| AlterNet

U.K. and Australia Fight Breast Cancer with Free Screening for Women 50+

Alice Alech, The Wip. August 28, 2008.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with one in nine women affected at some stage in their lives.

From the blogs

How Effective Is the HPV Vaccine?

by Lucinda Marshall, Feminist Peace Network

The New England Journal of Medicine raises some serious questions about the vaccine's safety and effectiveness.

How Do Obama and McCain Compare on Health Care?

by Julia Eisman, Stand Up for Health Care

A new report from Families USA details their differences. And it's not good news for McCain.

Gaps in McCain's Health Plan

by Kathleen Stoll, Stand Up for Health Care

McCain touts consumer choice as a highlight of his plan, when, in fact, it would leave many with no choice at all.

Health Care or Offshore Drilling? You Decide

by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake

It's time to ask your representative: are you going to be with us on health care reform, or working to preserve the broken system?

President Poised to Ban Toxic Chemicals in Kids' Toys

by Heather Gehlert, AlterNet

The legislation is a big win for consumers.

Taking on the Health Insurance Industry, One State at a Time

by AlterNet Staff, SEIU

New report reveals industry making record profits while patients struggle with rising costs, lower quality.

Insurance Industry Accesssing Consumer Databases to Run Health "Credit" Checks

by AlterNet Staff, The Washington Post

Analyzing personal information in commercial databases is an industry that's poised to take off as we enter the age of electronic medical records.

How Toxic Is Your Car?

by Heather Gehlert, AlterNet

Don't let that "new car smell" fool you. Your car might be an indoor air pollution trap.

Pushing Prescriptions: How the Drug Industry Sells Its Agenda at Your Expense

by Heather Gehlert, AlterNet

Big Pharma is controlling the FDA, politicians and the public airwaves to get to you.

Ban on HIV+ Visitors and Immigrants in the U.S. is One Step Closer to Being Repealed

by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville

After a decade long fight the Senate takes us one step farther from legalized discrimination.

The Candidates Need More Than a Patchwork Approach to Health Care

Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers Group. August 28, 2008.
Though Obama's health plan is far better than McCain's, it still only tinkers around the edges. What we need is a system overhaul.

In November, Women Will Vote With Health Care in Mind

Judy Waxman, The Women's Media Center. August 27, 2008.
And with good reason: The nation's health care system is in crisis, and women are bearing the brunt of its failures.

Priced Out of Prescription Drugs

Isaiah J. Poole, Campaign for America's Future. August 25, 2008.
Reducing drug industry influence is critical to bringing skyrocketing prescription drug and health care costs under control.

The Best 'Stay Fat' Strategies

Janice Taylor, Huffington Post. August 24, 2008.
People sometimes have to see the picture of failure before they can be motivated toward success.

Medical Tourism Is Great -- for Those Who Can Afford It

Niko Karvounis, Health Beat. August 21, 2008.
Americans going abroad to deal with their medical problems would only cut health costs 1-2 percent -- not enough to solve our greater crisis.

The Misshapen Mind: How the Brain's Haphazard Evolution Left Us with Self-Destructive Instincts

Sasha Abramsky, The American Prospect. August 20, 2008.
Evolution didn't quite hit perfection when it comes to human thought processes.

Stem Cells and IVF: The Wild West of Reproductive Technology

Rick Weiss, Science Progress. August 19, 2008.
The fledgling fertility business of a few years ago has exploded into a giant industry; one that is largely unregulated by our squeamish government.

The Truth About Home Births

Anna Clark, RH Reality Check. August 18, 2008.
Home births presided over by trained midwives are as safe as hospital births. Yet many in the medical community present midwifery as dangerous.

House Passes First-Ever Comprehensive Tobacco Regulation Bill

Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers Group. August 18, 2008.
Smoking is an addiction, not a choice. The public has long known this. Finally, Congress is catching on.

No Wonder Our Hospitals Are a Disaster -- People with Marketing Degrees Are Running Them

Maggie Mahar, Health Beat. August 15, 2008.
Business school graduates have replaced doctors and public health experts as CEOs of hospitals, often at patients' expense.

Is Meaningful Health Care Reform Possible?

Brian Klepper, The Health Care Blog. August 14, 2008.
When the Democrats retook Congress, they did not fundamentally change the lobbying rules that trade money for influence over policy.

Can Exercise Come in a Pill?

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. August 14, 2008.
A new drug works at the genetic level to change metabolism. But how effective is it? And is it safe?

Why My Family Quit Using Plastic

James Glave, The Tyee. August 13, 2008.
Health concerns about the long-term effects of plastic have led the author's family to keep their food away from plastic containers.

Will Obama Take on the Health Care Fight?

Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers Group. August 12, 2008.
Obama did not campaign during the primaries on a plan that would achieve universal coverage.

How Big Pharma Is Fooling You -- and Your Doctor -- with Junk Science

Niko Karvounis, Health Beat. August 11, 2008.
To the pharmaceutical industry, "research" is just a code-word for "smart-sounding marketing."

The Democratic Convention Platform Must Include Guaranteed Health Care for All

Norman Solomon, AlterNet. August 8, 2008.
Health care as a human right? What a concept.

Black Women More Likely to Die in Childbirth than Whites or Latinas

Malena Amusa, Women's eNews. August 7, 2008.
A state review of maternal mortality seeks to find out why. But some hospitals refuse to participate.

[Part Two] Empty Talk Express: The Problems with McCain's Health Care Plan

Trudy Lieberman, Columbia Journalism Review. August 7, 2008.
McCain touts his health plan as a boon for consumers. But real-world data shows that buying health care is not the same as buying an iPod.

Stigma: What Hollywood and the Media Teach Us About Mental Illness

Richard A. Friedman, The American Prospect. August 5, 2008.
From Virginia Tech's Cho to Hannibal Lecter, exaggerated portraits of mental illness show how much we have yet to learn about psychiatric disorders.

Why Water Rights Are Women's Rights

Yifat Susskind, AlterNet. August 5, 2008.
Across the world, it is women and girls who are responsible for risking their health and often lives to get their households' water.

McCain's Health Care Plan: Gut Employer-Based Insurance

Trudy Lieberman, Columbia Journalism Review. August 3, 2008.
McCain's health care plan has dangerous implications for Americans. But you'd never know if from media coverage. [Part one of two]

Will an Organic Revival Overthrow the "Green Revolution"?

Daniel Pepper, AlterNet. August 2, 2008.
In places like India, backlash is increasing against the chemical-dependent farming techniques of the "Green Revolution."

Want High-Quality Universal Health Coverage? Fix Medicare First and Use It as a Model

Maggie Mahar, Health Beat. August 2, 2008.
By starting with Medicare and showing what can be done, reformers enhance their chances of winning the larger war.

Media Hyping Viagra for Women for Drug Company Greed

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. July 31, 2008.
Drugmaker Pfizer is claiming a new use for Viagra, which would conveniently treat the side effects of one of its other drugs.

Baseball Caps and Sunscreen: McCain's Melanoma Cover-Up

Brian McKenna, CounterPunch. July 29, 2008.
McCain has a history of melanoma, the most deadly skin cancer -- one most sunscreens won't protect against.

The Danger of Meat-Heavy Diets

Kathy Freston, AlterNet. July 29, 2008.
The Atkins, eat-lots-of-meat diet is about as unhealthy as they come. But you'd never know it from media coverage.

Whistle-Blower: Agency Tasked with Protecting American Workers Fails to Protect its Own

Carole Bass, AlterNet. July 27, 2008.
OSHA, inspect thyself.

America's Mental Health Care System in Shambles

Art Levine, The American Prospect. July 26, 2008.
Mentally ill adults who receive treatment in the public-health system die 25 years sooner, on average, than Americans overall.

The Fabric of America Is Fraying as the Economic Downturn Continues

David Wann, Denver Post. July 26, 2008.
Our economic success, as it's generally measured, obscures some deep social problems.

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