How Systemic Inflammation And Autoimmune Processes Might Influence Cardiovascular Processes Highlighted In Celiac Disease Study

Celiac Disease linked To Increased Risk Of Coronary Artery Disease.  Science Daily.  March 29, 2014.

Study: Genetic Link To the Digestion Of Carbs May Be Link To Obesity

Carbohydrate Digestion And Obesity Strongly Linked.  Science Daily.  March 30, 2014.

Potential and Problems With Hospital Social Media

Sharing Medical Stories:  The Blossoming Of Hospital Social Media by Natalie Duggan.  Georgia Health News.  March 17, 2014.

"According to the Georgia Hospital Association, 77 member hospitals currently have Facebook pasges and 41 have Twitter accounts."

As Initial Obamacare Enrollment Period Closes, At Least 9.5 Million Previously Uninsured People Have Gained Health Coverage

Obamacare Has Led To Health Coverage For Millions More People by Noam N. Levey.  The Los Angeles Times.  March 30, 2014.

Atlanta Hospital Executive Pay Subject Of Report

Hospital CEO Pay Has Some Ill At Ease by M.B. Pell.  ajc.com.  March 30, 2014.

CEO compensation practices are discussed for major Atlanta hospitals.

Stigmatization Of Those With Infectious Diseases: A Strategy, Once Valid, Which May Have Outlived Its Evolutionary Usefulness

Stigmas, Once Evolutionarily Sound Are Now Bad Health Strategies.  Science Daily.  March, 28, 2014.

Stigmatization and ostracization rarely, today, are effective as a result of increased personal mobility.

Space Makes The Heart Grow Rounder

Space 'Makes The Heart Grow Rounder,' Microgravity Could Lead To Heart Problems:  Study.
 Agence France-Presse.  March 29, 2014.

Lack of gravity "workout" leads to more spherical shape.

Gallup: Ranking Of States According To Struggle To Afford Healthcare And Medicine; Alabama #1; 20.8% of Georgians Struggle

Alabamans Struggle Most To Afford Healthcare And Medicine.  Gallup Well-Being.  March 29, 2014.
Note that states with relatively high % of residents without enough money for healthcare and/or medicine are often those who refuse Medicaid expansion.  In Georgia 20.8% report that they struggled to pay for healthcare.  "States with the highest percentages of residents who could not afford needed healthcare and/or medicine are predominately in the South."

Determining Who Gets Treated By Internet Petition: Ethical Issues Raised

Crowdsourcing Medical Decisions:  Ethicists Worry Josh Hardy Case May Set Bad Precedent.  The Washington Post.  March 23, 2014.

Underweight Even More Deadly Than Overweight

Underweight Even Deadlier Than Overweight, Study Says by Alan Mozes.  WebMD News from Health Day.  March 28, 2014.

Doctor Priorities Vs Patient Priorities: When Health Is Not The Top Concern In Patient Lives

Doctor Priorities Vs. Patient Priorities by Danielle Ofri, M.D.  Well Blog.  The New York Times.  March 27, 2014.

What is a doctor to do when serious health conditions are not the top concern of the patient?

Despite Six Million Sign-Ups for Private Insurance Plans Nationwide, Political Opposition and Technology Limit Impact Of The Affordable Care Act

Deadline Near, Health Signups Show Disparity by Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Robert Pear.  The New York Times.  March 27, 2014.

The article observes that the Affordable Care Act "looks less like a sweeping federal overhaul than a collection of individual ventures playing out unevenly............."

Early Childhood Efforts To Improve Poor Children's Intellect Results In Better Health Later

Project To Improve Poor Children's Intellect Led To Better Health, Data Shows by Sabrina Tavernise. The New York Times.  March 27, 2014.

Study shows that early childhood efforts to improve cognition resulted in later benefits socially, emotionally, and in health.

Survey Of Academic Studies On Inequality Mentions Impacts On Health

Income Equality:  A Search For Consequences by Eduardo Porter.  The New York Times.  March 25, 2014.

While the major focus on this article is not on health, some of the studies cited do include health as an emphasis.  Of interest to me was the argument of two British epidemiologists that feelings of dominance and submission are enhanced by widening inequality and have thereby have a health impact.

Lower Back Pain Causes More Global Disability Than Any Other Condition

Low Back Pain Afflicts Millions Around The World by Elizabeth DeVita Raeburn.  MedPage Today.  March 25, 2014.

WHO: Air Pollution Responsible For 1 in 8 Global Deaths; Heart Disease and Stroke Impacts More Than Previously Thought

WHO:  Air Pollution Responsible For 1 in 8 Global Deaths by David McNamee. Medical News Today.  March 25, 2014.

Georgia Sweeping Pro-Gun Legislation Has Obvious Public Health Implications

Amid Wave Of Pro-Gun Legislation, Georgia Proposes Sweeping Law by Herbert Buchsbaum.  The New York Times.  March 24, 2014.

It is interesting to note that in Georgia pro-gun legislation is OK while expansion of Medicaid is so horrible that it is to be strictly forbidden.

Issues In Supreme Court Arguments On Contraceptive Coverage And Obamacare

Hobby Lobby Contraceptive Case Goes Before Supreme Court by Nina Totenberg.  NPR.  March 25, 2014.

An excellent summary.

Liquid Nicotine For E-Cigarettes: Neurotoxins With Significant Health Risks

Selling A Poison By The Barrel:  Liquid Nicotine For E-Cigarettes.  The New York times.  March 23, 2014.

Key Idea:  "In terms of the immediate poison risk, e-liquids are far more dangerous than tobacco, because the liquid is absorbed more quickly, even in diluted concentrations."

Union of Living And Nonliving Materials Could Have implications For Diagnostic Devices and Tissue Engineering

Engineers Design "Living Materials":  Hybrid Materials Combine Bacterial Cells With Nonliving Elements.  Science Daily.  March 23, 2014.

Materials such as bone were the inspirations for the combination of living and nonliving materials developed by MIT scientists.

Diverse Viewpoints On Legal Challenge To Obamacare Contraceptive Coverage Mandate: Supreme Court To Hear Case This Week

Viewpoints On Challenge To Contraceptive Coverage Mandate.  Kaiser Health News.  March 24, 2014.
This is a tremendously important case on so many levels including health, religion, and legal.

First Match Day For Medical Students At Georgia Medical Partnership

Athens Medical Students Celebrate First Match Day by April Burkhart.  Online Athens.  March 21, 2014.

Historic moment for medical education in Georgia.

Obesity Costs A Lot For Women

Why Rich Women Don't Get Fat by Olga Khazan.  The Atlantic.  March 19, 2014.

As with any similar type study, questions of cause and effect need to be considered.  However, it seems clear that there is an association between obesity and lower wages for women.

Electronic Medical Health Records Can Fundamentally Alter Medicine

Why Doctors Still Use Pen And Paper by James Fallows.  The Atlantic.  March 19, 2014.

On The Ramifications Of High-Tech, Big-Data Medical Care by James Fallows.  The Atlantic.  March 21, 2014.

An interview with the former national coordinator for health information technology and a discussion.

Georgia Senate Candidates Address Healthcare Issues

Election Guide 2014:  Georgia's Candidates For United States Senate Address Our State's Most Critical Health Challenges.  Healthcare Georgia.

Governor Deal Addresses Health Care Issues In Interview With Georgia Health News

A Health Care Q & A With Gov. Deal by Andy Miller.  Georgia Health News.  March 18, 2014.

Tech Entrepreneurs Target Health Needs of Elderly

New Generation Of Tech Innovations Aims To Help Elders Stay Healthy.  PBS Newshour.  March 20, 2014.

Statistic cited in the article:  The number of seniors is expected to double by 2050 to 85 million.  Demand for health products and services is bound to grow.

Museums Making Contribution To Health Literacy, Research, Medical Training, And Disease Prevention

Is There A Doctor In The Exhibition?  by Karen Jones.  The New York Times.  March 19, 2014.

Developing visual skills is just one of the areas that museums can contribute to medical training.

Protein May Hold The Key To Who Gets Alzheimer's

Protein May Hold The Key To Who Gets Alzheimer's by Pam Belluck.  The New York Times.  March 19, 2014.

Depending on future research, this series of studies may be viewed in retrospect as a turning point in the effort to confront a growing epidemic.

The Healing Power Of Happiness And Joy In The ICU

A Wedding In Intensive Care by Haider Javed Warraich.  Opinionator Blog.  The New York Times.  March 19, 2014.

Having something to live for sustains life and promotes healing whatever seems to be the objective medical condition.

American Association For The Advancement Of Science Summarizes "What We Know" Regarding Climate Change Including Health Impacts

What We Know:  The Reality, Risks And Response To Climate Change.  The AAAS Climate Science Panel.  The American Association For the Advancement Of Science.

Health Impacts are summarized on page 11.

Another Study Supports Modified View Of Saturated Fats And Heart Disease

Study Questions Fat and Heart Disease Link by Anahad O'Connor.  Well Blog.  The New York Times.

Carbs are said to be "driving your low-density lipoproteins in a more adverse way" than saturated fats

Cancer: Embryonic-Like Processes Gone Haywire

A Tumor, The Embryo's Evil Twin by George Johnson.  The New York Times.  March 17, 2014.

Fascinating article illustrates how a search for comparisons, metaphors, and analogies can be productive.  Susan Sontag's reference to tumors as "demonic pregnancy" is shown to be much more than a figure of speech.

Body Composition, Not Just BMI, Is Better Predictor Of All-Cause Mortality

Older Adults:  Build Muscle And You'll Live Longer.  Science Daily.  March 14, 2014.

The study recounted here establishes the independent mortality prediction ability of muscle mass.

Revised Theory Concerning The Relationship Of Low Nutrient Diet and Extended Lifespan

Eat More, Die Young:  Why Eating A Diet Very Low In Nutrients Can Extend Lifespan.  Science Daily.  March, 17, 2014.

Nutrient poor diets seem to be related to increased cellular recycling which reduces deterioration and the risk of cancer.

Diseases Once Thought Eradicated Reappear In The U.S.

Diseases Once Thought Eradicated Reappear In The U.S. by Kristin Miller.  PBS Newshour.  March 16, 2014.

Among the reasons for outbreaks is unvaccinated travelers returning home to a community with declining immunity.

Young Women and Men With Feminine Traits Found To Have Treatment Delays For Coronary Events

Men Receive Faster Care Than Women For Heart Attacks, Study Shows by Marie Ellis.  Medical News Today.  March 17, 2014.

Also interest is the suggestion that triage staff may dismiss a cardiac event at first among young women with anxiety.

Magical Medicine: Tibetan Medicine Seeks to Govern The Body By Tapping The Forces Govern The Heavens--An Exhibition

A Medicine Of Oneness, Body, Soul and Stars by Edward Rothstein.  Exhibition Review.  The New York Times.  March 14, 2014.

A review of the exhibit "Bodies in Balance:  The Art of Tibetan Medicine" with a perceptive discussion of Tibetan medicine and how it differs from western medicine.

Link Between Medicine And Food Recognized In Links Between Chefs And Physicians, Kitchens and Medical Schools

Health Food For Foodies by Kathleen Squires.  The Wall Street Journal.  March 14, 2014.

The link is illustrated by the establishment of the Goldring Center For Culinary Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine.

Nurse Numbers and Education Could Make Up to 30% Difference In Patient Mortality

Nurse Numbers, Education Linked To Patient Death Rate by Allison Bond.  Reuters.  March 7, 2014.

Limitations of "Big Data" In Public Health Shown In New Article

Google's Flu Project Shows Failings Of Big Data by Bryan Walsh.  Time.  March 13, 2014.

Among issues discussed are secrecy of company algorithms and reliance on big data to the exclusion of more traditional methods.

Inspector General Of HHS Advocates Mandatory Random Drug Screening For Healthcare Workers With Access To Drugs

Why Aren't Doctors Drug Tested?  by Daniel R. Levinson and Erika T. Broadhurst.  Opinion Page.  The New York Times.  March 12, 2014.

This article is certain to bring many comments to the Times.  When these comments are posted I will include the link here.

Systematic Exploitation of Ignorance Has Serious Public Health Implications

Cultural Production of Ignorance Provides Rich Field For Study by Michael Hiltzik.  Opinion Piece. The Los Angeles Times.  March 9, 2014.

Key quote from Robert Proctor, the Stanford scholar of the cultural production of ignorance:  The myth of the 'information society' is that we're drowning in ignorance.  But it's easier to propagate ignorance."

National Obesity Survey Rates Mississippians Most Obese; 28.2 Percent Of Georgians Obese

Mississippians Most Obese, Montanans Least Obese.  Gallup Well Being.  March 4, 2014.

This study also includes the average lifetime disease rates for states with the highest and lowest obesity levels

Cardiologist, University President Named To Head Smithsonian; Cites Commitment To Humanities

Smithsonian Names David Skorton As Its New Director by Patricia Cohen.  The New York Times.  March 10, 2014.

"Skinny-Fat" Points To Danger Of Having Normal BMI While Being A Health Wreck

Is Skinny-Fat An Actual Health Problem?  by Sheila M. Eldred.  Discovery.  March 10, 2014.

The article emphasizes that weight is just one element of the health equation.

U.S. Heroin Epidemic The Subject of Two Articles

How Many Daily Heroin Users Are There In The U.S.?  Somewhere Between 60,000 and 1 Million. Maybe.  Op/Ed.  Forbes.

Holder Calls Deaths From Heroin Overdose an 'Urgent And Growing Public Health Crisis" by Jerry Markon.  The Washington Post.  March 10, 2014.

The true extent of the problem is difficult to ascertain.  There seems to be a relationship between the crackdown on prescription drug abuse and growth of the heroin problem.

Obamacare Signups: Uninsured As Well As Previously Uninsured Apply For Coverage

Obamacare Meeting Goal Of Reducing Number of Uninsured, Data Indicate by David Lauter.  The Lost Angeles Times.  March 10, 2014.

Critics Have asserted that only those who already have insurance will take advantage of the coverage offered by Obamacare.  According to this study that does not seem to be the case.

Prisoner Sign-Ups Under the Affordable Care Act

Little-Known Health Act Fact:  Prison Inmates Are Signing Up by Erica Goode.  The New York Times.  March 9, 2014.

Since prisoners have a "disproportionately high rates of chronic diseases, especially mental illness and addictive disorders," coverage can benefit prisoners while in prison and when they are released.  State and local governments are finding that they can save money for health care by enrolling prisoners.

Evolution Of Healthcare Will Evolve Insurance Companies Toward Integrated Delivery Systems

Insurance Companies As We Know Them Are About To Die And Here's What's Going To Replace Them by Ezekiel J. Emanuel.  New Republic.  March 2, 2014.

This is an excerpt from Emanuel's book:  Reinventing American Health Care:  How The Affordable Care Act Will Improve Our Terribly Complex, Blatantly Unjust, Outrageously Expensive, Grossly Inefficient, Error Prone System.

Indications That Stress May Be Inherited; Parenting Styles Shown To Not Explain Everything

Inheriting Stress by Inna Gaisler-Salomon.  The New York Times.  March 7, 2014.

Experiment with rats indicate that offspring may have "inherited" the effect of their mothers' stress.

Jarring Exercise Contributes to Bone Health; Older Adults Show Impact Deficit

Why High-Impact Exercise Is Good For Your Bones by Gretchen Reynolds.  Well Blog.  The New York Times.  March 7, 2014.

The researchers present a Catch-22:  "Older individuals may not be capable of handling the types of activity most likely to improve bone health."

Environment and Lifestyle Induced Changes In DNA Linked To Type 2 Diabetes

Epigenetic Changes Could Explain Type 2 Diabetes.  Science Daily.  March 7, 2014.

Reduction in the production of insulin could be the result of these epigenetic changes.

Death Impact Of Alzheimer's Systematically Underestimated; Inadequacy Of Death Certificate "Cause Of Death" Cited

New Study Ranks Alzheimer's As Third-Leading Cause Of Death, After Heart Disease And Cancer by Tara Bahrampour.  March 5, 2014.

A striking quote from the article:  "Cancer has about 10 times the amount of funding, and only about three times as many people have cancer."

Genomic Medicine May At "Inflection Point" Due to Lower-Cost Sequences And Clinical Successes

The Dawning Of The Age Of Genomic Medicine, Finally by Julie Steenhuysen.  Reuters.  March 6, 2014.

Genomics pioneer has started a called Human Longevity Inc.to "preserve health and fight off diseases including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's."

Housework Load For Female Academic Physicians Points Differing Career Success

Female Doctors Do More Housekeeping And Parenting Than Male Doctors.  Medical News Today.  March 4, 2014.

The study looked at motivated individuals with career development awards from the National Institutes Of Health.

Skilled Nursing Patients Harmed At Higher Rate Than Hospital Patients; Indicates Vast Areas Of Healthcare Where Patient Safety Has Not "Matured"

One Third Of Skilled Nursing Patients Harmed In Treatment by Marshall Allen.  ProPublica.  March 3, 2014.

The projection presented by the study pointed to 21, 777 patients harmed and 1538 died during August 2011, the month for which records were sampled.

Traditional Cures Make A Comeback, While Some Don't

9 Old-Time Cures Doctors Swear By (And 3 To Skip) by Nancy Rones.  Health Land.  March 1, 2014.
Ginger and Ben Gay are among those making a comeback.  Putting raw steak on a black eye is a traditional cure that is not recommended.

Stethoscopes Found To Be More Contaminated That Physicians' Hands

Physicians' Stethoscopes More Contaminated Than Palms Of Their Hands.  Science Daily.  February 27, 2014.

The study recounted here emphasizes the importance of disinfecting the stethoscope after each use.

How To Legalize Marijuana The Right Way; Time For Federal Action?

The Right Way To Legalize Marijuana (No, We've Been Doing It Wrong) by Michael Hiltzik.  The Los Angeles Times.  March 3, 2014.

Is now the time to federally regulate marijuana before the industry becomes so wealthy that it thwart regulations?

Genetic Key To Protection from Diabetes Type 2 Located

Rare Gene Found To Protect Against Type 2 by Gina Kolata.  The New York Times.  March 2, 2014.

While the drugs described is very exciting, it can take 10 to 20 years to get a drug to market.

New Plan To Monitor Global Disease Outbreaks

Coping With Infectious Disease.  Editorial.  The New York Times.  February 21, 2014.

Discusses the importance of a new initiative to surveillance and treatment of infectious disease in up to 30 countries.  The spread of disease requires close monitoring.  The viral Chikungunya fever detected in Africa, spread to Asia and Europe, and recently invaded the Caribbean.

Health Security and Infectious Disease (Letters).  The New York Times.

Important issues are raised by these letters from three experts.

Consensus On Ways To Improve ACA

Finding Consensus On 5 Ways To Improve ACA by Kelly Kennedy.  USA Today.  February 27, 2014.
These five ways include elimination of fee-for-service payments and more transparent pricing.