Take an App and Call Me In the Morning

From our friends at PsychCentral, online help for people with panic disorders and anxiety problems:

A[n] new online treatment system will provide real-time care by combining patient-provider communication with physiological biofeedback to assist patients suffering with panic disorder and anxiety problems.Vincent Tseng and Bai-En Shie of the National Cheng Kung University are working with psychiatrist Fong-Lin Jang of the Chi-Mei Medical Center, in Tainan, Taiwan, to develop the system they say will have a “pivotal impact” on the health care industry. The research is published in the International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining.

The increasing pace of life, the industrialization of society, and the advent of digital technology are all thought to underlie the growing prevalence of mental illness. Disorders, such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression are now diagnosed more frequently than ever before.

There’s more…

Stop Worrying About Your Health…

is the healthy thing to do. New book offers new rule.

After Finishing a Chicken Dinner

I read this headline: “How Safe is Your Chicken Dinner?”

I hope very…

I’m Gonna Get Me a Couple of These

From The BBC

Mutant genes ‘key to long life’

There is a clear link between living to 100 and inheriting a hyperactive version of an enzyme that prevents cells from ageing, researchers say.

Scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the US say centenarian Ashkenazi Jews have this mutant gene.

They found that 86 very old people and their children had higher levels of telomerase which protects the DNA.

They say it may be possible to produce drugs that stimulate the enzyme.

Google’s Flu Shot Finder

From Mashable’s Barb Dybwad:

In addition to free airport Wi-Fi, Google has another gift to you this holiday season — aka this flu season. They’ve been working with the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services to develop a tool for locating flu shot providers near you, located at google.com/flushot.

The tool leverages Google Maps to show you nearby vaccine locations for both the seasonal and H1N1 swine flu varieties. They stress that the project is just getting started and they’re still gathering more information about flu shot clinics for a number of areas, with help from the HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and state and local health agencies.

There’s more…

Cocoa Krispies Inmunity Boost

and other aggressive marketing claims from Kellogg:

Kellogg, the nation’s largest cereal maker, is being called to task by critics who object to the swine flu-conscious claim now bannered in bold lettering on the front of Cocoa Krispies cereal boxes: “Now helps support your child’s IMMUNITY.”

Of all claims on cereal boxes, “this one belongs in the hall of fame,” says Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. “By their logic, you can spray vitamins on a pile of leaves, and it will boost immunity.”

The Greatest Baseball Game In 37 Years, (Part 2)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was first published this past July. I’m reposting it in joyful anticipation of Game 3 in Philly. Go Yanks!. (Here’s Part 1).

It was the Spring of 2006. I had accompanied my wife to the OB-Gyn’s office for a visit. An ultrasound had been scheduled along with the regular check up. We had been told that it might be possible, at that stage in my wife’s pregnancy, to discover our baby’s gender. The technician told us that a lot depended on baby’s position and his or her willingness to cooperate.

It’s impossible not to be awed by the incredible sight of your developing baby. Especially when you add to the improbability of it all, the fact that you and your partner were in near-fatal –and separate — car accidents. Surviving those had been, in itself, a miracle. A previous miscarriage made the moment terrifying and mystical at the same time.

The technician is describing what we’re seeing on the monitor in the same monotone cadence of a tour guide that’s seen the same sights hundreds of times:

“And here is the male genitalia,” she says.

“Honey!” my wife yelled.

“What?”

“She just told us it’s a boy!”

Of the torrent of emotions and thoughts that overwhelmed me at that instant, this is the one I remember most clearly:

“Will I have time to take my son to Yankee Stadium before they tear it down?” Continue reading →