Georgia Sinks To 45th In Overall Health Care Rating; 44th In Those Who Went Without Care Due to Costs; State Leadership Emphatically Reject Medicaid Expansion

Georgia Sinks in State-by-State Health Care Rankings by Andy Miller.  Georgia Health News.  April 30, 2014.

Deal's Signature All But Kills Medicaid Expansion by Misty Williams.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  April 29, 2014.   The is available online only by subscription.  Available in the physical newspaper.

New Concept Of Diabetes Needed To Confront Worldwide Epidemic

The Global Diabetes Epidemic by Kasia Lipska.  Sunday Review.  The New York Times.  April 25, 2014.

Health Benefits Of Chocolate Are Numerous, Tied To Complex Process Required To Digest It

Why Chocolate Is Good For Us by Gretchen Reynolds.  Well Blog.  New York Times.  April 24, 2014.

Illness Crystalizes a Romance Only To Dissolve

My Illness, The Third Partner In Our Relationship by Eric Trump.  Modern Love in Fashion And Style.  April 24, 2014.

Political Hostility To Healthcare Law Prevents Many Of The Most Needy States To Benefit

In Poorest States, Political Stigma Is Depressing Participation In Health Law by Jackie Calmes.  The New York Times.  April 26, 2014.

West Virginia is profiled.  The article reports that some resident believed that computer chips will be implanted in them if they enroll for coverage.

Traumatic Brain Injuries Perhaps Related To Homelessness: Study

Almost Half Of Homeless Men Had A Previous Brain Injury by Bryan Walsh.  Time.  April 26, 2014.

Medical School And The Actual Nitty-Gritty Practice Of Medicine: Bridging The Gap

Are Med School Grads Prepared To Practice Medicine by Pauline W. Chen, M.D.   Well Blog.  April 24, 2014.

Minority Women Often Face Unique Challenges Dealing With Fertility Issues

Infertility, Endured Through A Prism Of Race by Tanzina Vega.  The New York Times.  April 25, 2014.

Except For Expansion Of Medicaid, Georgia Officials Considers Alternatives To Address Rural Health

Rural Health Care Surging As A Major Issue by Andy Miller.  Georgia Health News.  April 25, 2014.

Rise In Medical Debts Leads Physicians To New Approaches; Faster Referrals To Collections; Payments In Advance

With Medical Debts Rising, Doctors Are More Aggressive About Payments by Jenny Gold.  Kaiser Health News.  April 25, 2014.

A Software Upgrade For Hearing; New Device Aids Move From Merely Restoring Loss Toward Surpassing Ordinary Human Abilities

Conjuring Images Of A Bionic Future by Farhad Manjoo.  The New York Times.  April 23, 2014.

Using Cochlear Implant To Deliver Gene Therapy And Regrow Auditory Nerves; Other Neurological Disorders Possible Targets For Newly-Developed Therapy

Hearing quality Restored With Bionic Ear Technology Used For Gene Therapy;  Re-growing Auditory Nerves.  Science Daily.  April 23, 2014.

Parkinson's and depression are also possible targets for new therapy.

Cost To States Of Medicaid Expansion Now Judged To Be Even Lower Than Previous Estimates

CBO Finds Health Reform's Medicaid Expansion Is An Even Better Deal for States.  Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  April 22, 2014.

Speed In Stroke Care Vital; Strategies Outlined In Studies

Research Shows Ways To Speed Stroke Care by Dennis Thompson.  WebMd.  April 23, 2014.

The studies outline strategies for ERs and ambulances as well as use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).

Visual Illustration Of Mortality Trends: How Americans Die

How Americans Die.  Bloomberg.  April 17, 2014.

Great series of charts showing significant trends in mortality.

Emphasis Of Current Scientific Research Moves Away From Diet

An Apple A Day, And Other Myths by George Johnson.  Raw Data.  The New York Times.  April 21, 2014.

In the course of the article it is mentioned that chronic inflammation is a continuing emphasis of cancer researchers.  For many people inflammation is a byproduct of diet and it results in obesity.

American Middle Class Is No Longer The World's Richest;

The American Middle Class Is No Longer The World's Richest  by David Leonhardt and Kevin Quealy.  The New York Times.  April 22, 2014.

In a society which still lacks,  even with implementation of Obamacare, a system of universal healthcare, income still is vitally important to the physical health of a society.

Fashion Helps Young Woman Cope With Pain

Survival In Style:  How Fashion Helped A Young Woman Find Joy In the Midst Of Pain by Mary Alice Stephenson.  Huffingtonpost. April 15, 2014.

560,000 To 880,000 Prescriptions For Codeine To Kinds May Not Be Appropriate

Too Much Codeine Still Prescribed To Kids:  Study by Dennis Thompson.  WebMD.  April 21, 2014.

Less-Educated Women Show Dramatic Loos in Longevity

Less-Schooled  Whites Lose Longevity, Study Finds by Michael E. Kanell.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Mankato Free Press.  April 17, 2014.

Alarming statistic:  Nationwide the life expectancy of white women without high school diplomas feel from 78.5 in 1990 to 73.5 in 2008.  The article explore possible reasons.

The Physician's Cost Control Responsibilities In Patient Care Is Subject Of New Association Guidelines

Cost Of Treatment May Influence Doctors by Andrew Pollack.  The New York Times.  April 17, 2014.

220,000 Apply For Obamacare Coverage During First Enrollment Period

Updated Georgia Health Exchange Numbers:  220K Apply For Coverage by Andy Miller/Georgia Health News.  Georgia Public Broadcasting.  April 17, 2014.

The article notes that 650,000 Georgian are estimated to be eligible for subsidies in the health insurance exchange.

One In 20 Patients Of Outpatient Facilities Are Misdiagnosed: New Study

About 12 Million U.S. Outpatients Misdiagnosed Annually--Study by Curtis Skinner.  Reuters.  April 17, 2014.

Jobs In Healthcare: Are They Immune From The Trend Of Substituting Capital For Labor?

Tech Leaps, Job Loses And Rising Inequality by Eduardo Porter, Economic Scene. New York Times.  April 15, 2014.

This is an article of opinion and analysis of a trend which "encourages replacing decently paid workers with a machine, regardless of their skill,"  a trend which could impact the medical professions.

No One Single Microbiome Associated With Healthy People; Many Bacteria Factors At Work In Determining Effective Therapies

Scientists Re-define What's Healthy In Newest Analysis For Human Microbiome Project.  Science Daily. April 16, 2014.

Study points to the individual uniqueness of what it means to be healthy.

New Disorder Identified By Some Mental Health Professionals; Issues Of Validity And Treatment Implications

Idea Of New Attention Disorder Spurs Research, And Debate by Alan Schwarz.  The New York Times.  April 11, 2014.

The new disorder is called sluggish cognitive tempo and could result in treatment for perhaps two million children.

5 Million Bitten By Snakes with 94 Thousand Deaths Worldwide; The Urgent Need For New Snakebit Treatments

The Killers Underfoot by Matthew Lewin.  Sunday Review.  The New York Times.  April 12, 2014.

Also worldwide 400,000 have limbs amputated or are permanently disabled.

Impenetrable Condom From Material One Atom Thick: Just One Of the Possible Products From the Coming Graphene Revolution

Bend It, Charge It, Dunk It:  Graphene, The Material Of Tomorrow by Nick Bilton.  April 13, 2014.

This article is not focused on medical or health applications.  However the implications of this new material are so potentially revolutionary that we can be certain that medicine will not escape its impact.

Health Care Innovation Products Developed In A Competition For Undergraduates At Georgia Tech

Health Care Ripe For Ideas by David Markiewicz.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  April 13, 2014.  Article is in the physical newspaper and by subscription online.

Included is a method to deal with positional sleep apnea.

Medicaid Expansion: Dollar Waster Or Moral Imperative?

Medicaid Expansion:  Dollar Waster or Moral Imperative by Misty Williams.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  April 12, 2014.  This complete article is available with online subscription or in the physical newspaper.

A great overview of the controversy surrounding the most important health care debate in Georgia at the moment.

Using Techniques Of Tissue Engineering, Laboratory-Grown Vaginas Implanted In Patients

Laboratory-Grown Vaginas Implanted In Patients.  Science Daily.  April 10, 2014.

Extraction Of Shale Gas In China Has Domestic and Worldwide Health Implications

China Takes On Big Risks In Its Push For Shale Gas by Keith Bradsher.  The New York Times.  April 11, 2014.

For Some Employers, France Moves To Limit After-Hours Emails; Health Concerns Cited

In France, A Move To Limit Off-The-Clock Work Emails by Scott Sayare.  The New York Times.  April 11, 2014.

Georgia Regents University Creates Cancer Center, Confucius Institute For Study Of Traditional Chinese Medicine

GRU Had "Productive Year," Azziz Says by Tom Corwin.  The Augusta Chronicle.  April 10, 2014.

GRU becomes the first academic health center in the Western hemisphere to be focused on traditional Chinese medicine.

Review Of Clinical Trials: Physician People Skills Translate to Better Health Results

A Doctor's "People Skills" Affects Patients Health by Amy Norton.  CBS News.  April 11, 2014.

Drugs Costs Raise Questions In Analysis of Massive Medicare Data Dump

Costs Of Drugs Used By Medicare Doctors Can Vary Greatly By Region, Analysis Finds by Peter Whoriskey, Dan Keating and Lena H. Sun.  Washington Post.  April 9, 2014.

WHO Advocates Treatment Guidelines For the 150 Million People Suffering From Hepatitis C; Hopes To Replicate Success of HIV Drugs

A Call For Pricey Treatment For Millions With Hepatitis-C by Richard Knox.  Capsules Blog.  Kaiser Health News.  April 9, 2014.

Primary Care Shortage? Study Shows Key Role Of Insurance Status

Primary Care Shortage?  Not For The Insured, Study Shows by Elana Gordon, WHYY/Kaiser Health News.  Capsules Blog.  April 8, 2014.

Non-invasive Blood Biopsy Offers Possible New Tool For Cancer Diagnosis

Sidestepping The Biopsy With New Tools To Spot Cancer by Andrew Pollack.  The New York Times.  April 7, 2014.

Among the benefits mentioned in this article is potentially tracking the disease as it evolves.

Missed Stroke Signs Result In Erroneous Diagnosis Of Headache/Dizziness; Errors Concentrated With The Young, Minorities, And Women

Stroke Rounds:  Early Signs Of Stroke Missed In Many Cases by Todd Neale.  MedPage Today.  April 8, 2014

Electrical Current Through Spine Restores Signals From Brain To Spine In Men Restoring Some Function In Paralyzed Men

Stimulation Restores Some Function For 4 Paralyzed Men by Karen Weintraub.  USA TODAY.  April 8, 2014.

This finding will likely impact the lives of more than 1.2 million Americans who lack control of their lower limbs.

Social Progress Index Measures Nations According to Human Needs, Wellbeing, and Opportunity

Social Progress Index.  The Social Progress Imperative.  April 1, 2014.

This measure, created by Harvard business professor Michael Porter, seeks to address the problem of measurement, that economic measures alone do not fully capture social progress.  As a consequence he established a national ranking of national ability to fulfill human needs, establish wellbeing, and create opportunity.

Of particular interest are the measures of Health and Wellbeing and Nutrition and Basic Medical Care.

According to the country ranking, the U.S. ranked 16th in the Social Progress Index, 23rd in Basic Human Needs,  36th in Foundations of Wellbeing, and 5th in Opportunity.

Big Data Problems Delineated With Implications For Public Health

Eight (No, Nine!) Problems With Big Data  by Gary Marcus and Ernest Davis.  Opinion.  The New York Times.  April 6, 2014.

Google Flu Trends is a focus with a discussion of why it has faltered.

Over A Lifetime, Childhood Obesity Costs$19,000 Per Child

Over A Lifetime, Childhood Obesity Costs $19,000 Per Child.  Press Release From Duke University Medical Center.  April 7, 2014.

The costs just for 10-year-olds alone is roughly $14 billion.

New Understanding Of The Mechanism of Touch May Offer Key to Aging, Development Of Smart Prosthetics

Scientists Discover Key Cells Involved In Touch Sensation by Honor Whiteman.  Medical News Today.  April 7, 2014.

Computer That Recognizes 21 Emotions May Have Applications In Autism Therapy

Researchers Teach A Computer To Recognize 21 Different Human Emotions by David McNamee.  Medical News Today.  April 7, 2014.

Also the article mentions possible therapeutic applications for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Medical Advances Often Means Big Increases In Costs

Even Small Medical Advances Can Mean Big Jump In Costs by Elisabeth Rosenthal.  The New York Times.  April 5, 2014.

A bit of advice:  Follow everything Elisabeth Rosenthal writes on costs in medicine.

Most and Least Obese Cities; Obesity Concentrated In South and Northern Cities Where Manufacturing Has Been Destroyed

America's thinnest (And Fattest) Cities by Douglas A. McIntyre. USA TODAY.  April 6, 2014.

Dentistry Going Digital

High-Tech Teeth:  Dentistry Is Going Digital by Michelle Healy.  USA TODAY.  April 6, 2014.

In-office crown production is just one of the new services.

Georgia Decision Not To Expand Medicaid Leaves 409,000 Residents In A Coverage Gap

Left Behind By Obamacare, And The State by Misty Williams.  The Atlanta Journal Constitution.  April 5, 2014.  Available by subscription or in the physical newspaper only.

Georgia is ranked #3 in the number of people in a coverage gap resulting from the decision not to expand Medicaid.  This decision has left some making too much money for traditional Medicaid and too little receive federal tax subsidies on the insurance exchanges.

Deaths From Opioids Spurs Quick F.D.A Approval Of Hand-Held Overdose Treatment Device

Hand-Held Treatment For Overdoses Is Approved by Sabrina Tavernise.  The New York Times.  April 3, 2014.

Clinical Trials Populations Not Representative

There Are Too Many White People In Clinical Trials, And It's A Bigger Problem Than You Think by Tara Culp-Ressler.  Think Progress.  April 4, 2014.

$1000-A-Day Drug Offers Cure But Also Problems For Many

$1,000-A-Day Miracle Drug Shocks U.S. Health Care System by Kim Peterson CBS News/Moneywatch.  April 3, 2014.

A new hepatitis C treatment can cure up to 90 percent of patients but costs pose problems to many.

CDC Lists Injury To Eyes And Skin AS Possible Risks Of Electronic Cigarettes

Electronic Cigarettes Can Be Dangerous, Even If You Don't Smoke Them by Karen Kaplan.  Lost Angeles Times.  April 3, 2014.

Exposure as well as injury are seen as risks in reports to poison control centers.

Georgia Health Information Network Aims To Facilitate Sharing of Patient Health Information

Emory, Grady Join Georgia Health Information Network by Ellie Hensley.  Atlanta Business Chronicle.  April 2, 2014.

Cleveland Clinic Dietitian Evaluates Popular But Unproven Food Theories

6 Popular Theories About Food That Have Not Yet Been Proven by Kristin Kirkpatrick.  Huffington Post.  April 2, 2014.

Measuring Patient Engagement Viewed As Key To Coaching And Support

How Doctors Rate Patients.  The Informed Patient Blog.  The Wall Street Journal.  March 31, 2013.

Heart Failure Affects 6.5 Million Americans; Medicare To Cover Cardia Rehab

The Path To A Stronger Heart by Ron Winslow.  The Wall Street Journal.  March 31, 2014