My not-so-terrifying encounter with a syndactylist.

My family shared a vacation house with several other families this year.  One afternoon, one of my wife's friends (a philosophy professor in his 40's) was relaxing on the porch when I looked down and noticed his unusual right foot: I found myself blurting out, "So tell me about your…

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Popular right wing talk show host Michael Savage shows his ignorance regarding autism

Here's a standard account of autism, from Wikipedia: Autism is a brain development disorder that first gives signs during infancy or childhood and generally follows a steady course without remission or relapse. Impairments result from maturation-related changes in various systems of the brain. Autism is one of the five pervasive…

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Exercise works as well as drugs to combat depression

A good friend of mine once told me to "lead with the body" when you are struggling with anxiety or depression.  Talking things out has it's limits, he said, as do drugs.  It was my friend's belief that exercising the body will often allow the mind to clear itself up. …

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Why aren’t there any more “nervous breakdowns”?

This article at MSNBC explains the history of the term "nervous breakdown." It's rarely used now, except in pop culture. The term — a vague catch-all phrase that could mean anything from a psychotic episode to having a bad day — is not a medical term, doctors say, but it…

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On June 7, 2008 you can march to protest . . . the voluntary use of birth control pills . . . Huh?

The "American Life League" is putting out this silly garbage. They are trying to make it illegal for anyone to purchase birth control pills. This would put us back to the 1965 case of Griswold v Connecticut. Consider some of the this wacko group's talking points: Q: Is it OK…

Continue ReadingOn June 7, 2008 you can march to protest . . . the voluntary use of birth control pills . . . Huh?