Special Coverage: Health and Wellness

Echoes of Vietnam: VA Stalls, Dissembles While Vets Suffer and Die

Penny Coleman, AlterNet. July 4, 2008.
The latest episode of the Department of Veterans Affairs' callous denial of veterans' suffering is a continuation of a long tradition.

From the blogs

Watermelon is the New Viagra

by Lindsay Beyerstein, AlterNet

USDA-funded research helps Americans put some pizazz in their picnic baskets this fourth of July.

Woman Convulses and Dies, Ignored, in Waiting Room of New York City Hospital

by Jill Filipovic, Feministe

Esmin Green's final agony caught on surveillance camera. Staff looked on but failed to act.

Doctors Complain About How Terrible They Have It

by Matthew Holt, The Health Care Blog

Overall, physicians' salaries are on the rise. So, why the grumbling?

Family Values: House Passes Paid Parental Leave Bill

by Lindsay Beyerstein, AlterNet

Bill would cover all federal employees.

Health Insurance and Hard Choices

by Amanda Marcotte, Pandagon

Is prevention possible?

Detained Immigrants Continue to Die in American Custody

by Liza Sabater, Culture Kitchen

In ICE Prisons, alleged status violations can be a death sentence.

National Day of Protest Against Health Insurance Corporations

by Heather Gehlert

Now is your chance to push back against health insurers that put profits before people.

Medicare Fraud Tops $60 Billion Per Year

by Lindsay Beyerstein, Majikthise

One high school dropout takes Uncle Sam for $105 million.

Coburn Places A Hold On HIV/AIDS Prevention Bill

by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress

The GOP Senator has a habit of blocking progressive medical legislation.

WHO Updates AIDS Model - Christian Conservatives Go Crazy

by Daniel DiRito, The All Spin Zone

Conservatives continue to inappropriately attach moral judgments to a medical issue.

The Science of Happiness: Is It All Bullshit?

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. July 4, 2008.
Just because a Harvard academic says something is so, doesn't mean it is.

Why Can't Women Sleep?

Gayle Greene, Ms. Magazine. July 3, 2008.
And why is the high level of insomnia among women ignored by researchers?

Will This Man Fix American Health Care?

Ezra Klein, The American Prospect. June 27, 2008.
Max Baucus wants to convince us to let him try.

Ecstasy Is the Key to Treating PTSD

Amy Turner, The Times of London UK. June 27, 2008.
At last the incurably traumatized may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And controversially, ecstasy may be key to taming their demons.

Tough Economy Tightens Surrogacy Market

Molly M. Ginty, Women's eNews. June 26, 2008.
Increasing numbers of infertile people have been using surrogacy to have children, but a tougher economy is pushing it further out of reach.

Is a Health Industry Turf War Delaying the Next Medical Revolution?

Rick Weiss, Science Progress. June 26, 2008.
Genetic tests are one of the hottest new tools in medicine. They're also one of the most controversial.

Low Sperm Counts and Deformed Penises: The Chemical Industry Has a Hold on Your Reproductive Future

Joshua Zaffos, Colorado Springs Independent. June 26, 2008.
From car seats to condoms, nasty compounds have invaded our lives. Hormones are going haywire, and our human future is at risk.

It's Time To Get Rid of the Good-People-vs.-Bad-People View of Drug Use

Maggie Mahar, Niko Karvounis, Health Beat. June 25, 2008.
When discussing treatments for drug addiction, instead of arguing about ideology, let's look at science.

Hysterics: Are Hysterectomies Too Common?

Anna Clark, RH Reality Check. June 24, 2008.
One in three women has a hysterectomy before her 60th birthday. Yet only 10 percent of these procedures are to treat life-threatening illnesses.

Will Women Give Hormone Maker A Second Chance?

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. June 24, 2008.
A new menopause drug is on the market. But don't expect women and physicians to be the easy customers they were back in the Premarin days.

Contaminated Veggies Are the Meat Industry’s Fault

Allison Kilkenny, Buffalo Beast. June 24, 2008.
The latest salmonella scare shows that even vegetarians are still at the mercy of the meat industry.

Nanotech: Why Something So Small Can Be So Dangerous

Carole Bass, Yale Environment 360. June 23, 2008.
Nanotechnology is booming. But concern is growing that its development is outpacing our understanding of how to use it safely.

Paying More, Getting Less: Just Where Do America's Health Care Dollars Go?

Joel A. Harrison, Dollars and Sense. June 23, 2008.
If people grasped the size of the health care bill they already pay (through taxes), opponents of a universal single-payer system would be in trouble.

Why We're Suddenly Paying Through the Nose for Gas

Michael T. Klare, The Nation. June 21, 2008.
Oil companies, speculators and OPEC played their part, but ruinous Bush Administration policies have compounded the crisis.

Debt Got Your Sleep?

Dr. Michael J. Breus, Huffington Post. June 20, 2008.
For too many Americans, debt-triggered stress is leading to a host of health problems, including lack of sleep.

Is Congress the Problem with Health Care?

Ezra Klein, The American Prospect. June 20, 2008.
Tom Daschle thinks so. The former Senate minority leader and author of the new book, Critical, explains why.

Fund Health Care, Not War

Norman Solomon, AlterNet. June 19, 2008.
The old claims of a justified war in Iraq have melted away. So have promises of a humane society back at home.

The Startling Truth About Doctors and Diagnostic Errors

Maggie Mahar, Niko Karvounis, Health Beat. June 19, 2008.
Diagnostic errors happen at alarming rates but remain underdiscussed. Doctors' overconfidence is just one reason why.

Exposed: Harvard Shrink Gets Rich Labeling Kids Bipolar

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. June 18, 2008.
Meet the man who got rich by popularizing bipolar disorder for children. Congressional investigators and the NY Times expose the scandal.

Americans Are Living Longer, But Not Better

Rick Weiss, Science Progress. June 18, 2008.
It would be a horrible thing for people to gain extra years of life and wish, for lack of decent care, that they'd had an earlier exit.

How the Mainstream Media Hype Health Care

Maggie Mahar, Health Beat. June 17, 2008.
The mainstream media's health coverage would lead you to believe all medical developments are risk-free and cost nothing.

Back From the Dead: What Dog Cloning Means for Our Human Future

Osagie K. Obasogie, AlterNet. June 16, 2008.
Humans could be on a slippery slope towards Gattaca-like eugenics.

The Contraception Failure

Vanessa Valenti, AlterNet. June 16, 2008.
Most sexually active American women who do not want to become pregnant are using contraception. So why do we have so many unintended pregnancies?

How Breast Cancer Became Big Business

Anne Landman, PR Watch. June 14, 2008.
"Shopping for a cure" often does more harm than good. Don't let slick advertisers sucker you into it.

Toxic Pesticides Threaten Urban Communities of Color

Christopher Weber, ColorLines. June 12, 2008.
Pesticides aren't just an agricultural issue. They are being used in cities too, with toxic results for residents.

Babies by Design: A Public Health Promise or Social Justice Nightmare?

Ronald M. Green, American Sexuality Magazine. June 12, 2008.
Whether we like it or not, genetic modification will be common in the near future -- so we had better start talking about it now.

Need a Kidney? There's a Credit Card for That

Tamara Draut, The American Prospect. June 11, 2008.
Increasingly, Americans' health problems are becoming tangled up with their credit problems.

Could New FDA Rules Curb Drug Profiteering?

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. June 10, 2008.
A GAO investigation has one drug industry insider squirming.

Smoking Pot All Day, Every Day Might Not Be Good For You

Paul Armentano, NORML. June 10, 2008.
Yet another marijuana study on health risks that relies on subjects who smoke pot 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

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