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2009: The Year Of The Snuggie?
In the last 12 months, the blanket with arms has inspired pub crawls, an Oprah segment, a show at New York fashion week, and more YouTube spoofs than, dare we say, the Slap Chop?
Brown Fat Revelations May Lead to New Weight Loss Drugs
Scientists have found a new way to rev the body\'s metabolism: Activate its fat cells. Here\'s the science behind what may be the weight-loss breakthrough of the next decade.
Cancer Treatment Takes a Giant Step Forward
The complete genetic codes of two human cancers have been mapped for the first time. The move could herald a medical revolution in which every tumour can be targeted with personalised therapy.
Bad Santa: Gifts that say you’re old, fat or too hairy
From body shapers to Botox, nose hair trimmers to the dreaded Thigh Toner, there are some gifts it\'s better to neither give nor receive.
Do Anorexic Celebrities Really Look That Great ?
Who wouldn’t want to look like Kate Moss and Bridgette Nielsen? I, for one, would be very likely to give up my left eye and my right one too if there was a remote chance that I would look like Kate Moss! But that’s not going to be likely for my curvaceous 30+ body with baby bearing hips.\\r
Post-polio syndrome, many years later, a scourge returns
Post-polio syndrome afflicts many who thought they’d left disease behind. In 1950, when he was 31⁄2 years old, Rick Kneeshaw contracted polio. Within days, the healthy toddler was crippled, paralysis quickly numbing and immobilizing his left leg, hip & parts of his back. The payoff was partial recovery after hospitalization. But something changed
A Personal Case for Universal Health Care
I am writing this as a person who has not spent a single day in my (almost) 38 years without good health care coverage. For many of those years, I never gave it a thought at all. Until the day our son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and was sent straight to a children\'s hospital.
CDC: Where The Happiest Americans Live
People in sunny, outdoorsy states Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida say they\'re the happiest Americans, New Yorkers are the least happy, and researchers think they know why. A new study comparing self-described pleasant feelings with objective measures of good living found these folks...
Uninsured in Japan: a medical trip report
Today, I went in, insurance-less, to the doctor for the first time. In light of our problems back home, I felt I should share this with all of you here.
Pass the Bill
The current health care bill falls a long way short of ideal, but it is better than anything that seemed possible just a few years ago.
Study: Casual Sex Doesn’t Cause Emotional Damage
Young adults who have casual sex are no more likely than those in committed relationships to experience psychological problems, new research has found.
1 in 5 in U.S. lost health insurance since 2008
Nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population - or almost 60 million people - went without health insurance at some point since January 2008, according to government estimates released Wednesday.
Millions Drink Tap Water That Is Legal, but Maybe Unhealthy
The federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose serious health risks. This Los Angeles reservoir contained chemicals that sunlight converted to compounds associated with cancer. The city used plastic balls to block the sun, but nearby homeowners asked why, if the water didn\'t violate the law
Paralyzed man \'turns thoughts into sounds
Ramsey is completely paralyzed and currently able to communicate only by blinking his eyes. But researchers at Boston University have implanted an electrode into his brain that lets him convert his thoughts into vowel sounds produced by a voice synthesizer
Should Flowers be Banned in Hospitals?
Does flower water harbour potentially deadly bacteria? Do bedside blooms compete with patients for oxygen? Do bouquets pose a health and safety risk around medical equipment?

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