Health Versus Health Care America’s health care budget is 2.6 trillion dollars. On its own it would rank as the fifth largest economy in the world. We’re 49th in overall mortality. How much of this vast spending goes to health prevention? A pittance. Not enough people make money on preventing illness, though plenty make money […]
Overcoming a bad night’s sleep (12/7/11)
Bad Night Who’s a perfect sleeper? Gaze in a mirror and you’re probably not looking at one. In Gallup polls, perhaps only 5% of the population says they sleep well every night. Yet lots of people have bad nights, with perhaps one third of Americans complaining of insomnia that goes on and on and on. […]
After Iraq and Afghanistan – veterans’ health, PTSD, and sleep apnea (12/5/11)
The Wars Are Not Over US veterans are in trouble. Veterans returning to the work place are finding it difficult to find jobs with their unemployment rate north of 12%, versus the (falsely low) figure of 9% for the country. One reason is many have come back ill. What sort of ailments is the question. […]
Is Intermezzo the right kind of sleep medicine? (11/29/11)
Music for the Sleepless, or Disharmony? It’s not every day the FDA approves a new drug – especially a new sleeping pill. Intermezzo is a term that refers to a separate piece that plays in between acts – especially in a musical performance like opera. And now it’s being repositioned to name a “new” kind […]
Regenerating the economy, regenerating your health – Part II (11/28/11)
New Ideas for Health As was clear in Part I, many factors can help revive the American economy . They also hold many lessons for individuals: 3. Immigration – A lot of what has kept the US competitive since the 1970s have been successes in technology like those from Silicon Valley, where at least 35% […]
