There’s been some interesting health news recently.

A recent study found that Tai Chi increased patients mobility and seemed to act as a treatment for heart failure. I’ve often wished that my grandmother lived closer, so that she could take classes in Tai Chi, and other elderly exercise programs. But I’ve been particularly interested in Tai Chi, because it has a reputation for being easy on the joints and low impact.

The NY Times had an interesting article on the relationship between prayer and healing. As someone who strongly believes in free will, I am somewhat discomforted by the idea of praying for something. I believe that what happens in this world is due to human action and choice, but I do believe that faith does have benefits, because it gives people a sense of comfort and well being, both of which seem to be related to positive health outcomes.

There is a fascinating new study from UNC about mortality rates in the workplace.

Hispanics — especially in the South — suffer more fatal occupational injuries than blacks or other groups.

“We observed that southern workers have higher rates of fatal occupational injury than workers in the rest of the country,” said Dr. David B. Richardson, research assistant professor of epidemiology at the UNC School of Public Health. “And, among workers in the South, Hispanic men are now the group with the highest rate of fatal injury on the job.”

So death rates for blacks and whites have decreased, while death rates for Hispanics have increased.

The article mentions some possible reasons for this trend, “on-the-job communication barriers, assignment of more hazardous tasks and failure of employers to invest in training and protective gear for workers who might be short-term or illegal,” but I wonder whether it is due to the fact that the most dangerous jobs are now being given those willing to take low pay just to have a job? (See Eric Schlosser‘s Fast Food Nation and his discussion of slaughterhouses and meat packing plants in the US.)