As the East Coast digs out from the big snow, winds, and the freezing weather, many around us also will be coming down with colds and flu. Public health officials forecast the infections of the seasonal illnesses will markedly increase in the days ahead. It’s a perfect time to talk about antibiotics. In brief, they….
Continue ReadingArchives for January 2016
Two life stories offer warnings about health dangers
Although experts may muster masses of data and point to reams of research, simple human stories sometimes persuade us best about dangers to our health. It’s tough not to ask why football holds such veneration as America’s favorite sport, for example, when one of its skilled players gets candid about his damaged post-professional life. And….
Continue ReadingNew research may surprise about expense of end-of-life care for Americans with cancer
Americans are legend for their discomfort in discussing death. That makes conversations about end-of-life care a big challenge, even though the medical attention paid to the dying can drive up health care costs. A quarter of traditional Medicare spending for health care is for services provided to program beneficiaries in their last year of life—a proportion….
Continue ReadingSkepticism is wise about “brain” toys & games for kids, seniors
Yes, the ancient adage caveat emptor still rules in the high-tech age. It may have sounded so simple, nice, and sweet to plunk grandma and grandpa in front of a computer screen to let them run a program to play games touted to help them prevent the cognitive ravages of age. It may seem wonderful, easy,….
Continue ReadingSenate probe shows why we need to bust up regulators’ cozy ties with medical device makers
A U.S. Senate Committee has ripped a medical device maker, hospitals, and federal regulators for their shameful roles in allowing scores of patients to be sickened and some to die due to defects in a flexible, state-of-art scope used in gastrointestinal procedures. The committee’s findings and some other recent reports ought, in particular, to raise….
Continue ReadingFor young, less educated whites, the disease of despair is hurting lifespan
For young white Americans, especially those with less education, drug overdoses and suicides are spiking death rates. The trend is nearly unprecedented and looks as grim to public health experts as if the nation were in the grips of a new, fatal infectious disease outbreak akin to the HIV-AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. That’s….
Continue ReadingWhen politicians, investors talk big about fighting cancer, hope and be wary
One of the nation’s leading killers has gotten some sky-high attention in recent days. But what to make of President Obama’s proposal for a “moon shot” initiative, led by Vice President Biden, to beat cancer? What to think of some big investors’ promoting their companies’ pushes to improve cancer’s detection and treatment? And what takeaways….
Continue ReadingMaking it easier to get your own medical records
Getting a copy of your own medical records is supposed to be easy and inexpensive. It also can be essential for ensuring the best medical care. But many hospitals and doctors have made it difficult and pricey, and the federal government is now doing something to help patients. Anyone with any kind of serious medical….
Continue ReadingWill a full plate of dietary information baffle or inform Americans?
For anyone who made healthier eating a major new year’s resolution, there’s been much food for thought in recent news reports about what we put in our mouths. Here’s a quick look at timely developments: new federal nutrition guidelines, why consumers get confused about nutrition, how Mexican officials are getting good results in curbing some….
Continue ReadingTeens inundated with e-cigarette ads, which pay off for Big Tobacco
Here’s a disturbing trend: Teenagers are getting inundated with advertisements touting electronic or so-called e-cigarettes. Health authorities at the same time note that “vaping” is a growing way for millions to take in harmful nicotine and other substances. Almost 7 in 10 10 youths were exposed to manufacturers’ tidal wave of e-cigarette ads, which are broadcast,….
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