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Promoting Exercise through Gamification – Making Physical Activity More Fun?
Published Feb 11, 2021
I don’t know how many coaches told me “no pain, no gain.” I can tell you that as a child and young adult, it was never the pain part of exercise that encouraged me to be active. It was the fun— chasing down a deep ball to left field, juking the other team’s point guard […]
Read MoreHow Hospital Stays Resemble Enhanced Interrogation
Published Feb 05, 2021
Ken Mishark is a hospitalist at the Mayo Clinic who formerly served as a physician in the military. Early in his career, he interviewed for a job in the CIA. That experience might explain why he paid attention when the CIA declassified a manual it had developed on how to conduct “enhanced interrogations”. As he […]
Read MoreEmployers Are Doing a Terrible Job of Covering the Cost of Pregnancy
Published Jan 25, 2021
If you get insurance through your employer, you don’t have to worry about whether insurance will cover maternity care. The company is required to do so by law. But that doesn’t mean the insurer will be very generous. Because in the United States, having coverage doesn’t mean you’re well-covered. Employers are increasingly corralling their employees into high […]
Read MoreAmerican Physicians Lack Diversity— Here’s One Way to Change That
Published Jan 04, 2021
African Americans make up 13% of the country’s population, but only 4% of American physicians are black. This lack of racial diversity in the profession is tragic, denying this prestigious career to many worthy people and undermining the health of many African Americans, who are more likely to receive important medical services when they’re cared for by black […]
Read MorePandemics and Overdoses: COVID-19 May Worsen Our Opioid Epidemic
Published Nov 19, 2020
The novel coronavirus has decimated our economy at the same time as it has directly threatened our health. As if that weren’t bad enough, the economic damage Covid-19 is causing could have an indirect impact on our health. Consider what we already know about economic downturns and opioid overdoses. A research team led by Atheendar […]
Read MoreA Matter of Life-or-Death: The Type of Nurses Your Hospital Employs
Published Oct 21, 2020
Good medical outcomes often depends on good nursing care. When hospitals cut back on nursing care, patient mortality rates climb. If you want a good hospital, pick one that doesn’t skimp on the nurse-to-patient ratio. You should also look at the education level of nurses a hospital employs. Because not all nurses are equally skilled. […]
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