“Military guys doing yoga and meditation?” I’ve been asked in disbelief. It’s true that when they first arrived to participate in my study (a yoga-based …
Month: January 2014
Researchers show how DNA-based test could keep peanut allergy at bay
Treating peanut allergy is an arduous process. The only option is a still-experimental therapy, known as oral immunotherapy, in which a patient consumes tiny, …
Toxins in newts lead to new way of locating pain
You have to love a medical story that starts with newts. Newt eggs to be precise. Back in the 1960s, a Stanford chemist Harry Mosher …
NIH selects Hannah Valantine as first chief officer for scientific workforce diversity
For the past eight years, Hannah Valantine, MD, has led efforts to foster diversity among faculty, staff and trainees at the School of Medicine. But soon she'll …
If your partner has Type 2 diabetes, you may also be at risk
When assessing a patients' risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, physicians may want to consider expanding their questions about family medical history and lifestyle to …
Coming soon: A genome test that costs less than a new pair of shoes
Scarcely a week ago, a leading genomics company, Illumina, announced it could sequence a human genome for the new, low price of $1,000. This week …
Study finds treatment for anxiety disorders among children and young adults inadequate
New research shows that less than half of children and young adults who are treated for anxiety disorders will achieve long-term relief from symptoms. In the …
Testosterone therapy not effective for primary ovarian insufficiency-related depression, study finds
Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), a condition affecting approximately 1 percent of women and teenage girls in the U.S., is characterized by ovaries that stop functioning …
RNA Rosetta stone? Molecules' second, structural language predicted from their first, linear one
The RNA whisperer is at it again. In a study just published in Nature, Stanford's Howard Chang, MD, PhD - an expert in all things …
Permission: Learning to thrive in medicine by breaking my own rules
SMS ("Stanford Medical School") Unplugged was recently launched as a forum for students to chronicle their experiences in medical school. The student-penned entries appear on …
What do Americans buy at the grocery store?
This fascinating (and depressing) chart from the U.S. Department of Agriculture compares Americans' grocery-store expenditures to the recommended expenditures for several categories of food. It …
Walking-and-texting impairs posture – and walking, and texting
My yoga teacher, Annie Carpenter, frequently includes movement directions in class that counteract a modern epidemic she calls "text head." (Look down at your phone …
Exploring how gender affects the immune system
A piece published today on Slate examines how sex hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, may impact the strength of men and women’s immune systems. As noted …
Stanford researchers develop web-based tool to streamline interpretation of medical images
A web-based tool created by researchers at Stanford enables physicians and researchers to better interpret the wealth of data contained in medical images by capturing …
Hawkeye Pierce (i.e. Alan Alda) teaches scientists how to better communicate about their work
As a teenager, I wanted to grow up to be Alan Alda. Actually, I wanted to be Hawkeye Pierce, the wise-cracking Army surgeon Alda played …
Homemade: Community-based project teaches how to cook for health
Since January is the traditional month for making – and breaking – New Year’s resolutions (including diet-related ones), I thought it would be a great …