Tag Archives: health

Measles Case Confirmed in Tennessee, Risk Grows

By Paul | Published April 30, 2019

The Lebanon Democrat: Dr. Tim Jones, the state’s epidemiologist, said even with just one known measles case, the Tennessee Health Department is taking a proactive approach to curtail the spread of the highly contagious, airborne disease. “So far, we’ve only identified one case,” he said. “I will say that I will be shocked if we […]

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The GOP Is the Anti-Vaxx Party Now

By Paul | Published April 18, 2019

Sophie Weiner writing at Splinter News: Six states now have bills authored by Democrats that would make forgoing vaccines for children more difficult. In nearly all of those states, which include Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington, New York, and Maine, the bills have faced Republican opposition. Meanwhile, in West Virginia and Mississippi, the GOP has […]

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What is atrial fibrillation, and why is your watch telling you about it?

By Paul | Published September 27, 2018

John Timmer at ARS: Your heart has four chambers, two atria and two ventricles. The atria are smaller chambers at the top of the heart, and their contraction fills the larger ventricles with blood. The ventricles then provide the powerful push that sends the blood either to the lungs to pick up oxygen or out […]

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Why We Need to Take Pet Loss Seriously

By Paul | Published June 13, 2018

Guy Winch writing at Scientific American: Losing a beloved pet is often an emotionally devastating experience. Yet, as a society, we do not recognize how painful pet loss can be and how much it can impair our emotional and physical health. Symptoms of acute grief after the loss of a pet can last from one […]

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Why Your Health Insurer Doesn’t Care About Your Big Bills

By Paul | Published May 29, 2018

Marshall Allen, writing at ProPublica The United States spends more per person on health care than any other country. A lot more. As a country, by many measures, we are not getting our money’s worth. […] Experts frequently blame this on the high prices charged by doctors and hospitals. But less scrutinized is the role […]

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Obama’s Secret to Surviving the White House Years: Books

By Paul | Published January 16, 2017

Books: they’re like TV for smart people.

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Can science stop the looming banana extinction?

By Paul | Published October 25, 2016

The banana is the world’s most popular fruit crop, with over 100 million metric tons produced annually in over 130 tropical and subtropical countries. Edible bananas are the result of a genetic accident in nature that created the seedless fruit we enjoy today. Virtually all the bananas sold across the Western world belong to the […]

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California governor signs controversial right-to-die bill

By Paul | Published October 6, 2016

Physician-assisted suicide will become legal in California under a bill signed into law today by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, making it the fifth state in the nation to give terminally ill patients a legal right to die. As hard as it may be to believe in today’s ultra-political culture, my Mom–who was an RN–told me […]

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Want to live longer? Pick up a book…

By Paul | Published August 29, 2016

It turns out all those hours I spend reading my Facebook feed won’t extend my life. It has to be books. The study, The Guardian reports, “looked at the reading patterns of 3,635 people who were 50 or older. On average, book readers were found to live for almost two years longer than non-readers.” And […]

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Are drug companies overcharging?

By Paul | Published August 25, 2016

How much profit should drug companies make? The question might seem a little abstract, something that belongs in a business journal. But it’s one that is increasingly affecting all of us. That was abundantly clear in the wake of the latest price hike controversy to hit the headlines. I’m not an “anti-big pharma” type, but […]

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