CDC: Everyone Should be Tested for HIV at Least Once

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that HIV testing be done routinely, which can now be done anonymously and online through Private MD Labs.

For the first time in the nation’s 25-year AIDS epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that HIV testing be done routinely. The guidelines now call for everyone to be tested for HIV at least once, while people who engage in risky behaviors should be tested at least once a year.

Private MD Lab Services, a national online lab test provider, is well aware of the demand for HIV tests. The company has seen an increase in requests for its new anonymous HIV test - the HIV Proviral DNA by PCR. It accurately identifies actual HIV no later than 28 days after exposure, and apparently much sooner in most cases - perhaps within a week or less. It is able to provide patients with early HIV detection, and often provides peace of mind in negative cases.

The CDC also changed its recommendation on mandatory pre- and post-test counseling, saying “counseling does not have to be linked to HIV testing.” And the health agency recommends testing for teenagers as young as 13, citing surveys of young people that found “almost 47 percent of high-school students reported having sexual intercourse at least once.”

“Most HIV is transmitted by the 25 percent of infected people who do not even realize they are infected,” said the CDC’s Kevin Fenton, MD, PhD. “We need to dramatically expand access to HIV testing by making it a routine aspect of clinical care.”

————————-

Testing has become cheaper and easier than ever and this is something we might want to find out as we work in the field with so many infected individuals. I’m not saying that we’re all going to get infected. In fact, I think we are being better at protecting ourselves than ever with bloodbourne pathogens programs required every year coupled with needle-less drug delivery systems and self protecting IV caths and needles.

Still, it’s good to know to protect the ones we go home to every night. Take care and –

Scene Safety — BSI!

—————————-
Abuse of over-the-counter cough medicine is becoming more popular among teens and pre-teens who don’t realize the potential harm cough medicine can cause when taken in large quantities. Because of this, cough medicine is quickly becoming a drug of choice among teenagers and pre-teenagers looking for a quick, cheap, and hard-to-detect high.

Since most cough medicine can be bought over-the-counter, it’s easily accessible to young people, and most parents are generally unaware that cough medicine, taken in quantity, can produce a “buzz” that appeals to kids looking to get high.

Such cough medicine abuse is called “robo-tripping” because Robitussin cough medicine is the cough medicine many kids choose.

Cough medicine abusers often go to extraordinary lengths to get the cough medicine they want, according to police. Some drug store chains have noticed an increase in shoplifting of cough medicines, although sometimes the bottles of cough medicine themselves never leave the store.

The Wilmington Star newspaper recently reported that just before Christmas, a man walked into a drug store, grabbed three bottles of different types of cough medicine, took them into a restroom, and drank them all. Many such incidents are never reported.

And unfortunately, many parents who have never heard of “robo-tripping” and are completely unaware of the dangers of cough medicine abuse.

When used in compliance with label directions, cough medicine produces few side effects. But when large doses of cough medicine are taken, a number of dangerous side effects can result, including:

1. confusion and slurred speech
2. dizziness and blurred vision
3. loss of physical coordination
4. abdominal pain
5. tachycardia
6. drowsiness
7. nausea

These cough medicine side effects can be especially dangerous when teen drivers get behind the wheel.

A recent study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America shows that one out of 10 teenagers from across the country–or about two million–used cough medicine to get high in 2005.

Abuse of cough medicine and other over-the-counter medications has increased tenfold among teenagers since 1999, according to a study by the California Poison Control System.

Welcome to Episode 51

The MedicCast is a proud member of the Blubrry Podcast Network.

Right click to download this episode or click the little arrow to listen here.

A podcast for EMT’s, Paramedics, and other medical providers of all kinds.

Help the MedicCast out! Fill out our Survey!

—————————-

Rate the podcast at iTunes or at EMS Village

Visit the MedicCast Store! Click here to get Songs from the MedicCast

MedicCast Listener Deals at GoDaddy.com –

Code BLU27 gets you 10% off your order at checkout
Code POD27 gets you 10% off any web hosting order at checkout
Try them out and get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com!

—————————-

Contact Me!
Call the Voice Mail Line — (941) 306-3342

send me a note!

Sign up for the Newsletter!
———————————

Link of the Week: Medical Mnemonics Site
———————————

News:

Funding for EMT Training

Texas DOT Tolls and EMS

New Jersey EMS Costs

Code Blue Teams

Gallows Humor

———————————–

Tip/Trick of the Week — Meth Labs

Maryland State Police Meth Lab Site

Check out TFC Keller’s Powerpoint Class to download

———————————–

Med of the Week — Methamphetamine

NIDA Meth Link

MedicCast Episode 7 on Club Drugs

———————————–

Visit the MedicCast Forums

———————————–

Thanks for Supporting the MedicCast!

Rate the podcast at iTunes or at EMS Village or Vote at Podcast Alley

Visit the MedicCast Store!

Get the New MedicCast Newsletter — Sign up now — it’s free!

Check out the MedicCast News at the Podcaster News Network for EMS news updates during the week and check back here next week for the next Episode of the MedicCast.

————————————————

Podsafe Music by artist Phil Ayoub with “Welcome to the Nightlife - Bad Day”

Click here to get other Songs from the MedicCast at the iTunes Store.

————————————–

Until next time, Scene safety, BSI!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License

A fire station in Salt Lake City, Utah, had to close down for a serious cleaning recently following an ongoing problem with bed bugs!
——————————–

This story from EMS Responder is part humorous and part scary. The department has sprayed the building four times to try and remove the pests! It is believed that the little critters were transported in when fire and EMS personnel stationed there returned from a nearby homeless shelter. The station makes numerous calls to that location.

Where ever they came from, they are not just a problem in Salt Lake City. This is a growing problem for hotels, college dorms, and other “Bunk In” locations Nationwide. While bed bugs here in the United States were largely eradicated following World War II, there has been a resurgence in them over the past five years. Some experts claim to be getting calls about them weekly!

———————————

I report on this and other EMS news in the most recent episode of the MedicCast News at the Podcaster News Network.

Jamie

the Podmedic

I found this news story on Fibromyalgia. It has some good info about the condition and why we need to be proactive pain managers in the field.

———–

Daughter’s Fibromyalgia Turns Doctor Into Pain Management Crusader

Dr. Greg Fors, D.C., creates revolutionary FENIX Rehab System in an attempt to decrease daughter’s pain caused by fibromyalgia. In America more than 10 million people are afflicted with a painful disorder called fibromyalgia. While the symptoms of fibromyalgia and myofascial pain vary greatly, the primary symptoms are that of widespread musculoskeletal pain, headaches and fatigue. The pain can be extremely severe and debilitating — life altering.

For Dr. Fors, the true horror of fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial pain became a factor of his personal life, as he watched his daughter crawl up the stairs to her bedroom because of excruciating pain in her legs. In his practice, Dr Fors had worked with thousands of patients with chronic myofascial pain, but seeing his daughter suffer made the problems more personal. He needed to provide his daughter with relief from her chronic pain and daily suffering.

The cause of chronic myofascial pain in fibromyalgia is clouded over by numerous theories; in order to get to the bottom of his daughter’s pain, Dr. Fors returned to school to become a board-certified Neurologist. Through his extensive research, he came to understand that changes in the peripheral and central nervous system were at the root of this disabling disorder.

Dr. Fors discovered that one of the primary steps in the development of fibromyalgia were the formation of numerous neuromyofascial lesions, sometimes referred to as trigger points. These multiple neuromyofascial lesions are caused by physical, nutritional, emotional and/or chemical stress to one’s body. This stress can be acute, as in a car accident, or chronic from nutritional deficiencies. Either way, this stress can reach a breaking point where changes take place in the myofascial tissues and their nerve endings creating hyperirritable lesions. The presence of numerous trigger points firing into the central nervous system of an individual can cause changes that lead to hypersensitization and the chronic and debilitating pain of fibromyalgia.

—————————–

I get a lot of these News/Advertisement stories through a press release service to which I subscribe. However, I post the ones that contain good information about the medical conditions they are describing and I edit out most of the sales pitch. Usually I just leave a single link like the one in the first paragraph of the story above.

If you want some more info on the disease Fibromyalgia, here’s a link to more info at the National Fibromyalgia Research Association.

Jamie

the Podmedic

Hear’s some information and resources for those of us who could use some encouragement and help staying fit, trim, and healthy while we run around in our units caring for others.  Take some time for yourself sometimes and make sure you are following your own advice:
———————–

Losing Resolve on New Year’s Resolutions? MayoClinic.com Offers Free, Easy Tools to Help with Healthy Eating, Fitness and Weight Loss Goals.

“How many calories do I have to cut to lose weight?” “If I exercise more, how many more calories can I consume without gaining weight?” “And what exactly is a ‘portion’ of food, anyway?”

MayoClinic.com offers a variety of free calculators and tools to help people find answers to those questions and stay on track to achieve weight loss and fitness goals for the New Year. No registration is required to use these tools:

Body Mass Index calculator

Though some know if they are overweight simply by how they look or feel, a more objective measure — one used by doctors — is a calculation of your body fat in relation to total weight. It’s called body mass index (BMI). This calculation — a person’s weight in pounds divided by his or her height in inches squared — gives a fairly good approximation of body fat for most people. This calculator does the math. BMI charts indicate when it’s time to lose weight.

Calorie calculator
Managing weight always comes down to calories in and calories burned. This calculator allows people to determine a calorie count based on your activity level.

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid calculator
This isn’t the U.S. government food pyramid most people have seen before. MayoClinic.com’s version emphasizes lower-calorie foods that can help people feel full, with fruits and vegetables at the base. This calculator estimates daily calories needed to lose weight and lists how many portions of sweets, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits a person can squeeze in the calorie count.

Portion control for weight loss
Portion size is the bugaboo that can put the calorie counts off the charts. A serving of pasta is one-half cup, not a super-sized plateful. A portion of meat or fish is about the size of a deck of cards. This slide show can help take the guesswork out of determining a portion.

Target heart rate calculator
It’s not just what a person eats, but also their activity level. Exercising longer and harder burns more calories. But what’s “harder”? An increased heart rate is one measure of intensity. This calculator provides a target heart rate range, based on age, weight and some health conditions.

Calculators and calorie counts can help launch a weight loss plan. But anyone who’s tried — and failed — to lose weight, or lost pounds only to regain them, knows weight management isn’t easy. MayoClinic.com offers in-depth information on weight loss strategies, motivation and goal setting as well as recipes for long-term weight management success.

————————-

Use these resources to help you stay (or become) a more healthy and physically fit EMS provider.  You’ll be better able to deal with workplace stress and fatigue, as well as avoiding workplace injuries.  Stay safe!

Jamie

the Podmedic

Here’s a poison control / drug overdose update I received recently. Check it out!
——————–
Clenbuterol Overdoses

The Maryland Poison Center was notified recently that the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois are reporting cases of clenbuterol contamination of heroin.

Clenbuterol is a β2 receptor agonist (think Ventolin®) with rapid onset and long duration of action. It is approved for limited veterinary use in United States. Clenbuterol is also used illicitly as an alternative to anabolic steroids in humans and animals to increase muscle mass. A case series of 26 clenbuterol/heroin exposures on the east coast was reported in 2005. It remains unclear whether clenbuterol contaminated the heroin or was substituted for heroin in this 2005 case series.1

Clinical effects of clenbuterol intoxication include: agitation, tachycardia, hypotension, hyperglycemia, hypokalemia and venous hyperoxia. Management of clenbuterol exposures is symptom-driven. Decontamination is usually not required because the exposures have been parenteral. Benzodiazepines have occasionally been used to treat agitation and tachycardia.

Fluids should be administered to treat hypotension. Mild and short-lived electrolyte abnormalities do not require correction unless they cause life-threatening changes. Hospitalization is recommended for symptomatic individuals because of the very long duration of action. Some patients were hospitalized for a total of 5 days following the 2005 epidemic. Clenbuterol cannot be detected in traditional substances of abuse screening tests.

——————–

You can subscribe to the Maryland Poison Control ToxTidbits newsletter here. You will receive a monthly update with info on a substance and treatments for overdoses. Also, check with your own area poison control center and see what resources they offer to EMS providers.

Jamie

the Podmedic

Welcome to Episode 50

The MedicCast is a proud member of the Blubrry Podcast Network.

Right click to download this episode or click the little arrow to listen here.

A podcast for EMT’s, Paramedics, and other medical providers of all kinds.

Help the MedicCast out! Fill out our Survey!

—————————-

Rate the podcast at iTunes or at EMS Village

Visit the MedicCast Store! Click here to get Songs from the MedicCast

—————————-

Contact Me!
Call the Voice Mail Line — (941) 306-3342

send me a note!

—- or —-
Leave up to a 2 minute message with your onboard microphone right through your browser by clicking the link below.

MobaTalk Online Voicemail

———————————

Link of the Week: Mitigation Journal Podcast by Rick Russotti
———————————

News:

Racial Tensions in South African EMS

Man Jumps from Ambo

Scottish Ambulance Attacked

Zero Minute ER Wait

Smokers’ Cough

———————————–

Tip/Trick of the Week — COPD Review

WebMD on COPD

———————————–

Med of the Week — Magnesium Sulfate

Ghetto Medic on Mag Sulfate

———————————–

Buckeye Drive Time Podcast

———————————–

Visit the MedicCast Forums

———————————–

Thanks for Supporting the MedicCast!

Rate the podcast at iTunes or at EMS Village or Vote at Podcast Alley

Visit the MedicCast Store!

Check out the MedicCast News at the Podcaster News Network for EMS news updates during the week and check back here next week for the next Episode of the MedicCast.

————————————————

Podsafe Music from the PMN — People — by Natives of the New Dawn

Click here to get this song at the iTunes Store or click the button below



Click here to get other Songs from the MedicCast at the iTunes Store.

————————————–

Until next time, Scene safety, BSI!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License

Listener Chris sent this comment in to me by email:

————————–

Just curious as to your views of the latest JEMS poll.*

How do you think EMS workers should be classified?
Public safety professionals
Medical professionals

I think Medical Professionals. We are in the business of healthcare. We
should be classified as such. This goes hand in hand with moving EMS out
of the hands of the DOT and into the DOH. I don’t know many bus drivers
who know how to RSI a patient. Do you? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not
diss’ing bus drivers, but it’s apples and oranges. The same applies to
airline pilots. I can pilot a Cessna 172, but I wouldn’t dare try to
shuttle passengers around in a Boeing 747.

————————-

I have to agree with Chris here. Part of the problem with disparity in pay between us and people with similar skills based in hospitals is that we are lumped in with Police and Fire agencies and their pay structures. However, neither of those professions require the continuing education that we do or the medical licensing or certification. Until we can be viewed as part of the healthcare establishment we will not see a significant increase in our average pay or get some of the respect we deserve from other medical professionals.

What do you think? Leave your comment here and voice your opinion over at the JEMS poll.*

*(Scroll down at JEMS.com and the poll is found at the bottom of the page on the right hand side)

Workplace fatigue is costing businesses in the U.S. over $100 billion dollars each year in lost productivity according an article found on Medical News Today.

——————————–

The article talked about something called presenteeism. Usually when we think of lost workplace productivity we think of absenteeism or just staying away from work. Presenteeism is coming to work but not working to full potential because of fatigue related to health problems.

As EMS responders, we need to be aware of our own limitations and how they affect our ability to treat patients. I don’t like to be a slacker any more than most of you but sometimes we’re better off staying home and getting back to 100%. In our line of work, being too tired to do our best can cost someone their lives.

———————————

I report on this and other EMS news in the most recent episode of the MedicCast News at the Podcaster News Network.

Jamie

the Podmedic

� Previous Entries