Friday, August 25, 2017
Dog Town in NJ
Zoey and I are always exploring new paths along the Barnegat trail. There are so many that I bet people aren't even aware all of them. Last Sunday, while working on breaking Zoey's walking record (currently 7,425 in a little over an hour), we took a detour from one of the side paths and came across this area. I think we found this area last year... Anyway, here is a picture of the homestead. We walked around for a while and we never came across any canines.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Manahawkin Rocks
The other day I noticed a few painted rocks scattered along the Barnegat trail. The rocks weren't there the next day so I assume people took them (they are hard to resist). This morning on our walk, Zoey and I came across this adorable rock and I couldn't resist taking it. Under the rock it says "Manahawkin rocks" I know there was a campaign in Lacey that someone was painting rocks and leaving them around the area. I have no idea if it is the same artist; I just want to thank the artist and I hope I find more treasures this week.
Here is today's find...
Here is today's find...
Solar Eclipse 2017: When To Watch In New Jersey, Best Viewing Tips
How, when and where to see the solar eclipse in New Jersey. Plus, viewing safety tips.
New Jersey will get plenty of exposure to the solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21. The big questions are: Where can you see it? And when? And what steps do you need to take so the light doesn't damage your eyes?
The zone for seeing it stretches across the country. While the prime exposure areas where a total solar eclipse is expected is in the Southeast and Northwest, New Jersey will have some prime viewing times. Enough of the eclipse will be visible that Rutgers and NASA scientists are urging potential viewers to take precautionary steps.
Here are the prime exposure times and places in New Jersey:
- A partial eclipse will begin at about 1:20 p.m., peak at about 2:45 p.m. and end shortly before 4 p.m. on Aug. 21.
- The moon will block about 70 percent of the sun at the state’s northern border with New York, near High Point in Sussex County.
- The farther south you go, the more you'll be exposed. The moon will be block about 80 percent in Cape May.
See more specific viewing times below
Carlton “Tad” Pryor, a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, says New Jersey should know when the eclipse is here, as long as the weather cooperates, even if it's not a total eclipse.
“A total solar eclipse is always very dramatic,” Pryor said in a release. “The sky gets dark, animals and birds go quiet as if it’s nighttime and it’s a little bit cooler outside. The partial solar eclipse that will be visible in New Jersey is much more subtle, but will be noticeable if you know what to look for.”
Tips for Safe Eclipse Viewing
Because it is unsafe to look directly at the sun, Pryor said anyone wishing to see the phenomenon must protect their eyes with specially made and certified filters or by observing the eclipse indirectly.
Direct viewing can be done safely with "No. 14 arc welder glass" or with eclipse viewing glasses that meet the following criteria outlined by NASA:
- Have certification information with a designated ISO 12312-2 international standard
- Have the manufacturer’s name and address printed on the product
- Not be used if more than three years old or with scratched or wrinkled lenses
Homemade filters or sunglasses – even very dark ones – are never safe for looking directly at the sun, according to Pryor. There are reports of potentially unsafe eclipse glasses appearing for sale, so be sure to buy eclipse viewers from reputable vendors (click here to find them).
Pryor offered a few suggestions for safe, indirect viewing.
- If the sky is clear at around 2:45 p.m. on the day of the eclipse, stand in a leafy tree’s shadow and look at the ground. The smallest spots of sunlight will make little crescent shapes, showing the sun’s apparent shape as the moon crosses in front.
- Another method is to make a small hole in a piece of cardboard with the tip of a pencil or pen and project the light onto a white piece of paper, he said. For a better view, put the hole over a mirror and reflect the light onto a more distant white piece of paper or white surface.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Why You Need Informed Consent
Here's how to handle this important conversation
about the tests and treatments your doctor recommends
about the tests and treatments your doctor recommends
Consumer Reports / By Orly Avitzur, M.D. / August 07, 2017
A fter seeing an ear, nose, and throat doctor for ear pain and congestion, my 21-year-old son was told to come back 2 hours later for “some testing.”
When he returned, no physician was present, and he received no explanation of why the testing (which turned out to be allergy testing) was ordered, how it would be conducted, possible side effects, or available alternatives.
Had that discussion—which is called informed consent—taken place, my son would have simply told them that he’d had allergy testing two weeks earlier.
Informed consent is important to consumers' health for many reasons. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most abused and misunderstood concepts in medical care today. That's why it's important to be truly informed about informed consent.
What Is Informed Consent?
It's intended to be a conversational process when your clinician explains the risks and benefits of a specific test, procedure, surgery, or other treatment.
During this talk, your doctor should also outline other available options and make it clear that you are helping make decisions about your care. You then confirm your understanding of what you’ve been told and agree to—or reject—the doctor's recommendation.
Today, however, some doctors have become far too casual about this process. Instead of a shared discussion, the goal in some cases has shifted to getting you to sign a piece of paper called a release. With your signing, a doctor or hospital feels legally protected in case something goes wrong.
For your consent to be considered valid, it must be voluntary. But most people feel uncomfortable—even intimidated or coerced—when a doctor asks them to sign a release. So they might not speak up, even if they have concerns.
When It Should Happen
Your doctor should initiate an informed consent discussion if he or she recommends anesthesia, surgery, or any invasive procedure (one that “invades” the body, usually by piercing the skin), or if you are asked to be in a clinical research trial.
There is no national consensus on when informed consent is required. It varies from state to state and can be influenced by a doctor or hospital’s interpretation of recommendations from professional and specialty groups.
Those interpretations are not always correct. For example, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s sample informed consent form for allergy skin testing notes that a physician or other healthcare professional will be on hand because “occasional reactions may require immediate therapy.” That didn’t happen in my son’s situation.
How the Discussion Should Go
During informed consent, your doctor should explain the procedure, test, or treatment in plain words and without medical jargon—and tell you which roles each healthcare provider plays.
This should be a thorough verbal discussion—a release form should serve as a supplement to this, not a replacement. In fact, the form should merely confirm that the discussion took place.
A good informed consent discussion also uses decision aids, interactive media, or digital tools. It should include information from medical studies, best practices, and clinical guidelines. Your doctor should pull in a qualified medical interpreter, if needed, and allow for assistance for limited English proficiency or hearing or visual impairment.
Making Sure You Understand
During an informed consent talk, you should be able to take notes, bring along a friend or family member, ask questions, get clarifications on anything that’s unclear, and have time to consider your options before you decide. Afterward, it’s useful to summarize back the highlights of what you heard.
If you feel rushed or ignored, ask whether the decision on the proposed test or treatment can be delayed until your doctor can answer your questions fully. (In emergencies, or if you are unable to communicate, informed consent may not be necessary.)
Remember, if you’re uncomfortable, you have the right to say no.
Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the September 2017 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
A fter seeing an ear, nose, and throat doctor for ear pain and congestion, my 21-year-old son was told to come back 2 hours later for “some testing.”
When he returned, no physician was present, and he received no explanation of why the testing (which turned out to be allergy testing) was ordered, how it would be conducted, possible side effects, or available alternatives.
Had that discussion—which is called informed consent—taken place, my son would have simply told them that he’d had allergy testing two weeks earlier.
Informed consent is important to consumers' health for many reasons. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most abused and misunderstood concepts in medical care today. That's why it's important to be truly informed about informed consent.
What Is Informed Consent?
It's intended to be a conversational process when your clinician explains the risks and benefits of a specific test, procedure, surgery, or other treatment.
During this talk, your doctor should also outline other available options and make it clear that you are helping make decisions about your care. You then confirm your understanding of what you’ve been told and agree to—or reject—the doctor's recommendation.
Today, however, some doctors have become far too casual about this process. Instead of a shared discussion, the goal in some cases has shifted to getting you to sign a piece of paper called a release. With your signing, a doctor or hospital feels legally protected in case something goes wrong.
For your consent to be considered valid, it must be voluntary. But most people feel uncomfortable—even intimidated or coerced—when a doctor asks them to sign a release. So they might not speak up, even if they have concerns.
When It Should Happen
Your doctor should initiate an informed consent discussion if he or she recommends anesthesia, surgery, or any invasive procedure (one that “invades” the body, usually by piercing the skin), or if you are asked to be in a clinical research trial.
There is no national consensus on when informed consent is required. It varies from state to state and can be influenced by a doctor or hospital’s interpretation of recommendations from professional and specialty groups.
Those interpretations are not always correct. For example, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s sample informed consent form for allergy skin testing notes that a physician or other healthcare professional will be on hand because “occasional reactions may require immediate therapy.” That didn’t happen in my son’s situation.
How the Discussion Should Go
During informed consent, your doctor should explain the procedure, test, or treatment in plain words and without medical jargon—and tell you which roles each healthcare provider plays.
This should be a thorough verbal discussion—a release form should serve as a supplement to this, not a replacement. In fact, the form should merely confirm that the discussion took place.
A good informed consent discussion also uses decision aids, interactive media, or digital tools. It should include information from medical studies, best practices, and clinical guidelines. Your doctor should pull in a qualified medical interpreter, if needed, and allow for assistance for limited English proficiency or hearing or visual impairment.
Making Sure You Understand
During an informed consent talk, you should be able to take notes, bring along a friend or family member, ask questions, get clarifications on anything that’s unclear, and have time to consider your options before you decide. Afterward, it’s useful to summarize back the highlights of what you heard.
If you feel rushed or ignored, ask whether the decision on the proposed test or treatment can be delayed until your doctor can answer your questions fully. (In emergencies, or if you are unable to communicate, informed consent may not be necessary.)
Remember, if you’re uncomfortable, you have the right to say no.
Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the September 2017 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
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