I just came across FluPortal.org, a site designed to help public radio and television stations cover the H1N1 pandemic. It provides local and national reports …
Category: Diseases + conditions
New book shows the pain and hope of AIDS orphans
My colleague Ruthann Richter has both a professional and personal connection with AIDS: she has been covering AIDS as a medical writer since the early …
Swine flu panic hits Germany
When I was visiting family in Germany last month, no one seemed to be concerned about swine flu, no one wanted a vaccine and they …
Research on autism is moving in the right direction
I can't imagine the devastation parents must feel when their child is diagnosed as autistic. Ricardo Dolmetsch, PhD, assistant professor of neurobiology at Stanford, faced …
H1N1 flu tips for pregnant women and new moms
In this new video from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, obstetrician Natali Aziz, MD, offers the latest flu advice for pregnant women and mothers of infants. …
Locate clinics offering flu shots with the click of a mouse
Google recently launched a new online tool called Flu Shot Finder to assist you in searching for pharmacies and clinics offering both the seasonal flu …
The girl who would be Queen
Queen died today. That is the latest bit of distressing news I received from friends in Kenya. She was a quiet little girl whom I …
Female cancer patients more likely to get divorce than male patients
The Nov. 15 issue of Cancer includes a paper with some rather grim findings on how life-threatening illnesses can affect relationships. Researchers studied 515 married …
Studies show imagery, meditation can help with pain
After having two children, and practically missing out on the (much needed) epidural with my second, I have tons of respect for women who labor …
New tools from NIDA help diagnose and treat drug abuse
Talking to patients about substance use can be challenging for doctors. To provide medical students and new physicians with the necessary skills to effectively screen …
Adolescent obesity and MS may be linked
New research is showing a possible link between multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects 400,000 Americans, and obesity in adolescence. Using data from the …
Kitty has H1N1 …
"Don't kiss the cat, don't put beans in your nose, and don't go through the neighbors' garbage." I can't count the number of times my …
Improving the treatment of chronic pain in the U.S.
More than 30 health organizations have endorsed a new study from the Mayday Fund recommending broad changes in how chronic pain is assessed and treated. …
Promising results in lupus study
A new treatment for lupus, an autoimmune disease affecting 1.5 million Americans, may be on the horizon. The makers of the drug Benlysta announced results …
Stereotactic radiation offers relief from tremors
Stereotactic radiation appears to offer an effective and less invasive way to relieve uncontrollable shaking in patients caused by Parkinson's disease or a condition known …
South Africa finally comes to grips with AIDS
It was nearly a decade ago that I wrote a story about a protest by 5,000 scientists worldwide, including several at Stanford, against South Africa's …