Enclothed Cognition

Every day, doctors and PAs (including you!) come across a number of puzzling illnesses. But only a few are as strange and perplexing as these. We’ll call these the top five for now, until we hear yours . . . The Teenager Who Can Only Eat Tic Tacs Adherance to the food pyramid is definitely not an option here. Natalie Cooper, a 17-year old teenager, happens to have an illness that prevents her from eating almost all foods. What is even more interesting is that Natalie always gets sick whenever she eats anything except for . . . Tic Tac Mints! For reasons no health care professional can explain, Tic Tacs seem to be the only edible thing she can stomach, which means that she gets the rest of her nourishment through a PEG tube. Hopefully they sell Tic Tacs at Costco . . . The Woman That Collapses Every Time She Feels Emotion (of any kind!) I’d be curious to hear if you’ve heard of this before - a disorder that causes a person to experience syncope right on the spot whenever she feels any type of strong emotion such as anger, awe, fear, surprise and even embarrassment. This disorder is called cataplexy, and Kay Underwood is a sufferer. The 20-year old woman from England was diagnosed with this perplexing disorder 5 years ago and has been known to collapse over 40 times in just one day. In addition to collapsing every time she feels an intense emotion, Kay also tends to drift off to sleep without warning – even while she’s walking down the street. Hmmm . . . The Little Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep Rhett Lamb is just like many toddlers – cranky and extremely active. But there’s one thing that sets him apart from the rest: Rhett is unable to sleep (!). Obviously extremely rare, this little boy is awake for almost 24 hours a day, forcing his parents to split shifts of watching over him while he is in sleep-deprive mode. This condition has puzzled (and I imagine frustrated) his parents and doctors for years. After a good number of conflicting opinions, they finally found out what was ailing the child. Specialists diagnosed Rhett with a disorder called chiari malformation (this rang a bell to our Founder), wherein the brain stem – the portion of the brain which controls speech, sleep, cranial nerves, circulatory and breathing system – is squeezed, compressed and strangulated into the spinal column, impeding its ability to function normally. Now that sounds stressful. The Man Who Never Feels Cold He may seem like a street magician doing some extreme tricks, but Dutchman Wim Hof, otherwise known as the Iceman, can withstand incredibly cold temperatures. He can swim under ice and stand in bins filled with ice cubes. He even climbed the icy-cold Mont Blanc in France without putting anything on but shorts! He has set world records and is always on the lookout for new challenges. Experts cannot really explain how the Iceman does this, but he can certainly withstand cold temperatures that are typically fatal to the average person. No Patagonia gear for him . . . So we’re anxious to hear yours. What cases have you had that top this list?

Before medical schools, technology, and advanced surgical techniques existed, medicine was a field of mystery and experimentation. The art of surgery, therefore, was a process of trial and error - often utilizing barbaric and dangerous methods. Let’s take a look at how some of our forefathers operated during ancient times. For most of you – perhaps it's a recap. But hopefully a very interesting one! STONE AGE The first signs of historical surgical operations are trepanned skulls and sharpened flints dating as far back as the Stone Age. Although no one is certain of the nature or cause for these operations, it is assumed that they were performed on people who suffered from head injuries, and were intended to release pressure building up inside the brain. ANCIENT EGYPT It is an undeniable fact that the Egyptians really know their way around embalming and mummifying people. The process of mummification and the removal of internal organs was actually a rather refined art, consisting of the smallest possible incisions - they even removed the brain through the nose to avoid damaging the outer appearance of the body! However, Egyptian surgery also included treating broken bones, suturing wounds, and dealing with abscesses and boils. They had plenty of surgical instruments on hand - using sutures, clamps, scissors and cauterization to close open wounds as well as saws, forceps, scalpels, and probes to explore injuries. ANCIENT ROME During the Roman Empire’s golden years, the surgical arena was dominated by the works and ideas of Galen. He was significantly fascinated and curious about the human anatomy. However, since it was forbidden to open up human bodies at that time, Galen spent most of his days dissecting animals, including apes. Needless to say, some of his ideas were wrong as he assumed a great similarity between animal and human bodies. However, Galen was a very powerful and influential writer, and his inaccurate works travelled far and wide - dominating the medical field for centuries. ANCIENT INDIA In Ancient India, surgeons were incredibly skilled. Because people were constantly punished by having their noses chopped off, undergoing operations for the “repair” or reconstruction of their noses was widespread. As an inevitable result, India became the birthplace of plastic surgery. As long as humanity has existed, it has required medicine. From skull-smashing and the preservation of the dead to ape dissection and criminal plastic surgery, these primitive operations, even in their flawed design, helped to form the foundation for the advanced surgical field of our modern era. I, for one, am grateful for this extensive evolution of surgical techniques.

I was so excited to get my white coat. The White Coat Ceremony was the beginning of medical school, the confirmation that yes, I was going to be a doctor, and I couldn't wait. As the dean of the program called my name and placed the coat on my shoulders, I smiled...and then noticed that the sleeves almost covered my fingers. I walked off the stage, a little disconcerted, pulling the coat around me, finding that it could wrap around far past the buttons. The shoulder seams hung loosely down my upper arms. It was a boxy, straight fit, and of course looked great on the guys. It should- it was a man's coat, that didn't come in a small enough size to fit me. Eventually, I shortened the sleeves. But it still hung loosely, awkwardly on my frame, like I didn't belong in it. I felt unprofessional, like I had put on my dad's coat and went to work. I knew how important perceptions are- I dressed well, in tailored, professional clothes...and then covered them up with this ill-fitting coat. Eventually, I graduated and got a longer coat, but this was still a man's coat, still as frustrating as before. Maybe even more so, because now I was a real doctor, but I didn't feel like it or look like I belonged in the coat. Then, I got my Medelita white coat. I ripped open the shipping package, putting it on over my workout gear in my kitchen. The first thing I noticed was how the sleeves came down- exactly to my wrists. The shoulder seams rested on my shoulders. The weight of the coat felt right- not flimsy, but still breathable, and it draped well. I eagerly checked out all the pockets, filling them with the pens, papers, granola bars, stethescope, and little books that were in my old coat. It still hung well, and didn't look overfilled as my other one had. I looked in the mirror and admired the princess seams, and the buttons on the back waist. I admired the small collar, professional and tailored. I adored the dark pink script with my name. My old coat had boring black block letters. I mean, I'm in obstetrics/gynecology! It should be pretty and pink! I tried it on with my work outfit, and scrubs, and wore it to work every day for the next few weeks. I got so many compliments, saying that I looked pretty, professional, that the coat was so well-cut, and where did I get it? (Of course I referred them!) The pink lettering was admired by all, and many commented on the pretty seams and back buttons. I watched blood drip onto it as a placed a central line, and then in amazement watched the blood drip off again, without leaving a stain. I dropped oatmeal on it, and wiped it off without at trace. On my day off, I washed and dried it with the rest of my laundry, and it looked great without even having to iron it. Over time, I became aware that I loved the coat not only for how it looked, but how it made me feel. When I used to walk into a patient's room, I felt young, like I was playing dress-up, like I didn't really fit in. Now, I walk in confidently, knowing that I look professional and polished, and that this is a better representation of me. My coat matches my nice work clothes, and can cover up the ill-fitting hospital scrubs I sometimes I have to wear for surgery. And even though it is a work piece, I love it's design and fit so much that it really is one of my favorite articles of clothing. Every day it makes me happy and feel good about myself. I definitely recommend Medelita to anyone that wants a beautiful, functional coat for everyday wear. 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.

Long ago, an enterprising man with a penchant for dentistry plucked an apple from the orchard as he made his way to work. Alas, his breakfast was thwarted when a small worm poked its head from the hole it had made within its juicy home. The apple was abandoned . . . or perhaps the worm was just eaten around (because hygiene and healthy habits were not yet a cultural priority). Shortly afterwards, our dental ancestor examined a patient's decaying teeth, taking note of the rounded cavities that had developed within. "Aha," he exclaimed, "It must be a tooth worm!" While my story about the origins of the tooth worm is a fabrication, the existence of such a myth is quite real. The "evil tooth worm" is an urban legend that dates back as far as 5000 BC - where it was referenced in a Sumerian text. Without adequate understanding of why teeth decayed, many believed that the tooth worm bore a hole through your tooth and hid beneath the surface. A toothache was, therefore, the result of a restless worm wiggling around. This idea spread through centuries and several cultures, with evidence of the tooth worm myth found all over the world. The tooth worm even has its own creation myth, courtesy of 1800 BC Mesopotamia: “When Anu created the Sky, the Sky created the Rivers, The Rivers created the Valleys, the Valleys created the Swamps, the Swamps created the Worm, the Worm went to Samas and wept. His tears flowed before Ea. “What will you give me to eat, what will you give me to such?” “I’ll give you a ripe fig, apricots and apple juice.” “What use are a ripe fig, an apricot and apple juice to me? Lift me up! Let me dwell ‘twixt teeth and gum! I’ll suck the blood from the teeth and gnaw the roots in their gums.” “Because you have said this, O Worm, may Ea sink you with his mighty hand!” Some ancient doctors mistook tooth nerves for tooth worms and extracted both tooth and nerve in a misguided and extremely painful predecessor to the modern day root canal. An enduring belief, the tooth worm was an accepted cause of cavities and toothaches right up until the 18th century - when it was finally scientifically scrutinized by our very own Pierre Fauchard.

"Enclothed Cognition", a recent study published by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, supports the theory that what you wear affects your aptitude and performance. Research subjects wearing white doctors coats performed significantly better than their peers on a "Stroop test" - a test that challenges cognition by displaying the name of a word in a conflicting color. During a Stroop test, participants are asked to say the word, rather than name the color, and those wearing lab coats made about half as many errors as those wearing street clothes. But will any white coat fit the bill? Some participants were given a lab coat, yet informed that it was an artist's coat. Interestingly, those participants scored below average - supporting the idea that it's not just the clothes, but the symbolic meaning behind them that affects us on a cognitive level. “It’s the simultaneous combination of the posture or the clothes and the symbolic meaning of them that matters,” said researcher, Adam Galinsky. While we're a fashion forward company, it's our primary desire to ensure that our customers feel confident and polished in their medical garments - a task that seems impossible when you're forced to wear boxy, unprofessional lab coats and scrubs. Many of our female colleagues have commented that traditional lab coats leave them feeling as though they're wearing their father's coat . . . hardly the right image for a knowledgeable professional who has dedicated what seems like centuries to their career. With this is mind, our dedication to providing medical professionals with garments deserving of their stature becomes even more rewarding. For us, it's not about the bottom line, but about ensuring that your lab coat reflects your prestige and aptitude . . . something that's not just a matter of fashion anymore.

Here is a story of probably the nicest thing any patient has ever said to me. I wanted to write it down before I forgot, so I can look back at it on the days that I feel like my work doesn't matter, an attending berates me, the nurses undermine my work, or there is a sad outcome. I went into medicine because I wanted to help people. And I thought becoming a doctor was the best way for me to do this- to gain the technical and clinical skills to be helpful. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it feels like it isn't. But, I love what I do, and what I get the opportunity to provide. Sometimes it's easy to forget this, which is why I hold on to this memory, precious and vivid. I admitted a young woman, pregnant with her first baby, at 34 weeks. She was feeling sick, and her baby's heart tracing was concerning. Both of them looked sicker within the hour, but the attending and I were slow to want to do a c-section on a premature baby. We gave her fluids, and I watched them both closely. Then, the baby's heart rate when down. I called a crash section, and with the help of the OR team, had delivered that baby before the attending even got to the hospital. There are a few quiet minutes, in between initiating the crash and the quick ride to the operating room and swift delivery. They are precious, my one opportunity to sit calmly with a mother and her loved ones before the chaos begins. I take her hand, and tell her "Everything is okay. Your baby's heart rate went down, so we need to do a delivery now. But, we do this all the time, and can get your baby delivered quickly." Usually the panicked mother starts to cry about now. I let her know gently, "in just a few moments, it's going to get very busy in here, with a lot of people, but that's normal. We just need lots of hands to help. We are going to take a quick ride down the hall to the operating room, and I'll be waiting for you there." This time was no different. Lots of nurses, a quick ride down the hall, me smiling at her with everything but my eyes covered by a mask. A few minutes later she was delivered, and I was stitching her up, just as the attending arrived. The gem came later, two days after her delivery, during my morning postpartum rounds. I went to see how she was doing, and she grabbed my hand and squeezed it. She said "I just want you to know...that time you sat talking to me, when you told me how it was going to get busy, but not to worry, because that was normal? That was so calming, and I just wanted to tell you...when I think about my baby's birth, I think of you. My clearest memory of my delivery is you, sitting on my bed, in your flowered hat (scrub cap), holding my hand and telling me what to expect, and that it would all be okay. Thank you." Thank you, dear patient. 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.

How do you add excitement to an otherwise monotone, day after day, scrub set? For many medical and dental professionals, Sanita® Clogs are a way to add some self-expression to an otherwise repetitive uniform, while still maintaining a polished appearance. Sanita has been making supreme quality Danish clogs since 1907, and season after season they continue to surprise us with their awesome new styles. The premium leathers, professional designs, and durability of Sanita clogs represent a perfect blend of tradition and innovation. One of the new styles, The Sanita Professional Electra Clog, features water resistant leather, ensuring easy care and maintenance with extended wear. Available in several color combinations with contrast piping, you can add a splash of contemporary color to your rather uniform . . . well, uniform. Awarded the “Seal of Acceptance” by the APMA (American Podiatric Medical Association) for their supreme quality and comfort, the oiled leather and reinforced stabilizing instep offers additional padding, while the protective heel cap provides support. Anatomically designed, Sanita clogs ensure a perfect and comfortable fit. This month we are featuring Sanita professional clogs in a number of new men’s and women’s styles that offer a finished look when paired with our scrubs and lab coats. And – for a limited time, we’re offering our entire line of professional clogs at a special 20% discount. Just enter the code “ComfyClogs” (all one word) at checkout.

"Our clothes are too much a part of us for most of us ever to be entirely indifferent to their condition: it is as though the fabric were indeed a natural extension of the body, or even of the soul," once stated the author, artist, critic, and biographer (and nephew of Virginia Woolf), Quentin Bell. We couldn't agree more, and that's part of why we're so meticulous about the quality, fabric, and function of our lab coats and scrubs. After months of thoughtful design and development, we're proud to present our newest lab coat designed for female clinicians - the Emma W. lab coat. Here are the top 5 features of the Emma W. lab coat for women: 1. An Exceptional New Collar Design Whether you call it a tuxedo collar or a shawl collar, this striking design truly sets the Emma W. lab coat apart. This modern collar is often seen on new, high-end women’s blazers, and translates very well to a white lab coat. Feedback to date is that it has both a formal look and an everyday, professional look – and thus is ideal for everyday wear in clinical practice. The slimmer collar design also prevents embroidery coverage, which is often the case on our smaller sized lab coats with larger lapels. 2. The Best of the Estie Two features on the Estie lab coat are sincerely loved by our customers/colleagues. The blazer style slit chest pocket (also fully functional) is great because it doesn’t draw attention to one side of your chest, and is the perfect frame for name & title embroidery. And the flat belt that wraps around the front, originally on the Estie, and placed at the true waist for the most flattering definition. Both features have been adopted for the new Emma W. lab coat. 3. The Best of the Callia The Emma W. has a loose back waist belt with buttons, quite similar to the original Callia lab coat. And the Emma also has traditional side vents, like the Callia – a welcomed, very traditional feature of a longer white lab coat. 4. Slimming Features The Emma W. complements all figures, but slimming vertical princess seams (both front and back) and pleating below the bust make this coat especially flattering for women of all sizes. 5. Comfortable and Functional Fabric Now in the most ideal weight lab coat fabric to date, our lightweight 100% pre-shrunk cotton fabric resists wrinkling and is distinctly more breathable than polyester-blend fabrics. Certified performance fabric by DuPont repels fluid, soil and stains - including blood - for over 50 washings, allowing a bright white finish that signifies professionalism and prestige.

We're a highly visual species, and we live in an ever-changing world where visual representation is paramount. Information - in both pedestrian and scientific settings, from traffic signals to anatomical charts gives us more information than we realize.

Presidential candidates are under more scrutiny now than I believe ever before in history - from personal conduct to physical health. However, many past U.S. presidents suffered from unusual health conditions during their elected terms. Here are three of the most interesting examples: George Washington George Washington was never painted smiling, and I have to wonder if that set the standard for 'serious' presidential portraits. But much like Mona Lisa, George's smile (or lack of one) hides a secret - due to poor oral hygiene, by the time he became president, he only had one real tooth left in his mouth! During his inauguration as the first president of the United States, Washington actually wore a pair of dentures made from gold and carved hippopotamus ivory. James Buchanan A man often characterized as courteous and sensitive, James Buchanan's reputation may have had more to do with his eyesight than his personality. Farsighted in one eye and nearsighted in the other, the unusual condition caused him to tilt his head slightly forward and sideways when talking to other people - a gesture mistakenly attributed to his demeanor. John F Kennedy The seeming poster-child for youth and vigor, the 35th U.S. president was hospitalized more than three dozen times in his life. Suffering from Addison's Disease, by the time John F Kennedy was president, he was taking ten to twelve medications a day - antispasmodics for his bowel, muscle relaxants, pain medications, testosterone, and sleep aids. He was also getting injected sometimes six times a day, six places on his back, by the White House physician, just to enable him to face the day. JFK also wore a back brace, which some argue contributed to his death by keeping him erect after the first shot was fired. While I have no doubt the stress of the job contributed to the ill health of some of our past presidents, many of their conditions were pre-existing. Today, their illnesses may even have kept them from being elected.