RedScrubs
The Resource for Medical Professionals

Several lines of the page in all sorts of media have been devoted to the evaluative concepts of healthcare organization ratings and physician provider ratings. Many websites dot the web with such databases for patients of all types to delve into and either look for a new provider or submit a subjective evaluation based on their most recent healthcare experience.

I just got back from a much needed fishing trip which did not last as long as I would have liked. I caught a few fish, stayed up late and did not think about a single thing except for the next catch.

Fishing is much like blogging, you have to keep throwing a quality lure (post) in order to attract visitors and notoriety. So, without further ado, off to the best blog post of the week.

As usual, the Scrubby winner gets adorned with fame and limelight without having to hire a Public Relations firm. With the fame (and hopefully fortune), the Scrubby Winner gets a cool picture to add to their website as well as a free pair of Red Scrubs provided by NWScrubs.com.

—Dr. Incognito

Vitamin D has been in the news a lot lately – studies promoting the positive effects of the “sunshine vitamin” on the immune system, cancer, bone strength, depression. This study, published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, calls vitamin D a heart tranquilizer.

In the study, cells from the cells treated with activated vitamin D did not grow bigger in the heart muscle. The treatments prevented hypertrophy in rats and protected heart muscles from overstimulation and the increased contractions that are commonly associated with the progression of heart failure.

O.K. It’s officially hot outside! At least where I am located anyway. So, while I’ve been trying to stay inside and be cool (Freudian slip?), I’ve been marvelously entertained and challenged by the avalanche of blog posts and submissions this week collected on MedReader.

I guess a lot of you were trying to top Dr. Rob’s post from last week that won the Scrubby Award; or maybe it was just the chance to win the free pair of red scrubs (from our partners at NW Scrubs). Whatever the case, it does my heart good to see such a plethora of good writing our there.

–Dr. Incognito

The June 10th health section of the New York Times caught my eye with an interesting piece describing a pediatrician’s difficult decision to “fire” a patient because of the poor relationship between the provider and the patient’s mother. Clearly not a daily occurrence in the healthcare world, but it does happen and we all know many patients that have switched “fired” their own doctors and have obtained new ones.

The acute coronary syndrome (ACS) most commonly occurs from an erosion or rupture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque leading to an occlusion. The endothelium plays a key role in vascular health and endothelial dysfunction is of major concern in ACS. Under normal physiological conditions, low levels of microparticles are continually being shed into the blood from the endothelium — the cells that line the inside of blood vessels and some organs. Microparticles, however, can play a role in worsening cardiac injury through inhibition of vasodilation. This study looked at the effects of omega 3 fatty acids on the circulating microparticles.

When children eat quality foods, i.e fruits, vegetables, whole grains, instead of fat laden foods and empty calorie foods, i.e. luncheon meats, cookies, fruit snacks, they are much less likely to have a weight problem regardless of the amount of exercise that they get.

Has it been another week already? WOW! I guess it’s time for me to “scrub in” and give a nod to the top blogs of the week. Seriously, my MedReader has been crammed this past week with some really informative blog posts and, as usual, it’s been really hard to choose the best ones.

Also, if you didn’t know, each week our top blogger receives the very distinguished “Scrubby Award” for excellence that they can post on their blog. They also get a free pair of Red Scrubs, provided by NW Scrubs!

If you read a great blog that you think could make our list, please let us know.

So without further ado, here are the top 5 for the week of June 6th…

—Dr. Incognito

Health Day(5/27) reported that
excessive doses of antioxidants may sabotage the effects of chemotherapy or radiation treatments and should be avoided referring to a recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. A total of 16 randomized controlled studies were evaluated in this study, but the findings weren’t conclusive. While some of the studies reviewed showed that side-effects of cancer therapy were reduced with antioxidant therapy other studies showed lowered tumor control and one study showed that a patient on high doses of antioxidants died during therapy for the tumor.