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That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

nytimes.com

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Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#201

Post by darkarmani »

ef4 wrote: post #118

Speaking specifically about fall risk in older people: if you want to ensure a high quality of life when you're older, maintain strong muscles through exercise. This may seem like a no brainer, and yet almost nobody actually does it. Balance and strength are highly dependent on exercise. Even fairly old people can maintain very good balance and strength if they don't let their muscles deteriorate through inactivity.…

Just as important bone density and minimizing bone loss through resistance training. Stressing the bones forces them to become stronger.

Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#202

Post by jrockway »

mauvehaus wrote: post #21
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #5

A handy technique for evaluating situations is this: how many mistakes am I away from death/injury? If I drive without a seatbelt, I've put myself 1 accident away in many cases. My Scouts are young, and love to climb things. I tell them, I know you're strong and skilled. But a loose rock or slippery foothold puts you at risk anyway. So wear the harness - now it takes two mistakes to kill you (e.g. loose rock + badly…

In the climbing example as presented, you should be at least three mistakes away from injury. The belayer should check the climber's harness and knots before allowing the climber to climb. Naturally the climber should check that the belayer's harness is fastened securely and that the belay device is rigged properly before climbing too. Realistically, there are still several single points of failure in the system: 1)…

Harnesses are redundant, too. About a year ago, I watched someone get half way up the wall and fall, only to have her harness come unbuckled. Fortunately, the leg loops kept her suspended and she just down-climbed and fixed her harness.

(Part of the problem in this case was not understanding how the mechanism worked, which is not a good idea when it's the mechanism that stops you from falling 30 feet onto the ground.)

Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#203

Post by skittles »

I see someone on a motorcycle, and I think "idiot". I've known 7 people in my life who have had motorcycle accidents. One has had 2. He broke his neck in one of them. A couple spilled their bike on uneven pavement. A guy I met in college was like doctor House (dead bone in his leg causing great pain). Another guy was thrown 60 feet when he was rear-ended by a truck. And the last 2 are a father and son. The father has brain damage that destroyed his marriage. Go ahead and have your midlife crisis. I'll be in my car. I might die in a horrific accident someday, but a fender bender won't turn into road-rash and a concussion.

Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#204

Post by gregholmberg »

phil wrote: post #187
gregholmberg wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here is a story is about equipment failure. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Fatal-fall-at-Yosemite-sh... There are also errors in judgment, but the gear is the center of this story. The final paragraphs are still hard for me to read, six years on. edit: adding National Park Service summaries . NPS Morning Report for October 26, 2006 Yosemite National Park (CA) Noted Climber Falls To His Death An experienced rock c…

Did you know Todd Skinner? (I didn't except by reputation & his accomplishments). That was a tragic accident and definitely shook every climber I know. I think it's the exception that proves the rule though. Word when it happened was he'd been cleaning loose rock on rap, and was not only wearing a blown-out harness (with a replacement on order at the time) but also apparently had a haul bag full of rocks clipped off…

No, I did not know Todd, except by celebrity reputation. We climbed in different circles.

He was a widely known and well-regarded big wall guy who had freed gigantic routes in Pakistan, Greenland and the Yukon. I read his trip reports with awe. I would have felt out of place carrying his rack from the truck to a picnic table, much less talking climbing with him.

I had not heard that he was tidying up. He was also reputed to be very generous with his time and expertise. I find the idea of him carefully cleaning up a new route (while passing an increasing load through a frayed harness) almost intolerably painful to think about.

Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#205

Post by up_and_up »

jlgreco wrote: post #171
saraid216 wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My mom, a registered nurse, performed acupuncture on my dad for pain relief for a while when I was younger. It seemed to work fine.

Sugar pills can seem to work as well. Hell, dancing around while shaking a bag full of broken glass, pretty rocks, and bottle caps while chanting the names of you ancestors can seem to work fine.

> dancing around while shaking a bag full of broken glass

Depends what happens next.

Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#206

Post by parfe »

loceng wrote: post #141
driverdan wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yoga, perhaps, but it's on par with other low impact physical activity and stretching. The other two are just pseudoscience.

Have you had acupuncture and/or chiropractor? They at minimum can give relief.

Stooge: "Thanks 'Dr' that feels slightly better."

Chiropractor: "Great! Now let's just get you scheduled for three appointments a week for the rest of your life."

Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#207

Post by a_bonobo »

mkl wrote: post #164
neotek wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>But acupuncture and yoga are not the same as pixie dust, dung pills or what have you. Okay, so why don't they show any efficacy above pixie dust in double-blinded studies?

Unfortunately, double blind studies of acupuncture are impossible (the person doing it must know if they're putting needles in), and single blind studies are almost impossible (the patient can feel the needles, and tell how far in they are). The only thing than can be tested is the traditional Chinese medicine chi flow idea, and even assuming there's no chi flow along meridians, that doesn't mean the special location…

There are double-blind studies on acupuncture, by using "trick-needles" that don't penetrate the skin but look like they do.

This study introduces them and shows that acupuncturists can't well distinguish both types: https://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/7/31

This study uses them to check for differences in pain-relief (there are no differences): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2765771/

Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#208

Post by dr_ »

The article ignores the fact that there is a variety of equipment available to further minimize the risk of falls in the elderly - and it's the elderly that really matter, because a fall, in their case, could very well turn out to be life threatening. There are shower mats to increase friction. There are bars in the shower to hold on to. There are even tub benches to sit on while showering. I don't really expect the sort of absurd headline grabbing articles like this from the NYTimes. I expect articles that responsibly describe the risks and ways to mitigate them.

Re: That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

#210

Post by andrewflnr »

Angostura wrote: post #99
jff wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's just another example of the "magical natives, so in tune with the natural world" bullshit myth.

No it's simply an example of people who live in a particular environment being well aware of the risks associated with it. For example, before I worked in the Peruvian rain forest I would not have guessed that being hit by a brazil nut was one of the commonest reasons for accidental fatalities in the forest.

Good grief, do you have to wear a helmet any time you're in the forest?
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