The Handwashing Chronicles–partie un

Hand washing.

If the rude graffiti and bland tiles weren’t enough to plague high school bathrooms, now another disgusting feature has come to desecrate them: girls who don’t wash their hands.  The scene is really disgusting. The girl walks out of the bathroom stall, fixes her hair with UNWASHED hands, and then walks out.  How disgusting!

Hand washing is now seen by society as an activity  as essential as brushing one’s teeth, but just because society approves of hand washing doesn’t necessarily mean that people practice it.

The Hand washing Chronicles posts are inspired  by a chapter from Atul Gawande’s novel Better, where he specifically writes about the importance of hand washing.  His book was written in 2008, but we can still gain much knowledge.

“Each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, two million Americans acquire an infection while they are in the hospital. Ninety thousand die of that infection.”

Although the CDC doesn’t have information as of today on nosocomial infections, the fact that this number was so high in 2008 is really a shocker, especially in a hospital setting.

What’s the reason behind not hand washing?

1. Time constraints. “Even if you get the whole  cleansing process down to a minute per patient, that’s still a third of staff time just spent washing hands.” It’s understandable that doctors or nurses would sacrifice washing their hands to see one more patient, but ,ironically, sacrificing hand washing may negate the effects of serving more patients.

2. Misconceptions . Gawande stated that getting hospital staff to adopt new, more efficient practices was a difficulty.  At the hospital Gawande worked at, infection control personnel were trying to substitute alcohol gel for hand washing. “They take far less time to use–only about fifteen seconds or so to rub a gel over the hands and fingers and let air-dry.  Dispensers can be put at the bedside more easily than a sink. And at alcohol concentrations of 50 to 95 percent, they are more effective at killing organisms, too.”  But one misconception after another plagued the team. First, the staff feared that the gel would produce noxious fumes in the building. Whenever that rumor was quashed, they feared that it would cause dry hands, or smell bad.  Nursing staff didn’t use the gel because another rumor was circulating.  Apparently, the gel promoted infertility. The hospital’s fertility specialist denied that rumor, but even so, it t took over a year for the team to effectively include gel sanitizer.

Those are the two main reasons that I gleaned from Gawande’s book. However, I am planning to survey different parts of society to see their views on handwashing.

Keep reading!

Picture of the day!

Can you guess what this is? It’s not a disease, rather, it’s a side effect!

A 13-year-old girl with a 20-month history of type 1 diabetes mellitus presented with depressed areas of skin at the sites of insulin injection (Panel A, arrows). The patient had been treated since diagnosis with injections of biphasic insulin lispro (Humalog Mix 25, Eli Lilly) into both thighs. The physical examination and axial magnetic resonance imaging of the right thigh showed a loss of the adipose tissue layer at the injection sites. One injection site is shown in Panel B (arrow). Injection-site lipoatrophy is a recognized complication that is associated with all types of insulin and that has an estimated prevalence of 3.6%. The condition can be unsightly clinically and theoretically could lead to erratic insulin absorption. The precise pathogenesis remains unclear, but possible mechanisms include immune reaction to insulin or excipients of the injection solution, injury from cold insulin, or trauma from repeated local injections. After the discovery of lipoatrophy, the patient discontinued injecting insulin into the right thigh, and the areas of depression gradually diminished over a 10-month period.

–New England Journal of Medicine.

The best things in life are free

You can have it all/ Anything you want you can make it yours/ Anything you want in the world.

One –> There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a deal of good. If you let it, dance can be the best thing to happen to your body. It is a form of excercise, but has specific benefits apart from conventional excercise.  Dance strengthens your bones without hurting your joints,  tones many muscle groups at the same time, and promotes stamina and flexibility.  It creates the best endorphin high out of all aerobic exercises.

Two–> Music washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life.  In the midst of many fake and fad-ish medical practices recently, music therapy is one that I wish will be backed by serious scientific research.  Music therapy, defined as the use of music to gain physical and emotional healing and wellness.  The therapeutic uses of Music (courtesy of About.com) are as follows:

• Brain waves: Studies have shown that music that has strong beats can help brainwaves mimic this beat, with faster beats helping concentration and heightened thinking, and slower beats promoting a calm, almost meditative state.
• Breathing and heart rate: Alterations in brain waves cause involuntary changes in the autonomic nervous system.  Slower breathing, slower heart rate, and activation of a relaxation response can help counteract the damaging effects of stress on health.

Three –>  Welcome to the Church of Holy Cabbage, Lettuce pray.  Greek salads are my favorite, but anything from a Mediterranean diet is usually good for you.  According to WEB MD, Mediterranean diets and type two diabetes because of a high proportion of plant-based foods, fish, and olive oil.  The Mediterranean cuisine is full of vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and feta! All of these elements join to fight various diseases such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and cancer.

I make myself laugh

Don’t think so hard, just laugh!

While we’re laughing, our physiology changes. Our facial muscles stretch, pulse and blood pressure go up, and more oxygen is sent to body tissues. It can be comparable to a mild workout! It may offer the same advantages as excercise and is a great way to boost your heart rate.  10-15 minutes of laughter also burns 50 calories, done in a study by Vanderbilt University.

Credits to WEB MD for all of this information:

Blood flow. Researchers at the University of Maryland studied the effects on blood vessels when people were shown either comedies or dramas. After the screening, the blood vessels of the group who watched the comedy behaved normally — expanding and contracting easily. But the blood vessels in people who watched the drama tended to tense up, restricting blood flow.

Immune response. Increased stress is associated with decreased immune system response, says Provine. Some studies have shown that the ability to use humor may raise the level of infection-fighting antibodies in the body and boost the levels of immune cells, as well.

Blood sugar levels. One study of 19 people with diabetes looked at the effects of laughter on blood sugar levels. After eating, the group attended a tedious lecture. On the next day, the group ate the same meal and then watched a comedy. After the comedy, the group had lower blood sugar levels than they did after the lecture.

Relaxation and sleep. The focus on the benefits of laughter really began with Norman Cousin’s memoir, Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins, who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful spine condition, found that a diet of comedies, like Marx Brothers films and episodes of Candid Camera, helped him feel better. He said that ten minutes of laughter allowed him two hours of pain-free sleep.

Just do it.

“You should think more before you do stuff and maybe not just do it, like Nike says.“

–That quote is from Jesper Parnevik, a professional Swedish golf player commenting on rumors that Tiger Woods, who has an endorsement deal with Nike, had an extramarital affair. Parnevik himself introduced woods to Elin Nordegren, Woods’ wife.

According to an April 2008 article in MSN health, there might be scientific reasons as to why people (men) cheat.  Scientists have figured out that voles  have a “switch in the brain that controls the desire to form close ties.”  This gene in voles relseases vasopressin, a hormone that regulates brain behavior.  In voles, this hormone keeps mates close.

In humans, there is a gene that works the same way. Oxycontin, for women, serves a similar purpose of activating “bonding centers in your brain, making you feel attached and protective.”

However, A 2008 study by the Stockholm based Karolinska Institute stated that if men  have a variant of a gene coding for one specific type  vasopressin receptor, you won’t be intimate or affectionate. People with a version of this gene are more likely to report relationship problems.

I can feel it in my bones.

It was like a giant salt shaker was shaking all over Wolfforth, because on the morning of Tuesday, December the 1st, it was snowing! Somehow, I could feel it before. My knees tingled with an annoying anticipation, and I remembered those old wives tales that talked about how you could feel the weather coming from the pains in your body.

Turns out, cooler temperatures and lower barometric pressures cause tissue fluid around our joints, which is called synovial fluid, to swell.  In turn, extra pressure is put on the bone, and that is where the pain comes from.  Cold weather also causes muscles and joints to become stiff, which is something that individuals say happens to their body when they can “feel” a storm coming in.

Tree branches sit covered with ice near the Marsha Sharp Freeway in Lubbock on Tuesday. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for most of the South Plains. (Zach Long / Avalanche-Journal)

Tuesday, December 1st- World Aids Day.

According to the CDC, around the end of 2007, there were 468,578 people living with AIDS in America.

In 2008, 2.7 million people were newly infected around the world. In that same year, 3.2 million died of AIDS related diseases.

It’s not an American disease, nor is it on the decline.

When a disease such as AIDS is still affecting millions of lives around the world, it’s amazing that individuals still don’t know anything about it.

Here are the results to a randomized survey conducted in Frenship High School, Wolfforth, Texas among 50 people.

Do you know what causes AIDS? ( Yes- 28% | No- 72%)

Do you know how AIDS is spread?(Yes- 86% | No- 14%)

Do you know how to test for AIDS?(Yes- 54% | No- 46%)

Do people of the gay orientation have a higher risk of getting AIDS?( Yes- 48% | No- 52%)

Results:

It was surprising how many people did not  know what causes AIDS. While most knew that sexual intercourse is a way that AIDS is spread, only 14 out of 50 knew that AIDS is actually caused by the HIV virus. Many people thought that sexual intercourse was the only way that AIDS is spread, however, bodily fluids and contact by blood, or semen is also a transfer agent.

Some of the comments to the question “Do you know how to test for AIDS?” were “STD tests” or “Something you can buy and do at home?” A blood test indicates whether an individual has AIDS or not.

The last and most controversial question was split almost evenly, with half saying that gay people were predisposed to AIDS, and half saying no. The answer is, in today’s society, gay people have  the same risk of getting AIDS as non-gay people.

Are you speaking my body language?

Body language is often subtle, but plays a very important role in what you are feeling at that moment!

 

Your Knees and Feet point to where you want to go. It is an unconcious portrayal of your subconcious desires. I know that at the end of a long day, all of our feet are pointing at the door!

Your nose is almost always related to lying. Touching or rubbing it is a sign of rejection, doubt, or lying.

Your hands are behind your head, crossed, and your legs are stretched out in front of you. Hello, cockiness? Doing this shows confidence and superiority.

Steep-ling fingers Mr.Burn’s style is a sign of authority.

And to end on a positive note…

 

Your smile is the most significant body gesture that you can exude! If you look for a crinkling of the outside corner of the eyes, it proves a real smile. The best and most authentic smiles are ones that change your face rapidly, from being small to growing into a broad expression.

Parlez-Vous Francais?

You can’t help but listen to some songs.  You know the type: mainstream, sappy, poppy, the ones with no substance.  As much as I love Jesse McCartney, he has the most sappiest lines ever, honestly. I guess he’s trying to me more “cultural” with his new song, because the lines in  include “Parlez-vous francais?,” and “Konichiwa.”

Anyways, it made me think about languages. Most of the people I know speak more than one language, and if you think about the complexities, it seems impossible to navigate between one meaning and another.

Language is a special kind of code, a set of symbols connected to words and phrases.

Studies have shown that the mother tongue is disassociated with other languages, and that the brain processes them in a different location.

I think people who learn English definitely USE their brain.

Consider THIS:

You may found a lone mouse or a whole set of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses not hice.

If I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

TIME magazine’s 50 best inventions..

Includes WOODEN BONES!

“It’s odd to think of putting sticks of wood inside people as a revolutionary medical procedure, but that’s exactly what a group of Italian scientists is working on. They’re using wood — red oak, rattan and sipo work best — to create an artificial bone replacement called carbonated hydroxyapatite. Because of the sponginess of the wood, live bones are expected to grow into the structure faster than with traditional titanium or ceramic implants, decreasing the time it takes to mend a broken bone. The procedure isn’t quite ready for human testing, so sheep are currently testing the artificial bones.

Researchers say that with the bone substitute, which takes approximately one week to process, they can create virtually any size or shape”

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933975,00.html