Public Health Recommendations

I usually stay away from these kinds of lists–at least ones compiled by other people, because I know my own advice is so right (kidding)–but my therapist friend, Elvira Aletta has a way of crafting advice pieces in a way that you don’t know you’re getting advice. And you don’t come away from her words with a desire to do something destructive. I thought I’d reprint her six steps for a better marriage. But be sure to check out her other blogs on Explore What’s Next!

To nurture a happy marriage or to repair and revive an unhappy one take a look at these six steps, adapted from “We Can Work It Out: Making Sense of Marital Conflict,” by Clifford Notarius, Ph.D., and Howard Markman, Ph.D.

Read more…

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla. found that cocaine consumption increased levels of a regulatory protein called MeCP2 that shuttles back to the nucleus to influence gene expression in the brains of rats. As levels of MeCP2 increased in the brain, so did the animals’ motivation to self-administer cocaine. This suggests that MeCP2 plays a crucial role in regulating cocaine intake in rats and perhaps in determining vulnerability to addiction.

“This discovery, using an animal model of addiction, has exposed an important effect of cocaine at the molecular level that could prove key to understanding compulsive drug taking,” said Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of NIDA.

Read more…

According to a new poll by Harris Interactive and HealthDay, Americans are still confused about the health care reform bill signed into law by President Barack Obama in March. Thought most understood that the reform package would prohibit health insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, those polled were less sure of specific provisions of the plan. For example, only 43 percent knew small businesses would be eligible for tax credits for providing insurance for their employees, and 87 percent did not know or were not sure that the new law would increase the number of people eligible for Medicaid.

Oral surgeons may one day have an easier, less costly approach to one important aspect of dental restoration, thanks to a newly patented process developed by researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). The process computerizes the method for creating a dental bar, also called an over-denture. For dental restoration procedures, the device is the bridge connecting dental implants to dentures. The computerized approach was developed by Dr. Ming Leu, the Keith and Pat Bailey Missouri Distinguished Professor of Integrated Product Manufacturing at Missouri S&T, and one of Leu’s former students, Amit Gawate, who received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Missouri S&T in 2005. Read more…

Today’s guest post is by Dr. Olajide Williams, a general neurologist with special interest in stroke. He is Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at Columbia University. The following story is an excerpt from his book, “Stroke Diaries,” which is a collection of his experiences, both somber and hopeful. I find this piece on Oxford University Press’s blog, which you can get to by clicking here. Pedro was lying on the bathroom floor next to the toilet bowl. Water was still running from rusty faucet, overflowing the sink, and pooling around his body as he lay limp on wet porcelain tiles. Lucy was standing over him and whining.

Read more…