Should Kids Take Statins to Fight Cholesterol? | Newsweek Health

Some Treatments Just Don’t Work
Sharon Begley 10/8/2009 12:00:00 AM
In for a dime, in for a dollar, my father always said—so since I already have what seems like every psychologist in the country furious at me for writing about a report that takes the profession to task for practicing forms of therapy that have no scientific support, and half the doctors annoyed at me for noting the disconnect between what treatments they offer and which ones are supported by solid empirical evidence, I'll wade into these treacherous waters yet again. By "treacherous waters," I mean evidence-based medicine (EBM): choosing treatments based on the clinical evidence that they work. (Click here to follow Sharon Begley)
Redefining ‘Cured’
9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM
Ever since 1988, wheelchairs have figured into Alan T. Brown's dreams. That was the year his neck was crushed by an ocean wave at a Club Med in Martinique. He was 20 years old, young and single and free, and in one second went from a vibrant college student to a quadriplegic, with no movement below his chest. The dreams began almost instantly, usually with the wheelchair off to one side, Brown standing nearby. "In the beginning, I was convinced I would walk again—1,000 percent," says Brown, now 42, who runs his own public-relations company in Hollywood, Fla. "My old mottos were 'There's light at the end of the tunnel' and 'Never say never.' I did think there was going to be a cure." (Article continued below...)
Why are All the Really Old People Women?
9/19/2009 12:00:00 AM
Sixty-eight of the 72 known "supercentenarians" (people 110 and older) are female, even though there are more boys than girls born each year. Here's why.
Rationing? Not My Kid!
Sharon Begley 9/16/2009 12:00:00 AM
With concerns over health-care rationing reaching near-hysterical levels, imagine this scenario in an ER in the not-too-distant future. A 4-year-old suffers minor head trauma, perhaps from falling off a swing and hitting her head on the ground. She is dazed, and although she doesn't lose consciousness her worried parents—visions of subdural hematomas and concussion dancing in their own heads—rush her to the local emergency room, expecting that the doctors there will immediately do a CT scan.
Hand-Washing Won’t Stop H1N1
9/15/2009 12:00:00 AM
In a speech to schoolchildren last week that had some conservative opponents up in arms, President Obama delivered at least one line that seemed incontestable: "I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter." The Disney corporation is now marketing Musical Hand Wash Timers featuring characters like the Little Mermaid, and encouraging parents to "take precaution against swine flu" by teaching children to wash their hands correctly. "Studies prove that regular hand-washing dramatically reduces the spread of infection," says the Disney Web page, which links to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site.
The Real Cause of Obesity
9/10/2009 12:00:00 AM
Despite receiving a MacArthur genius award for her work in Alabama "forging an inspiring model of compassionate and effective medical care in one of the most underserved regions of the United States," Regina Benjamin's qualifications to be surgeon general have been questioned. Why? She is overweight. "It tends to undermine her credibility," Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, said in an interview with ABC News. "I do think at a time when a lot of public-health concern is about the national epidemic of obesity, having a surgeon general who is noticeably overweight raises questions in people's minds."