Special Coverage: Health and Wellness

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Why Health Care 'Deform' Might Help Elect a Few Real Progressives

There is overwhelming disappointment at Obama's attempts for bipartisan health reform. But the good news is there's a glimmer of hope for the election of true progressives in 2010.

Residents of Upstate New York Fight Gas Drilling...With Zombies (Video)

by Byard Duncan, AlterNet

"Frac Attack: Dawn of the Watershed" is essentially a zombie PSA with a clear message: Stop gas drilling.

How Insurers Trick Facebook Users into Opposing Heath Care Reform

by mcjoan, Daily Kos

Facebook is now another outlet for astroturfing.

Gingrich's New Contract With America: 'Our Commitment Should Be Simple…We're Repealing' Health Care

by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress

Of course he also sprinkled some hyperbolic fear-mongering into his speech.

Yes, Why Can't We Get the Health-Care Congress Enjoys?

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Opening up Federal Employees' health program sounds great. But it's a point where good health politics meets bad health policy.

Senate Health Bill Has Loophole Allowing Coverage Limits

by mcjoan, Daily Kos

And this is suppose to be reforming our current health care system?

Lieberman "Irritated" By Toothless Trigger

by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly

The public option has basically been negotiated away. And Lieberman is still not satisfied.

Glenn Beck Better Health Care Analyst Than New York Times?

by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet

OK, probably not. But sometimes seemingly straight reporting has the potential to be more harmful than crazy, wild-eyed screaming.

Howard Dean's Pleased with Health Compromise ... For Now

by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly

Dean calls it "incrementalism in the right direction."

Public Option, Bye-Bye? Senate Reaches a Health-Care Deal

by Adele Stan, AlterNet

Senate negotiations said to have led to a final health-care reform bill with no public option.

Too Fat to Serve: How Our Unhealthy Food System Is Undermining the Military

Jill Richardson, AlterNet. December 15, 2009.
Americans have become so overweight that a large percentage of young people no longer qualify for military service. How did we get here?

Why Are We Drugging Our Kids?

Evelyn Pringle, TruthOut.org. December 14, 2009.
Psychiatric drugs are overprescribed and can even make mental symptoms worse in kids. They're also a goldmine for drug companies.

How a Few Private Health Insurers Are on the Way to Controlling Health Care

Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog. December 12, 2009.
If you think an expanded Medicare makes up for the lack of a public option in the Senate bill, you're smoking medical marijuana.

Are Americans a Broken People? Why We've Stopped Fighting Back Against the Forces of Oppression

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. December 11, 2009.
A psychologist asks: Have consumerism, suburbanization and a malevolent corporate-government partnership so beaten us down that we no longer have the will to save ourselves?

Pentagon's Advice to Traumatized Veterans: Think Happy Thoughts!

Penny Coleman, AlterNet. December 10, 2009.
Hey, all you quitters and whiners: If it’s bad and it hurts, you have to try harder, have faith, and above all, think positive!

Senate Passes Compromised Health Care Reform -- Will Progressive Dems Support the Final Bill?

John Nichols, TheNation.com. December 9, 2009.
Senate Dems cut a deal on the public option but also endorse expanding Medicare, leaving some liberals torn over whether they will support the final bill.

The Public Option That Isn't Public At All

James Ridgeway, Mother Jones Online. December 8, 2009.
As the Senate negotiates its health-care reform bill, liberals appear ready to throw in the towel on a real public option.

How Hyper-Capitalism May Hobble the Copenhagen Summit

Walden Bello, Foreign Policy in Focus. December 8, 2009.
Unless we re-think the export-oriented capitalism that's causing all of our climate problems, the Copenhagen conference will be nothing more than a Band-Aid.

11 Dangerous Ingredients You Should Avoid at All Costs

Sarah Irani, EcoSalon. December 7, 2009.
Headaches, birth defects, allergies and even cancer can be caused by ingredients in common cosmetics. You don't need that junk to look good.

The 6 Weirdest, Scariest Processed Foods

Brad Reed, AlterNet. December 6, 2009.
Once upon a time, some brave scientists had a noble dream of ridding food of nutrients. That dream is closer to reality than ever.

Memo to Congress: Desperate Times Call for Faster Measures

Paul Starr. December 5, 2009.
Health-care reform needs to kick in faster than the current bills allow. And Congress better pass some Main Street economic measures -- on the double.

Why Fermentation Is the Key to Local Foods and Good Health

Makenna Goodman, Chelsea Green Publishing. December 3, 2009.
Authors Sandor Katz reveals the secrets of fermentation and the growing underground food movement.

How Our Health System Screws Over Women

Barbara J. Berg, AlterNet. December 3, 2009.
It's time to tell to tell the medical establishment and our elected officials to stop playing Russian roulette with women's lives.

25 Years Since the Bhopal Disaster, We've All Become Victims of the Chemical Industry

Gary Cohen, AlterNet. December 3, 2009.
The Centers for Disease Control has documented that the average American carries more than 100 toxic chemicals in his or her body.

The Placebo Effect: Studies Reveal How Fake Medicine Actually Reduces Pain

Michael Haederle, Miller-McCune.com. December 3, 2009.
New medical research is finding that the pain relief induced by placebos may come from releasing the body's own chemical pain relievers.

The Recession Is Taking a Bite Out of Meat Consumption

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. December 2, 2009.
More than half of Americans have cut back on meat. Martha Stewart broadcasts a meatless Thanksgiving show. What gives?

Pennsylvania Residents Sue Gas Driller for Contamination, Health Concerns

Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica. December 1, 2009.
The civil case, filed in Scranton, Pa., seeks to stop future drilling in the Marcellus Shale by Cabot Oil and Gas near the town of Dimock.

10 Signs Vegetarianism Is Catching On

Kathy Freston, AlterNet. November 30, 2009.
Martha Stewart promotes a vegetarian Thanksgiving? Recently, much attention has been lavished on the horrors of factory farming and the advantages of a meatless diet.

What Nidal Hasan, Timothy McVeigh, and the Beltway Sniper Have in Common: All Were Scarred by Pointless U.S. Wars

Nora Eisenberg, AlterNet. November 25, 2009.
Some of the most notorious massacres of the past 15 years have been committed by veterans whose brains have been severely damaged from trauma or exposure to toxic chemicals.

47,000 Women Could Die As a Result of the New Mammogram Guidelines

George Lakoff, AlterNet. November 25, 2009.
Cost-benefit analysis can kill. Scaling back on mammograms, as a government task force suggested, could result in 47,000 unnecessary deaths.

Is the House's Health Bill Really Worse than Nothing?

Joshua Holland, AlterNet. November 24, 2009.
Some progressive opponents of the health care bill say it's so bad, we may as well drop it. That analysis ignores the millions of Americans who stand to get coverage.

What Denying Unauthorized Immigrants Health Insurance Will Cost You

AlterNet. November 23, 2009.
Call it a "nativist tax."

Just When You Thought It Was Safe: 3 Potential Obstacles to Health-Care Reform

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet. November 23, 2009.
Harry Reid may have gotten the Senate to move his health-care bill forward, but a handful of conservative Democrats could still keep the bill from getting a final vote.

When Sex Hurts, and No One Can Tell You Why: The Mysterious Condition Called Vulvodynia

Carey Purcell, AlterNet. November 22, 2009.
Imagine a choice between no intercourse or sex with unbearable pain. Then imagine that no doctor knows how to fix it. That's the world occupied by women with vulvodynia.

The War on Soy: Why the 'Miracle Food' May Be a Health Risk and Environmental Nightmare

Tara Lohan, AlterNet. November 21, 2009.
Vegetarians aren't the only ones who should be concerned; there's soy in just about everything you eat these days -- including hamburgers, mac 'n cheese and salad dressing.

Pharmaceutical Giant Paid $500,000 to Psychiatrist Who Used Chicago's Poor as Guinea Pigs

Christina Jewett and Sam Roe, ProPublica. November 20, 2009.
Dr. Michael Reinstein reaped a cool half million off his patients' misery.

8 Steps Obama Could Take to Save Food

Robyn O'Brien, AlterNet. November 19, 2009.
No longer are our families guaranteed a healthy livelihood, not in the face of the current rates of cancer, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimers and allergies. We need a new food system.

Is Obama's Latest Agriculture Nominee a Textbook Pesticide-Pusher?

Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones. November 19, 2009.
Obama recently tapped as chief agricultural negotiator for the office of the US Trade Representative a senior executive from one of the pesticide industry's main trade groups.

Do Yearly Mammograms Save Women's Lives?

Naomi Freundlich, Health Beat. November 19, 2009.
Controversial new recommendations on breast cancer prevention have caused a stir in the women's health community. But do yearly mammograms really change death rates?

Is House Health Care Bill a Threat to Our Constitution?

Barry W. Lynn, Americans United for Separation of Church and State. November 18, 2009.
The House health-care bill isn't just a threat to women's rights; with the Stupak amendment, it's a breach of the Constitution.

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What To Eat

Marion Nestle is arguably one of the foremost experts in public health nutrition. If you have questions about food policy, prices or any other aspect of healthy eating, chances are her blog has answers. Check it out!

SafeCosmetics.org

Personal care products like shampoo, deodorant and makeup often contain cocktails of toxic chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects. Learn what's lurking in your cosmetics and find out what you can do about it by visiting safecosmetics.org.

Breast Cancer Fund

Only 10 percent of breast cancers are genetic. That means the disease is largely preventable. Learn about the risk factors in your life and find out how you can take action by visiting breastcancerfund.org.

Families USA

High-quality, affordable health care should be a right for all Americans. For 25 years, Families USA has been fighting to make this a reality. Visit their Web site to learn more and to take action on a variety of consumer health care issues from private insurance to prescription drugs.

Health Policy Watch

To follow the debate on health care policy and get in-depth ideas on achieving universal coverage, visit healthpolicywatch.org.

Value [the] Meal

The fast food industry is exacerbating a public health crisis. Join Corporate Accountability International's new campaign challenging the corporate abuse of food.