Health & Fitness

Buying insulin dirt cheap at Tijuana is a thing

Americans Cross Border Into Mexico To Buy Insulin At A Fraction Of U.S. Cost For one patient, a three-month supply of insulin is $3,700 in the U.S. versus $600 in Mexico. But is it legal? Data from a U.S. government survey suggest that 150,000 to 320,000 U.S. travelers list health care as a reason for traveling abroad each year. An estimated 952,000 Californians enter Mexico…


Boot camp after 60 for great health habits

10 Steps to Turn Around Unhealthy Habits It takes moxie to flip an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one — particularly for folks over 60. Most baby boomers approach retirement age unwilling to follow basic healthy lifestyle goals established by the American Heart Association, said Dr. Dana King, professor and chairman of the department of family medicine at West Virginia University, referencing his university’s 2017…


How to have productive disagreements about politics and religion

In the current polarized climate, it’s easy to find yourself in the midst of a political disagreement that morphs into a religious argument. People’s religious affiliation predicts their stances on abortion, immigration and other controversial topics, and disagreements about these issues can seem intractable. The seeming futility in arguing about politics and religion may arise partly because people misunderstand the nature of these beliefs. Many…


No-go on Cal drunken driving starting Jan. 1

California, and other states deploy breathalyzers in cars to limit road deaths ’Tis the season to be a little too merry, and law enforcement officials across the country are once again reminding revelers not to drive if they’ve been drinking. Along with those warnings comes a bit of good news: Deaths involving drunken driving are only about half of what they were in the early…


Seniors are hooked on useless vitamins

When she was a young physician, Dr. Martha Gulati noticed that many of her mentors were prescribing vitamin E and folic acid to patients. Preliminary studiesin the early 1990s had linked both supplements to a lower risk of heart disease. She urged her father to pop the pills as well: “Dad, you should be on these vitamins, because every cardiologist is taking them or putting…


Celebrity chef hip to orthopedic surgery

Pamplemousse Chef Gets More Time in the Kitchen Building one of San Diego’s most successful restaurants took a lot of hard work and skill, but also took its toll on Pamplemousse Grille owner and executive chef Jeffrey Strauss. “Being on your feet 12-15 hours a day…it finally caught up with me,” Strauss said as he walked the same kitchen floor he’s walked for the past…


Local flu deaths up, worst may be over

The number of flu deaths reported in San Diego County reached a new high, while at the same time lab-confirmed cases went down again, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today. A total of 142 flu deaths have been reported through Jan. 13, 2018, the highest ever since the County began tracking fatalities about 20 years ago. The previous deadliest flu season was…


Women, addiction: Critical health issue

Women and Addiction: A Critical Health Issue in the U.S. By Regina Huelsenbeck, Ph.D.   When you think of addiction, who do you picture? It’s unlikely you think of a woman, much less a well-educated, mid- to upper-class woman. Yet, this demographic is on the rise in addiction. While rates of substance abuse in women is less than men, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health…


Blue Shield CEO says GOP’s ‘flawed’ health bill would harm sicker consumers

The chief executive of Blue Shield of California, the largest insurer on the state’s insurance marketplace, issued a blunt critique of the Republican health care bill, saying it would once more lock Americans with preexisting conditions out of affordable coverage. In an interview with California Healthline on Wednesday, Paul Markovich said the GOP’s American Health Care Act is “flawed” and “could return us to a…


Universal health care California-style

While Washington Fiddles… As the nation’s Republican leaders huddle to reconsider their plans to “repeal and replace” the nation’s health law, advocates for universal health coverage press on in California, armed with renewed political will and a new set of proposals. Organized labor and two lawmakers are leading the charge for a single, government-financed program for everyone in the state. Another legislator wants to create…