Laura Blue

Articles from Contributor

Sort by  
+Flu | August 4, 2009

Avoiding Bogus Flu Remedies

By Laura Blue

The World Health Organization says it’s maintaining its estimate that swine flu — the virus better known now as “novel H1N1″ — will infect some 2 billion people before the pandemic is over. That’s almost a third of the world’s population, and a scary thought. So this seems as good a time as any to figure out what’s fact and what’s plain misinformation when [...]

+Supplements | August 4, 2009

Got Fish Oil?

By Laura Blue

Mounting evidence supports the healthy-heart benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. You’ve probably heard of them before; they’re the fatty acids found in fish or fish-oil supplements. This month, a group of scientists writing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologyhas gone back to review decades’ worth of past studies on the fatty acids’ [...]

+Health Reform | August 4, 2009

Does Prevention Really Cut Health-Care Costs?

By Laura Blue

If you’ve been trying to follow the debate over U.S. health-care reform, you might be confused about whether Obama’s plan is really going to cut costs, how much it will save, and how on earth there can be so much debate over what seems like accounting. At the heart of this issue, however, is the question of [...]

+Depression | August 3, 2009

Antidepressant Use Soars

By Laura Blue

In 2005, 10% of Americans aged six or older — some 27 million people — received at least one prescription for antidepressants. That’s up from just under 6% in 1996.

+Public Health | August 3, 2009

Plague Deaths in China

By Laura Blue

There are reports today of two deaths from pneumonic plague in western China. Pneumonic plague is the deadliest and least common form of plague. Still, the odds that this dreaded disease will make it across oceans to ravage your hometown are just about zero.

+Spirituality | August 3, 2009

Which College Majors Are Most Religious?

By Laura Blue

On average, Americans who study education or business become more religious while at college, while students in humanities and social sciences become less religious.

+Stress | July 31, 2009

What Causes Stress?

By Laura Blue

Here’s a chance to help scientists uncover the roots of stress. The Big Stress Experiment aims to be the largest-ever scientific investigation on the topic — and it’s recruiting help from the public. You take an online quiz about your feelings and your life experience. Then academic researchers take your data (anonymously) to determine how [...]

+Obesity | July 31, 2009

Burning More Energy, Naturally

By Laura Blue

Scientists say they’ve engineered mouse and human cells to make more “brown fat” — the stuff the body uses to convert stored fat into heat. They hope this finding can lead to a simple new obesity treatment.

+Hospitals | July 31, 2009

Can Surgery Cure Migraines?

By Laura Blue

A new study claims that surgery — plastic surgery, no less — has the potential to cure migraines. Of 49 patients who underwent the new treatment (similar to a traditional forehead lift), more than half reported their migraines were completely gone — eliminated. In total, 83% said their migraine frequency had declined by at least [...]