health

Article

Understanding the AIDS Epidemic

In a TED Talk released this week, medical statistician Hans Rosling presents a new way to visualize the global AIDS epidemic. By displaying dollars spent per person, graphed as a function of the percentage of the population infected with HIV (by continent), we can see both how AIDS has spread, and how the money spent per patient has affected that spread. Starting in 1983, Rosling's visualization is an animated graph that dramatically demonstrates how the epidemic works, and even allows interaction --... READ ON

Article

"Happiness is Love," Researcher Concludes

George Vaillant has been overseeing a longitudinal study of men's lives for more than 40 years. The study focuses on the personal and professional lives of men selected in the late 1930's, and its participants include luminaries like John F. Kennedy and Ben Bradlee (editor of The Washington Post), along with 266 less well-known men. Vaillant has come to a conclusion after four decades of observing these men's lives: "Happiness is love. Full Stop." In an Atlantic article released today entitled What... READ ON

Article

Catching Up With 6 Exercise Gurus

Last month, the Broadway community hosted its 23rd Annual Easter Bonnet Competition to raise funds for AIDS research. One of the celebrity performers was 71-year-old Jane Fonda clad in 1980s-era workout togs. Even though Ms. Jane was not all she appeared to be during her home video heyday, she inspired us to salute some other famous exercise gurus in her honor. 1. Jane... READ ON

Article

How to Clean Your Indoor Air Using Houseplants

Researcher Kamal Meattle lives in New Delhi -- and breathing the air landed him in the doctor's office with diminished lung capacity. He embarked on research to find a way to clean the air around him using houseplants (much of this work had already been done by NASA and the folks at Biosphere 2). In this four-minute talk, Meattle shares the very simple results -- using just three species of common houseplants, you can create measurably cleaner indoor air, increase oxygen levels, and decrease indoor air... READ ON

Article

Fried Lettuce, Slug Entrails and Other Insomnia Cures

Today's insomnia cures are slightly more scientific than the back in the day. But they're also less interesting, which is why we've rounded up some of the weirder insomnia treatments handed down through the ages. From what to rub on your feet, to what to line your belly with, here are 6 bizarre prescriptions for when you're tired of counting sheep. 1. Rub Your Feet in Dormouse Fat In Elizabethan England, people who couldn't sleep would often rub dormouse fat onto the soles of their feet.... READ ON

Article

Aimee Mullins's Awesome Legs

Aimee Mullins is an athlete, fashion model, and actor. But there's something a little bit unusual about her: Mullins was born without fibulas (lower leg bones), and had her legs amputated below the knee as an infant. She wears prosthetic legs -- some lifelike and some enhanced for sports performance. In a February TED Talk, Mullins shows off twelve pairs of her legs -- and walks around the stage wearing high heels the whole time. This is a pretty amazing talk. A word of warning, there is brief... READ ON

Article

A Semi-Charmed Life

After Layng Martine Jr.'s wife Linda was rendered paraplegic by a car accident, the couple had to adapt. Linda was a marathon runner, tennis player, and hiker. Without the use of her legs, she couldn't do any of those things...at least not in the manner to which she was accustomed. But the couple didn't give up -- they found ways to cope, and continue living their life together. From last week's New York Times comes a touching article about the specifics of living with a disability: In a Charmed Life,... READ ON

Article

Health Cubby: iPhone App to Track Health Goals

For the last month, I've been testing Health Cubby, a $9.99 iPhone app designed to track health and fitness goals. This is the first time I've used a computer program (much less an iPhone app) to track this kind of information, and I've been pleasantly surprised -- because I always have the iPhone with me, I find myself actually tracking my meals, weight, exercise, and various fitness goals. After a workout, there's a certain geeky fun in recording it in the app (a quick process) and watching my little... READ ON

Article

Notable Moments in Limb and Face Transplant History

In 2008, surgeons completed two procedures that could forever change transplant surgery. In August, doctors in Munich announced that a farmer was recovering from a double-arm transplant—the first double-arm transplant in the world. In December, the Cleveland Clinic announced they'd replaced about 80 percent of a woman's face. Many surgeons think that arm, hand, and face replacements are the next logical steps in transplants. Is the world ready? Being first isn't always best In 1964, physicians... READ ON

Article

Bill Gates, Philanthropist

Bill Gates is the world's third-richest person, and the driving force behind the vastly-endowed Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -- which is concerned primarily with global health and education issues. Two days ago, Gates gave a great talk on the problems his philanthropy is tackling. The talk is remarkable first because he's actually a terrific speaker and knows his topic...but also because he released a small swarm of mosquitoes into his audience: "Now, malaria is, of course, transmitted by... READ ON