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  • HemophiliaThe disorder that causes unstoppable bleeding.By Jenny Ewen, BA, NREMTEditor-In-ChiefA Little Bit of HistoryIn 1837-1901, Queen Victoria of England ruled and was believed to have passed on the traits of hemophilia B to three of her nine children. Her daughters then passed it on to their children, one of whom married Tsar Nicholas of Russia,…

  • Bell’s Palsy

    Bell’s PalsyA look at a case of Bell’s Palsy.By Marven Ewen, MDMedical DirectorThe patient was 34-years-old and well into her third pregnancy. She came to the ER concerned that she was having a stroke. Her pregnancy and general health had been unremarkable until she awoke this morning. Something didn’t seem right about the right side…

  • Celiac DiseaseThe most serious reason to request “gluten-free” food.By Jenny Ewen, BA, NREMTEditor-In-ChiefOverviewThere has been a trend towards gluten-free food options over the last decade, but while some people avoid gluten simply for a healthier diet or weight loss, others have to avoid it to the degree that even a crumb of regular bread from…

  • A Close Shave

    A Close ShaveHow shaving can trigger a cardiovascular response.By Marven Ewen, MDMedical DirectorThe day started out fairly quiet in the ER. Pretty good for early Sunday morning. All the usual Saturday night characters had been discharged or admitted. That is when the local EMS service rolled up with an elderly male patient. His story was he…

  • ProgeriaThe accelerated aging disease.By Jenny Ewen, BA, NREMTEditor-In-ChiefOverviewThe concept of accelerated aging sounds like it belongs in movies, but there is a rare and fatal condition that is recognized by its main symptom: accelerated aging in young children. Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (also called Progeria or HGPS) was first written about in England in the nineteenth…

  • Staying Safe

    Staying SafeEMTs save lives – including their own life.By Marven Ewen, MDMedical DirectorI walked into the doorway of the psych interview room. Standing near the partially open door, carefully choosing my words, I made it clear to the patient and his girlfriend that no, we would not be admitting him to the hospital as he…

  • MeaslesThe world’s most contagious disease.By Jenny Ewen, BA, NREMTEditor-In-ChiefA Short History Measles was identified as the result of a virus in the 18th century, but it was first mentioned in the 9th century by a Persian doctor. By 1912, measles was a notifiable disease in the US so all diagnosed cases were reported – in the…

  • Close Encounter With a Bat

    Close Encounter with a BatA cautionary tale about the risk of rabies.By Marven Ewen, MDMedical DirectorOne day while walking through a big box store, a customer was struck on the head by a flying bat (the mammal, not the wooden kind). He was concerned he might have contracted rabies from this contact and came to…

  • MelanomaThe most serious form of skin cancer.By Jenny Ewen, BA, NREMTEditor-In-ChiefOverviewEver been worried about a new mole or discoloration appearing on your skin? Welcome to melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, which is increasing in people under 40. Almost 200,000 new cases of melanoma are estimated to be diagnosed in America this year…

  • Lyme Disease

    Lyme DiseaseThe dangerous disease carried by deer ticks.By Marven Ewen, MDMedical DirectorIt’s that time of year again. When the weather warms up the ticks come out. The ticks we are mostly concerned about are deer ticks. Deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) carry Lyme disease. Lyme disease in the USA is caused by a bacterial parasite called…