A landmark 1976 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Estelle v. Gamble) makes incarcerated people the only group in the United States with a protected constitutional right to health care. But the exact nature of that health care is open to interpretation….
Month: April 2024
Many of the things that make rural living appealing to some – the remoteness, the absence of crowds, the simplicity – can make health care more difficult. Choices for doctors may be limited and health care facilities can be miles…
Maybe you know a smoker who never exercises and is living happily into old age. Or perhaps you read about a veggie-loving marathon runner who had a heart attack in middle age. These kinds of stories can’t help but make…
April 26, 2024 – Before there was Ozempic, Wegovy, or Zepbound, there were cost-friendly, safe, and effective weight loss drugs. FDA-approved obesity medication like orlistat (brand name: Xenical), phentermine/topiramate (Qsymia), and naltrexone/bupropion extended release (Contrave) have been on the market for decades….
As of April 2022, two states have passed bills banning gender-affirming care – health care related to a transgender person’s medical transition – for transgender youth, and 20 states are considering laws that would do so. If passed in all…
If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer and are among the 1 in 5 Americans who live in a rural area, you may face challenges in getting the care you need because of where you live. The first step is to…
“Sometimes what you’re most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free.” ~Robert Tew I like to say I don’t regret much in life, because I know I’ve always done the best I could and have…
By Edi Mesa, as told to Hallie Levine I was diagnosed with COPD about 6 years ago at the age of 22. I battled sarcoma lung cancer in my teens, which damaged my lungs. But finding out I had COPD…
April 25, 2024 – Over 2 million people in the 1980s and 1990s had a procedure known as radial keratotomy, a vision-correcting eye surgery that preceded the laser surgery known as LASIK. As part of the procedure, eye surgeons would…
“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt Yesterday my son called me from college and asked about my day. I told him about my morning, which entailed celebrating my friend’s…