Enclothed Cognition

T.S. Eliot once said, "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons." I could say the same - at least from about age seventeen onwards. At Medelita, we definitely love our coffee - and we have found an exceptional company (and great coffee!) that we'd like to share with you: Singing Rooster. Coffee has a long and rich history in Haiti, and Singing Rooster is a nonprofit organization that seeks to offer direct assistance to communities in Haiti by building self-sustaining economic infrastructures based, in part, on coffee growing, production and exportation. The coffee we have here at the office, Singing Rooster's Haitian Mountain Bleu coffee, is grown in the same region as the wildly successful Jamaican Blue - but at a fraction of the price. Each 12 oz bag of Haitian Mountain Blue is $9, and 100% of profits go back to Haiti. Singing Rooster helps farmers to cultivate and process high quality, gourmet Haitian coffee. They work with and buy their beans directly from farmer owned cooperatives. They provide pre-harvest financing and pay well above Fair Trade prices. Most importantly, they return all proceeds for coffee sales back to the farmers and their communities in the form of projects that support coffee production, land management, and small business development / entrepreneurship.

"Even if you're recreating a logo, there's room to be artistic," says Medelita embroidery artist, David Saldana. In this month's Stitches magazine, our very talented embroidery artist discusses the thought, detail, and artistic consideration that goes into every custom logo we create. Check out the article to realize the incredible number of thread colors and time that goes into a single professional logo at Medelita. All of our custom logos are digitized in-house by David. Each customer provides a .jpeg of their logo, and David uses that as a basis to recreate it as an embroidered image. He rebuilds each logo from scratch, applying his decade of experience to add his own artistic touches – every single stitch is programmed by hand. In David’s words, “For me, it's in the play of light. Some embroidery artists think one dimensionally, but I like to try to make the light bounce off my designs. If you can control the light, it gives a whole different texture to the design. I want certain colors to shine and others not to shine when the light hits it at varying angles. I do that by manipulating the thread angle and the type of stitch I use. If you take a simple circle, for instance, most embroidery will be a straight stitch. I do that, but then I go back in and create an angled radius that plays with the light.” Our set fee for a custom logo is $75, and that includes the digitizing and embroidery, as well as one revision. Generally speaking, the changes required for a revision are often minor – a shade of color changed or certain lines thickened, etc… It’s very rare for a customer to need to pay an additional fee for extra revisions, and we do try to avoid it by communicating thoroughly throughout the process to truly understand your needs from the beginning. The cost of ‘perfection’, however, is something that we retain as the manufacturer. Much like our actual garments, we do spend more to attain a certain level of quality. As David put it, “It's the little details that set you apart. I don't skimp on stitches. A lot of people will pull stitches out of a design to save time or money, but I'll spend an extra dollar in thread to make a logo exceptional.” If you have any questions about custom logo embroidery or group orders, we're here to help. Contact us at 877-987-7979 or email us at contact.us@medelita.com.

One of our customers and colleagues, Dr. Bill Green, was recently featured on a CNN news segment wearing his Laennec Medelita lab coat in our original fabric. Dr. Green invented the T-ring™, the latest breakthrough in digital tourniquet technology for any physician or clinician who treats digit or nail injuries. His segment on Net Worth (viewable here) shows the benefits of a bloodless field (without vascular compromise) for digit injuries using the T-ring. There are three commonly used methods to stop the blood flow from a lacerated finger: a Penrose drain, the rolled glove finger, and the Tourni-cot. A well-known complication of these digital tourniquets is neurovascular damage due to excessive pressure generated beneath the tourniquet. Previous studies have demonstrated that each of these three methods may exert pressure to the digit that exceeds what is generally considered to be safe; often the result of using the wrong size tourniquet or applying it too tightly. Contributing to the risk is the inability to safely monitor the pressure to alert the user when excessive pressure is being applied. Approved by U.S. Military and Government agencies, the T-ring automatically adjusts to any size digit. It applies safe non-direct pressure, cannot be over-tightened, and provides ideal wound visualization with immediate hemostatis. “As a hand surgeon, I frequently operate on the thumb or fingers for which control of bleeding is critical . The “T-RING” is an ingenious new product which I rely on to achieve both effective exsanguinations and to control bleeding. This device is simply slipped from the top of the digit to the base, and quite elegantly allows procedures to be done in a bloodless environment.” - Ross Nathan, M.D.

A lab coat is a perfect Father's Day gift - a gift of pride and stylish sophistication. We currently offer four different men’s styles, all of them equally popular but intended/purchased for different reasons. Follow the suggested tips below to help you find the best style for your medical man. Height Men that are of taller stature, typically 6’1” and above look best in the Osler lab coat. Height is not the only requirement for this particular lab coat. It is also preferred by men who simply want a longer coat as a symbol of prestige and stature. This 44” lab coat falls to the knee and is tailored, sophisticated, and highly functional, including fluid & stain resistant fabric. The Laennec lab coat is our best selling lab coat, likely because it is the most traditional in appearance, and the average man is between 5’8” and 6’ tall. The Laennec lab coat is a 40” lab coat that looks extremely professional, with blazer like styling features and a perfect fit. Specialty Physicians and most clinicians prefer the traditional look of the Osler and Laennec lab coat styles. Dentists and dental surgeons prefer the dental specific Fauchard lab coat, although some OBGYNs also purchase this style as they, too, are often gloved and working from a stool. It is highly functional and extremely ergonomic in both a seated and standing position. Students and some dental professionals prefer the 30” Fleming lab coat, as a hip length consultation lab cat, either as a required length or a preferred length. Cuffs or No Cuffs? The Fauchard dental lab coat is the only men’s lab coat with cuffed sleeves, specifically designed to not come out of your gloves while doing procedures. The entire sleeve is ergonomic in both range of motion and exact positioning at the elbow, for a true position of function that results in no tension in any position. Buttons or Snaps? The Osler, Laennec and Fleming all have highly durable buttons that are triple secured, and these styles look highly professional both open and closed. The Fauchard has a snap closure to the neck, and looks best in a closed position. Single Back Pleat or Double Back Pleat? Most men don’t realize how important the back lower pleats are to both comfort and aesthetic. Similar to a stylish men’s blazer, the back of our lab coats have either a single back pleat (the Fleming, the Osler, and the Laennec) or a double back pleat/vent (the Fauchard). Both have an ideal length and positioning in order to maximize comfort and add to the overall sophisticated look of each lab coat. What Size? If you want the perfect fit for the lab coat, simply order the same size as you would for a sport coat or blazer. It’s that simple, and you (and he!) will be surprised by how tailored and professional a Medelita Men’s lab coat can look and feel. For help in choosing a lab coat style, determining proper size, or if you would like to inquire about custom logo or name & title embroidery, please call 877-987-7979 or email contact.us@medelita.com for highly personalized, professional service.

Along with our friends at Henry Schein Dental, we'll be sponsoring several contests over the next few weeks. In honor of Father's Day, our current contest features our Fauchard Dental Lab Coat for Men - named after Pierre Fauchard, “the father of modern dentistry." Designed to resemble a men’s suit jacket with a traditional collar and blazer pocket, the 40? length Fauchard dental lab coat is the most professional and tailored dental lab coat on the market. The Fauchard dental lab coat is designed specifically to accommodate the exact range of motion and ergonomics required of dental practitioners, and features cuffed sleeves and snap closure to the neck for OSHA compliance. Comfort with movement in dental specific positions was the paramount consideration in this lab coat design, and an ergonomic design of the sleeves and upper back allows for full range of motion. Double back vent. Easy snap front closure. Underarm grommets for ventilation. The Fauchard dental lab coat also boasts breathable, 100% cotton pre-shrunk performance fabric that repels fluid, soil, and stains – including blood and impression material, while helping to maintain the bright white coat color that signifies prestige and professionalism. Enter today for your chance to win a FREE Fauchard Dental Lab Coat for Men by Medelita - complete with complimentary Name & Title Embroidery. Enter the contest here, and on the next screen you will be asked to invite others. For every colleague you successfully invite into the contest, we'll add an entry to your name. Join the giveaway now and don't forget to ask your colleagues!

I didn't want to see Dr Pinkel the last time I went home. It was October, and I was four months into my residency, struggling with this troublesome truth: I wished I hadnt become a doctor. Honest to God, if I could've taken back my four years, thousands of notecards, and literal house of debt, I would have. It was so hard, and so unrewarding, and I was so unhappy. I remember hiking around the time of my graduation, looking at the green hills and flowers, excited about the new growth in my own life, the direction it had taken. I hiked the same trail again in October, and all the grass was brown and dead, the flowers were gone, and I was staring at the hills, resentful of how the flora reflected my life once again. I wondered why I had done this, why I had thought it was such a good idea and the only direction my life should go. Because it didn't seem now like it was such a good idea anymore. And I didn't want to see Dr. Pinkel, disappoint him with this news that he had been wrong. He had seen a good doctor in me at twenty-one years old, had written a glowing letter of recommendation for me, and happily gave me a graduation gift of more money than I'd ever received at one time. I respected him more than just about anyone I had ever met- this elderly man that had a career including finding a virtual cure for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and being the founding medical director for St. Jude Children's Hospital. And now I was in town, and avoiding him. I'm really sorry, I thought, and went back to work a few days later. I just got back from visiting again, now in May, now eleven months into my training. I called him up the minute I got into town, and visited him the next day. We had a nice lunch that turned into a three-hour chat. I told him about my patients, my surgeries, all the things I can do now that I couldn't do the last time I saw him. He told me about how in his time, GYN surgery was a fellowship from general surgery, and obstetrics was a very separate specialty. Interesting. He also told me about some pearls from his own training, like this story: In the 1950s and prior, it was hospital policy that parents were only allowed to visit their children for a few hours each month. It was thought that the families had made children sick, so they were limited in seeing them while inpatient. In his medical school training, he watched families wave to their children through a window, standing outside. As a resident, he let in parents and grandparents as much as they wanted, and paid hell for it, but eventually changed the hospital's policy. He tells me about his graduating class, how there was not one woman at commencement. They started out with six, he tells me, and five had a child and dropped out in their first year. One made it to the senior year, and the professors/attendings/other students teased her for it. But, she got pregnant too and left school before graduating. How very different from today, where my class was split 45/55, and we intentionally have to look for men to join our OB/GYN program. He also tells me about the inception of St. Jude Children's Hospital (this was so special, I thought it deserved it's own post. More on this to come). I am amazed by his history, realizing how he has indeed changed history. And he tells me my life is important too. That he is glad I became a physician, because we need more doctors like me. What a compliment. I go hiking again after I leave his house. The spring growth is back on the hillside. I am glad I became a doctor too. Medelita Guest Blogger: Dr. Anne Kennard. Anne is an OB/GYN resident in Phoenix. She has kept a collection of writings about medicine/becoming a doctor since her second year of medical school, and we're honored to welcome her as a guest blogger for Medelita.

Does the medical man in your life own an iPad? If so, consider giving him a Laennec iPad lab coat for Father's Day this year - complete with name & title embroidery for the perfect finishing touch. As iPads continue to grow as a key extension of a doctor’s arsenal, Medelita is dedicated to remaining on the cutting edge of this convergence of technology in medicine. The Laennec lab coat for men fits an iPad to accommodate tablet users in the healthcare profession who simply need a place to put their mobile devices while they use both hands to work. The improved lab coat design allows doctors, clinicians, and other medical professionals to keep their iPad comfortably and securely right by their hip in their lab coat. The new iPad pockets are reinforced along the seam and designed to offer easy access to a tablet while ensuring that it remains snugly protected - no more bumping, jostling, or falling out during a demanding shift. At Medelita, product development is fueled by the evolving needs of the customer, and this modern and stylish lab coat is sure to be a Father's Day hit.

With Father's Day rapidly approaching, I'm sure you're wondering what to get the medical man in your life. For a discerning and stylish man who seemingly has everything, here are a few perfect, high-end gifts to make this Father's Day one to remember: 1. Personalized Medelita Men's Lab Coat From classic to dental-specific and iPad-compatible styles, our Medelita Men’s lab coats are leaps and bounds ahead of anything else on the market. For the ultimate gesture, consider adding name & title embroidery - a statement of professionalism and aptitude. This weekend, starting Friday June 1st at 12pm PST and ending Sunday at 11:59pm PST, we're offering complimentary name & title embroidery with the purchase of any lab coat or scrub set. You will also receive our beautiful and elegant gift wrapping on every order at no additional charge up until June 17th. Delivery by Father Day's on June 17th is guaranteed for embroidered items purchased by June 4th and non-embroidered items purchased by June 11th. 2. Shirt from Ledbury

A Ledbury shirt is a classic touch of tailoring to wear beneath his lab coat. A maker of high quality men’s dress shirts, Ledbury is building a brand based on the core value of great fit and superb quality. Ledbury shirts feature an Angle-American collar that won’t collapse, an ideal V cut at the neckline, the finest italian woven fabrics, a better fit, mother-of-pearl buttons, and a high stitch count – all of which are hallmarks of a high quality shirt. 3. Pen from Montblanc

Every man needs a pen, and with Montblanc, they can write those prescriptions in style. Montblanc, synonymous for the very highest writing culture for the past 100 years, has followed lasting values such as quality and traditional craftsmanship. Its uncompromising demands of shape, style, materials, and workmanship have been reflected in its products, ranging from luxury ballpoint and fountain tip pens to mechanical pencils. 4. Custom Wedge from Scratch Golf

For the man that loves to relax on the golf course, Scratch Golf in an industry leader in award-winning custom irons and wedges. The only company to specialize in fitting the sole grind (the part of the club that interacts with the turf at impact) of a golf club, every Scratch wedge is handmade and matched to a player’s style of swing. 5. Intelliskin Performance Shirt

All those hours standing in the operating room can put quite a strain on the back – Intelliskin is the solution. The IntelliSkin shirt is scientifically designed to retrain the body to achieve optimal muscular balance and function through proper alignment and quality of movement. Created by sports medicine expert and accomplished athlete, Dr. Tim Brown, IntelliSkin products incorporate advanced sports science, medical research and design and construction to naturally trigger an instant, predictable sensorimotor response. Positive results are nearly 100% predictable, which is why IntelliSkin is the intelligent second skin recommended by leading health professionals and elite athletes worldwide. 6. Italian Leather Physician Bag from Forzieri

The physician bag is a classic accessory for a stylish and professional man. Vintage style matched with unprecented quality, Forzieri doctor bags have been enchanting the world since 1998 by featuring cutting-edge emerging designers, undiscovered master artisans and iconic fashion houses.

One consistent request we've heard from our customers and colleagues has been for lighter weight fabric. Originally, we intended to wait until our current inventory was gone before we introduced the new fabrics. But we're not patient when it comes to providing the absolute best in high quality lab coats and scrubs. We're now launching every lab coat in our brand new lighter weight fabric, and offering our existing inventory of original fabric at a discounted price. If you love our original fabrics, now is the time to get a few extra lab coats at 20% off - while supplies last. Here is a summary of the newest upgrades to Medelita lab coats, including perfectly draping, lighter weight fabric and numerous upgrades in durability.

I used to be pretty. Theoretically, I still could be. I have some decent raw material. Taller than average. Slender, athletic frame, if a little pear-shaped. Hair that is straight without intervention, light brown with natural strawberry highlights. Brown eyes, dark eyelashes, full lips. Clear skin with a few freckles. Maybe not beautiful, but okay. More than some people have to start out with, and I feel like I should make the most of it. I'm working in the clinic right now. I adore office work. Things that most people take for granted- sleeping at night, wearing your own clothes to work, eating lunch- are joys that I get to experience in clinic that I don't usually get while working on the wards. I can put on pants that fit, a purple shirt that looks good with my skin tone, and put on thirty seconds worth of makeup. Undereye concealer, powder, a little blush, a lipstick that has been in my white coat for months. Four people stop me this morning to tell me how great I look. "Wow, are you wearing makeup?" "You look great!" "I like you in your clothes" (side note: does this sound inappropriate to you? Would you also like me out of my clothes?) "You are really pretty." They always sound a little surprised when they say that. I smile and laugh a little. I tell them thank you, that this is how I used to look in my other life. This is how I looked before I went to medical school, became a doctor, and worked harder/got less sleep than a mother of perpetually newborn twins. When I'm at the hospital, I wear the required men's scrubs. They are too short, hug my hips too tight, and gap in the chest. My hair is always up and never combed. Sometimes I wear my surgical hat even when I'm not going to the OR, just because I feel like it's cuter than my head. My skin is dull, I have pimples from my surgical mask, and I look bruised on the thin skin under my eyes. My joints ache with tiredness. I look weary. I feel old. I always sort of wondered when I would start looking older. I look young for my age, and always have. Indeed, the "little doc" came out of people's surprise that I was old enough and accomplished enough to be wearing a white coat. When would I stop looking like the "little doc" and just a doctor? Now I know. I think this process will age me. Like the presidents. Those guys always start out looking okay, and gradually their wrinkles form and deepen, the skin looks sallow, their hair goes gray. By the end of the term, they have aged much more than four years. And I think this four years of residency will do the same to me. However, hopefully then I will have a stable practice that I love, a little more sleep at night, and more working hours during the daytime. I can wear comfortable scrubs that are made for women. I'll feel better, even though I'll be older. And hopefully I'll make enough money to buy more expensive cosmetics, and afford a few units of Botox. I think I'll probably need them. :) Medelita Guest Blogger: Dr. Anne Kennard. Anne is an OB/GYN resident in Phoenix. She has kept a collection of writings about medicine/becoming a doctor since her second year of medical school, and we're honored to welcome her as a guest blogger for Medelita.