Healthy Care System Wastes Billions Each Year - AARP

This AARP article has a good explanation of where the waste is in our healthcare system.

Healthy Care System Wastes Billions Each Year - AARP:

It would seem that our Congress should plan an attack on each of these forms of waste, maybe by using carrot and sticks.

Bill would bring measure of relief to pain patients | UTSanDiego.com

I had never heard of "step therapy" or "fail first" procedures for pain reduction for patients.

Bill would bring measure of relief to pain patients | UTSanDiego.com:

Yes I am in favor of finding ways to reduce the cost of medical care, and yes, I do understand that the best pain relief might be the more expensive medicines.  However we need to be reasonable when providing pain relief.  I believe this bill AB369 is the right step to balance cost control with reduction of debilitating pain in patients.  It is a shame that our medical "system" of insurance needs legislation in order to force them to do the right thing for their patients.

Treatment and Side Effect Info from Patients Like You

I just watched a 2010 TED talk by Jamie Heywood: (TEDTalks : Jamie Heywood: The big idea my brother inspired - Jamie Heywood (2009) 16:55 2/2/2010)
His brother was diagnosed with ALS, and he and his brother started this web site:
Treatment and Side Effect Info from Patients Like You:  It is a wonderful idea!

The site helps people with diseases share with other patients with similar problems and symptoms.  It also allows them to compare drug and treatments and it provides analysts with a data base that can be very helpful in trying to determine relative effectiveness of treatments.

I've thought for  a long time that NIH should have such a site, and that all patients and their care providers should maintain that data base.  However, I can see why drug companies would not like having their medicines compared "head-to-head" with their competition. It is amazing that Jamie Heywood was able to figure out a way that patients would voluntarily maintain such detailed records.

I hope the web site continues to grow, prosper and yield more exciting analytical insights

The real desecration --Flag Burning amendment

I'm against the flag burning amendment.  For once in my life, I agree with the editors of the San Diego Union Tribune.  If we ban flag burning, we will betray the US values.
The real desecration | The San Diego Union-Tribune:

We don't currently have a serious problem with flag burning as a symbolic protest.  If we did pass a ban, then we would probably start having a problem!

I didn't like it being done when the anti-Vietnam protesters (Hippies) burned the flag as a way to get publicity for their cause.  I supported our Government, and had enlisted in the Air Force to show my support.  Yes, I didn't understand why we were fighting in Vietnam.  After studying military strategy and tactics in Officer's training school, I understood even less why the US was waging the war as it was at that time.  The strategy we seemed to be using appeared to be using just enough force to make sure the war would be extended as long as possible.
However I had a lot of trust in our Government, and  thought that probably the Government knew a lot of other information about the political situation and that it was probably classified, so the rest of the public wouldn't know.

After Robert McNamara admitted in his book that we really didn't have a good strategy, and there really was no good reason for us being there, it sort of destroyed my confidence and trust in our Government's decisions.  Apparently the "hippies" who were burning flags were actually "correct" at the time.  

Diet soda tied to stroke risk

It appears that recent studies have shown a correlation between people who drink a lot of diet soda, and strokes.  See this article: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/04/cleveland_clinic_study_finds_t.html
The study seems to be well done and believable.  However this other blog:
Diet soda tied to heart attack, stroke risks: study | The Raw Story: explains the complexity of separating the fact that people who drink diet soda are often trying to lose weight, so may be in a situation of increased risk in the first place.

The FDA: In need of an innovation overhaul | UTSanDiego.com

I think we need a new approach to approving new drugs.  Here's a good editorial:

The FDA: In need of an innovation overhaul | UTSanDiego.com:

It seems to me that the FDA should be involved in protecting the safety of drugs -- but not the effectiveness of them.  The FDA could provide a "clearing house" for effectiveness of drugs, but allowing drug companies to submit their studies and tests to prove effectiveness.  Of course Government medical providers, such as Medicare will only look for those that are proven effective.  Likely that insurance will also.  However proving effectiveness is much more difficult than proving safety.

Quick sprints can cut abdominal fat in men - Health Report - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

This recent, very interesting study seems to explain why some types of exercise works better than others for weight loss:
Quick sprints can cut abdominal fat in men - Health Report - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation):
The study seems to be well designed, and appears to me to be somewhat of a breakthrough.  I think we still have a lot more to learn about what actually happens in the body for these "quick sprints" to cause the type of weight loss.