Health Notes
I don’t know why doctors have to work such marathon shifts. Of course they are more prone, at times of great sleep deprivation, to make more mistakes. It seems to me, really, to be a scheduling problem: how can we best schedule our doctors for the benefit of all? (There was also a discussion of this on NPR)

I think making the information public on how effective heart surgeons are is a great idea, although I’m not sure what good it would do for the majority of people. If I needed heart surgery, I have a choice basically between two hospitals. One is about a mile away, so I think I would be more likely to go there in an emergency, regardless of who the doctors were.

Here are ten warning signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This is a very good, detailed list of symptoms.

Scientists may have developed a test that can accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, although sticking a needle in my spine is not exactly my idea something good.

Can having olive oil as part of your diet help prevent cancer? The January 2007 issue of FASEB Journal discusses that question. And here’s another article.

Here are six warning signs of ovarian cancer. This is an important disease, and we can never talk about it enough.

Exercise might help prevent breast cancer.

Here is an article that asks if breast cancer might be transmitted sexually. It seems that researchers may have found the human papillomavirus (HPV) in some breast tumors. In a related story, might oral cancer result from having oral sex? I guess the point here is that one of the best tools we have for fighting disease is information. Armed with information, we can alter our behavior and hopefully catch things before they become problems.

Circumcision may reduce the risk of getting or transmitting the AIDS virus? I wonder how many African men are going to take advantage of the opportunity to get circumcised.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a serious condition. It causes thousands of people per year to lose one or both legs. Checking to see if you have PAD is rather simple, but treating it is a little more complicated.

New treatment options may eventually be available that would stop the decay from osteoporosis and stimulate bone formation.

If children eat whole grains and fish, that might cut their risk of having asthma.



news, atherosclerosis, heart disease, medical mistakes, cancer, ovarian cancer, doctors, medicine, sleep deprivation, surgery, surgeons, health, olive oil, diet, food, Mediterranean diet, STD, sexually transmitted disease, human papillomavirus, HPV, cholesterol, oral cancer, oral sex, AIDS, HIV, peripheral artery disease, circumcision, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, exercise, children, women,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

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