Global Health
The Island Where People Forgot to Die“The most commendable thing on this island is their air and water, both so healthful that people are very long-lived, it being an ordinary thing to see persons in it of 100 years of age.”
--Bishop of Ikaria, in the 17th century Researchers who have been studying communities where people live very long lives found a gold mine on the island of Ikaria off the coast of Turkey. This small island has had a reputation for 25 centuries as a place where people live long, healthy lives. What's their secret? It appears that a lifestyle comprised of strong family and community bonds, moderate wine intake, a healthy Mediterranean diet where most food is grown in your own garden, a casual pace (no one wears a watch), and naps, all add up to a very long life. This is a fascinating article about the stories of the people who live there, an in-depth look at their diet and lifestyle, and what ultimately seems like a pretty idyllic recipe for longevity. |
Health Habits Around the World via GOOD Infographics. (Click image for larger view)
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Hearing Voices in Accra and ChennaiDoes culture make a difference in the type of voices that schizophrenics hear? Tanya Luhrman, a professor at Stanford, studied people who had auditory hallucinations in Accra, Ghana, the US, and Chennai, India; the fieldwork in Chennai and Accra did show some significant variation in the nature of the voices, which caused (and was caused by) a profoundly different experience of the condition.
Read this article for an in-depth look at these cultural differences, or watch Dr. Luhrman's talk in the adjacent video. |
Disease watch
Drug-Resistant Malaria on the Rise in Southeast AsiaLast month, we featured a series of case studies that suggested that many countries are nearing elimination of malaria.
However, it appears that a new strain of drug-resistant malaria may be on the rise in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia has been a hot spot for drug-resistant malaria in the past. Now researchers in Thailand worry that a superstrain resistant to the last, best malaria treatments could undermine progress made against the mosquito-borne disease. |
Why Do So Many People Still Have Leprosy?From The Atlantic: Leprosy has been around since biblical times. Although we know more now than we did then, much about leprosy continues to elude scientific understanding, including the exact means by which it is transmitted.
Although there are about 200 cases that occur in the US, the disease remains endemic in other parts of the world, predominantly in India, Brazil, and Indonesia. The worst cases can result in not just disfigurement, but blindness. Outside of the U.S., it's the leading cause of people losing the use of their hands. There are existing multidrug treatments that help curb the effects. However, new hope is on the way; a new blood test and vaccines are in the works, and should be ready within the year. |
Alarm Stirs as Dengue Fever Sweeps IndiaFrom The New York Times: An epidemic of dengue fever in India is fostering a growing sense of alarm even as Indian government officials have publicly refused to acknowledge the scope of a problem that experts say is threatening hundreds of millions of people, not just in India but around the world.
India has become the focal point for a mosquito-borne plague that is sweeping the globe. Reported in just a handful of countries in the 1950s, dengue is now endemic in half the world’s nations. |
Clean cookstoves bring health solutions to global women
Nearly half the world still cooks over an open fire, yet this age-old method of cooking ranks as the planet’s fifth largest killer.
Chronic exposure to toxic smoke causes disabling diseases and results in a staggering two million deaths yearly — primarily women and young children. “BLACK INSIDE: Three Women’s Voices” is a new ongoing documentary film that shows directly how premature deaths of women can be prevented. (Watch the adjacent trailer for just one story, or see all in the link above.) Apart from the sheer numbers of women affected, the key to saving lives is astonishingly simple. |
VANDANA from Rodney Rascona on Vimeo. |