Okay, so you’d have to be pretty much living on Mars not to have heard about the sad passing on of Michael Jackson. Within seconds of the news, the internet’s social media exploded with discussions.
Of course, the mainstream media was in hyper action.
It was like the rest of the world suddenly ceased to exist. The problem in Iran, the President’s health care and climate care reforms, even the death of another well known Hollywood actress Farrah Fawcett was pushed aside to make way for the death of Michael Jackson.
Yes, it was very sad. Yes, the world lost a great …read more

President-elect Obama made many promises during the election campaign, but to his daughters, the biggest was probably that if he’s elected they would get a dog. A tough call, given that his eldest daughter, Malia, apparently has a ‘dog allergy’.
In his first press conference, Obama seemed to think that all would be okay if they found a ‘hypoallergenic dog’. Sounds like a great plan. But according to medical experts, it’s not all that feasible. In fact, soon after the press conference, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology  (AAAAI) issued a statement saying “There is no truly ‘hypoallergenic’ dog.”
According to the …read more

Watching what’s happening on Wall Street and following the politicians as they try to bailout what they are calling a crisis that could have catastrophic results for all Americans and the world, I am starting to have a recurrent dream of living out my ‘golden years’ as a bag lady sleeping under an apple tree.
Retirement might just become a thing of the past. But for some, retirement has never been an option.
Why?
Because they love their jobs too much to give them up.
Case in point – Mildred Heath. She’s 100 years old and still working in a career that she started …read more

If you think that Grey’s Anatomy is all about McDreamy, McSteamy, and the rest of the gang, think again. Turns out that along with a healthy dose of ‘pretty faces’ we are also being subjected to and absorbing health awareness messages.
The degree to which we absorb these messages was measured recently by researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation. They met with Grey’s Anatomy writers and staff and created a storyline that focused on a pregnant HIV-positive woman who initially demands an abortion, fearing she will pass the virus that causes AIDS to her child. During this episode, she finds out …read more

Hey, Austin, Texas! You guys are topping yet another list. In addition to having some of the ickiest restaurants in the nation, you are also some of the hardest partiers (maybe that’s why you don’t notice if a restaurant is filthy, eh? Um, sorry, bad joke.)
Anyway, Texans may be the toppers, but Midwesterners aren’t far behind. In fact, Midwest towns capture close to half of the top 15 slots. Who else made the list? Check them out here, adapted from a Forbes.com slideshow (complete with awesome photos):
1. Austin, TX
2. Milwaukee, WI
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Providence, RI
5. Chicago, IL
8. Seattle, WA …read more

In our frantically-paced society, it’s not uncommon for you or someone you know to withstand some sort of sleep deficit. In fact, 40 million Americans suffer yearly from chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20 million complain of occasional sleeping problems. That’s a bit staggering. And the fact that those who function regularly on too-little sleep are more susceptible to car accidents, high blood pressure and possibly even heart disease or stroke does not make sleep deprivation any rosier.
So what’s a tired soul to do?
Pay to take a nap. In a pod.
That’s right, a new craze called nap pods are …read more

By now it’s darn likely you’ve heard of this new exercise pill. You know, the one that essentially tricks your bod into thinking it’s worked out when it hasn’t.
Now, in my dream world, this seems like just the ticket. After all, who has time to keep up with a regular exercise regime, right? And isn’t the whole point of modern medicine to make life better for all? And wouldn’t skipping exercise in lieu of a pill make everyone happy?
Um, maybe not.
The more I thought about this, the worse of an idea it became to me. Would there be any …read more

There’s a new kid in town and it’s name is Medpedia.
It has been described as the ‘world’s largest collaborative online encycopedia of medicine’ and it’s easy to see why. The brainchild of James Currier, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Medpedia is being developed in conjunction leading Medical Schools (Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and Michigan) and leading global health organizations such as the American College of Physicians (ACP), the Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA.org), the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies, (FOCIS), and the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA).
Medipedia promises to deliver free relevant, reliable, and up-to-date medical information written and edited by volunteer …read more

No loan comes without conditions. You know what I mean. You’re required to make regular payments on time, pay interest, and are charged late payment fees etc when you’re not following the rules.
Well, it seems that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is no different. They, too, attach conditions on their loans to recipient countries. Conditions such as the country being required to reduce or limit their education, social services, and health expenditure in an effort to get inflation in check. The idea behind this is that, despite these cutbacks in services, once the country’s inflation has been controlled and economy …read more

ABC News has an interesting article on a kids dealing with Tourette Syndrome. The article, Taking on Tourette: Families Reveal Their Personal Struggles, looks at a summer camp called “Camp Tic-a-Palooza” for tourette kids. Have a read of the article and watch the news video to learn more about this syndrome.
Newsweek has a fun article on Seven Silly Fitness Fads, listing everything from weighted hula hooping to strippercise.
Meanwhile, National Geographic Adventure offers How to Survive (Almost) Anything: 14 Survival Skills
And Scientific America tells us Sitting Too Close to the Computer Screen Can Make You Go Blind. That’s a scary thought …read more