Prostate Cancer Test Under Attack
There is more evidence for the “over kill” of the PSA test. This NYTimes article lays it all out and it’s heartbreaking for those who might have had unnecessary surgery, but this decision by the United States Preventive Services Task Force to suspend recommendations for routine PSA testing may save other men from needless surgeries…
Read MoreBisphosphonates require caution, new labelling for Fosamax, Actonel, and Boniva
To file under “Beware of Blockbuster Drugs.” See previous post entitled :Drugs causing the problems they’re supposed to prevent Stronger Cautions Backed on Bone Drugs for WomenBy DUFF WILSON Two advisory panels to the Food and Drug Administration on Friday recommended increasing the cautionary language on the product labels of bone-building drugs taken by more…
Read MoreBreast Cancer Rates in Marin County
I made dinner for some friends last night and my friend who is also an alternative Medical doctor alerted me to the results of this study about breast cancer rates in Marin. The basic finding is that the cancer rates were elevated in Marin due to combined estrogen and progesterone replacement therapy. I have to…
Read MoreStents Fail to Stop Strokes in Study
I would say “oh well,” except strokes are a serious and can be extremely debilitating so it’s a tragic study. Again, I think we’ll find prevention, though not glamorous nor exciting has got to be mission. I wrote about stents here, and medical device controversy here, here and here. You may want to read the…
Read MoreAnti bacterial Soaps: Doing More Harm Than Good?
This is a long and complicated topic, so I’ve hesitated to wade into it. But since my default setting is to be wary of new and improved and highly touted health related products, I never did buy into the craze for hand sanitizers. I’ve found some good sources on this issue, some scientific and some…
Read MoreDutch Study: Patients whose GP knows Complementary Medicine Have Lower Costs and Live Longer
To be filed in the “First, Do No Harm” category… Eur J Health Econ. 2011 Jun 22. Patients whose GP knows complementary medicine tend to have lower costs and live longer. Kooreman P, Baars EW Department of Economics, Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB, Tilburg, The Netherlands, p.kooreman@uvt.nl. Abstract BACKGROUND: Health economists have largely ignored…
Read MoreHouston Lawyer Suing over Faulty Hip Prostheses
Per my previous post about the Medical Device Industry trying to quash new regulations, there is this story. A Houston Lawyer is suing a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson over hip replacement prosthetic devices that were supposed to last 15 years, but resulted in metal on metal friction that could lead to bone and tissue…
Read MoreFDA warns against Atrial Fibrillation drug Multaq. Moral? Wait 7 years before taking any newly released drug.
I’m starting to bore myself with reporting on the dangerous drugs that have been approved and set loose on the market, but here’s another one. Link below. Please wait to take any new drug for several years, 7 at least, from the time of release. Let other people be the guinea pigs. (info on my…
Read MoreCranberry Juice versus Antibiotics: You Decide
An article from the New York Times comparing cranberry juice versus months of low dose antibiotics. No surprise that the antibiotic helped keep the infections away to a larger degree, and also no surprise that it lead to E Coli resistant strains that are harder to treat. I mentioned in a previous post that I…
Read MoreLooking For Methods to Mitigate Alzheimer's Disease
From today’s New York Times, an article looking at various conditions that, if mitigated, will help to avoid Alzheimer’s. I won’t copy much of the article.But the following I will file in the “I Did Not Know That” file,(in bold.) I knew there were other reasons to avoid menopausal hormones, but this reason I was…
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