fond of saying “I am big boned, not overweight” and this comes from the old insurance tables that were used some decades ago before BMI was adopted. In those days, the insurance companies were the only ones who needed to keep weight and height tables in order to calculate their insurable life risks and when they did, it was based on the weights of a group of people who were subdivided into groups like “small frame”, “medium frame” and “large frame”. Different groups could have different tables and this of course was not scientific and precise enough for our needs today.
Importantly, BMI for children is a little more complicated and varies by both age and sex. So if two kids are different ages and sexes, their BMI will mean different things. This is called the body mass index-for-age percentile calculation and even if the reading is the same for these two kids, they can have different results. The reason for this is the normal BMI-related changes that take place as children age and also the regular sex difference BMI. So if a 10 year old boy and a 15 year old boy both have a BMI-for-age of 23, the 10 year old would be considered obese and the 15 year old, healthy.
Etiketler: America, BMI, body, body mass index, decades, different things, frame, height, height and weight, insurance companies, mass, medium frame, obese, overweight, risk, sexes, weight, weights, year
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27 Ocak 2010
Ear wax, technically known as cerumen, gets a bad rap. There is nothing wrong with some good healthy wax, yet people are adamant about removing it. But here is the scoop — your build up is good stuff and it serves a useful purpose. The ear canal contains glands that produce cerumen to protect and moisturize your ear and ward off infections. It also traps foreign objects like dirt and dust from entering undesirable places.
Occasionally you will produce too much wax. Excessive cerumen may cause earaches, hearing loss, ringing in your ears and balance problems. There are a few simple steps you should take to easily and effectively remove the blockage. No expensive potions or lotions are required. You may want to examine pharmacy concoctions and medical treatment if an excessive blockage continues.
The old saying “Don’t ever put anything in your ear larger than your elbow” is crucially important when dealing with your ear. You should never, repeat never, put cotton swabs or any other object in your ear. The accidental damage caused by swabs can be devastatingly painful and create long-term hearing problems. Using cotton swabs is the worst thing you can do to get rid of your problem. They simply tamp down and impact the existing blockage.
Use a few drops of olive oil or baby oil to loosen and soften your wax. Use an eardropper and tip your head until you feel the oil oozing into your ear canal. You should repeat this process twice a day for one week. You will be ready to gently remove your excess cerumen after a week of oil treatments. Purchase a plastic bulbous syringe squirter and fill it with warm tap water. Very carefully insert the tip against your canal. Never push it into the canal. Gently squirt water to flush away the loosened wax. Do not force water into the canal at a high pressure. Serious injury could result.
Simply rub the outside of your ear with a towel. Nature will do the rest. Again, do not dry your ear with a cotton swab. You may want to use a few drops of rubbing alcohol if it remains clogged. Some people prefer close personal friends to blow into their ear, a rather nice tactic.
Hydrogen Peroxide
This simple remedy works with regularity. Tilt your head and use an eardropper to fill you ear with hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit for a few minutes then flush out with warm water. Even if this does not work, you will have experienced the pleasing sensation of bubbling in your ear!
Ear wax is a naturally produced by your ears to protect them from infection and damage. Ear wax is only a problem when excessive amounts of wax build up. Use oil drops for a week to loosen and soften your ear wax, then gently flush the wax out with warm water. Hydrogen peroxide may also be used to remove ear wax. Never, ever, never, ever insert a cotton swab or any other object into your ear. Serious and long lasting damage can easily result.
Etiketler: bad rap, balance problems, blockage, canal, cerumen, cotton, cotton swabs, Don, ear, ear canal, ear wax, oil, oil treatments, ringing in your ears, rubbing alcohol, squirt water, use, water, wax, week
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27 Ocak 2010
Even if you’ve stayed healthy so far this winter season, you are not out of the woods for acquiring the H1N1 virus.
Luckily, there are free H1N1 Shots being offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, at a variety of locations in Baltimore County. These locations are Baltimore Highlands Lansdowne Health Center, Banneker Community Center, Cockeysville Volunteer Fire Department, Dundalk Health Center, Eastern Family Resource Center, Essex Health Center, Edgemere Senior Center, Fleming Community Center, Hannah Moore Health Center, Hereford Middle School, Liberty Family Resource Center, Middle River Middle School, Pikesville Library, Drumcastle Government Center, Towson Health Center, and Woodlawn Health Center. The vaccines will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Peter Andrews, PA-C, director of Occupational Health at Sinai Hospital, says will be “peaks and valleys” in the number of H1N1 cases over the next few months.
“Whenever there are family gatherings around the holidays, we tend to see big spikes in the number of flu cases,” Peter say. Additionally, he warns that late January/early February is when the seasonal flu historically strikes hard.
LifeBridge Health employees are encouraged to get their H1N1 vaccination by visiting Employee/Occupational Health at Sinai Hospital or Northwest Hospital.
Etiketler: Baltimore, banneker community center, Center, community, essex health center, family, family gatherings, family resource center, flu cases, hannah moore, health, hereford middle school, Hospital, Middle, occupational, peaks and valleys, Peter, Peter Andrews, pikesville library, Resource, school, Sinai, volunteer fire department
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27 Ocak 2010
New research shows that money makes people happy and if someone is paid by the hour they are even happier. This strange study was done by Jeffrey Pfeffer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Sanford DeVoe of the University of Toronto. They studied both British and Americans who were paid hourly vs. salary wages and compared their general happiness. The surveys showed that pay determines the happiness of hourly workers more than it does for people paid a salary.
Pfeffer said that the study showed people who are paid by the hour think differently about money, time and happiness. They think about their income regularly and begin comparing the value of their time to the amount of their happiness.
I find this study rather strange. It was published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and I haven’t read the entire study but there may be other variables that interfered with the conclusion about hourly pay and happiness.
Most low income people are paid by the hour. Are they really happier than the banking moguls who are getting $million dollar bonuses? Do people who work for minimum wage report they are “satisfied with their life” at a higher rate than salaried people? The study says yes.
I think this is a study that needs to be validated.
Etiketler: devoe, dollar bonuses, graduate school of business, happiness, hour, income, Jeffrey Pfeffer, money, money time, personality and social psychology bulletin, research, salary, salary wages, social psychology bulletin, someone, Stanford, stanford graduate school, stanford graduate school of business, study, time
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27 Ocak 2010
Many people snore at night. So, if you have stumbled in this page, you are probably one of them. Snoring can disturb the good sleep of your partner or your children so it is advisable to look for ways or consult your doctor if you are experiencing this condition. Furthermore, aside from ruining your room mates sleep, snoring can cause health risk as well. It can cause various serious illnesses that can also be fatal like heart diseases, high blood pressure, and cardiac arrest. So, if you are snoring, look for stop snoring remedy that will be effective for you.
Yes, there are many available stop snoring remedy today that can aid you in preventing your snoring problem. However, it is best if you first ask your doctor about the choices and your type of snoring problem. Also, you can read books or magazines, or find remedies online. Below are some of the easy tips that you can apply in reducing your snoring and eventually eliminating it in your system. These are all easy to follow.
The best thing about stop snoring remedy tips is that, they are tested and proven to be somehow effective. One is to have an additional pillow to make your head higher. In this way, the chance of your throat muscle to block the air passage in your throat as you sleep or just nap will simply be reduced. Experts recommend that your sleeping position must be sideways and that you should not sleep backwards. This is because, sleeping in this position will cause your tongue and soft palate to fall off back, thus blocking or just narrowing your air passage in your throat.
Next simple yet effective stop snoring remedy is to lose weight. Exercise regularly and quit from drinking alcoholic drinks. Drinking, especially before going to bed will enable your throat muscles to relax and block the passage way of air. Furthermore, quit from smoking as well. Excessive smoking can restrict the air passage in your throat, thus cause snoring. Then, if you are taking medications like tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and antihistamines, you should avoid them because these drugs can increase your disturbing snoring problem.
There are many stop snoring remedy drugs and devices available in your local drugstore. They can be throat sprays, or nasal pills and strips. The throat sprays can help you decrease the vibration in your throat, thus control the snoring. Those nasal strips can keep your nose open that can make you breathe much easier while the pills contain ingredients for the purpose of preventing both the nose and throat tissues from swelling. Almost all of these remedies can be found at your nearest local drugstore.
These remedies are very beneficial to people who have this kind of sleeping disorder. Using the stop snoring remedy that is suited for your type of condition can prevent you from suffering from snoring and achieve a very good night sleep with your roommate. Remember that a good and comfortable sleep can make you stress free and healthy every day.
Etiketler: air, air passage, alcoholic drinks, condition, doctor, excessive smoking, good sleep, heart diseases, night, passage, problem, remedy, room mates, sleep, sleeping pills, soft palate, Stop, stop snoring remedy, throat, throat muscles
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27 Ocak 2010
In honor of LifeBridge Health being named one of Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” we asked some of our employees what they think about working here. We’ll be posting their stories regularly. If you work at LifeBridge Health, we’d love to hear from you!
“My first impression of Sinai was the friendliness of the Human Resources department, and how well the hiring process worked. Then, it came time for me to go to New Employee Orientation. Who is the first person to greet me? Neil Meltzer! No ivory towers here!”
-Rona Karol, Practice Manager for General Surgery Specialists,
Sinai Hospital“I’ve been employed a Sinai Hospital in the Radiology Department for 11 years. I’m so proud to work here I continue to wear my badge when I run errands after work. In the mall and at cash registers I receive positive comments, such as “My mom had her surgery at Sinai” or “Sinai is great, my daughter was delivered in your Labor and Delivery unit.” I stand tall, shoulders arched, and smile from ear to ear.”
-Darlene Rogers, Radiology Coordinator, Radiology Department,
Sinai Hospital“What do I love about my workplace and coworkers? There is A LOT that I love! We are a BIG family (residents and staff) at Courtland Gardens! We create a diverse culture for our staff and residents. We motivate, recognize and we still have fun, while we all continue to work very hard. Trying to make a difference is what makes coming to work a positive and rewarding experience for me.
“A year ago, my director, Nelson Figueroa, developed a new program that would assure quality of care to our Emergency Room patients. I was asked to place follow up calls to a variety of patients who are discharged from our department. The calls involve finding out how the patient is doing once they leave the ED, and to make sure that they understand the discharge instructions that we give to them. I have found that not only are they receptive to my call, but that they are very appreciative of the caring that is conveyed. Telling someone that we care is easy to do because we at LifeBridge do just that! I know that LifeBridge cares and that is why the staff and our patients are satisfied.”
-Roslyn Klein, RN II, ER-7, Northwest
Etiketler: cash registers, Courtland, Darlene Rogers, delivery unit, Department, discharge instructions, ear, emergency room patients, fortune magazine, General Surgery, health, honor, Hospital, hr business partner, human resources department, Joy Curbean, Karol, LifeBridge, Neil Meltzer, Nelson Figueroa, new employee orientation, Radiology, radiology department, Roslyn Klein, Sinai, staff
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27 Ocak 2010
Instead of writing a blog for EverythingHealth today, I am linking readers to the Sutter Helps Haiti blog that I have been writing. The medical volunteers that are on the ground make for interesting writing and reading. The medical issues that victims of the earthquake are facing will change as the days go on.
The initial amputations for crush injuries are about over…now broken bones are being pinned with good orthopedic equipment and skilled surgeons. The problems with infections persist and the aftercare for patients will be prolonged. It takes about 6 months for an amputee to learn to cope and the only prosthetic manufacturer in Haiti was destroyed in the earthquake. Prosthetics and physical therapy will need to be imported.
The fact that many patients have no homes or family to care for them is the biggest issue medics face now. The medics are serving as family and shelter at this time for thousands of people.
This story will be with us for a long time.
Photo credit to Operation Rainbow, Dr. Atkin
Etiketler: amputations, blog, broken bones, crush injuries, Dr. Atkin, earthquake, EverythingHealth, family, ground, Haiti, make, medical volunteers, operation rainbow, orthopedic equipment, photo credit, rainbow dr, Sutter, time, time photo, today, writing
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27 Ocak 2010
This is the team we worked so hard to get off the ground for Haiti relief. They are now in Port au Prince and working hard for the victims of the devastating earthquake.
Etiketler: devastating earthquake, earthquake, ground, Haiti, Port au Prince, relief, team
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27 Ocak 2010
Many people are actually suffering from mild dehydration without really realizing it. Since the symptoms of mild dehydration are subtle, people really don’t realize that they are not drinking enough water until it is too late.
You need to understand the importance of water or fluids in maintaining your health. You can survive without food for weeks, but you can not stay alive without water for a few days. The human body is composed of about 70% water, but you are losing a substantial amount of water everyday through your urine, stool, and perspiration. Thus, you need to replenish the lost fluids by drinking juice, water or even eating soup, fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water.
Symptoms Of Dehydration
As mentioned earlier, the signs of mild dehydration are subtle. You might probably think that the problems you are experiencing have nothing to do with dehydration. Headaches, changes in your moods, slow movement and lethargy are just some of the early signs of this condition. Some people also report dry nasal passages, tiredness, confusion, and even cracked lips.
You should be alarmed if your urine is already dark and you feel weak all over your body. Some patients even complain of hallucinations. If you still do nothing about your problem, soon your urination will completely stop and eventually, your kidneys will start to fail. Dehydration is a serious condition so you should not disregard the symptoms. Worst case scenario for you is death.
Causes Of Dehydration
Not drinking enough water is not really the only cause of dehydration. Sometimes, when the weather is hot, you sweat more so you lose water through perspiration. When you have fever or you exercise regularly, you may also want to drink a little more.
The elderly are also more prone to dehydration because the part of their brain that indicates thirst may not already function that well. As a result, old individuals tend to forget to drink. Furthermore, seniors usually take maintenance medication, such as hypertension drugs, that may be diuretic. So aside from not drinking lots of water, they also urinate a lot more.
Lastly, certain conditions, such as diarrhea or cholera, can also contribute to dehydration. If you have loose bowel movement and you vomit a lot, you are also losing a lot of water.
Effects Of Mild Dehydration
Now that you know the importance of water, you should be aware of the long-term effects of chronic mild dehydration. First, your salivary gland functions will start to diminish. And this will make you feel parched and thirsty. Next, you may also find that you are sluggish or slow and your mental abilities start to diminish. You may also be at an increased risk of developing illnesses such as colon and breast cancer, constipation and kidney stones, and urinary tract infection. You may also suffer from water retention or edema because your body will try to hold on to more water inside in an attempt to make sure that your bodily functions will continue to work without a hitch.
Etiketler: body, condition, dehydration, dry nasal passages, fruits and vegetables, hypertension drugs, importance, importance of water, lot, lot of water, maintaining your health, maintenance medication, movement, nothing, perspiration, symptoms of mild dehydration, urine, water, worst case scenario
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27 Ocak 2010
A team from Sinai Hospital’s Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics recently arrived in the Dominican Republic to treat Haitians injured in the earthquake. Team members include Shawn Standard, M.D., a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Marie Gdalevitch, M.D., an orthopedic fellow and James Pepple, M.D., an anesthesiologist. This team is treating severely injured Haitians who have been transported out of field hospitals in Haiti to the more sophisticated CURE International Hospital in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The Sinai team has already operated on a 22-year-old woman who has pelvic and foot fractures and is battling infection in her amputated fingers.
“Bernadine is the lone survivor of a school that had 85 students,” said Standard. “After the building collapsed, she was able to crawl out through a window.” The team will also operate on a Haitian orphan who underwent a leg amputation and now has an infection.
Several doctors from the CURE International hospital have been in Port-au-Prince since the early days of the disaster, which has forced surgery to be delayed for Dominican children with dislocated hips and other complicated orthopedic problems.
“The ward is full of children who were scheduled to have surgery and are now waiting for treatment,” said Standard. The Sinai team is filling in for the CURE Dominican team by providing care to these children as well as the Haitians who are transported to Santo Domingo for treatment.
Several months from now, the region will still need orthopedic surgeons who can treat bone infections, broken bones that failed to heal, and broken bones that healed incorrectly. Dr. Standard plans to return in March to help Haitians with these orthopedic problems.
This mission trip is funded in part by the Save-A-Limb Fund, a program of Sinai Hospital. The Save-A-Limb Fund fights to save limbs from amputation and provide hip and knee replacements to patients in need both domestically and abroad.
For more information on the Save-A-Limb Fund, click here.
Etiketler: A-Limb, bone infections, Cure, dislocated hips, Dominican Republic, Dr. Standard, field hospitals, foot fractures, Fund, Haiti, Haitians, Hospital, infection, International, James Pepple, knee replacements, leg amputation, lone survivor, M.D., Marie Gdalevitch, orthopedic problems, pediatric orthopedic surgeon, pepple, Port au Prince, Santo Domingo, Shawn Standard, Sinai, surgery, team
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27 Ocak 2010
No One knows what the death count in Haiti is. Whenever they start estimating “fifty to a hundred thousand”, you know it is just a guess. But the number is huge. Entire schools, office buildings and hotels collapsed, crushing the people inside. Tens of thousands of people were injured and they are flooding the makeshift medical tents and hospitals in surrounding areas.
I staffed a medical site at Katrina. The problems there were fairly routine because the people had simple injuries and were mainly displaced and in shock. Hospitals were functioning in Baton Rouge and we had access to medication and supplies. That is not the case in Haiti.
The initial wave of victims had crush injuries and compound fractures where the bones were split and sticking out through the skin. Without X-ray equipment or orthopedic pins and bolts the only treatment is a makeshift splint or amputation. Dressings were hastily applied and the medics went on to the next one. There were thousands of patients waiting to be seen. Those early patients now have gangrene in the wounds. Some of the more serious have a condition called rhabdomyolysis where muscle chemicals are released and cause renal failure. Without IV fluids and dialysis, the patient often dies.
I heard from a doctor volunteer this morning that there are now enough medical teams, but the lack of operating rooms and equipment is still critical. University Hospital in Port au Prince has temporary operating rooms going 24 hours a day but they still lack modern anesthesia, imaging and surgical tools. The last time this many amputations were done was during the Civil War. When a leg is crushed and infected, that is all that can be done to save the patient…maybe.
The USN Comfort floating ship hospital has arrived and has capacity for 1000 people. The most serious cases are being shuttled out to the Comfort. The ship has resources and modern equipment that has never been seen in Haiti. A U.S. Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) is now set up in the city and it is also well equipped but there is no way to let other areas know it is up and running.
Think of your own city. You may know what is going on within a few blocks, but without communication how would you know what is available 3 miles away? What if you are homeless and hungry and injured? A coordinated crisis would have medics traveling with the U.N. trucks and transporting the injured. The thousands of volunteers should be deployed in meaningful ways to deliver supplies, triage the sick and transport back and forth.
The problem in Haiti now is not lack of medical volunteers. The problem is coordination. I hope the world can learn from this crisis and do it better next time.
Photo credit to Operation Rainbow
Etiketler: A U.S. Disaster, Baton Rouge, city, comfort, compound fractures, crisis, crush injuries, death count, disaster medical assistance team, dmat, equipment, Haiti, Hospital, initial wave, iv fluids, Katrina, lack, medical assistance team, Operating, patient, Port au Prince, ship, time, usn comfort
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27 Ocak 2010
by Holly Hosler
During grand rounds at Sinai Hospital yesterday, scores of LifeBridge Health doctors and residents heard physician and writer Danielle Ofri, M.D., speak about the cultural challenges presented when meeting with patients.
Dr. Ofri’s talk, titled “Journeys with our patients: multiculturalism in a two-person canoe,” opened with a passage from her book Incidental Findings: Lessons from My Patients in the Art of Medicine. She read about her patient, Mrs. Uddin, a 35-year-old Bangladeshi and observant Muslim, who always complained of pain. “Why so much pain? Why, doctor, why?” the patient would moan in broken English.
Mrs. Uddin’s test results showed she was physically healthy; rather, her pain was a psychosomatic result of depression. Unfortunately, Mrs. Uddin continually resisted Dr. Ofri’s advice to see a psychiatrist and take medication that would alleviate her depression. Yet Mrs. Uddin frequented the doctor’s office month after month for eight years, and Dr. Ofri grew to despise her and everything about her – religious veil included – simply because there was nothing she could do to help or get through to her patient.
Dr. Ofri also documented this saga in a piece in the New England Journal of Medicine called “Torment.” She says she published it to “face up to the parts of me that I’m not proud of” and to expose areas in which doctors need to learn to be more sensitive to their patients’ cultural differences. Later in the lecture, Dr. Ofri revealed that when she openly asked Mrs. Uddin and her daughter about their Muslim veils – why they wore them and why they were of different styles – her patients warmed to her in ways previously unimaginable. Instead of being offended by her questions about their cultural practices, they were eager to discuss these parts of their lives. For the first time in her presence, says Dr. Ofri, Mrs. Uddin became “delighted” and “buoyant.”
“All the multicultural education we receive … seems so limited,” says Dr. Ofri.
Generalizations about different cultural groups – e.g., Hispanics are religious and value family and camaraderie – feel so “awkward” and “pitiable,” she says. On the other hand, when doctors practice cultural neutrality, patients perceive it as coldness and indifference. As a solution, Dr. Ofri suggests that doctors take “journeys” with their patients and coworkers from different cultural backgrounds by asking questions and gaining insights into their different perspectives. And she also warned us to be careful not to stereotype against ourselves, which she learned after failing to notice a key symptom in one of her patients whom she perceived to be like her – “white, female and neurotic.”
“Being a good doctor is so much harder than knowing all your medicine,” Dr. Ofri observed. By getting to know one’s patients, doctors will often find that their initial assumptions about their patients and the patients’ realities will be vastly different.
To see if Dr. Ofri is speaking in your city, click here.
Etiketler: art, Danielle Ofri, depression, doctor, Dr. Ofri, england journal of medicine, Holly HoslerDuring, Hospital, incidental findings, journal of medicine, M.D., medicine, month, Mrs. Uddin, multicultural education, Muslim, muslim veils, New England, new england journal, new england journal of medicine, ofri, pain, patient, person canoe, religious veil, Sinai, yesterday
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27 Ocak 2010
As the coordinator of Haiti Medical Relief for my generous employer, I find myself in contact with numerous organizations that are providing relief in Haiti. Our 15 person surgical team is being deployed today to Port au Prince. The fact that one week after the earthquake, relief is still spotty and millions of people are still without basic food and water is shocking to many of us following the disaster.
Katrina and other hurricanes and earthquakes worldwide were a major crisis…but victims were evacuated and many were able to return home after the crisis ended. In Haiti, the entire city of Port au Prince and surrounding cities were completely leveled. No-one can return home and most of the population is displaced and on the street. The entire government was also leveled with files, data, banks, stores. Many of the government employees are either dead, or seeking out their own relatives.
The Port to move in supplies was destroyed (although is now opening) and the airport has one runway and no control tower. Without a functioning government, communication to victims and relief workers is absent. The best communication has come from the press (CNN, BBC)email and twitter.
I wonder how Iceland arrived so quickly. Their search and rescue team was first on the ground. With any disaster of this type, search and rescue is the first responder. It has now been past a week and search and rescue will turn into search and recovery (of bodies).
It appears that there are now enough troops on the ground to control the situation and deliver aide. What is needed is a central command. The U.N has proven they are not up to the task in my opinion. The U.S. military has the infrastructure and, in cooperation with other nations, could take over leading that effort. Tent cities with santitary facilities need to be constructed immediately and the Red Cross should be empowered to run the food distribution. I was gratified to learn that there is already an employment mechanism to put Haitians to work clearing rubble and delivering supplies.
The Haiti Earthquake is already fading in the minds of the public. It is no longer front page news and CNN is showing only snippets of it now. Yet one week after the disaster, they are still performing amputations using generators for power and are performing 20,000 operations a day at University Hospital with makeshift tent operating rooms.
I will report on the medical relief in my next blog.
Thanks to Dr. Dave Atkin (ortho) for the photo taken by a doctor with Operation Rainbow, deployed to the border of Haiti and Dominican Republic
Etiketler: cnn, cnn bbc, crisis, data banks, disaster, Dominican Republic, Dr. Dave Atkin, earthquake, earthquake relief, food, government, government communication, Haiti, haiti medical, Iceland, Katrina, medical relief, Port, Port au Prince, relief, relief workers, rescue, search, team, tent cities, U.N, U.S., week
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27 Ocak 2010
LifeBridge Health announced today that it was ranked 96 on Fortune Magazine’s 2010 list of “100 Best Companies to Work For.” The full list and related stories appear in the February 8 issue of Fortune, available on newsstands on Monday, January 25.
LifeBridge Health is one of four Maryland-based companies and the only Maryland-based health care system to make the list.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by Fortune,” said Warren Green, president and CEO, LifeBridge Health. “Our position on this list demonstrates how well our employees work together, the camaraderie felt throughout the system and our continued focus on providing excellent quality of care for our patients. It’s a combination of our corporate culture and benefits that led us to being honored. Throughout our system, each employee is a valued participant doing his or her role providing excellent health care for our patients.”
Fortune Deputy Managing Editor Hank Gilman said, “The most important considerations for this year’s list were hiring and the ways in which companies are helping their employees weather the recession. All 100 companies on our list are currently hiring, many of the aggressively, leading to more than 96,000 open job positions expected in the next year.”
“We are on the continuous journey of becoming and remaining a great place to work — where everyone can do their best work and feel his or her unique contributions are recognized and appreciated,” said Taylor Foss, vice president of Human Resources at LifeBridge Health.
LifeBridge Health helps its employees alleviate some of the financial and personal stress caused during the recession by offering various benefits and services such as negotiating lower tuition discounts at several colleges and universities; providing onsite training to prepare employees for college and higher paying jobs; providing free access to Carebridge Work-Life Services for practical advice regarding child and eldercare, financial challenges and legal issues; scholarships for employees’ children who will be college sophomores, and reduced membership fees for the system-owned fitness facility.
Some of the unusual benefits and services offered to employees include adoption assistance, phased-in retirement, a telecommuting program, BridgeList, an online forum where employees with similar interests can meet, share skills, start carpools and swap free items, and the LB rewards program. Employees earn points in the LB rewards program for anything from above-and-beyond patient service to helping LifeBridge Health maintain a strong accreditation score. Employees can redeem their points at any time for various gifts, large or small, depending on the number of points they have.
LifeBridge Health is hiring in most areas of patient care, allied health and administrative positions. Currently, over 250 positions are available to qualified candidates.
“We have various entry level and professional positions in high demand right now including physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, administrative associates, central sterile technicians, drivers, geriatric nursing assistants, nurses in various specialty areas including neuroscience, and various other technician and management types of positions,” said Foss. “We are hiring daily, and will continue to hire to fill positions to maintain the most effective and efficient care for our patients.”
To pick the 100 Best Companies, Fortune partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on the results of the Institute’s Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about the management’s credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third of the scoring is based on the company’s responses to the Institute’s Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring, communication, and diversity.
Etiketler: America, Care, colleges and universities, company, continuous journey, financial challenges, Fortune, fortune magazine, Foss, Hank Gilman, health, health care system, Institute, LifeBridge, lifebridge health, list, Maryland, open job positions, personal stress, program, survey, system, tuition discounts, Warren Green
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