Author's posts
A Surprisingly Easy Way To Become Happier
What makes people happy? A load of studies tell us that human interaction is key to our happiness. But what kind of interactions matter? And does interaction increase everyone’s happiness, or is it something primarily beneficial to extraverts? A fant…
Colon Cancer Screening Controversy. Here’s What All The Debate Is About.
Recently, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommended that colon cancer screenings start at age 45, based in large part on an uptick in the number of people 45-50 years old being diagnosed with colon cancer. But the ACS might be recommending more can…
How Great HIV Medicines Are Now (In Two Pictures)
Medications to treat HIV are so good today that the majority of people under treatment for HIV have no virus detectable in their blood. While having HIV is no longer a death sentence, the virus still causes way more death and disability than it ought t…
Think Generics Will Lower the Cost of Chemo? Think Again
Chemotherapy drugs have become ridiculously expensive. Fortunately, many expensive cancer drugs are going off patent soon, raising hopes that generic alternatives will significantly lower patients’ expenses. However, a recent study suggests our hopes m…
Physician Burnout — These Characters Are To Blame
Physicians are getting burned out one keystroke at a time. Literally. Physician burnout in the U.S. is reaching epidemic levels, affecting the majority of physicians in some specialties. This burnout is mostly driven by the most mundane part of their j…
When Farmer Joe Gets Sick, Here’s Who He Sees
The U.S. isn’t exactly overflowing with primary care physicians. Increasingly, nurse practitioners provide primary care for patients, especially in rural areas. What does that mean for primary care in America?
How Hospitals Turn Charity Care Into Profits — At Taxpayers’ Expense
Sometimes it is hard for hospitals to provide expensive care to poor patients. Fortunately, the federal government has a 340B Drug Pricing Program to help purchase medicines at a discount. Unfortunately, hospitals are taking advantage of the program.
Christmas Shopping Tip — Your Brain Knows What You Like Better Than You Do
A series of studies using brain imaging raise the possibility that sometimes we think we like or dislike things, but our brains know better. So is the verdict in? Does the brain know more about what we like than we do?
How Suntanning Both Increases And Reduces Your Chance Of Dying From Melanoma — A Mystery Solved
All else equal, people who spend more time in the sun, or in tanning booths, are more likely to die of melanoma, but among people diagnosed with melanoma, those with a history of lots of sun exposure and fair complexion are less likely to die. How can …
Measures of Physician Quality Don’t Measure Up
Physician reimbursement increasingly depends on healthcare quality measures, but a study by the American College of Physicians suggests quality measures themselves are falling short. Their results strongly suggest the use of quality measures has gotten…
