An Ethical Decision: Should Vegans and Vegetarians Take Medications?

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you may have agonized over the fact that taking almost any medical treatment is, in effect, saying yes to animal exploitation.This article suggests a pro-animal and pro-health approach that you may not have considered.

There is Room for Improvement in Doctors' Communication Skills When Delivering Bad News Such as a Cancer Diagnosis

Being told you have cancer is hard enough without having to deal with receiving the news in an insensitive or impersonal way or without privacy. This article discusses ways in which patients have learned that news and under what conditions they have been the most satisfied with their doctors.
There is Room for Improvement in Doctors' Skills When Delivering Bad News

Negative Beliefs Worsen Chronic Pain and Depression in Patients with Back Problems

If you are caught in a vicious cycle of negative beliefs, depression, and back pain, this article is a worthwhile read.

Touch Deprivation and the Value of Infant Massage

Every human has a basic need to be touched. Babies don't thrive and sometimes do not survive if they are not touched, in spite of modern medical interventions, good food, and clean environments. Infant massage is a fast-growing discipline that is being practiced more and more in infant intensive care units and it is being offered in massage therapy schools to community therapists and to doctors and nurses who care for medically fragile infants. Learn more about the dangers of touch deprivation and the value of infant massage.

ORS: Stinking Thinking

Imagine how horrible it would be if your body gave off offensive odors that you could not seem to do anything about. Olfactory Reference Syndrome is a mental condition where sufferers imagine just that. It causes them to constantly seek out health care practitioners who can help and they sometimes resort to unnecessary surgeries. ORS can ruin careers and relationships and even increase the risk of suicide. Read more about this delusional disorder.

Plant-Based Sources of B12

I started being a vegetarian because of my love for animals (and my preference for fruits and vegetables) without educating myself about any nutrients that might be missing from my diet. I have always been anemic and after almost 30 years of vegetarianism, I have some damage to my optic nerve--I'm guessing from vitamin B12 deficiency. Since B12 is stored in the body, health problems such as nerve damage may not show up for years. You cannot do without this important vitamin. Find out more about plant-based sources of vitamin B12.

Black Cohosh No Help for Osteoporosis

Black cohosh is offered up by many herbal sellers as a preventive for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Past research studies showed changes in the body in women past menopause that should translate into better bone density results. However, the first study that evaluated bone density results directly has shown black cohosh to be ineffective for osteoporosis. Exercise is still the gold standard.