As I've discussed a few times, I've been dealing with shoulder pain for the last few months. As I've been fighting through this, one of the things I've been reminded of is how many purported breakthrough or unconventional cures are offered out there, that promise to avoid the often frustrating limitations and ambiguity of evidence based medicine. For … Continue reading Just in case you’re not there yet, homeopathy doesn’t work
Tag: Health
The myth of the eight-hour sleep
For much of my adult life, I've had trouble sleeping throughout the night, often waking up in the early morning hours, unable to go back to sleep. On weekends or on vacation, I've simply gotten up, drank and/or ate something, maybe read a little bit, and then eventually gone back to sleep, knowing that I had … Continue reading The myth of the eight-hour sleep
Hans Rosling and Ola Rosling: How not to be ignorant about the world
Worried the world is going to hell in a handbasket? You'll feel better after watching this video, and also get some insight into why you might have thought it was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm5xF-UYgdg Watching this video also reminded me of something I learned years ago, not to trust numbers given in isolation. Whenever I hear about the … Continue reading Hans Rosling and Ola Rosling: How not to be ignorant about the world
US parents, think carefully before you let your kids play football
You won't see posts on this blog very often about sports. Not really one of my interests. But I think this is an issue that needs to be widely known. Scientists Dissected the Brains of 79 NFL Players. What They Found Is Disturbing. | Mother Jones. Yesterday, the country's leading investigators of sports-related brain injuries released … Continue reading US parents, think carefully before you let your kids play football
The effort at healthy living should be balanced against the fact that we are all mortal.
Ezekiel Emanuel has an interesting article at The Atlantic: Why I Hope to Die at 75 - The Atlantic. Seventy-five. That’s how long I want to live: 75 years. ... I am sure of my position. Doubtless, death is a loss. It deprives us of experiences and milestones, of time spent with our spouse and … Continue reading The effort at healthy living should be balanced against the fact that we are all mortal.
Why you are still alive, the immune system explained
A cool video explaining the human immune system, or perhaps more accurately, giving a broad simplified explanation while also giving us a glimpse of just how complicated it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s
A limited color vision philosophical zombie?
This article at IO9 reminded me of the recent discussion some of us had on philosophical zombies. Ever heard of the philosophical zombie? It's a philosophical concept that rarely translates into physiology - until now. A case of false color-blindness makes us wonder: What's the difference between seeing something and knowing that you're seeing something? … Continue reading A limited color vision philosophical zombie?
Using a Neti pot to relieve cold symptoms
So, I've been fighting a cold for the last several days, and using something to relieve my symptoms that it seems most people in the west still haven't heard of: the Neti pot. It's a device often used by radio DJs, TV reporters, singers, and many others to avoid sounding congested when they have to go on … Continue reading Using a Neti pot to relieve cold symptoms
World Health Organization: No, Seriously, Stop Abusing Antibiotics – James Hamblin – The Atlantic
In the sobering news department: "The problem is so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine. A post-antibiotic era—in which common infections and minor injuries can kill—far from being an apocalyptic fantasy, is instead a very real possibility for the twenty-first century." That's according to a 257-page warning today from the World Health … Continue reading World Health Organization: No, Seriously, Stop Abusing Antibiotics – James Hamblin – The Atlantic
RealClearScience – End the Hype over Epigenetics & Lamarckian Evolution
You might recall from high school biology a scientist by the name of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. He proposed a mechanism of evolution in which organisms pass on traits acquired during their lifetimes to their offspring. The textbook example is a proposed mechanism of giraffe evolution: If a giraffe stretches its neck to reach higher leaves on … Continue reading RealClearScience – End the Hype over Epigenetics & Lamarckian Evolution
SelfAwarePatterns 