Tag: Medical Examination

Sleeping With ASMR

This time the video is more of an instruction manual. Merck Manuals is the channel which gives you a clue.

This is a comprehensive channel with a large number of videos which I am not going to attempt to count. It is about two hundred and ten as at today’s date.

That leaves a dilemma as to which set of videos to choose. Fortunately Merck Manuals also provide a set of playlists (twenty two of these as at today’s date) and ours occurs in a playlist called The Ortho Exam – Merck Manual Professional Version.

This channel has so much material I suspect we will be back here before I am very much older.

Today’s video is this one:

How to Examine the Hand | Merck Manual Professional Version

The Ortho Exam – Merck Manual Professional Version

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UH7VJON1nZA

Which helpfully tells us “Examination demonstrated by Paul Liebert, MD, Tomah Memorial Hospital.”

The funky intro music is not exactly brilliant for ASMR however the narrator has a great voice for this purpose. It is nicely relaxing in fact.

This one belongs in the Procrastination Pen playlist.

There are ten videos in the Ortho Exam – Merck Manual Professional Version playlist. This number is a bit large for a blog post (well history tells me anyway). If you can’t wait for the playlist, scroll right to the end where it will be waiting for you. The above is video four in this playlist, leaving nine videos.

How to Examine the Shoulder | Merck Manual Professional Version

https://youtu.be/E4oB5p3OVvI

The great thing with these videos is that they are consistent, demonstrated by the same person, narrated by the same person and consistently calm and quiet. They are more-or-less ideal for our purposes.

Note that erythema comes up in this video which is a redness of the skin.

This is also going to find a home in the playlist.

How to Examine the Elbow | Merck Manual Professional Version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfMxPhTBoTI

Epicondyle is a bit more complex – here it is referring to the rounded part of the bone on the elbow.

Definitely a playlist candidate.

How to Examine the Wrist | Merck Manual Professional Version

There is a growing amount of medical terminology the more we go on with these videos. Those with more of an interest than simply a sleep aid may find this helpful:

Human arm bones diagram
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXahQzgF1Dk

How to Examine the Hand | Merck Manual Professional Version

This is where we came in. By now we can see that not only do we have the same intro music, same examiner and same narrator to a large extent we also have the same “patient”. I like consistency when I’m aiming for a restful experience – your mileage may vary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH7VJON1nZA

How to Examine the Hip | Merck Manual Professional Version

This one seems to be considerably quieter which might be distracting, especially if you have the volume right down in order to aid sleep. On balance I think it still deserves inclusion in the playlist though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw1VEGs10Og

How to Examine the Knee | Merck Manual Professional Version

What strikes me with this one is the complexity of the system. The number of nerves, ligaments, muscles and tendons needed just to get normal motion is quite amazing and something I hadn’t considered before. Probably not wise to be thinking that as you’re trying to doze off. This will also be in the playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwH-p4DO6g

How to Examine the Ankle | Merck Manual Professional Version

The close-up shots and the distant shots here seem to be of two different patients. The close-up ones I would guess are of a male patient. (In at least some of the shots in any case). However, if you’re half asleep I suspect you will not notice.

I’m also going to add this to the playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZTT-vBPX74

How to Examine the Foot | Merck Manual Professional Version

Our male foot patient is back initially, we go to the female patient subsequently. The only downside of such videos (if you’re awake enough to notice) is that you can start to consider if you have any of the problems described. Who doesn’t have uneven wear in their footwear for instance?

This is also going in the playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEBLff1XUBw

How to Examine the Neck | Merck Manual Professional Version

This refers to other manuals videos. Given how consistent this set is I think this is an invitation we can’t help but take up at some future date in any case. Another one for the playlist then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTfT-XvwDeA

How to Examine the Back | Merck Manual Professional Version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an0wdboi9tg

The most consistent set of videos so far in this blog series. All of them I think deserve to be in the playlist.

The Merck Manuals playlist is here:

The overall playlist for items featured in this blog is here:

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Sleeping With ASMR

This channel was recommended in some comments to another ASMR video. This may or may not work out for the best. I search all over the place for inspiration. It is not until I have had a chance to listen to any of the videos that I understand whether the recommendation produces a complete loss (In terms of The Procrastination Pen playlist). This sort of thing happens all the time. On that note feel free to recommend to me any ASMR videos that you have found helpful. It might be that they will turn up in a future blog article.

The channel this time is sebsss it contains four videos so a nice number for one blog post. The fourth video seems to be a drinking video so not really on message for a medical examination focus. Perhaps it will feature in the future if I ever move onto drinking ASMR. The videos range from twelve to ten years ago in terms of posting. The drinking video is twelve years ago and seems a nostalgic portrayal probably only of interest to those who were there.

This leaves three all of which are more recent than the drinking video. These three maybe more suitable for a blog of this type:

Tobradex Patient Teaching

This is the most recent video which was posted ten years ago. However, the sound quality is not great. The speaking is a bit fast. Rapport does not seem to be there. There is really nothing calming or relaxing about this particular presentation. If anything, I was just waiting for it to be over.

Not in the least ASMR stimulating so this one will not be in the playlist

Head to Toe

This video was posted eleven years ago. There are no notes with this one, however the medical professional from the above video appears as the “patient” in this one. Here he appears as “Tom Smith” – whether genuinely or not (Smith being a common obfuscation name). The presentation is a little busy – we’ve seen this before and it seems to be a characteristic of assessment videos – i.e. those produced by students as part of their course.

I think the medical professional introduces himself as “Matt” (something) and that he will be the “Senior” but it is all a bit jumbled and I may well be wrong.

There appear to be no clues as to the location other than the crucifix on the wall and I guarantee searching for “Tom Smith” isn’t going to get me any further.

Given Tom Smith is in a number of these videos I’d make a guess this is his channel.

The background noise is a bit high on this one. It takes a while to settle down but once the examination is under way it isn’t terrible.

Not Hollie Berry standard but worthy of inclusion in The Procrastination Pen playlist I think.

Head to Toe Assessment

The background noise is as intrusive as the last one. As with the previous video there are some good moments. Tom Smith as the patient again – but a different medical professional this time Melissa. This video is also posted eleven years ago. Again there are no notes to guide as to which establishment this is. Sadly the badge on the shoulder of Melissa is a little too small and out of focus to be useful. The letters seem to be HNMC school of nursing with the nearest establishment I can find as Holy Name Medical Centre. Great I thought – crucifix – holy name. Only their symbol is a dove not a purple cross and the only Melissa I can find there is not this Melissa.

Again I think it belongs in the playlist – but I think an edited version would be even better (particularly if it was feasible to smooth out that background noise).

Overall not as terrible as at first thought, although all of these are now subject to review and I am producing an archive list of items once in the main playlist but upon reflection don’t quite meet the grade.

(This offers regular readers the opportunity to still find their favourites).

The Tom Smith playlist is here:

The overall playlist which contains the majority of videos featured in this blog is here:

The videos which failed the grade on review are now in this archive list here:

I hope that you find these playlists relaxing

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Sleeping With ASMR

The video quality for this one is a tad poor. And perhaps I don’t mean a tad. However it is quite different to what we have had before and it is partly because of its age and its purpose. This one is recorded (to video cassette tape I assume) in 1996 and reflects its time I think.

The sound quality is actually not as bad as in some of the other videos I have already featured on this blog (and no doubt many to come). There is no loud equipment noises in the background for example.

It is designed to inform/educate and as such is calm and unadulterated by extraneous sounds (such as a snazzy backing track for example). It’s recorded at the University of Michigan – Department of Neurology, February 16th 1996.

The Neurologic Exam part 1

This video is of sufficient quality that it crops up in a number of ASMR video compilations which are the kind of ASMR videos I do not watch anymore. It is too much like a box of sweets in which a good twenty percent of the sweets you do not like. Compilation videos are complicated by the fact that no one seems to be able to get the inter-clip volumes to agree. If you start off at a quiet sleep-friendly volume you can be woken sometime later by an individual with a predisposition to bellow. This is John Wald and Douglas Gelb in a demonstration of how to run a Neurologic Exam but who (presumably inadvertently) have good voices for ASMR. In this I feel that Douglas edges out John slightly. Which is good news because in this video he also does the majority of the talking.

Johnwaldmd is the channel (presumably the John Wald MD in the video footage although somewhat more advanced in years I would suggest). I’m guessing a great many of the people who watch the ASMR video compilations were probably as yet unborn when this video was first recorded.

There are only seven videos in this channel and it is obvious that we will not be looking at many of those; some of them appear to appeal to quite a narrow audience (probably family and friends).

I think we can consign four of these into the metaphorical ASMR bin without further review, leaving the above one and two others. Part two of the above presentation:

The Neurologic Examination part 2

This is the “review” section which effectively is giving instruction on how to perform the neurologic exam. In my view this is not as wonderful from an ASMR perspective so I think it won’t make the grade for the playlist.

There is also this video:

VTS 01 0

This is both silent and only 30 seconds long so it may have been some kind of test…

So one video only this time around folks.

On that basis I have not created a playlist for johnwaldmd.

The overall playlist containing all the videos featured in this blog is here:

I hope that you find it relaxing.

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Sleeping With ASMR

I realise that for people who have not been following (the ASMR theme on) this blog since the beginning might find this to be nonsense. For such people, a bit of background. With each blog article I review a video (mostly videos located on YouTube) for its ability to either produce ASMR symptoms or to be restful enough to aid in sleep. At the end of which the video either gets added to The Procrastination Pen playlist or it does not. The assumption is that ASMR aficionados will just go straight to the playlist and listen, but some of you may like to read the material before doing that.

For an idea of where this all began take a look at the initial ASMR blog post which will give you an idea.

I think we are on more solid ground today as this one is back firmly in the medical exam area.

The channel is Ryann McCarty and sadly for us is not going to be a rich resource of ASMR material. In fact, there is one playlist of music videos entitled Rye and the video that we are featuring today entitled:

Ryann McCarty Student Nurse health assessment performance

So this is all you get today I’m afraid – look at it as an appetiser – keeping you keen to see yet more. (Yes, that didn’t sound that accurate to me either). Posted in 2017 and nothing posted on this channel subsequently. (The music playlist was last updated in 2020). Hopefully Ryann is out there doing more important things with her life. The sleeve badge seems to be for Suny Downstate College of Nursing, only sometime subsequently they’ve had a rebrand.

Ryann announces herself at the beginning so we’re pretty certain this is the Ryann we’re talking about. Initially her voice is a bit loud but once the examination starts it begins to settle down (although I don’t think she will ever be a Hollie Berry).

At intervals, (despite the constant air conditioning sounds in the background) I found myself quite calmed by it.

At one stage the person behind the camera starts laughing which is a little disconcerting. (It is easy to forget that there will always be a third person in each of these one-to-one encounters due to the presence of the camera).

I also liked the comment about cold hands – one feature of using alcohol-based hand sanitiser is that your hands get properly freezing – although in other videos I have featured in the past the medical professional does warn the patient about the incoming iceberg.

The notes state “Week 6 lab- Final health assessment performance”. I’m not sure how the education process works but if Ryann achieved this level of proficiency after merely 6 weeks of education then I am impressed.

In all quite a charming short piece at twenty minutes and fourteen seconds. Worthy of adding to the Procrastination Pen playlist I think.

The overall playlist of all videos featured so far in this blog is here:

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Sleeping With ASMR

Another segue in terms of video subject this one is osteopathy. The voice is not as restful as in some previous videos – nonetheless I find this one relaxing. (However this is no Dr Gill).

PE: Neurologic Exam – OSCE Prep – 2022

The notes indicate this was filmed at the University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC – TCOM).

This has a YouTube channel TCOM Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, but it does not include this one.

Here OSCE is Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

The intro tells us that it was filmed in 2022 which is positively up to date in terms of the ASMR videos I’ve covered so far. Neither the “patient” nor the medical professional are introduced so I’m none the wiser.

As the exam continues the medical professional’s voice gets a lot quieter and that is a lot better ASMR-wise. This is a playlist candidate.

Again it is worthwhile checking out the resulting channel to see if there are any gems hiding in there.

The channel is Osteopathic Clinical Skills, and contains about ninety-two videos as at today’s date which again is far too many for any single blog item (perhaps we’ll venture back here at some future date).

Fortunately, Osteopathic Clinical Skills has been kind enough to supply a playlist containing the featured video, which is here:

There are only seven videos in here (which is a more manageable number).

We’ve covered the above one, the remaining six are:

Common Palpatory Landmarks for Physical Examination and Osteopathic Structural Examination

It starts a bit loud for me, obviously the presenter is in education mode rather than examination mode. (Well for most people performing an examination they are quite a bit quieter).

Unfortunately this style continues with the rest of the video making it unsuitable for our ASMR purposes. For this reason this video isn’t going to be in the playlist.

Standing Postural Examination – Osteopathic Structural Exam (OSE) Screening

It starts out loud as it is after all a teaching video. Sadly this isn’t useful in ASMR terms so it will not be in the playlist.

Lordosis – inward curve of the spine in neck or lower back.

Upper Extremity Palpatory Landmarks for Physical Examination and Osteopathic Structural Examination

Appreciate – to detect or to find.

This is still presented as in a classroom – perhaps less noisy than the previous one but still not quite there.

FIGS by the way is not a name label for the “patient” but a range of medical apparel.

Somatic Dysfunction: Clavicle (SC and AC Joint)

It starts reasonably quietly but still not Shane Brun. For me this is still a bit loud so it will not be in the playlist.

Sternoclavicular – link between the collarbone and the breastbone.

Acromioclavicular where the collarbone meets the highest point of the shoulder blade.

Thoracic & Lumbar Spine Palpatory Landmarks for Physical Examination & Osteopathic Structural Exam

I think that these are probably great instruction videos – this one has fourteen thousand five hundred subscribers for example. But it really isn’t any good for ASMR.

Pelvis & Sacrum Palpatory Landmarks for Physical Examination and Osteopathic Structural Exam

As before, a no-doubt great instruction video but it doesn’t make the playlist.

So no Osteopathic Clinical Skills Playlist (only one video made the grade).

The overall playlist for videos covered so far in this blog is here:

I hope you find it relaxing.

If you like this article why not follow this blog.

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Sleeping With ASMR

Firstly apologies – the sound quality on this is not the greatest. I mean what the heck is that background humming going on? However, it’s also a piece of fun. Even the “patient” finds it highly amusing. In this one the patient will have to go by “X” as they are not identified at any stage.

I’m not sure if it is the giggles which makes it so effective. Usually I dispense with any videos that have the least kind of annoying sound in them. But in this case after a few seconds, it became just background hubbub which I could ignore. Your mileage may vary.

Chest, Lungs, Heart assessment by Nikko Holloway NU 607 Advanced Health Assessment Dr. Wildinger

Initially Nikko (assuming that is the person’s name) is a bit on the loud side, but it soon settles down till the background hubbub is increasingly distracting. (Sadly I have no way of filtering such noises out). It derives into giggles pretty quickly and at one stage they have to quit filming altogether (Warwick medical school this is not).

Nonetheless it was enjoyable and it’s a shame there aren’t any more in this series. (Preferably without the sound of Hades air-conditioning, or whatever it is). I wonder whether Nikko passed whatever assessment it was that she was completing (I’m assuming of course that this is part of an assessment process for a medical establishment.)

Sadly Nikko Holloway (for that is the channel) has only uploaded this one medical examination video. In total there are three videos but whilst the voice is reasonably relaxing, I’m not sure that the others qualify under the medical examination criteria.

For completeness here are the other two:

X- Treme Makeover N. Holloway

This indicates that Nikko attends Jacksonville State University (spring 2020 semester).

Sadly it isn’t up for much in the ASMR stakes so this one will not be in the playlist.

Recording #2

Again it is not up there in terms of ASMR-i-ness (an established term) so I will not add this one to the playlist either.

There do not appear to be a huge number of subscribers or comments for this one so perhaps this is an ASMR find. In any case I hope you find it relaxing.

I haven’t created a playlist for this (it’s one video) however it is in the long playlist of all videos featured in this series.

Why not subscribe to the playlist on YouTube and then you will get automatic updates as I change it.

It’s been a short one on this occasion. More next time.

If you liked this why not subscribe to the blog.

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Sleeping With ASMR

This time have one which appears to be verifiably from a medical school – Warwick Medical School in fact.

I did not find the introductory music particularly restful. It is not the first time I have wished that I could edit videos on YouTube (so that I only get the nice bits). (The music quits at nine seconds – in case you want to forward it).

Dr Gill turns up a lot on YouTube and I have no doubt will crop up again in another blog item. He has a very restful voice (well in the videos, I don’t know him personally you understand.)

Respiratory Examination

Not unexpectedly Warwick Medical School has quite a number of such videos. Not all of which are spectacular from the ASMR point of view (it was not their purpose in life let’s face it).

Roughly one hundred and nineteen videos as at today – too many I think to cover in one blog item (unless you’re reading this in order to get some sleep in which case I’m sure that it would have been ideal. I’m sorry to disappoint.)

Fortunately they have been considerate enough to provide their own playlist for this purpose:

Here:

This is still forty three videos long however – perhaps sufficient for a whole series of blog items (now there’s a thought).

I notice that of the forty three – nineteen are actually on the YouTube channel of Dr James Gill himself rather than that of Warwick Medical School – well that’s convenient.

As Dr James Gill has a good voice and his own channel, I suspect we will be returning to him at a future date and so we can discount the videos on his channel for the current moment.

One of the forty three videos comes up flagged as private so we have forty two less nineteen to look at.

That will make this a very long blog post.

If you just want your ASMR kicks scroll right to the end where you will find the playlist details.

Clinical Examination

This is also part of the cranial nerve exam videos – a subject which appears to be very popular on YouTube amongst ASMR devotees.

Clinical Examination

Dr Gill again – obviously a prolific supplier of YouTube videos. I look forward to exploring his channel in a later blog article. This is also a further video in the cranial nerve series, which is proving as popular as the reflex hammer videos about which entire compilations have been put together. (I am not a great fan of compilation videos unless the source videos just cannot be found.)

Clinical Examination

I’m pretty sure this does not qualify under the current category of medical examination as it is more of an instruction video. Actually it is rather good, so I’ll make an exception and add it to the playlist in any case.

Clinical Skills

Dr Gill again, although it is also an instruction video I’m also well-disposed to it and so it is going into the playlist (also it has the benefit of lacking any additional peppy music).

Clinical Examination

Here we see Aden again (as the patient). He seems to crop up in a few of these.

Clinical Examination

Aden crops up again but here he is the medical student in the doctor role. Actually the video is rather good – perhaps a large number of medical students are naturally softly spoken.

Annotated – Clinical Examination

Dr Gill again in another early video – if you’ve stuck with this you’ll recognise the patient as well.

Clinical Examination of – The Shoulder

And yet more Dr Gill (I said he was prolific).

Hip Clinical Examination

I love the fact that Dr Gill asks the “patient” to show him his umbilicus as if this was a reasonably well known term. I had to look it up – it’s your belly button by the way.

Clinical Skills Tutorial

There is something wrong with the sound on this one – it is significantly quieter than the others here. So I think I will drop this one from the playlist.

Clinical History Example

For me the voices in this one are less relaxing so this too I’ll discount from the playlist.

Warwick Approach to Clinical History Taking

Again, not really an ASMR inducer so this one isn’t on the playlist.

Breast Clinical Examination

Not what you’d expect. The person involved is wearing a plastic pair – which I think means I can include it without causing offence. Let me know if offended and I’ll delete it from the playlist.

Breast Examination Models

These are obviously the same as the plastic pair the person was wearing in the video above. Not desperately marvellous from an ASMR point of view though so I will not include it in the playlist.

The Shoulder

Again this voice isn’t quite right for me, so I won’t include it in the playlist. I include these videos only for completeness as different people react differently.

Spine Clinical Examination

Dr James Gill again, the start music is a bit bright but at least it is brief. Not quite as good as the first one but still worthy of inclusion in the playlist I think.

Hand Clinical Examination

What comes home to me in a lot of these ASMR videos is the huge distance between the date of birth of the participants and my own date of birth. In this case 30 years. Fortunately when I am trying to sleep my brain is unlikely to be alert enough to take in what this means for my age – which must be alike to Methuselah now.

Knee Clinical Examination

Dr Gill again – who is starting to seem a significant ASMR asset, the videos in which he appears are quite consistent in terms of relaxing.

Clinical Examination

Dr Gill this time a clinical examination of the respiratory system. Again with the stimulating initial music – it must be some kind of Warwick Medical School brand.

The whole experience conveys an atmosphere of stillness. I can imagine that being treated by Dr Gill is quite destressing.

Thyroid Clinical Examination

Freakily out of focus at the beginning. However that isn’t going to influence any ASMR symptoms. This one features Abbey again (we saw her in the hand clinical examination earlier). This one is really technical in places, I just let it wash over. Let me know if it bothers you and I’ll delete it from the playlist.

The subject of bruit comes up in several of these videos – an audible swishing sound – usually an abnormal one.

Thyroid Examination Demonstration

Dr Gill and Abbey again, who must be the most reliable volunteer in this set so far. If anything this one appears to be more relaxing than some that have gone before in this blog item.

Abdominal System Examination

Dr Gill, and again it starts with the camera fighting for focus. Here Dr Gill is examining David (who I don’t think we’ve seen before). As before a beautifully calm presentation.

Again I’ve created a playlist of these (the longest of this blog so far) which is here:

I’ve updated the complete playlist to reflect the new videos as well

That is here:

I hope that you find it relaxing

Photo by

Victoria Tronina on Unsplash

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Sleeping with ASMR

For some time I was simply going into YouTube and filtering by ASMR, searching and finding thousands of videos. This method led me to find squishing sounds, clicking, scratching noises, even purring cats (actually the purring cats are rather good).

However as I stated in the first blog item on ASMR I find it works best when it is someone that is talking quietly and calmly.

Recently therefore I have started to focus on medical exam videos. There appear to be a wealth of these. Several of them feature excited or at least energetic presenters (with a mission, presumably, to motivate their viewers). However as I use ASMR as an insomnia cure there isn’t great mileage in continuing with these.

Some are quite obviously designed to educate an up-and-coming population of medical students and start delving into confusing medical terminology. However, occasionally I will come across one that fits the bill quite well. Today’s video is this one:

Focused Shoulder Clinical Examination

It’s a little disconcerting when it loads as in my browser I get just a grey cassette image – I did wonder if I had the incorrect video, however when played there is some preliminary material stating it is “Associate Professor Shane Brun” at the “Clinical Skills Unit, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Australia”.

Having found this video, I thought it would be worthwhile checking out Anthony Bender (for the video occurs in a YouTube channel of that name) and determine if there are any more of the videos in this channel that are also worthy of watching.

I found that there were five videos available the one above and these four:

Focused Knee Clinical Examination

GALS Musculoskeletal Screen

GALS is apparently (gait, arms, legs and spine).

Ottawa Ankle Rules Australian Version

However I did not find this very relaxing ASMR-wise and so I have not added it to the playlist. – I’ve included it in this blog so that you can review it for yourself (ASMR effects seem to be highly individual).

Ottawa Knee Rules Australian Version

I have also not added this to the playlist for the same reason.

I’ve again created a playlist which is here:

There is also a Global playlist which incorporates all the videos covered in the blog so far:

Please feedback if they are effective for you or if you have any further ASMR material which would be worth considering.

Sadly these videos no longer work for me so I am looking for new material, which I will shortly publish here.

I hope that you find them relaxing.

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