semester 133
Contents From the President
Page 2
From the Head of Biomedical Sciences
Page 3
From the Head of Medicine
Page 4
Movember Musings
Page 5
The Perks of Being a Research Student
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Rundown of The Physical 133
Page 8
Physical Photos
Pages 9
Running Springs
Page 13
Bond’s Virtual Hospital
Page 15
Enjoying the Little Facts of Life
Page 17
What’s on in the HSM
Page 19
Arriving in Wonderland
Page 20
By the Pricking of my Thumbs
Page 21
What’s On in Wellbeing Week
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From the Editor
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I learnt a lot during my time as editor. I learnt that when it comes to any Adobe software I’m as incompetent as a mum on facebook. I learnt that the subtle science of design and font selection shits all over complex biochemistry in terms of difficulty for me, and that 50 is the number of hours I can go straight without sleep before my eyes look like Greg’s. This would definitely have to be one of the most colourful editions of Pulse ever released (thankyou Comic Con photos) and as such it’s certainly an appropriate reflection of my experience as Publications Director over the last year, and indeed of our committee’s term in general. Yes, colourful is definitely the adjective I would use, though at times I would have said fun and rewarding, and at others I would have said torturous and soul destroying. Through the highs and the lows however, I’ve been privileged to work with the group of people I have been, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the incoming HMSA.
From the President In the death throes of yet another semester, we find ourselves either stressing over exams and studying voraciously because of this, or stressing over exams and procrastinating expertly because of this. I sincerely hope that all of you – the students of the HSM faculty – are of the former and not the latter, though I fear that this might be quite ahope to harbour. This is a particularly busy semester in our faculty, as the barrier exams have yet again rolled around on the medicine calendar. Every med kid knows that barrier exams are sat at the end of semester 3 each year, yet somehow, they always manage to sneak up on us. Oh well, a bit of fear and anxiety never really hurt anyone, and what’s more, each cohort tends to gel and bond that much more – whether it be out of a shared feeling of impending doom, or a sense of camaraderie, I will never know. Anyway, as you will no doubt be aware, we are currently in the middle of ‘Live Well, Study Well’ week, which is a combined HMSA-MSSBU effort. Hopefully you are
all making the most of it! The rest of the semester won’t be too quiet around the faculty, with Cram Sesh occurring at the end of the semester, as well as Careers Night and the HMSA elections (if you have even briefly considered running in the election – get involved!). This is my final report as President of the HMSA, and I just want to thank everyone (especially my fellow committee members) for making this year such an enjoyable and stimulating one. I won’t rant on about this, but I really want to encourage anyone who is interested in student politics to get involved in the upcoming HMSA elections. I can promise you that it is an experience you will not regret. As usual, let me strongly encourage you to read each of the following articles in your spare time, as Georgia Hick, our very own wonderful wordsmith, has put together a very special edition of Pulse – the final edition for 2013. Jake Bennetto, Outgoing President HMSA
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From the Head of Biomedical Sciences
Health is widely accepted to mean more than just the absence of disease, but to embrace the notion that people and populations need a range of other psychosocial, economic and cultural support to achieve their full potential and be truly well. University students can probably relate to this concept of wellness, usually being fit in mind and body but their wellness is often retarded by relative poverty (poor student syndrome is fortunately relatively short term and curable on graduation) and other psychosocial stressors (particularly if unmanaged). The HSM Faculty’s research agenda is rapidly developing across a range of areas that relate directly to our goal of impacting positively on personal and population health. The world renowned team in the Centre for Research in Evidence Based Practice lead by Professors Paul Glasziou and Chris Del Mar are continuing to challenge the status quo in terms of clinical treatment and primary care intervention by applying critical analysis of evidence to ask the hard questions and improve health care practice. Exercise and Sport science research is now ramping up with the roll-out of the Collaborating Research Network (CRN) for Advancing Exercise and Sport Science which will see $14 million applied to research projects exploring questions such as the role and mechanisms of exercise in health promotion, performance enhancement, rehabilitation and wellness. The ClemCell research team continues to push the boundaries on stemcell research and applications for curing blindness from diseases such as macular degeneration. Our Urology research team continues important work on prostate and bladder cancers that may lead to future treatments, for what is a regular killer of Australian men. With the development of new allied health discipline groups such as physiotherapy, nutrition and dietetics and medical radiation therapy currently underway, our faculty research will expand to have a broader coverage of the determinants of health and wellness. The immediate beneficiary of these research developments and increasing research capacity are our students, who get access to researchers and new knowledge straight from the horses mouth, in real time (rather than 12 months after its published) and often participate in new discoveries alongside our academics. HSM now host about 50 HDR students, which is a reflection of the growth in research opportunity and activity for our students. Make sure to get involved and make the most of this exciting time of research growth at Bond, and stay well. Roger Hughes
Study Participants Wanted
New research conducted by our very own PhD student Brookes Folmli is investigating if mild electrical stimulation applied on the scalp can modify the level of body pain stimuli required to detect pain. He would like to recruit healthy men and women aged 18-65 to participate in the study. You must be able to commit to 6 separate sessions over 6 days, a total of no more than 6 hours. You will be compensated for your time in the form of $50. If you (or your students/friends/family) would like to participate or want further details please contact Brookes:
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Phone: 0432 102 778,
Email: bfolmli@student.bond.edu.au
From the Head of Medicine One of the things that is most rewarding as a Medical Teacher is having the opportunity to actually work with your graduates when they are part of your team and no longer “just students�. At Gold Coast Hospital, more often than not, I have taught at least one member of the Paediatric team as a student. Although it often seems impossible when you are a junior student, in a very short period of time, young doctors who you remember as students are able to step up and take responsibility and become reliable and responsible doctors. When you recognise the voice of a Bond graduate on the end of the phone in the early hours of the morning it is both reassuring and inspiring to think that in just a short period of time has changed from high school graduate to a colleague. At Bond this experience is especially satisfying, because even in the position of head of school, I have the opportunity to get to know each of the students as they move through the program. A bit like a farmer, who has the chance to look over a paddock bursting with the weight of a full harvest, as a Medical Educator, I have the unique opportunity to see my students simultaneously across the breadth of their journey from High School graduate to new doctor. Bond Medical School is special place to be a medical student and a special place to teach medicine. Peter Jones
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The glorious month of the mo is upon us once again! Boys, you know what this means, it’s time to clip that lip one last time and get ready to channel your inner Ron- Burgundy or Swanson, the choice is yours. Of course, such inspirational role models set the handle-bar very high in the realm of facial topiary; indeed, the average Joe with his average mo can only dream of someday owning such a resplendent lip garden. But therein lies the true beauty of Movember, just by trying, by daring to dream, men around Australia are raising awareness, funds and a few eyebrows, all in aid of prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health. While the moustaches may be temporary, the changes being wrought on the face of men’s health are much longer lasting, helping to shape and groom society into a more aware and educated state. This year Movember has four main focus areas; living with and beyond cancer, staying mentally healthy, living with and beyond mental health and finally research. As in previous years, Bond is jumping enthusiastically onto the Movember bandwagon, with mo Bros across the university preparing themselves mentally and physically for the moustachioed glory that awaits them when they transform their faces into walking, talking, delightfully hairy billboards for men’s health. Certainly preferable to what I imagine a more conventional billboard for prostate and testicular cancer would look like...
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The main upcoming event on the Movember calendar is undoubtedly The Stash Bash, brought to you by the Mo Bro Mob, a Bond University OB group passionate about making the mo a go. Prizes for the top 3 gentlemen who bring in the highest amount of donations as well as our raffle draw will make The Stash Bash one of the main highlights for the Sep-
tember semester. Through the Mo Bro Mob, thirty gents will be selected as the faces of Movember at Bond, as well as all the participants featuring weekly progress shots on the donations website, as well as every mo-Bro receiving a free t-shirt to proudly wear. Look out also for a Wednesday by the Water, where Bond’s finest moustaches can demonstrate their extroardinary ability to collect crumbs and store tasty morsels of food, with a bake sale and some sexy fake mos for the mo-Sistas. Mo grooming will also be a feature as a barber will be able to assist all the men with their styling needs. For those of us cursed with the affliction of womanhood, and the bare lips that accompany it, fear not, for there is plenty of scope for us women to get involved as well. Mo-Sistas are being called on to rally the troops if you will; to join forces in recruiting, promoting, supporting and fundraising for this wonderful cause. I’m personally in favour of implementing a new team of mo-tivators known as the Mo-Ho’s; a group of women united in refusing to sleep with any mo-less male throughout Movember, while bestowing rewards upon the mo-bearing, worthy ones (I’ve offered this idea to Movember but I’ve yet to hear back). Proudly we wear our badge of honour; the stash-rash. While I can’t think of any reasons anyone anywhere wouldn’t want to throw themselves whole-heartedly behind the Movember cause, remember that even if you don’t want to get involved personally there is still a very important role to be played by those who want to be less hands-on; that of becoming a donor to the Movember cause. Donations are much needed, so show your support of those noble souls who are baring their true colours by concealing their top lips. By Georgia Hick
the
perks of being a research student
BY STEFANIE FARR
You might see us from time to time, scurrying in between the lab and our office. Or maybe you see us sitting outside squinting in the natural sunlight after having spent a whole day cooped up in the windowless lab. We are the research students. Once upon a time, I was an undergrad student thinking (like probably most of you reading this) that I hated research and it was so dull and who would ever be crazy enough to do another three plus years studying it. Well, here I am, doing my PhD and loving it. Yes, it is hard, and yes, I work long hours, but one day when I am holding my thesis like Rafiki held Simba it will all be worth it. There are more than a few commonly held myths about research students, so I am going to endeavour to dispel these outrageous accusations. 1. Doing research is dull. This is obvi not true. We get to play in the lab all day and have access to lots of drugs… If you haven’t seen the Level 4 labs yet, you are missing out. It is place of every child’s wild fantasy of where a mad professor who mixes blue stuff together would be found. Plus, almost every day I get to gown, glass and glove up – more than a few #selfies have been sent while in this fabulous get up. 2. The people you work with will be massive nerds. Well, this one is not really a myth. My name is Stefanie Farr and I am a geek. God that feels good to get it out there! Yes, we all go wild for science, but I have met some really cool
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people doing research who are all very normal. In our BUG group alone we have people from seven different countries – you can find ties with people in similar research areas from almost every country. 3. You’ll be working ridiculous hours all the time. Totally untrue. One of the best things about being a research student is that you can pick your hours. If you’re a night owl, there’s no lecture or tute at 8am that you have to drag yourself out of bed for. And aside from all the practical stuff doing experiments, all I need is a good wifi connection and I’m set. 4. Travel is out of the question. Not when you travel for work… Last year I went to Sydney for a conference, I’m going to Melbourne later this year for another one, and total highlight was going to Barcelona in August this year for the International Continence Society’s annual conference. Kylie, Luke and I stayed in an amazing apartment overlooking Barceloneta beach and had copious amounts of sangria. Cheers, Bond University. We also got to visit the University of Sheffield and did some work there with our supervisor’s (Russ Chess-Williams) old colleagues. And I figured that if I was going all the way over to Europe I’d better have a holiday too.. But I’ll take it all back if you don’t consider visiting Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Switzerland, England, France, Monaco and Italy travelling. So life as a research student isn’t that bad. In fact, it’s pretty sweet! Don’t knock it until you try it – you might just turn out to love it.
The Physical 133
Comic Con! So once again comes the time of year where various students get geared up for HMSA’s The Physical. The Physical, Edition 133, the final physical I will have the privilege of running with an incredible HMSA with me. Surprisingly, for the first time, the date of The Physical was not undecided. We had asked for Friday Week 7, and we were willing to fight for this date. The date was locked in, and the executive committee and myself began planning for the event. Unfortunately, the Canadian Law Students Association (CLSA) had also planned to run their Halloween event on the same night of the Physical. Although there was a bit of sales banter, and competitions involving who had the best music and who had a pet dog. Although inconvenient for both committees, I believe both associations achieved their desired numbers, and from the feedback I heard from students who attended these events, they were very successful. Planning for the Physical involved a lot of arguing when deciding a theme for our event, with the likes of Fetish’s, Farmer Wants a Wife and more… We decided to choose “COMICON”. Initially, I had no idea what this theme actually meant or involved, but was forced to smile and nod because of the very very convinced committee members. This theme turned out to be an extremely creative, exiting theme where a lot of brainstorming and DIY decorating occurred. We decided to do a lot of self created decorating, which proved
to be an extremely beneficial decision, as several students shared comments regarding how impressed they were. It is fair to say that this years HMSA is a creative one! Except for Heddle. Before we knew it, the week of the Physical had turned up before nothing. Ticket sales began slow, and the banter flowed between CLSA and HMSA all week. With myself trying anything to get them to leave, even calling security about a stray dog on campus.. The day of the Physical began, and set up ran smoothly. The event was extremely successful and I would like to thank my entire HMSA committee, with a special mention to Farhaan, Ashwin, Steph and Jake on the day. Would also like to throw a massive congratulations to Jesse Green on getting into the AFL industry already! Well done mate! I believe everyone who attended had a great night and the costumes looked amazing! To the future HMSA, good luck and enjoy yourself! The Physical has been an amazing experience and I encourage HMSA to get involved!
Greggy Smalls
The
PHYSICAL133
Photos by Ben Thangkam & Harrison Carr
BAM!
Running Springs
Considerations for Tendon Injuries in Runners
By Kevin Lieberthal, B.Physio (Hons).
Tendon injuries are a debilitating injury amongst the professional and recreational running community. Athletes such as Haile Gebrselassie and Craig Mottram, who like Achilles the Greek hero of the Trojan War, had vulnerable heels. Tendons are incredible and efficient springs which are utilised to store and release energy during fast and explosive movements such as running, jumping and bounding. During running the tendons are subject to repeated high load, with the Achilles exposed to 12.5 times body weight (Komi et al., 1992). The absorption of this load allows the Achilles to contribute 35% of the mechanical energy to each stride during running (Ker et al., 1987). The Achilles is the tendon most affected by running, with 18-24% of all running injuries affecting the Achilles. Typically distance runners are more likely to develop chronic Achilles tendinopathy, whilst sprinters are more susceptible to rupture (Kujala et al., 2005). This is not surprising given the difference in load between the 2 different running disciplines. Other common tendons affected by running are the tibialis posterior, patellar and hamstring origin. During running there is an incredible biomechanical interplay between the numerous joints and tendons in the lower limb. As the
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foot strikes the ground and the lower limb absorbs the impact forces, the tendons store elastic energy prior to recoil at take off behaving like springs. The amount of load on the various tendons in the lower limb will vary from individual to individual depending on their own unique running technique, strength and lower limb biomechanics. Clinically, athletes have differences in load tolerance. Patients presenting with tendinopathy will usually report a change in training such as an increase in running volume, speed or intensity, with tendons typically very sensitive to change. Other factors will be terrain, which includes soft surfaces (especially sand) and hills. Changes in footwear are a major issue especially with the various minimalist shoes and variations between the brands with regards to the drop in height from the rear of the shoe to the front. Traditional footwear has a drop of 10-12mm and minimalist footwear has 0-4mm (Figure 1). There are also other footwear brands that encourage runners to switch to a more forefoot strike. Another change which is commonly seen in this population is the introduction and wider awareness of improving running technique. Caution should be taken with the term running “better�, as there are so many intrinsic and extrinsic factors one must consider prior to making a change in ones gait.
Traditional (left) versus minimalist (right)
Gait re-education, retraining or improving running technique all fall under the same banner and need careful consideration especially with current or a past history of Achilles and Tibialis posterior tendon injuries. The most commonly discussed variant of running technique is foot strike. Unfortunately this is a very simplified view on running technique. Changing from a heel strike pattern to a forefoot pattern will increase the load and demand on the ankle and if it is done too quickly or without consideration of other factors it can be disastrous. An example of the changes in load distribution with running technique change is highlighted below in research completed by Arendse et al. (2004) (see graphs below). For example, Pose is a running technique devised by Dr Nicholas Romanov that discourages heel striking, reducing the load at the knee however this increases load at the ankle. Changing running technique can be a powerful intervention for some, but disastrous for others. For example, a runner with patellar tendinopathy or patellofemoral pain syndrome may change from running with a heel striking pattern to a midfoot or forefoot pattern. This has the potential to reduce load at the knee, however it will increase at the ankle/calf (Figure 2). As long as the runner has the capacity to tolerate the change, this intervention may be very successful. Now on the other hand if this same runner had Achilles tendinopathy or a history of Achilles tendinopathy, they are at a high risk of aggravating their symptoms and getting worse. Another tendon very sensitive to running form and body position is the hamstring origin. It is aggravated by the increased hip flexion and trunk flexion that occurs particularly during uphill running. As clinicians and health practitioners that understand these factors we are well placed to understand the complex interactions between the intrinsic (e.g. genetics, tendon capacity) and extrinsic (e.g. running load, terrain, footwear) factors to assess and address tendon pathology in runners. They are typically slow to recover with load being the most powerful component to control and strength a key for rehabilitation. It is important to remember the biomechanical factors that stress the various tendons in the lower limb to assist in patient care and management.
(Arendse et al., 2004)
Achilles load with forefoot (gray line) and rearfoot load (black line) (Gruber et al., 2011). 14
Bond's Virtual Hospital
Enabling medical students’ transition to clinical practice through case-based simulation technology by Victoria Brazil
Students in Year 3 MBBS have been part of a bold experiment to transform traditional PBL into a case based format delivered via an App – the Bond Virtual Hospital
“Enhanced exposure to clinical reasoning skills”
Our aim was to pilot the use of a mobile application (App) interface to introduce third year medical students to patient management in an authentic simulated learning environment. Hence we hoped to prepare students for the transition to working and learning in a clinical environment by actively engaging them in the supervised care of virtual patients.
Most suggestions for improvement related to the technical aspects of the App interface, and a desire to have ‘discharged patients’ still available for review after leaving the virtual hospital The tutors/ facilitators were also uniformly positive about the project helping students transition
The project involved transforming paper-based cases in the final semester of PBL to a casebased simulated format. Groups of students were responsible, under the supervision of virtual and real tutors, for “managing” (i.e. ordering investigations, requesting information, making decisions) virtual patients. Patient information – referrals letters, videos of consultations, physical exam findings, investigation results – was accessed via an App interface. Students were also challenged with tasks including clinical reasoning, selection of investigations and completion of discharge summaries via a “Team chat’ section of the App. Evaluation of the project included a survey of student perceptions using a validated instrument, focus group interviews with students, and individual interviews with facilitators Student reported positively on the realism and clinical relevance of the cases. Many described feeling better prepared for their clinical rotations; “it was interactive and very realistic. A lot of things (labs, Hxs, patient information, PES) were integrated, introducing us to a more integrated approach”
“… I felt responsible for my patients.”
“Real tasks such as writing discharge letters, lab report requests and interpretation of results – gets them used to the processes and protocols of the health care system.” “Provided opportunities to start to develop time management skills, patient prioritisation, multi-tasking.” “….it placed them in a situation of active participation rather than passive reception ….given them a framework of approaching patients that will help them gain more out of clinical placements “ Our conclusion was that the use of a simulated healthcare environment via an App interface is perceived by students and teachers to help with the transition to working and learning in clinical rotations. A longitudinal follow-up of the impact of this experience on learning and preparation for clinical practice will be conducted in Years 4 and 5 (clinical rotations). Our next steps are to continue to improve the technology and interface for students, and to add functionality such as prescribing. It is planned that the ‘Virtual Hospital’ will form the backbone of the Year 3 Renewed curriculum as it rolls out in 2015.
Enjoying the Little Facts of Life By Ashwin Agnihotri In my 8 semesters at Bond, the copious hours spent in the library, looking through the level 2 window towards my friends over at Don’s, I have come to one realisation; so much of the learning in our faculty consists of memorising a bunch of facts. I’m not saying there is nothing conceptual about interpreting ECG’s or the results of a lab, but so many subjects such as biochem, organ systems and anatomy involve rote learning and regurgitating on exam day in order to pass. Unfortunately this seemingly pleasant truth does not actually make things any easier, as there are so many terms, so many pathways, so many innervations, so many blood vessels to memorise that the closer you get to week 14 the more you hit yourself in the head with Gray’s Anatomy in the
Glycolysis pathway: Glucose Gorgeous Glucose-6-phosphate Girls Fructose-6-phosphate ... Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate Fine Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate Gentleman Glycerone phosphate (DHAP) Gently 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate But 3-phosphogycerate Prohibit 2-phosphogycerate Penile Phosphopyruvate Pooper Pyruvate Penetration
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desperate hope all the information miraculously diffuses into your brain. You’re also relieved at least you still remember what diffusion is. However throughout my time I have come across various mnemonics, jokes and all sorts of strategies from tutors and even lecturers to help me remember all these terms, some of which have stuck with me despite the fact that I’ve never had to apply them in my life, like a large proportion of my degree. So here’s a few that may or may not help you get a couple extra marks if you are enrolled in certain subjects. Even if you’re already aware of these I’m hoping you at least get a bit of a giggle and maybe some ideas on how to come up with your own rote learning strategies.
Kreb’s/Citric Acid Cycle: Citrate Can Isocitrate I Ketoglutarate Keep Succinyl coa Still having Succinate Sex Fumarate For Malate Money Oxalate Officer
Carpal (wrist) Bones:
Cranial Nerves
Scaphoid Some Olfactory Oh Lunate Ladies Optic Oh Triquetrium Think Occulomotor Oh Pisiform Poor Trochlear To Hamate Henry’s Trigeminal Touch Capitate “CAR” is Abducent And Trapezoid Too Facial Feel Trapezium Tiny Auditory/Vestibulocochlear A Virgin Glossopharyngeal Girl’s Vagus Vagina Accessory And Hypoglossal Hymen
Cerebellar nuclei, from medial to lateral:
Fastigial nucleus Fat Globose nucleus Girls Emboliform nucleus Eat Dentate nucleus Donuts
I understand that some (all) of these mnemonics may seem inappropriate to some people. However I feel like those people should also know that I have certainly attempted to utilise more family-friendly strategies. I once even tried teaching a group of Human Control Systems students their cranial nerves using the following, very PG, mnemonic;
faculty is, absolutely everybody thrives off cheap humour and derogatory phrases to stimulate such a high level of scientific thinking.
On Old Olympus’ Towering Tops A Fat Athletic German Vaults and Hops
I sincerely wish you all the best for your exams, and hope my tips and advice are somewhat helpful, despite the fact that it seems very unlikely anybody will take anything I say seriously after this particular piece of writing...
, only to have the bored students asking me, “Don’t you have a dirty one you told that the previous group?”
I hope this article has changed the way you go about learning your content, or that it has at least offered you a nice procrastinatory outlet.
That day I came to yet another harsh realisation; as clever as our medically-minded
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HMSA Elections HMSA elections are coming! That’s right, it’s time to farewell the existing committee and get ready for a new team- out with the old and in with the new!
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Elections will be running throughout week 10 this semester, as opposed to taking place as they previousl have, early in the January semester, following a change to the HMSA constitution that will allow the incoming group to be mentored by the outgoing committee prior to their graduating. Also new is the running process; the full ticket system has been banned to offer independents a better opportunity to be heard without being overshadowed by a larger group as their opposition.
H on e ’s th at in
Breakfast with Bond-Aid is back once more on Tuesday of Week 10! As it did last year, the breakfast, which is open to all staff and students will raise money for Bond-Aid’s annual aid trip to a developing nation, this year’s destination being Nepal, after two highly successful trips; to Sri Lanka in 2012 and Cambodia in 2011.
With an aim of making student politics more accessible to all students, and less of a niche, a partial ticket system will be used for the executive pod only, meaning those students running for the roles of President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary may choose to run either in a pod of 4 or as independents.
As always the project provides a great opportunity for students to experience first hand the conditions in third world countries, teaching them valuable life lessons and giving them some amazing memories they will never forget. This year volunteers will be working in schools, orphanages and monasteries, teaching English to young children and providing a mentoring role to them, while lessening the workload for the often understaffed facilities.
For the Directorship roles however, students may only run as independents. The Directorship roles available are; Promotions Director, Sponsorship Director, Publications Director, Academic Affairs Director, Recreation Director, Post-Graduate Representative, Medical Representative and Health Sciences Representative.
SM
Based in Kathmandu to volunteer over the course of the month the group will nevertheless have a number of opportunities to see more of beautiful Nepal on weekend trips around the country. Breakfast with Bond-Aid is a great opportunity for students who are considering coming on future trips to learn a lot about past trips and plans for the future, and whether students have an interest in volunteering or not, the cause is still a great one to get behind, and what easier way to show your support than by getting breakfast! More details to be released shortly on facebook and via emails, so keep your eyes peeled and don’t miss out on this great opportunity!
Breakfast with Bond-Aid 19
Best of luck with campaigning!
Arriving in Wonderland The taxi driver was massive. He placed my bags in the people mover, opened the front door for me and squeezed himself into the drivers seat. After all the tales of danger, it was remarkable to see an old spring loaded coin counter in the front of the cab. Wow, you wouldn’t see that in the city, I said, pointing at it. “Why?”, someone would try to nick your dough, I answered. “I have hands, he quipped”, he sure did they were massive. I told him how city cabs all have heavy perspex screens between driver and fare. “This one will have in a bout a week too”. I was puzzled, “Yep, I just came back to work after 3 weeks. Had 35 stitches in my head”, he pointed out the new hair growth over the large scar. “ A kid, 15, smacked me with an iron bar, where are we going ?” I told him, a wry smile came over his face, “You’ll see it all here in Alice”. He told me how he is now getting blinding headaches that last 3 or 4 hours at a time and how he drives to a spot where he knows he won’t get a fare, so he can lie in the back of the cab until it has passed. “I’ll go back to see the doctor on Friday”. I’d heard about these nasty post head injury things, in fact that’s what I was reading about on the plane. I had to hide the ABC of Major Trauma from the other passengers’ view, so all that was left me was the bits about post injury. I met a Welsh student and introduced myself. She told me she came from Wales “in the UK” just in case I though she meant the New South version. She is doing some Paeds and her friend will also share an ED rote with me, it seems. The Adelaide students have the air of having been here for some time. Maybe they have. I managed to winkle out directions to the shops from one of them and wandered down to Woollies to get some essentials. Coffee, milk, cereal, bread and Vegemite. I shall describe the Vegemite diet in my upcoming book. It was responsible for my 8 kilo weight loss in Dubbo.
As I looked about for the bathrooms and toilets, the kitchen and a TV room I was met by the cleaning lady. “What ya lookin’ for luv, you’re new” without pause she gave me the lowdown, like an experienced air hostess she pointed “left there’s the toilets and showers, it’s mixed, like I mean men & women, not toilets and showers, but there mixed in there too, OK, so look out, and on the right there, that’s the TV & kitchen room - if it’s too crowded in there there’s another TV room through those doors, not the first ones, the second ones and down to the right, my name’s Sheree, How long you here, you a Medical Student ?” Yes, I stumbled, I’m here for 4 weeks in Emergency. “Oh, the ED....you’ll see it all here in Alice”. The room began to shrink and bend, the doorways looked crooked, I know just how Alice felt now. I wandered the halls poking my nose into rooms to see what I was up against and as the Queen of Hearts walked by - I went back to my room for a wee nap...I must be tired, my huge excitement was evaporating in the dry Alice air, I think I am getting too old for this.
by Leigh McKenzie
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By the Pricking of my Thumbs... by Dr. William Crozier
Imagine that your beautiful, healthy, smiley 6 year old daughter comes home from school one day with a bit of a high temperature. You give her a little paracetamol. Next morning she is VERY unwell. A day after that a rash appears on her body. In the evening she is extremely drowsy. She has a massive seizure. You throw her into the car and drive the 10 minutes to the hospital. She is dead on arrival. Your devastation is total. You need to find out more about this viral disease which has struck, like toxic lightning, out of the blue. You find that this disease killed 158,000 people in the year 2011. That’s 430 deaths every day, or about 18 every hour. Your anguished mind demands information and, more importantly, answers. What about a cure? Surely there must be a vaccine being developed. We must all unite and push for the scientific community to solve this problem to prevent this disaster from afflicting other families.
the risk.
Well the answer is already there. The measles vaccine has been with us for over 50 years. In the first 20 years of it’s use in the United States it is estimated to have prevented over 50 million infections and thus averted cerebral damage in 17,000-plus individuals and the deaths of 5,000 others. Between 1999 and 2004 a WHO and UNICEF initiative is estimated to have prevented 1.4 million deaths from measles worldwide.
Homeopathy is favoured by a huge number of people with 700 registered Homeopaths in Australia. It is, quite simply, water. It does nothing. There is no evidence to show that there is anything more than a placebo effect. The danger, of course, is that an actual disorder may be inadequately treated.
So in Australia today, if you inform a young mother that, if her child contracts measles, there is a 1 in 1,000 chance of Encephalitis, 60 chances in 1,000 that they will develop Pneumonia and a clear 3 chances in 1,000 that their child will die, why would she NOT have her child vaccinated? But she may well not not. And not just her. Mothers in their thousands across Australia are refusing to have their children vaccinated in spite of
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I don’t know the answer to this question except that it seems to be symptomatic of an eternal and apparently worsening problem. It is the rejection of that huge body of accumulated human knowledge which has been tested, proven and practically utilised known as ‘science’. However, the denialists have a whole series of excuses for their rejection of the accepted norms. In the case of measles vaccine it was concern over the, now discredited, possibility of inducing autism in the child even though the perceived risk was much less than the risks of measles itself. Many are the cases of people with diagnoses of serious cancers who elect to try ‘natural’ therapies. A world famous motorcycle racing champion with cancer of the oesophagus was persuaded that a diet of beetroot juice would help him. He lasted only a few months.
The same applies to the Chiropracter’s so-called skill as well as Acupuncture, Kinesiology, Magnetic therapy, Reflexology, Iridology, Colonic Irrigation and Naturopathy - ALL of unproven worth. All with a substantial following and attracting vast sums of money for their practitioners. Dara Ó Briain, the well known Irish wit and raconteur, said “just because science doesn’t know everything doesn’t mean you can fill in the gaps with whatever fairy tale most appeals to you.”
‘Modern’ medicine is not something that was just thought up in the last 20 years by a bunch of blokes in a lab. It has a 2,000 year history of gradual development and improvement. This has gone hand-inhand with the huge leaps in knowledge in physics, chemistry and biology over the last few centuries then the exponential explosion of knowledge concerning genetics and biochemistry in the last century. This body of work should not be trivialised and real doctors be made out to be mere tools of some dark organisation intent upon fobbing off a credulous public. The true hallmark of the scientific community is honesty. Everything is open. Work is repeated and tested by others. Poor results are improved upon. Fraudulent works, such as the autism-vaccination correlation, are struck down. There is a true altruism abroad among those working in health care and this is worthy of a respect to which the alternative medicine advocates have no right. Dara Ó Briain also famously said - “herbal medicine’s been around for thousands of years! Indeed it has, and then we tested it all, and the stuff that worked became ‘medicine’. And the rest of it is just a nice bowl of soup and some potpourri.”
HMSA Career Panel Come along to Theatre 1, Level 4 of the HSM building to hear about the various study and career paths that await you beyond your Bond degree! The evening is an opportunity for School of Health Science students to explore opportunities beyond your undergraduate studies. We have three exciting speakers: Prof Barry Rigby- Clinical Lead (Bond Medical School) Sport and Emergency Medicine Specialist Kate Morgan- Dietician and lecturer in Bond’s new Master’s of Nutrition and Dietetic Practice Luke Grundy- Current PhD student and research member of Bond Urology Group The CDC will also be there to provide you with helpful hints and tips for your employment and applications during and beyond Bond. Join us at 6pm on Wednesday the 30th of October, canapes and light refreshments will be provided! DRESS CODE: Business Casual
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What’s On
week
Tuesday- Barrier Information Night, 6pm, Gregor Heiner Lecture Theatre Wednesday- WBTW moved to the HSM rooftop! Wednesday- HMSA Career Panel, 6pm, Theatre 2, Level 3 HSM Building Friday- Relax and unwind with massages given in The Pit from 10-1! Friday- Mock OSCE night, 6pm, Gregor Heiner Lecture Theatre Med students can also look forward to Fruits in Tutes, compliments of MedSoc!