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Ten Serious Medical Problems With Not So Serious Names
When naming serious diseases, or medical conditions, people try to give them a sense of gravitas. Even neutral names acquire a serious ring to them. But every now and again, otherwise sober medical professionals get cute. Here are a list of serious medical conditions that have freakishly silly names.
Ask Your Doctor? No. Ask the Crowd?
Crowdsoucing has become more popular than ever. The wisdom of crowds was also incredibly prominent during the aftermath of the Boston bombing, with people from around the world looking over photos from the event in an attempt to track down the bombers.
Wonderful though these things are, would you really want to trust the crowd with your health? A new start up CrowdMed aims to find out.
Residency Should Be Limited to 40 Hours Per Week
Residency should be set to a maximum of 40 hours per week. The idea that a person can be productive, efficient, and offer their “best” selves for 80-100 hours per week is false. By allowing a normal schedule for doctors in training, this will allow for balance in their lives and ultimately better care for patients.
You Willpower is Finite
Can you turn over a new leaf, go on a diet, learn a new language, and get up every morning at dawn to meditate and clean your house? The idea of ego depletion says, “no.” And it has physical evidence to back that up.
New Human Body Part Discovered
The newest addition to human anatomy is just 15 microns thick, but its discovery will make eye surgery safer and simpler. Harminder Dua, a professor at the University of Nottingham, recently found a new layer in the human cornea, and he’s calling it (can you guess?) Dua’s layer.
Protect Federal Funding for Graduate Medical Education
528 left in the cold. 528 is the number of U.S. Medical Graduates who did not match into a residency this year — more than double the number from last year. Why is this important? Workforce experts predict the United States will face a physician shortage of 130,000 by the year 2025.
Vague Complaints
About two years ago, we had a lady come in with vague complaints who began to be hypotensive and tachycardic. Despite all interventions, her pressure continued to deteriorate until she actually went into PEA.
Could I Be Allergic to Water?
Yes, yes you can! Think you have it tough? At least when you’re feeling miserable you can cry. Some people break out in hives when they cry, because they’re allergic to the water in their own tears.
Sometimes when it rains, I enjoy going for walks outside. I can tuck away my umbrella and pretend I’m Eponine in Les Miserables, and that cheers me up. Not even that basic comfort is denied people who suffer from aquageic urticaria. Also known asaquagenic pruritis — water itch — it’s an allergy to water. Some comparatively lucky souls only run into trouble when the water is cold, but for many it’s any type of water at all.
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Brought to you by MedPage Today.
For New Doctors, 8 Minutes Per Patient
At a social gathering not long ago, a colleague and I exchanged stories about residency training, fondly remembering the patients who had helped us grow both as doctors and as people.
A doctor-in-training we both knew listened intently to our conversation, but when we asked him about his experiences with patients, he looked lost and struggled for a response.
“My generation is different from yours,” he finally said, and then told us about getting “caught” sneaking back to the hospital earlier that year to talk with a couple of patients. He had already officially signed out for the night, but even going back just to say hello would count toward and push him over his 80-hour weekly work limit. Such a violation could cause his residency program to lose its accreditation.
