New Moms' Brains Grow

From US News, New Moms' Brains May Grow After Childbirth. Neurologists have discovered that after childbirth, new mother's brains literally grow! The growth mostly occurs in areas of maternal motivation, rewards and emotional processing. How could this research be used to encourage new mothers and help them understand the changes in themselves after birth? Could this research be used in other ways? What are the flaws in this type of research study?

Paradox of Meds

NY Times article reports on two types of medications that contribute to health problems in addition to helping the problems they are supposed to treat. How does our healthcare system contribute to the challenge of medications harming patients while helping them? What kinds of changes in our medication approval system should there be to accommodate for this? Should it be ok that some medications have harmful side effects?

Babbling and Development

NY Times article about the importance of babbling to language development. How would a parent know if their child is babbling "appropriately"? What kinds of interactions could a parent have with a baby to encourage babbling and language development?

Doctors and Suicide

NY Times article entitled "Medical Student Distress and the Risk of Doctor Suicide." The article discusses how physicians have a much higher rate of suicide than the general population -- "40 percent higher for male doctors and a staggering 130 percent higher for female doctors." The article discusses why this might be, what do you think are some of the triggers? What could the medical community do to prevent these kinds of tragedies?