Drinking and Living Can alcohol be good for you? Much evidence would argue yes. Compare “moderate” drinkers who have perhaps one glass of wine a day versus those who never drink. Who lives longer? Those who drink small amounts regularly. Yet alcohol causes lung cancer, stomach cancer, kidney cancer, brain cancer, oral cancer. It’s a […]
Getting healthy through nature (5/14/12)
Getting Well Naturally There are many different ways to get and feel well. One of the simplest is to spend time in nature. But why does it work? Perhaps because we’re hardwired to live and enjoy natural environments. Professor Catherine Ward Thompson recently explained to the BBC that one theory that “our whole neuroendocrine system […]
Do you want your kids getting general anesthesia – for their teeth? (3/14/12)
Teeth and Public Health Lots of kids aged one and a half and above are now getting general anesthesia – for their teeth. It’s more evidence that emphasizing health care treatment solutions over public health can lead to terrible outcomes. More Cavities Starting five years ago, children’s cavities in the US increased in incidence for […]
The quick and the dead (2/24/12)
Walk, Don’t Stroll The term “the quick and the dead” – the difference between those still on the earth and those who have left – may derive from the sixteenth century Book of Common Prayer. It’s sentiments still holds true. Humans have evolved to walk. We walk across mountains, deserts, high plains and shopping malls. […]
Senescent cells and the promise of human regeneration (11/7/11)
Learning From Mice Aging seems inevitable, but thoughts of reversing it propel great excitement. A group at Mayo Clinic has recently discovered that if a tiny group of cells, called senescent cells, are genetically manipulated to self-destruct, much of aging disappears – in mice. What the Study Showed The mice were a specially bred group […]