American life-expectancy dropping.

Well, more like the poorest -- also Southern -- Americans. And female ones.

100,000 Americans die of hospital-acquired infections every year.
http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/2007/09/the-silent-kill.html

The "Islamofascists" can't kill nearly as many people as our lax hospital procedures and abuse of antibiotics. How much scrubbing and autoclaving could the Iraq Fiasco buy?

Alternate post title: "Evolution in Action"

Related, the low hanging fruit of flu prevention
http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/2007/09/influenza-and-l.html
Hey, it's only ten 9/11s a year.

"There are very few problems can be solved solely by throwing buckets of money at them (although buckets of money are either helpful or necessary). Annual influenza is one of those problems than can be solved simply by investing more resources."

Don't worry, be happy! -- even if there was, you know, a real reason to be worried.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/09/antidepressants/index.html

Article doesn't mention what I just reminded a friend, that exercise (I have a vague idea walks work better than weight-lifting -- I've wondered if it's actually exercise or sensory input which helps) and exposure to greenery seem to help at clinical levels. (There's also some persistent doubt as to whether standard antidepressants work much better than placebos)

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