As we fast approach the beginning of the Obama administration, it is interesting to watch his team develop. You can tell a lot about a politician by the caliber of people he surrounds himself with. The opinion piece featured today makes it painfully clear that Obama’s choice for Surgeon General, a key post that influences many aspects of the health industry, is the same ol’ same ol’ — business as usual.

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As we enter Christmas week, I thought a light-hearted (no pun intended) look at how our societal views regarding body weight have changed might be fun. From an historical perspective, it is interesting to see how the scale has migrated from a novelty in the family room to the privacy of the bathroom. This article also seemed timely to me because when you review the health news highlights of the past year, 2008 might be labeled the “Year of Obesity.” Back in the 1800′s, the majority of people, other than the wealthy, still did physical labor and ate a fairly simple diet based on homegrown, whole foods for the most part. Obesity was not an issue, as it is in today’s world of fast-food restaurants and lethargy.

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There’s good news today about legal actions that have mandated the FDA to make an official statement regarding the hazards of mercury used in amalgam dental fillings. For years FDA denied the existence of any credible evidence proving such hazards, and therefore refused to issue a warning. Even this ruling falls short of a definitive statement warning all individuals of the mercury hazards, addressing only children and pregnant women. However, it is a positive step in the right direction.

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Here on this blog, we have often discussed dissatisfaction with allopathic medicine from a patient’s point of view. Well, it appears that they are not the only group who are singing the blues about health care in this country. Today’s post references a recent survey of family practice physicians that indicate a whopping 50% are considering (or would like to if they could) changing careers.

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Yesterday I talked about some natural alternatives that are starting to become more popular. The article in today’s post does an excellent job of summarizing why we may be on the edge of a societal shift away from the abusive overuse of dangerous prescriptions by the American people. It appears that due to several key factors — including prohibitively expensive drugs during these tough economic times and a huge increase in reports of serious side effects and fatalities from prescription drugs — that the sales and profits of Big Pharma are declining for the first time in over a decade.

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