The Atlantic recently asked the question, Was Agriculture the Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race? The debate is based on a paper by Jared Diamond, a historian, university professor and author. You can read Diamond’s paper here.
Saturday Links
- Hooper: Why drug efficacy should be determined by doctors and patients, not FDA testing.
- Scott Gottlieb: How safe are vaccines?
- Most foreigners actually pay more than we do overall because they have access to fewer generics and they pay more for generics than we do.
- A typical Canadian family of four will pay an estimated $19,060 for public health-care insurance.
- Work requirements for Arkansas Medicaid enrollees: no increase in preventable hospital admissions or emergency room visits.
- How Obamacare discriminates against the sick.
- M Cannon: in defense of health insurance companies.
Study: People Who Have Illusory Beliefs about Health Often Mistrust Medical Science
Medical skepticism is common among Americans, even among those who trust their own doctors. Vaccine skepticism is especially common these days. While I am not a medical skeptic, I consider myself a medical realist. Not every drug works well. Too many drugs rely on the placebo effect for their therapeutic method.
Friday Links
- Can herbs and vitamins successfully treat depression? Mainly no.
- Are protein bars good for you? Probably not. (NYT)
- Student achievement scores are getting worse over time.
- 11 medical myths.
- Income inequality worsened under Biden.
- “Whole Foods is the place to shop if you’re sure that some food ingredients are harmful, even with no scientific evidence to support your hunches.”
- Mayor of San Jose on the state of California:
We have the highest energy and housing costs in the continental United States, and, largely because of these high costs, the highest effective poverty rate in the nation.