How did you find me?

Out of morbid curiosity, I every once in a while look at which search terms people use to find this site. Here are some of the results. h4. Most popular searches * Unbelievable photos * Random topics * Virginity for sale * Barak Obama (though this has abated, for obvious reasons, since the election) * [...]

Electronic medical records

So Bush is wanting “medical record keeping to be updated to the 21st century.”:http://www.wral.com/health/3243106/detail.html Fine. Electronic medical records have great potential: * Joe wants to get high by using Oxycontin. He goes to 5 different doctors complaining of intense pain. Electronic records could prevent this, as doctor number 2 sees that Joe already has a [...]

I have a question

How do you lose “$9 Billion”:http://www.wral.com/news/4145414/detail.html?

Stumbling Merck struck again

A federal court has “dealt another serious blow”:http://www.wral.com/health/4141067/detail.html to Merck. Not only did they withdraw their largest moneymaker due to serious side effects, they lose a patent on another big moneymaker. I don’t know the circumstances, but let’s just say I’m glad I’m not working for Merck right now.

Firing people for lifestyle choices

One healthcare benefits company is taking an aggressive stance toward healthier lifestyle choices: * It has “fired”:http://www.wral.com/news/4125477/detail.html employees who refuse to submit to a smoking test (and presumably who smoke during off-hours) * It is “strongly encouraging”:http://www.wral.com/health/4134754/detail.html its obese employees to go through diet and exercise programs (including monetary incentives to join health clubs and [...]

Om – a cure for blood pressure woes

This “study”:http://www.wral.com/health/4134400/detail.html suggests that meditation practice is highly effective in reducing blood pressure. I view this as a confirmation of what I already knew. My blood pressure used to be 140/90 — high enough to warrant blood pressure medication. However, after some lifestyle changes including meditation and a rich yoga practice, I’m down to 116/79. [...]

When sex is torture

Bits an pieces of a report have come out about how female soldiers and civilian contractors have used “sex as a torture tactic”:http://www.wral.com/news/4136414/detail.html at Guantanamo. Nothing really to say except just shake my head. And I really think we’ll be seeing those men who were “tortured by prostitutes” again, probably driving car/plane bombs.

More health blogging

“Shrinkette,”:http://shrinkette.blogspot.com blogs about the “movement to empty psychiatric hospitals”:http://shrinkette.blogspot.com/2005/01/much-psych-blogging-at-instapundit.html back in the 1970s. This was an effort on the part of activists who got a lot of attention and support from _One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest_. It greatly restricted the powers of psychiatrists to commit people unless they could show “imminent danger.” What struck [...]

Some skepticism of Western medicine

I’m speaking about two recent articles in particular: * a “retraction”:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&e=1&u=/nm/20050127/hl_nm/health_lilly_dc in the BMJ(British Journal of Medicine) * “overprescription”:http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/6795 of COX-2 inhibitors Remember, as much good as Western medicine has done, it is nowhere near perfect. It is vulnerable to economy, politics, and even public opinion. Even doctors will recommend second opinions and skepticism of [...]

What is the worst day of the year?

“This guy”:http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/6774 says it’s the 24th, which takes into account weather, time since failing resolutions, etc. This year, so far for me, it was the 22nd. Feeling struck down with the plague and unable even to play on the internet makes for a very bad day.