Hello, and welcome to the third installation of 5-Shot Friday.
1) “Balm Of Hurt Minds,” The Bard Said
Few of Shakespeare’s phrases stuck in my mind like this one about SLEEP: “Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course.” My recall of high school English is pretty spotty, but Macbeth’s words on sleep I remember like it was yesterday. “Double double, toil and trouble” comes from the same play – everybody knows those words --- and that says something about our conflicted attitude towards sleep. Now that you mention it, we could use more sleep, but EVERYBODY knows it’s getting harder than ever. That’s not just regular folks: LeBron James and major pro sports organizations have put big dollar figures to missing their zzz’s.
Patients Like Me (Twitter handle @patientslikeme) shared this resource, from the National Sleep Foundation. Optimizing your sleeping arrangements is about more than avoiding tablet and smartphone use and wearing blue blocker glasses. The NSF has five categories of adjustments, for each of your major senses, to up your odds of getting a much needed, restful snooze.
2) Super Germ, Bulletproof To The Biggest Guns
It’s not The Andromeda Strain, but it’s real and it’s here: a bacterial “superbug” that is resistant to our strongest antibiotics.
Antibiotics are key to fighting off bacterial infections, like the urinary infection in the Pennsylvania woman in question. Taken properly, they kill off bacteria that could otherwise spread and cause serious, sometimes deadly infections. But for years, infectious disease specialists have been alarmed at the decreasing effectiveness of common antibiotics, as bacteria that survive a treatment are able to pass along their resistance to other bacteria.
When I was doing my ICU rotation, I remember a new, special antibiotic that only the intensive care unit senior resident or attending physician could prescribe – it required a special signature in order to be dispensed by the hospital pharmacist. It was to be reserved for severe lung infections, because even then, we knew that widespread use could water down its effectiveness. That wonder drug was azithromycin, which you probably know as the “Z-pak” – now the most commonly requested by patients antibiotic for coughs in the urgent care setting.
The Reuters article mentions antibiotic overprescribing by doctors as a main cause; I urge you to keep in mind that patient insistence is a big part of this equation (“I’ve had this cough for 3 weeks, but I’m leaving for a trip tomorrow and want some antibiotics right now”). And the amount of antibiotics prescribed to humans pales in comparison to what’s used in animal feed to make animals bigger and more tender.
The majority of common infections, especially cough and cold type infections, aren’t even caused by bacteria, they’re caused by viruses that antibiotics don’t even treat. Bottom line: it’s still prudent to discuss an infection with a medical professional – but when your doctor says words like “antibiotic resistance,” “virus,” and “I don’t think this will help much,” please, please listen.
3) “How To Achieve Greatness, in 3 Simple Steps
The key is in the “rinse and repeat.” It really is that simple – and that profound.
4) Perspective, People
I’m not entirely sure of Fox News as a source of reliable numbers, but the fine print at the bottom attributes this statistic to the World Health Organization.
5) Low Starch, Paleo Awesomeness
(This is a pic of the slow cooker Korean short ribs recipe).
You may not agree with some of the basic tenets of the Paleo Diet (is mimicking the eating patterns of our Paleolithic ancestors the healthiest way to feed?), but it’s hard to argue with the results: low carb/starch meal choices do usually help with weight loss, lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, and with careful monitoring, cholesterol.
Nom Nom Paleo is Michelle Tam’s website, and is arguably the tastiest way to experience preparing food along these guidelines. It’s not easy focusing on whole foods, quality sourced, while passing on processed, starchy carb goodness, but Michelle manages to do so, with moan-inducing tastiness and an easy to search recipes list.
Highest recommendation.
If you’d like to get more 5-Shot Fridays, please subscribe to my email list for automatic updates delivered to your inbox (I will never share or abuse it). And if you enjoyed this week’s edition, I’d appreciate a share.
Dr. Bunten is originally from Huntington Beach, CA. He attended high school in Tokyo, Japan, went to college at UC San Diego and then to medical school in the Midwest. He returned home to California for residency training in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. His immediate family all reside in Huntington Beach.
Dr Fishbein has been in the practice of family medicine for over 35 years in Irvine. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University, medical degree from Chicago Medical School, and completed his family medicine residency at Memorial Hospital of Long Beach.
Dr. Kim is the Medical Director of Family Care Centers, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Hoag Hospital, and a recipient of the Physicians of Excellence award from the Orange County Medical Association. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine, and has been practicing in our community for over 20 years.
Dr. Memon is a board certified Family Medicine physician and recently completed her fellowship in Geriatrics at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She attended Saint George’s University, School of Medicine and completed her residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her interest in medicine started at an early age and has since evolved into a passionate career.
Dr. Gina Nguyen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Irvine where she graduated Suma Cum Laude. She went to USC Keck School of Medicine, and returned to UC Irvine for a Family Medicine Residency. Since 2005, she worked at Kaiser Permanente, VNCOC, and Family Care Center Urgent Care.
Dr. Williams is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. He is a native to Orange County and returned home after completing his medical degree at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. After completing his residency in family practice he successfully completed a fellowship in sports medicine.
Dr. Hye Lee is a board-certified Family Practice Physician, affiliated with the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice.She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Riverside and earned her medical degree from Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Afterward, she did her internship at Downey Regional Medical Center in California and has been a primary care physician since 2005.
Dr. Coyne is a board certified family practice physician and a California native. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA before earning his medical degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr Coyne spent 6 years in the US Air Force at Andrews and Luke Air Force bases, eventually separating as a Major. He enjoys working with patients of all ages.”
Dr. Jay Friehling is a Family Practice physician who has worked in Orange County since 1981. Born in Florida, he received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and then earned a Medical Degree at the New York Medical College.” His healthcare interests include Diabetes, Geriatric Care, and Hospice Care.
Dr. Jennifer Shoquist is board certified in Family Medicine. Her special interest is woman’s health and her practice accepts patients from 6 years old to seniors. Dr. Shoquist received her M.D. degree at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston in Houston, Texas, and did her residency with Memorial Family Practice at memorial Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Tom is a board certified family medicine physician and native Californian. He received his bachelors of science with great distinction in biochemistry and honors in chemistry. Dr. Tom was awarded a Regents Scholarship to attend medical school at UC Irvine.
Dr. Yan attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Practice residency at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California. She joined Family Care Center in 2001. She chose Family Practice because she enjoys working with a wide variety of people and because it provides a unique opportunity for continuing care.
Share Your Valuable Thought