Harvard Medical School

Trail Blazing: Eight Great Pioneers of Pot

Tommy ChongBy Michael Goldstein Tommy Chong is perhaps the biggest celebrity on this list, as a longtime comedian, movie star and half of the still-working duo Cheech & Chong. He is both a hero, as a longtime marijuana advocate, and a martyr, as a veteran of nine months in federal prison for ru ... More >>

Salt Linked to 2.3 Million Deaths Annually

It's the ultimate salt vs. sugar smackdown! On Monday we reported that sugary drinks have been linked to 180,000 deaths worldwide annually. Now a new report presented at a conference yesterday says that eating too much salt kills 2.3 million people every year, CBS News reports. Researchers looked ... More >>

Kevin Lives on Our Couch:"Aged out" of foster care, L.A. teens are put on the street, expected to be instant adults

Coffee Linked to Vision Loss

A new Harvard study says drinking as little as three cups of coffee a day could contribute to glaucoma-related vision loss, Medical Daily reports. The study, published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, looked at the coffee habits of 79,120 women and 42,050 men (121,170 ... More >>

Mexicans Are Asian (And Other Shockers About the First Americans)

This particular author loves to see the look on the faces of some pan-Pacific immigrants when he tells them Asians and Mexicans are brothers and sisters from way back; we're practically related. (It's a look of repulsion, shock and denial, followed by vomiting). Of course, all humans are brothers a ... More >>

Red Wine's Anti-Aging Properties Confirmed in Study

What magic potion may improve the health of those on a high-fat diet and slow down the aging process? It's nothing new -- it's that same stuff Louis Pasteur called "the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages." Even the Bible recommended using a little of it "for thy stomach's sake and thine o ... More >>

Study: Regular Chocolate Eaters Are Skinnier

Katharine Hepburn once attributed her slim figure to "a lifetime of chocolate." Now a new study from UC San Diego has found that people who eat chocolate on a regular basis are indeed thinner than those who don't. The findings from the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, were publish ... More >>

Citrus Fruits May Lower Women's Stroke Risk

Researchers say a compound in oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits may lower a woman's risk of stroke, WebMD reports. The study appears in the April issue of the American Heart Association journal Stroke. Previous studies have shown that antioxidant compounds called flavonoids in fruits and ... More >>

Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance

Anomalies, head cases and the education of Atul Gawande

Is the Saint of South L.A. for Real?

Jeffrey Anderson investigates the turbulent world of L.A.'s flagship refugee agency and its mysterious director, Nikki Tesfai