Interesting to note that 16 days into the new Bush administration's prescription drug program the wheels are already so wobbly:  •  “With tens of thousands of people unable to get medicines promised by Medicare, the Bush administration has told insurers that they must provide a 30-day supply of …

Just in case this is not the panicky story of 2006, it appears that Yule may provide further joy this year:  •  “"Our research has shown that 2-to-3 per cent of the biomass from various pine, spruce and fir trees is extractible shikimic acid," Biolyse principal Claude Mercure said yesterday …

Sometimes I wonder how many generations things go back. When one of the small folk gets you up in the night and you sit with them listening to tales of upset stomach, you repeat what you were told, you mainline directly back to 35 years ago when you were the kid. It's like a skipped stone how …

These are amazing stats, set out in the Globe:  •  “"With all this talk of pandemic influenza we can't afford to forget annual influenza," she said. In a "normal" year, flu kills about 4,000 Canadians and leads to the hospitalization of 20,000 others. If one of the circulating strains is …

I am as paranoid as the next guy and the apparently impending bird flu is seemingly...impending but I wish the folks in white lab coats would lay off the numberification guesstificationings. Look at this article in The Toronto Star:  •  “A bird flu pandemic could paralyze Canada's manufacturing …

Not being a partaker, this news is of theoretical interest only:  •  “Forget the stereotype about dopey potheads. It seems marijuana could be good for your brain. While other studies have shown that periodic use of marijuana can cause memory loss and impair learning and a host of other health …

I have a hard enough time these days gettin up, firing the coal powered Dell (available only in Canada) and thinking of things to link to without taking the time to also create a fictitious bird flu epidemic via my blog. Apparently it is intended to be a means to educate on what would happen …

I am not a java junkie but I do need half a bucket as I write this stuff first thing in the morning every day. I am as delighted as Mike, then, to read about these crazy health benefits:  •  “ Coffee might soon be considered a health drink following a study showing it is a surprisingly rich source …

Here is an interesting couple of paragraphs from a US Court of Appeals case, Douglas v. Dobbs, Key, And District Attorney's Office For The Twelfth Judicial District (US CA, 10th),  •  on privacy in relation to health care records:  •  “ The scope of personal matters protected by a right to privacy …