Annual Editions:: Health 11/12

Preface

Correlation Guide

Topic Guide

Internet References

UNIT 1:: Promoting Healthy Behavior Change

Unit Overview

1. Are Bad Times Healthy?, Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times, October 7, 2008

Economic studies suggest that during boom times most people dont take good care of themselves. They drink too much, overeat, and avoid exercise because theyre too busy. In the past, during hard times people were healthier and death rates due to cardiovascular disease and automobile accidents declined.

2. 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.

3. Mars vs. Venus:: The Gender Gap in Health, Harvard Mens Health Watch, January 2010

Biological factors account for part of the gender gap though from teenage years onward, male health behaviors are the primary cause why men get sick younger and die faster than women. These behaviors include aggression and violence, alcohol and substance abuse, diet, lack of exercise, and less consistent medical care.

4. Carrots, Sticks, and Health Care Reform—Problems with Wellness Incentives, Harald Schmidt, Kristin Voigt, and Daniel Wikler, New England Journal of Medicine, January 20, 2010

Chronic medical conditions, particularly those linked to obesity, are increasing in the United States. Employers have used incentives as well as penalties to support healthier behaviors. The authors support incentives to increase health-supporting behaviors but caution that there can be negative effects as well.

UNIT 2:: Stress and Mental Health

Unit Overview

5. Redefining Depression as Mere Sadness, Ronald Pies, The New York Times, June 16, 2008

Should patients who suffer from a personal or professional loss always be treated for clinical depression? And what is the distinction between normal and abnormal responses to lifes circumstances? Dr. Pies believes that its valuable to treat individuals with profound sadness as depressed and continue to provide whatever therapeutic treatment will make the patient feel better.

6. “I Cant Let Anything Go::” A Case Study with Psychological Testing of a Patient with Pathologic Hoarding, Janna Koretz and Thomas G. Gutheil, American Journal of Psychotherapy, November 3, 2009

Compulsive hoarders are unable to dispose of their possessions without severe anxiety. As a result, hoarders often accumulate huge quantities of items, often in such amounts that they are unable to move within their homes. The condition, linked to obsessive compulsive disorder, is a challenge to mental health providers.

7. 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.

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

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

UNIT 3:: Nutritional Health

Unit Overview

9. Eating Well on a Downsized Food Budget, Jane E. Brody, The New York Times, March 3, 2009

With the recent downturn in the economy, it may be time to return to the basics—healthy and reasonably priced foods that have been ignored by many affluent families.

10. Breastfeeding Is Not Obscene, Catherine Marshall, EurekaStreet.com, October 23, 2009

Author Catherine Marshall addresses the act of public breastfeeding. While in our culture breasts are viewed as sex symbols, she believes that the act of breastfeeding is an outcome of a mothers love and generosity to her child. Marshall states that western societys belief in the perversion of public breastfeeding obscures the benefits derived from it such as improvement of infants health, intellectual outcomes, and environmental advantages.

11. 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 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.

12. What Good Is Breakfast?:: The New Science of the Loneliest Meal, Amanda Fortini, The New York Times, June 9, 2008

Eating breakfast regularly has been linked with less obesity and better overall health. Researchers, however, are unclear over why breakfast eaters are healthier and thinner. Other research indicates that children who eat breakfast are more likely to do well in school.

UNIT 4:: Exercise and Weight Management

Unit Overview

13. 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.

14. The Skinny Sweepstakes, 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.

15. Dieting on a Budget, Consumer Reports, February 2009

With the economy in a downturn, the editors of Consumer Reports offer advice on how to lose weight without spending a fortune.

16. In Obesity Epidemic, Whats One Cookie?, Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times, March 2, 2010

Can eliminating one cookie a day really contribute to lasting, meaningful weight loss? According to recent studies, small caloric reductions have almost no long-term impact on body weight. While weight loss requires major lifestyle changes, reducing extra calories through small changes can help slow down and prevent weight gain.

UNIT 5:: Drugs and Health

Unit Overview

17. 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 U.S. Advertisements claim they not only lower serum cholesterol, but actually reduce the risk of heart disease. The reality may not be as clear as new research indicates. The drug may not prolong life and may not benefit those who have high cholesterol but benefits heart disease.

18. Vital Signs, Mark Cohen, Discover, March 2010

While many young children may display hyperactive tendencies, most are developing normally. Unfortunately, in some children, these behaviors may be predictive of a more serious condition related to prenatal exposure to alcohol. Hyperactive behavior, accompanied with facial abnormalities, may be signs of fetal alcohol syndrome which can cause a wide range of behavioral, cognitive, and physical abnormalities.

19. 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/or become injured while drinking. Legislatures try to find answers to the problems associated with binge drinking among young people.

20. A Pill Problem, Karmen Hanson, State Legislature, March 2010

This article addresses the increasing number of drug-related deaths over the past five years. The deaths are not related to illicit drugs such as cocaine, but to prescription drugs such as opiate-based painkillers including OxyContin, Darvon, and Vicodin. Many people who take these drugs for legitimate pain may continue to take them after the pain is gone. Still others abuse the drugs as an alternative to an illicit high.

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

Companies interested in lower health costs have developed programs to help employees quit smoking. Smoking and the diseases it causes cost an estimated $150 billion dollars. This affects the premiums for health care sponsored by employers.

UNIT 6:: Sexuality and Relationships

Unit Overview

22. 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.

23. The Expectations Trap, Hara Estroff Marano, Psychology Today, March/April 2010

This article addresses improving happiness and satisfaction in marriage. It appears that married people tend to see any unhappiness they experience as a failure of their partner to satisfy their needs. Its common for couples to search for perfection because people believe that they are entitled to the best option there is. Spending time together in challenging activities is suggested to couples to enhance the feelings of closeness and satisfaction with the relationship.

24. Girl or Boy?:: As Fertility Technology Advances, So Does an Ethical Debate, Denise Grady, The New York Times, February 6, 2007

As 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.

25. Is Pornography Adultery?, Ross Douthat, The Atlantic, October 2008

The idea that pornography is related to marital infidelity has been a topic of discussion. With the increase in online options to view pornography, there appears to be a connection to divorce.

UNIT 7:: Preventing and Fighting Disease

Unit Overview

26. ‘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.

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

In many prisons, risky behaviors among inmates are common including sexual activity and drug use. Both 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.

28. New Mammogram Guidelines Raise Questions, Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press, November 17, 2009

A government task force announced that women in their 40s dont need mammograms, contrary to the American Cancer Societys long-standing guidelines. The panel of physicians and scientists determined that getting screened for breast cancer that early in life may actually cause more harm than good, leading to too many false positives and unneeded biopsies and surgeries without significantly increasing womens chances of surviving the disease.

29. Who Still Dies of AIDS and Why, Gary Taubes, New York, June 16, 2008

Even though highly active anti-retroviral therapies are widely available, the AIDS virus can still trump modern medicine and kill.

30. A Mandate in Texas:: The Story of a Compulsory Vaccination and What It Means, Kate OBeirne, The National Review, March 5, 2007

A cervical cancer vaccine has won federal approval and has been recommended for routine vaccinations, but questions remain over who should actually receive the vaccine. 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

31. 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.

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

As the number of uninsured in the U.S. continue to rise, Callahan calls for universal health care as the only truly effective means to manage expenditures. He also addresses reasons why costs continue to rise such as the blockage of price controls by the pharmaceutical industry.

33. Myth Diagnosis, Megan McArdle, The Atlantic, March 2010

Author Megan McArdle discusses the myth that the uninsured are more likely to die than those with health insurance. She maintains that the uninsured have more health risks since theyre more likely to be poor, smokers, less educated, obese, and unemployed.

34. The Case for Killing Granny, Evan Thomas et al., Newsweek, September 21, 2009

According to the authors, unless the United States finds a way to stop over-treating patients, we will never be able to control health care costs. Compared to other developed nations, the U.S. has more expensive but not necessarily better health care since so much is spent to treat the elderly at the end of their lives.

35. Incapacitated, Alone and Treated to Death, Joseph Sacco, The New York Times, October 7, 2009

The care and treatment of patients is often made independent of their wishes. Dr. Joseph Sacco discusses factors which influence the care of mentally incapacitated terminally ill patients.

36. Docs and Doctorates, Shirley Svorny, National Review, February 22, 2010

This article discusses a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges and addresses the issue of physician shortages in the United States. Focusing public policy toward laws that would affect the way that health care is provided, reform reimbursement methods, and lower the number of state and federal regulations that impact market forces, and malpractice insurance is covered.

UNIT 9:: Consumer Health

Unit Overview

37. Vaccine Refusal, Mandatory Immunization, and the Risks of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, Saad B. Omer et al., The New England Journal of Medicine, May 7, 2009

There are a growing number of children in the United States who are not vaccinated against childhood diseases. Their parents have opted to forgo immunization due to their belief that vaccines are more dangerous than the diseases they prevent. This has caused an increase in outbreaks of measles and whooping cough among nonimmunized children.

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 U.S. In 2006, an estimated half million Americans went abroad for medical treatment, a trend thats expected to increase in the next few years.

39. 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 into relationship between humans and the microbes or bacteria that cover their bodies. Many germs are beneficial, and many harmful ones are being strengthened by exposure to sanitizers and antibiotics in a U.S. society preoccupied with health and hygiene.

40. Tattoos:: Leaving Their Mark, Harvard Health Letter, March 2008

While getting tattooed is considered to be relatively safe, having it removed can be a challenge. Doctors using high tech lasers may not be able to completely remove tattoos. In addition, tattoos can cause allergies, infection, and risk of other health concerns.

41. Hazardous Health Plans, Consumer Reports, May 2009

Many patients who thought they had adequate health coverage are surprised to learn their policies have enough loopholes and exclusions to prevent them from receiving adequate care.

42. The Rough Road to Dreamland, Michael J. Breus, USA Today, January 2010

When individuals suffer from too little sleep, they are more likely to have less ability to fight off infection and disease. They are also at increased risk for both weight gain and type 2 diabetes. The average American is sleeping less than in the past. Over the last 100 years, our sleep time has been reduced by 20 percent.

43. The Surprising Reason Why Heavy Isnt Healthy, Ginny Graves, Health, January/February 2010

While being overweight or obese may increase the risk for certain health problems, how much a person weighs may also keep him or her from getting the same health care as non-overweight individuals. Overweight men and women may have difficulty getting health insurance, are less likely to get cancer detected early, and are at higher risk of being misdiagnosed.

UNIT 10:: Contemporary Health Hazards

Unit Overview

44. When Government Makes Us Sick, Glenn Davidson, Government Executive, March 6, 2009

A recent outbreak of salmonella infections linked to peanut butter has killed at least nine people and sickened hundreds of others.

45. Discovering Teenagers Risky ‘Game Too Late, Pauline Chen, The New York Times, March 2, 2010

Parents, teachers, and doctors need to be aware of the choking game played by kids seeking to get high. They strangle themselves until just before they lose consciousness typically using a noose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 82 deaths related to the choking game and related activities. Many of those who participate try strangulation in the hope of attaining a legal high.

46. Chemical in Plastic Bottles Fuels Science, Concern—and Litigation, Valerie Jablow, Trial, August 2008

Recent studies are calling attention to the potential health dangers of bisphenol A (BPA), a common chemical that makes polycarbonate plastics clear and hard.

47. 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.

48. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus:: The Latest Health Scare, 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 also a risk in the community, spreading among people of all ages who are in close contact with each other.

49. Post-Earthquake Public Health in Haiti, Stan Deresinski, Infectious Disease Alert, February 2010

A devastating earthquake hit Haiti in early January 2010. Tens of thousands of people died during the quake and its aftermath. Several serious health concerns remain including lack of safe drinking water, malaria and other vector-borne diseases, as well as a number of respiratory infections including HINI.

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