Plan B, The Pope, and Other Controversies Re-Visited

Mike Magee This week the Pope announced he will resign. Surprise. And President Obama’s carefully crafted solution to require funding by health insurance plans (including those sponsored by Catholic institutions) of birth control pills was met with the Catholic Bishops’ cold shoulder.(1) No surprise there. In spite of the fact that 98% of Catholic women […]

America’s Children Succumb To “The Great Oppressor” Writ Large

MEMORIAL: WEST HARTFORD, CT 12/16/12 Mike Magee Sunday night, while attending the Memorial above in my home town, I wondered, “Did we as a nation do all that was possible to avoid the disaster in Newtown, CT?” Clearly no. A second question: “Do the issues of what we didn’t do – manage our guns, manage […]

Why Americans – and the Nurses and Doctors Who Care For Them – Are Dying In Increasing Numbers

Mike Magee For the first time in our nation’s history, annual deaths of Americans exceeded 2.5 million off of a baseline population of 314 million.(1) Before anyone shrieks with alarm, let me add that the rate of deaths per 100,000 people actually dropped to an all-time low. Why the discrepancy? Because the increase of 45,000 […]

IOM Live Chat Today With CDC Leader

Obesity is common, serious, and costly, and it affects every region of the U.S. During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States This complex and growing epidemic is confronted in “Weight of the Nation”, a four part series airing now on HBO. The documentary was developed […]

Heads Up To Soccer Moms!

Mike Magee Concussions and brain injury associated with football – no news there! Unless, of course, we’re talking about English football or soccer. A study released this week is setting off alarm bells in communities across the US where recreational and competitive soccer now involves more kids then all other sports combined. The study retrospectively […]

Cigarette Smoking – How Are We Doing? 10 Facts You Should Know.

Mike Magee For the past half century, ground zero on the American battle with chronic disease has been cigarette smoking.(1) It’s a success story with lessons that are transferable to our larger preventive health struggles. From tobacco we have learned that: knowledge is power; opponents who profit will not give up without a fight; advertising […]

What’s With The Mosquitos?

Mike Magee Last week I woke up in the middle of the night itching my arm and my ankles. My first reaction was “I must have gotten into poison something”. But the next morning it was clear – mosquito bites. It turns out other family members in other states were having the same problem, which […]

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