A village in Ecuador has caught the attention of scientists interested in increasing how long we live. Some people in the village are immune to cancer and diabetes, two of our societies most significant diseases of aging. Researchers also say that these Ecuadorians have the potential for long life, were it not for their high death rate from alcoholism and accidents. These Ecuadorians have a medical condition referred to as Laron syndrome. This syndrome is the result of a defect in the cell receptors for growth hormone that limits their height to less than four feet. Continue reading →

The placebo effect is on the rise. Pharmaceutical companies are worried. Continue reading →

I propose a simple test to find out whether someone is crazy: ask, “Should nuclear power plants be used to generate electricity?” If the answer is yes—even a qualified yes—then the person you’re talking to or working with or voting for is insane. They need our help, of course, but we need to protect ourselves from their insanity. Continue reading →

Vaccination is a cornerstone of conventional medical practice—so much so that “vaccination” and “immunization” are used interchangeably. That’s because a complex of social forces has created a kind of herd effect: anyone who questions the wisdom of vaccination, especially the vaccination of children, is ignored, shouted down, ostracized, and even threatened with jail time. Continue reading →

Each week the CDC publishes health statistics under the title “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.” As you can imagine, it’s always a cheery read. Last week was especially interesting because it was the first annual “Health Disparities and Inequalities Report.” Continue reading →

During the Vietnam War era I learned a little piece of antiwar theatrics. I used it then and during later wars when people I knew, including family members, frothed about using the military might of the United States to save us from whoever the incarnation of evil happened to be at the time. Here’s what I’d do. Continue reading →

Two very different types of research came out last week that are about keeping people healthy. In one, the genes of a group of people in Ecuador are used as a guide to treating cancer. In the other, it’s found that living where there’s lots of small businesses makes people less likely to fall ill. Continue reading →

It’s common knowledge that smoking, first-, second-, and third-hand, damages health. Sixty years ago, it was not common knowledge. Sixty years ago, it was not common knowledge that automobiles created air pollution that damages health, the environment, and threatens to alter our climate. Today it is common knowledge. Continue reading →

An article in the journal Science Translational Medicine got me excited about a shift in how researcher ideology affects how we think about health and illness. “NEW: Network-Enabled Wisdom in Biology, Medicine, and Health Care” by Eric Schadt and Johan Björkegren describes how the vast amounts of data from the study of genes, proteins, and molecular biology generally can now be analyzed from a comprehensive, systematic perspective. Instead of being confined to looking at single pathways, we can now look at the complex set of relationships at work in us. In other words, we can look at the whole, not just the parts. Continue reading →

Don’t buy food from the center of the supermarket. That’s were processed and packaged foods live. However, you might feel better about buying processed and packaged food labeled as containing natural and organic ingredients at grocery chain stores such as Whole Foods Market®, which has spent considerable effort at developing a reputation for “selling the highest quality natural and organic products.” Continue reading →