Category: Health and Medicine

In the before times, there was the influenza pandemic of 1918. It killed more people than World War I, between 20 and 40 million. The virus ravaged the globe with high infection and mortality rates, and science could do little to stop it. Eventually the pandemic died out, but not before the damage was done. Continue reading “A Brief History of Disease” →

There is no shortage of reasons that Americans are getting fatter. The excuses range from increased pollution, to the invention of air conditioning. The decrease in cigarette smoking even plays a role. Since there are so many factors pushing Americans into obesity, then the real question is why are there any skinny people left? Well in reality, the obesity problem is not nearly as complicated as one might think. The real problem is motivation. Continue reading “Why Wouldn’t We Be Fat?” →

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., causing 32.8% of all deaths in 2008, according to the American Heart Association. Each year 1.2 million people have a heart attack. Of these, 785,000 are the person’s first coronary heart attack. Continue reading “Heart Attacks” →

Two new diet drugs have been approved by the FDA in a month. Qsymia and Belviq are the first two diet drugs to be approved since Roche’s Xenical in 1999. This comes as obesity rates in the U.S. top 35%. Continue reading “Drugs, Diet and Exercise” →

Childhood obesity in the United States is at 17%, triple the 5% it was in 1980. Furthermore, only 20% of young people eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. Georgia, with 21.3% of children obese, is ranked the second worst state for childhood obesity, including Washington D.C. One third of children 10 to 17 in Georgia are overweight. This problem needs to be addressed immediately, because overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. Continue reading “Childhood Obesity Awareness Month” →