Hospitals And Gays, Painkillers, Happiness Survey | Health

Hospitals And Gays, Painkillers, Happiness Survey

Maureen Fitzgerald,

May 13, 2008, 12:31 PM EDT

Maybe you've heard of the list--

"The top 100 hospitals. "

Now, make way for a new list.

It comes from the nation's two leading gay rights activists groups.

They're calling it the "healthcare equality index."

It's designed to fight patient discrimination,

And raise awareness about visiting rights.

More than 80 hospitals participated in the first annual survey,

And more than half got high marks.

Gay rights groups plan to use the results, to offer recommendations to hospitals.

We're learning more about what works,

And what doesn't work, when it comes to preventing Alzheimer's.

It turns out, two common painkillers, thought to prevent the disease,

Don't really make a difference at all.

That's according to a new study from the national institute on aging.

It tested the arthritis drug Celebrex, and the over-the-counter drug Aleve.

They found both drugs did little to improve cognitive skills.

It's important to point out - the study was cut short, after concerns were raised about Celebrex and the risk of heart attacks.

Scientists had hoped that non-steroid anti-inflammatories - like those drugs - Could help prevent Alzheimer's by eliminating inflammation in the brain.

It's an easy question - but not always an easy answer.

How happy are you?

The answer may depend on where you live.

It turns out; the happiest people in the world live in Denmark according to the people who track that sort of thing.

In the world database of happiness, the Swiss follow close behind the Danes, along with people who live in Iceland, Finland, Australia and Sweden.

The U.S. ranked 17th.

At the bottom of the list was Moldova, along with former soviet republics like Belarus and Ukraine.