Author: Dr. Brad Genovese

Metal contaminants are found naturally in the environment, however, excessive levels can be increased through industrial activity or pollution. You will see that certain species of fish can accumulate more than others and it is usually predatory fish. Mercury is the metal that presents the most concern with regards to seafood consumption and health so lets talk about it. What is Mercury? Mercury is a metal that can exist in three forms: Elemental mercury- liquid at room temperature (known as “quicksilver”), can vaporize with heat or contact with air Inorganic mercury- salts Organic mercury compounds- Alkyl mercurial ex: methymercury (This…

Dehydration How about we start this article with a little myth busters. Many of you, I am sure have heard this line before: “Beer has water in it, so I’ll just drink that”- We will answer this shortly Although for some of you out there this may be old news but believe it or not somebody’s mind is going to get blown from this article. (Hopefully) Let’s start with a definition. What is dehydration? Its as simple as saying “fluid loss.” Fluid in – fluid out= (Net positive or negative) If negative then you are dehydrated! In medicine we think…

Although the focus of this will be on Marine envenomation from corals, sea urchins, fish, stingrays, and jellyfish I figure I would start off with a personal story with a sting from a scorpion. Our close family friends had a house on the beach in San Francisquito, Baja California. This is a remote destination about 85-miles south of Bahia de Los Angeles. Every year my dad would fly my mom, sister, and myself down for a month of fishing and diving. Needless to say this was absolutely incredible. One day (I think I was probably 14 years old) we took…

Whether you are a fisherman, diver, spear fisherman, cruiser, floater, or even a sailor (sometimes they troll) this is a topic worth understanding. First off why do people blackout? Hypoxia-Not enough Oxygen to the Brain Before we can really get into the nuts and bolts of this we need to review some basic normal physiology. Lets first think about the lungs. This organ is responsible for gas exchange, bringing oxygen into the blood and getting rid of carbon dioxide. The air we breathe is 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and the rest trace elements. When you breathe, air comes into your…

Greek Physician Hippocrates first described the principle symptom of motion sickness, (nausea), most frequently occurring during boat travel. Derived from the Greek word for ship (naus). It happens to the best of us. Some of you may not have experienced it in a long time; however, we all can agree how miserable it is to get motion sickness. Why does it occur? It turns out that this question is very complex. The best explanation is called “Sensory Conflict Theory.” The brain receives certain inputs to help perceive motion and spatial orientation of the head. Not to get too complicated think…

First Aid Advice Heading offshore to go fishing? Or just going out for a cruise? What type of First Aid Kit should I put on my boat? This is a great question! I understand there are many types of Kits available and that some folks have more training than others which would allow them to have an advanced kit, however, let’s focus on the basics. This is a huge topic and we will only touch the surface. The first three questions you should ask yourself when buying a kit or putting one together: How long or far will I be…

While summer is here and we have long days in the sun I thought it would be important to talk about skin cancer, in particular melanoma. So what is a melanoma? Well like all cancer it has to start somewhere. Throughout your body you are made up of specialized cells. If any one of those cells decides to go rogue, it can start growing and becoming a cancer. In your skin you have many specialized cells as you can see in the picture: squamous cell, basal cell, and melanocyte. If any of these cells go rogue you can develop any…

Health Need Know – Health Tips Since I started writing articles for Bloodydecks, I have always tried to write about specific health concerns while out on the water. Although this may not catch the attention of everyone as appealing it may be the most important article I ever write. For a lot of folks going to the doctor is something you do when you are “sick” or if something isn’t right. I hope that after reading this you will understand that just like a boat whether something is wrong or not there is a maintenance schedule that should be followed!…