20 Health & Wellness Articles Worth Checking Out

Every day, we check the web for health and wellness news and articles that we think may be of interest to you and the rest of our readers. Inevitably, we wind up with much more material than we can possibly write about yet find worth sharing with you.

So, without further ado, here are 20 articles that have stacked up over the past few months that we’d like to point your attention towards, on subjects ranging from environmental issues to nutrition to the mind-body connection to the problems of the “sick care” industry and much more.

(Is there an article we’ve missed that you think we should check out? Send the link to our blogmistress.)

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• The New York Times’ latest installment in their Toxic Waters series focuses on the problems of enforcing clean water laws, with some focus on the effects of polluted water on human health – including dental effects.
• “Perils of the Professional Lab Rat” gives a sense of the toxicity of modern medicine through this profile of folks who participate in drug trials for pay.
• Francesca Biller-Safran delivers a powerful blow in her opinion piece “Pharmaceutical Drug Pushers Lead to National Overdose”.
• Atul Gawande’s New Yorker article on “The Cost Conundrum” gives a startling view to how costs within the conventional model of medical care get so out of control.
• The problems with Money-Driven Medicine are also explored in-depth in the transcript for the recent Bill Moyers program on the subject. (And if you prefer to watch the program itself, you can view it here.)
• Vaccines are risky, money-driven “medicine,” (PDF) according to a former vaccine researcher who has worked in both the private and public sector – all spelled out in this eye-opening interview with Jon Rappoport.
• Here’s a quick and sharp set of talking points directed to critics of homeopathy (PDF) from The Faculty of Homeopathy.
• Diagnostic tests such as mammograms are often touted as “preventive medicine.” But they prevent nothing. At best, they may detect malignant growths. But overall, as the LA Times reports, mammograms tend to cause more problems than they solve – from false positives leading to unnecessary surgeries to excessive exposure to cancer- causing radiation.
• The need for the Precautionary Principle is at the fore in this report on nanotechnology, its applications in food engineering and other industry, and its potential health impact.
• Relatedly, some doctors step up their warnings about genetically modified foods.
• Also from the “If You Want to Stay Healthy, Best Avoid It” file, “10 Dangerous Household Products You Should Never Use Again”.
• Amalgam fillings are only one source of toxic mercury exposure, as we’ve written about previously.SciAm further covers the problem of mercury contamination via spills, particularly those affecting children.
• The old dietary saw “calories in, calories out” has long been known as an oversimplification – albiet one commonly overlooked. This accessible piece from New Scientist explains some of the key factors undermining the conventional wisdom about calorie counting via nutritional labels.
• This SciAm article reminds us that exercise isn’t just good for the body. The physical workout strengthens the brain, too.
• ScienceNews looks into the problem of particulate matter in our air: which pollutants are “most sickening – and why.”
• We talk a lot about toxins and things to avoid putting into your body, but it’s important to remember that good health comes from putting good things into it, too – such as these “20 Foods That Make You Smarter”.
• It’s may not be only too much low quality food that’s causing obesity rates to skyrocket. According to research summarized recently in Newsweek, environmental toxins have a role to play in fat production, as well.
• The Financial Times has a fascinating article on the “nocebo” affect – how the suggestion or fear of illness can make us sick – and the link between negative emotions and poor health.
• “Slow down, you move too fast,” sang Simon & Garfunkel, and it’s even more true today – to the point of making us sick, according to this AlterNet piece on “time poverty.” Happily, the article includes a few tips for slowing down (and, ideally, feelin’ groovy).
• Not only do we need exercise, good food, good hygiene, sufficient rest and a balanced lifestyle to stay healthy. We also have a deep-seated need for silence.