'Put Your Mask On First': What We Heard This Week

— Quotable quotes from MedPage Today's sources

MedpageToday

"The way I think about this is -- you've got to put your [airplane oxygen] mask on first ... You've got to take care of yourself before you take care of somebody else." -- Richard Wardrop III, MD, PhD, of the American College of Physicians Wellness Task Force, on physician self-care.

"Physicians should not prescribe magic mouthwash and expect magic!" -- Arjun Gupta, MD, of Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore, on medicated oral rinses for managing oral mucositis.

"We know that cravings are like waves, and eventually they will subside if you don't satisfy them." -- Michael Sayette, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, on pleasant olfactory cues and the reduction of intense cigarette cravings.

"Lying in bed for long periods when you can't sleep is basically the same as going to the gym and standing on the treadmill and not moving." -- Rebecca Robbins, PhD, of the New York University School of Medicine in New York City, on a common sleep myth.

"No matter how much you give and how hard you work, the institution is never going to love you back." -- Greg Poland, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, on the limitations of a "culture of wellness" to address burnout.

"While it might not sound like such a big deal that they treated eight infants and they did well, in fact it is a huge step forward." -- Kathleen Sullivan, MD, PhD, of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, on gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency.

"This was not for palliation. These patients were receiving the treatment for prolonging their lives." -- Helmneh M. Sineshaw, MD, of the American Cancer Society, discussing a study of aggressive treatment in cancer patients who died within a month of diagnosis.

"These findings indicate a gap in suicide and injury prevention efforts." -- Erin Morgan, MS, of the University of Washington in Seattle, discussing implications of a study of gun ownership among senior citizens.

"This is not a living brain, but a cellularly active brain." -- Nenad Sestan, MD, PhD, of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, who showed circulation and cellular functions could be restored in pig brains hours after death.