“If stretching ranks among your list of health priorities somewhere below turning down the volume on your iPod, a new report may give you extra incentive to reach, bend and twist. The study found that a regular stretching program may actually enhance performance, making people stronger and increasing their endurance. ‘Stretching appears to do more […]
“This year at the annual sugar-and-food-additives fest for children called ‘Halloween,’ I think parents should skip the middle step of handing out candy and just hand out Ritalin directly to the kids. I say this in jest, of course, since I am adamantly against the use of Ritalin in children, but let’s be crystal clear […]
“One of the biggest issues before Congress this fall has been the debate over the future of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Originally crafted by a Republican Congress in 1997 and signed into law, SCHIP was designed to provide health insurance for children whose parents made too much money to qualify for Medicaid […]
“The not-quite secret of healthcare in Massachusetts is that, though it is usually high-quality, it costs too much. To get a dialogue going about how costs can be restrained, Senate President Therese Murray proposes to force health insurers to explain why they need to raise prices. The state now lacks any coordinated response to premium […]
“There’s no question that poor hospital hygiene, overuse — and sometimes misuse — of antibiotics contribute to outbreaks of infectious bacteria. But preventative efforts alone won’t solve our bacterial challenges. What we need most are better diagnostic tests and new medicines, says Scott Gottlieb, a practicing physician and resident fellow at the American Enterprise […]
“Approximately 10,000 chemicals currently on the market need to be retested for possible toxicity, according to a study published in the journal Science. The study authors warn that approximately one-third of carbon-based chemicals currently in commercial use may need to be retested, based on limitations of the tests previously used to determine toxicity. The danger […]
“Politicians and pharmacists in Italy responded angrily yesterday to an appeal by Pope Benedict for pharmacists to refuse to dispense drugs such as the “morning-after pill” if they object on moral grounds. The pope told an international conference on Monday that pharmacists should be guaranteed the right to conscientious objection in cases where medicines they […]
“When push comes to shove, many people would seriously consider pulling strings to jump a health-care queue, suggests a survey of Toronto residents. And 16% of the 101 people responding to the Toronto telephone survey said they had already contacted a friend in the medical system in an effort to get moved up a waiting […]
“One in seven Americans over 70 has some form of dementia, according to a national study. The population-based study included men and women from all regions of the U.S. Researchers found that about 3.4 million people, or 13.9 percent of the population, age 71 and older have a form of dementia. Researchers compiled data from […]
“The results of a new survey indicate that 48 percent of physicians between 50 and 65 years of age are planning to reduce or end their clinical practice in the next 1 to 3 years. The findings also suggest that many older physicians believe that their younger counterparts do not have the work ethic they […]
