Obesity and Health Many groups, like the Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation, argue food should be regulated as strictly as tobacco. Their claim (BBC News, May 18th) is that deaths from obesity are rising rapidly – about 30% globally from 2005-2010 – and that obesity promotes so many chronic diseases – from diabetes […]
Diet Desperation (6/30/14)
Will Raspberries and Seaweed Provide a Miracle? People around the world are desperate to lose weight. So desperate they do – and say – sometimes crazy things. And that’s bad news. Obesity is major factor of the health crisis in America, but only one part. And diet is just one factor among many, many, that […]
Why You Don’t Light the Night (6/16/14)
Don’t Light the Night White Nights – romance and adventure. These are times where the barriers of fatigue and tradition can be broken. We are overwhelmed by possibility and longing. If dreams can occur at night, so may their unexpected fulfillments. Yet what if white nights, filled with the light of love and literature, […]
Why Diets Don’t Work (2/18/14)
The Short Answer: Because we don’t understand enough of how the body works. That includes why we weigh what we do. Throwing more money at the problem (diets are a $66 billion dollar industry in the US; food vastly larger) has so far led to a bigger population. For every success, there are many […]
Is Sleep Apnea Boring? (2/3/14)
Clinical Fascination Boredom can prove very personal. A few weeks ago I sat down in the hospital cafeteria. At my table was a polite, bright pulmonologist. He expressed sympathy for my work: “I find sleep apnea so boring.” For a doctor like him there’s isn’t much to do with sleep apnea. Somebody comes in. They […]