An interesting article about an interesting research study, which should be of interest to anyone who is interested in dieting. Interested? Studies have shown that people have a "unit bias" when it comes to eating. In other words, they don’t listen to what their body tells them — instead, they look at what’s in front of them. So even if … Read More
Anti-Smoking Vaccine In The Works
Attention all smokers who would like to quit: Doctors are testing a radical new way to help smokers quit: a shot that "immunizes" them against the nicotine rush that fuels their addiction. That pleasurable buzz has seduced Mario Musachia into burning through nearly half a million cigarettes in half a century. Now the Madison man is among 300 people around … Read More
Rape Victim Denied Morning-After Pill
Look. If your religion prevents you from doing your job, then either (a) get another job or (b) get another religion. Here’s what I’m talking about — a story from Lancaster, PA: A Good Samaritan Hospital emergency room doctor refused to give a rape victim a morning-after pill because he said it was against his Mennonite religion. Rebuffed by the … Read More
Patti Davis On Bush’s Veto
Within an hour after Bush vetoed legislation barring federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, Patti Davis responds in an editorial entitled "Does Anyone Care?" On Wednesday, President Bush handed down his first veto ever, for a bill that would have allowed federal funding for stem-cell research on embryos left over after in vitro fertilization procedures—embryos that would otherwise be … Read More
The Only Argument You Need To Know About Embryonic Stem Cells
From Ezra Klein: Embryonic Stem Cell lines come from material stored at fertility clinics which is already slated for destruction. Preventing these blastocysts from being used for research won’t ‘save’ them. It simply means they’ll be disposed of in a medical waste facility instead of being used to find cures for disease. The only reason to restrict federal approval of … Read More
More On Lying To Women About Their Health
Tbogg sez it all: If you lie with a man, it’s fair game to lie to you: Women who consult with pregnancy resource centers often get misleading information about the health risks associated with having an abortion, according to a report issued Monday by Democrats on the House Government Reform Committee. Congressional aides, posing as pregnant 17-year-olds, called 25 pregnancy … Read More
The Stem Cell Showdown
With the Senate expected to vote on H.R. 810 — the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act — and with Bush’s threat of a veto (his first ever in 6 years), it’s important to know some background and falsehoods behind Bush’s recent statement: FACT: GOV’T STEM CELL LINES UNUSABLE: Bush originally justified his position by claiming there were “more than 60” … Read More
Once Again, Science Tells Us Something We Already Know
‘Senior Moments’ May Be Alzheimer’s: CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — A study found that in a disturbing number of cases, embarrassing "senior moments" such as forgetting a recent conversation or drawing a blank on someone’s name may really be a sign of Alzheimer’s after all. Chicago scientists reached that conclusion after autopsies on the brains of 134 older people who had … Read More
Bush Is Pro-Life? Uh, Not So Much
Remember when Bush cut his vacation short (the only time he did it) to fly back to D.C. in the middle of the night so that he could sign a bill hastily drafted by Congress to save Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman in a persistent vegetative state? It was a national debate which pitted the pro-life religious right with the … Read More
Pharmacy Protests Escalate
Not only are some pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions for morning-after pills and contraceptives (on the basis that it violates their personal religious beliefs), but now there are reports that they are not filling prescriptions for things like antibiotics and vitamins. Why not? Because the prescriptions are being filled for womens’ health clinics which (among other things) also happen to … Read More
Notice To Eye Contact Wearers
Bausch & Lomb Stock Hit by Fungus Outbreak: Shares of Bausch & Lomb Inc. plunged 17 percent Tuesday, a day after the eye-care company voluntarily suspended shipments of a contact lens solution linked by federal health officials to a fungal eye infection that can cause temporary blindness. By the way, this is a poorly written headline/lede paragraph, so let’s clarify: … Read More
What She Said
Shakespeare’s Sister: They say that condoms can be made available as a last resort. But fuck that. Condoms should be flowing like rivers, falling from the skies like rain, in every country where AIDS is wreaking havoc upon its population. Not another single dime should be spent on a billboard, a pamphlet, a button, advocating abstinence until we have made … Read More
The Power Of Prayer – Part Two
Yesterday, I wrote about a scientific study showing that being the subject of other’s prayers does not help you, especially if you know that you are being prayed for. In the interest of "balance", here’s another study which shows that regular church attendance can extend your life an additional 1.8 to 3.1 years. Two points: (1) By comparison, regular physical … Read More
The Power Of Prayer
It’s not as strong as you might think: The largest study of the medical power of prayer found secret prayers on patients’ behalf didn’t reduce complications in heart surgery and there was a 14 percent higher chance of problems when patients were aware of the prayers. The research, appearing in the April issue of the American Heart Journal, followed 1,802 … Read More