Category: science

  • CDC May Change the 5 Day Covid-19 Isolation Guidelines

    CDC May Change the 5 Day Covid-19 Isolation Guidelines

    I see many news headlines reporting that the CDC may be planning to drop the 5 day Covid-19 isolation guidelines. For now I’m taking that as a rumor until the CDC website says something official about it. Word on the street is that we may know more in April.

  • Trips and Trip-Killers

    Trips and Trip-Killers

    I just read this JAMA Network article on trip-killers. It’s about using drugs to stop bad trips caused by hallucinogens. One mentioned was ketamine. When I was working as a consultation psychiatrist, I was called occasionally to evaluate patients in recovery rooms who were delirious from the ketamine that was sometimes used by anesthesiologists. I…

  • RESQME Car Escape Tool for Emergency Window Breaking and Seat Belt Cutting

    RESQME Car Escape Tool for Emergency Window Breaking and Seat Belt Cutting

    This is the follow up to my post about how to escape from a car sinking in a flood. Our new car escape tool arrived. It’s the RESQME window breaker and seat belt cutter. We checked our side windows and they are tempered glass on both the front driver and passenger side. The other way…

  • Thoughts on the Distinguished Education Lecture by Dr. Russell Ledet MD PhD

    Thoughts on the Distinguished Education Lecture by Dr. Russell Ledet MD PhD

    We enjoyed the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Education (originally given on January 17, 2023) by Dr. Russell Ledet. He’s definitely a mover and a shaker and this is another recorded presentation that I wish was available for the general public. His bio is knockdown impressive. And even more interesting to me is that…

  • CDC Reports Decreasing Respiratory Virus Activity

    CDC Reports Decreasing Respiratory Virus Activity

    How about some good news? The CDC Respiratory Virus Data Channel reports decreasing respiratory virus activity as of January 26, 2024.

  • Make or Break Escape Plan When Your Car is in a Flood

    Make or Break Escape Plan When Your Car is in a Flood

    Sena and I saw a Weather Channel segment on how to escape your car if it is sinking during a flood. It’s mainly a reminder to turn around, don’t drown. However, there were a couple of interesting things about it. One was the quiz, in the format of a “how would you survive?” quiz with…

  • Old Doctors vs Young Doctors

    Old Doctors vs Young Doctors

    I ran across a recently published web article that originated from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), to which I don’t have access because I’m not a subscriber. The title is “Do Younger or Older Doctors Get Better Results?” and it’s in the form of an essay by Pete Ryan. It’s been picked up by over…

  • CDC Weekly Snapshot Shows Respiratory Virus Activity High

    CDC Weekly Snapshot Shows Respiratory Virus Activity High

    As of January 5, 2024, CDC is reporting that respiratory illness is increasing across the country. The levels are generally high in almost all regions. “Activity Levels Update:

  • How to Cope with Pea Pods

    How to Cope with Pea Pods

    The other day, we got to talking about sugar snap pea pods. The last several times we’ve had pea pods, I’ve had to deal with them the same way I always deal with foods, like coconut, that have the texture of processed wood—I spit them out. Well, I don’t actually spit them out. I carefully…

  • CDC Reports Respiratory Virus Activity Increasing

    CDC Reports Respiratory Virus Activity Increasing

    The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported respiratory illness leading to visits to the emergency room and hospitalization are rising across the country.