The AMA’s Unhealthy Obsession

Joe Conason / Truthdig Jun 18, 2009 The real question is not what the AMA will support or whether the attitudes of the AMA have changed, but why anyone would still heed its policy prescriptions. Very few national organizations have been so wrong for so long about the matters most salient to their own members. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Putting the ‘Care’ in Health Care

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Apr 2, 2009 Sadly, we have developed a system that rewards procedures over primary care. The incentives tip toward the kind of medicine that is performed with hands, tools and technology over the medicine that is practiced with eyes, ears and mind. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Gupta Pulls Plug on Surgeon General Post

Staff / Truthdig Mar 7, 2009 The rocky road to staffing still-vacant government positions suffered a bit of a setback Thursday, as the creamy filling -- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, henceforth known as "The Gupta" -- of Obama's team withdrew his name from consideration for the post of surgeon general. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Israel’s Chemical Warfare?

Staff / Truthdig Jan 16, 2009 Following previous accusations by aid agencies, a video has surfaced amid Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip that shows images "consistent with the use of white phosphorus shells" -- i chemical weaponry The Israeli military has denied use of the chemical agent, which can burn skin to the bone. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

AMA Apologizes for Once Excluding Blacks

Staff / Truthdig Jul 11, 2008 The American Medical Association has finally apologized for once excluding black doctors from membership. The discriminatory policies ended in the 1960s, but it has taken almost 50 years for the group to formally apologize for its institutional racism. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Doctors and Patients Agree

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Apr 3, 2008 Add doctors to that growing list of Americans who would like to see some form of national health insurance. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Cancerous Logic

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Sep 17, 2007 Dig deeper

Spotlight on Doctors in UK Bomb Plots

Staff / Truthdig Jul 8, 2007 This report from Britain's The Independent cases out the identities of the men and one woman associated with the recent attempted attacks in London and Glasgow, revealing some of their names, possible motives and backgrounds. A noteworthy detail: Five of the eight people arrested are doctors. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Army (Finally) Hires More Shrinks

Staff / Truthdig Jun 15, 2007 The Army plans to hire roughly 200 additional mental health workers to help care for ailing soldiers. Thirty-five percent of troops seek mental health care a year after coming home and between 15 and 20 percent of soldiers in Iraq show signs of post-traumatic stress. The latest Pentagon study found military mental health care to be inadequate. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Health Risks of Modesty

Staff / Truthdig Feb 2, 2007 A new study in The Lancet says doctors need to be more aggressive in questioning their patients about sex. According to the authors of the study, sexual problems are often related to serious health risks: "If a man comes in with erectile dysfunction, it can be the tip of the iceberg." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Young Vietnamese Doctor’s Diary Becomes Bestseller

Staff / Truthdig Jun 6, 2006 The author, a 27-year-old woman who was killed in 1970, wrote of "love, loneliness and death on the Ho Chi Minh Trail." It has become an Anne Frank-like sensation in Vietnam. The universal nature of her themes is an incredible reminder of the folly of war and of demonizing our enemies. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Doctors Attack US Over Guantanamo

Staff / Truthdig Mar 10, 2006 Over 250 medical experts sign a letter condemning the U.S. for force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )