What the Jesuits Taught Some claim the maxim comes from St. Ignatius Loyola himself. Yet the idea proclaimed by the Jesuits was old – give us a child till he’s seven and we’ll have him for life. It works. Many years ago a young son of my ancestors was kidnapped during a Russian pogrom. His […]
Alzheimer’s – An Information Processing Illness (2/27/13)
The Deficient Disease Model The human body degenerates like a rusting machine. The parts just get older, break down, fall away. Believe this story? If you do, you’ll increase your risk of Alzheimer’s and many major illnesses – for that’s not how the body works. Machines fall apart. Cars rust. Machines degenerate. Bodies regenerate. […]
What Health Innovation? (2/20/13)
The Innovation Deficit Peter Thiel is a smart fellow. One of the founders of Paypal, businessmen like him and economists like Tyler Cowen insistently argue innovation is declining throughout the globe. One area that really does not appear to be innovating well is health. Which makes sense. Particularly if your definition of what you’re attempting […]
Speak, Memory (2/18/13)
Sleep’s Memory How do we remember? What do we try to forget? What do we forget without trying? As in many areas of consciousness, sleep is a key. Vladimir Nabokov was a formidable novelist, essayist and lepidopterist. He recognized evolutionary changes in butterflies decades before his colleagues. Yet he is better known as the author […]
Why We Need New Definitions of Health (2/13/13)
Money and Health Money will buy you health care. It won’t buy you health. The media equation of health with health care is a sad and tragic misperception. It makes people think that if they have enough money and “great” health insurance, that even if they get sick everything will be fine. That might prove […]