December 2011

Happy New Year from QuickMedical!

According to a very poorly researched book from the 70's, the ancient Mayan calendar ends in 2012, which somehow means that great changes are coming next year to our planet. Great changes occur every year, however. No one knows what the future holds because it's the future. It hasn't happened yet. And yet, it's happening all the time. William Faulkner wrote in one of his books, "It's all now." It's an exciting thought. Right now you are simultaneously living in both the past and the future, but with no ability (other than remembering) to access either.

Now that we've blown your mind, just think about how important 'now' is and make it count. That's what celebrating the New Year is all about.

If you found us from searching for 2012 or the Mayan calendar and you're wondering what QuickMedical is, feel free to click around. If you like videos, click this short video and learn about us.

Allergic reactions can happen at any time and can be caused by almost any substance. It's important to know and keep a record of your allergy triggers. The unfortunate kid with allergies in the picture has an allergic angioedema, which has caused his eyes to close up. It looks bad, but he's probably okay, since they had time to take a picture. In an allergic reaction the possibility of anaphylaxis is a real danger, however. Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid and may cause death. It typically results in a number of symptoms including an itchy rash, throat swelling, and low blood pressure. Common causes include insect bites, foods, and medications.

On a pathophysiologic level, anaphylaxis is due to the release of mediators from certain types of white blood cells triggered either by immunologic or non-immunologic mechanisms. It is diagnosed based on the presenting symptoms and signs. The child's angioedema could be a warning sign of anaphylaxis. However, by the time angioedema sets in, it may be too late. The primary treatment is an immediate injection of epinephrine.

Because worldwide 0.05-2% of people are estimated to have anaphylaxis at some point in their life and rates appear to be increasing, it makes sense that first-aid kits are equipped with measures to protect against a severe anaphylactic reaction. Teachers, parents, and young people should be aware of anaphylactic symptoms and allergic reaction symptoms. Often when these symptoms develop in young people it's the first time they develop. While adults or older children have a history of exposure and know how to manage or avoid exposure to known allergens, young children don't, or may be exposed to the allergen for the first time. This is especially true of allergic reactions to food.

Click ahead to learn the anaphylaxis protocol, or what to do during a severe allergic reaction.

As you're well aware, the holidays are here. On the ol' Interweb there's a great deal of fun, seasonal holiday things going on. For instance if you visit our YouTube page, you'll notice on video pages on the player a little snowflake which will create snowfall in the product video about medical equipment or medical supplies. We have hundreds of medical equipment and medical product videos and adding snow to them is fairly amusing.

But if you really want to live dangerously, don't type medical equipment and supplies into Google, type "let it snow". Or just click the link we've provided. This is the only legal high we're allowed to give you this Christmas, so use it wisely. Your whole screen will become a winter wonderland.

Google is really in the holiday spirit this year. You can arrange to have Santa call your kids through Gmail. Something tells me this is an insidious plot for Google to grab phone numbers, but maybe I'm just a cynical Scrooge.

Here on QuickMedical we added some holiday flair to our site, and we also have a great page filled with ideas for holiday gifts. A holiday gift of medical equipment or medical supplies can be extremely important for a person taking control of their health for the first time, or someone who is already committed to health and fitness.

As the year comes to end let's take this festive time to remember how good most of us have it. There are problems, sure, but really it's an incredibly beautiful world.

The Harloff Company began as the Harloff Manufacturing Company in 1951 as the creator of the world's first Maid Cart. It's a strange but true fact that before Harloff carts, maids at hotels used to carry sheets and towels by hand back and forth to rooms. The Harloff Company continued to innovate throughout its history and branched out into specialty medical carts. Harloff has been producing high quality, professional grade medical carts with innovative features that have become industry standards. Harloff offers procedure carts, medication carts and other specialty carts for hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and surgery centers.

Another strange but true fact-- did you know that Harloff steel carts weigh the same as many of their plastic cart equivalents? Many plastic carts, though advertised as a light weight option, in fact weigh relatively the same as Harloff stainless steel carts. Harloff carts are easier to clean and maintain, and are well known in the industry for their durability, quality and long life.

At QuickMedical we're proud to announce the addition of several aluminum medical carts by Harloff to our expanding online medical equipment and supply store. Click ahead to read more and watch a short video on Harloff.

The journal Pediatrics recently published a study about profanity in the media. In the small study of 223 kids at one U.S. middle school, researchers found that those exposed to more profanity-laced TV shows or video games tended to use blue language themselves. And kids who used profanity, in turn, reported more instances of aggression -- anything from throwing punches to spreading gossip. None of that proves that bad language in the media makes for bad kids, according to lead researcher Sarah M. Coyne, a professor of family life at Brigham Young University in Utah.

Extrapolating from the study, we could say that profanity-laced TV shows cause kids' blood pressure to rise. After all, if working blue also causes aggressive behavior, aggressive behavior can lead to higher stress, and higher stress can lead to high blood pressure. The rate of pediatric hypertension is definitely on an upswing.

However Dr. Coyne very diplomatically states, "This study shows a correlation ...[it] does not prove cause-and-effect."

Your child's hypertension is probably not caused by watching "South Park." More likely causes include poor diet, genetics, and an overall lack of physical activity. If you need to measure your child's blood pressure for any reason, QuickMedical offers pediatric blood pressure monitors for every budget.

Stay off Santa's naughty list and if he's making one, stay off the hypertension list, too!

Did you make a cotton ball Santa when you were young? Maybe you have kids and you'd like to make one with them as an activity during the winter break from school. Cotton balls look like Santa's beard or snow depending on your imagination. Click our Facebook link here, 'Like' us, then download and print the cotton ball Santa image. You'll need some cotton balls to complete the project. QuickMedical is your online source for cotton balls for all types of applications. Cotton balls are a very useful tool in crafts. But they're not just used for imitating snow or Santa's beard. Cotton balls can be also used to apply paint or glue, or help clean or spot clean projects.

The most common uses for cotton balls, however are medical or cosmetic. For medical purposes cotton balls and are used to stop or prevent bleeding from minor punctures such as injections or venipuncture. They are often secured in place with medical tape. For cosmetics, cotton balls are also used in the application and the removal of makeup and nail polish.

Cotton balls are an absolute necessity for doctor's offices, hospitals, and medical facilities. They are used everyday in routine procedures and must be conveniently accessible for doctors and nurses. Likewise they are required at spas and facilities doing cosmetics. Cotton balls must be plentiful, accessible, and affordable. Currently, QuickMedical is offering a great end of the year discount coupon code on cotton balls from Dynarex. Click ahead for the code.

Dear QM:

I notice you have sections on your website for dressings and bandages. I always thought they were basically the same thing. Is there a difference? What's the difference? Please clarify this!

It can be confusing, but dressings and bandages are different things, technically. Click ahead for the answer to this question from QuickMedical, your online source for medical equipment and supply questions and answers.

This month's QuickMedical Employee of the month is Nita, leader of the product team and content manager for all the products on QuickMedical.com. Supervising a growing staff of product team employees while managing 26,587 medical products (and counting) is no small task.

Nita's dedication and positive attitude keep things running smoothly, at the office and online for both our vendors and customers. If you've worked with Nita, have a story to share about how she helped you, or just want to congratulate her, leave a comment by clicking ahead. Thanks Nita!

QuickMedical's state of the art medical equipment showroom is being renovated as part of a headquarters expansion.

The show room was featured prominently in our television commercial and a variety of promotional images and videos you might have seen. Currently, all the medical equipment and supplies from the showroom is on sale.

If your facility is looking for a great end of the year deal, click the medical equipment clearance link, now and scan the wide variety of items. To read about some of the great products on sale, click ahead.

Medical professionals spend much of their workday on their feet. Doctors, nurses, dentists, and other personnel have to be mobile to meet the needs of their patients. It can be stressful, demanding, and tiring. When there's limited time to sit down, the chair you sit in is very important. The chairs that doctors and dentists use aren't just used for sitting, either. The medical chairs and dental stools in a doctor's office are an important part of their work. Brewer Design understands just how demanding a medical professional's day can be. The Brewer Design team understands the science of ergonomics and how important the proper medical equipment is for health professionals.

Click ahead to read more about the ergonomically designed medical furniture from Brewer Design.