Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

Pain Killers

In the U.S. today, drugs prescribed by doctors (myself included) kill more people than street drugs.  This sobering fact was brought home by a recent article in the NY Times (reported widely elsewhere,  too). 

     "In 2008, for the first time in nearly 30 years, more people died of poisoning than in car crashes. Poisoning is now the leading cause of injury death, and 90 percent of poisonings were caused by drugs. 
     Opioid painkillers like morphine, hydrocodone (sold as Vicodin and other brands) and oxycodone (Percocet and other brands) were involved in more than 40 percent of drug poisonings in 2008. These drugs were implicated in more poisoning deaths than heroin or cocaine.
     Opioid analgesics accounted for 14,800 of the 36,500 fatal drug poisonings in 2008.
     For full article see: Download Poisoning Kills

If you are a doctor, read this and weep.  If you are a patient, digest this.  If you are a family member of a patient, be vocal.

Dawn Patrol, for Shay Bintliff

Most days I greet the dawn. On cold clear mornings, these words from G.M. Hopkins, "God's Grandeur," come to mind:

"Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings."

While I am not religious, for me Hopkins captures the wonder and majesty of Dawn Patrol.

Snaphots

Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,     
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;   
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile     
The short and simple annals of the poor.   
                                                                   Thomas Gray

In a year's end section, The NY Times has collected  over 260 pictures with short blurbs honoring common people who died in 2011.  It is hauntingly touching.  We can each think of someone to add.  If any of you are moved to do so, send a photo and a vignette to C2S.  Better yet, why not also honor living common people who do uncommon things?  We encounter them every day.

See: The Lives They Lived

Dorothy Loney
My mother passed away on August 21st. She had only a short few years to her enjoy her only grandchild, Madeleine. The picture captures the one walk they ever took together.
Submitted by Matthew Loney

Alberto Cairo: There Are No Scraps of Men

Alberto Cairo's clinics in Afghanistan provide prosthetics and much more. They used to close down during active fighting. Now, they stay open. At TEDxRC2 (the RC stands for Red Cross/Red Crescent), Cairo tells the powerful story of why -- and how he found humanity and dignity in the midst of war. This is 19 minutes long and worth visiting.  See: Cairo/TED.

Just Hold Back!

Before you start salivating at this image, read on...

Our local NPR station hosts "The Academic Minute," a segment that features professors from around the world, delving into  a variety of topics and  keeping us abreast of what's new and exciting in the Academe. The subject on December 19, 2011 was timely.

"Meetings, Snacking, and Obesity," presented Carly Pacanowski, addresses how the groaning board served at almost every meeting or social gathering we attend can have unintended health consequences.  Her academic minute is valuable and lucid.

Ms. Pacanowski is a Cornell Ph.D. candidate in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and is interested in obesity, body weight regulation, and quality of life.

Institutional Racism

Why Is the N.Y.P.D. After Me?
By NICHOLAS K. PEART
NY Times December 17, 2011

One evening in August of 2006, I was celebrating my 18th birthday with my cousin and a friend... We were talking, watching the night go by, enjoying the evening when suddenly, and out of nowhere, squad cars surrounded us. A policeman yelled from the window, “Get on the ground!" What Nicholas and his friends was experienceing was institutional racism.  See  Full Article

C.P. Jones in "Levels of racism: a theoretic framework and a gardener's tale" brilliantly addresses this topic."

Barefoot Justice

COUPEVILLE, Wash. — Colton Harris-Moore, 20, aka the “Barefoot Bandit,” was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison this week.  [In court h]is mother was described as a cruel alcoholic who spent her disability checks on beer and cigarettes instead of food.  When Mr. Harris-Moore was 10, a caseworker wrote: “The food found inside the refrigerator appeared to be spoiled with the exception of a dozen or so eggs. The freezer contained one bag of French fries and was completely covered with mold.” Neighbors on Camano Island, where he grew up. this week repeated that Mr. Harris-Moore, frustrating as he was, “never stood a chance.”

So... sentence him to seven years in jail?  One can only speculate as to how accurate the information we have is; however, there is ample evidence that Adverse Childhood Experiences predispose a child to physical and mental symptoms.  If indeed his mother was culpable, why not go after her?  But then, she will have her story and lawyers, too. Read Barefoot Bandit Gets Jail.

Birds of Kauai (2011)

An Eden for Rare Birds in Hawaii. New York Times

"Rare birds aren’t a rarity in Hawaii, which leads the nation with 35 birds on the endangered species list. The green, tranquil island of Kauai has lost almost half of its native forest bird species. Only eight of the island’s original 13 forest birds still exist, six of which can be found only on Kauai. They include the akekee, the akikiki, and the puaiohi, three species that are on the brink of blinking out."

This is a fine introduction to Kauai's indigenous wildlife.

Iiwi - Birds of Kauai by Jim Denny

Marginal Notes: The Descendants

Imagine that you are a 40-something lawyer, married with two daughters, living on the island of Oahu, and the sole administrator of a century old land trust; somewhat estranged from your wife, who recently incurred a head injury in a boating accident that landed her in the ICU.

You find yourself suddenly cast in the role of primary parent, unsure as to how to relate to your rebellious children in your wife’s absence; when you discover that your wife was having an extramarital affair. To complicate matters a bit further, your wife’s physician informs you that your wife has been declared brain-dead. Soon life support will be withdrawn and she will be allowed to die.  more»

 

Brian T. Maurer has practiced pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for 32 years.  His "Marginal Notes" column appears periodically in the Cell2Soul Blog. The title "Marginal Notes" is taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I love a broad margin to my life."

The Exotic Dancer's Tale

The old saw goes: "If you listen to the patient long enough, she will tell you what the problem is." This could be a mantra for seeing patients. Recently, I saw a tired, sad-looking 56 year old woman for a rash on her face. It was the kind of rash associated with stress -- so I asked her to tell me what was going on in her life.

1) Her ex-husband had sexually abused her 14 yo daughter for 3 years. He's in jail now. Her daughter has been in and out of relationships since -- back home now, she is smoking and drinking. The patient's 18 yo son dropped out of high school last year and does nothing.

2) When husband was arrested for molestation, her kids were taken away by child welfare and it was 18 months before she got them back. She feels guilty about that.

3) She says that they don't have enough money for food or rent. All she gets from welfare is $700/month and it is all she and her kids have to live on.

4) She herself was abducted from a bus stop coming home from school at age 17. The guy took her to his apartment, got her drunk, sexually abused her and dropped her off in a.m. at the school bus stop where she was picked up by the police.  He was never found.

5) After high school, she became an exotic dancer and worked at that for 20 years to make money to raise her kids. She has not picked good partners. She has no savings.

Her dream as an 18 year-old was to become an artist. She still draws a bit.

I listened in amazement as this story unfolded. How can one address all of this in a dermatologic appointment? One can only honor the story by listening. I am sure there is much more for her to relate. There is always hope, but assisting this woman seems a herculean task.