Tag Archive for "medicine"

Posts Tagged medicine

Quick hit: the medical revolution in sub-Saharan Africa

There’s an important article about expanded access to health care in Sierra Leone in today New York Times. An excerpt:

Sierra Leone is at the vanguard of a revolution — heavily subsidized for now by international donors — that appears to be substantially lessening health dangers here in one of the riskiest countries in the world for pregnant women and small children.

Country after country in sub-Saharan Africa has waived medical fees in recent years, particularly for women and children, and while experts acknowledge that many more people are getting care, they caution that it is still too early to declare that the efforts have measurably improved health on the continent.

My question: what happens when the international donors lose interest?

There’s an important article about expanded access to health care in Sierra Leone in today New York Times. An excerpt:

Sierra Leone is at the vanguard of a revolution — heavily subsidized for now by international donors ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

Health disparities and the limits of patient advocacy

It’s not really breaking news that health disparities in the study and treatment of women, particularly regarding women of color, persist. Heart disease, for example, is the leading cause of death among women, and yet few get the preventative care that they need. Cardiovascular disease affects 44.7 % of black women, compared to just 32.4% of white women. This discrepancy is chroncially understudied.

One of the biggest investments in studying “lady stuff,” as it’s been thought of among traditional scientists and doctors for too long, is The Women’s Health Initiative, a $625 million study that has looked at that trickiest of all tricksters, menopause, and the many ways of making it less unbearable for women coping with it. ...

By Chloe Angyal • 13 years ago

New study finds that men suffer postpartum depression too

According to new research published this month in the journal Pediatrics, new fathers are susceptible to postpartum depression.

Researchers from the University of Michigan collected data from 1,746 new fathers in 20 cities, finding that over all, about 7 percent showed signs of depression. More than 40 percent of depressed fathers spanked their children, compared with 13 percent of fathers who weren’t depressed.

As is the case with postpartum depression in mothers, depression in new dads affects children. Depressed fathers are more likely to report substance abuse than fathers who are not depressed, and they’re less likely to read stories to their children. And among certain groups, male postpartum depression is alarmingly common. According to the study, among fathers of infants ...

According to new research published this month in the journal Pediatrics, new fathers are susceptible to postpartum depression.

Researchers from the University of Michigan collected data from 1,746 new fathers in 20 cities, finding that over all, ...

By Miriam • 13 years ago

New documentary showcases attempts to profit off myths about female sexual pleasure

Orgasm Inc is a documentary that exposes big pharma’s attempts to profit off of myths about female sexual pleasure.

It’s shocking and incredible the blatant way that pharmaceutical companies are involved in the creation of medical problems that they can then solve with their new drugs and tools.

That’s right: for-profit pharmaceutical companies CREATE medical disorders for the sole purpose of creating a new market for their new drug.

This film focuses on “female sexual dysfunction” and big pharma’s attempts at creating drugs to solve it.

Now I’m not saying that there aren’t women out there who have legitimate medical concerns that affect their sexual functioning. They do.

But what I am saying is that the classification of these kinds of ...

Orgasm Inc is a documentary that exposes big pharma’s attempts to profit off of myths about female sexual pleasure.

It’s shocking and incredible the blatant way that pharmaceutical companies are involved in the creation of ...

By Chloe Angyal • 13 years ago

Study reveals gender pay gap in new doctors

Did you know that a woman heart surgeon earns about $27, 000 less per year than a male one? That’s according to a new study, published in this month’s issue of Health Affairs. The study finds a gender pay gap of almost $17, 000 among new doctors, a gap that has been widening over the last decade.

As the Wall Street Journal’s Juggle blog reports, the gender pay gap between new doctors, across all specialties, widened by 17% in 2008. That’s up from a 12.5% gap in 1999. Today, new women doctors make $174, 000 a year, while men make $209, 300. And while those are admittedly both large salaries, when you have between $150, 000 and $200, 000 in ...