Category Archives: Health

Your generic drug costs and availability

from the current New England Journal of Medicine

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When food banks need bread, 900 home bakers answer the call

By  JONEL ALECCIA from AP (thanks to Pam P.) On a recent Saturday near Seattle, Cheryl Ewaldsen pulled three golden loaves of wheat bread out of her kitchen oven. The fragrant, oat-topped bread was destined not for her table, but for … Continue reading

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Aging sperm: a factor in autism

Thanks to Dan S. Ed note: We don’t have a quick answer about the multifactorial causes of autism. Tylenol appears to be unproven. Older men appear to be a factor. No doubt there are a number of other reasons as … Continue reading

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The WSMA Advance Directive

Ed note: Some have inquired as to where they can find an advance directive that includes the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care as well as their goals of care when faced with a life threatening illness. This form … Continue reading

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West Coast Consensus for Respiratory Virus Immunizations

Thanks to Mary Jane F.

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A New Federal Report Links Alcohol With These Alarming Health Conditions — And It’s Being Quietly Buried

by Jillian Wilson in the Huffington Post (thanks to MaryLou P.) How many alcoholic drinks do you have in an entire week? Five, seven, 10? More? If you have one drink a day, your health could be impacted ― but … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Health, Science and Technology | 1 Comment

Pharmaceutical ads in the U.S.: Top questions answered

Aaron S. Kesselheim is a primary care physician, lawyer, and professor of medicine at Harvard with expertise in pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics. Pharmaceutical ads in the United States are annoying. Absurd. And almost uniquely American. In fact, only one other high-income … Continue reading

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Original Medicare to use AI companies to evaluate need for health care services

By Daily Actions on September 5, 2025 (thanks to Mary M.) Donald Trump and Dr. Oz want to let Artificial Intelligence (AI) choose which procedures Medicare will cover for individual patients — with AI companies being paid based on how … Continue reading

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Medicare Will Require Prior Approval for Certain Procedures [for those with Original Medicare]

A pilot program in six states [including Washington State] will use a tactic employed by private insurers that has been heavily criticized for delaying and denying medical care. By Reed Abelson and Teddy Rosenbluth in the NYT (thanks to Mary M.) Like millions … Continue reading

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We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health

By William FoegeWilliam, Roper, David Satcher, Jeffrey Koplan, Richard Besser, Tom Frieden, Anne Schuchat, Rochelle P. Walensky and Mandy K. Cohen – in the NYT Opinion Section The authors previously led in the C.D.C., as directors or acting directors under Republican and Democratic … Continue reading

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The “conflictedness” of RFK, Jr. seems never-ending

Thanks to Mike C. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made money from his anti-vaccine advocacy through several channels tied directly to his public stance on vaccines:

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mRNA vaccines for HIV trigger strong immune response in people

Thanks to Mike C. (who shares our concern of RFK Jr.’s attack on vaccine research and proven usefulness in so many illnesses). Results from early-stage trial show that 80% of participants who received one of two HIV vaccine candidates produced … Continue reading

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Rep. Schrier questions RFK Jr. in Congressional Hearing

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Why did Senator Cassidy, a physician, believe RFK Jr.?

Thanks to Ed M. Answer: Could it possibly have anything to do with $en. Cassidy’s desire to be re-elected? SENATOR BILL CASSIDY: …If you are confirmed, do you commit that you will not work to impound, divert or otherwise reduce … Continue reading

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My Year of Living Blurrily

by Dani Shapiro in the NYT The painting beckoned me from across the room. In a bright, high-ceilinged gallery of the Courtauld, a small museum in London known for its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, I moved past van … Continue reading

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Scientists have found a way to administer shots with dental floss. Could this be the future of vaccines?

From GoodGoodGood (thanks to Pam P.) Getting an annual flu or COVID-19 shot is never a particularly pleasant experience, especially for those who aren’t too keen on getting a jab in the arm. While nasal spray vaccines have been added as an … Continue reading

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‘Old people are capable of more’: meet the female weightlifters in their 70s and 80s

Forget the stereotype of the frail old woman who needs help carrying groceries – fitness mavens like Joan MacDonald show you can strength train at any age Madeleine Aggeler in The Guardian (thanks to Kate B.) Joan MacDonald is an … Continue reading

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Replacing sugar with allulose

by Peter Attia Ed note: Brandon Auerbach, MD MPH told us about the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate yesterday in his lecture here. He also mentioned the sugar substitute Allulose which appears to be a nearly ideal choice. It can be … Continue reading

Posted in Health, nutrition | 1 Comment

The Tooth Fairy Is Real. She’s a Dentist in Seattle.

For 20 years, Dr. Purva Merchant has been answering letters from gaptoothed children and their parents — roughly 6,000 in all. “Happy growing up,” she typically replies. By Eliza Shapiro in the NYT (thanks to Mary M.) The letter looked like … Continue reading

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Investigating the cost of medications

Below is a documentary video, still up on YouTube, which was removed from Amazon Prime after they were threatened with a lawsuit by United Health Care. It’s an uncovering of control of medication pricing by the large Pharmacy Benefit Managers … Continue reading

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Kennedy touts ultra-processed meals he once called ‘poison’

Health secretary backs company criticized for selling junk-laden meals to Medicaid patients on ‘Make America healthy again’ tour. Jessica Glenza in the Guardian (thanks to Bob P.) Robert F Kennedy Jr, promoted a company whose meals contain ultra-processed ingredients – … Continue reading

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Immigrants and the health care workforce crisis

Posted in Government, Health, Immigration | 1 Comment

This CDC Resignation Should Scare You

by Paul Offit (thanks to Ed M.) Fiona Havers resigned because she feared that RFK Jr. would suppress or manipulate CDC data. “A lot of Americans are going to die from vaccine-preventable diseases,” she warned.  On April 15, 2025, Dr. … Continue reading

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Is There a Least Bad Alcohol?

By Caroline Hopkins Legaspi in the NYT If you’ve heard that red wine is better for you than beer or liquor, or that clear liquor like vodka or gin is less harmful than dark liquor like rum or whiskey, we have bad news. … Continue reading

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Harborview – towers and more are planned in 1.7 billion expansion and renovation project

Thanks to Mary M. “A man stopped by from Harborview yesterday with some handouts for the neighborhood that describe about the first step of their upcoming major construction. Apparently he is part of a group that will be keeping the … Continue reading

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