A food co-op is a place you go to buy organic groceries in a non-corporate, community-run environment. A housing co-op is a place where neighbors work together to create, alter or govern a place of residence. A banking co-op is an institution controlled by members. And, a health co-operative? The role of a health co-op in the United States is still being…

A non-smoker is healthier than a smoker. Chronic ailments are less likely to affect those who exercise often. Disease screening reduces disease prevalence. All of these facts are true, generally speaking - preventative health measures reduce illness and health care needs in the future, which is why starting in 2014, employers in the

With over ten years of research and the work of thousands of psychiatrists, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has finally been completed. The publishing of this manual has been met with praise and criticism. Produced by the American Psychiatric…

On the 31st of May, 2013, countries around the globe will celebrate World No Tobacco Day. On this day, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners call attention to the health risks of tobacco. This year, World No Tobacco Day will put a special focus on tobacco advertising; although WHO's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control bans the advertising…

When is sadness depression? Is obsessive compulsive disorder just another term for excessive cleanliness and good organizational skills? Can a child's temper tantrum ever be classified as a mental disorder? The answers to these questions are as enigmatic as the field of mental illness itself: sometimes, maybe, and depends on who you ask. For a mental health clinician, however, there is…

For more than six years, the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not had a confirmed chief administrator. That is a concerning fact - CMS is responsible for the health insurance and care of nearly one in three Americans, and has a yearly budget…

Mosquitoes. Barely larger than a kidney bean and yet responsible for more than half a million deaths every year. Why? Because mosquitoes carry malaria.

There is no malaria vaccine, and it is not possible to eradicate every insect carrier from the face of the earth. These facts alone make malaria an important issue in the world of science and health care, but recently,…

By most accounts, now is a great time to be a young person on the health insurance marketplace. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, children can stay on their parents' insurance plans until the age of 26; state insurance exchanges will make it easier for young people without a job to purchase

In 2003, China and Hong Kong experienced a SARS pandemic; the first one in recorded history. This pneumonia-like disease began infecting people in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam; eventually spreading to 37 countries around the world. Especially scary was the virus' quick rate of infection - in less than nine months, SARS managed to infect an estimated 8,000 people, leading to the deaths…

Webster's Dictionary defines an inpatient as: "a hospital patient who receives lodging and food as well as treatment." An outpatient, on the other hand, it: "a patient who is not hospitalized overnight but who visits a hospital, clinic, or associated facility for diagnosis or treatment."

If you're staying overnight in hospital, you're an inpatient. If you're out before…