Eileen L. Daniel
Annual Editions: Health 04/05
Eileen L. Daniel
Annual Editions: Health 04/05
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This twenty-fifth edition of Annual Editions: Health is a compilation of public press articles examining how Americans make choices about controlling their health; the impact of stress and emotions on mental health; the effects on diet and nutrition on well-being; influences of exercise and diet on health; how drugs affect our lives; recent research on human reproduction and sexuality; the major causes of death in the Western world; the current state of health care in today's society; food labeling and food and drug interactions; hazards that affect our health and are encountered in today's…mehr
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This twenty-fifth edition of Annual Editions: Health is a compilation of public press articles examining how Americans make choices about controlling their health; the impact of stress and emotions on mental health; the effects on diet and nutrition on well-being; influences of exercise and diet on health; how drugs affect our lives; recent research on human reproduction and sexuality; the major causes of death in the Western world; the current state of health care in today's society; food labeling and food and drug interactions; hazards that affect our health and are encountered in today's world. This title is supported by Dushkin Online (www.dushkin.com/online/) our student Web site.
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Hinweis: Dieser Artikel kann nur an eine deutsche Lieferadresse ausgeliefert werden.
Produktdetails
- Produktdetails
- Annual Editions: Health Nr.25
- Verlag: Dushkin Publishing
- 04/05
- Erscheinungstermin: April 2004
- Englisch
- Abmessung: 275mm x 210mm x 13mm
- Gewicht: 544g
- ISBN-13: 9780072917277
- ISBN-10: 007291727X
- Artikelnr.: 21770956
- Annual Editions: Health Nr.25
- Verlag: Dushkin Publishing
- 04/05
- Erscheinungstermin: April 2004
- Englisch
- Abmessung: 275mm x 210mm x 13mm
- Gewicht: 544g
- ISBN-13: 9780072917277
- ISBN-10: 007291727X
- Artikelnr.: 21770956
UNIT 1. Promoting Healthy Behavior Change
1. How Does Your Life Measure Up?, Alice Lesch Kelly, Walking, March/April
1998
Alice Lesch Kelly provides an opportunity for you to examine your lifestyle
and health behaviors to see just how well you are doing in your efforts to
achieve a long and healthy life.
2. Bad Choices: Why We Make Them, How to Stop, Mary Ann Chapman, Psychology
Today, September/October 1999
Why is it that people continue to engage in negative health behaviors
despite knowing that such behaviors could have serious repercussions
concerning their health? Key factors seem to be the need for immediate
gratification and our desire to take the path of least resistance. The
author suggests possible ways to change this pattern of thinking.
3. Why Do We Do the Things We Do?, Ellen J. Langer, Psychology Today,
May/June 2002
Human behavior is rarely rational and in fact often goes against the very
morals that we claim guide us in our actions. How do we reconcile this
seemingly paradoxical situation? And more importantly, what can we do to
exercise more control over our own behavior?
4. Solving the Diet-and-Disease Puzzle, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, May 1999
The constant flip-flopping on medical advice is enough to make most people
believe that the medical experts do not really know what they are talking
about. Who is at fault—the medical experts, the media, or John Q. Public?
Bonnie Liebman explores this issue by discussing some of the most
celebrated reversals in the area of nutrition recommendations.
5. How to Banish a Bad Habit, Consumer Reports on Health, March 2003
Adopting a positive attitude toward change is one of the best ways to break
a bad habit. In addition to a positive attitude, several strategies are
addressed that can help individuals banish negative health behaviors and
replace them with positive ones.
6. Yet Another Study—Should You Pay Attention?, Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter, September 1998
How do you interpret your risk level for various illnesses when reading
reports of late-breaking news that could affect your health? This article
presents four questions to ask yourself that will help you make informed
decisions regarding your lifestyle choices.
UNIT 2. Stress and Mental Health
7. The Mind and the Heart: They Really Are Connected, Tufts University
Health & Nutrition Letter, August 2000
In the 1970s researchers believed that heart disease was linked to stress
through one’s personality, namely the Type A personality. Several recent
studies support the connection between stress and heart disease, but the
most important factors appear to be hostility, lack of social support, and
mental depression.
8. The Value of a Healthy Attitude, Peggy Rynk, Vibrant Life, March/April
2003
Research has shown that the mind and the immune system exist as a single
unit. When people are angry or bored, their health can be negatively
affected. When they have strong spiritual feelings and use humor to cope
with life’s stresses, their health seems to be positively affected.
9. Taking Humor Seriously, Consumer Reports on Health, October 2001
A study from cardiologists provides empirical support that humor may
protect the immune system from the ravages of stress.
10. How Stress Attacks You, Jerry Adler, Newsweek, June 14, 1999
In this article Jerry Adler examines in detail how our bodies respond to
stress and suggests some useful stress reduction techniques.
11. Fear Not, Brad Schmidt and Jeffrey Winters, Psychology Today,
January/February 2002
This article traces the effects, positive and negative, that fear can have
on the mind and explores how healthy fear can degenerate into generalized
anxiety disorder (GAD), with terrible consequences.
UNIT 3. Nutritional Health
12. Antioxidants: No Magic Bullet, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, April 2002
Oxidants have been linked to cancer, heart disease, eye disease, and memory
loss. Are antioxidants the answer? Researchers are now beginning to
reevaluate their position on these “wonder” drugs.
13. Tips for the Savvy Supplement User, FDA Consumer, March/April 2002
Dietary supplements can be effective health-boosters when used properly—and
they can create health risks and have unintended effects when overused or
used improperly. This article serves as an overview of supplements.
14. Fast Food 2002: The Best & Worst, Bonnie Liebman and Jayne Hurley,
Nutrition Action Healthletter, September 2002
Everyone is pressed for time occasionally. And everyone needs to eat. The
combination of these two factors has led to the rapid and successful growth
of the fast-food industry. This article lists the healthiest (and
unhealthiest) menu choices available at popular fast-food chains.
UNIT 4. Exercise and Weight Management
15. Measure Your Fitness Level, Consumer Reports on Health, April 2002
This article lists four simple tests designed to measure your fitness level
and provides a key to compare your score with the average in your age/sex
bracket.
16. Unforgettable Foods: What’s Most Likely to Make You Sick, David
Schardt, Nutrition Action Healthletter, January/February 2003
On an average day, 13 people in the United States die from food poisoning,
while approximately 200,000 will get sick. Certain foods are more likely
than others to become contaminated with the microbes that can cause a
variety of food-borne illnesses.
17. Don’t Fool Yourself About Getting in Shape, Edward Jackowski, USA Today
Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), March 2003
According to the author, a great exercise program can make up for a less
than optimal diet, but even a great diet can never make up for lack of
exercise.
18. The Female Athlete Triad: Disordered Eating, Amenorrhea, and
Osteoporosis, DawnElla M. Rust, The Clearing House, July/August 2002
The female athlete triad describes a condition affecting female athletes
who maintain an unrealistically low body weight. The affliction leads to
disordered eating, lack of menstrual periods, and weakening and thinning of
the bones.
19. Big Fat Lies: The Truth About the Atkins Diet, Bonnie Liebman,
Nutrition Action Healthletter, vol. 29, no. 9 (November 2002)
For decades, the controversial “Atkins diet”—low in carbohydrates, high in
fat—has sparked contempt among the scientific community, interest among the
general population, and huge revenues for its proponents, including a
$700,000 book advance for a recent proponent, Gary Taubes. This article
features the reactions of several prominent scientists, including several
that Taubes quotes in his reporting, and lists the myths and half-truths
that circulate around this diet.
20. A Guide to Rating the Weight-Loss Websites, Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter, Special Supplement, July 2000
Statistics suggest that while many people attempt to lose weight on their
own, approximately half rely on formal weight-loss programs such as Weight
Watchers or Jenny Craig. With the growth of the Internet has come a third
option—“Cyber Weight-Loss Programs.” This article examines several of these
weight-loss Web sites and rates them on both the quality of information and
the support services that they provide.
UNIT 5. Drugs and Health
21. Prescription for Trouble, Consumer Reports, February 2001
If you have access to the Internet, you can get many prescription
medications without a prescription. Ordering medications online without the
benefit of a doctor’s prescription is about as easy as ordering clothes.
Unfortunately, the wrong medication or the wrong dosage can have serious
repercussions for your health.
22. Public Health Officials Caution Against Ephedra Use, Michelle Meadows,
FDA Consumer, May/June 2003
Ephedra, used as a dietary supplement for weight control, can have
dangerous effects on the heart and nervous system. The untimely death at
age 23 from multiple organ failure
of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler appears to have been related to
the use of this drug.
23. Getting Stupid, Bernice Wuethrich, Discover, March 2001
According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, nearly 7 million
youths between the ages of 12 and 20 participate in binge drinking at least
once a month. While binging among youths is nothing new, recent research
has discovered that this manner of drinking may permanently rob them of as
much as 10 percent of their mental capacity.
24. Strategies to Reduce Medication Errors, Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer,
May/June 2003
Since 1992, the Food and Drug Administration has received more than 20,000
reports of medication errors, thought to be responsible for about 7,000
deaths each year. Steps to reduce medication errors are addressed in this
article.
25. Beat the Winter Bugs: How to Hold Your Own Against Colds and Flu,
Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, November/December 2001
Flu and colds—everyone gets them, nobody wants them. How can we prevent
them? And once we’re past the prevention stage, how can we lessen our
symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness?
UNIT 6. Sexuality and Relationships
26. Sex in America, Michael W. Ross, Psychology Today, January/February
2002
With the release of “Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and
Responsible Sexual Behavior” in 2001, it is clear that the need for honest
discussion about sexuality is urgent. This article highlights that point.
27. The New Gender Wars, Sarah Blustain, Psychology Today,
November/December 2000
While most experts agree that men and women have more than just biological
differences, the exact nature of these differences is a point of contention
between male and female researchers. Can individuals with a gender bias
objectively research gender differences and come to impartial conclusions?
28. Male Contraception: Search Is On for Options, Contraceptive Technolgy
Update, February 2003
Though the only male contraceptive is the condom, there has been a recent
interest in developing other methods. Research has focused on the
suppression of sperm production by hormonal or nonhormonal means and the
development of drugs that prevent sperm from fertilizing eggs.
29. Love Is Not All You Need, Pepper Schwartz, Psychology Today, May/June
2002
Is this real love? Or just real lust? Is passionate love the best indicator
or predictor of relationships that last? What are the factors most likely
to determine the success or failure of a lasting relationship? This article
discusses compatibility, intelligence, sex, communication, empathy, and
flexibility in a love that lasts.
30. Genital Herpes: A Hidden Epidemic, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer,
March/April 2002
Genital herpes is a lifelong illness, with no known cure and little hope
for a cure in the near future. This article provides information about the
disease, as well as treatments to minimize outbreaks.
UNIT 7. Preventing and Fighting Disease
31. An American Epidemic: Diabetes, Jerry Adler and Claudia Kalb, Newsweek,
September 4, 2000
According to many public health experts, the next great lifestyle disease
epidemic to hit the United States will be noninsulin-dependent diabetes
(also known as type 2 or adult onset diabetes). This disease, which
normally strikes after age 40, is demonstrating a dramatic rise among
people in their 30s. Even children are being diagnosed with this form of
diabetes.
32. Another Piece of the Heart-Disease Puzzle?, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition
Action Healthletter, March 2003
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a measure of inflammation in the body. People
with high levels of this protein may be more likely to develop heart
disease. CRP can be lowered by losing weight, stopping smoking, increasing
exercise, taking statin drugs, and eating more fish. While the relationship
between CRP and heart disease isn’t proven, more research may show a
connection.
33. Cancer: How to Lower Your Risk, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, October 2002
Cancer is becoming more and more pervasive throughout American society, as
the baby boomers continue their trek toward old age. By age 40, your
chances of developing cancer in the next 20 years is 1 in 11; and by age
60, the odds are a grimmer 1 in 5 (for women) and 1 in 3 (for men). This
article provides useful advice on preventing the most common forms of
cancer.
34. Living With AIDS—20 Years Later, Anne Christiansen Bullers, FDA
Consumer, November/December 2001
More than 20 years after the first reported outbreak of AIDS in the United
States, we have yet to fully come to terms with this disease as a society,
and a cure is nowhere in sight. Now some experts fear that the progress
that we have witnessed in the medical management of HIV/AIDS has led to a
dangerous complacency about this disease.
UNIT 8. Health Care and the Health Care System
35. When Nagging Symptoms Should Trigger a Doctor’s Visit, Tufts University
Health & Nutrition Letter, July 2000
Some people run to the doctor for every little ache and pain, while others
avoid doctors like the plague. This article presents practical advice on
how to decide whether a symptom is serious enough to warrant a visit to the
doctor.
36. The Overtreated American, Shannon Brownlee, The Atlantic Monthly,
January/February 2003
According to Shannon Brownlee, reducing excess or unnecessary health care
could save enough money to provide health care to all those who are
currently uninsured. It is estimated that 20 percent to 30 percent of
health care spending goes for procedures, drugs, and hospitalization that
do nothing to improve the quantity or quality of life.
37. Avoiding Hospital Blunders, Consumer Reports on Health, June 2000
America has some of the best health care in the world, but if hospital
errors occur, and they frequently do, they can prove deadly. Hospital
errors are currently the eighth leading cause of death in the United
States, ahead of car accidents, breast cancer, and AIDS. This article
discusses what you can do to protect yourself.
38. The Doctor Won’t See You Now, Daniel Eisenberg and Maggie Sieger, Time,
June 9, 2003
Due to the ever-increasing cost of malpractice insurance, many doctors are
changing their specialties, moving to lower-cost areas of the country, or
leaving the field. The problem doesn’t just affect incompetent doctors but
is becoming a major problem for all doctors and their patients.
UNIT 9. Consumer Health
39. Don’t Be a Wimp in the Doctor’s Office, Maureen Boland, American
Health, April 1999
When it comes to physicians, many people, especially women, are afraid to
assert themselves. Rather than being turned off by your expression of
needs, research shows that physicians and caregivers are more responsive
and provide better care to individuals who take an active role in the
health care process.
40. How to Research a Medical Topic, Consumer Reports on Health, October
2000
This article offers some practical suggestions on using Internet resources
effectively when searching for medical information.
41. How Accurate Are Food Claims?, Consumer Reports on Health, October 2002
If a product has the “heart check” mark on it, it must have beneficial
effects on the heart, right? Not necessarily. This article explores
examples of health-related food claims and provides helpful advice on how
to use the “Nutrition Facts Panel” to guide you in making healthful food
choices.
42. The Vaccine Conundrum, Katherine Hobson, U.S. News & World Report,
March 17, 2003
While some parents are concerned that vaccination may increase their
children’s risks of asthma and autism, the medical community maintains that
immunization is far safer than the risk of childhood diseases. Most doctors
believe that any relationship between vaccination and asthma and autism is
coincidental.
43. Food Additives—What You Nee
d to Know, University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2002
“Food additives, chemicals, and artificial ingredients” are key words often
associated with junk food and an unhealthy diet. But just because snack
foods often contain high doses of these substances, it does not necessarily
mean that junk foods are unhealthy. This article addresses the vital and
often unappreciated role that food additives play in protecting our health
and the quality of our food.
UNIT 10. Contemporary Health Hazards
44. The Truth About SARS, Michael D. Lemonick and Alice Park, Time, May 5,
2003
The SARS virus that appears to have originated in China has affected
thousands of people, mostly in the Far East and Canada. While quarantines
have helped slow the epidemic, the virus continues to spread.
45. West Nile Virus: Reducing the Risk, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer,
January/February 2003
The West Nile Virus, spread by mosquitoes, causes mostly mild symptoms. For
a small number of sufferers, however, the virus develops into a more
serious and sometimes deadly condition known as West Nile encephalitis.
46. An Update on Smallpox, Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, March/April 2003
Though the last case of smallpox was in 1977, if terrorists were to
deliberately introduce the disease, it could escalate into a public health
disaster. Unfortunately, the vaccine carries a small risk of potentially
serious side effects causing concern about immunizing the general public.
47. Trying to Look SUNsational? Complexity Persists in Using Sunscreens,
Larry Thompson, FDA Consumer, July/August 2000
Scientific studies linking skin cancer to sunburn have prompted millions of
Americans to cover themselves with sunscreen lotions. But do sunscreens
really prevent skin cancer? Larry Thompson provides the reader with the
most current thinking about how best to protect your skin from the damaging
effects of the sun.
1. How Does Your Life Measure Up?, Alice Lesch Kelly, Walking, March/April
1998
Alice Lesch Kelly provides an opportunity for you to examine your lifestyle
and health behaviors to see just how well you are doing in your efforts to
achieve a long and healthy life.
2. Bad Choices: Why We Make Them, How to Stop, Mary Ann Chapman, Psychology
Today, September/October 1999
Why is it that people continue to engage in negative health behaviors
despite knowing that such behaviors could have serious repercussions
concerning their health? Key factors seem to be the need for immediate
gratification and our desire to take the path of least resistance. The
author suggests possible ways to change this pattern of thinking.
3. Why Do We Do the Things We Do?, Ellen J. Langer, Psychology Today,
May/June 2002
Human behavior is rarely rational and in fact often goes against the very
morals that we claim guide us in our actions. How do we reconcile this
seemingly paradoxical situation? And more importantly, what can we do to
exercise more control over our own behavior?
4. Solving the Diet-and-Disease Puzzle, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, May 1999
The constant flip-flopping on medical advice is enough to make most people
believe that the medical experts do not really know what they are talking
about. Who is at fault—the medical experts, the media, or John Q. Public?
Bonnie Liebman explores this issue by discussing some of the most
celebrated reversals in the area of nutrition recommendations.
5. How to Banish a Bad Habit, Consumer Reports on Health, March 2003
Adopting a positive attitude toward change is one of the best ways to break
a bad habit. In addition to a positive attitude, several strategies are
addressed that can help individuals banish negative health behaviors and
replace them with positive ones.
6. Yet Another Study—Should You Pay Attention?, Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter, September 1998
How do you interpret your risk level for various illnesses when reading
reports of late-breaking news that could affect your health? This article
presents four questions to ask yourself that will help you make informed
decisions regarding your lifestyle choices.
UNIT 2. Stress and Mental Health
7. The Mind and the Heart: They Really Are Connected, Tufts University
Health & Nutrition Letter, August 2000
In the 1970s researchers believed that heart disease was linked to stress
through one’s personality, namely the Type A personality. Several recent
studies support the connection between stress and heart disease, but the
most important factors appear to be hostility, lack of social support, and
mental depression.
8. The Value of a Healthy Attitude, Peggy Rynk, Vibrant Life, March/April
2003
Research has shown that the mind and the immune system exist as a single
unit. When people are angry or bored, their health can be negatively
affected. When they have strong spiritual feelings and use humor to cope
with life’s stresses, their health seems to be positively affected.
9. Taking Humor Seriously, Consumer Reports on Health, October 2001
A study from cardiologists provides empirical support that humor may
protect the immune system from the ravages of stress.
10. How Stress Attacks You, Jerry Adler, Newsweek, June 14, 1999
In this article Jerry Adler examines in detail how our bodies respond to
stress and suggests some useful stress reduction techniques.
11. Fear Not, Brad Schmidt and Jeffrey Winters, Psychology Today,
January/February 2002
This article traces the effects, positive and negative, that fear can have
on the mind and explores how healthy fear can degenerate into generalized
anxiety disorder (GAD), with terrible consequences.
UNIT 3. Nutritional Health
12. Antioxidants: No Magic Bullet, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, April 2002
Oxidants have been linked to cancer, heart disease, eye disease, and memory
loss. Are antioxidants the answer? Researchers are now beginning to
reevaluate their position on these “wonder” drugs.
13. Tips for the Savvy Supplement User, FDA Consumer, March/April 2002
Dietary supplements can be effective health-boosters when used properly—and
they can create health risks and have unintended effects when overused or
used improperly. This article serves as an overview of supplements.
14. Fast Food 2002: The Best & Worst, Bonnie Liebman and Jayne Hurley,
Nutrition Action Healthletter, September 2002
Everyone is pressed for time occasionally. And everyone needs to eat. The
combination of these two factors has led to the rapid and successful growth
of the fast-food industry. This article lists the healthiest (and
unhealthiest) menu choices available at popular fast-food chains.
UNIT 4. Exercise and Weight Management
15. Measure Your Fitness Level, Consumer Reports on Health, April 2002
This article lists four simple tests designed to measure your fitness level
and provides a key to compare your score with the average in your age/sex
bracket.
16. Unforgettable Foods: What’s Most Likely to Make You Sick, David
Schardt, Nutrition Action Healthletter, January/February 2003
On an average day, 13 people in the United States die from food poisoning,
while approximately 200,000 will get sick. Certain foods are more likely
than others to become contaminated with the microbes that can cause a
variety of food-borne illnesses.
17. Don’t Fool Yourself About Getting in Shape, Edward Jackowski, USA Today
Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), March 2003
According to the author, a great exercise program can make up for a less
than optimal diet, but even a great diet can never make up for lack of
exercise.
18. The Female Athlete Triad: Disordered Eating, Amenorrhea, and
Osteoporosis, DawnElla M. Rust, The Clearing House, July/August 2002
The female athlete triad describes a condition affecting female athletes
who maintain an unrealistically low body weight. The affliction leads to
disordered eating, lack of menstrual periods, and weakening and thinning of
the bones.
19. Big Fat Lies: The Truth About the Atkins Diet, Bonnie Liebman,
Nutrition Action Healthletter, vol. 29, no. 9 (November 2002)
For decades, the controversial “Atkins diet”—low in carbohydrates, high in
fat—has sparked contempt among the scientific community, interest among the
general population, and huge revenues for its proponents, including a
$700,000 book advance for a recent proponent, Gary Taubes. This article
features the reactions of several prominent scientists, including several
that Taubes quotes in his reporting, and lists the myths and half-truths
that circulate around this diet.
20. A Guide to Rating the Weight-Loss Websites, Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter, Special Supplement, July 2000
Statistics suggest that while many people attempt to lose weight on their
own, approximately half rely on formal weight-loss programs such as Weight
Watchers or Jenny Craig. With the growth of the Internet has come a third
option—“Cyber Weight-Loss Programs.” This article examines several of these
weight-loss Web sites and rates them on both the quality of information and
the support services that they provide.
UNIT 5. Drugs and Health
21. Prescription for Trouble, Consumer Reports, February 2001
If you have access to the Internet, you can get many prescription
medications without a prescription. Ordering medications online without the
benefit of a doctor’s prescription is about as easy as ordering clothes.
Unfortunately, the wrong medication or the wrong dosage can have serious
repercussions for your health.
22. Public Health Officials Caution Against Ephedra Use, Michelle Meadows,
FDA Consumer, May/June 2003
Ephedra, used as a dietary supplement for weight control, can have
dangerous effects on the heart and nervous system. The untimely death at
age 23 from multiple organ failure
of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler appears to have been related to
the use of this drug.
23. Getting Stupid, Bernice Wuethrich, Discover, March 2001
According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, nearly 7 million
youths between the ages of 12 and 20 participate in binge drinking at least
once a month. While binging among youths is nothing new, recent research
has discovered that this manner of drinking may permanently rob them of as
much as 10 percent of their mental capacity.
24. Strategies to Reduce Medication Errors, Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer,
May/June 2003
Since 1992, the Food and Drug Administration has received more than 20,000
reports of medication errors, thought to be responsible for about 7,000
deaths each year. Steps to reduce medication errors are addressed in this
article.
25. Beat the Winter Bugs: How to Hold Your Own Against Colds and Flu,
Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, November/December 2001
Flu and colds—everyone gets them, nobody wants them. How can we prevent
them? And once we’re past the prevention stage, how can we lessen our
symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness?
UNIT 6. Sexuality and Relationships
26. Sex in America, Michael W. Ross, Psychology Today, January/February
2002
With the release of “Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and
Responsible Sexual Behavior” in 2001, it is clear that the need for honest
discussion about sexuality is urgent. This article highlights that point.
27. The New Gender Wars, Sarah Blustain, Psychology Today,
November/December 2000
While most experts agree that men and women have more than just biological
differences, the exact nature of these differences is a point of contention
between male and female researchers. Can individuals with a gender bias
objectively research gender differences and come to impartial conclusions?
28. Male Contraception: Search Is On for Options, Contraceptive Technolgy
Update, February 2003
Though the only male contraceptive is the condom, there has been a recent
interest in developing other methods. Research has focused on the
suppression of sperm production by hormonal or nonhormonal means and the
development of drugs that prevent sperm from fertilizing eggs.
29. Love Is Not All You Need, Pepper Schwartz, Psychology Today, May/June
2002
Is this real love? Or just real lust? Is passionate love the best indicator
or predictor of relationships that last? What are the factors most likely
to determine the success or failure of a lasting relationship? This article
discusses compatibility, intelligence, sex, communication, empathy, and
flexibility in a love that lasts.
30. Genital Herpes: A Hidden Epidemic, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer,
March/April 2002
Genital herpes is a lifelong illness, with no known cure and little hope
for a cure in the near future. This article provides information about the
disease, as well as treatments to minimize outbreaks.
UNIT 7. Preventing and Fighting Disease
31. An American Epidemic: Diabetes, Jerry Adler and Claudia Kalb, Newsweek,
September 4, 2000
According to many public health experts, the next great lifestyle disease
epidemic to hit the United States will be noninsulin-dependent diabetes
(also known as type 2 or adult onset diabetes). This disease, which
normally strikes after age 40, is demonstrating a dramatic rise among
people in their 30s. Even children are being diagnosed with this form of
diabetes.
32. Another Piece of the Heart-Disease Puzzle?, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition
Action Healthletter, March 2003
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a measure of inflammation in the body. People
with high levels of this protein may be more likely to develop heart
disease. CRP can be lowered by losing weight, stopping smoking, increasing
exercise, taking statin drugs, and eating more fish. While the relationship
between CRP and heart disease isn’t proven, more research may show a
connection.
33. Cancer: How to Lower Your Risk, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, October 2002
Cancer is becoming more and more pervasive throughout American society, as
the baby boomers continue their trek toward old age. By age 40, your
chances of developing cancer in the next 20 years is 1 in 11; and by age
60, the odds are a grimmer 1 in 5 (for women) and 1 in 3 (for men). This
article provides useful advice on preventing the most common forms of
cancer.
34. Living With AIDS—20 Years Later, Anne Christiansen Bullers, FDA
Consumer, November/December 2001
More than 20 years after the first reported outbreak of AIDS in the United
States, we have yet to fully come to terms with this disease as a society,
and a cure is nowhere in sight. Now some experts fear that the progress
that we have witnessed in the medical management of HIV/AIDS has led to a
dangerous complacency about this disease.
UNIT 8. Health Care and the Health Care System
35. When Nagging Symptoms Should Trigger a Doctor’s Visit, Tufts University
Health & Nutrition Letter, July 2000
Some people run to the doctor for every little ache and pain, while others
avoid doctors like the plague. This article presents practical advice on
how to decide whether a symptom is serious enough to warrant a visit to the
doctor.
36. The Overtreated American, Shannon Brownlee, The Atlantic Monthly,
January/February 2003
According to Shannon Brownlee, reducing excess or unnecessary health care
could save enough money to provide health care to all those who are
currently uninsured. It is estimated that 20 percent to 30 percent of
health care spending goes for procedures, drugs, and hospitalization that
do nothing to improve the quantity or quality of life.
37. Avoiding Hospital Blunders, Consumer Reports on Health, June 2000
America has some of the best health care in the world, but if hospital
errors occur, and they frequently do, they can prove deadly. Hospital
errors are currently the eighth leading cause of death in the United
States, ahead of car accidents, breast cancer, and AIDS. This article
discusses what you can do to protect yourself.
38. The Doctor Won’t See You Now, Daniel Eisenberg and Maggie Sieger, Time,
June 9, 2003
Due to the ever-increasing cost of malpractice insurance, many doctors are
changing their specialties, moving to lower-cost areas of the country, or
leaving the field. The problem doesn’t just affect incompetent doctors but
is becoming a major problem for all doctors and their patients.
UNIT 9. Consumer Health
39. Don’t Be a Wimp in the Doctor’s Office, Maureen Boland, American
Health, April 1999
When it comes to physicians, many people, especially women, are afraid to
assert themselves. Rather than being turned off by your expression of
needs, research shows that physicians and caregivers are more responsive
and provide better care to individuals who take an active role in the
health care process.
40. How to Research a Medical Topic, Consumer Reports on Health, October
2000
This article offers some practical suggestions on using Internet resources
effectively when searching for medical information.
41. How Accurate Are Food Claims?, Consumer Reports on Health, October 2002
If a product has the “heart check” mark on it, it must have beneficial
effects on the heart, right? Not necessarily. This article explores
examples of health-related food claims and provides helpful advice on how
to use the “Nutrition Facts Panel” to guide you in making healthful food
choices.
42. The Vaccine Conundrum, Katherine Hobson, U.S. News & World Report,
March 17, 2003
While some parents are concerned that vaccination may increase their
children’s risks of asthma and autism, the medical community maintains that
immunization is far safer than the risk of childhood diseases. Most doctors
believe that any relationship between vaccination and asthma and autism is
coincidental.
43. Food Additives—What You Nee
d to Know, University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2002
“Food additives, chemicals, and artificial ingredients” are key words often
associated with junk food and an unhealthy diet. But just because snack
foods often contain high doses of these substances, it does not necessarily
mean that junk foods are unhealthy. This article addresses the vital and
often unappreciated role that food additives play in protecting our health
and the quality of our food.
UNIT 10. Contemporary Health Hazards
44. The Truth About SARS, Michael D. Lemonick and Alice Park, Time, May 5,
2003
The SARS virus that appears to have originated in China has affected
thousands of people, mostly in the Far East and Canada. While quarantines
have helped slow the epidemic, the virus continues to spread.
45. West Nile Virus: Reducing the Risk, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer,
January/February 2003
The West Nile Virus, spread by mosquitoes, causes mostly mild symptoms. For
a small number of sufferers, however, the virus develops into a more
serious and sometimes deadly condition known as West Nile encephalitis.
46. An Update on Smallpox, Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, March/April 2003
Though the last case of smallpox was in 1977, if terrorists were to
deliberately introduce the disease, it could escalate into a public health
disaster. Unfortunately, the vaccine carries a small risk of potentially
serious side effects causing concern about immunizing the general public.
47. Trying to Look SUNsational? Complexity Persists in Using Sunscreens,
Larry Thompson, FDA Consumer, July/August 2000
Scientific studies linking skin cancer to sunburn have prompted millions of
Americans to cover themselves with sunscreen lotions. But do sunscreens
really prevent skin cancer? Larry Thompson provides the reader with the
most current thinking about how best to protect your skin from the damaging
effects of the sun.
UNIT 1. Promoting Healthy Behavior Change
1. How Does Your Life Measure Up?, Alice Lesch Kelly, Walking, March/April
1998
Alice Lesch Kelly provides an opportunity for you to examine your lifestyle
and health behaviors to see just how well you are doing in your efforts to
achieve a long and healthy life.
2. Bad Choices: Why We Make Them, How to Stop, Mary Ann Chapman, Psychology
Today, September/October 1999
Why is it that people continue to engage in negative health behaviors
despite knowing that such behaviors could have serious repercussions
concerning their health? Key factors seem to be the need for immediate
gratification and our desire to take the path of least resistance. The
author suggests possible ways to change this pattern of thinking.
3. Why Do We Do the Things We Do?, Ellen J. Langer, Psychology Today,
May/June 2002
Human behavior is rarely rational and in fact often goes against the very
morals that we claim guide us in our actions. How do we reconcile this
seemingly paradoxical situation? And more importantly, what can we do to
exercise more control over our own behavior?
4. Solving the Diet-and-Disease Puzzle, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, May 1999
The constant flip-flopping on medical advice is enough to make most people
believe that the medical experts do not really know what they are talking
about. Who is at fault—the medical experts, the media, or John Q. Public?
Bonnie Liebman explores this issue by discussing some of the most
celebrated reversals in the area of nutrition recommendations.
5. How to Banish a Bad Habit, Consumer Reports on Health, March 2003
Adopting a positive attitude toward change is one of the best ways to break
a bad habit. In addition to a positive attitude, several strategies are
addressed that can help individuals banish negative health behaviors and
replace them with positive ones.
6. Yet Another Study—Should You Pay Attention?, Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter, September 1998
How do you interpret your risk level for various illnesses when reading
reports of late-breaking news that could affect your health? This article
presents four questions to ask yourself that will help you make informed
decisions regarding your lifestyle choices.
UNIT 2. Stress and Mental Health
7. The Mind and the Heart: They Really Are Connected, Tufts University
Health & Nutrition Letter, August 2000
In the 1970s researchers believed that heart disease was linked to stress
through one’s personality, namely the Type A personality. Several recent
studies support the connection between stress and heart disease, but the
most important factors appear to be hostility, lack of social support, and
mental depression.
8. The Value of a Healthy Attitude, Peggy Rynk, Vibrant Life, March/April
2003
Research has shown that the mind and the immune system exist as a single
unit. When people are angry or bored, their health can be negatively
affected. When they have strong spiritual feelings and use humor to cope
with life’s stresses, their health seems to be positively affected.
9. Taking Humor Seriously, Consumer Reports on Health, October 2001
A study from cardiologists provides empirical support that humor may
protect the immune system from the ravages of stress.
10. How Stress Attacks You, Jerry Adler, Newsweek, June 14, 1999
In this article Jerry Adler examines in detail how our bodies respond to
stress and suggests some useful stress reduction techniques.
11. Fear Not, Brad Schmidt and Jeffrey Winters, Psychology Today,
January/February 2002
This article traces the effects, positive and negative, that fear can have
on the mind and explores how healthy fear can degenerate into generalized
anxiety disorder (GAD), with terrible consequences.
UNIT 3. Nutritional Health
12. Antioxidants: No Magic Bullet, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, April 2002
Oxidants have been linked to cancer, heart disease, eye disease, and memory
loss. Are antioxidants the answer? Researchers are now beginning to
reevaluate their position on these “wonder” drugs.
13. Tips for the Savvy Supplement User, FDA Consumer, March/April 2002
Dietary supplements can be effective health-boosters when used properly—and
they can create health risks and have unintended effects when overused or
used improperly. This article serves as an overview of supplements.
14. Fast Food 2002: The Best & Worst, Bonnie Liebman and Jayne Hurley,
Nutrition Action Healthletter, September 2002
Everyone is pressed for time occasionally. And everyone needs to eat. The
combination of these two factors has led to the rapid and successful growth
of the fast-food industry. This article lists the healthiest (and
unhealthiest) menu choices available at popular fast-food chains.
UNIT 4. Exercise and Weight Management
15. Measure Your Fitness Level, Consumer Reports on Health, April 2002
This article lists four simple tests designed to measure your fitness level
and provides a key to compare your score with the average in your age/sex
bracket.
16. Unforgettable Foods: What’s Most Likely to Make You Sick, David
Schardt, Nutrition Action Healthletter, January/February 2003
On an average day, 13 people in the United States die from food poisoning,
while approximately 200,000 will get sick. Certain foods are more likely
than others to become contaminated with the microbes that can cause a
variety of food-borne illnesses.
17. Don’t Fool Yourself About Getting in Shape, Edward Jackowski, USA Today
Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), March 2003
According to the author, a great exercise program can make up for a less
than optimal diet, but even a great diet can never make up for lack of
exercise.
18. The Female Athlete Triad: Disordered Eating, Amenorrhea, and
Osteoporosis, DawnElla M. Rust, The Clearing House, July/August 2002
The female athlete triad describes a condition affecting female athletes
who maintain an unrealistically low body weight. The affliction leads to
disordered eating, lack of menstrual periods, and weakening and thinning of
the bones.
19. Big Fat Lies: The Truth About the Atkins Diet, Bonnie Liebman,
Nutrition Action Healthletter, vol. 29, no. 9 (November 2002)
For decades, the controversial “Atkins diet”—low in carbohydrates, high in
fat—has sparked contempt among the scientific community, interest among the
general population, and huge revenues for its proponents, including a
$700,000 book advance for a recent proponent, Gary Taubes. This article
features the reactions of several prominent scientists, including several
that Taubes quotes in his reporting, and lists the myths and half-truths
that circulate around this diet.
20. A Guide to Rating the Weight-Loss Websites, Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter, Special Supplement, July 2000
Statistics suggest that while many people attempt to lose weight on their
own, approximately half rely on formal weight-loss programs such as Weight
Watchers or Jenny Craig. With the growth of the Internet has come a third
option—“Cyber Weight-Loss Programs.” This article examines several of these
weight-loss Web sites and rates them on both the quality of information and
the support services that they provide.
UNIT 5. Drugs and Health
21. Prescription for Trouble, Consumer Reports, February 2001
If you have access to the Internet, you can get many prescription
medications without a prescription. Ordering medications online without the
benefit of a doctor’s prescription is about as easy as ordering clothes.
Unfortunately, the wrong medication or the wrong dosage can have serious
repercussions for your health.
22. Public Health Officials Caution Against Ephedra Use, Michelle Meadows,
FDA Consumer, May/June 2003
Ephedra, used as a dietary supplement for weight control, can have
dangerous effects on the heart and nervous system. The untimely death at
age 23 from multiple organ failure
of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler appears to have been related to
the use of this drug.
23. Getting Stupid, Bernice Wuethrich, Discover, March 2001
According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, nearly 7 million
youths between the ages of 12 and 20 participate in binge drinking at least
once a month. While binging among youths is nothing new, recent research
has discovered that this manner of drinking may permanently rob them of as
much as 10 percent of their mental capacity.
24. Strategies to Reduce Medication Errors, Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer,
May/June 2003
Since 1992, the Food and Drug Administration has received more than 20,000
reports of medication errors, thought to be responsible for about 7,000
deaths each year. Steps to reduce medication errors are addressed in this
article.
25. Beat the Winter Bugs: How to Hold Your Own Against Colds and Flu,
Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, November/December 2001
Flu and colds—everyone gets them, nobody wants them. How can we prevent
them? And once we’re past the prevention stage, how can we lessen our
symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness?
UNIT 6. Sexuality and Relationships
26. Sex in America, Michael W. Ross, Psychology Today, January/February
2002
With the release of “Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and
Responsible Sexual Behavior” in 2001, it is clear that the need for honest
discussion about sexuality is urgent. This article highlights that point.
27. The New Gender Wars, Sarah Blustain, Psychology Today,
November/December 2000
While most experts agree that men and women have more than just biological
differences, the exact nature of these differences is a point of contention
between male and female researchers. Can individuals with a gender bias
objectively research gender differences and come to impartial conclusions?
28. Male Contraception: Search Is On for Options, Contraceptive Technolgy
Update, February 2003
Though the only male contraceptive is the condom, there has been a recent
interest in developing other methods. Research has focused on the
suppression of sperm production by hormonal or nonhormonal means and the
development of drugs that prevent sperm from fertilizing eggs.
29. Love Is Not All You Need, Pepper Schwartz, Psychology Today, May/June
2002
Is this real love? Or just real lust? Is passionate love the best indicator
or predictor of relationships that last? What are the factors most likely
to determine the success or failure of a lasting relationship? This article
discusses compatibility, intelligence, sex, communication, empathy, and
flexibility in a love that lasts.
30. Genital Herpes: A Hidden Epidemic, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer,
March/April 2002
Genital herpes is a lifelong illness, with no known cure and little hope
for a cure in the near future. This article provides information about the
disease, as well as treatments to minimize outbreaks.
UNIT 7. Preventing and Fighting Disease
31. An American Epidemic: Diabetes, Jerry Adler and Claudia Kalb, Newsweek,
September 4, 2000
According to many public health experts, the next great lifestyle disease
epidemic to hit the United States will be noninsulin-dependent diabetes
(also known as type 2 or adult onset diabetes). This disease, which
normally strikes after age 40, is demonstrating a dramatic rise among
people in their 30s. Even children are being diagnosed with this form of
diabetes.
32. Another Piece of the Heart-Disease Puzzle?, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition
Action Healthletter, March 2003
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a measure of inflammation in the body. People
with high levels of this protein may be more likely to develop heart
disease. CRP can be lowered by losing weight, stopping smoking, increasing
exercise, taking statin drugs, and eating more fish. While the relationship
between CRP and heart disease isn’t proven, more research may show a
connection.
33. Cancer: How to Lower Your Risk, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, October 2002
Cancer is becoming more and more pervasive throughout American society, as
the baby boomers continue their trek toward old age. By age 40, your
chances of developing cancer in the next 20 years is 1 in 11; and by age
60, the odds are a grimmer 1 in 5 (for women) and 1 in 3 (for men). This
article provides useful advice on preventing the most common forms of
cancer.
34. Living With AIDS—20 Years Later, Anne Christiansen Bullers, FDA
Consumer, November/December 2001
More than 20 years after the first reported outbreak of AIDS in the United
States, we have yet to fully come to terms with this disease as a society,
and a cure is nowhere in sight. Now some experts fear that the progress
that we have witnessed in the medical management of HIV/AIDS has led to a
dangerous complacency about this disease.
UNIT 8. Health Care and the Health Care System
35. When Nagging Symptoms Should Trigger a Doctor’s Visit, Tufts University
Health & Nutrition Letter, July 2000
Some people run to the doctor for every little ache and pain, while others
avoid doctors like the plague. This article presents practical advice on
how to decide whether a symptom is serious enough to warrant a visit to the
doctor.
36. The Overtreated American, Shannon Brownlee, The Atlantic Monthly,
January/February 2003
According to Shannon Brownlee, reducing excess or unnecessary health care
could save enough money to provide health care to all those who are
currently uninsured. It is estimated that 20 percent to 30 percent of
health care spending goes for procedures, drugs, and hospitalization that
do nothing to improve the quantity or quality of life.
37. Avoiding Hospital Blunders, Consumer Reports on Health, June 2000
America has some of the best health care in the world, but if hospital
errors occur, and they frequently do, they can prove deadly. Hospital
errors are currently the eighth leading cause of death in the United
States, ahead of car accidents, breast cancer, and AIDS. This article
discusses what you can do to protect yourself.
38. The Doctor Won’t See You Now, Daniel Eisenberg and Maggie Sieger, Time,
June 9, 2003
Due to the ever-increasing cost of malpractice insurance, many doctors are
changing their specialties, moving to lower-cost areas of the country, or
leaving the field. The problem doesn’t just affect incompetent doctors but
is becoming a major problem for all doctors and their patients.
UNIT 9. Consumer Health
39. Don’t Be a Wimp in the Doctor’s Office, Maureen Boland, American
Health, April 1999
When it comes to physicians, many people, especially women, are afraid to
assert themselves. Rather than being turned off by your expression of
needs, research shows that physicians and caregivers are more responsive
and provide better care to individuals who take an active role in the
health care process.
40. How to Research a Medical Topic, Consumer Reports on Health, October
2000
This article offers some practical suggestions on using Internet resources
effectively when searching for medical information.
41. How Accurate Are Food Claims?, Consumer Reports on Health, October 2002
If a product has the “heart check” mark on it, it must have beneficial
effects on the heart, right? Not necessarily. This article explores
examples of health-related food claims and provides helpful advice on how
to use the “Nutrition Facts Panel” to guide you in making healthful food
choices.
42. The Vaccine Conundrum, Katherine Hobson, U.S. News & World Report,
March 17, 2003
While some parents are concerned that vaccination may increase their
children’s risks of asthma and autism, the medical community maintains that
immunization is far safer than the risk of childhood diseases. Most doctors
believe that any relationship between vaccination and asthma and autism is
coincidental.
43. Food Additives—What You Nee
d to Know, University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2002
“Food additives, chemicals, and artificial ingredients” are key words often
associated with junk food and an unhealthy diet. But just because snack
foods often contain high doses of these substances, it does not necessarily
mean that junk foods are unhealthy. This article addresses the vital and
often unappreciated role that food additives play in protecting our health
and the quality of our food.
UNIT 10. Contemporary Health Hazards
44. The Truth About SARS, Michael D. Lemonick and Alice Park, Time, May 5,
2003
The SARS virus that appears to have originated in China has affected
thousands of people, mostly in the Far East and Canada. While quarantines
have helped slow the epidemic, the virus continues to spread.
45. West Nile Virus: Reducing the Risk, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer,
January/February 2003
The West Nile Virus, spread by mosquitoes, causes mostly mild symptoms. For
a small number of sufferers, however, the virus develops into a more
serious and sometimes deadly condition known as West Nile encephalitis.
46. An Update on Smallpox, Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, March/April 2003
Though the last case of smallpox was in 1977, if terrorists were to
deliberately introduce the disease, it could escalate into a public health
disaster. Unfortunately, the vaccine carries a small risk of potentially
serious side effects causing concern about immunizing the general public.
47. Trying to Look SUNsational? Complexity Persists in Using Sunscreens,
Larry Thompson, FDA Consumer, July/August 2000
Scientific studies linking skin cancer to sunburn have prompted millions of
Americans to cover themselves with sunscreen lotions. But do sunscreens
really prevent skin cancer? Larry Thompson provides the reader with the
most current thinking about how best to protect your skin from the damaging
effects of the sun.
1. How Does Your Life Measure Up?, Alice Lesch Kelly, Walking, March/April
1998
Alice Lesch Kelly provides an opportunity for you to examine your lifestyle
and health behaviors to see just how well you are doing in your efforts to
achieve a long and healthy life.
2. Bad Choices: Why We Make Them, How to Stop, Mary Ann Chapman, Psychology
Today, September/October 1999
Why is it that people continue to engage in negative health behaviors
despite knowing that such behaviors could have serious repercussions
concerning their health? Key factors seem to be the need for immediate
gratification and our desire to take the path of least resistance. The
author suggests possible ways to change this pattern of thinking.
3. Why Do We Do the Things We Do?, Ellen J. Langer, Psychology Today,
May/June 2002
Human behavior is rarely rational and in fact often goes against the very
morals that we claim guide us in our actions. How do we reconcile this
seemingly paradoxical situation? And more importantly, what can we do to
exercise more control over our own behavior?
4. Solving the Diet-and-Disease Puzzle, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, May 1999
The constant flip-flopping on medical advice is enough to make most people
believe that the medical experts do not really know what they are talking
about. Who is at fault—the medical experts, the media, or John Q. Public?
Bonnie Liebman explores this issue by discussing some of the most
celebrated reversals in the area of nutrition recommendations.
5. How to Banish a Bad Habit, Consumer Reports on Health, March 2003
Adopting a positive attitude toward change is one of the best ways to break
a bad habit. In addition to a positive attitude, several strategies are
addressed that can help individuals banish negative health behaviors and
replace them with positive ones.
6. Yet Another Study—Should You Pay Attention?, Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter, September 1998
How do you interpret your risk level for various illnesses when reading
reports of late-breaking news that could affect your health? This article
presents four questions to ask yourself that will help you make informed
decisions regarding your lifestyle choices.
UNIT 2. Stress and Mental Health
7. The Mind and the Heart: They Really Are Connected, Tufts University
Health & Nutrition Letter, August 2000
In the 1970s researchers believed that heart disease was linked to stress
through one’s personality, namely the Type A personality. Several recent
studies support the connection between stress and heart disease, but the
most important factors appear to be hostility, lack of social support, and
mental depression.
8. The Value of a Healthy Attitude, Peggy Rynk, Vibrant Life, March/April
2003
Research has shown that the mind and the immune system exist as a single
unit. When people are angry or bored, their health can be negatively
affected. When they have strong spiritual feelings and use humor to cope
with life’s stresses, their health seems to be positively affected.
9. Taking Humor Seriously, Consumer Reports on Health, October 2001
A study from cardiologists provides empirical support that humor may
protect the immune system from the ravages of stress.
10. How Stress Attacks You, Jerry Adler, Newsweek, June 14, 1999
In this article Jerry Adler examines in detail how our bodies respond to
stress and suggests some useful stress reduction techniques.
11. Fear Not, Brad Schmidt and Jeffrey Winters, Psychology Today,
January/February 2002
This article traces the effects, positive and negative, that fear can have
on the mind and explores how healthy fear can degenerate into generalized
anxiety disorder (GAD), with terrible consequences.
UNIT 3. Nutritional Health
12. Antioxidants: No Magic Bullet, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, April 2002
Oxidants have been linked to cancer, heart disease, eye disease, and memory
loss. Are antioxidants the answer? Researchers are now beginning to
reevaluate their position on these “wonder” drugs.
13. Tips for the Savvy Supplement User, FDA Consumer, March/April 2002
Dietary supplements can be effective health-boosters when used properly—and
they can create health risks and have unintended effects when overused or
used improperly. This article serves as an overview of supplements.
14. Fast Food 2002: The Best & Worst, Bonnie Liebman and Jayne Hurley,
Nutrition Action Healthletter, September 2002
Everyone is pressed for time occasionally. And everyone needs to eat. The
combination of these two factors has led to the rapid and successful growth
of the fast-food industry. This article lists the healthiest (and
unhealthiest) menu choices available at popular fast-food chains.
UNIT 4. Exercise and Weight Management
15. Measure Your Fitness Level, Consumer Reports on Health, April 2002
This article lists four simple tests designed to measure your fitness level
and provides a key to compare your score with the average in your age/sex
bracket.
16. Unforgettable Foods: What’s Most Likely to Make You Sick, David
Schardt, Nutrition Action Healthletter, January/February 2003
On an average day, 13 people in the United States die from food poisoning,
while approximately 200,000 will get sick. Certain foods are more likely
than others to become contaminated with the microbes that can cause a
variety of food-borne illnesses.
17. Don’t Fool Yourself About Getting in Shape, Edward Jackowski, USA Today
Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), March 2003
According to the author, a great exercise program can make up for a less
than optimal diet, but even a great diet can never make up for lack of
exercise.
18. The Female Athlete Triad: Disordered Eating, Amenorrhea, and
Osteoporosis, DawnElla M. Rust, The Clearing House, July/August 2002
The female athlete triad describes a condition affecting female athletes
who maintain an unrealistically low body weight. The affliction leads to
disordered eating, lack of menstrual periods, and weakening and thinning of
the bones.
19. Big Fat Lies: The Truth About the Atkins Diet, Bonnie Liebman,
Nutrition Action Healthletter, vol. 29, no. 9 (November 2002)
For decades, the controversial “Atkins diet”—low in carbohydrates, high in
fat—has sparked contempt among the scientific community, interest among the
general population, and huge revenues for its proponents, including a
$700,000 book advance for a recent proponent, Gary Taubes. This article
features the reactions of several prominent scientists, including several
that Taubes quotes in his reporting, and lists the myths and half-truths
that circulate around this diet.
20. A Guide to Rating the Weight-Loss Websites, Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter, Special Supplement, July 2000
Statistics suggest that while many people attempt to lose weight on their
own, approximately half rely on formal weight-loss programs such as Weight
Watchers or Jenny Craig. With the growth of the Internet has come a third
option—“Cyber Weight-Loss Programs.” This article examines several of these
weight-loss Web sites and rates them on both the quality of information and
the support services that they provide.
UNIT 5. Drugs and Health
21. Prescription for Trouble, Consumer Reports, February 2001
If you have access to the Internet, you can get many prescription
medications without a prescription. Ordering medications online without the
benefit of a doctor’s prescription is about as easy as ordering clothes.
Unfortunately, the wrong medication or the wrong dosage can have serious
repercussions for your health.
22. Public Health Officials Caution Against Ephedra Use, Michelle Meadows,
FDA Consumer, May/June 2003
Ephedra, used as a dietary supplement for weight control, can have
dangerous effects on the heart and nervous system. The untimely death at
age 23 from multiple organ failure
of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler appears to have been related to
the use of this drug.
23. Getting Stupid, Bernice Wuethrich, Discover, March 2001
According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, nearly 7 million
youths between the ages of 12 and 20 participate in binge drinking at least
once a month. While binging among youths is nothing new, recent research
has discovered that this manner of drinking may permanently rob them of as
much as 10 percent of their mental capacity.
24. Strategies to Reduce Medication Errors, Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer,
May/June 2003
Since 1992, the Food and Drug Administration has received more than 20,000
reports of medication errors, thought to be responsible for about 7,000
deaths each year. Steps to reduce medication errors are addressed in this
article.
25. Beat the Winter Bugs: How to Hold Your Own Against Colds and Flu,
Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, November/December 2001
Flu and colds—everyone gets them, nobody wants them. How can we prevent
them? And once we’re past the prevention stage, how can we lessen our
symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness?
UNIT 6. Sexuality and Relationships
26. Sex in America, Michael W. Ross, Psychology Today, January/February
2002
With the release of “Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and
Responsible Sexual Behavior” in 2001, it is clear that the need for honest
discussion about sexuality is urgent. This article highlights that point.
27. The New Gender Wars, Sarah Blustain, Psychology Today,
November/December 2000
While most experts agree that men and women have more than just biological
differences, the exact nature of these differences is a point of contention
between male and female researchers. Can individuals with a gender bias
objectively research gender differences and come to impartial conclusions?
28. Male Contraception: Search Is On for Options, Contraceptive Technolgy
Update, February 2003
Though the only male contraceptive is the condom, there has been a recent
interest in developing other methods. Research has focused on the
suppression of sperm production by hormonal or nonhormonal means and the
development of drugs that prevent sperm from fertilizing eggs.
29. Love Is Not All You Need, Pepper Schwartz, Psychology Today, May/June
2002
Is this real love? Or just real lust? Is passionate love the best indicator
or predictor of relationships that last? What are the factors most likely
to determine the success or failure of a lasting relationship? This article
discusses compatibility, intelligence, sex, communication, empathy, and
flexibility in a love that lasts.
30. Genital Herpes: A Hidden Epidemic, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer,
March/April 2002
Genital herpes is a lifelong illness, with no known cure and little hope
for a cure in the near future. This article provides information about the
disease, as well as treatments to minimize outbreaks.
UNIT 7. Preventing and Fighting Disease
31. An American Epidemic: Diabetes, Jerry Adler and Claudia Kalb, Newsweek,
September 4, 2000
According to many public health experts, the next great lifestyle disease
epidemic to hit the United States will be noninsulin-dependent diabetes
(also known as type 2 or adult onset diabetes). This disease, which
normally strikes after age 40, is demonstrating a dramatic rise among
people in their 30s. Even children are being diagnosed with this form of
diabetes.
32. Another Piece of the Heart-Disease Puzzle?, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition
Action Healthletter, March 2003
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a measure of inflammation in the body. People
with high levels of this protein may be more likely to develop heart
disease. CRP can be lowered by losing weight, stopping smoking, increasing
exercise, taking statin drugs, and eating more fish. While the relationship
between CRP and heart disease isn’t proven, more research may show a
connection.
33. Cancer: How to Lower Your Risk, Bonnie Liebman, Nutrition Action
Healthletter, October 2002
Cancer is becoming more and more pervasive throughout American society, as
the baby boomers continue their trek toward old age. By age 40, your
chances of developing cancer in the next 20 years is 1 in 11; and by age
60, the odds are a grimmer 1 in 5 (for women) and 1 in 3 (for men). This
article provides useful advice on preventing the most common forms of
cancer.
34. Living With AIDS—20 Years Later, Anne Christiansen Bullers, FDA
Consumer, November/December 2001
More than 20 years after the first reported outbreak of AIDS in the United
States, we have yet to fully come to terms with this disease as a society,
and a cure is nowhere in sight. Now some experts fear that the progress
that we have witnessed in the medical management of HIV/AIDS has led to a
dangerous complacency about this disease.
UNIT 8. Health Care and the Health Care System
35. When Nagging Symptoms Should Trigger a Doctor’s Visit, Tufts University
Health & Nutrition Letter, July 2000
Some people run to the doctor for every little ache and pain, while others
avoid doctors like the plague. This article presents practical advice on
how to decide whether a symptom is serious enough to warrant a visit to the
doctor.
36. The Overtreated American, Shannon Brownlee, The Atlantic Monthly,
January/February 2003
According to Shannon Brownlee, reducing excess or unnecessary health care
could save enough money to provide health care to all those who are
currently uninsured. It is estimated that 20 percent to 30 percent of
health care spending goes for procedures, drugs, and hospitalization that
do nothing to improve the quantity or quality of life.
37. Avoiding Hospital Blunders, Consumer Reports on Health, June 2000
America has some of the best health care in the world, but if hospital
errors occur, and they frequently do, they can prove deadly. Hospital
errors are currently the eighth leading cause of death in the United
States, ahead of car accidents, breast cancer, and AIDS. This article
discusses what you can do to protect yourself.
38. The Doctor Won’t See You Now, Daniel Eisenberg and Maggie Sieger, Time,
June 9, 2003
Due to the ever-increasing cost of malpractice insurance, many doctors are
changing their specialties, moving to lower-cost areas of the country, or
leaving the field. The problem doesn’t just affect incompetent doctors but
is becoming a major problem for all doctors and their patients.
UNIT 9. Consumer Health
39. Don’t Be a Wimp in the Doctor’s Office, Maureen Boland, American
Health, April 1999
When it comes to physicians, many people, especially women, are afraid to
assert themselves. Rather than being turned off by your expression of
needs, research shows that physicians and caregivers are more responsive
and provide better care to individuals who take an active role in the
health care process.
40. How to Research a Medical Topic, Consumer Reports on Health, October
2000
This article offers some practical suggestions on using Internet resources
effectively when searching for medical information.
41. How Accurate Are Food Claims?, Consumer Reports on Health, October 2002
If a product has the “heart check” mark on it, it must have beneficial
effects on the heart, right? Not necessarily. This article explores
examples of health-related food claims and provides helpful advice on how
to use the “Nutrition Facts Panel” to guide you in making healthful food
choices.
42. The Vaccine Conundrum, Katherine Hobson, U.S. News & World Report,
March 17, 2003
While some parents are concerned that vaccination may increase their
children’s risks of asthma and autism, the medical community maintains that
immunization is far safer than the risk of childhood diseases. Most doctors
believe that any relationship between vaccination and asthma and autism is
coincidental.
43. Food Additives—What You Nee
d to Know, University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, June 2002
“Food additives, chemicals, and artificial ingredients” are key words often
associated with junk food and an unhealthy diet. But just because snack
foods often contain high doses of these substances, it does not necessarily
mean that junk foods are unhealthy. This article addresses the vital and
often unappreciated role that food additives play in protecting our health
and the quality of our food.
UNIT 10. Contemporary Health Hazards
44. The Truth About SARS, Michael D. Lemonick and Alice Park, Time, May 5,
2003
The SARS virus that appears to have originated in China has affected
thousands of people, mostly in the Far East and Canada. While quarantines
have helped slow the epidemic, the virus continues to spread.
45. West Nile Virus: Reducing the Risk, Linda Bren, FDA Consumer,
January/February 2003
The West Nile Virus, spread by mosquitoes, causes mostly mild symptoms. For
a small number of sufferers, however, the virus develops into a more
serious and sometimes deadly condition known as West Nile encephalitis.
46. An Update on Smallpox, Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, March/April 2003
Though the last case of smallpox was in 1977, if terrorists were to
deliberately introduce the disease, it could escalate into a public health
disaster. Unfortunately, the vaccine carries a small risk of potentially
serious side effects causing concern about immunizing the general public.
47. Trying to Look SUNsational? Complexity Persists in Using Sunscreens,
Larry Thompson, FDA Consumer, July/August 2000
Scientific studies linking skin cancer to sunburn have prompted millions of
Americans to cover themselves with sunscreen lotions. But do sunscreens
really prevent skin cancer? Larry Thompson provides the reader with the
most current thinking about how best to protect your skin from the damaging
effects of the sun.