Salon.com > Health http://www.salon.com Fri, 24 May 2013 13:31:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Greek yogurt, toxic waste hazard? http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/greek_yogurt_toxic_waste_hazard_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/greek_yogurt_toxic_waste_hazard_partner/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13306930 AlterNet The latest in "healthy" foods that are not actually good for us is Greek yogurt. Over at Modern Farmer, Justin Elliott explains that every three to four ounces of milk produces only one ounce of the creamy snack,  and what's left becomes acid whey, " a thin, runny waste product" too toxic to dump because whey decomposition could potentially turn waterways into aquatic-life-destroying "dead seas."

Now, with a rapidly expanding $2 billion Greek yogurt market, the question has become, what to do with the whey? According to Elliott, the Northeast region alone produced more than 150 million gallons of acid whey just last year.

Though Chobani pays farmers to take their acid whey, this method has proven insufficient, as the waste product is difficult to incorporate into farming. Dave Barbano, a dairy scientist at Cornell, believes the small amount of protein in acid whey could be used in baby formula. Before he can say for sure, however, Barbano needs a cost-effective method of protein extraction, and is just beginning research.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/greek_yogurt_toxic_waste_hazard_partner/feed/ 45 Is recreational pot use safe? http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/is_recreational_pot_use_safe_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/is_recreational_pot_use_safe_partner/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 12:18:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13306373 Scientific American

Marijuana is more popular and accessible in the U.S. than any other street drug. In national surveys, 48 percent of Americans say they have tried it, and 6.5 percent of high school seniors admit to daily use. So it was not too surprising when two states, Washington and Colorado, became the first to legalize recreational marijuana in the November 2012 general election, albeit in limited quantity, for anyone over the age of 21. Activists expect that similar measures will soon win approval in other parts of the country.

Some success with medical marijuana helped to pave the road to wider legalization of pot. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia permit possession and consumption of the drug for medical purposes. Doctors in those jurisdictions may prescribe cannabis to treat or manage ailments ranging from glaucoma—an eye disease in which the optic nerve is damaged—to menstrual cramps. Cancer patients sometimes smoke pot to relieve the pain and nausea brought on by chemotherapy, and some people with the inflammatory disease multiple sclerosis rely on marijuana to ease muscle stiffness.

Although many physicians agree that marijuana is safe enough to temporarily alleviate the symptoms of certain medical conditions, the safety of recreational use is poorly understood. Researchers worry that both the short- and long-term use of the drug may harm the body and mind. Marijuana's continued popularity among teenagers raises particular concern because the drug might hinder the ongoing maturation of the adolescent brain. Making matters worse, new growing techniques for the Cannabis sativa plant—from which marijuana is prepared—have dramatically increased the drug's potency. Some experts suggest that such high-octane weed is fueling a rise in cannabis addiction. Finally, although investigators still debate how the legalization of recreational marijuana will change road safety overall, studies indicate that the drug slows reaction time and impairs distance perception behind the wheel. Despite such evidence, most new marijuana regulations, for medical or recreational use, fail to account for these potential risks.

Weeded Out

Whether rolled into a joint or mixed into brownie batter, marijuana profoundly changes behavior and awareness. The primary psychoactive compound in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), mimics the structure of molecules called endocannabinoids that the human body produces naturally. Endocannabinoids act on a group of cell-surface molecules called cannabinoid receptors that help to regulate appetite, mood and memory. Because of its shape, THC fits into these receptors, too. After all, jokes neuroscientist Giovanni Marsicano of the University of Bordeaux in France, “We don't have a receptor in the body just to smoke marijuana.”

When THC strikes specific cannabinoid receptors, it triggers domino chains of interacting molecules in neurons that culminate in both unusually elevated and abnormally low levels of various neurotransmitters (the molecules that brain cells use to communicate with one another). The result is the well-known “high” of marijuana. Suddenly, the mundane seems hilarious, and ordinary foods taste delicious. People generally feel merry, relaxed and introspective, although undesirable effects—such as paranoia and irritability—are common as well.

Marijuana also temporarily impairs an array of mental abilities, especially memory and attention. Dozens of studies have shown, for example, that people under the influence of marijuana perform worse on tests of working memory, which is the ability to temporarily hold and manipulate information in one's mind. Participants in these studies have greater difficulty remembering and reciting short lists of numerals and random words. Research has further revealed that cannabis blunts concentration, weakens motor coordination and interferes with the ability to quickly scan one's surroundings for obstacles.

Such mild cognitive deficits may not endanger anyone if a marijuana user lazes on the couch, but it is a different story when someone takes that high on the road. In driving-simulation and closed-course studies, people on marijuana are slower to hit the brakes and worse at safely changing lanes. Investigators still debate, however, at what point these impairments translate to more traffic accidents. A 2009 study found an increased risk of accidents for levels of THC higher than five nanograms per milliliter of blood, which some evidence indicates is as impairing as a blood alcohol concentration around the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Typically one would have to take several puffs of a joint to reach such a concentration. Consequently, voters in Washington State have adopted 5 ng/mL as the upper threshold for drivers.

Enforcing that limit presents a technical challenge, however. Unlike alcohol, marijuana cannot be detected with a relatively unobtrusive Breathalyzer test. Police officers would have to look for it in blood—something that often requires a warrant. “There is currently no practical method for law-enforcement officers at the scene to collect blood samples from suspected DUI cannabis drivers in a timely manner,” says Paul Armentano, deputy director of the Washington, D.C.–based National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which advocates the legalization of marijuana. Instead of using a blood test, Armentano says that police should look for poor maneuvering and the smell of pot wafting from the vehicle.

Smoke Signals

Although marijuana's immediate effects are relatively easy to monitor in the lab, the drug's long-term effects on body and mind are harder to determine. So far the results—which admittedly are subject to multiple interpretations—indicate the need for caution. In one recent study, clinical psychologist Madeline Meier of Duke University and her colleagues examined data from 1,037 New Zealanders. They found that people who began using pot earlier in life and used it most frequently over the years experienced an average decline of eight IQ points by the time they turned 38. By comparison, those who never smoked pot had an average increase of one IQ point by the same age.

A reanalysis of the New Zealand data by Ole Røgeberg of the Ragnar Frisch Center for Economic Research in Oslo, however, suggested that the IQ difference could be explained by socioeconomic factors. People who start smoking marijuana at an earlier age are often less intelligent to begin with. Even if this is true, Meier says, her study shows that the IQ drop is greatest for those who started smoking pot as teenagers rather than in adulthood, indicating a worrisome cumulative effect regardless of intelligence. This finding, she thinks, makes it all the more important to discourage the early use of marijuana among teens.

Increasingly potent marijuana of recent years may be driving a sharp rise in cannabis addiction among adolescents, according to a report released last year by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Between 1993 and 2008, the average concentration of THC in confiscated marijuana jumped from 3.4 to 8.8 percent. Meanwhile hospital and rehabilitation center admission rates for minors abusing marijuana soared by 188 percent between 1992 and 2006. In contrast, admissions for alcohol abuse for the same group over the same period declined by 64 percent.

In addition to tracking levels of THC itself, some researchers have focused on the dangers of lingering contaminants in marijuana sold on the street. Dealers typically sell cannabis by weight, so some use sand or glass beads to make their products heavier. Breathing in these particles over the years may inflame and eventually scar the lungs. An analysis published last year of data on more than 5,000 Americans did not find a decline in lung function among individuals who smoked joints two or three times a month over two decades. The authors emphasize, however, that they did not assess the effect of daily use on lung health. “Somebody should do that study if marijuana is going to become legalized and prescribed” more widely, says Mark Pletcher, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who co-wrote the paper.

Some opponents of legalization worry that lax regulation of medical marijuana foretells even looser laws concerning recreational marijuana. In states that have legalized medical pot, current laws do not guarantee the safety or quality of cannabis products or standardize levels of THC. In Oakland, Calif., people can fill a marijuana prescription at Harborside Health Center, a massive dispensary with a strict quality-control system. Elsewhere in the state, however, people get their medical marijuana at mom-and-pop outfits or on the street. The next big round of ballot initiatives to legalize cannabis in states other than Washington and Colorado could happen as soon as three years from now, in the 2016 presidential election. Until then, researchers have plenty of marijuana health risks to weed through.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/is_recreational_pot_use_safe_partner/feed/ 208 Salt isn’t so bad http://www.salon.com/2013/05/14/major_study_questions_health_benefits_of_low_sodium_diet/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/14/major_study_questions_health_benefits_of_low_sodium_diet/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 21:44:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13298615 A new study commissioned by the Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that, for many Americans, there is no real reason to seriously restrict salt consumption. The expert panel concluded that sodium consumption levels currently recommended by national dietary guidelines are unnecessarily low, and questioned the health benefits of sharply reducing salt intake.

While recommending that Americans avoid "excessive" sodium intake, the panel also stated that there is no evidence to suggest that no-sodium and very low-sodium diets are good for you, as the Associated Press reports:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/14/major_study_questions_health_benefits_of_low_sodium_diet/feed/ 8 Angelina Jolie’s choice not the only one http://www.salon.com/2013/05/14/angelina_jolie%e2%80%99s_choice_not_the_only_one/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/14/angelina_jolie%e2%80%99s_choice_not_the_only_one/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 16:28:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13298056 It takes courage for an international sex symbol (and renowned actress and humanitarian) to tell the public she had a double mastectomy. So I applaud Angelina Jolie for writing an excruciatingly detailed New York Times Op-Ed about the choice she made after she learned she carried a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which put her at high risk for breast cancer. She watched her mother die of ovarian cancer at 56, and her anxiety over cancer risk led to her genetic screening.

I faced a similar anxiety: My mother died of breast cancer at 45; my grandmother was diagnosed at 48 and survived. Like Jolie, after I had a child, I became increasingly anxious about my own risk. There was no genetic testing 20 years ago, so I consulted a variety of doctors, including a genetic counselor. I was told I had an elevated risk of breast cancer, though it couldn’t be quantified (Jolie’s doctors estimated hers was 87 percent). At least one doctor recommended a double mastectomy. Another cautioned against it, noting that it can’t eliminate all risk of breast cancer (Jolie’s is now estimated at 5 percent). He railed at surgeons describing the breasts of women like me as “ticking time bombs” and advising unnecessary prophylactic mastectomies.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/14/angelina_jolie%e2%80%99s_choice_not_the_only_one/feed/ 41 Must-see morning clip: Bill Gates plans to eliminate polio and tuberculosis http://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/must_see_morning_clip_bill_gates_plans_to_eliminate_polio_and_tuberculosis/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/must_see_morning_clip_bill_gates_plans_to_eliminate_polio_and_tuberculosis/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 13:06:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13297029 Tech billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates plans to devote the next 20 years to the eradication of preventable human diseases. He tells "60 Minutes'" Charlie Rose that he wants to help "the bottom two billion" of the world who live in poverty:

Charlie Rose: Starting with polio?

Bill Gates: Get it done by 2018.

Charlie Rose: Tuberculosis?

Bill Gates: Take probably six or seven years.

Charlie Rose: Malaria?

Bill Gates: Malaria's the one that the tools are being invented now. Fifteen and perhaps even 20 years. But start to really shrink that map.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/must_see_morning_clip_bill_gates_plans_to_eliminate_polio_and_tuberculosis/feed/ 4 6 ways Big Pharma manipulates consumers http://www.salon.com/2013/04/28/six_ways_big_pharma_wants_to_profit_from_your_health_concerns_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/28/six_ways_big_pharma_wants_to_profit_from_your_health_concerns_partner/#comments Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13283081 The blockbuster pill profit party is over for Big Pharma. Bestselling pills like Lipitor, Seroquel, Zyprexa, Singular and Concerta have gone off patent and sites which their ads sustained are withering on the vine. WebMD, for example, the voice of Pharma on the Web, with a former Pfizer exec serving as CEO, announced it would cut 250 positions in December.

But don't worry, Wall Street. Pharma isn't going to deliver disappointing earnings just because it has little or no new drugs coming online and has failed at the very reason for its existence. Here are six new Pharma marketing initiatives that are guaranteed to keep investor expectations high along with our insurance premiums. The secret? Recycling old and discredited drugs and marketing diseases to sell the few new ones.

1) Repurposing Ritalin

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/28/six_ways_big_pharma_wants_to_profit_from_your_health_concerns_partner/feed/ 4 FDA has history of hiding scientific misconduct http://www.salon.com/2013/04/19/fda_investigation_sheds_light_on_shady_practices_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/19/fda_investigation_sheds_light_on_shady_practices_partner/#comments Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:40:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13276451 This week, we reported that the Food and Drug Administration left medicines on the market for years after discovering they were approved based on fraudulent studies by Cetero Research, which did testing for drug companies worldwide.
ProPublica
Turns out that wasn't an anomaly: The agency's slow, secretive response in the Cetero case mirrors how it handled an earlier instance of scientific misconduct at another contract research organization, MDS Pharma Services.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/19/fda_investigation_sheds_light_on_shady_practices_partner/feed/ 3 Study: Social networks play significant role in parents’ decision to vaccinate http://www.salon.com/2013/04/15/study_social_networks_play_significant_role_in_parents_decision_to_vaccinate/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/15/study_social_networks_play_significant_role_in_parents_decision_to_vaccinate/#comments Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:04:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13270994 A new study found that an overwhelming majority of vaccination "naysayer" parents surveyed were influenced by friends, family and other non-medical peer recommendations when deciding whether or not to vaccinate their child, leading researchers to conclude that changing parents’ attitudes about vaccines may be a matter of influencing their influencers.

Researchers surveyed 196 parents of children 18 months or younger in a Seattle county with vaccination rates below the national average: 126 of these parents followed the national recommendations on childhood-vaccination from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while 70 delayed vaccination, partially vaccinated or didn't vaccinate their child at all.

While both were informed by friends and family, peer influence in the vaccination "naysayer" group was a much bigger factor than in vaccine "conforming" circles, researchers found. Advice from social networks "blew any other variable out of the water” for vaccine doubters, Emily Brunson, who conducted the research as an anthropology graduate student at the University of Washington, told Time magazine. It “was more important in terms of predicting what parents decide to do than any other factor, including parents’ own opinions," she added.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/15/study_social_networks_play_significant_role_in_parents_decision_to_vaccinate/feed/ 13 Majority of chemicals in household products have never been independently tested http://www.salon.com/2013/04/14/majority_of_chemicals_in_household_products_have_never_been_independently_tested_for_safety/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/14/majority_of_chemicals_in_household_products_have_never_been_independently_tested_for_safety/#comments Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:59:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13270518 Current law regulating industrial chemicals commonly used in household products rarely requires companies to provide the federal government with adequate information about their safety, a new report finds.

"Regulators, doctors, environmentalists and the chemical industry agree that the country’s main chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act, needs fixing," Ian Urbina wrote in The New York Times on Sunday.

According to the report in the Times:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/14/majority_of_chemicals_in_household_products_have_never_been_independently_tested_for_safety/feed/ 5 U.S. ranks near bottom of UNICEF report on child well-being http://www.salon.com/2013/04/12/us_ranks_near_bottom_of_unicef_report_on_child_well_being/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/12/us_ranks_near_bottom_of_unicef_report_on_child_well_being/#comments Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:20:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13269432 The United States ranked in the bottom four of a United Nations report on child well-being. Among 29 countries, America landed second from the bottom in child poverty and held a similarly dismal position when it came to “child life satisfaction.”

Keeping the U.S. company at the bottom of the report, which gauged material well-being, overall health, access to housing and education, were Lithuania, Latvia and Romania, three of the poorest countries in the survey.

UNICEF said in a statement on the survey that child poverty in countries like the U.S. “is not inevitable but is policy-susceptible” and that there isn't necessarily a strong relationship between per capita GDP and overall child well-being, explaining: "The Czech Republic is ranked higher than Austria, Slovenia higher than Canada, and Portugal higher than the United States."

The Netherlands ranked number one on the list, with Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden filling out the top five.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/12/us_ranks_near_bottom_of_unicef_report_on_child_well_being/feed/ 51 Mark Bittman goes in search of Good Fast Food http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/mark_bittman_goes_in_search_of_good_fast_food/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/mark_bittman_goes_in_search_of_good_fast_food/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13260068 Beware the false prophets of healthy fast food, food journalist and lovable curmudgeon Mark Bittman warns in Wednesday's New York Times. McDonald’s fruit-and-yogurt parfait is 50 percent sugar calories, and Subway's Veggie Delite is "a bad chopped salad on lousy bread." But it is possible to find "Improved Fast Food" (as Bittman calls it), you just need to know where to look.

As Bittman explains (emphasis mine):

Chipotle combines the best aspects of Nouveau Junk to create a new category that we might call Improved Fast Food. At Chipotle, the food is fresher and tastes much better than traditional fast food. The sourcing, production and cooking is generally of a higher level; and the overall experience is more pleasant. The guacamole really is made on premises, and the chicken (however tasteless) is cooked before your eyes. It’s fairly easy to eat vegan there, but those burritos can pack on the calories. As a competitor told me, “Several brands had a head start on [the Chipotle founder Steve] Ells, but he kicked their [expletive] with culture and quality. It’s not shabby for assembly-line steam-table Mexican food. It might be worth $10 billion right now.” (It is.)

Chipotle no longer stands alone in the Improved Fast Food world: Chop’t, Maoz, Freshii, Zoës Kitchen and several others all have their strong points. And — like Chipotle — they all have their limitations, starting with calories and fat. By offering fried chicken and fried onions in addition to organic tofu, Chop’t, a salad chain in New York and Washington, tempts customers to turn what might have been a healthful meal into a calorie bomb (to say nothing of the tasteless dressing), and often raises the price to $12 or more. The Netherlands-based Maoz isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as the mom-and-pop falafel trucks and shops that are all over Manhattan.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/mark_bittman_goes_in_search_of_good_fast_food/feed/ 37 Roger Ebert scales back to review “only the movies I want to” due to cancer http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/roger_ebert_scales_back_to_review_only_the_movies_i_want_to_due_to_cancer/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/roger_ebert_scales_back_to_review_only_the_movies_i_want_to_due_to_cancer/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13259850 Preeminent film critic Roger Ebert announced late last night that he is cutting back from his work due to his ongoing struggle with cancer.

Ebert, the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize, has been penning reviews for 46 years to the day, and writes over 200 reviews a year. Last year, Ebert wrote a career-high of 306.

Now, the prolific reviewer is taking what he refers to as a "leave of presence":

"What in the world is a leave of presence? It means I am not going away. My intent is to continue to write selected reviews but to leave the rest to a talented team of writers handpicked and greatly admired by me. What's more, I'll be able at last to do what I've always fantasized about doing: reviewing only the movies I want to review."

Though narrowing his writing focus, Ebert will expand his reach in other ways, including starting a Kickstarter campaign to bring back his PBS program, "At the Movies," attempting to turn a video game or app into a movie, collaborating with Martin Scorsese over an Ebert biopic and managing the relaunch of his Web site, Rogerebert.com.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/roger_ebert_scales_back_to_review_only_the_movies_i_want_to_due_to_cancer/feed/ 2 CDC report: ADHD diagnosis on the rise in the United States http://www.salon.com/2013/04/01/cdc_report_adhd_diagnosis_on_the_rise_in_the_united_states/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/01/cdc_report_adhd_diagnosis_on_the_rise_in_the_united_states/#comments Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:15:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13257744 According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, close to one in five high school age boys and 11 percent of all school-age children in the United States have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The findings were part of the Centers' study of children and health, in which the agency interviewed more than 76,000 parents across the country.

As The New York Times reports:

The figures showed that an estimated 6.4 million children ages 4 through 17 had received an A.D.H.D. diagnosis at some point in their lives, a 16 percent increase since 2007 and a 53 percent rise in the past decade. About two-thirds of those with a current diagnosis receive prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, which can drastically improve the lives of those with A.D.H.D. but can also lead to addiction, anxiety and occasionally psychosis.

And as the Times notes, these numbers are likely to grow as the American Psychiatric Association prepares to expand the definition of the disorder, opening up the possibility of medicating many who wouldn't have previously qualified for the diagnosis.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/01/cdc_report_adhd_diagnosis_on_the_rise_in_the_united_states/feed/ 3 Lil Wayne: “I’m an epileptic, I’m prone to seizures” http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/lil_wayne_im_an_epileptic_im_prone_to_seizures/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/lil_wayne_im_an_epileptic_im_prone_to_seizures/#comments Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13255536 After giving friends, family and fans a scare when he was in the ICU for nearly a week, rapper Lil Wayne has commented on the cause of the seizures that almost took his life. TMZ first speculated that the cause of the seizures was an overdose on cough syrup, which functions as an opiate in high doses. But on Los Angeles radio station Power 106, the rapper denied the rumors, attributing them to his epilepsy:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/lil_wayne_im_an_epileptic_im_prone_to_seizures/feed/ 4 Yes, music helps your workout routine http://www.salon.com/2013/03/24/bust_a_move_break_a_sweat_why_listening_to_music_helps_your_workout_routine_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/24/bust_a_move_break_a_sweat_why_listening_to_music_helps_your_workout_routine_partner/#comments Sun, 24 Mar 2013 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13249151 “I dare them to find the iPod on me,” Richie Sais told the New York Times in 2007, when he was preparing to run the Marine Corps Marathon. USA Track & Field, the national governing body for distance racing, had just decided to ban athletes from using portable music players in order "to ensure safety and to prevent runners from having a competitive edge." Sais resolved to hide his iPod shuffle under his shirt. Many fellow runners protested the new rule, which remains in effect today in an amended form: It now applies only to people vying for awards and money.
Scientific American

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/24/bust_a_move_break_a_sweat_why_listening_to_music_helps_your_workout_routine_partner/feed/ 0 Doctors advise Morrissey to retire from touring http://www.salon.com/2013/03/22/doctors_advise_morrissey_to_retire_from_touring/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/22/doctors_advise_morrissey_to_retire_from_touring/#comments Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:17:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13249007 Doctors are cautioning singer Morrissey to stop touring -- permanently. The news comes a week after the singer canceled his U.S. tour, citing increasing health concerns, "including a bleeding ulcer, Barrett's esophagus and double pneumonia," according to a press release.

From the Guardian:

"Morrissey had become anemic owing to his serious loss of blood, with a compromised immune system. 'The slightest gust of wind and I would have a terrible cold,' he recalled. Finally, arriving at Mexico's Vive Latino festival, 'the doctors … said 'No no no no, you cannot.' Not only was Morrissey still in poor health, he had apparently "soaked up all the insurance". 'I've had so much medical attention … [that] we couldn't actually continue any more, because we weren't insured to continue.'"

The former Smiths frontman said he has been 'cautioned' to stop touring. 'But it's difficult for me because, it's very engrained within me," he said. 'I know it's the best of life … when you tour and when you make music and when you sing … There is nothing better. Can you think of anything?' He still hopes to resume his live shows.' "

Morrissey believe his age is halting the production of what could be "three studio albums." "I have a lot of songs," he told the Guardian. "We could record three studio albums immediately, very easily. But none of the majors are interested.

"[Major record labels] are only interested in very young people who will fly by and ask for nothing in return," he said.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/22/doctors_advise_morrissey_to_retire_from_touring/feed/ 21 Health officials: 1 in 50 children has autism http://www.salon.com/2013/03/20/health_officials_1_in_50_children_has_autism_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/20/health_officials_1_in_50_children_has_autism_ap/#comments Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:11:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13246610 NEW YORK (AP) — A government survey of parents says 1 in 50 U.S. schoolchildren has autism, surpassing another federal estimate for the disorder.

Health officials say the new number doesn't mean autism is occurring more often. But it does suggest that doctors are diagnosing autism more frequently, especially in children with milder problems.

The earlier government estimate of 1 in 88 comes from a study that many consider more rigorous. It looks at medical and school records instead of relying on parents.

For decades, autism meant kids with severe language, intellectual and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors. But the definition has gradually expanded and now includes milder, related conditions.

The new estimate released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would mean at least 1 million children have autism.

The number is important — government officials look at how common each illness or disorder is when weighing how to spend limited public health funds.

It's also controversial.

The new statistic comes from a national phone survey of more than 95,000 parents in 2011 and 2012. Less than a quarter of the parents contacted agreed to answer questions, and it's likely that those with autistic kids were more interested than other parents in participating in a survey on children's health, CDC officials said.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/20/health_officials_1_in_50_children_has_autism_ap/feed/ 4 Could cancer be contagious? http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/could_cancer_be_contagious_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/could_cancer_be_contagious_partner/#comments Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:33:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13246192 Venezuelan officials announced this week that they would investigate whether enemies could have deliberately infected late President Hugo Chávez with cancer. Chávez died on March 5, apparently of a heart attack, after battling cancer for two years.
Scientific American

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/could_cancer_be_contagious_partner/feed/ 3 Lil Wayne reportedly released from hospital http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/lil_wayne_reportedly_released_from_hospital/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/lil_wayne_reportedly_released_from_hospital/#comments Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:22:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13245629 After spending nearly a week in the Intensive Care Unit of Cedar-Sinai Hospital, a source close to rapper Lil Wayne says he has been released and is in recovery at home.

Sources told the AP that the rapper was treated for seizures, a condition for which he has been hospitalized in the past. TMZ speculated that the recent episode was induced by a drug overdose, and reported that his condition was so critical that the rapper's mother was called upon to make life support decisions.

However, Lil Wayne's friend and collaborator Mack Maine tweeted to followers late Monday night:

[embedtweet id=313832627436142593]

A source verified Lil Wayne's release to TMZ as well; the outlet reported that "Wayne is feeling weak but he's a lot better. He plans on laying low until he makes a full recovery."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/lil_wayne_reportedly_released_from_hospital/feed/ 0 Lil Wayne still in hospital after suffering multiple seizures http://www.salon.com/2013/03/18/lil_wayne_still_in_hospital_after_suffering_multiple_seizures/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/18/lil_wayne_still_in_hospital_after_suffering_multiple_seizures/#comments Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:20:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13244657 Despite sending out a reassuring tweet on Friday and hearing reports on Sunday that said Lil Wayne is "good, just resting," the rapper is now entering into his sixth day in the I.C.U of Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, reports TMZ.

TMZ first broke the news that Weezy had been admitted to the I.C.U. after suffering multiple seizures Tuesday night, and was released on Wednesday. "Sources say there's evidence Wayne went on a Sizzurp binge after being released Wednesday, because doctors found high amounts of codeine in his system," reported TMZ. "We're told Wanye's stomach was pumped 3 times to flush the drugs from his system." MTV has noted, however, that Lil Wayne has had seizures before, writing, "The situation is similar to the reported seizure like-symptoms Weezy suffered while aboard his private jet in October. After a pair of hospital visits, the 'No Worries' MC appeared to be well, and in November, he admitted to MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway that he was on medication to treat his condition during an interview in which he was sweating profusely."

But this time, TMZ has reported that his condition over the weekend was so critical that his mother came to the hospital and made decisions "including the decision to discontinue life support." Rappers Nicki Minaj, Drake, Birdman, Chris Paul and perhaps Eminem have also visited the rapper at the hospital.

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