A funny thing happened on the way to the office
Nancy Mann Jackson | August 2009 issue John Morreall, professor of religious studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, tells the story of a police officer who responded to a domestic violence call after having completed a course of humor training. As the officer Read More...
Miller's online humor survey study
Mary Desmond Pinkowish | August 2009 issue Does laughter prevent heart disease? Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, thinks so. Here’s why: Several years ago, he and his colleagues gave a humor test to people Read More...
Migrate toward the merriment
David Servan-Schreiber | August 2009 issue Jerry Seinfeld‘s father sold neon signs and often took his son from one local store to the next. His father loved funny stories, and he never failed to tell one to a potential client. Often as they got back into the truck, Seinfeld’s father Read More...
Fat is where it's at
Janet Paskin | June/July 2009 issue Jenny Matthau stands in front of hundreds of students at the Natural Gourmet School and speaks heresy. The New York City culinary program specializes in "health-supportive, whole-foods cuisine" with a "plant-based curriculum." Beef and pork aren’t on the Read More...
James Maskalyk's experience as a doctor in Sudan
Canadian physician James Maskalyk on why he left a comfortable teaching job to work for Médecins Sans Frontières in Sudan. Marco Visscher | June/July 2009 issue James Maskalyk has been working to improve public health in developing countries ever since he was a medical student at the University Read More...
Book Excerpt: Six Months in Sudan
Ode presents an exclusive book excerpt from Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-Torn Village, by Dr. James Maskalyk. Ode Editors | June/July 2009 issue "What's his hemoglobin?" I ask. "Six," Mohamed says. "Six? Shit." I look down at Manut. His eyes are wide and worried. Today is the Read More...
The placebo effect is not all in your mind
What the placebo effect tells us about the healing power of the brain. David Servan-Schreiber | May 2009 issue In the lab, Takeo couldn't stand it anymore. The itching was driving him crazy. He watched his right arm turn red and wondered why he’d decided to take part in this experiment. He knew Read More...
Had it with the heartburn? Try a Mediterranean diet
April 2009 issue When I was a young assistant professor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I often woke in the night with heartburn. I mentioned it to a few colleagues, who were surprised to hear I didn’t take an antacid every night—as they did—to prevent acid buildup in the stomach. At the Read More...
100-horsepower porridge
How to make breakfast healthy again. Elbrich Fennema | April 2009 issue Start your day off with oatmeal. A breakfast of chocolate flakes and milk contributes to a healthy lifestyle. Or so retailers would like us to believe. And yes, starting the day with breakfast is better than starting it Read More...
Improve mental health with neurofeedback
How you can train your brain to help reduce stress, enhance creativity and improve mental health. Blaine Greteman | March 2009 issue As Vicki Wyatt attaches electrodes to my scalp with a generous glop of slimy goo, I'll admit I'm a little skeptical about the calming effects of the treatment I'm Read More...