April is National Minority Health Month, making it the perfect time to focus on the often-significant disparities in health and wellbeing that affect racial and ethnic minorities across our country. But it’s important to remember that these inequities exist every single day of the year, not just in April. What do we mean by “disparities”...Continue reading
Category: Economics
Researchers test ways to encourage healthier lifestyle in African-American men
African Americans could expect to live 14.6 fewer years than white Americans in 1900 but the gap between the lifespan of African American men and white men was slightly smaller at 14.1 years. By 2015, the gap for both sexes had shrunk to 3.4 years, based on Centers for Disease Control statistics, though the gap...
Researchers compare ways to offer mental health services to underserved communities
A search in the iPhone app store for “mindfulness-based stress reduction” produces a seemingly endless stream of applications devoted to meditation. But do they work as well as having a live person with whom you can interact on the other side of the screen? A study funded in 2020 by Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute...Continue reading
Research evaluates ways of providing mental health care in rural areas
Living in a rural area doesn’t mean you will be less likely to suffer from mental health problems. It does mean you will be less likely to have easy access to diagnosis and care. Even though rural residents are in poorer health generally than those living elsewhere, they have less access to treatment, partly because...Continue reading
Research tests benefits of matching addiction patients to treatment options
When it comes to gender, alcohol and drug abuse are not equal-opportunity afflictions. Men are more likely than women to use almost all types of illegal drugs, and they are more likely to end up in emergency rooms or dying as a result of overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Men also have...Continue reading
Getting your COVID-19 vaccine is smart and good for public health. Do it.
This past year has brought so much uncertainty and hardship to so many people throughout the world due the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of Wednesday, March 10, 2021, there have been roughly 29 million cases and just over 526,000 deaths in the United States of...
Remote cognitive behavioral therapy may help rural men’s mental health challenges
Rural men are likely to experience a sizeable increase in mental health needs during and after the pandemic, whether they had a prior history or not. Chief among these mental issues is depression, as people feel isolated and alone during the pandemic. Men’s Health Network, a non-profit concerned with men’s health issues, convened a conference...Continue reading
Rural men more vulnerable to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a double whammy for rural men: Their access to medical care is often difficult because of long distances to travel for treatment, and they are less likely to have access to high-speed internet for telehealth visits. Even before the pandemic, healthcare for rural men had unique challenges. For the approximately...Continue reading
Ten Things You Want to Know About Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is the bane of every medical professional. You could be sued for something you did, something you didn’t do, and something your subordinates did. Here are 10 things you want to know about medical malpractice. The Risk of Being Sued Is Far Lower than the Rate of Medical Malpractice Studies suggest that...Continue reading
14 Rules for Becoming Your Own Man: How to Be Wildly Successful At The Game of Life
Manhood today is maligned and misunderstood. Some believe maleness itself is inherently destructive and should be eliminated. In his book, The End of Manhood, John Stoltenberg says that the notion of manhood “is a sham, a trap, and those who would redeem it are kidding themselves, for manhood is a mask, incompatible with truly human selfhood.” Others...Continue reading