In the midst of multiple public health crises, the NIH budget is in an unprecedented period of stagnation. So why the growing chorus of voices calling to slash more science?
Senator Rand Paul recently slammed the NIH, specifically calling out a study of “origami condoms” which he says are “designed with Japanese folding paper in mind.” In fact, this research is …
Science bashing: The latest threat to research in America
The Ellen DeGeneres Show has repeatedly put out a call for viewers to send in their funny sunburn pictures and stories. The following was posted on the website:
Summer is here and everyone is hitting the beach or pool. Just don’t forget the sunscreen! If you did, and you have the bad sunburn to prove it, we want to see the funny photos. Be sure to tell us the story behind …
Social media advocacy matters: The case of the Ellen DeGeneres Show
Following the lead of the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health, the American Medical Association declared obesity a “disease.” The AMA cited the plethora of evidence linking obesity to chronic disease including the number one cause of mortality in the US, cardiovascular disease. They describe the move as an effort to urge physicians and third party payers to recognize the need for obesity treatment ranging from behavioral …
Obesity as a disease: The challenge for physicians
I love social media so much that I give seminars on how academics should use it to advance their careers and fields of study. Today I’m writing about what I hate about it to answer a question often posed to me by social media skeptics: what are the downsides to participating in social media? At the risk of completely undermining my mission to encourage greater academic presence on social media, …
7 downsides to participating in academic health care social media
When my daughter was born, I hired a nanny. Her name was Kelly. She was great, a savior. She collaborated with me in running the household, enforcing the rules of the home. She even had a set of her own rules. I learned from her and her rules because she had more experience tending children than me. She wasn’t a dictator, …
How the nanny state mentality hurts public health
The recent New York City law restricting portion sizes of sugary beverages offered in restaurants has stirred much controversy among policy makers, scientists, the media and consumers. Opponents support the freedom of choice in selecting beverage portions and contend there is insufficient evidence that legislation will change behavior or body weight. Proponents contend that something should be done to reduce the ever-expanding receptacles in which sugar-laden beverages …
Healthier menus without restrictive legislation
Lifestyle interventions are effective, but require multiple visits of behavioral, nutrition, and exercise counseling over 6 months to 2 years if delivered true to original form. Few medical centers offer such services, leaving this care to be handled by commercial vendors or simply leaving patients to deal with their weight on their own. This predicament is likely a factor in the development of a $60 billion fad diet industry, which …
Refer patients to Twitter for weight loss
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