Tag Archives: MVA

Straight, No Chaser: Tips to Limit Your Risk of Contracting The Most Deadly Diseases

August 26, 2016General Health and Wellness, Health Preventionemphysema, Strokes, Stroke, Straight No Chaser, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Sterling Medical Advice, MVC, MVA, Heart attacks, Diabetes, Conditions and Diseases, Chronic bronchitis, Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, Behind the Curtain, Asthma, 844-SMA-TALKJeffrey Sterling, MD

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are the five most common causes of death in the United States for the year ending 2010. (It takes awhile to compile data, but these are basically the leading causes year after year.) I’ve also included the number of annual deaths per condition.

Heart disease (e.g., heart attack): 597,689
Cancer (all cases): 574,743
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis): 138,080
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859

Heart disease – Click here to learn early recognition of heart attacks.

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Exercise daily. Walk at least two miles each day. It’s a final common denomination of other problems and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. You want your LDL (“bad cholesterol” levels) low and your HDL (“good cholesterol” levels) high. If your LDL and/or overall levels are high, it’s an immediate prompt to reduce your belly, change your diet and exercise more.
Limit your calories. Never supersize anything. Eat only until you’re full. Learn about healthy plate sizes.

Cancer – Cancer warrants a special comment to get screened! Early detection is the key to survival!

Don’t use tobacco in any form.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat.
Become physically active: strive for at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity at least five days a week.
Limit sun exposure and avoid tanning. (Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.)
Limit alcohol intake to one to two drinks/day (women and men, respectively).

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Get your home tested for radon.
Follow workplace guidelines for workplace exposures to particles known to cause cancer.

Stroke – Learn early detection.

Control your blood pressure. This is the most important risk factor in stroke prevention. High blood pressure increases your risk for a stroke four-fold.
Control your blood sugar levels. Diabetics have a 1.5 times higher risk of stroke.
Control your cholesterol.
Stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk for a stroke between 1.5-2.5 times above the risk of non-smokers.
Control your weight through diet and exercise, which is bundled in each of the first three considerations.

Accidents

Learn CPR.
Wear safety belts (shoulder and lap) every trip. Seat belts reduce auto crashes by approximately 50%.
Stop all distracted driving (drinking, cell phone use, eating, etc.).
If you’re going to swim, and even if you know how to swim, take a formal lesson that focuses on life-saving maneuvers.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

There is no fountain of youth. Your cure won’t be found in a bottle, a fad or any other quick fix. It really is about diet, exercise and risk management. The choices you make matter. Remember, although these tips were focused on prevention, early detection and treatment at the time of crisis give you the best chance to survive. Learn early detection of heart attacks and strokes, learn CPR, get screened for cancer and learn how to survive car crashes. It’s not that hard.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Motor Vehicle Crashes

July 9, 2016TraumaTrauma, Straight No Chaser, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Sterling Medical Advice, MVA, motor vehicle crashes, motor vehicle collision, 844-SMA-TALKJeffrey Sterling, MD

‘Tis not our task to preach but to inform. Maybe you think you’ve heard it all before, but let me lay it all out for you so you can truly be an informed consumer. Forewarned is forearmed. There’s a reason you hear so much about drinking or texting and driving, wearing seat belts/helmets and speeding. If there was such a thing as Human Shark Week, the biggest and baddest predator in the trauma world would be motor vehicle crashes.
Motor vehicle collisons are the single leading cause of death among those between ages 5-34 in the US. More than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in ERs as the result of being injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Let’s lay this out simply and review the risks, the consequences and preventative efforts you should be taking.
Risky Behavior:

Danger is enhanced by various distractions and inadequate protection. The mistake people make is not understanding that much of the danger is outside of your control – other drivers. If you’re impaired or distracted, you can’t respond effectively. I’ve seen it all.

Drinking while driving – Stop it with the “I can handle my liquor” nonsense. Someone dies every hour from drinking while driving. It’s not just drunk driving, it’s impaired driving. Your senses are altered and ability to respond diminished at any level of alcohol consumption and is incrementally more so with more consumption.
Texting while driving
Eating while driving
Reading while driving
Doing your hair/shaving/makeup while driving
Kissing and other sexual activities while driving
Motorcycle driving/riding without a helmet
Letting your children drive without a license and/or formal training: it’s all too true. Teens are most at risk for accidents and being impaired/distracted/drunk while driving.
Letting your children ride in the front of the car
Not wearing seat belts (the biggest mistake of them all)

Injuries:

I’ve seen nearly every conceivable injury from motor vehicle collisions. It doesn’t take as much effort as you’d think to have a very bad life after a crash. Consider the following possible going head to toe (and yes, the list is abbreviated)…

Traumatic Brain Injury, including intracranial bleeds, strokes, seizures, concussions, herniation and death…
Neck Injury, including fractures, strains, pinched nerves, temporary and permanent loss of motion/sensation in your extremities…
Chest wall bruising, heart and lung bruising, collapsed lungs, stab wounds to the heart and lungs, ruptured heart vessels…
Abdominal injuries, including contusions to and rupture of the liver, spleen, pancreas, diaphragm and intestines…
Genital, urinary and pelvic injuries, including the kidneys and multiple fractures…
Nervous, psychologic and musculoskeletal system injuries, including contusions, life-threatening fractures and dislocations, paralysis, facial disfigurement and other scarring, post-traumatic stress syndrome and long term pain syndromes.

Prevention:

Seat belt use reduces serious injuries and deaths in crashes by 50%. Air bags provide added protection but are not a substitute for seat belts in a crash.
Wear a seat belt every time, every trip.
Seat all kids under 12 in the back seat.
Seat backseat passengers in the middle (it’s the safest spot in the car)
Regarding any function on a smartphone, if you can’t be hands free, it can wait. If you must use your hands, pull over.
Remember designated drivers? Yes, that’s still a thing.
If you’re on a motorcycle, wear a helmet, every time, every trip.
Protect your teen. No license, no vehicle. Consider driving school.

Impaired and distracted driving will cause you harm; it’s not an “if it’ll happen” situation, it’s “when it happens.” Please consider the points I’ve mentioned and the lives of passengers/other drivers when deciding how you handle your vehicle. Good luck on the road.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Motor Vehicle Crashes

May 26, 2015TraumaTrauma, Straight No Chaser, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Sterling Medical Advice, MVA, motor vehicle crashes, motor vehicle collision, 844-SMA-TALKJeffrey Sterling, MD

It is sad to note that John Forbes Nash Jr., the brilliant Princeton University mathematician whose life story was the subject of the film “A Beautiful Mind,” was killed with his wife Alicia this past weekend in a crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. ‘Tis not our task to preach but to inform. Maybe you think you’ve heard it all before, but let me lay it all out for you so you can truly be an informed consumer. Forewarned is forearmed. There’s a reason you hear so much about drinking or texting and driving, wearing seat belts/helmets and speeding. If there was such a thing as Human Shark Week, the biggest and baddest predator in the trauma world would be motor vehicle crashes.
Motor vehicle collisons are the single leading cause of death among those between ages 5-34 in the US. More than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in ERs as the result of being injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Let’s lay this out simply and review the risks, the consequences and preventative efforts you should be taking.
Risky Behavior:

Drinking while driving – Stop it with the “I can handle my liquor” nonsense. Someone dies every hour from drinking while driving. It’s not just drunk driving, it’s impaired driving. Your senses are altered and ability to respond diminished at any level of alcohol consumption and is incrementally more so with more consumption.
Texting while driving
Eating while driving
Reading while driving
Doing your hair/shaving/makeup while driving
Kissing and other sexual activities while driving
Motorcycle driving/riding without a helmet
Letting your children drive without a license and/or formal training: it’s all too true. Teens are most at risk for accidents and being impaired/distracted/drunk while driving.
Letting your children ride in the front of the car
Not wearing seat belts (the biggest mistake of them all)

Injuries:

Traumatic Brain Injury, including intracranial bleeds, strokes, seizures, concussions, herniation and death…
Neck Injury, including fractures, strains, pinched nerves, temporary and permanent loss of motion/sensation in your extremities…
Chest wall bruising, heart and lung bruising, collapsed lungs, stab wounds to the heart and lungs, ruptured heart vessels…
Abdominal injuries, including contusions to and rupture of the liver, spleen, pancreas, diaphragm and intestines…
Genital, urinary and pelvic injuries, including the kidneys and multiple fractures…
Nervous, psychologic and musculoskeletal system injuries, including contusions, life-threatening fractures and dislocations, paralysis, facial disfigurement and other scarring, post-traumatic stress syndrome and long term pain syndromes.

Prevention:

Seat belt use reduces serious injuries and deaths in crashes by 50%. Air bags provide added protection but are not a substitute for seat belts in a crash.
Wear a seat belt every time, every trip.
Seat all kids under 12 in the back seat.
Seat backseat passengers in the middle (it’s the safest spot in the car)
Regarding any function on a smartphone, if you can’t be hands free, it can wait. If you must use your hands, pull over.
Remember designated drivers? Yes, that’s still a thing.
If you’re on a motorcycle, wear a helmet, every time, every trip.
Protect your teen. No license, no vehicle. Consider driving school.

Straight, No Chaser: Tips to Limit Your Risk of Contracting The Most Deadly Diseases

April 14, 2015General Health and Wellness, Health Preventionemphysema, Strokes, Stroke, Straight No Chaser, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Sterling Medical Advice, MVC, MVA, Heart attacks, Diabetes, Conditions and Diseases, Chronic bronchitis, Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, Asthma, 844-SMA-TALKJeffrey Sterling, MD

Heart disease (e.g., heart attack): 597,689
Cancer (all cases): 574,743
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis): 138,080
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859

Heart disease – Click here to learn early recognition of heart attacks.

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Exercise daily. Walk at least two miles each day. It’s a final common denomination of other problems and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. You want your LDL (“bad cholesterol” levels) low and your HDL (“good cholesterol” levels) high. If your LDL and/or overall levels are high, it’s an immediate prompt to reduce your belly, change your diet and exercise more.
Limit your calories. Never supersize anything. Eat only until you’re full. Learn about healthy plate sizes.

Cancer – Cancer warrants a special comment to get screened! Early detection is the key to survival!

Don’t use tobacco in any form.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat.
Become physically active: strive for at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity at least five days a week.
Limit sun exposure and avoid tanning. (Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.)
Limit alcohol intake to one to two drinks/day (women and men, respectively).

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Get your home tested for radon.
Follow workplace guidelines for workplace exposures to particles known to cause cancer.

Stroke – Learn early detection.

Control your blood pressure. This is the most important risk factor in stroke prevention. High blood pressure increases your risk for a stroke four-fold.
Control your blood sugar levels. Diabetics have a 1.5 times higher risk of stroke.
Control your cholesterol.
Stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk for a stroke between 1.5-2.5 times above the risk of non-smokers.
Control your weight through diet and exercise, which is bundled in each of the first three considerations.

Accidents

Learn CPR.
Wear safety belts (shoulder and lap) every trip. Seat belts reduce auto crashes by approximately 50%.
Stop all distracted driving (drinking, cell phone use, eating, etc.).
If you’re going to swim, and even if you know how to swim, take a formal lesson that focuses on life-saving maneuvers.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

There is no fountain of youth. Your cure won’t be found in a bottle, a fad or any other quick fix. It really is about diet, exercise and risk management. The choices you make matter. Remember, although these tips were focused on prevention, early detection and treatment at the time of crisis give you the best chance to survive. Learn early detection of heart attacks and strokes, learn CPR, get screened for cancer and learn how to survive car crashes. It’s not that hard.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2015 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Tips to Limit Your Risk of Contracting The Most Deadly Diseases

March 17, 2014Health Prevention, General Health and Wellnessemphysema, Strokes, Stroke, Straight No Chaser, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Sterling Medical Advice, MVC, MVA, Heart attacks, Diabetes, Conditions and Diseases, Chronic bronchitis, Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, Asthma, 844-SMA-TALKJeffrey Sterling, MD

It is interesting and, even more, curious to hear everyone obsess over how esoteric and rare conditions can potentially kill you. Word to the wise: Common things happen commonly. I’m going to make this a very simple post (with links to previous Straight, No Chaser posts covering the individual topics in greater detail). Let’s help you extend your life expectancy by offering very simple tips (three to five for each) to prevent and combat the five most common causes of death. This list is by no means comprehensive, but if you follow the achievable steps mentioned, you’ll be much better off than if you don’t.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are the five most common causes of death in the United States for the year ending 2010. (It takes awhile to compile data, but these are basically the leading causes year after year.) I’ve also included the number of annual deaths per condition.

Heart disease (e.g., heart attack): 597,689
Cancer (all cases): 574,743
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis): 138,080
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859

Heart disease – Click here to learn early recognition of heart attacks.

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Exercise daily. Walk at least two miles each day. It’s a final common denomination of other problems and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. You want your LDL (“bad cholesterol” levels) low and your HDL (“good cholesterol” levels) high. If your LDL and/or overall levels are high, it’s an immediate prompt to reduce your belly, change your diet and exercise more.
Limit your calories. Never supersize anything. Eat only until you’re full. Learn about healthy plate sizes.

Cancer – Cancer warrants a special comment to get screened! Early detection is the key to survival!

Don’t use tobacco in any form.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat.
Become physically active: strive for at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity at least five days a week.
Limit sun exposure and avoid tanning. (Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.)
Limit alcohol intake to one to two drinks/day (women and men, respectively).

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Get your home tested for radon.
Follow workplace guidelines for workplace exposures to particles known to cause cancer.

Stroke – Learn early detection.

Control your blood pressure. This is the most important risk factor in stroke prevention. High blood pressure increases your risk for a stroke four-fold.
Control your blood sugar levels. Diabetics have a 1.5 times higher risk of stroke.
Control your cholesterol.
Stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk for a stroke between 1.5-2.5 times above the risk of non-smokers.
Control your weight through diet and exercise, which is bundled in each of the first three considerations.

Accidents

Learn CPR.
Wear safety belts (shoulder and lap) every trip. Seat belts reduce auto crashes by approximately 50%.
Stop all distracted driving (drinking, cell phone use, eating, etc.).
If you’re going to swim, and even if you know how to swim, take a formal lesson that focuses on life-saving maneuvers.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

There is no fountain of youth. Your cure won’t be found in a bottle, a fad or any other quick fix. It really is about diet, exercise and risk management. The choices you make matter. Remember, although these tips were focused on prevention, early detection and treatment at the time of crisis give you the best chance to survive. Learn early detection of heart attacks and strokes, learn CPR, get screened for cancer and learn how to survive car crashes. It’s not that hard.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2014 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress