A recent study by Thomas Reuters Healthcare that analyzed healthcare utilization of healthcare workers compared to non healthcare workers found that hospital employees spent 10% more on healthcare services than the general population, consumed more healthcare services and were generally sicker. Interestingly enough, this finding was only amplified when dependents of healthcare workers were taken into account. Continue reading
health
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Polio was one of the most feared diseases of the 20th century. In 99% of cases, it causes no symptoms or very mild symptoms and may go effectively unnoticed, making it easy for people to be unwitting carriers and spreaders of the virus and leading to an explosion of polio epidemics in the early 20th century as transport improved, population density in cities increased and it became easier for a virus like polio to reach a critical mass of people. Meanwhile, in that last 1% of sufferers polio infects the spinal cord, leading to paralysis or death. Even worse, young children tends to be particularly susceptible, leading to polio becoming known in some areas as infantile paralysis disease. There is still no known cure for polio.
In 1952 in the United States alone, polio caused 3,145 recorded deaths and 21,269 recorded cases of mild to disabling paralysis.
I must admit that the Angry Birds phenomenon has largely passed me by, due to me being one of the few people in the world who uses a Microsoft KIN phone. Without the appeal of playing it on the hand-held touchscreen for which it was clearly designed, it just seems like a poor man’s Worms or Scorched Earth. But today I learned that my stubborn refusal to keep up with the latest trends in gadgetry and gaming has actually been keeping me safe from terrible harm. Continue reading
Here’s a hypothetical from fantasyland: the government of {your country} suddenly has a billion US dollars or local equivalent to spend, and it can only spend it on ONE giant program. Pretend it’s a bequest from a rich billionaire who just died. You can pretend the dead billionaire is Rupert Murdoch if you want to feel especially happy about it. Continue reading
According to ABC News, 24-year-old Kyle Willis died this past week due to an untreated tooth infection. Two weeks ago, dentist told Willis that a painful wisdom tooth needed to be extracted. Unable to afford the extraction without employment or insurance, Willis passed on the procedure. After visiting the ER, Willis was prescribed antibiotics and pain medications but was unable to afford both. He took the pain medications, but the infection soon spread to his brain and he died last Wednesday.
Willis’ case echoes the circumstances surrounding the death of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver in 2007 from a tooth infection after his mother was unable to secure affordable dental care for him in time.
According to NBC affiliate WLWT, Willis leaves behind a six-year-old daughter.
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know how frustrating it is to hear the simplistic ‘eat less, exercise more’ advice. Your personal experience flies in the face of this seemingly straightforward equation. Certainly in a vacuum, eating less and exercising more works. However, our bodies are an open, interactive systems, and rarely cooperate with simple math. Continue reading
The US will soon release a doll from Spain called “Breast Milk Baby.” The $89 toy will allow children to imitate the act of breast-feeding by using a special halter top that comes with the doll. Parents and critics are divided on the product, some claiming that the doll over-sexualizes young girls by forcing them to grow up too quickly, but supporters claim that the toy is a learning product meant to teach nurturing and provide valuable education on what is believed to be a healthy choice when it comes to parenting.
What’s the debate? Continue reading
So I started writing a column about some of the things you need to know getting the most out of your medical care, but after discussion with a few of you, I found that the questions I was answering weren’t really the ones you were asking. So I will start by answering a bit more in depth, some of the issues that have come up. Please share any knowledge you have in the comments and ask more questions. Continue reading
TIME Magazine is the latest to kill your summer vacay buzz. They report on an interactive map from the American Trauma Society that allows you to determine how quickly you could access potentially life saving trauma care. As this helpful article points out, the areas suffering a dearth of trauma centers encompass a bunch of popular vacation destinations.
Actually the article is mostly about disparities in care in urban and rural centers, particularly with high risk emergencies – not just accidents, but strokes, heart attacks, etc. It’s sad that to make this point, we need to appeal to wealthy vacationing urbanites and their fears of not being able to access emergency care. Too often, we forget about the folks that live in our favorite vacation spots year round – often in near or outright poverty.
And now I’ve killed your buzz too.
Yes, diet soda is probably as bad, if not worse, for your waistline as regular soda with high-fructose corn syrup or sugar.
Two separate studies released at a recent meeting of the American Diabetes Association have similar findings. One study followed humans drinking two or more diet sodas a day who developed larger waistlines than a control group. The second study followed mice that maintained significantly higher blood sugar levels than the control group. Continue reading