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a frequently updated listing of interesting health stories
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Don't call it the war room
The WHO is preparing its response team for the possibility of an influenza pandemic, even as the experts involved acknowledge it very well might not be enough. [WP]
posted 12:29 PM Nov 28
Go drugs!
The fact that drug reps tend to be good-looking and enthusiastic has been noted in the health biz for some time. So if drug companies are looking to recruit a bunch of these people, where might they find a bunch of them? [NYT]
posted 12:26 PM Nov 28
Medicare drug benefit sign-ups start
And it still doesn't seem to be any easier to understand. [WP]
posted 11:28 AM Nov 15
There just might be something about this exercise stuff
All sorts of research has indicated that exercise can help stave a range of health problems. And now a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that regular exercise helps people live longer. [WP]
posted 11:25 AM Nov 15
Research supports mammograms
There had been some doubt as to whether mammograms reduced death rates for breast cancer, but a study published in NEJM indicates the screens are useful. [NYT]
posted 4:41 PM Oct 27
Understanding the flu
Three physicians break down the health risks related to a typical influenza season and the effectiveness of the vaccine. Their conclusion: both the risk of death and the benefits of the vaccine are probably overstated. [WP]
posted 4:34 PM Oct 27
McDonald's pushes nutrition info... a little
The burger chain announced it will be adding nutritional info to its packaging, including little pictograms indicating what percentage of daily intake the items represent. [USAT]
posted 4:27 PM Oct 27
Nobel Prize for Medicine winners announced
This year's prize goes to two Australians who were involved in figuing out that H. pylori causes stomach ulcers. [AP]
posted 4:04 PM Oct 3
Speaking of food and cancer
A link to this article was posted on the front page of MSN today. Here's the thing about that...
posted 3:47 PM Oct 3
Not so fast
There have been a lot of theories regarding food and cancer. Unfortunately, many of them don't seem to be panning out. [NYT]
posted 3:44 PM Oct 3
Post-Katrina public health challenges abound
You name it -- medicine shortages, infectious diseases, accidents -- it's a problem right now throughout the affected area. [NYT]
posted 4:19 PM Aug 31
Healthy school lunches are possible
Just ask the folks in Opelika, Alabama. They made a commitment to serve healthier lunches ten years ago. The first step they took: getting rid of the deep fryers. And this is the South. [AP]
posted 5:21 PM Aug 30
Grass roots health coverage
Fewer than 10 percent of people in Africa have health insurance. Many governments there have been slow to extend what little coverage already exists, so people are forming their own health plans. [NYT]
posted 2:13 PM Aug 30
If bird flu strikes, who's in charge?
If you said public health officials, you'd be wrong. It's the Department of Homeland Security, according to the DHS secretary. [AJC]
posted 5:23 PM Aug 25
Another instrument disinfection mishap
This time it was in Virginia, and it involved an endoscope. No surprise, as The Health Show found out early this year, endoscopes are not easy to clean. [WP]
posted 5:19 PM Aug 25
Merck loses first Vioxx trial
The jury awarded more than $250 million in damages, but that figure will almost certainly be reduced. [AP]
posted 5:30 PM Aug 19
When MRIs attack
Sort of. MRI machines contain very powerful magnets (the "M" stands for magnetic), which can be a real problem if objects made of iron, nickel or cobalt are around. Accidents have become surprisingly common, prompting calls for stricter regulations. [NYT]
posted 10:06 AM Aug 19
Pseudoephedrine falls victim to meth war
This week Oregon became the first state in the nation to move the common over-the-counter decongestant pseudoephedrine back behind the counter. Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient for making methamphetamine and officials hope the new law will cut down on production of the illicit drug. The market may have other ideas. [AP]
posted 5:12 PM Aug 17
Zoned out
There are no sure-fire ways to eliminate jet lag, but there are a few things you can do to lessen its effects. Maybe. [BS]
posted 5:06 PM Aug 17
Word on the street
An investigation by the Seattle Times concludes that hedge funds are essentially buying information about drug trials from doctors -- before that information is made public. [ST]
posted 4:05 PM Aug 8
Can you see me now?
Two hospitals in Boston will soon be experimenting with online "house calls" for patients with acne. The Boston area has one of the nation's longest waits for seeing a dermatologist. The hope is this new arrangement could get patients seen faster. [BG]
posted 3:31 PM Aug 8
Sweet, sweeter, sweetest
The artificial sweetener biz is more than a hundred years old, and there's still nothing like sugar. [LAT]
posted 3:09 PM Aug 8
Milk for sale
And it's not 2%. A company called Prolacta wants to sell breast milk to hospitals. The California-based company also wants to develop breast milk therapies for sick babies. [BBC]
posted 4:38 PM Aug 4
Dentists to the rescue
Dentists haven't typically figured into plans for disaster response, but a professor from NYU asks, "Why not?" [NYT]
posted 4:11 PM Aug 2
Strike!
Rafael Palmeiro, one of major league baseball's most accomplished players, recently tested positive for steroids. His response: I didn't know what I was taking! Doping experts' response: you're kidding, right? [BS]
posted 3:19 PM Aug 2
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It’s finally happened. The health insurance reform debate has gone on for so long that those irrational shouts about death panels are now known as the good old days! But both sides in the debate seem to realize that the end is near. On this week’s Health Show we’ll open up our reform school again and see where the process stands.
Then we’ll hear about a new movement in alternative pain control...community acupuncture centers that helps make drug free pain control affordable. And our friend Sandy D will let us eavesdrop on an argument she’s having with her inner fat girl.
HEALTH REFORM SCHOOL - 4
It’s been two months since we last opened the doors to The Health Show’s Reform School and things have really changed...again. Last time we were talking about a conference committee. This time the key phrase is budget reconciliation. Joining us once again to go over what is turning out to be one seriously messy sausage making enterprise is Timothy Hoff, a professor of health policy and management at the University at Albany School of Public Health in Albany, New York. Tim is also the author of the book Practice Under Pressure - Primary Care Physicians And Their Medicine in the Twenty First Century.
Community Acupuncture
The World Health Organization estimates that 20 percent of people worldwide have some form of chronic pain. The American Chronic Pain Association’s web site estimates that chronic pain costs the US economy nearly 300 billion dollars a year. Acupuncture is a common destination for those with chronic pain. But sessions can be expensive...sometimes around 80 dollars a pop. A new movement called Community Acupuncture is aimed at making the treatment more affordable. Rachel Dornhelm visited an Oakland clinic that’s offering these treatments.
Sandy D - It's Weight, Not Fate
Getting to an ideal weight required a lot of hard work and self control. Staying at an ideal weight? Our friend Sandy Daigler says it requires all that and ignoring her inner fat girl. Sandy Daigler is a writer and architect living in Troy, New York. Now that she’s running again her inner fat girl can’t keep up.
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