Medical News Today reports research which shows physician-assisted deaths are not more common among vulnerable populations nor has patient use of this assistance increased over time after the practice was legalized.
Both possibilities were and still are cited by opponents of physician-assisted deaths. Absent experience and evidence, who could say for sure? This study should ease the minds of public-policy […]

Patients who are willing to participate in clinical trials help researchers find out what works for the rest of us.
New treatments are made possible by their willingness to be part of trials.
However, a report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) shows that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is so remiss in […]

By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
The Washington Post’s Health Section offers you an 11-step action plan for being a better patient. 
It used to be that people who were called “good patients” were ones who passively accepted what the doctor recommended and that is not, in fact, the way to get the best care.  Let’s throw away the dated interpretation […]

By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
Sunday’s New York Times has a deeply disturbing story about what the newspaper’s analysis of federal data shows—- a meaningful, measurable decline in the quality of more than 1,200 nursing homes bought by big private investment firms between 2000 and 2006.
All told, their holdings equal approximately 12 percent of nursing home beds nation-wide.
The story says nursing […]

 Happy Reader Day To You! 
For readers interested in any aspect of health care, medicine or science, The New York Times is one of the best newspapers available in the world.
Nytimes.com is reported to be the biggest newspaper website in the world.
Anyone who registers has been able to see the daily paper at nytimes.com for free.
Two years ago, though, the paper carved out […]

By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
Cooking Well for the Unwell, by Eileen Behan, is a book which should never go out of print. So, of course, it has.
When you think about it, this is a problem nearly every home cook has to deal with some time. Most of us learn by trial and error. What does the […]

By Cheree Cleghorn, Editor
911 calls save lives. Even little kids know it.
There is another telephone number which can help you save your life, or someone else’s, in a different kind of emergency: Cancer. The latest, highest quality information about treatment recommendations for every cancer is waiting here for you.
This life-saver number is 1-800-4-CANCER. It […]

In a Reuter’s Life! story, Maggie Fox reports on a fascinating new scientific finding that may start to explain why lonely people get sick more often and die younger.
Their immune systems can’t keep up the fight against illness, disease and premature death because a cluster of 209 genes can’t do their jobs properly. Loneliness and […]

CNN offers excellent advice about how friends and families of patients can step in at important moments when they are in a hospital.
This definitely is a print-and-keep article. The story covers a lot in a short space. Pass it along. The “must-dos” are all right on target.
CNN summarizes the story highlights:

“Advocates can help make sure […]

The Economist has a story, “Health 2.0,” which reveals how busy we internet users have been in creating some form of health-related content. (September 8, 2007, Technology Quarterly)
More than 20 percent of internet users have done so, according to Jupiter, a market research firm, The Economist quoted.
While there remain concerns about privacy—-people inadvertently disclosing an […]