Greetings and Felicitations

Tom Fox welcomes back Scott Endicott and Ben Locwin on this episode of the Understanding Lyme Disease Podcast Series. Scott - who has had Lyme disease - is a clinical researcher, and Ben deals with Healthcare Policy at Maven. In this episode, they look at the changes that occur in the body when you contract Lyme disease. Testing For Lyme Disease There are blood tests that are carried out to determine whether a patient has Lyme disease, and it's a two step process. The first half of the test is called the Eliza test which detects antibodies the human body may or may not be producing against the organism that causes Lyme disease. The second half of the blood tests is called the Western blot which looks at antibodies to specific proteins in the Borrelia Burgdorferi organism. These tests are the original diagnostic tests and have been used since the beginning.  The Problems with Diagnosis Scott explains that PCR testing has come about after these tests and is there to identify the infecting agent. The challenge with PCR testing, however, is the way that the Borrelia Burgdorferi organism actually behaves in real time. The challenge with the Eliza and Western blot as well is that both tests can give false negatives for weeks because the organism has a way of mutating and masking itself. Diagnosis has been dependent on the primary symptom of Lyme disease which is the bullseye rash, a symptom only 30% of patients have. This makes it challenging and confusing for these patients. Clinicians are being given a primary symptom that only one third of patients experience. "There is a real disparity there with as far as how clinicians view this and very often...they'll basically look at it and say, ‘Well if it's not a rash, then I'm not going to treat you at this point,’" Scott remarks. Infectious disease experts will advise patients to treat with Doxycycline, and essentially hope for the best. Dilemma of Diagnosis With a disease that mutates, there is an urgent need to identify and treat it quickly. Infectious experts look at it as a challenge to diagnostic criteria as opposed to treating prophylactically and leave details for later. This ends up putting patients in a bind between standard medical treatment and other unconventional methods. Many Lyme disease clinicians are Lyme disease sufferers themselves, and so are forced to act outside of accepted protocols in order to properly address symptoms. Resources Scott Endicott | LinkedIn Ben Locwin | LinkedIn | Twitter

Scott Endicott and Ben Locwin are Tom Fox’s guests on the first episode of the Lyme disease series. Scott is the Executive Leader of Healthcare Solutions at CliniHealth Solutions. Ben is a TEDx speaker, healthcare and pharmaceutical executive with experience in senior management teams. They join Tom to talk about how Lyme disease first came about, symptoms, and the misinformation surrounding the disease. The Discovery of Lyme Disease Lyme disease has been around for millions of years, however, it evaded detection until the 1960s. The first diagnosed cases were occurring around Old Lyme, Connecticut which is how the disease got its name. It was first detected within children who had pediatric rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. A man named Willy Burgdorfer, who was a researcher, was trying to find the cause of the symptoms. He had been looking at spotted fever as well as other tick-borne diseases at the time and turned his attention to Old Lyme, Connecticut. In 1981 he found an organism within the affected children, and so the organism itself is named Borrelia Burgdorferi after him.  The First Diagnosis There has been a lot of confusion regarding the symptoms related to Lyme disease, so it is important to know what the true symptoms of the disease are and what to look out for. “The diagnostic criteria has been a moving target since 1975," Scott begins. The original Lyme disease epidemic was juvenile arthritis, and that was the trigger that pushed the community at the time to do further investigation as arthritis is not contagious. That confusion set the tone on how the disease was first diagnosed. The Evolution of Lyme Research Lyme has been detected in all US states of America except Hawaii. At one point it was believed that germs in the air was the cause for the disease going around. This was called germ theory. Today, the research and science has evolved, and information exchange and diagnostic criteria are becoming aligned. Nowadays, Lyme disease can be treated with simple antibiotics with very high efficacy. This is because there are more clinical professionals who are able to identify the disease early, and treat it effectively. Resources Scott Endicott | LinkedIn  Ben Locwin | LinkedIn | Twitter

Welcome to the Greetings and Felicitations, a podcast where I explore topics which might not seem to be directly related to compliance but clearly influence our profession. In this episode, I visit with Detective Ed Gillespie, from the Baltimore Police Department, who has incorporated the writing of poetry into his police work. We also talk about why a humanities approach to instructing police academy cadets can bring real change in policing. Some of the highlights include: Background of Ed Gillespie and why 9/11 changed him forever? What led to writing poetry? Poetry as therapy.  Connections to the War Poets. Teaching poetry at the Baltimore Police Academy. 6. Some of Detective Gillespie’s favorite poems. Resources Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pg/edoylegillespie/photos/ Gentrifying the Plague House-poetry by Ed Gillespie Policeman Poet of Baltimore

Welcome to newest edition to the Compliance Podcast Network: Greetings and Felicitations, a podcast where Tom Fox visits with a wide variety of guests on a wide variety of topics. In today’s inaugural episode I visit with Compliance Podcast Network fan favorite Dr. Ben Locwin. We take a deep dive into where we are into where we are with the Delta Variant, immunization, health care economics and delivery of health care services.

In this podcast we consider the TOS episode Journey to Babel as a starting point for the consideration of the medicine portrayed in the Original Series. The Enterprise transports ambassadors to a conference to discuss the admission of Corridon, a star system composed of many mutually combative races, to the Federation. Corridon contains a nearly unlimited supply of dilithium crystals, but its small population and lack of strong government has allowed illegal mining operations by outsiders seeking to exploit its natural resources. To Kirk's surprise, Sarek the 102.437-year-old ambassador from Vulcan and his his wife Amanda, who is human, are Spock's parents. Sarek reveals that he has had three previous Vulcan heart attacks and has been taking Bengacydrine to combat it. He requires an open-heart operation, but the ship's stores do not have a sufficient supply of blood, especially of Sarek's rare Vulcan T negative blood. Despite the fact that Spock's blood is a mixture of human and Vulcan factors, he provides a blood transfusion to Sarek after McCoy uses an experimental stimulant to increase the rate of blood production. The Enterprise is then attacked by alien ship while Sarek and Spock are on the operating table, endangering both their lives. Spock, who is recovering from the operation, surmises that the perpetrators were from Orion, since Orions are known to have been smuggling dilithium from Corridon and are anxious to prevent interference.   Highlights include:  1.   Why is the TriCorder such a significant piece of medical technology, even up to today? 2.   What are the diagnostic aspects of the TriCorder? 3.   What is augmented reality and how is it being used in medical treatment today?

In this series I am joined by Astrophysicist and Healthcare Futurist Ben Locwin. In this podcast we consider the TOS episode Tomorrow is Yesterday as a starting point for the consideration of the science around black holes, white holes, and wormholes. In this episode, USS Enterprise is thrown back in time to Earth during the 1960s by the effects of a high-gravity "black star". The Enterprise ends up in Earth's upper atmosphere and is picked up as a UFO on military radar. Spock and Chief Engineer Scott inform Kirk of a possible escape method by slingshotting around the Sun to break away and return to their time. The maneuver is risky, since even a small miscalculation could destroy the ship, or make them miss their own era. Kirk okays the maneuver, and time on board the Enterprise moves backwards. The Enterprise is then successfully returned to the 23rd century. Highlights include: Is a black star the same thing as a black hole? How does a white star become a black star? What is the Quality Exclusion Principle and how does it apply? What is the Chronology Protection and how does it work?

Welcome to Greetings and Felicitations. In this series I am joined by Astrophysicist and Healthcare Futurist Ben Locwin. In this podcast we consider the TOS episode The Naked Time as a starting point for the consideration of the science around the warp drive. A landing party from the Enterprise beams aboard Psi 2000, an ancient planet about to break up. They find all six of the crew manning the station dead. Crewman Joey unwisely removes his gloves is contaminated by a red liquid. As Psi 2000 shows a shift in magnetic field and mass, the Enterprise begins a close orbit requiring constant vigilance. Unfortunately, an infected Lt. O’Reilly has turned off the warp engines.  To restart the warp engines, matter and antimatter must be mixed in a controlled implosion. However, after mixing matter and antimatter at a colder than recommended temperature according to an untested intermix formula, the Enterprise is thrown into a time warp which causes the chronometer to run backwards. This allows the Enterprise to escape the breakup of the planet, returning it 71 hours into the past and therefore before any of the episode's events took place.   Highlights include: 1.   Why must you suspend your disbelief for this episode? 2.   How would a warp drive work in practice? 3.   Why does E=MC²control this issue? 4.   What is antimatter? 5.   What is the time wise effect on high speed travel?

In this episode, I am joined by Astrophysicist and Healthcare Futurist Ben Locwin. In this podcast, we consider the TOS episode Where No Man Has Gone Before as a starting point for the consideration of the science around the phaser. The Federation starship Enterprise is on an exploratory mission to leave the galaxy. At the edge of the galaxy, the ship it encounters a strange barrier which damages the ship's systems and warp drive, forcing a retreat. At the same time, nine crew members are killed and both helmsman Gary Mitchell and ship's psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dehner are knocked unconscious by the barrier's effect. When he awakens, Mitchell's eyes glow silver, and he begins to display remarkable psychic powers. Alarmed that Mitchell may take over the Enterprise, Kirk decides to maroon him at an unmanned lithium-cracking facility on the remote planet of Delta Vega. Once there, the landing party tries to confine Mitchell, but his powers have become too great. Kirk follows with a phaser rifle, the only time in the Original Series it was seen. Kirk uses the phaser rifle to create a rockslide, killing Mitchell. Highlights Include: Why aren't phasers being used today? Why is air the biggest problem in creating a phaser? How can you aim and shoot at a target using a phaser? How do you deal with the energy loss?

In this episode of Greetings and Felicitations, I am joined by Astrophysicist and Healthcare Futurist Ben Locwin. In this podcast we consider the TOS episode Mirror Mirror as a starting point for the consideration of the science around the transporter. In this episode, a landing party Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura beams back up to the Enterprise. Interference from an ion storm, however, causes them to be transported into a parallel universe and a mirror image Enterprise. Now aboard the Imperial Starship Enterprise, the landing party discovers crew members who are mirror images of themselves and belong to an evil Federation known as the Empire. Their first experience is the torture of transporter operator Mr. Kyle with an agonizer for his alleged failure to beam the landing party up quickly enough. Immediately, Kirk realizes that a mirror image landing party must have been beamed aboard the real U.S.S. Enterprise. Kirk, Uhura, McCoy, and Scotty impersonate their mirror image counterparts while finding a way to return to their universe. When Kirk and the party return, they find that their Empire counterparts were immediately recognized and put in detention. The Enterprise's crew attributes this to the fact that it is easier for logical men to appear barbarous than for barbarous men to appear civilized.  Highlights include: Quantum transportation of information.While we cannot yet teleport, we can recreate. How does the telegraph signal explain this science used in Star Trek? What about the radio signals from the Apollo moon flights?

Welcome to newest edition to the Compliance Podcast Network: Greetings and Felicitations, a podcast where Tom Fox visits with a wide variety of guests on a wide variety of topics. In today’s inaugural episode I visit with Compliance Podcast Network fan favorite Dr. Ben Locwin. We take a deep dive into where we are in the Covid 19 pandemic, what may be down the road and how the global vaccination response has worked to slow down this global pandemic.