Who Lives, Who Dies My internist cousin says he knows who will live and die among his older patients: those who own dogs. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provisionally agrees. They believe the data show that dog (and cat) ownership can lower: Blood pressure Feelings of loneliness Cholesterol and triglyceride levels While increasing – […]
The War on Cancer and the War on Terror – what they have in common (1/3/12)
Who Wins? Historians often view wars as ending with winners and losers. We “won” World War II – and the Germans and Japanese lost. In most human conflicts results are less clear-cut. People don’t tend to think of the “War on Cancer” – started by President Nixon – and the “War on Terror” – begun […]
Regenerating the economy, regenerating your health – Part 1 (11/23/11)
How We Come Back Is America’s economy failing? Why our 45% of families barely making it? Is a nation with stalled growth, a corrupt and overpowerful financial sector, staggering debt, political dysfunction, fighting two wars overseas while its infrastructure crumbles, able to come back? Yes – as it always has. The capacity for regeneration is […]
Text or phone? Which is healthier? (1/11/11)
What Forms of Communication Work Best for Health? Social communication can be very healthy for you. The data on social support range back to Berkman and Syme’s classic Alameda County Study of 1979 – generally the more social contacts you have, the longer you’ll live. The decrease in cardiovascular disease and depression via increasing social […]
You think you’re covered? The health insurance pre-authorization con (12/21/10)
Pre-Authorize Your Life Over many years the health insurance industry has labored to perfect methods that obstruct sensible use of medical services. As their abilities improve we should expect worsening care, higher prices, and a poorly served, frustrated population – including you. Here’s just one very small but instructive example of how insurance obstruction works […]