HUB's LIST of medical fun facts

Jargon: “special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.”

PIV –
“Penis In Vagina” intercourse.  Researchers into the sexual activities of people over 65 yo. are using this term to more accurately define a specific sexual act . . .  because they are documenting a wide variety of sexual practices without penile insertion in this age group.

“Elderly” is OUT –
This term is currently way out of favor. Few “older adults” want to be considered elderly. “Seniors” is acceptable, even though it implies that those under 65 are “juniors”. It may be the association of that word with “discount” that keeps it current. “Perennials”, suggested as a response to the “millennials”, has the connotation that one has to be replanted every spring so it’s failing to stick. “Olders”, “gerontos”, and “third-agers” are distant possibilities. “Older adults” has been adopted by the American Geriatric Society. The American Association of Retired Persons began referring to itself simply as AARP in the late 1990’s . . . about the time it started sending membership invitations to 50 year olds. The Boston Commission on Affairs of the Elderly just changed its name to the Age Strong Commission. (The best candidate for “Best New Politically Correct Term of the Year” award.)

GM/GF –
Genetically engineered wheat that contains far less gluten for gluten-free bread that tastes and feels more like real bread has been created using CRISPR gene modifying technology. When it does reach the marketplace it will undoubtedly cause a real purchasing dilemma for a select group of tree huggers.

“Organic”, “natural”, “healthy” –
All still remain relatively undefined by the U.S.  Department of Agricultural so any company can put those labels on almost any food. The USDA and the National Organic Standards Board have opposite opinions on the “organic-ness” of carrageenan, a seaweed derived thickening agent. The USDA Organic label does indicate no synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, no genetically modified crops, no chemical processing aids, and no artificial ingredients. A proposed Food Labeling Modernization Act hopes to set uniform, definitive standards in the U.S.

Computer vision –
A growing domain of artificial intelligence using “deep learning”, a “type of machine learning that uses multilayered neural networks whose hierarchical computational design is partly inspired by a biologic neuron’s structure.” (1) (Took the words right out of my mouth.) Computer vision can analyze medical images like pictures of skin lesions as well as the work flow in operating rooms or the progression of patient mobility in the ICU.

Moral injury –
This is a substitute term for “burn out” in describing what is happening to our physicians.  “The increasingly complex web of medical providers’ highly conflicted allegiances. . . results in the moral injury . . . of not being able to provide high-quality care and healing in the context of health care. . . . Electronic health records track productivity and business metrics, but significantly reduce face-to-face interactions.” (2)

Cisgender –
Having a gender identity that is aligned with one’s sex assigned at birth. The opposite of transgender. . . usually, but some transgender persons identify with both genders or neither! (on to the next jargon item.)

Nonbinary –
Identifying as neither male or female, having multiple gender identities, or having none; “a more expansive concept of gender.”

Sexual orientation –
“Who you go to bed with. Gender is who you go to bed as.”

High-end lobster –
Offered by a Maine seafood restaurant that pumped marijuana smoke through the tank water to sedate lobsters before throwing them into the pot. The practice was stopped by order of the state Department of Health for “dispensing of marijuana without a license.”

Standing desks are OUT –
A deeper look into the 2015 research of the health benefits of standing vs. sitting while working at a desk indicates that there is little actual health benefit to standing. “Workers should not fool themselves into thinking that standing is a form of exercise.”

Pasture-raised chicken –
“Cage-free” chickens may still be raised in packed buildings with no outside access. “Free-range” chickens have outside access but there is no government standard for amount of available space. “Organic” chickens are cage-free, are fed only organic feed, and have outdoor access, but it may be just a small concrete porch. “Pasture-raised” chicken require 108 square feet per bird of outdoor space to earn that label as well as the “Certified Humane” label. (3)

Geroscience –
This emerging field of scientific research of longevity hopes to gain the Federal Drug Administration’s attention for reviewing drugs to retard the aging process, which recognizes aging as a natural process (outside their purview) not as a disease (within their jurisdiction for review of new drugs).  A newly formed Boston-based Academy for Health and Lifespan Research will lobby various governments world-wide to support development of drugs and other age-slowing therapies.

“Safe-school officer” –
Former combat veterans wearing body armor while carrying a 9mm Glock handgun and a sawed-off automatic rifle hired to roam the halls of the Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto, Florida. The principal hired the combat veterans because “I don’t want this to be the first time they’ve had someone shooting at them.”

References:
1. NEJM 378;14 April 5, 2018
2. Drs. Talbot and Dean, Boston Globe 8/15/18
3. Consumer Reports On Health, February 2019

This entry was posted on Friday, March 15th, 2019 at 1:55 PM and is filed under current events, medical jargon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.