This hypothesis suggests that pregnancy may protect women from auto-immune diseases, and further, that not being constantly pregnant and breastfeeding dysregulates the immune system.
Disease
Yes, it's a good idea to go to the doctor every once in a while -- annually, of course, is best. As he or she is prodding about, your doctor might find something rather unexpected. In my case, he found that I'm no longer immune to this disease.
Does our immune system act as a defensive barrier, or a translator of different worlds? Is there a mismatch between our genetic heritage and our current environment? And can being less "clean" make us more healthy? Let's find out.
"Things have not gotten as stupid as they are going to get." That was a 2015 tweet from John Tabin, co-host of a podcast called "The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Friends." It's fair to say, judging solely by infectious disease stories, that since then his prophecy has been fulfilled several times over.
The Department of Health & Human Services has tried in many ways to gauge patient satisfaction with hospital care. Perhaps it should listen to hospitalized children, since they make more sense than the current "concerns" attributed to adults.
Fentanyl washed upon our shores several decades ago, as China White. Today, the fentanyl market has more of a Breaking Bad vibe. A thorough study by the Rand Corporation suggests that fentanyl is a whole quantum different from the opioid crisis narrative.
The nine-valent HPV vaccine -- which targets nine different HPV strains -- could prevent about 3 in 4 HPV-associated cancers. However, only about half of all adolescents have completed the vaccine series. If everyone was fully vaccinated we could prevent some 32,100 cancers each year.
The Lancet reports on a polypill containing aspirin, blood pressure medicine and a statin. For a large at-risk population, it reduced major cardiovascular events by 20 to 33% ... and for about $1.25 a month.
Proposed guidelines for physicians from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommend screening everyone over the age of 18 for drug use. Mind you, that's without having evidence of benefit or harm. Can the reasoning "it can't hurt" be an acceptable justification for the move?
Stress increases cortisol, in turn, raising blood glucose. If acute stress can raise your blood sugar, what are the effects of chronic stress? Here's what a group of veterans with PTSD are showing us about Type 2 diabetes.
Amazing, recent progress in prostate cancer research has encouraged many experts (including this writer) to expect that this type of cancer will be cured -- or at least adequately controlled -- within their lifetimes. "I’m glad I had this cancer," states Dr. Paul Lange, "for it made me a more empathetic physician."
Scientific facts and pleas for personal responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among us. Those are the immunocompromised and children too young to be vaccinated. They apparently don't matter to the selfish fools who continue to reject vaccines. These selfish people have blood on their hands, and society has not chosen to hold them accountable.