Taking a bite out of ....

I know this study will make no difference in the quality of your life, but TGIF .. and in that frame of mind I had to share.

The study looked at 'person on person' biting. Not kids: grown adults who, you guessed it, mixed liquor with fighting.

Most likely to happen on weekends and holidays the bites prove problematic for emergency departments. While not life threatening they can be disfiguring as generally the bites are to the face (think Mike Tyson's ear biting in the ring) or to the upper extremities.

The study, looked at one ER and found 92 cases.
Specifically:
'The 92 patients had 96 bites.
85 of them were men, with a median age of 22, although they ranged as young as 16 and as old as 57.
Alcohol was involved in 86% of the incidents and recreational drugs in 12%.
The median time of the incidents was three in the morning, with 82% of all injuries occurring between 11p.m. and 4 a.m.'

None of the biters were sentenced to wearing a muzzle.

The details of this study, in case you needed some weekend reading are in the Emergency Medicine Journal.

Shifting Sands

The sun is shining - summer has arrived and you guessed it - somewhere there's a report warning about the dangers of summertime fun. But this one caught my attention because it's something my dear mother used to warn us about .. digging those holes to china on the beach: they can collapse and trap you.

A new study ( which was done by reviewing reams of reports) finds 52 cases of sand-hole collapses in the United States-- Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand.(they figure there are many more but these were the ones that were reported)

Sixty percent of the victims -- 31 people -- died, while many of the others needed rescuing and CPR.

Average age of the victim - 12.

The problem wasn't only on the beach - worksites, even sandboxes; wherever there's granular, large grain sand.. the stuff that's easy to dig in.

The researchers warn, never dig a hole that's more than knee deep and keep an eye on those digging so if the hole collapses, you'll be able to find the person. And always fill in the holes/tunnels you dig.

Another one for the ladies - mammogram program

Just got this missive from the folks at CDPHP and thought it would be good to share.
Remember the recommendation from the American Cancer Society .. one a year mammogram for women over 40 ..

CDPHP, Bellevue Woman’s Hospital, and the New York State Healthy Women Partnership programs are once again hosting Bellevue’s Mobile Mammography. On Wednesday, June 20, women can receive a mammography screening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Saratoga County Department of Social Services, 152 West High Street in Ballston Spa, New York.



Women are invited to call 1-888-423-3366 to schedule an appointment for a mammography screening. Individuals with health insurance are asked to bring their insurance identification card. Through the New York State Healthy Women Partnership programs, women without health insurance, or with limited coverage, may be eligible for a free breast screening, as well as a clinical breast exam and Pap smear. In addition, transportation may be available for women with screening appointments. Women are encouraged to inquire about these opportunities.

Women and Diabetes

Okay, I'm back on health patrol and this story should get women to sit up and take notice. A huge study of health surveys running from 1971 to 2000 looked at death rates from diabetes. Some 27,000 people were involved. The news is good for men as the researchers found their death rates dropped in recent decades, while those of diabetic women increased. As for why the discrepancy:
"I do not have a clue," said Dr. Larry Deeb, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association (ADA).. "But I do know that it argues that something we're doing isn't right. If you're a woman, and you have diabetes, it may be we're not aggressive enough about taking care of you."

So women, if you've got diabetes, be aggressive in treatment and getting answers. For more information on this and diabetes check out: http://www.diabetes.org/home