Author: Lance Garrison
By Christina OrlovskyFor many mothers-to-be, pregnancy is a time of excitement and expectation, as they eagerly await the arrival of their newborn. For many more, however, it is also a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and unanswered questions. This is especially true in diverse communities across the United States – the only developed country whose maternal mortality rate has been steadily rising over recent decades. In fact, the most recent CDC statistics show that there were 23.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, up significantly from 20.1 in 2019.This grim statistic is also accompanied by further data that shows…
Periods of backlash take shape after surges of Black progress. We have entered another such period.
Think I have something good to report, people. No, it’s not about how to get your kids Taylor Swift tickets in Tokyo.My news is that Dean Phillips is not going to run as a third-party candidate for president.“No! No!” he assured me when I asked him the big question this week.OK, you’re thinking that you’ve had more thrilling news from the grocer on banana prices. But follow along for a minute.Phillips is a representative from Minnesota who campaigned very energetically in the New Hampshire presidential primary. People there were a tad piqued by the Democrats’ decision to move the first…
April Williams remembers when her doctor told her she should weigh 140 to 150 pounds. At the time, she was 326 pounds, her highest weight to date. “I didn’t even weigh that in elementary school, but he still thought that’s where I should be,” says Williams, the founder of BariNation, a website for people considering weight loss surgery. April Williams / Photo credit: Laney Bliss Nearly 5 years later – after weight loss surgery, following a fastidious diet, daily exercise, and starting an obesity medication — Williams was at her lowest weight of her adult life: 184 pounds. It didn’t happen…
There are two things I believe about the widening crisis in the Middle East.We are about to see a new Biden administration strategy unfold to address this multifront war involving Gaza, Iran, Israel and the region — what I hope will be a “Biden Doctrine” that meets the seriousness and complexity of this dangerous moment.And if we don’t see such a big, bold doctrine, the crisis in the region is going to metastasize in ways that will strengthen Iran, isolate Israel and leave America’s ability to influence events there for the better in tatters.A Biden Doctrine — as I’m terming…
Advances in Diabetes Treatment By Camille PeriWebMD Feature WebMD Feature Archive Diabetes treatment is getting better every day. Scientists may be just a few years away from making an artificial pancreas that can safely detect and adjust blood sugar (glucose) levels. In the meantime, new medications and insulin devices can make living with diabetes easier and safer now. “We’re getting more and more options,” says Michael German, MD, clinical director of the Diabetes Center at the University of California, San Francisco. “That’s good because no two people with diabetes are the same. It helps us get the right…
The baby bust that we all know about has gotten worse in a way that isn’t yet widely understood.Birthrates, which have been falling for decades, declined even more during the Covid pandemic. And they have continued to fall since, according to a report to clients by James Pomeroy, a global economist for HSBC, the London-based bank. It’s titled, “The Baby Bust Intensifies: How Bad Could It Get?” (Sorry, no link.)Pomeroy didn’t wait for the official data collectors such as the United Nations to assemble data trickling in from national statistical agencies. He went out and collected the numbers from them…
To the Editor:Re “Undoing ‘Chevron’ Would Duly Shift Power Back to Congress,” by David French (column, Jan. 22), and “Undoing ‘Chevron’ Would Unduly Shift Power to the Courts,” by Jody Freeman and Andrew Mergen (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 22), about a case before the Supreme Court:I agree with Mr. French that it is Congress, rather than the courts or the administrative agencies, that should fill the gaps in any laws that it passes. But Mr. French acknowledges that Congress is dysfunctional and unlikely to act in a timely manner on the many instances when a gap in a law must…
By Arielle Hicks, as told to Alexandra BenisekI’ve had migraines for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was always bubbly, involved in extracurriculars, and a straight-A student. One day, I had what I thought was a typical headache, but it wouldn’t go away. Then for weeks, I’d only get a day or two without a headache. Then weeks turned into months.I was falling asleep in class. My grades were dropping. I wasn’t doing my homework, or doing well on tests anymore. I stopped hanging out with friends and playing sports. I didn’t want to do even…
These stories are, unsurprisingly, the ones in the headlines. But as science moves forward, there are an increasing number of people like Mr. Parish. There are life-changing treatments available for his disease, but they seemingly cannot reverse the damage that has already been done. A growing population of patients is faced with a challenging question: What is it like for those who know that their disease could be cured or significantly managed within their lifetime but that they won’t be able to — or might choose not to — see that benefit?“When I talk as someone who is older, who…