In what country do people live longest?
It’s not the place that would come to mind first. Or even second or third.
Continue reading →Category Archives: Health
The good life, the long life
In yesterday’s thread about eating beef, commenter “SteveH” asks: Where does this obsession with quanity of life come from? I could understand it if we lost years on the average lifespan over the past 100 years. But we’ve gained tremendously. … Continue reading →
Where’s the beef?
One by one they’re trying to take away our gustatory pleasures. Salt. Sugar. Fat. Red meat—not just a lot of red meat, but any amount of red meat. According to this Harvard study, any red meat at all increases the … Continue reading →
Yoga and sex
Do I have your attention? Good. Most people have a squeaky-clean idea of yoga, but apparently it has more risque origins: The wholesome image of yoga took a hit in the past few weeks as a rising star of the … Continue reading →
Three cheers for Sharon Simmons
Sharon Simmons is a 55-year old grandmother. And she’s going to try out for the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. Madness, you say? Well, maybe not: It’s pretty amazing what a combination of genes and work can do.
Continue reading →A tall story: surgical leg lengthening
I wasn’t able to embed this video on my blog, but perhaps it’s just as well, because some of the footage is rather disturbing, especially if you’re a mite squeamish, like me. It shows the lengths (literally) to which some … Continue reading →
Addiction and choice
Commenter “uncleFred” writes about addiction: “There for the grace of God”¦” Not so much. Drug abuse is not like getting hit by a meteor, or struck by lightening, it is a choice. Go to an AA meeting. Sit for a … Continue reading →
Obama and the “free” contraception
It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that President Obama has decided to extend the exemption for abortion coverage of employees to not just the Catholic Church, but church-affiliated companies. He probably didn’t expect the extent of the protest, and … Continue reading →
Trisomy 18
Very sad about Rick Santorum’s daughter. Both he and Palin not only have talked the pro-life talk but walked the walk. And it’s no walk in the park, that’s for sure.
Continue reading →Proposal: a narrower definition of autism
The definition of autism is about to be narrowed, which may cut the number of people designated as having autism or espcially Asperger’s, and will be likely to reduce the number who will be able to receive benefits because of … Continue reading →
H. pylori and ulcers
I keep reading that Helicobactor pylori causes ulcers. That’s supposed to be an improvement on the old idea that it might be stress, or diet, or some unknown factor that leads to the condition. But it’s actually not correct. The … Continue reading →
America the fat
In a piece entitled, “Why we’re getting fatter—and what to do about it,” David Frum does a good job on the first part: The problem for the country echoes the problem for individuals: Willpower is not enough. “(It’s a) basic … Continue reading →