There's interesting, and somewhat concerning, news this week about bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in some plastic bottles and canned goods. According to a …
Author: Michelle Brandt
Depression in pregnancy: To treat or not to treat?
As a mom of two who experienced one very bad bout of pre-baby "blues," I'm extremely sympathetic to pregnant women who suffer from depression. Deciding …
Victor Fuchs is disappointed
Well-known health economist Victor Fuchs, PhD, always has interesting things to say about health care reform efforts (see here and here). Now he's shared more …
Debunking a labor myth
Last spring, when Stanford researcher Douglas Owens, MD, mentioned to me an upcoming study on the risks of labor induction, I took an immediate (and …
Not such a bad mutation
The New York Times is reporting that UCSF scientists have identified a tie between a genetic mutation and the need for less sleep. The research …
New kid on the health-reporting block
Kaiser Health News, a news service from Kaiser Family Foundation, launched today, and Bob Laszewski at Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review is an early …
Little love for single-payer
Some health care activists are frustrated that a single-payer system isn't being seriously considered by those tackling health care reform in Washington. An interesting article …
Yes, you're eating for two, but…
I stopped weighing myself about 8 months into my pregnancy (it just became too depressing after awhile), but there is good reason for mothers-to-be to …
A focus on women's health
The first hour of yesterday's Forum (on KQED-FM) was dedicated to women's health and the NIH's attempts to establish research priorities in this area. That …
Fuchs: just say no to more government insurance
Well-known health economist Victor Fuchs, PhD, has been keeping a close eye on national healthcare reform efforts, and he has some concerns about the recent …
Death in birth
With less than a month to go before my delivery date, maternal deaths are probably the last thing I should be reading about. But a …
More sleep for medical residents?
Six years after rules went into effect that restricted the long hours worked by many physicians in training, the Institute of Medicine is calling for …
Narcolepsy = autoimmune disease
Also lost in the swine-flu shuffle this week was some pretty interesting sleep-disorder news. Emmanuel Mignot, MD, PhD, a well-known narcolepsy researcher, and colleagues have …
Mad dash for research dollars
Researchers at Stanford and across the country are rushing to file their proposals for the NIH's Challenge Grant Program. The $200-million program, established as part …
Three cheers for a Plan B decision
Three years ago, I had the chance to interview Susan Wood, former director of the FDA Office of Women's Health, about that agency's controversial decision …
It's just a game, but…
Having hailed from Wisconsin, I'm a pretty big football fan. (I don't exactly bleed green-and-gold, but let's just say it runs in the Cheese State-family …