Why curveballs are so hard to hit
I’ve always found optical illusions fascinating, partly because they’re a good reminder that we can’t always believe the information we’re taking in.
Health
Back pain in Britain: an alternative approach
If you have low back pain (and if you don’t, you probably will, for four of five of us develop an achy lower back at some point in our lives), you’ll be interested to learn that three alternative therapies — acupuncture, manual therapy (massage and/
New Yorker article sparks strong reaction
Until recently, McAllen, Texas, a quiet border town, was best known for being the backdrop of the film “Lonesome Dove.” But an article recently published in the The New Yorker has brought the town unwelcome notoriety: McAllen is now synonymous with
The other type of computer health hazard
The physical health hazards posed by computers include more than such chronic ailments as carpal tunnel injuries, back pain and blurred vision.
The latest hormone hype
Fear-mongering about menopause is alive and well.
Lack of sleep linked to high blood pressure
Better get those Zzzzs.
Wait? No thanks. I’d rather die.
Those American TV ads that show a handful of British patients and doctors warning of the perils of socialized medicine have my relatives and friends “over the pond” shaking their heads in disbelief.Sure, Britons love to whine (or whinge, as they som
A meaning for morning sickness?
Now they tell me.
I had terrible morning sickness — unrelenting nausea — during the early months of both my pregnancies. Ugh. I wouldn’t wish it on any woman.
Well, maybe I should wish it on them.
Chronic heartburn: Promising treatment for serious complication
A Twin Cities physician has developed a promising treatment for a serious complication of chronic heartburn. “It’s revolutionary,” said Robert Ganz, a gastroenterologist with Minnesota Gastroenterology.
Seeking a key to the ‘Phantom’ phenomenon
Since its debut in London in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988 “The Phantom of the Opera,” which opens for another run here on Wednesday, has lured 80 million attendees in more than 100 cities. What’s its secret?
Swine flu H1N1: What is a ‘suspect case’ — and is summer on our side?
It’s been a meteoric rise to infective fame for the recently discovered swine flu virus H1N1, and now that a case has been confirmed in Minnesota, Department of Health testing of “suspect cases” is in full swing.
Update: After first Minnes
New swine flu puts U.S. on alert
The appearance of a novel swine influenza, first in Mexico City, has caused U.S. health officials to declare a public health emergency.
Allina takes on challenges of improving its health-care system’s food culture
Hospitals got rid of cigarette smoke a long time ago, but they still offer fries and chips under the same roof as obesity surgery.
Health insurance watch: Some good news amid grim numbers
There’s one piece of good news to report during “Cover the Uninsured Week”: The rate of uninsured children fell 13 percent nationwide between 1994 and 2007, thanks to government assistance like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Attn. Mr. President: Some of the lethal effects of smoking come pronto
OK, so President Obama is sneaking a few cigarettes. A few puffs here and there shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Right — and wrong.
Ordway looks forward to revamped ‘Little House’
Though local critics panned last year’s “Little House on the Prairie” musical, they did not deter an extended run at the Guthrie or dissuade the Ordway from booking the first stop on a tour starting in the fall.
New director of Minnesota State Arts Board is upbeat about its role despite governor’s phase-out plan
What would possess someone to become executive director of the Minnesota State Arts Board when the governor wants to cut its $10.2 million annual appropriation and turn the board into a nonprofit? Sue Gens explains why she recently took the job.
Multivitamins: A multiwaste of money?
A new, large study published earlier this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that taking a multivitamin offers no benefit in reducing heart disease or common cancers.
How Obama can learn from Bush’s health-care missteps
All political affiliations aside, I hope Barack Obama is a better health-care president than the departed George W. Bush.
Obama mosaic in search of a permanent home
Minneapolis mosaic artist Angela Carlson Talle had hoped a 9-foot by 7-foot mosaic of President-elect Barack Obama would make its way to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration.
