Top Killers in America
A study published in 2016 in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) identified “medical error” as the third leading cause of death in the United States. Study authors reported that medical errors are responsible for the deaths of about 251,000 Americans each year—up from the nearly 100,000 Americans estimated by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in […]
U.S. Spends the Most on Health Care, Has Worst Health Outcomes
Despite the United States spending twice as much money on health care, the health of Americans is worse than other high income nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to a 2023 report by the Commonwealth Fund.1 In 2021, the U.S. expenditure for health care was $11,912 per person. Germany was […]
Popular Weight-Loss Drugs Linked to Stomach Paralysis, Suicide and More
Just two months after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a safety signal citing concerns about a possible link to all types of thyroid cancer in people using Ozempic, doctors are sounding the alarm on even more dangerous health risks associated with the popular weight loss and diabetes medication. Negative health outcomes reportedly associated with […]
Diabetes Among American Youth Predicted to Increase 700 Percent by 2060
According to a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), type 2 diabetes is predicted to surge almost 700 percent in young people by 2060 if current trends continue. Currently, 37 million or one in 10 Americans suffer from diabetes.1 Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas fails to produce […]
U.S. Southeast and Rural Areas Have More Severe COVID-19 Tied to Chronic Illness
Story Highlights Certain co-existing health problems like obesity and diabetes and lung, heart and kidney disease have been associated with increased risk for severe symptoms and death from COVID-19. A recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reported that underlying conditions contributing to greater risk for severe COVID-19 disease are more prevalent in the southeast […]
504 Plans for Special Needs Children: The New Normal
Every fall I meet with teachers and school officials to review my children’s 504 plans to protect them from anaphylactic shock. This back-to-school ritual has become so routine that we hardly give it a second thought. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects people with disabilities and other qualifying health conditions from discrimination […]