Dr. Joan Shook MD

Recommended Articles

• Does the Sun Really Help Treat Eczema?

  For a long time, it has been part of cultural knowledge that exposure to sunlight can help treat eczema. Now, it is medically agreed that eczema can be treated using UV light. But does this mean that you should go out and get yourself sunburnt?To answer this question, first, you have to consider the...

• There from the Start: A Hospice Nurse Looks Back

  Although not talked about often or placed in the limelight as some other aspects of medicine, few people realize how important hospice care is. What we’ve come to know as modern hospice was first introduced to the world by Dame Cicely Saunders in the 1950’s, in the form of St. Christophers in...

• Hospital-Acquired Infections Increases Mortality Rate in the ICU

  According to the latest study presented at the 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, elderly patients treated with central catheter and/or mechanical ventilation devices in intensive care units are at a very high risk for getting hospital-acquired infections...

• Is Meningitis Contagious?

  Caused by bacteria and viruses, meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges. The inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can develop as a result of injury,...

• The Value of Clinical Intuition: Kids also Experience Drug Side Effects

  Clinical intuition is difficult to describe. Personally, it is the art of integrating nonverbal information that a patient presents in order to reach a diagnosis, reducing the need for diagnostic testing. This is especially important in children who often react differently to procedures, tests and...

• Treatment for Meningitis

  The severity of meningitis varies from one person to another. In common cases, medications can help solve the problem and the person may recover within 1 to 3 weeks. But in cases where there is a risk of the infection spreading to the meninges, hospitalization and other confirmation tests might be...