I’m not at all embarrassed to say that I watched that entire video, but it does raise a somewhat related point. What are the ethics of telling someone that their personal trainer who’s “spotting” them is really just a sexual predator who’s actually groping them (2:21-3:21) and/or putting them in danger (3:50-4:04)?

The biggest issues that I’ve seen are:

Depending on the medical record system, there is usually a way to add an annotation about what the specific allergy is. I’ve seen a lot of patients who have allergies listed, but when you click on it, it says something totally stupid, like they’re allergic to Benadryl because it made them sleepy. 

Possibly an allergic reaction, but almost certainly not anaphylaxis. There’s also little chance you’d be allergic to penicillin and not amoxicillin. They’re both in the same class of antibiotics. Did your dentist prescribe any other medications? Tylenol with codeine or some other opioid medication? Codeine has to be me…

That’s not an allergic reaction, that’s just a known reaction that will resolve on its own. 

Have you ever tried to fold a fitted sheet?

“A big part of haggling is going in with the proper mindset. You may not be wealthy, but if you’re a traveler you are indeed privileged in a way that people in areas you are visiting may not be.”

I think that this is the only acceptable attitude to have. As long as the price isn’t marked up beyond what a comparable…

“Less commonly recommended are milk and a 50/50 mixture of an antacid such as Maalox and water. It’s unclear if these actually work better than the options above, and in general it’s best to avoid putting anything unnecessary into the eyes.” 

I have no data other than that of the anecdotal variety, but I’ve treated a…

“Don’t Use Periods in Texts”

No. 

As an introvert with OCD tendencies, I often get into my own head too much. One thing that’s helped me is reminding myself that 99.9% of people just don’t give two shits about the things we think they do. I can say with almost absolute certainty that not one of your coworkers is thinking “oh man, look how stupid they…

I have an easier way. Did my uncle share it on Facebook? If yes, then yes. 

My guesses:

That’s way too much effort to put into a photo that people are going to glance at briefly while killing time waiting in line or taking a dump.

$1200 says that within the week, we’ll see a spate of phishing and other assorted scams asking people to mail or wire stimulus checks to bogus addresses or accounts.

Fingertip injuries from mandolines are super common where I practice (ER doc). There’s usually nothing to do except wash out the wound and stop the bleeding (it’s useless to try to sew on the tiny little flap of skin people always bring in in a panic). Avocado hand (https://www.npr.org/2020/02/02/801354178/making-super…

“‘We can still grieve our losses and feel compassion and empathy for people who are sick,’ Gurwitch says.” 

This is so true. Too many people like to engage in the Misery Olympics or try to cheer you up by pointing out how it could be worse. Yes, in relative terms someone might not have it that bad, but in absolute…

“If you’re on a paid plan, or participating in your company’s Zoom account, try visiting your Security settings page in your profile and enabling two-factor authentication.” 

That was one of my favorite episodes as a kid, and it’s part of what led me to my current career (doctor). A copy of that book is always in the assortment of books that I’ve donated to various children’s hospitals over the years.

That’s a lot of words for “no.”

Signed,
Your (sometimes) friendly (maybe) neighborhood emergency doc