There it is a matter that was once personal and private now, personal and public. Speaking on CBS This Morning,  Alda said' "he got tested for the disease after reading an article about how one of the early signs of Parkinson's is acting out dreams. I was having a dream that someone was attacking me and I threw a sack of potatoes at them. But what I was really doing was throwing a pillow at my wife, On NPR's show Science Friday Alda told Ira Flatow that he wanted to get the story out "his own way, a positive way"....

In a recent post on the CNN website, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent says:" Over the past century, modern medicine has helped increase life expectancy in the United States by more than three decades. And over the next few decades, we may better define "longevity genes" and the relevance they have to our lives. For the time being, though, both the quality and quantity of our lives are very much in our own control. When it comes to our longevity, we would be well-served to focus on nurture more than nature."  Recent studies have shown that genes account for some,...

The May 22, 2018 episode of the podcast  99%Invisible is about something you use every day and probably don't think about: Curb Cuts. Today, we have these cuts in most place in most cities, thanks to the activism of Ed Roberts, a man who contracted polio as a boy leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Ed Roberts story is one of courage: he learned to breathe without his iron lung using a diver's technique often referred to as frog breathing, and determination, although able to live outside his iron lung for only brief periods, he completed high school then fought for...

When seeking relief from illness or injury most of us have been asked by a healthcare practitioner to rate our pain. Usually referring to a rating scale of 1-10. We are beginning to learn that although better than nothing this scale may not tell the true story of how each individual feels pain. Writing for The New Yorker magazine author Nicola Twilley, who was going to subject herself to testing, was told by the scientist. Irene Tracey,  who directs Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and has become known as the Queen of Pain. “We might have a problem with you being a...

It's daunting! How can you be a good citizen, not just of your community, but of our planet? Googling a few of the nagging questions: which is better paper napkins or cloth (which have to be washed)? Which is better to fly or drive? Which is better paper or plastic shopping bags? Which is a better choice plastic wrap or aluminum foil? etc. etc.  There are no good or easy answers. Though on the surface it may appear obvious which is preferable: the truth is often indecipherable. What is good for one aspect of the environment is damaging to another, what...