Insights

<p>Here's what we're reading today:</p> <p><strong>Oil Spill:</strong> The Institute of Medicine releases a hefty <a href="http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12949">report on the effects of the Gulf oil spill on human health</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here's what we're reading about today, from genetically modified mosquitos to an epic Facebook fail:</p><p><strong>Facebook:</strong> This is pretty awful: A Long Beach, Calif. hospital has fired several nurses for <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-facebook-20100809,0,6713445,ful… pictures of a nearly-decapitated emergency room patient on Facebook</a>.</p>

<p>Q&amp;A with &nbsp;Blythe Bernhard and Jeremy Kohler: Uncovering a teen’s death and a troubled health system</p>

<p><strong>PRAYER:</strong> Is a new study on the apparent power of hands-on prayer to improve hearing and sight of disabled Africans really getting <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/04/news/la-heb-prayer-20100804">th… much media attention</a>? Say it ain’t so! So far, the Los Angeles Times Booster Shots blogs <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/04/news/la-heb-prayer-20100804">of… the best context and caveats</a>.</p>

<p>Last week, Ed Yong over at the <em>Discover</em> blog <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/"><em>Not Exactly Rocket Science</em></a> wrote a brilliant post.</p><p>And when I say brilliant, I mean to say that it is brilliant because he didn't write much at all. The post is called "<a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/07/29/on-the-or… the Origin of Science Writing</a>" and it's a lovely example of the power of crowd-sourcing. At last look, 124 people have commented to explain how they became science writers.</p>

<p>Post flood diseases spearhead amid crumbled lives stumble to clutch a bit of safety in early flood-hit areas of Pakistan. The havoc triggered by floods has already robbed more than 1400 lives, rendered 3 to 4.5 million people affected leaving a severely dented infrastructure and threatens to aggravate further if not addressed properly.</p><p>Calamity hit displaced population with poor access to safe drinking water, sanitation, adequate shelter, primary healthcare facilities and other basic needs remain highly vulnerable to various health risks.</p>

<p>When a troubled teen whose parents have left her in the care of the foster system dies, she could easily be forgotten, a bureaucratic footnote in some annual report. Blythe Bernhard and Jeremy Kohler at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch have made certain that Alexis Evette Richie will be a name that resonates with federal regulators, hospital administrators and patient advocates for years to come.</p>

<p>Here’s what we’re reading and watching today:</p> <p><strong>Air Quality</strong>: Here’s one instance where wealth isn’t linked to health: ScienceDaily <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100804122717.htm">reports on a study</a> finding that homes in both poor and affluent California communities had similarly high levels of endocrine disruptors. These <a href="http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm">disr…; can affect the endocrine system and lead to fertility and infant development problems among other health risks.</p>

<p>Patients are often misinformed about the details of their conditions or insurance status. Here are tips on how to get their narratives right.</p>

<p>Here’s what we’re reading and watching today:</p> <p><strong>Medical Errors:</strong> The Columbia Journalism Review <a href="http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/hurray_for_the_st_louis_postdispatch.p… the <em>St. Louis Post-Dispatch</em></a> for publishing Jeremy Kohler’s and Blythe Bernhard’s &nbsp;<a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_c3917859-41e8-520a-84e… of how difficult it was to investigate</a> a Missouri surgeon who removed the wrong kidney from a patient in 2007. &nbsp;</p>