A different, new age of anxiety is brewing. To understand why, look around. One of the world’s favored centers of “chill” just burned to the ground. In the peacefully pleasant California wine country residents woke to winds whipping fire. Within minutes their homes reduced to ashes, their vehicles melted. They had no warning. In the morning light […]
Political Insomnia Disorder
“I can’t sleep!” people keep telling me – even if they’ve slept well their entire lives. “What I saw today was unbelievable, I can’t get it out of my mind!” Television images of fear, rage, intimidation and destruction seep into their dreams: of friends and neighbors screaming at them to leave their homes, workplaces blasted in fire, wars […]
Fear and Loathing in the Doctor’s Office (6/7/12)
Need the Regular Doctor’s Visit Foster Dread? Fear makes money. Fear and dread keep people coming back. That’s how many people view their annual physical – the yearly trip to the doctor. Many public health experts argue strongly against such an annual procedure – especially when people are young and feeling well. But for many […]
Another forgotten war – food safety, health, and terrorism (10/17/11)
The War on “Terror” How do you recognize an agricultural inspector who saves California from an infestation of citrus canker? Give him a job sorting travellers’ dirty laundry. Welcome to the wacky world of the “war on terrorism” – American division – post 9/11. What Kind of Security? Investigative journalism still lives, for now. The […]
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Health Care (12/20/10)
Why We Fear Telling What We Know Congress did the right thing. Now men and women can fight and die for their country without fearing for their careers, and living to acknowledge the people they love. Health care is another story. Too many people are scared to tell anyone, especially their doctors, about their symptoms […]