Sunday, June 30, 2013

Working harder a problem or the answer

Workaholic?--

Is working harder the answer, or the problem? Ask a workaholic. | The Work/Life Balancing Act: "Just last month, Ivan Glasenberg, the 57-year-old billionaire CEO of Glencore Xstrata, outspokenly told the media that he is not interested in helping his employees find work/life balance. He touts a tough, old-school 24/7 work ethic as a reason to buy shares in his commodity trading and mining company. “We work,” he said. “You don’t come here to take life easy. And we all got rich from it, so, you know, there’s a benefit from it.”" (read more at link above)

more news below



Why a Health Insurance Penalty May Make Sense

Obamacare unintended consequences--

Why a Health Insurance Penalty May Look Tempting - NYTimes.com: "Once new health insurance exchanges are up and running in October, companies with 50 or more full-time employees will face a choice: Provide affordable care to all full-time employees, or pay a penalty. But that penalty is only $2,000 a person, excluding the first 30 employees. With an employer’s contribution to family health coverage now averaging $11,429 a year, taking that penalty would seem to yield big savings."

more news below


Thursday, June 27, 2013

Americans' Exploding Use of Prescription Drugs

Study: 70 Percent Of Americans On Prescription Drugs « CBS Atlanta: "According to the CDC, the percent of persons using at least one prescription drug in the past month increased nearly 50 percent between 2007 and 2010. And the researchers said prescription drug spending will only increase in the future."

more news below



Tuesday, June 25, 2013

70 Percent Of Americans On Prescription Drugs

A nation of "pill-poppers"--

Study: 70 Percent Of Americans On Prescription Drugs « CBS Atlanta: "Researchers find that nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half receive at least two prescriptions. Mayo Clinic researchers report that antibiotics, antidepressants and painkiller opioids are the most common prescriptions given to Americans. Twenty percent of U.S. patients were also found to be on five or more prescription medications. . . ."

more news below



Sunday, June 23, 2013

Throat Cancer and HPV (video)



Throat Cancer and H.P.V.After remarks from the actor Michael Douglas attributing his throat cancer to a sexually transmitted virus, men are concerned that they, too, might be at risk.

more news below



Friday, June 21, 2013

The Therapeutic Art of Doing No-thing

Doing nothing is different from doing no harm, that endlessly advertised professional goal for doctors. You can do a lot of things and still do no harm — and often not much good either--

Don't Do Something; Just Sit There - NYTimes.com: " . . . Doing nothing is also different from handing out placebo medications, an ethically complex activity featuring doctor as shaman. To really do nothing, all shamanic trappings must be abandoned: stethoscope, prescription pad, weighty pronouncements, the works. And yet — and this is key — doing nothing is also quite different from saying, “There’s nothing I can do for you; goodbye.” Most doctors are masters of this final nothing. But keeping a therapeutic relationship afloat without the usual tools, tricks or enticements — that is a rare achievement, and surely harder than the hardest microsurgery. . . Among more than 22 million cataloged medical articles I found exactly one that seemed likely to help. Published in The Rhode Island Journal of Medicine in 1986, “The Art of ‘Doing Nothing’ ” cannot be read online and took a week to arrive via interlibrary loan. It proved to be well worth the wait. “Physicians have been trained to expect the worst of every symptom,” wrote the author, Dr. David F. Wehlage, an Indiana psychiatrist. They “ ‘do everything’ to diagnose and treat it without regard for the destructive aspects of doing too much.” In fact, Dr. Wehlage pointed out, even such simple bromides as “take my advice and don’t worry” can be harmful, casting patients in a passive, dependent role that undermines their natural problem-solving capabilities. “The art of doing nothing is learning to help by not doing or advising,” he wrote. “The evaluation is the treatment.” . . . .(read more at link above)

more news below



Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Thanks To Obamacare, Doctor Shortage Set To Quintuple

Thanks To Obamacare, A 20,000 Doctor Shortage Is Set To Quintuple - Forbes: "Those who get their coverage through Medicaid or the exchanges may feel the effects of the shortage even more acutely, as many providers are opting not to accept their insurance. Right now, the United States is short some 20,000 doctors, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The shortage could quintuple over the next decade, thanks to the aging of the American population"

more news below



Monday, June 17, 2013

New Cancer Drugs Empower Our Immune Systems

The drugs work by unleashing the immune system to attack cancer cells, much as it attacks bacteria or other foreign invaders in the human body.

Promising New Cancer Drugs Empower the Body’s Own Defense System - NYTimes.com: " . . . . The drugs, still generally in early testing, work in an entirely new way, by unleashing the immune system to attack cancer cells much as it attacks bacteria. That could be an alternative to often-debilitating chemotherapy. Finding ways to use the body’s own defenses has been a goal since the late 1800s, when a New York surgeon named William B. Coley noticed that cancer disappeared in a patient who had a severe bacterial infection. . . ."

more news below



Friday, June 14, 2013

Why Long Marriages End

Why Long Marriages End - Marriage, Divorce, Break Up, Separation - AARP: "Lack of communication and loss of trust are also issues that seriously undermine a marriage. I suspect that it wasn’t so much an affair that sent Maria Shriver heading for the door, but more the fact that her husband had deceived her for so long. On top of that, she is dealing with public humiliation — as well as the destabilizing presence of a child. It is a rare relationship, of any length, that could face these factors and continue on. "

more news below



Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Men's Use of Testosterone Rises

Men's Use of Testosterone on the Rise - NYTimes.com: " . . . Testosterone therapy can cause thickening of the blood, acne and reduced sperm counts. Many doctors worry that it also raises the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer, though some experts say that those concerns are unproved. Jacques Baillargeon, the lead author of the new research, said that the safety of long-term testosterone use had yet to be established in good studies. “I think these relatively healthy men who are starting testosterone at age 40 are potentially going to be exposed for a very long time, and we don’t know what the risks are,” said Dr. Baillargeon . . ."

more news below



Monday, June 10, 2013

Mother's Diet Affects Child's Bone Mass

Childbirth: Maternal Diet Affects Child's Bone - NYTimes.com: " . . . The study found that the children whose mothers consumed more protein, phosphorus and vitamin B12 when they were pregnant had the greatest bone mass and bone mineral content. The researchers also found that higher consumption of carbohydrates and greater blood concentrations of homocysteine – an amino acid that accumulates in response to a deficiency in B vitamins – were associated with lower bone mass and mineral content. . . ."

more news below



Friday, June 7, 2013

Eye Contact

The Decline of Eye Contact - WSJ.com: " Looking at a colleague when speaking conveys confidence and respect. Prolonged eye contact during a debate or disagreement can signal you're standing your ground. It also points to your place on the food chain: People who are high-status tend to look longer at people they're talking to, compared with others, says a 2009 research review in Image and Vision Computing. When people withhold eye contact out of carelessness or disrespect, it speaks volumes. Suzanne Bates, author of "Speak Like a CEO," has coached executives who check their smartphones so often during meetings that "it's the equivalent of not showing up for half the meeting," she says." (more at link above)

more news below



Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Google Brings Nutrition Information to Search

Google Brings Nutrition Information to Search | News & Opinion | PCMag.com: "Google added nutrition information for a range of food queries spanning "basics of potatoes and carrots to more complex dishes like burritos and chow mein," Mezheritsky, said. For instance, if you're at the movies and want to know how that popcorn is going to affect your diet, you can Google "how many calories are in popcorn" and quickly find out that it's got 31 calories per cup. Or, if you're on a high protein diet, you might Google "how many carbs are in corn?" or simply search for corn to get more detailed nutrition information."

more news below



Monday, June 3, 2013

Joséphine de la Baume – Love is about timing

Joséphine De La Baume, A Life Kissed by Success Joséphine de La Baume, best known as the wife of the producer Mark Ronson, has a rebellious streak and is in a new vampire film. Joséphine de la Baume – Actress and Musician - NYTimes.com: "Around that time, she was introduced to Mr. Ronson through mutual friends. “We had seen each other a few times before that, but I would say ‘Hello, goodbye’ and that’s it,” she said. “Love is, you know, about timing.”"

more news below



diet - Google News

weight loss - Google News

health - Google News

eating disorder - Google News

Health Blog

Reading List