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The effects of a major natural disaster can linger and cause heart attacks and other health woes for years, according to a study released Sunday of New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina.

Perhaps lost in the recent debates related to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan is that natural disasters and not nuclear energy should be the focus, says Oak Ridge National Laboratory's John Sorensen, an emergency preparedness expert.

Macro health news breaks when there is a natural disaster, a scientific breakthrough, or a new twist in a policy debate (see: "ACOs"). I read up on the facts and try to make sense of the latest turn of events, but usually from a comfortable distance. Micro health news breaks when a loved one gets a serious diagnosis. Then I follow the unfolding health care story with intensity and I care more about the outcome.