He was sitting up leaning slightly forward when I entered the exam room. This 22-year-old man said he started having severe central chest pain that he described as sharp while playing soccer. He decided to lay down on the sidelines and see if it would go away, but it actually got worse when he laid…

Mr. Schultz is a 64-year-old accountant with a past medical history of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He has been a smoker for the past 35 years and despite his wife and his doctor “gently nagging” him about it and him trying to quit multiple times, he still has not been able to kick…

Anxiety is a term that tends to get tossed around a lot to reflect whenever someone is feeling stressed. Occasionally feeling worried or anxious is normal, but it becomes an anxiety disorder when the worry and fear is persistent, intense, and revolves around normal everyday occurrences – sometimes resulting in the person not partaking in…

As a healthcare professional, you’ve seen it all. You’ve responded to critical medical situations that would leave the average person paralyzed by panic and fear. Heart attacks, drug overdoses and life-threatening injuries – you’ve handled them all! Experience has made you competent, quick on your feet and an expert problem solver.What about the mentally impaired…

While the intent of Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks, it is really a day of celebrating gluttony for most Americans. It’s estimated that the average American eats more than 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. Considering an average diet should consist of around 2,000 calories (less than that for most women), this is more…

It is odorless, has no taste, and you cannot see it. It is carbon monoxide (CO) and it is the leading cause of injury and death due to poison worldwide. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning often go unrecognized until it is too late because the typical early symptom – headache, dizziness, nausea, and irritability…

What is Cystic Fibrosis?Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that alters the cells producing mucus, sweat, and digestive fluid – these all become thick and sticky instead of slippery and thin. These secretions then clog pathways in the body, particularly in the lungs and pancreas.In the lungs, the airways become clogged and bacteria gets…

Many years ago when I was a resident, I learned that personal safety is a real concern for healthcare providers. In the ED where I was working, interviews with patients who had psychiatric problems were carried out in a dedicated room. This room was equipped with a panic alarm which appears as part of the…

What is Trauma?Trauma itself is a very broad term – in EMS, trauma brings up images of severe internal and external injuries and life-threats. Trauma is far more than physical injuries. It can also be emotional and mental as a result of a one-time event or a series of experiences like neglect, abuse, or violence.…

Hearing loss is sometimes considered simply a sign of aging. But what we do in our lives can determine how soon, quickly, and how much hearing we will lose. Hearing loss is considered the third most common health problem in the United States.The Basics: How Do We Hear?Our ears have three major areas: the outer…