Let The Games Begin

Thanks so much to those of you who nominated me for Medgadget Medical Weblog Awards. I really appreciate it! Who knew I would go from no blog at all to being considered one of the best blogs of 2006.

Now, if you don't tell anyone, I'm going to give you some insight here that you won't get on other blogs. I'm very flattered to be nominated for best overall medical blog of the year. But, at this point in my blog life, I think I'm minor league compared to some in that category.

So, even though as of this second, there are twelve other blogs in the Best New Medical Weblog category, I think I will concentrate my efforts there.

How am I going to do that? Well, here's the way I see it. It is three weeks until the polls open over there on Medgadget. I have three short weeks to earn your vote for Best New Medical Weblog of 2006.

Don't think your vote counts? Think again. In reviewing the rules over there, there will be a new voting system. Yes, there are nine judges (*waving at judges*) and they will have their say. But, your vote counts just as much! So, I have some work to do in the next three weeks to convince you and to convince them that I'm worthy of your vote.

What I'm going to say next is definitely politically incorrect. But, ever since my first day of blogging, I made a committment to myself that since I was going to blog anonymously, I must be open and honest with my readers. Today is no exception.

The politically correct thing is to say "Gee Whiz, it's just an honor to be nominated." No other blog out there is going to say this but me ==> I'm definitely out to win this award. Don't take that the wrong way. I'm not saying that out of a sense of entitlement, just because I've been blogging for almost six months.

Over the next three weeks, I'm going to work as hard as I can and blog my heart out to earn your vote beginning on January 3, 2007. For my blog friends out there (and you know who you are), if you have any advice along the way, please let me know.

I know I sound like one of those nasty politicians running a campaign. I'm just a blogaholic trying to reach for a goal that I never thought was possible six months ago. With hard work and your help, we can try to get there together. Let the countdown begin! Twenty days to go until the Medgadget polls open!

Quick news stories

Obese Kids To Be Offered Surgery: The government in the UK is sending the ultimate message of accountability for your actions by offering surgery "as a last resort" to obese children. Richard Watts, campaign co-ordinator of the Sustain's Children's Food Campaign, said: "Instead of expensive and unpleasant surgery, we should look to improve children's diets by protecting them from junk food adverts before 9pm and making cookery lessons in school compulsory." DUH!

Of course, you could do something obvious. No, not encourage exercise. That's too easy. You can ban certain foods, like trans fats. Apparently, that's the fad now in the United States. Cities like Cleveland, Ohio are following the lead of New York City. Oh well. Maybe that will help the obesity problem in kids.

Longer Colonoscopy Time Ups Detection: According to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine, you have to ask your doctor if they spend more than six minutes doing their colonoscopy. The study stated that those colonoscopies more than six minutes found more abnormal growths than those less than six minutes. DUH!

What the study didn't show is the potential increase complication rate with more biopsies taken and increased time under anesthesia. Stuff like this is always left out of media stories. I wonder why. Hmmmmm.....

Gliding Mammal Lived More Than 125 Million Years Ago: Scientists found a fossil of what they're calling a "gliding mammal." The mammal was probably nocturnal and dined on insects. It was similar in size to a modern flying squirrel.

You're wondering, why did I pick this story? You know, I don't really know, other than I really liked the picture. What do you think? Have a great day!

Blogger problems

Imagine that? I'm not even in the dreaded blogger beta. Lots of difficulties with my sidebar this morning. So, I'll be fiddling with this thing this afternoon. Hopefully, I won't accidentally delete the entire blog. I'll be right back after these commercial messages. Thanks for stopping by today!

Update (2pmET): I have a question. Don't worry, I turned the comments back on. I figured some stuff out, but still having some problems.

Is my footer in the right place on your screen? On my firefox screen, it's beneath my profile. Gimme some feedback on this. For all you template gurus out there, if you could help me move it in the right spot, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Update (6:30pmET): Still can't figure out the footer thing, but that's ok. I'm glad I didn't mess up my entire template. I'm going to be adding things back to the sidebar in the next few hours. Please let me know if you see anything funky going on on the sidebar or on the footer. Hopefully, I'll have a more "normal" post tomorrow. Thanks for all of your help!

James Kim: Blame the victim

Warning: This is an irk alert...

The people on the west coast of the United States probably have been following this story closer than I have. And, I wasn't going to mention anything about the tragic story of James Kim and his family. But, I read a story this morning that really put me over the edge.

For those who may not know, James Kim and his family (wife and two young daughters) were stranded in the mountains of Oregon for approximately a week. I believe on day five or six of their ordeal, which included hearing helicopters but unable to get their attention, Mr. Kim decided to venture out to try to rescue his family. His family was eventually rescued, but he was not.

The first set of media stories portrayed him as a hero - which is what he was. Initial stories called him "Superhuman." As I did more research, I found out he was a senior editor for Cnet.Com. And, I remember seeing this guy doing reviews for computer and electronic stuff. Great guy. He mentioned his daughter a lot when he did his video reviews for cnet.

Now, the media stories are shifting. The story that really got me going this morning had this to say about the Kim family...

When we finally reached the spot where the Kims' car stopped after a long, winding journey, our traveling companions -- Sgt. Joel Heller, Josephine County Sheriff's office, and John James, owner of the Black Bar Lodge -- both had the same exact thought: Why did the Kims continue down such a desolate path when they so clearly did not know where they were going?

This just fires me up! I mean, this family was lost. It was obvious that they have never been there before. It was snowing. The signs were not clearly marked. Even with all these facts, they are blaming this poor family? I don't get it.

For the rest of the article, I was waiting for the passage saying, "We're raising these questions because we do not want this tragedy to happen again to another family." The tone of the article remained on the Kim family.

I know I shouldn't let the media bother me like this, but I think of the two little girls that are left behind. When they read about their brave father in 10-20-30 years, what will their reaction be when they come across stories like this essentially blaming their father for getting the family lost and leaving them behind? In my view, media stories like this are irresponsible. That's my 2 cents worth.

Nominate Me!

I have no shame. And, when you read this post, you'll see why. HA!

Yesterday, Medgadget announced the opening up of nominations for their 2006 Medical Weblog Awards. This is their third annual event. And, according to their website, "These awards are designed to honor the very best in the medical blogosphere, and to highlight the diverse world of medical blogs."

There are seven categories, but the one I'm most interested in is Best New Medical Weblog (established in 2006). To be honest, I don't think this blog really fits into any of the other categories. Oh BTW, there's a new category this year for Best Patient's Blog. So, for you DA readers who have patient blogs, you can play, too.

Anyway, this is where I'm asking you, the Doctor Anonymous reader, to help. If someone, anyone, would nominate me for Best New Medical Weblog - I'd really appreciate it! I'd nominate myself, but that seems kind of lame to me. Plus, the judges may not take to kindly to self-nominations.

Speaking of the judges, some of them look familiar to me. I think I may have put them in the bottom section of my Grand Rounds 3.09 posting last month. So, they may not like me too much. Oh well. We'll have to see what happens. If nominated, then I'll be shamlessly be seeking your vote from January 3-14, 2007.

What's interesting is that you can only vote once - period. Not once an hour - not once a day - just once - period. I wonder how they'll monitor that. But, hey, they're Medgadget. They can figure it out. But, first thing is first - the nomination. Thanks for your consideration....

Update: To help generate some controversy, the grand Empress Bee herself has obtained some totally illegal pictures of me (LOL) in her post called "They Are Coming Out." Your curiousity piqued yet?

Another Christmas Meme

It looks like Cathy gave me by Christmas present early in the form of a meme. The interesting part is that I did not recieve the dreaded "You've Been Tagged" e-mail message. That's a new strategy (thanks Ipanema - HA!). Here we go!

1. Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Absolutely hot chocolate.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Neither - The elves wrap the presents and Santa's personal assistants put them under the tree.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored lights on tree. Too lazy to put lights on house.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. Bums me out too much.
5. When do you put your decorations up? When I finish my Christmas cards. Usually in mid-December. Just put some decorations up last weekend.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? All Christmas desserts. My patients usually bring in bunches and bunches of stuff for me and my staff this time of year.
7. Favorite Holiday memory? Midnight mass with my family. One of the few times all year we're able to get together as a family.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? In high school, Santa at the mall was arrested for DUI. Many kids around here bummed by that....
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When I was growing up, ABSOLUTELY NOT! Mom would have none of that. She would allow us to open one present after midnite mass, but the rest was for Christmas morning.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? When I was a kid, it was a fun family activity that we did in one afternoon - probably just after Thanksgiving. Now, it takes me a couple of weeks to decorate the tree.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love to watch it snow, but hate to drive in snow.
12. Can you ice skate? Once - never again. Nothing tragic happened, just embarrassing.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I admit I was a spoiled brat growing up (some people would say that has never changed). My love for electronic stuff started when I was a kid.
14. What's the most important thing? The reason for the season - The birth of the Savior.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Like the rest of the year - anything with chocolate is my favorite.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? My parent's years of piano lessons comes out once a year when I dig out the Christmas music and play some carols. Granted, it's still the same grade school music, but it's always fun to get the family gathered together.
17. What tops your tree? Sponge Bob Square Pants. Just kidding, it's an angel that lights up.
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I have to be honest. The whole gift thing really stresses me out. But, there's always one or two gifts that I find for a friend/family that I really look forward to giving. And, I look forward to that moment.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? See my Christmas Song Meme.
20. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum? Gotta love the candy canes!

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds 3.12 is now up and running over at Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments. GR is up early this week. Thanks to the bloggers over there for including my submission this week. I really appreciate it.

A recent AAP report on advertising and children drew our ire. It also drew the ire of Doctor Anonymous, and he discussed his reactions in a great post that led to some healthy comment discussion.

On a quick glance, I counted 36 links (unless you count My Three Shrinks as three separate posts instead of one). Well done. However, I couldn't leave a kudos comment over there because the verification characters wouldn't come up on my firefox. Oh well, Kudos to AAaDT for their work this week.

Look out! Next week, GR journeys to Nurse Ratched's Place. But meanwhile, enjoy the best the medical blogosphere has to offer - It's Grand Rounds!

Pro-ana and Pro-mia sites

Someone sent me a link to an article from Newsweek entitled "Mixed Messages." It talks about websites taking us into the world of anorexia (called pro-ana sites) and bulimia (called pro-mia sites). Here's a sample of what they say:

Drink ice-cold water ("your body has to burn calories to keep your temperature up") and hot water with bullion cubes ("only 5 calories a cube, and they taste wonderful"). When a food craving strikes, give yourself a manicure ("applying extra layers of slow-drying polish. It will keep your hands occupied").

The article goes on to outline the debate that is occurring on whether these sites are good or bad. Those in favor of the websites state that the internet is a huge support group for these (in general) troubled teens who visit it. Others say that these sites promote and glamorize this type of lifestyle.

It's a pretty balanced article and I encourage you to check it out. The question comes back to this: Can a website CAUSE a change in behavior, especially in younger people? Here is one point of view from the article:

The pro-eating-disorder sites feed into anorexics' competitive nature, says eating-disorder specialist Dr. David S. Rosen, a professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Michigan. "They're constantly trying to be the sickest, the thinnest, the most unhealthy. If you go to a Web site where people are describing their eating habits, their vomiting practices, if you're in the throes of a serious eating disorder, no matter how that information was intended when it was put out there, it may be a challenge to eat less, to take more diet pills, to weight less. That's where the harm is."

Here is another point of view:

Could the sites somehow lure a completely healthy girl into becoming an anorexic? "You've still got to have some sort of predisposition," says John Levitt, director of the eating-disorders program at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Hoffman Estates, Ill. "It's a little bit difficult to believe they went there and were pure." Most patients "don't need the advice," he says. By the time he sees them, they already know the tips and tricks. But, he says, "if you have a predisposition for something, you get reinforcement for it."

I have never been of the opinion that media (whether it be violent movies, certain video games, certain types of music, etc.) has a causal relationship with a person's behavior. People should be accountable for their choices and actions. For parents, they should be accountable for supervision of their children and teens.

But, this article does make some compelling arguments to make me think. I haven't changed my position. But, as I alluded to in Direct to Kid Advertising, it seems like it's getting more and more challenging for parents to de-program their kids from the media message saturation.

Countdown

I'm not talking about the first nighttime shuttle launch in four years. This was great to see on television. I would love to see this live and in person.

But, I digress. I'm talking about the countdown to my six month blogiversary. I can't believe that it's coming up next week. To be honest, I didn't think I would make it this long.

Thanks so much to all of you for continuing to stop by and occasionally leave comments. Forgive me over the next week as I may look back a little bit, to reminisce, and to reflect. It's that holiday spirit, I guess.

Finally, thanks to those of you who sent notes when I was feeling ill. I really appreciate it. I guess all the handwashing in the world can't totally prevent getting a cold this time of year around here. I'm feeling better - Just in time for me to be on call for the Christmas holiday. Oh well...

Heart Attack Grill

Now, we here at Doctor Anonymous are not afraid to cover the hardest hitting news stories out there in the internet....

There's a huge controversy occuring in Tempe, Arizona over a restaurant called the Heart Attack Grill. Surprisingly enough, the controversy is not over its menu which includes things like quadruple bypass burger and flatliner fries.

The waitresses call themselves nurses and what they're wearing is nothing that I've ever seen in a hospital. You'll see in this picture from the Heart Attack Grill what I'm talking about.

Nurse advocates are outraged by this establishment. Not only do they dispute the way that the waitresses are dressed, but also that they're not real nurses. You're going to think I'm making up this next quote, but it's right from the Associated Press article.

"Nurses are the most sexually fantasized-about profession," said Sandy Summers, executive director of the Center for Nursing Advocacy, based in Baltimore. "We're asking people, if they're going to have these fantasies, please don't make it so public. Move these sexual fantasies to other professions."

Is this the best soundbite that this person could come up with? Keep your sexual fantasies private and not make them public? Doesn't make sense to me. But, oh well....

The restaurant is soaking up all the publicity. There's a section on their Heart Attack Grill Website devoted exclusively to 'the controversy over nurses.' They even have a theme song.

There are two problems that I have with this. First, I can't believe that I didn't think of this idea first. HA! Second, the only thing I would add is sexy male "chippendale" waiters and call them doctors. I mean, you're ignorning an entire demographic who also go to restaurants!

Courtney Chapman, a 20-year-old waitress at the grill, said she found nothing wrong with the uniform or the stares she gets.

"They definitely look at us, but they're guys," she said. "If our butts are coming out the bottom of our skirts, and our boobs are coming out the top of our shirts, we're kind of asking for it."

That about sums it up for me. So, if I'm out in Tempe any time soon, I'm going to have to check out the Heart Attack Grill. By the way, how's the food there? HA!