Fungal Fright: Killer Spores

In preparation for Thursday's post-- I did a quick Google University search for "deadly fungus" and up came Cryptococcus-- again. I first blogged about this fungus here.The interesting thing about fungal infections is that they are like the unwanted orphans of pathogens. Their infections can take a while to manifest and be equally as difficult to treat-- often requiring months of anti-fungal therapy.I first blogged about Cryptococcus two years ago...

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Winner!!

Just a quick post on this happy Monday to announce the winner of the Who Will Survive The Zombie Apocalypse Contest-- or at least have fun trying whilst reading a copy of either Proof or Poison.The winner is: Audrey Allyn Reilly!!Audrey-- e-mail me at jredwood1(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll tell you how to claim your prize.Thanks for playing everyone. It was fun to see your percentages. I'm not sure I'll be hanging with those of you who scored under...

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Up and Coming

Hello Redwood's Fans!Our group hitting a rock.How has your summer been? Ours-- very busy. For the first time since living in Colorado for almost seven years we finally braved the wilderness and took our two daughters camping-- twice. I know some of you may not think this is a major miracle-- but it is.It's not that I don't enjoy camping-- I really do. Nighttime-- not so much. It just gets too cold. Of late, I've resorted to boiling hot water...

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Author Question: Fever Reduction in Unconscious Patient

Alyssa Asks:One of my characters has a high fever. I know that there are several different herbs that can help to reduce fevers, but he is unconscious. What might the healer do to help him?Jordyn Says:Obviously it's hard to get an unconscious person to ingest something.You're writing medieval times? If a person can't swallow but you want to reduce a fever-- you can strip their clothing off and put them in tepid to cool water. This should help...

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Author Question: Speech Therapy after Traumatic Brain Injury

Karen Asks:I’m writing a story about a man who is shot in the head in a way that impacts his ability to speak.  Long months of rehab restore his speech but leave him with a stutter.  Is this feasible?  Which part of the head would he need to be shot in?  What else could be impacted by such a wound?  Can you recommend any websites or resources about gunshot wounds or speech therapy?Jordyn Says:Karen-- thanks so much for...

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Up and Coming

Hello Redwood's Fans!Did you enjoy learning about the creepy crawlies on my pathogen posts last week? Hopefully, you haven't been scratching at your skin.We have been camping! Last time for this summer. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post next week.For you this week.It's author questions. You know I love these. Hope you'll tune in.Are you enjoying your summer.Jor...

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Primer on Pathogens: Part 3/3

Sometimes you need to take a silly quiz to learn a point.That's why I like The Ultimate Zombie Apocalypse Survival Quiz. Now, of course, the quiz is in jest but it brings up several important points when we talk about pathogens and your susceptibility to them. How are zombies often made-- by an infectious disease process-- at least in books and movies.But it also examines survival techniques. Have you thought through aspects of survival in your mind?...

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Primer on Pathogens: Part 2/3

I remember a few years back when H1N1 (the swine flu) hit. Our ED volumes were through the roof. H1N1 affected middle and high school aged kids more than older populations. It was one time that perhaps the elderly were not as affected (perhaps because of years and years of flu shots and being exposed to other viruses.)I was working with a PICU intensivist who was moonlighting in the ER. These are doctors who work in the Pediatric ICU. He was wicked...

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Primer on Pathogens: Part 1/3

There's nothing like a good pathogen story line for medical thriller authors. It might be considered a mandatory novel requirement if you're in the genre. Hmm . . . guess I better start developing a virus-run-amok story line.Great examples would be Robin Cook's Outbreak and the unrelated movie Outbreak that starred Dustin Hoffman. Recent film examples would be Contagion.I was talking with a physician co-worker of mine after the movie Contagion was...

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Up and Coming

Hello Redwood's Fans!How has your week been? Mine-- relaxing. It's weird not operating on a book deadline. Hopefully my new fiction proposal will get picked up and I'll be a writer under a deadline again.We. Shall. See. Writing downtime usually leads to trolling on social media. Someone posted this picture of uber-scary children and of course I think-- "Stephen King obviously saw this picture and it inspired him to write Children of the Corn."What...

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A Gentlewoman's Guide to Opium Addiction

I'm pleased to host author and friend, Michelle Griep, this week as she blogs about historical medicine.Welcome back, Michelle! Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...

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Avoiding the Fellas in White Jackets

I'm pleased to host author and friend, Michelle Griep, this week as she blogs about historical medicine.Welcome back, Michelle!My mother took me to a pediatrician when I was five because I spent an excessive amount of time beneath the dining room table talking to my best buddy…Daniel Boone. Yeah, I know. He’s dead. I knew it at the time as well, but that didn’t stop me from having heart-to-hearts with him. In my mind, he was as real as the old cat...

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Welcome to the Asylum: Horrific Politically Incorrect Practices of Yesteryear

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