Attack of the death caps
If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to watch out for deadly mushrooms.
Continue reading →Category Archives: Health
Hospitals are not a great place to get some rest
But a new program is trying to change that—for the better: …[I]n a new study, a Chicago hospital adopted sleep-friendly measures for patients that led to fewer nighttime awakenings without compromising care. Nighttime room entries dropped by 44 percent after … Continue reading →
Cancer cure: can this be possible?
I have no idea whether this is stunning, wonderful news that will come true, or something that will fizzle. It would be tremendously wonderful if it was the former: A small team of Israeli scientists think they might have found … Continue reading →
The New York state abortion law
Here’s my quick take on the law just passed on abortion in New York state. My first observation is that it’s an attempt to get a law in place that will set state rules for abortions if Roe v. Wade … Continue reading →
The Dutch way of voluntary death
This is a long and very chilling report on how legalized euthanasia operates in the Netherlands. I’ve read about the phenomenon before, but not in as much depth. The suffering that can occur, particularly at the end of life, can … Continue reading →
What we know and don’t know about pot use
We don’t know all that much about pot, but much of what we do know is that it appears to be bad for some people: Over the past couple of decades, studies around the globe have found that THC—the active … Continue reading →
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recovery
There’s a lot of speculation about what Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s current absence from the Court means. Is this the beginning of the end for RBG? Or just another bump on a long long road? Ginsburg had major lung surgery on … Continue reading →
The worst of both worlds: the war on opioid abuse becomes the war on pain patients
The opioid abuse (and overdose) epidemic isn’t fueled by chronic pain patients. Most of the abuse problem involves the use of illicit drugs by addicts, and then to a lesser extent the selling of drugs left over from short-term prescriptions … Continue reading →
Would you like a genetic test kit for Christmas?
Years ago I thought it sounded like a nifty idea. But in recent years I’ve decided no, not so much. First of all, a sibling of mine did it already so I pretty much know the general picture—which I already … Continue reading →
The fanatics of food
When a link to this Atlantic article came to me through Pocket (which thinks it knows what I might like to read and is often right on the money), the title put me off. It’s called “Eating Toward Immortality,” and … Continue reading →
A magic bullet for obesity?
But be careful what you wish for. At least in mice, researchers have had some success in targeting a gene for obesity: …[S]cientists are working toward a drug that would allow patients to lose weight without exercising or making any … Continue reading →
I guess this is what’s meant by “spare ribs”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg took a spill: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 85, fractured three ribs in a fall in her office Wednesday night, according to a statement from the Supreme Court’s public information office. “Tests showed that she fractured … Continue reading →