A few links, mostly political

[moominmuppet]

Your Own Private Ohio: Seven Ways Your Vote Might Not Count This November -- Good practical information and links.
Relatedly, from a few weeks back: Ohio's Election Stolen Again? State May Face 600K Voter Purge in Coming Weeks

Greta hits it on the nose about what's so cool about other people's hobbies and obsessions (bec76, you'll be particularly amused, as it's all framed around the really random Olympics sports no one hears about except during the Olympics themselves)

FundiePharma has some info about the HHS "conscience" clause, and the need for immediate action -- we've got 30 days on this My favorite bit, though? "Unfortunately for them, this works the other way too. Feel free to apply for a job at crisis pregnancy centers and then sue when they turn you down."

I'm really damn psyched about the language in the Dem's reproductive rights plank this year

Creepy as hell that this counts as Continuing Medical Education. WTF?


Provider Ignorance, Bias Turn Lesbian Patients Off Health Care. Yeah, no shit. Even as much as our students have improved over the years, you wouldn't believe the number who have no idea what a dental dam is supposed to be for.

Save Mr. Rogers -- there's apparently a current plan to reduce syndicated distribution of Mr Rogers to the local affiliates Blasphemous as it is, I was never a Mr. Rogers fan myself (or Sesame Street, either -- 3-2-1 Contact and Electric Company for me, thanks!), but I do agree that the show provides something unique, and I'd like to see it as available as possible.

Also, infowidget found me the coolest thing! I'm so definitely checking this out next time I make it to Toronto: The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy

A fascinating article about causes of migraines, and new research in the field

A bunch of "poly in the media" links

Oooooh! Dark Crystal figures!

Fabulous magnet art

Interesting but disconcerting news about tilapia being potentially unhealthy

Way cool virology news

New research on sleep-dep and dopamine (last several all snagged from shadesong)

Comments

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

EVERYONE EXCEPT GAY MEN SHOULD KNOW WHAT A DENTAL DAM IS FOR.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Given that they're also recommended for analingus, there's not even an exception there.

[futabachan.livejournal.com]

I'm so definitely checking this out next time I make it to Toronto

...and you're so definitely coming to visit us when you do, right? It's been forever, and we miss you.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Most definitely! It's been way too long!

[syrinx-77.livejournal.com]

dental dam? isn't that what you use when you're pulling teeth?

Sometimes I am glad that I am so broke I can't afford to go anywhere but Metro (which still isn't fantastic, but the medical students there have usually just seen us) and Planned Parenthood.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

I was actually really amused during one of my root canals to discover how they're used for their original purpose! *chuckle*

Not even going to start on how many of the residents start by asking "so, are you single or married?" -- oh, the multitude of problems in trying to elicit clinical information with a question like that!

[lunatickle.livejournal.com]

that happened to me, too! I was a Dental Boards patient for a student at Case Dental School one year. When he hauled out the dam and poked hoes in for my teeth, and almost ruined his work by laughing too much.

also, I was high.

[lunatickle.livejournal.com]

also, totally with the inappropriate questions. and no matter who I am, queer or no, "single or married" has WHAT to do with who I'm fucking and in what way?

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

No kidding! I catch 'em on that one almost as hard as I do with straight-out assumptions of heterosexuality and monogamy (both pretty inherent in the phrasing of the question anyway). Pointing out that this tells them absolutely nothing about their patient's behaviour tends to be a good start.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I like my first appt:

Are you sexually active? "Yes"
Men, women, both? "Well . . . both. That's the first time I've been asked that. And since you used the plural . . . ."
So now I have a doctor who is totally up on polyamory, and fine with it, as my partners and I all seem to be ethical and responsible.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

*grin* That's exactly the wording we teach.

"Are you sexually active?"
"With men, women or both?"(insert mini-lecture about not asking identity questions, which may not match behaviour)
"And how many partners do you currently have?"

I also ask them to ask separately about barriers and about hormonal contraception use.

Always gives the residents we work with something to think about, in terms of challenging their own assumptions, and hopefully getting them to provide more inclusive care.

[jajy1979.livejournal.com]

The Tilapia news is actually pretty old hat. I've been talking about it for ages had anyone been listening. This study is bigger than the previous one I heard about, but it's the same basic information. That fish is worse than bacon for your arteries. It's one of the reasons why hard and fast rules about what to eat really do not work.

Also I'm glad to see the dems came to their senses on the reproductive rights, and I'm not surprised that the HHS is pushing that crap right before the election where they're likely to be oustered. Obama is going to have to spend his first 100 days in office (if he wins...) issuing executive orders to repeal executive orders and policies by these bastards.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

My doctor totally knows what a dental dam is for. :D

[lunatickle.livejournal.com]

this has given me too much to look up! i have to go home from my work sometime!

thanks for the Mr. Rogers support -- I personally loved Sesame Street more, but he really is a wonderful soul and teaches kids, especially really young ones, how to be peaceful within themselves and in their world.

but Electric Company did rock. I trace the fall of American youth to its demise.

[recoiling.livejournal.com]

I went to a new gynecologist for a colposcopy last week and he could not for the life of him understand why I would use latex gloves as part of my safer sex repertoire. It was not comforting to know this was the person who was going to be scraping a chunk of my cervix out.

On a similar topic, I have a question that I thought you might know the answer to. That same doctor started aggressively pushing long-term hormonal birth control methods on me like depo-provera and implanon out of the blue after I told him I was disabled and on Medicaid. When he asked about my current sexual activity I told him that I had several male and female sexual partners and that we use latex barriers for everything, but that I haven't been sexually active in the past month and I'm not planning to change that anytime soon. He kept going on about how ineffective condoms are[grrrr!] and how I really need more protection. Anyways, my question is: I've heard that doctors get bonuses when they get women on medicaid onto long-term hormonal birth control such as depo or implanon or when they sterilize them. Do you have any knowledge of this happening?
:)

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Ack! Just found this sitting in my inbox, awaiting a reply. I'm so scattered these days...

I went to a new gynecologist for a colposcopy last week and he could not for the life of him understand why I would use latex gloves as part of my safer sex repertoire.

*sigh* I wish I were surprised. You wouldn't believe what the residents I evaluate generally don't know about safer sex.

I've heard that doctors get bonuses when they get women on medicaid onto long-term hormonal birth control such as depo or implanon or when they sterilize them. Do you have any knowledge of this happening?

I don't have concrete knowledge of it happening, but I certainly can't dismiss it as paranoia, either. It's also, however, entirely likely he's going off some overly-rigid and overly-simplified mental flowchart, given what else it seems he doesn't know.