Health
Category archives for Health
New model may help scientists better predict and prevent influenza outbreaks
Posted by Greg Laden on November 1, 2009 Athens, Ga. – Each year, the influenza virus evolves. And each year, public health officials try to predict what the new strain will be and how it will affect the population in order to best combat it. A new study by an international team of researchers, led by assistant professor Andrew W. Park, who holds…
The Public Option … OMG … Holy crap. From now on we’re doing it this way, no kidding…
Posted by Greg Laden on October 26, 2009 You must watch this. You. Simply. Must. Watch. This.
Hispanic Children Rarely Get Top-Notch Care For Brain Tumors
Posted by Greg Laden on October 19, 2009 Hispanic children diagnosed with brain tumors get high-quality treatment at hospitals that specialize in neurosurgery far less often than other children with the same condition, potentially compromising their immediate prognosis and long-term survival, according to research from Johns Hopkins published in October’s Pediatrics. More than a decade after the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report Crossing…
H1N1 2009 Novel Swine Flu Thingie = Fewer Hospital Beds?
Posted by Greg Laden on October 13, 2009 So the other day, grandma was taken to the hospital with various medical issues, and treated in the ER. After she was stabilized, she was sent to the ICU, but was unable to get a bed at first because the “ICU was full of H1N1 patients.” I’m was not sure what that means because the…
The “Swine Flu” does not have a name?
Posted by Greg Laden on October 12, 2009 Effect Measure has an interesting take-down of a post on The Global Language Monitor (GLM), which brings up an interesting point or two. The GLM is a very strange site which has, as Revere points out, declared itself to be an important go-to place to find out about language trends across the world. I have…
Are you in the middle of a close brush with cancer?
Posted by Greg Laden on October 10, 2009 A good friend of mine is. I know something about this particular issue, and my opinion as a doctor* is that she will be fine. Which I told her. But I know that means very little. Please read this. ____________________ Footnotes *Well, doctor of philosophy, but really, that’s better anyway.
How effective is the flu shot?
Posted by Greg Laden on October 8, 2009 There are several answers to this question. One was overheard the other day among a bunch of well educated people oriented towards science who were taking a break from their job. Person 1: “So, how effective is the seasonal flu shot?” Person 2: “I heard about 1%. If you get the flu shot, you’ll have…
Docs, Nurses, Democratic leadership cracks heads
Posted by Greg Laden on October 8, 2009 We are the angry left. Don’t get us mad. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Seasonal flu shot increases risk of H1N1 infection?
Posted by Greg Laden on October 4, 2009 This idea has been knocking around for a a few days, and is regularly discussed by David Dobbs at his blog. This concerns me quite a bit, as my wife is 8 months pregnant, flu is a very serious risk for pregnant women and their babies, she teaches in a high school, and got her…
Baucus continues to screw the health care pooch
Posted by Greg Laden on October 1, 2009 Olberman’s overview:
There might be an HIV vaccine.
Posted by Greg Laden on September 24, 2009 … this is not close to perfect, but an experimental mix of two previously tested but ineffective vaccines appears to have at least a 31 percent prevention rate based on one recent trial. The story is written up here.
Jennifer Lopez Vaccinated her Baby
Posted by Greg Laden on September 24, 2009 Most of the time that you hear a Sbling mention the ads on scienceblogs.com we’re whinging about one thing or another. Russian brides here, woo and snake oil there. You know the routine. So, I thought I’d note that we currently seem to be running an ad staring Jennifer Lopez encouraging you to vaccinate your…
H1N1 Rap by Dr. Clarke
Posted by Greg Laden on September 23, 2009 The H1N1 Rap was written, composed, produced, and performed by John D. Clarke, MD, FAAFP. This music video is a fun, highly educational, and entertaining way to learn about prevention of the H1N1 virus.
Obama? Why are you ruining it for everybody?
Posted by Greg Laden on September 22, 2009 Something terrible is happening. Pass it on. Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell
How many more people have the Novel H1N1 flu than we ‘see’ with the flu?
Posted by Greg Laden on September 21, 2009 Good question. A recent paper in PLoS ONE looks at H1N1 in foreign travelers in order to estimate the incidence of this virus in Mexico.
Why Vaccinate?
Posted by Greg Laden on September 11, 2009 Think back to the last time you had a bad coughing fit. It’s gross, but think about the saliva and the mucus. Think about the last time you threw up. Now imagine all that together, along with gasping for air-and not being able to swallow. And then go read this.
Medical Ghostwriting Unethically Pushed Hormone Replacement Therapy
Posted by Greg Laden on August 21, 2009 Ghostwriting, in the scientific medical literature, is the production of marketing literature which is then disguised as scientific literature. Part of this disguise is the appending of “authors” who are actual scientists who would normally write their own papers. Newly unveiled court documents show that ghostwriters paid by a pharmaceutical company played a major role…
Do people have an intrinsic right to health care?
Posted by Greg Laden on August 13, 2009 Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care–to equal access to doctors, medicines and hospitals. While all of us empathize with those who are sick, how can we say that all people have more of an intrinsic right to health care than they have to food or…
Who gets the first flu shots?
Posted by Greg Laden on July 29, 2009 It is decided. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has met, ruminated, voted, and now decrees that pregnant women, health care workers, and children over six months old will be vaccinated first. The reason we even need to worry about this is that there will not be nearly enough flu vaccine to go around in…
On Generic Drugs and Health Care Savings
Posted by Greg Laden on July 14, 2009 When Ella was three years old, she began exhibiting strange behaviors and for several days we had no clue as to their meaning. She was having difficulty with her toilet training, and we guessed that the stress was manifesting itself in what we shortly learned were partial-complex seizures. The expressions varied in the first few…
Is obesity a risk factor for H1N1 Novel Swine Flu infection?
Posted by Greg Laden on July 13, 2009 … or is obesity simply Yet Another Risk Factor in severity of this illness? Probably the latter, but health officials seem interested in the developing data. From CTV: … in a report released Friday, health officials detailed the cases of 10 Michigan patients who were very sick from swine flu in late May and early…
FDA: Limits on Acetaminophen
Posted by Greg Laden on June 30, 2009 Acetaminophen dose recommendations will be lowered significantly by the FDA, and some products will be pulled off the market, because of concerns over liver damage. If you look up “Tylenol” on Wikipedia as I write this, you see the following: Indeed. From MSNBC: Despite years of educational campaigns and other federal actions, acetaminophen remains the…
Flu Update: Millionth American Case, Scams, Prospects
Posted by Greg Laden on June 29, 2009 The novel swine flu has affected its one millionth American. The first death in England has been recorded (a 9 year old girl). Yesterday, the first Brazilian death was recorded. When we look at the map of the disease, note that many regions of Africa are totally devoid of cases. Just so you know ……
Bad Advice for Pregnant Women
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2009 People like to help pregnant women. On buses it is routine to give up one’s seat for a pregnant woman. In Boston, drivers try less hard to run over pregnant women in crosswalks. And so on. But sometimes good intentions can lead to bad advice. First, I’d like to point out that there is reasonably…
Guinea Worm Disease
Posted by Greg Laden on June 16, 2009 Here is the Guinea Worm Movie, and for more information and additional links, click here. Minor Africa Story hidden below the fold.
Time to get organized on health care.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 14, 2009 Republicans in congress bought and paid for by Big Pharma and the other nefarious elements of the health care industry are going to kill any attempts at reform. Unless….
Swine Flu Alert Level Raised by WHO
Posted by Greg Laden on June 11, 2009 The long-awaited pandemic announcement is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly circling the globe. WHO will now ask drugmakers to speed up production of a swine flu vaccine. The declaration will also prompt governments to devote more money toward efforts to contain the virus. This means that the alert…
Danny Hauser’s Web Site Is Back Up (I think)
Posted by Greg Laden on May 29, 2009 Danny Hauser, 13 year old shaman with cancer, recently returned from foray from the courts with his mother, now in treatment, had a web site dedicated to raising money for his ‘treatment’ (seemingly for the CAM part of his treatment … he is otherwise covered by insurance). That site was taken down early today or…
Oldest Evidence of Leprosy Found in India
Posted by Greg Laden on May 26, 2009 It is funny how people play with history. If we talk about an important “first” that is viewed in a positive light … the origin of beer for instance … the slightest evidence will be used by the people of a given region to claim primacy. Also, since Africa almost always gets the shaft in…
Solving The World’s Water Problems One Idea at a Time
Posted by Greg Laden on May 26, 2009 Have you been reading Digital Rabbit? Please add this site that addresses safe drinking water and basic sanitation to your list of links to check or your RSS feed. And, have a look at the Q-Drum, which is profiled at DR.
, which is now available for the 
