What I know and what I'm learning

If you're like me, you want to feel good, be happy and live a long time. You want your doctor to know the science, know you and be a good listener. You want to stay informed about what works in medicine and what doesn't work. You're interested in alternative therapies, but think some of it's a little flaky.

You'd rather not have major surgery, but, if it comes to that, you want the very best surgeon in town. You don't want to go broke paying for your health care. And you think there ought to be a way to get some basic health care to everyone, especially children.

In covering the health beat for The Spokesman-Review, I've learned that "new" isn't always better, that medical research can be driven by business interests and that we spend more money on fixing people in their last days of life than we do on preventing our biggest killers. I've met wonderful people who care deeply about science, health and the miracles of the human body.

On this page, I'll write about what I continue to learn covering the most exciting beat at the newspaper.