Baffled by Numbers

Navigating information towards better health decisions

Talya Miron-Shatz, Ph.D., is a researcher at Princeton University. She specializes in medical decision making of patients and health professionals. See full bio

May 31, 2009

The dentist's bib meets human engineering

Lack of communication is, unfortunately, common malady in the medical profession. Just like each of the two dentists who treated me thought he had to numb me. The doctors' spaces were 10 feet apart, but this was enough for the information to evaporate, falling through the invisible cracks in the linoleum floor. Read More

May 14, 2009

I am more than the sum of my gums

Yoga is the unity of mind, body and breath. Scaling, Dr. C., taught me today, is the act of deconstructing. Separating the gums from the mind, the soul, the person choking on their own saliva. It's a lesson I wish I had not learned. Read More

May 3, 2009

Who would pay Penelope Cruz to quit smoking?

Even if Cruz looks dead sexy with a cigarette, we know it's not good for her. But who would reach into their pockets so as to make Penelope, or anyone else for that matter, give up bad health habits and adopt good ones? Read More

April 20, 2009

Let parents be parents, not executioners

Should parents decide whether to withhold life support from their moribund newborn, or is this the doctor's job? Not having to make this horrible decision reduces grief and guilt, thus alleviating the burden of parents in this impossible situation. One mother who signed a consent to withhold life support said, "I felt I played a part in an execution". Read More

April 6, 2009

How would you like your stent, sir? (2)

"Autonomy shmotonomy" - patients don't always want to decide for themselves. If you're had such an experience - you are welcome to share. Read More

March 23, 2009

How would you like your stent, sir? (1)

Ordering a cup of coffee involves an almost endless array of decisions: the kind, the size, single or double shot, regular, soy or skim milk. While we enjoy exercising control over our beverage, there are matters on which we may not be the best judge. And sometimes the stakes are way higher than having too much foam. Read More

March 5, 2009

Talya Meets her Mission. Or – How Daniel Craig and I are not Alike

Unlike Craig's omnipotent James Bond, the deaf mother, albino father, and dark rooted blond interpreter needed every bit of help they could get understanding what the genetic counselor was saying. I would not have fared any better. Read More

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Why do we often think we know what we want, only to be disappointed with our purchases and choices? Behavioral economics studies just how irrational we humans can be.

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