Side Effects
The New Physician January-February 2012 Volume 61, Number 1
MUSIC TO YOUR...
Maybe not what Mozart had in mind when he penned No. 25 in G minor, but
his compositions are fighting cancer: In a randomized controlled trial,
endoscopists listening to Mozart were more likely to detect precancerous
polyps during colonoscopies. It's probably more pleasant for the
patient, too. Just remember that humming along would be a little creepy.
ON THE ROAD. AGAIN?
When it comes time to pick out a place to live during your residency,
you might want to keep it close to the hospital. Researchers at Lund
University in Sweden studied 21,000 commuters between the ages of 18 and
65, comparing their method of transit to their stress and quality of
life. Perhaps it's no surprise, but car commutes were not good for their
mental health. And while public transit may be a responsible option, it
did not reduce the negative effects of a long commute. Car and public
transit commuters both suffered more stress and lower quality of sleep
than did "active commuters" who traveled to work by bike or on foot. If
you don't have much control over your commute, you can take a little bit
of comfort from this: Those with car commutes longer than an hour
actually suffered less stress than car commuters who had 30-minute
commutes. Of course, after spending 80-plus hours on the wards, you
probably won't be looking forward to spending another 12 hours of your
life behind the wheel.
SHEAR SANITATION
Since barbers were the surgeons of the old days, it hopefully won't be
too hard for them to get back into infection control. The risk of hep B
and C transmission should be studied carefully at barbershops and nail
salons, according to early research presented at a recent meeting of the
American College of Gastroenterology. Because there are no federal
standards for cleanliness at barbershops and salons, the risks seem
minimal to the public. Since full contact precautions would probably
inhibit lively nail salon banter, you may have to think of your
infections as the price of beauty.
THE SOUTHERN DIGEST
Examining incidence of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis,
researchers in a Massachusetts General Hospital study found a strong
correlation between risk of the diseases with a patient's latitude: The
further north the women in the study lived, the higher their risk of the
disease. A separate study, at Weill Cornell Medical Center, found that
high doses of vitamin D3 aided in the treatment of Crohn's. Though
neither study controlled for grits consumption rates, the studies
suggest the cause could be higher sunlight exposure. The authors also
noted that vitamin D3 supplementation could stand in for the sun, which
is probably a simpler intervention for your patients than moving to
Georgia.