What We’ve Thought About an Apple a Day is Wrong

What We’ve Thought About an Apple a Day is Wrong

It’s not “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” anymore because it’s “An Apple A Day Keeps The Pharmacist Away” now.

A research published by Jama Internal Medicine had revealed that eating an apple a day won’t keep a patient avoid doctors or hospitals, especially diseases that needs thorough screenings.

Authors of the research analysed data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey to see if apple eaters see doctors less than non-apple eaters. The survey was done from 2007 to 2010.

Based on the study, people who eat apples on a regular basis had higher educational attainment, less likely to smoke and were from a racial or ethnic minority. Read more:

There’s Hope. Designer Molecule May Help Fight HIV If Combined With Other Drugs.

There’s Hope. Designer Molecule May Help Fight HIV If Combined With Other Drugs.

HIV or human immunodeficiency syndrome has long been a problem in the medical history. Many has suffered from these conditions that had caused high mortality rate among humans.

It has also taken years and years of medical research and study to find a cure for HIV, but to no avail.

However, there might have been a glimpse of hope after all for people with HIV.  Researchers from Paris had successfully made a lab-manufactured antibody which reduced HIV blood levels when tried on humans. Read more:

Don’t Bite that Apple Yet! Not until you read this!

Don’t Bite that Apple Yet! Not until you read this!  

After the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had found listeria monocytogenes in sample  of apples taken from Bidart Brothers plant in California, the Philippine government had ordered for its shipments to be return.

But not all apples from Bidart Brothers were recalled. Only Granny Smith and Gala apples from the facility were affected by the bacteria.

The bacteria listeria found in contaminated food can cause flu-like symptoms, meningitis, meningoencephalitis, brain swelling, and miscarriage.

Bidart Brothers voluntarily withdrawn shipments to countries like Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Read more:

These are Just Weird as it can be

These are Just Weird as it can be

In every country, every hospital or any healthcare institution set up rules that is to be strictly followed by their health care workers. Some may not comply at all, but still, a rule is a rule.

You may or you may haven’t, but there are some with the weirdest rules one may knew or heard of. And some of them are the following:

1. English only please. Some hospitals in the United States requires their nurses and other medical staff to speak in the English language only. This may seem as racial discrimination to others, but it is a must that every staff be able to communicate well with each other to execute their job in a more coordinated manner for the patients well being.
2. Say please first. In a hospital at West Sussex county in England, there is one weird rule that make doctors be polite to nurses. Doctors should write the word ‘please’ on their requisition for blood tests, or else the nurses won’t act on it.
3. Don’t be fat. That’s the law! This is one weird law that Japan is implementing on its citizens, whether it’s a nurse or not. The government set a standard waistline for men and women, to avoid metabolic syndrome known as metabo. Those who exceed the standard measurement must lose weight, If they failed to do so within three months, a dieting guidance will be given. Re-education will be the penalty if the Japanese still can’t manage to lose weight in six months. Read more:

5 Things that Patients Usually Lied On to Nurses

5 Things that Patients Usually Lied On to Nurses

Many nurses will surely agree that most, if not all, of our patients do lie on what they tell us. This is true especially when we asked them about how and what they are feeling for us to assist them.

Here is a list of some of the common things our patients lie to us:

The level of pain. Nurses will hear all excuses, complaints and begging on why they should give the patient the insta-pain-away med. But nah-ah, we nurses should not give in right away. We should be wary of when the patient is such a drama king/queen, and when it’s time to up the morphine.

Their medical background. Yes, patients do keep to themselves any medical history they have, thinking it is not relevant to the assessment needed before any treatment. Some patients think that digging in to their medical background is like invading their personal life.

What really happened. Nurses and doctors will always ask the patient how they got the injury and what had happened. But of course, patients don’t always tell the truth. Some patients do make a creative story on how they got that broken arm or such illness not knowing that the information would be vital for attending to them. Read more:

Nursing Shortage:A Global Problem the World Needs To Answer

Nursing Shortage:A Global Problem the World Needs To Answer

Nursing is one, if not, of the top occupation in terms of job growth until the year 2020. Employment of registered nurses is also expected to grow faster than all other occupations. This will be because of technological advancements, emphasis on preventative care, and the large demand for healthcare services since the population live longer and more active lives.

But why is there a nursing shortage?

Most countries in the world experience nurse shortage. But it doesn’t mean that there is no or few nurse attending to a patient. This nursing shortage means that there is simply a widespread lack of skilled nurses who are needed to care for individual patients and the whole population as a whole.

Studies have shown that the inadequate quantity of nurses have negative impact on patient outcomes, including mortality. Nursing shortage is impairing the health and well-being of millions of people. There is variation in the nurse-population ratios throughout the world. There is also an increasing evidence of nurse supply and demand imbalances in many countries. This is because nurses migrate to other countries not only for higher salaries, but also for better work conditions and the opportunity to progress professionally.

The supply of nurses in both developed and undeveloped countries failure to keep up with the increasing demand is another factor for the nursing shortage. Other factors include poor work conditions, inadequate resources for nursing research and education, the aging nursing workforce (especially in developed countries), and the increasing complexity of health care and care technology. Read more

SIDS: Disease Killing Infants

SIDS: Disease Killing Infants

SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the unexplained death or sudden death of an infant aged 1 to 12 months. This is also one of the leading causes of infant mortality in the world.  SIDS is frightening because it can strike without warning even in what seem as healthy babies.  Since most SIDS cases are associated with sleep, it is also called as ‘crib death’ because infants who die of it show no signs of any suffering. SIDS is also said to be connected with abnormalities in the portion of an infant’s brain that controls breathing and arousal from sleep.

The cause of SIDS is unknown.  But many doctors and researchers believe that SIDS is caused by many factors which include problems with the baby’s ability to wake up or sleep arousal and the inability for the baby’s body to detect a build up of carbon dioxide in the blood.

Other factors may also increase the risk of SIDS which is likely to occur in boys than girls.  These risk factors may be any of the following:

•  Sleeping in the same bed as their parents or co-sleeping – Sleeping in the same bed with the parents may increase the risk because there are more soft surfaces which may impair breathing.

• Sleeping on the stomach – Infants placed on their stomachs or sides to be able to sleep may have more difficulty breathing.

• Soft bedding in the crib – Fluffy comforter can block the infant’s airway thus causing difficulty in breathing.

• Brain abnormalities – Infants born with these problems may have portion of their brain that controls breathing and arousal from sleep not work properly. Read more:

Things that We Nurses Can Only Understand

Things that We Nurses Can Only Understand

There are things that only nurses can and will understand. Here’s some:

• The moment when you’ve already prep and cleaned your patient for bed, only to have a flood of liquid stool overcome the chuck pads.

• How Vick’s VapoRub has been your most helpful buddy - relieving that bad smell and the sore on your feet.

• The rarity of giving report to the same person for the same patient in consecutive days.

• Nurses makes decisions that doctor’s won’t do or would still be thinking whether to do or not to do. 

• Just how easily most things can be “MacGyvered”.

• Hearing the beep a few meters away (like having supersonic ears), assessing from which bed it did came from. Read more:

10 Phrases That Nurses Usually Say in a Day

10 Phrases That Nurses Usually Say in a Day 

Most nurses say these phrases in the list below too often in their duty at the healthcare facility.

You may recognize some of these or may have utter them at most yourself.

1. “Hey doc! Sorry to disturb you at this hour, but…” (Of course, you’ll say this with a smile on your face, though he can’t see you through the other line.)
2. “This won’t hurt a bit, trust me dear.”
    
3. “You can press that call button if you need anything.” And then if the patient repeatedly press the button, “Ring that again and you’ll see.” (with a poker face and a stress on your low voice while saying this.)
4. “Oh dear,this is so sad. Sorry, but your insurance doesn’t cover these…blah blah.”
5. “This won’t hurt. In fact, you won’t feel a thing.” (Insert a smile that the patient would doubtfully think of.) Read more:

Afraid to Have Diabetes? You Will Appreciate Coffee More After Reading This

Afraid to Have Diabetes? You Will Appreciate Coffee More After Reading This

Having a risk of diabetes shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a cup of coffee.  Sometimes, caffeine in its purest form can help lower the risk of acquiring type 2 of diabetes.  Although most coffee shops offer delicious coffee concoctions, you can still have a healthy cup of coffee.

More Coffee, Less Diabetes Risk

The journalDiabetologiahas stated that there is a study wherein an increased consumption of caffeine has shown a significant risk reduction of type 2 diabetes development.  The people who participated in the study with increased coffee consumption like one and a half cups more in a day have shown an amazing 11% reduction in diabetes risk.  While those who participated in decreasing their coffee consumption by a cup or more has shown a surprising 17% higher diabetes risk development.  This study has evaluated thousands of participants who followed these people for nearly four years.

The point of this study is that people who drink coffee regularly and consistently, plus if your doctor allow you to have caffeine, it will greatly benefit you to have an increased consumption of coffee by one more cup.  Drinking coffee several times a day and eliminating addition of cream and sugar will definitely decrease the risk of acquiring diabetes.

Different Ways to Enjoy Coffee

A cup of brewed coffee is a simple drink with no additives.  Coffee shops entice their customers with fancy drinks with lots of high-calorie and lots of sugary content.  For those who want to have a simple yet healthy drink, try some of the choices below.

• Black coffee– natural taste with no additives which you should give a try.  Also, savor the aroma of that freshly brewed coffee giving you that kick. Read more:

10 Behaviors That Will Surely Annoy Your Co-Nurses

10 Behaviors That Will Surely Annoy Your Co-Nurses 

Nurses have, of course, different attitudes and behaviors. And there are times when one nurse’ action will raised eyebrow from co-nurses.

Here are some of these behaviors that will surely displease your co-workers.

1. Sitting in one corner or at the nurse station while others are running here and there.

2. Grabbing some of the snacks they are munching on - with your bare, unwashed hands.

3. Unfinished tasks to pass on to the next shift, when you have plenty of time to do it.

4. Pretending to be ‘sick’ on peak duties, i.e. holiday seasons.

5. Disappearing without telling any co-nurses where you’ve been.

6. Gossiping about other nurses around most of your duty instead of assisting patients. Read more:

Embarrassing Mistakes New Nurses Makes

Embarrassing Mistakes New Nurses Makes

Yep, we nurses are only human. Nurses makes mistakes and most of the time, new nurses make embarrassing ones. This may be because of nervousness since they are new to the job, or simply because of the stress in the healthcare facility.

Here are some of the common mistakes that new nurses make:

Calling the doctor/physician in the middle of the night unarmed with the needed information.  Most night shift nurses make this mistake. Never call the doctor if you don’t have the patient’s chart in front of you or any information that the doctor may ask. You don’t want to be scolded just to awake every nerve in your body, right?

Following the doctor’s order the wrong way and/or forgetting one important treatment. Whenever we are unsure or we simply honestly do not know what to do, it is not a crime to ask for clarification. We can check the chart a hundred times or we can simply follow-up with the doctor what he really wants us to do.

Give the patient the wrong medication. This is one embarrassing mistake that most nurses commit, and the most dangerous one. Do check medications hundred times before administering it to the patient to avoid any complications. Read more: