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Grand Rounds, totally Babelicious! Vol. 5 No. 19

Call us biased, but we think chicks rule. There's a ton of health information on the 'net, but often, medical research and reporting focus more on men—so we thought it was high time the ladies got a little attention in Grand Rounds, a showcase for the best health and medical writing on the web.

We had a stand-out winner this week:

tampon Normally when we host Grand Rounds, we don't play favorites...but this time we made an exception. Doc Gurley takes the video approach in teaching Babes anything and everything they need to know about (drum-roll, please) The Lost Tampon! It's a serious women's health topic, with a very un-serious approach. Watch, giggle, and learn.

All about moms: Pregnancy, childbirth & more

pregnant woman in yoga gear Can versus should: ChronicBabes ask this question in their decision to be mothers. Laurie Edwards of A Chronic Dose takes a look at the pregnancy puzzle (part of a series).

After over a decade on the pill, Kerri Sparling of Six Until Me talks about the implications of pregnancy, hormones, and good old-fashioned anxiety for a type 1 diabetic.

Sometimes infertility treatments make things worse before they make things baby. Sarah Weisz at The Making of a Family writes another installment in her series, The Making of This Baby.

Dr. Rob at Musings of a Distractible Mind examines the child vaccination debate—which is often perpetuated by moms—and shares his personal perspective on some very scary scenarios.

Some frightening but vital information: Helen Jaques tells us that spousal abuse raises the risk of miscarriage by 50%.

ChronicBabes chime in with their perspective

While we may be sick, we are still women, and with that comes the desire to have some girlie comforts. Lisa Copen, founder of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and Rest Ministries, recently spent a week in the hospital and discovered how simple things like mascara, a lost remote control and a sense of humor can make your illness much easier to cope with.

MJ at Rhymes with Migraine talks about learning to love and accept herself and her body even with chronic illness—and letting go of the Superwoman ideal.

sick woman with oj For all those chronically ill women who run around trying to take care of their homes, rather than caring for themselves, Megan Oltman from Free My Brain from Migraine Pain suggests that since a woman's work is never done, sometimes you have to stop doing it and take care of you!

Rachel Baumgartel of Rachel's Diabetes Tales reminds us that ChronicBabes need to remember to take care of their hearts, too.

The Novel Patient turns the mirror to reflect struggles with self image and acceptance when faced with major body image changes that arise from chronic illness—something a lot of ChronicBabes face.

Her most important day is just a normal day, says Maureen Hayes at Being Chronically Ill is a Pill. She celebrates what she CAN do, not what she misses because of illness. What a total ChronicBabe!

Robin August at SelfHelpMagazine offers advice on using abdominal breathing for relaxation, particularly for fibromyalgia and CFIDS patients.

Practitioners offer ideas for Babes, Chronic or not

At SharpBrains, Dr. Gerard Finnemore tells us that both ChronicBabes and Dudes will enjoy reading this overview of recent research findings and initiatives for cognitive health.

An over-reliance on mammograms is problematic, says Eve Harris at A Healthy Piece of My Mind. She looks at two 2008 studies as an illustration of this idea, and advocates for individualized medical decision-making—and offers a reminder that screening does not always equal prevention.

Rich Fogoros at The Covert Rationing Blog is also talking about breast exams, explaining that recent studies suggest women who perform breast self-examinations end up causing more harm than good. His post explores how blind acceptance of randomized clinical trials can lead to nonsensical recommendations in general, and how women now puzzled over the question of self-examination might think about the implications of these randomized trials in particular. (Laika over at MedLibLog wrote to urge us to post this differing point of view on the studies.)

Need more sleep? How to Cope with Pain has some terrific tips to help ChronicBabes get more ZZZs. Shazzzzzzzzzzzzam!

doctors Women in health care might soon start demanding greener medical practices to avoid chronic diseases incurred in the workplace, says the ACP Internist. After all, a new study of more than 900 Texas nurses showed those who regularly cleaned medical instruments were 67% more likely to have newly diagnosed asthma and those who worked with solvents and glues were 51% more likely to report asthma symptoms.

Greg Downey at Neuroanthropology tells us why women (and men) shouldn't harbor paleofantasies of the perfect diet. Seriously, Babes—no more roots and twigs for you!

Despite his assertion that he wouldn't touch our theme with a ten-foot pole, Dean Moyer of The Back Pain Blog shares the latest research findings on the downside of physical therapy in herniated discs and the catch-22 of rehabilitation...and maybe catches a little flak from his wife.

Advocacy in action: Babes and practitioners making a difference

Dr. Val at Get Better Health offers up an insightful review of Laurie Edwards's book Life Disrupted, in which she shares personal stories of love and humor and all the good stuff we ChronicBabes make space for in spite of illness.

blood pressure The health care needs of lesbian and bisexual women are sometimes unique, so study up!, says Kim at Emergiblog. (For example, she tells us: "A lack of appropriate health care education could cause a lesbian/bisexual woman to forgo necessary screening, perhaps believing that pap smears and other tests are not required for homosexual women. Problems like cancer might not be caught in the early stages.")

Deb Serani of Dr. Deb's Psychological Perspectives tells us the cast of House is joining with the National Alliance of Mental Illness to create t-shirts that remind us, "Normal's Overrated." Jenni the Editrix is buying one STAT!

At Colorado Health Insurance Insider, Louise Norris tells us the story of state representative Diane Primavera—a 20-year breast cancer survivor treated with Tamoxifen before it was approved for widespread use in the treatment of breast cancer—who has proposed a bill that would prevent health insurance companies from canceling existing policies of insureds who choose to enroll in clinical trials of experimental treatments.

Ramona at Suture for a Living tells us about the lack of women in surgical professions, and advocates for young women in the field to find a mentor.

In the weeds: Practitioners share their day-to-day experiences

surgeons Martina Scholtens at FreshMD talks about the challenge of preparing women for their (often first) complete physical exam at a refugee clinic in Vancouver, BC.

Primary care is screwed, says The Happy Hospitalist, because women get more pleasure from sex when their partner has a big, fat bank account. Hmm.

PalMD at the White Coat Underground offers some strong opinions about "conscience clauses," rules that would allow health care workers to deny patients care because it conflicts with the personal beliefs of the practitioner.

David Williams of Health Business Blog offers up a case study from his work with a medical risk management firm that provides litigation support for malpractice defense. A mom gave birth to a baby with low APGAR scores and cerebral palsy; was it the doctor's fault?

Sometimes, it's just about love

Leslie Rott at Getting Closer to Myself explores the kinds of relationship issues that chronic illness can cause: With some people it brings you closer together, with others, it sends you farther apart...

...and at Diabetes Mine, guest writer Allison Blass talks about the challenges of disclosing diabetes in a new relationship (she speaks from experience).

patient in a hospital When it comes to lovin', women now have a code for that infamous headache, says Bob Vineyard at InsureBlog. Who knows? The phrase, "Not tonight, honey, I have a 339.82" just might catch on.

Remember that lady who got a kidney from her soon-to-be ex-husband (who then demanded it back)? Barbara Kivowitz at In Sickness and In Health writes about the tangled web of love, divorce and illness.

Paul Auerbach at Medicine for the Outdoors reviews Forget Me Not, a poignant memoir by Jennifer Lowe-Anker, who lost her first husband in an avalanche and built a new relationship with his climbing partner, who survived the tragedy.

Sometimes diagnoses are best delivered with loving kindness, no matter how sad or difficult the circumstances. Bongi at Other Things Amanzi recalls a heart-breaking story for us.

Thanks to all who participated!

Next week, Grand Rounds is hosted at Not Totally Rad.

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Posted: 1/27/2009 in Cool Tools | Also posted in: Announcements

Gee, I really need some new undies. Maybe I should get that ChronicBabe thong my sister was talking about...

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