‘Pro-life’ drugstores and more -- Editor’s Picks
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Drugstores that refuse to sell contraceptives; a West Nile expert who contracts the disease; an explainer on why American kids are fat; and exactly why flip-flops are bad for you -- all in this week’s Editor’s Picks.
From the Washington Post: Pro-life drugstores market beliefs
‘When DMC Pharmacy opens this summer on Route 50 in Chantilly, the shelves will be stocked with allergy remedies, pain relievers, antiseptic ointments and almost everything else sold in any drugstore. But anyone who wants condoms, birth control pills or the Plan B emergency contraceptive will be turned away. That’s because the drugstore, located in a typical shopping plaza featuring a Ruby Tuesday, a Papa John’s and a Kmart, will be a ‘pro-life pharmacy’ -- meaning, among other things, that it will eschew all contraceptives.’
From CNN: CDC expert gets West Nile bug -- literally
‘All Lyle Petersen wanted to do was get his mail. In the time it took him to walk down his driveway in Fort Collins, Colorado, chat briefly with a neighbor and return to his house, Peterson got infected with a potentially serious mosquito-borne illness called West Nile virus. Within hours of being bitten, he said, he began to feel symptoms he recognized. And how was he sure so quickly? Petersen, as director of the division of vector-borne diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is one of the foremost experts in the world on the condition.’
From Time: How America’s children packed on the pounds
‘Americans disagree about a lot of things, but we rarely quarrel when it comes to our food. For a nation built on grand democratic virtues, there is still nothing that defines us quite like our love of chow time.’
And from NPR: How to keep your feet happy
‘If you’ve ever had heel pain when you first put your bare feet on the floor after waking up in the morning, it’s very likely the beginnings of a common condition known as plantar fasciitis. And shoes can contribute to the problem.
-- Tami Dennis