Go Frist!

I never thought I'd hear myself utter those words, but stranger things have happened.

Conservative Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) has broken away from Bush to come out in support for embryonic stem cell research. Click here to read all about it.

I'll be back soon

I just wanted to let you all know that I will be blogging again soon. I have had a writing deadline to meet for work so I haven't had much time to blog. The article will be sent off on Friday, so stay tuned.

The Real CSI

Paul and I finished watching the first four seasons of CSI on DVD last week. Out of the 92 episodes that we saw, only one episode dealt with a case that the CSIs couldn't solve.

Here's a story about two real life crime scence investigations--one case is solved and the other is not. In real life, there's probably a lot more unsolved cases like the latter one than what CSI depicts. However, the type of work that the criminalists do on CSI is very much like the work described in this article.

Good news for chocolate lovers, sort of

Another study has come out demonstrating that the flavanoids in cocoa may are good for your heart. When it comes to chocolate products, the dark variety has the highest concentration of these flavanoids (In fact, the aforementioned study actually used dark chocolate to measure the positive benefits of flavanoids). Milk chocolate has fewer flavanoids, and white chocolate has virtually none.

So what does this mean for chocoholics like myself? Researchers aren't sure, since even dark chocolate is high in fat and sugar, both of which are certainly not good for your heart. So while researchers try to figure this one out and determine what healthy amounts of dark chocolate would actually be, let's hope that the news media doesn't do their usual oversimplified and hyped up reporting, as this would inevitably makes chocolate consumption seem like the next magic bullet when it comes to heart health. Because then we may have to worry about the "dark chocolate diet" becoming the next low carb or low fat fad. Can you imagine?

Are scientists really that uncool?

It appears that Americans don't think that scientists are very cool. Go figure. My guess is that the people who were surveyed just haven't watched much CSI, a forensics drama show that features a number of very beautiful science geeks (both men and women). In addition, through the use of these beautiful people, artful lighting, and edgy ambient music, the show is able to make DNA sampling, footprint measuring, and even dust collecting look like sexy and intriguing work.

Racism in biomedicine...

Yes, it does exist.

Another reason to avoid HRT

Two years ago, a landmark study called the Women's Health Initiative found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was not the wonder drug that the pharmaceutical industry and many doctors made it out to be. The drug was found to increase the risk of not only breast cancer but also heart disease (The latter finding was particularly troubling because HRT makers had been touting for years how the drug protected women from this condition). When these health risks began to emerge during the multi-year study, researchers told the study participants who were taking HRT to stop their treatment. And that ended the HRT portion of the study.

But not quite. Researchers then realized that by telling women to stop taking HRT, they would be able to ask a new research question: when women went off HRT, would their menopause symptoms return or not? It turns out that they did return. Rather than eliminating menopausal symptoms in these women, HRT just delayed them. As Dr. Judith Ockene, lead investigator of the study stated, "You can't necessarily expect to just skip that stage."

These findings reinforce the notion that menopause is not so much a disease--as makers of HRT often want women to believe--but rather a normal process of aging that all women go through and perhaps need to go through. After all, menopausal symptoms are signs that the body is trying to adjust to its lower hormone levels.

To see the full study, which was published in this week's issue of the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), click here.

Milwaukee's proposed smoking ban

Milwaukee's city officials are currently considering whether to ban smoking in all public places, including restaurants, bars, and office buildings. If it passes, the ordinance will be the most stringent one in the nation.

Not surprisingly, the bill faces some opposition, particularly from restaurant and bar owners who fear that such an ordinance would hurt business.

If proponents of the bill need further ammo to bolster their case, however, here's a new study that shows the dangers of secondhand smoke.

U.S. HIV/AIDS policy and sex work

Here is a follow-up article to my earlier post about Brazil's decision to reject AIDS prevention funding from the U.S. because the country's officials refused to comply with the Bush Administration's stipulation that for foreign countries to receive this money, Brazilian officials must condemn sex work. Brazilian officials took this position because sex workers play key roles in the country's AIDS prevention and education programs. This follow-up article explores in some depth the Bush Administration's rationale for this funding stipulation, as well as reactions to the policy from international public health officials.

The politics of prescription drugs, Part One

Here are two recent news stories about prescription drugs. The first story discusses a recent study finding that 15 million U.S. citizens--many of them teenagers--abuse prescription drugs. The second story reports on research that has found that many doctors and pharmacists have limited training when it comes to knowledge about and the prescription of these drugs.

Although each story is disturbing in its own right, they are especially disturbing when put together. We may have a situation where health care professionals are unable to deal effectively with this prescription drug abuse and/or a situation where health care professionals' lack of training regarding these drugs have helped to facilitate this abuse.

Given that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable business sectors globally, and given that it is very difficult for health care professionals to keep up with the large and ever-increasing array of prescription drugs on the market, it is no wonder that many of these professionals lack proper training.

There is also the issue of direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads. Although they currently dominate advertising space on TV and in magazines, DTC ads are actually a relatively new phenomenon. In their current incarnation, they were legalized by the FDA in 1997. Such ads, coupled with increased patient participation in health care decision-making, have led to a dramatic increase in patients asking their doctors to prescribe them drugs for all kinds of ailments. And according to a slew of recent studies, many MDs are granting the wishes of these patients, even in cases where the MDs would not necessarily have prescribed the drugs had the patients not asked for the prescription themselves. (For more information about DTC ads, FDA regulation of them, and the studies conducted to determine the impact of DTC advertising on consumer demands and doctors' prescription-writing practices, see this excellent 2002 GAO report)

So what does this all his mean for the problem of patient drug abuse? Assuming that doctors are not able to keep up with the ever-increasing number of prescriptions drugs on the market, they may not be fully equipped to deal with the growing number of patients asking them for prescriptions. This situation is only worsened by the fact that due to HMO and other institutional policies, many doctors only have 10-15 minutes to meet with their patients. In most cases, this is not enough time to do a comprehensive examination to determine whether such drugs are necessary and/or if there are alternative medical treatments. Thus, in light of these multiple factors, it may be easier for the MD to just prescribe the drug and move on.

To sum up: although patient abuse of prescription drugs is a problem in its own right, it may be also a symptom of a much bigger set of complex problems related to medical training, HMO policies, insurance companies, FDA policies, and the ever-increasing expansion and power of the pharmaceutical industry.

London

My heartfelt condolences go out to the people of London for the bombings they experienced this morning. Although I have not discussed this issue on my blog very much, I do believe that terrorism--not to mention the political and military efforts/strategies undertaken to eradicate it--is just as much a public health issue as it is a social, political, and economic one. Many people are dying, and many more are physically, psychologically, and emotionally injured as a result of terrorism and its counter-efforts.

Fortunately, there are advocacy organizations that do view terrorism, war, and geopolitics as public health issues. One organization that I particularly respect and admire is Physicians for Social Responsibility, a DC-based organization that has local chapters across the country. Physicians, public health advocates, and other health care professionals make up the bulk of the organization's membership and board. Many are also staff members at PSR's assorted offices. Of course, I may be biased towards this organization, as I coordinated the Safe Drinking Program at PSR's DC headquarters a couple of years back.

Another health organization that takes on issues of terrorism and war is the American Public Health Association, which is also based in DC. Members of this organization consist of public health educators, advocates, and researchers who work in non-profit, government, private, and academic sectors.

Abstinence-only education criticized

A leading group of pediatricians from the American Association of Pediatrics just released a report arguing that evidence from numerous studies demonstrates that abstinence-only sex education for teens is not the best way to prevent unintended pregnancies. The group recommends instead that in addition to encouraging teen to put off having sex, sex education programs should educate them about their birth control (including emergency contraception) and safe sex options. According to Dr. S. Paige Hertweck, one of the report's advisors, not educating teens about these latter options increases the likelihood that once they become sexually active, they will have unsafe sex and contract STDs.

Although popular and heavily promoted by the Bush administration and other conservative groups, abstinence-only sex education programs are highly problematic. You can read about these programs' other problems in my post about the Bush Administration's efforts to promote abstinence-only approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention in the U.S. and Africa.

Two new blogs

I've just added two new blogs to my blog roll. The first one, Blog.Bioethics.Net, is group blog about, well, bioethics, that is run by the editors of The American Journal of Bioethics. It's a very interesting and information blog. Thanks to Karama Neal for telling me about it.

The second blog, So What Can I Do?, is run by the aforementioned Karama (who, by the way, is a fellow Swarthmore College alum). This fabulous blog is chockful of resources and information about how to get involved in social and political activism of many kinds.

Another health benefit of same sex marriage

Following up on my earlier post about the topic, here's another benefit of same sex marriage--it appears to lower syphilis rates. Thomas Dee, a Swarthmore College Professor, examined rates of syphilis, HIV, and gonorrhea in European countries that have introduced national recognition of same sex partnership laws. He found that syphilis rates were 24 percent lower in these countries than in European countries that did have such legislation. (Rates for HIV and gonorrhea were not significantly lower, however). Here's what Dee has to say about the meaning of the study's results:

The evidence shows these laws could dramatically reduce risky sexual behavior and the social costs of some sexually transmitted infections," says Thomas Dee, an associate professor of economics. "However, the results may be even more important because of what they suggest are the likely effects of gay marriage on the degree of personal commitment in same-sex relationships."

In other words, legalizing same sex marriage (or at least passing laws that recognize the legitimacy of same sex partnerships) leads to greater personal commitment to one's relationship, which leads to increased monogamy and safer sex, which leads to decreased rates of at least one STD.

It seems like a reasonable theory to me, and just reinforces my belief that sex sex marriage is not only a political and ethical issue but also a public health issue. The physical, psychological, and emotional health of gays and lesbians will benefit from providing them with the choice to marry and/or legally recognizing their relationships.

Yoga and meditation practice update

I had a good first week of returning to my yoga and meditation. My body and mind feel a bit creaky and stiff, but nothing that a few more weeks of practice won't fix. I don't think I'm going to practice them each day, though, becauser I also want to start doing more cardio exercise. In order not to take on too many extracurricular activities and feel time crunched, I'm going to do each type of activity on alternate days. So Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I'll do my yoga and meditation, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays I'll do my cardio work.

I also checked out a meditation center, The Milwaukee Mindfulness Center, near my house this past Sunday. I liked the space, the people, and the center's philosophy a lot. Here is its mission statement:

The Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee is a spiritual community dedicated to the creation of a mindful culture fostering lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. We study and practice teachings from Buddhism and other traditions in order to nurture individuals, families, society, and a healthy planet.

I look forward to going back.

Great alternative medicine site

I just came across a great site about alternative health and medicine, WholeHealthMD. It is run by MDs who combine conventional and alternative medicine in their clinical practice. It has tons of useful information about herbs, vitamins and other supplements, alternative/natural approaches to diseases and disorders, healing foods, and alternative forms of disease treatment/prevention such as accupunture, homeopathy, yoga, meditation, etc. I found the site when conducting on-line research about the use of evening primrose oil for the treatment of eczema. I'll definitely be returning to this site often. I also added the site to my list of on-line health resources (see side bar).

Check Your Boobies

Check Your Boobies is a fun, hip, and informative site about breast cancer detection and prevention. Check it (and them) out. Thanks to BlondeButBright who blogged about this site first.

Yoga 101

New to yoga? Yoga Journal's on-line website has a great page called Yoga 101 for people new to or interested in learning more about the practice. It has information about yoga philosophy, the different styles of yoga practice, poses for beginners, ways to do yoga at the office, and tips for finding a teacher, among other things.