Recent mice and human test tube studies show that salt causes increased formation of the immune-system cells that are implicated in disorders in which the immune system attacks, rather than defends, the body. This research provides yet another reason to reduce salt in one’s diet. 

Can we get on the same page?

Three pieces in the most recent New England Journal of Medicine deal with an impending problem in health care. A shortage of primary care clinicians is predicted as the population ages and millions gain insurance in 2014. Since the United States will have insufficient numbers of primary care doctors, relying on nurse practitioners to provide services appears to be a solution. However, many of our current physicians and nurse practitioners, even though working side by side, perceive they inhabit different universes. There is a pressing need for dialogue and collaboration between physicians, nurse practitioners, and the public. Otherwise, all will end up unhappy.

Spring is here!

Freedom of speech reexamined....

After a teenager falsely yelled “bingo” in a Kentucky bingo hall, he was charged with disorderly conduct.  Likening the prank to yelling “fire” in a crowded theater, the judge ordered the teen not to say the word “bingo” for six months.

Scratch and lose....

A survey of 2000 high school students revealed those who had received instant scratch lottery tickets as children and adolescents have more permissive attitudes about gambling than those who had not received such gifts. Kids who get such gifts gamble earlier in life and may be more prone to develop severe gambling disorders later on. The findings support other research showing that early gambling experience is associated with future problems in stopping despite experiencing major difficulties related to it.

Bah, humbug!

Charities try to encourage donations by offering thank-you gifts in return, but this may be backfiring. Recent experiments involving more than 1,300 adults showed that if a gift was attached as a premium for their donation, they actually gave less.  It also didn’t matter whether the gift was perceived as valuable or desirable. The researchers suggest that gifts may lessen the “altruistic satisfaction” donors get from giving.

I usually decline such gifts, thinking that means more money for the charity. What about you?

Goodbye, Babar....

The Nairobi Star reports that 2000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year in Kenya alone. The Chinese desire for “ivory status symbols” stimulates the poaching that threatens to wipe out Africa’s elephants “in the next two decades.”