UNIT 1:: Promoting Healthy Behavior Change

Unit Overview

1. The Perils of Higher Education, Steven Kotler, Psychology Today, March/April 2005

While college is a place to learn and grow, for many students it becomes four years of sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, and excessive use of alcohol. While the negative health behaviors of college students are detrimental to their overall health, there is evidence that engaging in these poor health habits can be devastating to learning and memory.

2. Is Health Promotion Relevant Across Cultures and the Socioeconomic Spectrum?, Alexandra García, Family Community Health, 2006

Is health promotion a phenomenon thats relevant mostly to white middle-class individuals? Do health care providers consider culture and socioeconomic status when making assumptions about how different people perceive health and health promotion? Alexandra Garca encourages health promoters to consider the social issues relevant to their patients health and to develop programs based on these issues.

3. We Can Do Better—Improving the Health of the American People, Steven A. Schroeder, New England Journal of Medicine, September 20, 2007

While the United States spends more on health care than any other nation, it does poorly on most measures of health status. Steven Schroeder maintains that better health is linked to five domains including health behaviors such as smoking and obesity.

4. Health:: The New Sex Symbol, Pilar Gerasimo, Experience Life, December 2006

While healthy behaviors can lead to increased vitality and longevity, they may also increase sexiness! Good health is very attractive according to Pilar Gerasimo. She maintains that positive personal health factors such as exercise and good nutrition increase both healthiness and sexuality.

5. On the Road to Wellness, Amy Winterfeld, State Legislatures, February 2007

U.S. policymakers want Americans to improve their health habits by eating better, stopping smoking, exercising and reducing stress. Their incentive:: saving the cost of treatment for chronic diseases that makes up 75 percent of health care expenditures each year.

UNIT 2:: Stress and Mental Health

Unit Overview

6. Love Is Real Medicine, Dean Ornish, Newsweek, October 3, 2005

Physician Dean Ornish believes that loneliness fosters cardiovascular disease. He maintains the antidote is love and intimacy since love protects hearts in ways that arent completely understood.

7. Stressed Out Nation, Zak Stambor, Monitor on Psychology, April 2006

While everyone experiences stress to some degree, its important to know how to be an effective stress manager. Overeating, using drugs, tobacco or alcohol is a vicious cycle, which can lead to health concerns that will actually increase stress.

8. Seasonal Affective Disorder, Stephen J. Lurie, et al., American Family Physician, November 1, 2006

Individuals with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) experience periods of major depression that typically occur during the winter, when there is less light during the day. Therapy includes light treatment as well as drug and cognitive behavior therapy.

9. Dealing with the Stressed, Ken MacQueen, Macleans, October 15, 2007

Though stress in the workplace costs the economy billions of dollars per year, its not always clear why or how it can be addressed.

10. Attacking the Myths, Roxane Cohen Silver, Science & Spirit, September/October 2006

Many predictions were made following the attacks of September 11th regarding the emotional status of Americans. Dire predictions were made that the entire country would suffer from post traumatic stress. Fortunately, though things are definitely different, we have bounced back and have begun to recover from the tragic events of 2001.

UNIT 3:: Nutritional Health

Unit Overview

11. Fat City, Corby Kummer, The Atlantic, March 2007

New York City banned trans fats from all restaurants and other food service establishments. These artificial fats have been linked to heart disease, and many doctors believe that the ban will improve public health.

12. When It Pays to Buy Organic, Consumer Reports, February 2006

Should consumers pay more to buy organic foods? And what are the health risks caused by the chemicals used in foods produced conventionally? New studies show that eating food grown or produced organically can reduce exposure to chemicals and pesticides that are found in food grown conventionally.

13. Suck on This, Pat Thomas, The Ecologist, May 2006

In the past 60 years, mothers have increasingly abandoned breastfeeding in favor of formula. The health consequences of formula include increased risks of developing diabetes, eczema, and certain cancers, as well as twice the overall risk of dying in the first six weeks of life.

14. An Oldie Vies for Nutrient of the Decade, Jane E. Brody, The New York Times, February 19, 2008

New research on vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, suggests that current recommendations may be inadequate particularly for the elderly. The data also indicates that vitamin D may help reduce the incidence of diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Type 1 diabetes.

UNIT 4:: Exercise and Weight Management

Unit Overview

15. A Big-Time Injury Striking Little Players Knees, Gina Kolata, The New York Times, February 18, 2008

Torn ligaments pose a serious risk for growing bones. As more and more children are playing sports competitively, and more have access to MRI machines when they injure their knees, there has been a rise in the diagnoses of torn anterior cruciate ligaments (A.C.L.), the main ligament that stabilizes the knee joint.

16. The Skinny Sweep-Stakes, Hara Estroff Marano, Psychology Today, January/February 2008

Many college women strive and compete with each other for the perfect and thinnest body. In doing so, colleges are reporting increased numbers of young women suffering from eating disorders.

17. Fat Chance, Susan Okie, Natural History, February 2005

The current trend of serving super size meals and portions to inactive children is contributing to an epidemic of childhood obesity. Among children, overweight or obesity can lead to lifelong weight problems and other associated medical problems. Though genes do play a role, the main reason for obesity is due to eating more calories than are expended.

18. The World Is Fat, Barry M. Popkin, Scientific American, September 2007

While the number of Americans who are overweight continues to rise, a similar increase in obesity is occurring in the developing world. Currently, more people in poor countries are overweight than malnourished.

UNIT 5:: Drugs and Health

Unit Overview

19. Great Drug, but Does It Prolong Life?, Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times, January 29, 2008

Statin drugs are among the most prescribed medications in the US. Advertisements claim that they not only lower serum cholesterol, but actually reduce the risk of heart disease. The reality may not be so, as new research indicates that the drug may not prolong life and benefit those who have high cholesterol but do not suffer from heart disease.

20. Some Cold Medicines Move Behind Counter, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer, July/August 2006

As part of the fight against illicit drug production and abuse, certain over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines are being taken off the shelves and stored behind the counter. Many of these nonprescription drugs contain ingredients found in illegally produced methamphetamine.

21. Drinking Too Much, Too Young, Garry Boulard, State Legislatures, April 2005

Every year up to 1,400 college students die from alcohol-related causes, mostly drinking and driving. Frequent drinkers are also eight times more likely to miss a class, fall behind in school work, damage property, and become injured while being drunk. Legislatures try to find answers to the problems associated with binge drinking among young people.

22. The Changing Face of Teenage Drug Abuse, Richard A. Friedman, New England Journal of Medicine, April 6, 2006

The article describes the growing non-medical use of prescription analgesics, such as oxycodone, and sedatives among teenagers in the United States. The article also expresses concern about the common misjudgments made by the general public regarding prescription drug versus illegal street drug use and abuse. The careless monitoring and regulation of addictive narcotics by physicians as well as the increasing direct-to-consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies are the other issues that are raised.

23. Helping Workers Kick the Habit, Pamela Babcock, HR Magazine, September 2007

Companies interested in lowering health costs have developed programs to help employees quit smoking. The ill effects of smoking on health, including the various diseases, cost an estimated $150 billion dollars every year . This affects the premiums for health care that are sponsored by employers.

UNIT 6:: Sexuality and Relationships

Unit Overview

24. Scents and Sensibility, Elizabeth Svoboda, Psychology Today, January/February, 2008

While sexual attraction remains one of lifes mysteries, researchers believe that scent is an important component of who we end up with. Physical attraction may actually be based on smell, which may be an important part of what we refer to as the chemistry of attraction.

25. Love at the Margins, Mark Teich, Psychology Today, September/October 2006

For nontraditional couples, the demands of the relationship can be high. These relationships require extreme commitment, and coping with social disapproval and self-doubt.

26. Girl or Boy?, Denise Grady, The New York Times, February 6, 2007

As the technology advances, should couples have the option of choosing the sex of their baby? Some doctors are willing to accommodate parents, while others question the ethics of choosing the gender before birth.

UNIT 7:: Preventing and Fighting Disease

Unit Overview

27. `Diabesity, a Crisis in an Expanding Country, Jane E. Brody, The New York Times, March 29, 2005

Jane Brody asks why we dont have a national initiative to address the diabetes epidemic that is closely related to the increasing obesity problem in the United States. Unfortunately, too many people dont take the disease seriously even though it can cause serious and sometimes fatal side effects.

28. Sex, Drugs, Prisons, and HIV, Susan Okie, The New England Journal of Medicine, January 11, 2007

In many prisons, high risk behaviors among inmates are common and include unsafe sexual activities and drug use. Both of these behaviors increase the risk of transmitting HIV. Providing condoms and clean needles would slow the spread of HIV, but many prison officials are reluctant to make these available since they believe it would condone these behaviors.

29. The Battle Within, Michael Downey, Better Nutrition, February 2005

Michael Downey discusses the relationship between paper cuts, spicy foods, stubbed toes, and heart disease, colon cancer or Alzheimers disease. It appears that these diseases are related to the long-term effects of inflammation on the body.

30. How AIDS Changed America, David Jefferson, Newsweek, May 15, 2006

Ten years ago, Americans considered AIDS to be the nations most critical health issue. Today, less than 20% believe its our major concern. David Jefferson looks at the past twenty years of living with AIDS.

31. Why We Are Still Losing the Winnable Cancer War, Samuel S. Epstein, The Humanist, January/February 2005

According to Samuel Epstein, the war against cancer is being fought using early screening, treatment, and research. He believes that we should be focusing on cancer prevention via reducing avoidable exposures to cancer-causing agents in the environment. The budget for prevention is minuscule compared to that of treatment and research; and according to the author, prevention is where the bulk of funding should go.

32. A Mandate in Texas, Kate OBeirne, National Review, March 5, 2007

A cervical cancer vaccine has won federal approval and has been recommended for routine vaccinations; however, the question over who should actually receive the vaccine still remains. The State of Texas mandate to vaccinate all girls entering the sixth grade has created some ethical and political issues.

UNIT 8:: Health Care and the Health Care System

Unit Overview

33. Pharmacist Refusals:: A Threat to Womens Health, Marcia D. Greenberger and Rachel Vogelstein, Science, June 10, 2005

Increasingly, pharmacists have refused to fill prescriptions for certain drugs which violate their personal beliefs. In particular, women seeking prescriptions filled for birth control pills and morning-after pills have increasingly been turned away. The authors believe that all pharmacies should be required to dispense all drugs regardless of their personal beliefs.

34. Curbing Medical Costs, Daniel Callahan, America, March 10, 2008

As the number of uninsured in the United States continue to rise, Callahan calls for universal health care as the only effective means to manage expenditures. He also addresses the reasons for costs continuing to rise that include the blockage of price controls by the pharmaceutical industry.

35. Thanks, But No Thanks. Anne Underwood, Newsweek, October 29, 2007

More and more doctors, medical schools, and hospitals are banning drugs sales representatives from pitching their promotions. The doctors and hospitals believe that sales reps promote new, expensive drugs that may cause their patients serious side effects.

36. The Silent Epidemic—The Health Effects of Illiteracy, Erin N. Marcus, The New England Journal of Medicine, July 27, 2006

Patients without reading skills present doctors and other health providers with many challenges. Illiterate patients may avoid doctors office because they are unable to complete the paperwork. These patients also tend to have poor health and health practices.

UNIT 9:: Consumer Health

Unit Overview

37. Dentists Frown at Overuse of Whiteners, Natasha Singer, The New York Times, November 17, 2005

Many dentists are concerned that their patients may be overexposing themselves to bleach-based teeth whiteners. While dentists generally consider whitening to be a safe procedure, they dont believe that tooth bleaching should be considered a daily grooming aid. There is also concern that continuous whitening will make teeth more sensitive and may cause permanent damage to both teeth and gums.

38. Medical Tourism:: What You Should Know, Lorene Burkhart and Lorna Gentry, The Saturday Evening Post, January/February 2008

More and more Americans are traveling overseas to combine surgery with sightseeing. The benefits include greatly reduced costs of many medical procedures, as well as the opportunity to seek treatments not yet available or practiced in the United States. In 2006, an estimated half million Americans went abroad for medical treatment, a trend thats expected to increase in the next few years.

39. Deep into Sleep, Craig Lambert, Harvard Magazine, July/August 2005

Since the invention of the electric light bulb, humans have gotten less and less sleep. It appears that sleeping well helps people live longer. Death from all causes is lowest among adults who get seven to eight hours of sleep regularly, and is significantly higher among those who sleep less than seven hours or more than nine hours a day.

40. Caution:: Killing Germs May Be Hazardous to Your Health, Jerry Adler and Jeneen Interlandi, Newsweek, October 29, 2007

Adler and Interlandi discuss the latest research on the relationship between humans and the microbes or bacteria that cover the human body. Many germs are beneficial, and many harmful ones are being strengthened by exposure to sanitizers and antibiotics in the United States, a society that is preoccupied with health and hygiene.

UNIT 10:: Contemporary Health Hazards

Unit Overview

41. From Smoking Boom, A Major Killer of Women, Denise Grady, The New York Times, November 29, 2007

More and more women are being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (C.O.P.D), a progressive disease caused mostly by smoking that permanently damages the lungs. This condition has become a major killer of women, and is the result of an increase in smoking in the years between 1950 and 1980.

42. In Katrinas Wake, John Manuel, Environmental Health Perspectives, January 2006

After the hurricane, residents of the Gulf Coast were left with a range of environmental health hazards that included standing floodwater, lack of safe drinking water, untreated sewage, chemical spills, insect infestation, contaminated and unsafe food, growth of toxic mold, and other sources of hazardous waste. In addition, post traumatic stress is also a serious health issue in that region.

43. HIV Apathy, Zach Patton, Governing, February 2007

Many new drugs to combat AIDS have changed the disease from a terminal to a chronic condition. As a result, many individuals engage in high risk behavior which puts them at risk for HIV. To combat this, health officials are trying to make testing more available and widespread.

44. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Priya Sampathkumar, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, December 2007

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a drug resistant bacterial infection, is a growing health concern particularly among the institutionalized elderly. MRSA is a risk in communities where people are in close contact with each other.

45. The Noisy Epidemic, Elizabeth Svoboda, Science & Spirit, January/February, 2008

Writer Elizabeth Svoboda addresses the relationship between excessive noise and violence, aggression, increased risk of heart problems, hearing impairments, decreased productivity, and impaired ability to learn. Exposure to loud noise is also linked to sleep deprivation.