Almost everyone is aware that fat is not good for our health. A high fat diet can lead to various health problems such as weight gain, high cholesterol, and heart disease. But fats are not all bad.

There are four types of fat. These are saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. Now, which of these fats are good and which are unhealthy?

Saturated and trans fats are both harmful and can block the arteries. We can determine their amounts in a single product through nutrition labels. Trans fat, in particular, can increase bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and decrease good cholesterol counterpart or high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Therefore, it could limit the supply of blood in the heart, leading to coronary artery disease and stroke.

However, in the United States, trans fat that is below 0.5 gram in a serving may be listed as 0 gram. Therefore, the nutritional facts are not just a simple part of the package but are also important so that we would be able to determine the total content of fats present in a product. This section is usually labeled as partially hydrogenated oils.

Trans fats, usually labeled as partially hydrogenated oils, are scientifically made by combining hydrogen and oil for food preservation. The American Heart Association suggests limiting the intake of trans fat to less than 2 grams a day. Foods that have trans fat include margarine, cakes, cookies, crackers, pies and French fries.     

Like trans fat, saturated fat also affects the levels of cholesterol. It increases LDL that also increases heart disease risk. Cheesecakes, cookies, hamburgers, French fries, and junk foods also contain this fat. They are primarily seen in meats such as steak and bacon. Therefore, if we will limit eating red meat then we can avoid saturated fats. It would be better if we choose eating more fruits and vegetables than animal products.

On the other hand, unsaturated fats, together with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, are good for the heart as they help lower cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats help control the levels of glucose and insulin. Polyunsaturated fats help reduce heart disease risk since it contain both omega-3 and omega-6 fats.

The omega-3 is usually found in fish. It helps lower the levels of blood pressure, decrease bad cholesterol, and then reduce coronary artery disease. It also promotes proper function of cells. Therefore, we have to look for foods containing these good fats because our body cannot produce omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids. The foods that can make these fats are nuts, seeds, and fatty fish like salmon.

However, good fats are not included on the nutrition label list. We have to subtract the amount of saturated fats and trans fat from the total amount of fats in a food to get the total value of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Unsaturated fats are found in avocados, peanut butter, and oils from canola, olive, and soybean. But we should avoid deep frying. Unlike the fats produced from liquids, solid fats are likely to have saturated fats. Generally, each fat contains 9 calories per gram. Therefore, high fat foods have higher calories and should be avoided if we want to lose weight.

Aside from regularly visiting our doctor in medical uniform, we have to be smart too in choosing fats if we want a healthy heart.      

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in men in the United States and surgery is becoming the standard treatment after discovering a significant increase in survival rates.

Men with prostate cancer in the United States are typically being treated through open radical prostatectomy. In this procedure, the prostate gland and some of the tissue around it are removed by making a small incision to reach the said gland and tissue using scalpel, one of the common hospital medical equipment used by surgeons. Incision is made either in the lower belly or in the perineum, depending on the case of the patient.

Aside from open radical surgery, another type of operation performed by surgeons to treat prostate cancer patient is laparoscopic surgery. In this type of surgery, the doctor makes a number of incisions in the belly. Aside from the typical surgical instruments for making incision as well as for grasping and removing the tissue and gland, a lighted viewing instrument called laparoscope is also used. This laparoscope is also part of the common hospital medical equipment being used by surgeons during emergency operation.

Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is normally performed by surgeon by hand. However, with the innovations made in surgical instruments, robot-assisted surgery for prostate cancer is now becoming more common and far more successful than typical radical prostatectomy. This is according to the recently revealed study of a new Henry Ford Hospital, which was first published in the medical journal named European Urology.

According to the said study, the main reason for choosing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy over other procedures is that it provides superior results such as:

1. Less need or do not require blood transfusion since procedure is minimally invasive and has only minimal blood loss.

2. Shorter hospital stay because the procedure is less complicated and less pain so the patients can recover quickly and return to normal activities.

3. Patients has lower risks for perioperative complications.

4. Lower risk of wound infections because only small incisions are made.

5. Patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy are found to immediately return to full urinary continence within six months

laughingsquid:

Skeleton Typogram, A Human Skeleton Illustration Made Using The Words For Each Bone

now i miss my classmates in human anatomy

“If a hot toddy makes you feel better, go for it.” - Dr. Alan Weis

“People are afraid to step on the scale, but they do have to put their pants on every day.” - Dr. Michael Jenson

“Mother Nature is a pretty good bioterrorist.” - Jonathan Tucker

“In the food safety world, we say: ‘Don’t eat poop.’ But if you’re going to, make sure it’s cooked.” - Douglas Powell

“This is the one transplant that can have a 300 percent mortality rate.” - Dr. Andreas Tzakis

“I don’t think your gums are related to your penis in any reasonable way.” - Dr. Andrew Krammer

“I don’t care if what we do makes a profit; I care whether we get somebody out of a wheelchair.” - Mark Noble

We often hear or read the word trans fats. But how much do we really know about it? So for the benefits of other, I consulted Mr. Wikipedia regarding trans fat and according to this web-based encyclopedia, it is the common name for unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acids. In short, they are the type of fatty acids that offer no health benefits to the body. And when the often indulge in trans-fat-heavy food, it only increases the possibility to develop serious health problems and heart disease is one of them. This is exactly the reason why healthcare professionals who often appear in a nice scrubs uniform along with a good blood pressure device keep on telling everyone to avoid diets that are high in trans fat in order to preserve a good quality of life.

What are these foods that doctors in scrubs uniform often classified as rich in trans fat? 

Deep-Fried Meals from Fast Foods                                                                                         

An average portion of French fries (170g) has 30 grams of fat while a regular hamburger with condiments, veggies, and no mayonnaise has more than 13 grams of fat

Quick to Cook Foods                                                            

The whole Marie Callender’s (33 oz) chicken pot pie contains 22 grams of fat

Packaged Foods                                                                                                                      

Baked Goods                                                                                                                          

Cakes, cookies, and other baked goods are the major food sources of trans fat for American adults

Chips and Crackers                                                                  

Corn chips, potato chips, and tortilla contain great amount of trans fat and shortenings to preserve crisp texture

Toppings and Dips                                                                                                             

In one serving of Kraft thousand island dressing has 12 grams of fat

And what is the best way to avoid trans fat rich food? Well, healthcare professionals who regularly wear scrubs uniform suggest that you should cook as much food as possible from raw materials. But for instances when you cannot control yourself craving of the foods mentioned above, the best thing you can do to at least lessen your trans fat consumption is to look for products that have low trans fat or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. And don’t forget to always read the label of every goods or product when buying so that you will always be aware of their trans fat content.

love the way you lie - eminem

Advanced surgical techniques, bionic limbs, the availability of medical evacuation helicopters that function like a flying hospital – these are just some of the things that best describe how sophisticated the medical care for today’s soldiers. With these modern inventions, the soldiers nowadays have greater chances to survive compared to Civil War fighters before.

During the Civil War, typical soldiers believed that bullets were their most loathsome foe. But the truth is disease was their major killer and not the bullet. If we will trace back the prevalence of mortality rates during Civil War, more armies died because of illness brought by infection when the bullet hit them. Of the Union armies, three out of five of them died because of disease and an estimate of two out of three soldiers from the Confederate strength died for the same cause.

The state of medical knowledge during the Civil War is probably the chief reason why the frequency of soldiers who died from disease is much higher than those who were hit by the bullets. As I was browsing online, I found an interesting post on CBSNews.com that feature the 37 pieces of historic medicines including some surgical instruments and techniques used by Civil War surgeons in diagnosing and curing the ailments or injuries of battle fighters. And from that post, I noticed that ancient medical doctors or surgeons don’t have any knowledge that infection can worsen the condition of their patients. Antibiotics or antiseptics were not yet discovered by that period so they were never aware that failure to maintain cleanliness or sterility increases infection rates. Whenever a soldier had some minor wounds, the only curative procedure that medical doctors knew is to apply a direct pressure on the affected area and tie it with a piece of garment to stop bleeding. Meanwhile, for severely wounded battle fighters, the common surgical procedure that medical corps did so as to extend the victims life is amputation.

By the way, here are some of the common surgical instruments found in a surgeon’s medical kit during the Civil War era.

The monaural stethoscope, which is made from wood, was the first acoustic medical device for auscultation. Civil War doctors used this instrument to listen the internal sounds of the body

This is how distinctive the appearance of amputation saw during the Civil War period. It is primarily used for cutting bones.

The image above is a single-edged amputation knife that was used to cut through skin and muscle in circular amputations.

This wooden device is called tooth key and was basically used for extracting unwanted or defective tooth.

Fleam was the instrument used for bloodletting. The U-shaped blade is spring-loaded and activated by the trigger above it.

Since amputation was the only treatment of choice for severely wounded Civil War soldiers, this medical device called tourniquet was used to control bleeding during amputation.

This medical device known as trephine was used to drill a hole in the skull to reduce pressure or to elevate pieces of the skull.

This small version of amputation is called the metacarpal saw and it was designed for cutting smaller bones like those of the fingers, toes, hand, wrist, and rib.

During mouth and throat examination, this tongue depressor was used to depress the tongue. The tongue depressors during the Civil War period were made from ivory and were reused to another patient.

…and here’s an inspiring quotes of Marc Chagall and i dedicate it to all employees out there

work isn’t to make money, you work to justify your life..

Getting inked or having a tattoo is just one form of body modifications. It is already a fad nowadays among both the young and the old. Having ink inserted into the dermis layer of the skin using a needle is for sure a painful procedure.

A lot of people might not understand why some are willing to go through to this painstaking sensation. But for some people who drive to get tattoos, they say that it is merely one way of expressing their love for beauty, art, or fashion. Others may associate deeper meanings to the images and text they choose to engrave on their body like signal group affiliation and commitment, spirituality and cultural tradition, individuality, etc.  

Because of the tattoo’s popularity nowadays, modern medicine likewise invented a medical instrument that comes in a form of temporary tattoo. The so called tiny electronic sensor used to monitor vital signs was recently featured in Time Healthland.  This new diagnostic tool is made from water-soluble plastic and was invented by Science Team of University of Illinois headed by Todd Coleman (electrical and computer engineer). This tiny electronic medical device, which is simply mounted on the skin with water and appears like an ultrathin tattoo patch, is said to be a good alternative for EEG or EMG sensors. It can track the activities of the body nerves and muscles, which determines the person’s vital signs.  

The said sensor for monitoring vital signs is much less bulky at the same time does not need tape or gel or wires, making it much more comfortable for patient. It is also claimed that this diagnostic tool is much better than conventional hospital medical equipment.

*note: image is taken using google image search engine