Unpopular Health Imagine a magic elixir that’s free and grants much longer life (12 years for men, 14 years for women.) Despite benefits radically dwarfing the advantages of all health care, the elixir is almost universally spurned. For to receive this magic elixir individuals must put up with what are commonly regarded as unacceptable intrusions: they must […]
Time to Think Before You Drink
Lots of people drink. Most think they “don’t drink too much.” They “only drink socially.” Or “just a couple of drinks a few nights of the week.” But when it comes to health, how much is enough? A new study looking a national guidelines has come up with surprising results. The short answer is “less is […]
How Much Booze is Best?
Is moderate drinking good for you? Does consistent imbibing of a glass a day prevent Alzheimer’s? Heart disease and stroke? Or is drinking booze more akin to radiation, where there is not yet a clear “safe” dose? Recent research has begun moving against the consensus of decades. Booze on the Brain For example, take a recent study in […]
Cancerland (2/10/14)
Number One The number one cause of death in the US is cancer. Many of us go to doctors yearly. We nervously wait for the results of tests. Do I have the Big C – or don’t I? Now cancer is moving on to become the number one cause of death globally, according to the […]
Medical Overuse (8/12/13)
Three Trillion a Year How did American health care come to cost nearly three trillion dollars a year? One place to look is at procedures – diagnostic tests and therapeutic treatments. In terms of costs, “procedures” can be as simple as a red blood cell count or as complicated as a liver transplant. Hospitals, drug […]