“Jail Medicine” and other cool medical blogs and feeds

I recently published a list of cool medical blogs and feeds.

You might have heard of some of them, such the famous Dr. Smith’s ECG Blog. Others, probably not so much.  For example, Dr. Mark Crislip’s infectious diseases blog Rubor, Dolor, Calor, Tumor (http://feedity.com/medscape-com/V1FUW1pV.rss) is really good, but is really hard to get as a feed. The feed provided by the blog didn’t work so I created a workaround using Feedity. Even then, you have to sign in, or remain signed in, to be able to read the posts. It’s worth the effort, however, if you want to stay on top of your ID game. The post are clinically relevant and entertaining, and full of excellent clinical tips and quotes.

Jail medicine is a “Correctional Health Blog” by Dr. Jeffrey Keller. It’s practical and relevant to many situations in which the patient history is, how shall I put it, “low yield,” and it helps the reader think about alternative reasons and motives for seeking medical attention. See, for example, Dr. Keller’s priceless blog post Diuretics for Swollen Legs? Not!

Having the suspicious mind that I do, I often suspect that the real reason for the water pill request is weight loss…. I tell the patient the true cause of [leg swelling in an otherwise healthy patient].  It is not “fluid overload.”  The diagnosis is dependent edema, and it is caused by gravity…. I tell the patient that “water pills” are not appropriate therapy for this condition… I tell the patient the three ways she can improve the swelling:  Elevate her legs, walking and other kinds of leg exercise, and compression.

Priceless!