Hits & Misses – 2008/12/31
Christmas myths debunked. From the British Medical Journal: poinsettias are not poisonous to people or animals; suicides do not increase at Christmas time; sugar does not make kids hyperactive; and eating late at night does not cause weight gain.
Nursing home quality. Delaware has the best. Louisiana the worst. Also, check out this Q&A in the LTC E-Alert.
Can patients grade doctors fairly? "Amongst the many comments I read, I found almost no mention of a doctor's actual medical skill."
When is it too soon to harvest a heart? "A California transplant surgeon was acquitted on Thursday of a charge that he had intentionally harmed a donor to speed extraction of the patient's kidney and liver….Most donations involve brain-dead patients, but a growing demand for organs has led to….a lesser-used technique known as donation after cardiac death, which involves removing a patient from life support before extracting organs."
Tax sodas, but not donuts? New York's proposed obesity tax is not consistent. But the state isn't consistent on alcohol, smoking, gambling – or anything else, for that matter.
The antioxidant study is a real bummer. I’ve been taking them for years.
Thanks for the explanation of the New York obesity tax. This makes the video of the Health Commissioner you linked to seem even more ridiculous.
Thanks for the poinsettia info. Now I don’t have to worry about my cat eating the leaves and berries.