Special Coverage: Health and Wellness

Does America Have a Prescription Drug Problem?

Doug Bremner, Huffington Post. May 9, 2008.
Almost all of the chronic conditions for which pills are prescribed are preventable through changes in lifestyle, diet and exercise.

From the blogs

Elizabeth Edwards: ‘Most Preventable Cause Of Unnecessary Suffering’ Is Lack Of Health Insurance

by Ali Frick, Think Progress

Elizabeth Edwards testified in the Senate yesterday about the American health care system.

USDA Renews Approval of 46 Non-Organic Ingredients in "Organic" Foods

by Guest Blogger, Natural News

At the same time, the USDA withdrew approval for a type of food coloring and a food additive.

Hard Questions Needed on McCain's Health Plan

by Bill Scher, TomPaine.com

McCain wants to put even more health care costs on the shoulders of working families. The question is how.

Straight Talk? Not on Health Care

by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report

John McCain can't stop lying about his opponents' health care plans.

Life Expectancies Dropping, Wages Falling, Food Rationing Reported -- What the Hell is Going on?

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

It's scary to have to pay the piper.

Americans Have a God-Given Right to Take This Job and Shove It! [VIDEO]

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Ron Wyden's on-key.

One in Three Returning Vets Suffer from Brain Injuries, Mental Health Problems

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

And many are not getting care -- it's a betrayal on an epic scale.

Mystery Meat Macrophotography: An Up-Close Look Processed Meat

by Heather Gehlert, AlterNet

Find out what's lurking inside salami, sausage and hot dogs.

Death by Lack of Health Insurance

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

New Families USA reports crunch numbers state-by-state.

South Dakota: Save The Fetus and Flog the Mommy?

by Daniel DiRito, The All Spin Zone

Protecting the unborn shouldn’t endanger the living.

Organics May Soon Be Out of Reach for Many Consumers

Tana Ganeva, AlterNet. May 8, 2008.
As the economy worsens, fewer shoppers will be able to afford healthy, organic food.

Evangelical Doctor Touts Better Health Care Plan Than Clinton, Obama

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. May 6, 2008.
Unlike Clinton or Obama, Dr. Rocky White, an Evangelical from a conservative background, is promoting a single-payer health care system.

Whatever Happened to American Longevity?

Maggie Mahar, Niko Karvounis, Health Beat. May 4, 2008.
In the past 20 years, the U.S. has sunk from ranking No. 11 in life expectancy to No. 42. What gives?

Why We Need to Rise up Against Industrial Agriculture (Again)

Will Allen, AlterNet. May 3, 2008.
Much of our food supply is based on entrepreneurial gambling that relies on chemical pesticides and fertilizers to make huge profits.

Does It Take a Rocket Scientist to Raise a Child These Days?

Christopher Gavigan, AlterNet. May 1, 2008.
Protecting your child from harmful consumer products has become almost as time-consuming as raising them.

A Dirty Trucking Industry Is Trying to Clean Up Its Act

Kate Sheppard, In These Times. April 30, 2008.
A diverse coalition is working to stop the exploitation of truck drivers by big corporations and help save the health of residents near ports.

How to Talk About Health Care

Bernie Horn, TomPaine.com. April 30, 2008.
The health care debate is not about right versus left. It's about McCain's radical scheme to dump our employer-provided health coverage into a ditch.

Half of Vets Suffering Brain and Mind Injuries Go Untreated, But Pentagon Pretends Nothing's Going on

Penny Coleman, AlterNet. April 29, 2008.
An activist travels to the DoD's annual suicide prevention conference, only to find the military brass living in a parallel universe.

The Suicide Drug

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. April 28, 2008.
Drug company spin does not change the fact that Cymbalta has been linked to suicide -- even in otherwise mentally healthy people.

Misdiagnosis: Reproductive Health and Our Environment

Mariana Ruiz Firmat, make/shift. April 28, 2008.
If we want to foster healthy communities, we need to make connections between reproductive health, environmental toxins, and the food we eat.

Pushing the Single-Payer Solution

Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate. April 24, 2008.
It's time for the candidates to stop dancing around real health-care reform and get behind a single-payer system.

Cheney Hunting Adventures: If Someone Eats the Game, It Looks Less Like Killing

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. April 24, 2008.
Cheney and members of "Sportsmen Against Hunger" are attaching themselves to charitable causes to put a positive spin on killing animals.

Forced Drugging of Guantánamo Prisoners: A Crisis for Health Professionals

Stephen Soldz, AlterNet. April 23, 2008.
With growing evidence of involuntary drugging of prisoners at Guantánamo, health professionals must take an unequivocal stance on torture.

Is Organic Food Really Healthier?

Deborah Rich, Earth Island Journal. April 23, 2008.
The U.S. government's food policy suggests an apple is an apple, regardless of how it was grown. Scientific data suggests otherwise.

The Torture Election: Fighting for the Soul of the American Psychological Association

Jeffrey S. Kaye, AlterNet. April 23, 2008.
In the race for the presidency of the APA, an anti-torture candidate is beating the odds.

Just How Secure Is Your Employer-Based Health Insurance?

Maggie Mahar, Health Beat. April 23, 2008.
Many workers believe that if they keep their job, their insurance is safe. That may have been true in the '90s, but not now, not even for top execs.

Vets of Bush's Wars Sue the VA: 'More than Half of Wounded Troops Slipping Through the Cracks'

Aaron Glantz, AlterNet. April 22, 2008.
"If you're suicidal you can't wait a month ... People placed on waiting lists have killed themselves."

The Health Care Union War

David Moberg, In These Times. April 21, 2008.
A dispute between competing health care unions turns physical and ugly.

How I Fooled Myself into Quitting Smoking

Amanda Stutt, The Tyee. April 21, 2008.
Laser beams, placebos and other mind games can help you stop smoking, but they might not cure your addiction.

Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a Nation

Onnesha Roychoudhuri, AlterNet. April 17, 2008.
Author Charles Barber discusses Americans' unrealistic notions about happiness. We've medicalized a lot of life issues that aren't mental illnesses.

The Curse of the Eternally Urgent

David Allen, Huffington Post. April 16, 2008.
A few small steps can help you get out of crisis mode, minimize stress and maximize productivity.

The Diarrhea Diet

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. April 15, 2008.
In lieu of exercise or a healthy diet, Americans now have the option of losing weight with a drug that causes bowel incontinence.

Plant a Garden, Get a Tax Break?

Roger Doiron, AlterNet. April 11, 2008.
We give tax breaks to encourage people to put solar panels on their roofs, so why not offer incentives for healthy food production in their backyards?

Are You Unhappy? Is It Because of Consumer Addiction?

Charles Shaw, AlterNet. April 11, 2008.
The pattern of out-of-control consumption in the U.S. is not too different from the well-known behavioral patterns of substance abusers.

How the American Medical Association Got Rich

Dana Ullman, North Atlantic Books. April 10, 2008.
The "AMA Seal of Approval" on drugs and food becomes a legal form of bribery.

Finding the Best Diet for Your Body

William McLaughlin, AlterNet. April 9, 2008.
We don't need doctors and nutritionists to tell us how to eat. Our own bodies do a much better job.

Study Reveals Health Care Woes of Asian Americans

Ketaki Gokhale, New America Media. April 8, 2008.
High numbers of the working poor in this community don't qualify for public assistance, yet can't afford private insurance.

World Health Day: The Hazards of Global Warming to Your Health

Susan Blumenthal, Yi-An Ko, Stephanie Safdi, Beth Hoffman, Julie Chen, Huffington Post. April 7, 2008.
The health of our planet and its people are inextricably entwined.

John McCain's Greed-Based Health Care Plan

Paul Krugman, The New York Times. April 6, 2008.
Mr. McCain's approach to health care is based on the fantasy that the magic of the marketplace can produce cheap health care for everyone.

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Coverage concerning personal health and fitness, health care legislation, Big Pharma, medical developments and more.

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