"Rich vs. Poor" Health
The following timeline was created to help illustrate how potential and/or cumulative influence and/or events can impact [for good or for bad] upon individual human health. In some places, bold type highlights were added for quick summary review. [- E.M.]
January 2012
2012 - 116 million in constant pain - January 19th, 2012: "Persistent pain that lasts weeks to years is an overlooked medical problem that affects more than 116 million people nationwide [U.S.A.] and needs to be the focus of a public health campaign, doctors told the New England Journal of Medicine." [Based on: Digest article (116 million in constant pain), p. A7, S.L.P.D., 01/19/12 and p. A11, S.L.P.D., 01/20/12]
2012 - Trivia / Mental Illness, U.S.A. - January 20th, 2012: "One in five adults in the U.S. had a mental illness in 2010, with people ages 18 to 25 having the highest rates, according to a national survey ['the Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released Thursday']. [....] Among the highlights, people in the 50-plus age bracket had the lowest incidence of any mental illness (14.3 percent), while those ages 18 to 25 had the highest, at 29.9 percent. Women had higher rates than men: 23 percent versus 16.8 percent. [....]" [Based on: Los Angeles Times article (20 percent of adults had mental illness in 2010), p. A8, S.L.P.D., 01/20/12]
2012 - It's best to avoid component in plastics, can liners, receipts - January 26th, 2011: "[...] There is another overlooked source of BPA. A different reader warns: 'BPA also coats the paper that many store receipts are printed on. It comes off on hands. Consumers should decline receipts, or handle them with care and wash their hands afterward. Children should never be allowed to handle these receipts.' Research has confirmed that register receipts often contain BPA that can be absorbed through the skin (Environmental Health Perspectives online, Jan. 1, 2012). [....]" [Based on: PEOPLE'S PHARMACY / Joe and Teresa Graedon article (It's best to avoid component in plastics, can liners, receipts), p. B2, S.L.P.D., 01/26/12]
2012 - Kids' brains benefit from praise - January 31st, 2011: "Kids' brains benefit from praise / WU study [Washington University, Mo.] reports that positive reinforcement may increase brain size." [Based on: Title for Article, p. A1, S.L.P.D., 01/31/12]
February 2012
2012 - Chip allows implant to deliver medicine regularly - February 19th, 2012: "[...] Like pacemakers, defibrillators and other implantable electronic devices, the chips are controlled by radio waves in a dedicated medical frequency band. But instead of delivering an electric signal to the body, they deliver a chemical signal. [....]" [Based on: Los Angeles Times article (Chip allows implant to deliver medicine regularly), p. A12, S.L.P.D., 02/19/12]
2012 - FDA warnings on statins - February 29th, 2012: "FDA warnings on statins ['about risks of memory loss and elevated blood sugar']" [Based on: Title (and text) for Digest article, p. A13, S.L.P.D., 02/29/12]
March 2012
2012 - FDA ordered to act - March 24th, 2012: "A federal court judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to take action on its own 35-year-old rule that would stop farmers from mixing widely used antibiotics into animal feed, a practice that has led to a surge in dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria. In 1977, the FDA concluded that the overuse of antibiotics in livestock, poultry and other animals weakened the treatment's effectiveness in humans." [Based on: Digest article (FDA ordered to act), p. A19 S.L.P.D., 03/24/12]
2012 - WU will be focus of novel effort - March 26th, 2012: "[...] The five-year study, expected to cost at least $30 million, will focus on a unique group of subjects who have an inherited gene mutation that makes it certain they will contract the disease. Researchers identified these individuals through family members with the same mutation, which causes early onset Alzheimer's, a rare form of the disease that often takes hold about age 45. [...] The pharmaceutical industry views Alzheimer's as potentially a huge market, especially given the nation's aging population. As many as 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's, according to the Centers for Deisease Control and Prevention, which identifies the disease as one of the leading causes of death in the United States. [NP] Drugmakers have spent decades and vast sums of money conducting research and development into neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's. But most all of their drug trials have failed. [...] Contrary to popular belief, Alzheimer's is not part of the normal aging process. Although gradual, it progresses more rapidly than natural aging. And when brain cells die it causes dementia. [... .]" [Based on: Article (WU will be focus of novel effort / Universities and drugmakers to collaborate on a project to attack the debilitating disease.), pp. A1-A5, S.L.P.D., 03/26/12]
Page last updated 03/24/12