ER MD (he/him). Author of four Canadian bestsellers including Nightshift, Power of Kindness and my latest The Power of Teamwork. RTs are not endorsements.
Dec 17 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
A thread. Do mammograms cause breast cancer? A qualified yes. For every 100,000 women age 40–74 screened annually, 969 breast cancers detected early when curable.1/n
125 breast cancers are induced over the remainder of the patient's lifetime. 2/n
Dec 11 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
A thread on H5N1. H5N1 is a subtype of avian influenza that mainly infects birds, but has been identified in other animals and has caused sporadic infections in humans. 1/n
Current or recent outbreaks have been detected in domestic and wild birds and some mammals across Canada, the US, Europe, as well as Central and South America.2/n
Dec 4 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
A thread on raw vs pasteurized milk. Pasteurized milk is milk from dairy animals heated to 63C for 30 minutes or 71 C for 15 seconds before cooling. It kills bacteria in raw milk that are harmful to humans including Campylobacter, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria etc.1/n
Pasteurizing milk prevents bacterial infections and saves lives. Infection with these and other bacteria can cause food poisoning. The symptoms can be mild but can also cause serious illness. 2/n
Nov 22 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
A thread on #BlackPlastic. Black plastic refers to products made of plastic coloured black due to the addition of carbon black. The latter is produced by the partial combustion of petroleum products. It’s to make the plastic stiffer and less likely to degrade. 1/n
Black plastics are found in consumer products including kitchen utensils, kids toys, coffee lids, take-out food containers, office supplies like pens and staplers, computers and cellphone cases, garbage and recycling containers, and small appliances. 2/n
Aug 17, 2022 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
A few weeks ago I called @KatharineSmart into question for her use of the term “collapse” because I didn’t look closely enough to see the outlines. I now believe we’re a lot closer to collapse than I realized.
1. ER intermittent closures have been normalized. 2. RNs are leaving in droves and hospitals can’t replace them or spend millions patching a roster.
Nov 13, 2021 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Been thinking about ‘pandemic acceptance.’ The world has divided itself into those who accept it’s a multi-year incursion into our lives and those who won’t or have failed to do so yet.
It’s like: 1. Living through a long course of cancer treatment and surveillance.
Jul 26, 2021 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
Me and @TheSGEM spent 60 hours in the US visiting @startrektour to wish @WilliamShatner a #HappyBirthday. Here are some random thoughts on #Masks in a post-vaccination US with #DeltaVariant /1@startrektour is in Ticonderoga in Eastern NY State. Pop 3,000 with 500 + visitors from NY State, surrounding states & as far away as California. At registration, @startrektour asked for proof of double vax status. I have no idea if they turned non-vaxed attendees away. /2
Jul 26, 2021 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
Me and @thesgem spent the weekend @startrektour to visit beautiful replica sets of the USS Enterprise circa 1966 and to wish @WilliamShatner a 90th #HappyBirthday. This was non-essential travel to the US for <60 hours. Here is my #Covid_19 thread FYI /1@TheSGEM bought the tickets months ago when we fully expected to travel w/o restrictions. Sadly, #Covid_19 and the #DeltaVariant meant US/Canada border restrictions remain in place. What follows is what we had to do be able to go and how it went. /2
Mar 13, 2021 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
Long before LTC, there MUST be decent home care. I have not talked about how this affects me personally until now. I have a close family member with early onset dementia. Her essential family caregiver is unable to fulfill that function adequately.
Their son can help but he too has cognitive and emotional challenges that limit his ability to assume the caregiver role.
