The ACCP released a super mega awesome set of guidelines and recommendations that braced the medical world by the shoulders firmly and shook it til our bowels quaked a couple of years ago.

You can look here for some search results and reading material if your cough will keep you up tonight.

I present the relevant bits to you, but encourage you to draw your own conclusions:
- over the counter stuff is crap
- try a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 2:15 PM on September 30, 2008

Like you, I used to know only of the ancient games: pickup stix, tic-tac-toe, the counting of fingers and toes, and chess. Like you, too, I found myself with a surfeit of time and felt that rather than improve myself in areas solely dedicated to the mind or body, I should dedicate myself to something which would develop both.

I've enjoyed the same games you did, and had similar characteristics of games in mind when I came upon first-person shooter games. Actually, I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 7:17 PM on September 22, 2008

First, a disclosure: I have money in Capstone.
My best advice is as follows.
For awesomeness and encouragement, do your due diligence, and find that they've got a tremendous backlog of orders, are actively working on increasing rates of production, and that their product is a good one: see 90% (!) efficiency with these doodads here.
For something to chew on, consider how microturbines can be used as a bridge to get people off the grid, and how CPST's turbines... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 7:11 PM on August 28, 2008 marked best answer

Wow. Live preview looked ok, but final post didn't. My apologies.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 7:12 PM on August 28, 2008

You should get in touch with stavrosthewonderchicken. Not only does he live in Korea, but since he's started training for the 2nd Annual MeFight Club TF2 Tournament of the Champions, he's grown several inches taller while maintaining a normal BMI, and increased his cardiopulmonary reserve by 4000%.

Really, though, he's there now, pretty smart about things, and a nice fellow. He may be willing to research answers to your questions he might not know off the top of his head.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 6:52 PM on June 16, 2008

It is clear that you are equating "best" with "nonclogging" when it comes to toilet paper. I'd like to suggest that there are other qualities of toilet paper that are worth strong consideration.

For example, there are brands of "green" toilet paper which are environmentally friend in that they use a greater percentage of post-consumer waste paper and is commonly, incidentally, brown.

And of course one must think... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 2:01 PM on June 1, 2008

It's a Japanese-English accent.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 10:59 AM on May 29, 2008

UpToDate and Epocrates are pretty popular in terms of software, and work for both Palm and PocketPCs. I'm sure this page will be chock full of good advice and recommendations in terms of specifics, but I just wanted to chime in early and also suggest the following:
- the paper version of the Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy
- the paper version of the Phamacopoeia
- a small, hard cover Moleskine or similar pocket notebook.

Why?... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 7:35 PM on May 15, 2008 marked best answer

As a former procyberathlete, I used to worry about playing matches with equipment that wasn't mine. Anyway, to make a long story short, I've learned the following:
- biofilms adversely eventually affect mouse buttons, balls and pads
- foamy soap works better than regular soap at removing palm salsa
- hand sanitizers, while handy and quick, dry out hands too much resulting in poor mouse control
- hospital-grade non-soap sanitizers, while effective... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 2:55 PM on April 7, 2008

Shazbot. Maybe the funk has affected my typing. I'm too late!

In all seriousness, I've tried the cockeyed.com method, and it worked well enough to last through a jumbo-sized bottle of liquid soap. No slime. YMMV.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 3:00 PM on April 7, 2008

Two anecdotes:

I found myself in the Philippines at one point, and snoozed in a bay of Mindanao. The armed government guards formed a loose perimeter about the encampment, and it was thought that we'd be safe from the NPA for a while. Besides, we were there on a medical mission.

There was a small inlet with shallow tidal pools. The water was very warm, and I lay down. Fell asleep. Forgot about the tides. Next thing I know, I was upright and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 11:18 PM on July 8, 2007

Man, sorry bout this post-post-post bit, but I just thought of the appropriate medical corollary to this.

People with obstructive sleep apnea find themselves waking frequently through the night as they stop breathing. The brain/body does this whole kickstart bit to rouse itself enough from sleep to change position or regain enough muscle tone to reestablish an adequate airway.

This happens regardless of the stage of sleep you're in. This also... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 11:35 PM on July 8, 2007

Many components will have fuses inside. They're easily identified, and are the typical glass-tube type fuses. Pop one out, take it down to your local Radio Shack, and you've got a fix! Look for something like: this.

Keep in mind, though, that you're going to want to steer clear of the capacitors. Receivers hold on to a lot of juice, so please be careful!

Capacitors look like: this sorta thing.

Don't go around touching... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 8:25 PM on July 8, 2007

Dunno bout anything online, but the biggest pieces of advice I can offer are:
- start studying early
- go through a LOT of practice tests/questions.

And don't shortchange the written section. It doesn't take much effort to be able to write something decent for the MCAT, and getting a high score on it can only help.

Lather, rinse and repeat for USMLE/COMLEX Steps 1-3 and your boards. Good luck!
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 3:09 PM on May 9, 2007

Please read scblackman's reply carefully. Your medicines are treating your asthma in different ways, and both may be necessary to control it. There are very clear guidelines on the diagnosis and management of asthma.

Asthma can kill you.

Ask your doctor for more information. If you feel like your questions about the nature and treatment of asthma are better answered in an online forum, find another doctor.

And if you're... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 9:55 AM on May 7, 2007

I graduated with a BA in English, then went to med school. My advice to anyone looking to go into medicine is to do something other than medicine for at least some chunk of your life, because there won't be time for it again for a long, long while. I sometimes kick myself for not taking a couple of years off after undergrad to pursue an MFA. Not because I think MFA programs are great, but because it would've been awesome to do nothing but write (or maybe simply to do nothing but something other... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 11:13 PM on April 29, 2007

Is he overly concerned because of his recent diagnosis or should I investigate further?
Probably, yes.
03:45 Swam for 30 minutes.
04:15 Sat in sauna for 10-15 minutes.
The good life!
04:20 Felt very unsettled, hands visibly shaky.
This could be due to what happened five minutes prior.
06:30 Tested blood sugar =... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 5:46 AM on March 9, 2007 marked best answer

Just wanted to add that if you like Simic, you should try to score a copy of the Harvard Review, No. 13, Fall 1997. It's all about Simic and has reviews, photos, a great examination and presentation of his "White," and is an all-around great read.

Also: Verse, Volume 13, No. 1, in which he provides an introduction to the prose poem.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 9:34 PM on February 8, 2007

Real simple-like, but not even approaching comprehensive: antibiotics are prescribed to cover specific organisms. These organisms are lumped into categories such as gram-positive, gram-negative, and anaerobic bacteria.

Bactrim covers gram-negatives and gram-positives. It's commonly used against gram-negatives such as E. Coli, as well as gram-positives including some Strep and Staph. This leads to its use for UTIs as well as skin abscesses.

With... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 7:54 PM on January 1, 2007

Note: by "don't panic," I mean don't go taking a bleach bath or thinking that your face is going to be eaten off. Even being positive for community-acquired MRSA necessitates contact isolation precautions in the hospital, and a big note in your record saying you've a history of being MRSA-positive, as well as consideration of eradication measures. My nonchalance comes from dealing with it nearly every day.

Who knows, though? It might not even be MRSA!
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 8:01 PM on January 1, 2007

Try googling for any of the following terms:
- Esophageal web
- Esophageal stricture
- Esophageal ring
- Achalasia
- Esophageal dysmotility.

Basically, you could either have a narrowing of the food tube due to a number of different causes, failure of the food tube to open into the stomach, poorly coordinated peristaltic food tube contractions that propel the food downward, or a rigid food tube. Basically.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 7:45 PM on December 22, 2006 marked best answer

A quick summary: Claritin, Clarinex, Allegra and Zyrtec are about equal in terms of efficacy. Zyrtec might make you sleepy. All four suck rocks compared to Benadryl and Chlopheniramine. Singulair might work for you. Consider an inhaler. Consider nasal sprays. Be clean.


Don't discount your physician on the basis of being prescribed Allegra for your allergies. Pharmaceutical companies seek approval for various indications from the FDA, but this requires trials... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 4:31 PM on December 10, 2006 marked best answer

The main reason why I mentioned multiple meds is because of your wheezing (as if the misery of a runny nose and itchy eyes isn't bad enough). Wheezing -> asthma -> trouble.

Personally, Benadryl knocks me out, too. The meta-analysis I mentioned is funny because it just defies what I think to be common sense. But hey, data is data, which isn't to say that metanalyses aren't without faults.

When my allergies act up, I find Allegra and Zyrtec... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 6:54 PM on December 10, 2006

Check out Binky's Food Charts. You'll find wet and dry foods listed, along with some nutritional information.

Some of the info I've gathered from vets over the year:
- If you're on a budget, go for Fancy Feats. It's cheap, readily available, and most flavors are pretty low-carb
- Low-carb is the way to go for all cats. As you've noted, <1 0% carb diets are recommendedbr> - Cats needs 20-25 kCal/lb of weight. A fatass like my cat apparently needs... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 10:47 AM on November 18, 2006

Check to see if there's a setting in the TV's setup menu that compresses the dynamic range of the sound. It might be labeled as Loudness, Movie Mode, Compression, Dynamic Something, etc.

Basically, such a setting would crank up the quiet stuff so it's more audible, while turning down the loud stuff, such that the end result is that you can hear everything, and nothing, clearly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 8:42 PM on November 12, 2006

Ah, on Sansui TVs, it might be labeled as "Turbo Sound." So says the search engine.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 8:43 PM on November 12, 2006

When I was in medical school, I developed a taste for chocolate Yoo-Hoo. Besides being very delicious, it is packed with all sorts of good stuff that makes a body grow. I was buying it in quart-sized cartons and drinking it in moderation, daily.

One morning I woke up with a ridiculous thirst for something sweet and refreshing. Looking in my fridge, I found only two quarts of Yoo-Hoo and a tin of dessicated buffalo wing remnants that I had put inside from the previous... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 3:36 PM on November 9, 2006

I MEANT A FRIEND. A friend drank a quart of Yoo-Hoo! Goddammit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 3:38 PM on November 9, 2006

At first I thought it was Dragonforce.

But then I realized there were no castles save for the one in my head. So it must be I'll See the Light Tonight! Maybe?
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 9:31 PM on November 6, 2006

I haven't used Audacity, but in a Audition/Cool Edit Pro, you could use one of the following approaches:
- use noise reduction, sampling the section with the feedback. This could be useful if you've got a nice chunk of the whine by itself
- use a notch filter. Through trial and error, or by using a spectrographic display, find the frequency of the whine, and filter it out
- use the EQ method as mentioned above. It's not perfect, and it won't be as narrow as a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 3:21 PM on October 30, 2006 marked best answer

Here you go.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 12:58 AM on September 15, 2006 marked best answer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nwaWcseuQI
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 8:12 PM on September 1, 2006 marked best answer

The answer is no, but your question recalls the Amiga's ability to squeeze out a bunch of colors from a bit-limited palette through a process called hold and modify.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 9:20 PM on August 18, 2006 marked best answer

Abs Lymphocytes = Absolute Lymphocyte count, a measurement (rather than a relative approximation) of the number of lymphocytes present in a prepared blood sample.

An elevation in this can be attributed to a bunch of different things, including viral illnesses and leukemias.

Yours is elevated with the reference range supplied. I've seen higher bounds for the reference range, which would put your measurement in a "normal" range.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 4:27 PM on July 27, 2006

Indeed! Well, maybe not as funny as sad. CYA! All the time. 24x7. Mostly, tho, to remind folks that the internet is no replacement for a PCP.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 5:20 PM on July 27, 2006

I've heard a lot of anecdotal reports about asthma prevalence being associated with particular regions, and I've yet to find any evidence for any of them.

Here's something worth looking at:
Self-reported asthma prevalence in adults, a report put out in 2001. Key points include:

- no real regional patterns: prevalence of asthma is pretty much the same everywhere
- it ain't the best study: doesn't include kids, and only... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 5:46 PM on June 9, 2006 marked best answer

Bilabial: my gut feeling is just what ikkyu2 says, though I can't recall why: there is little, if any, blood flow to the brain. That said, a colleague of mine gave me an article that was published in Current Opinion in Critical Care this year (2006, 12:198-203), titled "Haemodynamics of Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation" that's pretty fascinating. Here are the highlights:

1) During ventricular fibrillation without CPR, bloodflow continues for ~5 minutes until... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 7:19 PM on May 30, 2006

There's a bunch of stuff online you can read. Search for "how to grow orchids," and you'll be faced with enough bathroom reading material to last a lifetime.

Having friends who've spent considerable energies trying to get their orchids to bloom, and having tried myself, I can only offer this piece of advice: demonstrate neglect.

Only after abandoning my efforts and essentially telling the damn orchid to fend for itself in the harsh... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 6:53 PM on May 29, 2006

Google for "pitted keratolysis" images. Similar? Dissimilar? Any chance of photos of your fingers?
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 9:57 PM on May 21, 2006

I looked, but really can't tell what's going on. I see a very small area of whitish skin that looks like what you're talking about, but I don't see any of the bubbling you mentioned.

Are you still having problems?

Sorry I can't be of further assistance.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 12:20 PM on May 25, 2006

There are many approaches to allergic rhinitis. You're doing some of it now. Allergy shots are good, but work better for kids. An antihistamine of sorts, too: benadryl is the best, but as everyone knows, pretty sedating. You could try chlorpheniramine, which is also OTC and also, unfortunately, sedating. Of the non-sedating antihistamines, Zyrtec is supposed to work the best, but is mildly sedating in a small percentage of people. And no, as best I can remember, this isn't drug-rep pep talk: I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 11:29 AM on May 24, 2006

Yes, yes, go see a doctor. Men should go to a physician anyway, if UTI symptoms are noted. UTIs are much more common in women due to anatomy. Besides getting your urine checked out, your penis and prostate may be examined as well.

Do not skip out on seeing an MD. Who knows what's going on? I certainly don't. If you were my brother, father, male cat or whatever, I'd strongly urge you to make an appointment.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 10:00 PM on May 21, 2006

1. On first glance, yes: replace everything, then find a reputable bike shop with a reputable wheelsmith and ask him to build you a wheel with your riding habits in mind. On second thought: just lug your whole bike to the shop.

There's so much that goes into building a wheel. You seem pretty familiar with the components, but keep in mind that apart from the rim itself, whose construction can vary tremendously, there's a lot of variation in terms of spoke type, spoke... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 6:12 PM on May 17, 2006

Incidentally, does anyone know why some movies are listed in the credits and others aren't? I distinctly remember Massive Attack's "Dissolved Girl" playing in the first Matrix movie, where Neo is snoozing at his computer while it showed scanned newspaper articles, etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 9:52 PM on May 16, 2006

If she likes all sorts, a lot, then you should get her a lot of all sorts of candy. And by "a lot" I mean a ridiculous amount of candy.

It is my belief that, at least when it comes to gifts, quantity eventually trumps quality. A single roll of toilet paper makes a terrible gift. Five thousand rolls, however, makes an incredibly awesome present. You've effectively removed a need and concern from their life. Never again (or, for at least, not for a very long time)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 2:07 PM on April 28, 2006

In Low's "Shame," there's a cough at 1:59 after the line "... the harm that it causes."

And at the very end of Neutral Milk Hotel's "Oh Comely," someone in the background (engineer?) exclaims "holy SHIT!"
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 12:14 PM on April 27, 2006

Baby_Balrog has some great advice. Here are my answers:

1. Rent, precisely for the reasons Baby_Balrog mentioned. Violins (even cheap ones) are expensive, and you'll want to see if you really dig playing.

2. Mutes can be effective. They attach to the bridge, and dampen the transmission of the vibrations from the strings to the body of the violin. At some point, you're going to have to find time or a practice space to allow yourself to hear your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 2:24 PM on March 30, 2006

I second CrayDrygu's advice. And for your contacts who don't have codenames: make some up! You never know when The Enemy is reading/watching/listening. Plus, in the event of an emergency, who're people going to call first? "Smith, John C.," or "COMMAND HQ?"
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 8:37 PM on March 28, 2006

Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant. It primarily works by constricting the blood vessels, which shrinks mucus membrane tissues such as those found in your nose and sinuses. This allows for drainage of the gunk that's caught up inside as well.

Ephedrine works in the same way.

If you have severe allergic rhinitis, you should be treated for it. Treatment doesn't merely involve dealing with the symptoms: it should also include some modality of symptom... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 8:52 AM on March 27, 2006

She might want to try calling up the local health department. They'll have OB clinics, and they'll either help your fiance get enrolled in Medicaid or base fees on a sliding scale. Even while Medicaid is pending, the health department should be able to provide all prenatal care and postpartum care up to a couple of months after delivery. OB/Gyn or FP physicians with OB priveleges associated with the health department are tapped for delivery.

She may qualify for WIC as... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by herrdoktor at 7:28 PM on March 16, 2006