tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40630402024-03-13T15:30:39.375-07:00to the teethAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.comBlogger311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-33446617504116535262007-07-20T00:43:00.001-07:002008-11-16T18:08:36.801-08:00As we take this blog's energy to a new project, build with us...It's time. It's time to take the energy from this blog, which has served as the intial experimental space and the foundation for a larger project, to a bigger space. The same notorious team who put this blog together (Andru Ziwasimon and myself) and an amazing team of others (including my brother Nalin) have created the first Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-85316794548158312522007-03-14T22:00:00.000-07:002007-03-14T22:03:05.173-07:00Support the Bhopalis right to live.6 strong Bhopalis are on a hunger strike right now, demanding action on 6 important areas (health care, economic rehabilitation, cleanup of toxic wastes are 3 of them) that have been neglected by Union Carbide and Dow for the last 22 years since the deadly disaster in Bhopal in 1984. Today, the world community is rallying behind the courageous community in Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-30366134838119807752007-02-19T21:03:00.000-08:002007-02-19T21:12:08.639-08:00There's always the option of self-diagnosing...From yesterday's Dilbert (click on the cartoon for an enlarged, easier-to-read view):more Dilbert cartoons here.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-29373826757671960432007-02-15T21:57:00.000-08:002007-02-15T23:13:09.195-08:00"Medicine is a noble profession. You render it shameful."...or "the tale of an unlucky appendix, at the hands of the daughters of charity, in the city of angels."Robert IssaiPresident and CEODaughters of Charity Health System26000 Altamont Rd.Los Altos Hills, CA 94022-4317 Dear Mr. Issai: I recently suffered from appendicitis, and was admitted to the emergency room at Saint Vincent Medical Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-84455727672283031772007-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:002007-02-10T12:44:13.574-08:00An unfinished poem... I don't know if I will ever finish it, so here it is. Not sure if it works or flows.SriOn AIDS in Tanzania Something as simple as a pill in the palm of her hand This Tanzanian woman Sings as she breast feeds They say it was the rain But it was always my tears and sweat Which brought up the maize They said the railroads Will bring a new day But it wassrijeevahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984902143851379863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-81229773977224065802007-01-04T09:38:00.000-08:002007-01-04T10:18:56.292-08:00We did it! Our clinic has a new home.I've been silent the past two months. Activity at the clinic has boomed and during the month of December we began moving the clinic to our new building. I probably put in 16 hour days for the past month working with 30-40 other volunteers doing tiling, bamboo flooring, wall painting, moving massively heavy x-ray machines and hydraulic exam tables, and settingandruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1155394975683158762006-12-26T01:09:00.000-08:002006-12-27T00:25:48.460-08:00Goin' to Tanzania, Kenya feel me now?January will be a good month. Partly because it's a new year and everyone likes to be optimistic about a new year. But in addition, I'll be visiting a continent I've never before stepped foot on, and that's damn exciting. I'm heading to Tanzania and Kenya (for a whole month) in just a few days!Even better, i'm heading there with 10 friends -- all resident Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-53655217063647960872006-12-16T04:26:00.005-08:002006-12-16T12:32:20.613-08:00Did you put something in your ear?Yesterday I worked a long 12 hour shift (yes, there are short 12 hour shifts and long 12 hour shifts) in the pediatrics emergency room at a county hospital as part of my pediatrics experience during my family medicine residency training. I didn't end up leaving the hospital until a while after my shift ended because I wanted to tie up loose ends and make sure Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1164604166836950542006-11-26T21:09:00.000-08:002006-11-26T21:09:26.840-08:00Why do we clamp or cut the cord at birth?If you are a medical student, resident, doctor or L and D nurse, have you ever wondered why we are so quick to cut the cord? Is there evidence or proof or a serious reason or any thinking at all behind this nationwide medical tradition?I was told during medical school that we cut the cord to prevent the baby from getting too much blood and being iron andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1164314662900927612006-11-23T12:23:00.000-08:002006-11-23T12:44:22.920-08:00Topahkal Clinic growing and movingNovember 2006We are approaching the beginning of our third year of business as a fair priced, hassle-free, primary care clinic offering holistic same-day medical services to low-income people in New Mexico. Our patients have come from as far away as Juarez, Mexico and Denver, Colorado, people referred to us by family or friends. We are seeing 20-25 patients andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1164093893449520172006-11-20T23:22:00.000-08:002006-11-20T23:24:53.470-08:00Shock and Awe: thoughts on the UCLA taser incidentMy friend Vivek is a law student at UCLA and writes at a wonderful blog called Your Good Name. He participated in a protest organized by UCLA students, on the issue of a Persian-American student who was tasered (stunned by a stun gun with 50,000 volts) several times by community police in the university library. And he had this to say about the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1162788077011940632006-11-05T20:41:00.000-08:002006-11-05T20:41:17.013-08:00Angels and ChildrenHanging from the light in my exam room is a "flying angel" made of wood. Most people don't look up much, and if adults have noticed it, they haven't said anything. It's there as a message to spiritual and religious people to let them know they and their beliefs are welcome in the clinic, that we honor angels and mystery, of all kinds.Twice now children have noticed the angel andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1162564419850408932006-11-03T06:01:00.000-08:002006-11-03T06:33:39.870-08:00Family Practice Office UPDATE - Successes and MovingOur little boutique medicine clinic for poor people has taken a few interesting and big growth steps over the past few months. I'm personally shocked and pleased that things are working out so well. I almost feel like we are defying gravity, breaking some physical laws of the universe but as I watch the patient volume grow by word of mouth, andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1160720985754723142006-10-12T23:25:00.000-07:002006-10-12T23:40:33.156-07:00Geek and non-Geek activists throw down together!I wish I had known about the Web of Change conference earlier — I’d be there in a second. I’m not a techy much myself (although in my circle of like-minded doctor folk, I come off as one, because I know what a “blog” is, but more so because I’m psychotically fascinated by how the internet and the "web 2.0" can help facilitate community building and Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1158021352645615022006-09-11T17:35:00.000-07:002006-09-13T14:42:26.073-07:00the "Green-House" of Healthcare:For the past 7 years i've wanted to build a greenhouse on the south side of my house. it would reduce my $400-500 monthly winter heating bill, as well as add some beauty and capacity for winter veggies. three years ago i drew up some plans and got started and three years later i'm almost done with the foundation and frame... i call it turtle construction, slow andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1156140060531136772006-08-20T22:55:00.000-07:002006-08-20T23:05:57.730-07:00Move on out, sharks...From "The High Cost of Being Poor" by Barbara Ehrenrich, author of the book Nickled and Dimed:There are other tolls along the road well-traveled by the working poor. If your credit is lousy, which it is likely to be, you'll pay a higher deposit for a phone.If you don't have health insurance, you may end taking that feverish child to an emergency room, and please don't think Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1154444318095206622006-08-01T07:34:00.000-07:002006-08-01T07:58:38.153-07:00Reception Racism - Scandalousover the past six months my clinic has tried to find an answering service to take calls for us when we are closed or super busy. it's a common service for doctor's offices and other businesses and i had the impression that it would be a simple thing to find a company to answer the phones. how hard can it be? for my clinic, we have simple needs on that level - tell andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1154276290743869062006-07-30T09:04:00.000-07:002006-07-30T09:18:10.783-07:00Sustainable Economic Developmentabout a year ago we fundraised $35,000 from private donations and two small grants to purchase an ultrasound machine for the clinic. we bought a small, portable, sonosite Titan machine, brand new, and started using it during urgent care hours, mostly for early pregnancy dating and miscarriage. we also started a new business, called Access Ultrasound, run by two andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1153767364180849702006-07-24T11:35:00.000-07:002006-07-24T11:56:04.256-07:00FIBROMYALGIA - what the heck is this thing?last night i worked a shift in the hospital, admitting patients from the ER to the floor. a 55 yo woman came in with concerning symptoms of stroke. right sided facial, arm and leg numbness. her motor exam was normal and a CT of her head was normal, it didn't show any stroke, but CT's can be normal with a stroke so the standard of care is to admit andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1153602236395733772006-07-22T13:36:00.000-07:002006-07-24T11:34:59.540-07:00Clinic Vignettes July 2006yesterday we saw 23 patients, today (saturday) 15... we are too busy. patients are now waiting up to 2 hours to be seen, some are leaving before being seen. part of me feels bad, i hate for someone to have to wait so long, but at least here the prices are fair and we stay as long as we need to in each visit, ensuring the person is heard and cared for as best we can, onceandruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1153511011682034672006-07-21T12:43:00.000-07:002006-07-22T13:36:28.290-07:00Medication Prescribing ErrorsInstitute of Medicine Issues Report on Medication ErrorsThe other day in the clinic a patient came in and told me he was recently in the ER with severe hypotension. He had a rough time, they poked him relentlessly to try to find a vein, wound up putting in a central line first in the artery by accident and then finally in the vein and after all that they wound up notandruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1153519629393945652006-07-21T07:05:00.000-07:002006-07-21T19:48:03.150-07:00Yes, I'd like a 7-layer burrito, oh wait hold up lemme check my PDAYesterday evening i spent some time trying to update the programs on my Sony Clie NX80 PDA to better assist me in the hospital. I was checking out some freeware and came across the taco bell calorie counter!Now I can switch up my order at the drive thru window after reflecting on how many calories my 7 layer burrito contains. OrAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1152997776728974872006-07-15T13:06:00.000-07:002006-07-15T14:09:36.803-07:00Delivering another message around OB...We've been caring for pregnant women at the office who fall thru the chasms in the system and have no affordable place to go. Most recently I cared for a woman who got caught in a crossfire between Medicaid and the Public Hospital. She was uninsured, working, earning too much to qualify for Medicaid, too little to pay for private insurance. By the time andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1152519967546287642006-07-10T01:22:00.000-07:002006-07-10T01:46:08.500-07:00In LaborI'm finally a second year resident in family medicine (yikes!). 2nd year started off with a bang -- I'm on week two of working at a hospital in downtown Los Angeles, doing obstetrics/gynecology. That means I'm triaging women who are possibly in labor early or in labor on time, admitting women to the Labor & Delivery section of the hospital, delivering babies (YAY!), assisting in Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165517100363780159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4063040.post-1152402272714509412006-07-08T16:24:00.000-07:002006-07-08T16:44:32.746-07:00Gall Bladder Emergency;about a month ago a woman entered the clinic jaundiced and feverish. no abdominal pain, no vomiting. her vital signs were normal so we felt safe to order some lab tests and figure out what was going on. we did the usual liver and hepatitis tests. the results were very concerning for gall bladder disease. the patient was still relatively asymptomatic so we continued andruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03551215467032130930noreply@blogger.com0