There are, perhaps, many hundreds of books on how the children of toxic parents can cope. However, there is almost no one paying attention to the issue of good parents who have toxic kids—not mentally ill, not criminal—toxic.

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Paging Dr. Smart App? Maybe not. With thousands of health and medical apps on smart phones, doctors are starting to be worried about the quality of the information people are getting. The more important the topic is to you, the more important it is not to count on your cool phone for medical advice.

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Time Magazine offers an elegant appreciation of Robert Butler, M.D., a psychiatrist and the man considered to be the father of gerontology—the medical specialty which focuses on older people. He shaped the issue by naming it, “ageism.” He led the way in this important field until he died unexpectedly on July 4. Please read this excerpt. If you plan to live to a nice long age, Dr. Butler was your doctor, too.

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When one in five Medicare patients is readmitted within 30 days, the system is not working.

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“The number of emergency room visits for nonmedical use of prescription painkillers more than doubled between 2004 and 2008, according to a CDC estimate,” says Medpage Today.”The increase was part of a trend that saw emergency room visits for nonmedical use of all prescription and over-the-counter medications reach the same level as those for abuse of illicit drugs, the agency said in the June 18 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.”

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The risks of driving while talking are equal to the risk of driving drunk. Hands-free talking does not reduce the risk. This New England Journal of Medicine Commentary article details the hazards in simple numbers. A link to a British PSA, which shows the reenactment of a wreck caused by distractions, is included.
If you have not understood the risks before, this combination of video and facts should get your undivided attention. If you live with or ride with drivers who talk or text, you may want to travel with someone else. Danger is everywhere when you combine car, driver and phone or device in use.

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Children’s feelings—and their relationships with their parents—may be harmed by parental preoccupation with computers, PDAs and other tech devices. A researcher has found there are three specific points at which kids really want their parents’ full attention. For those adults who, instead, reply, “Just one more minute…” there may be lasting consequences, says a researcher. In our house, we have a Welsh Terrier who has conquered technology with her right paw and a firm sense of the need to discipline the “parent” who is a techie.

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Do not miss reading this full story. It is fascinating — featuring rats with “fatal feline attraction,” differences among countries in neuroticism which coincide with higher rates of toxoplasma infection in its pregnant women and much, much more.

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Maybe we should declare a National Disaster Planning Month. Everyone could submit their plans at the end. Anyone not doing it would stand out.

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It does make one wonder. How could the church dispense such swift justice to Sr. Margaret McBride, a highly respected nun, while dragging its feet over priests who abused vulnerable young people.

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