Other mailbags can be found here. Keep in mind a lot of this is email conversations, comment replies, or some random interesting things I’ve found. By their nature they are not as thorough or complete as a post on one topic.
Here’s what’s covered in this installment:
- That time we started to detect 14 times more thyroid cancers and prevented zero more deaths
- How internet engagement has and hasn’t changed with the advent of mobile
- The right words matter when talking about pain
- Preventing glaucoma…run faster?
- Evening out abdominal imbalance
- Using sleep deprivation as a treatment for depression
- Good talk from the president of SpaceX
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That time we started to detect 14 times more thyroid cancers and prevented zero more deaths
From here:
“Across the country, detection of thyroid cancer soared, from 5 cases per 100,000 people in 1999 to 70 per 100,000 in 2011. Two-thirds of those diagnosed had their thyroid glands removed and were placed on lifelong drug regimens, both of which carry risks.
Such a costly and extensive public-health programme might be expected to save lives. But this one did not. Thyroid cancer is now the most common type of cancer diagnosed in South Korea, but the number of people who die from it has remained exactly the same — about 1 per 100,000. Even when some physicians in Korea realized this, and suggested that thyroid screening be stopped in 2014, the Korean Thyroid Association, a professional society of endocrinologists and thyroid surgeons, argued that screening and treatment were basic human rights.”
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How internet engagement has and hasn’t changed with the advent of mobile
There has been talk about death of a lot of mediums. Death of TV. Death of desktops. Death of laptops. It’s really more the augmenting of everything. We’re primarily adding usage rather than substituting.
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The right words matter when talking about pain
From here:
“I forbid any of my trainees in pain medicine to use the following phrases in consultations because of their poisonous effect on patients:
‘That’s the worst I’ve ever seen’
‘It looks like bone-on-bone’
‘Your disc is collapsed/busted/blown out/ruined’
‘You will end up in a wheelchair’
‘Just learn to live with it.'”
I especially agree with the “worst I’ve ever seen.” This is said a lot. Sometimes it becomes a badge of honor for the patient or practitioner. A badge of honor not typically worth having. It comes with too much association of “I’ll might not ever get better.”
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Preventing glaucoma…run faster?
Relationship of incident glaucoma versus physical activity and fitness in male runners.
Bolding mine-
“Relative to the least fit men i.e., slowest, < or = 3.5 meters per second, the risk for incident reported glaucoma declined 29% in those who ran 3.6-4.0 meters per second, 54% for those who ran 4.1-4.5 meters per second, 51% for those who ran 4.6-5.0 meters per second, and glaucoma was nonexistent among the 781 men who exceeded 5.0 meters per second“
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Evening out abdominal imbalance
“Hey,
Reader from Ireland here with a question. I’ve recently noticed that my abs seem to be slightly out of sync with one side stronger than the other. When I’m doing crunches it feels like my left side is doing 75% of the work. How can I go about fixing this?”
Hey [reader],
I would probably take out the crunches and work on some other things that would hit the sides of the stomach. For instance, side planking, where you can then try to even out each side.
I also like pallof presses. http://b-reddy.org/2012/11/13/another-better-pallof-press-variation/
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Using sleep deprivation as a treatment for depression
http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/mind-read/an_unconventional_release_from_depression
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Good talk from the president of SpaceX
SpaceX had a very big month. Here is a good talk by Gwynne Shotwell, who has been running things from the beginning for them:
If you’re unaware, here is why SpaceX had such a big month:
Posted on January 1, 2016