Steroid Injections Not as Safe as Previously Thought
From Harvard Medical School blog Calling steroid injections into question Steroid injections can quickly relieve inflammation in the joints, and the effects may last from several weeks to several months. I’ve seen a number of patients who got significant relief from steroid injections every three or four months. But, a new report of one…
Read MoreFrail Older Patients Struggle After Even Minor Operations
Frail, older patients frequently undergo such operations, which surgeons tend to see as routine, simple fixes — but may not be. “Our data indicate that there are no low-risk procedures among patients who are frail,” Dr. Hall and his co-authors concluded in their study. So he had a lot to talk over with this patient…
Read MoreCervical Cancer Screening: The basics
This pdf of the presentation from last week’s conference on Controversies in Women’s Health. It’s hard to say if there is an upshot per se. In general, guidelines are getting much more nuanced and recognize the real harms of false positives.
Read MoreStents and Bypass Surgery No Better than Medications for Narrowed Arteries in Patients Without Angina
” This is far from the first study to suggest that stents and bypass are overused. But previous results have not deterred doctors, who have called earlier research on the subject inconclusive and the design of the trials flawed. Previous studies did not adequately control for risk factors, like LDL cholesterol, that might have…
Read MoreAntioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans
I’m becoming more aware of the anti-aging “movement” out there that subscribes to various biohacks to promote brain health and overall longevity. One such hack which I always dismiss out of hand is the taking of Metformin. My general philosophy is to try to achieve things naturally since pills invariably have unintended consequences. Vitamins also,…
Read MoreThe Tyranny of the Logical: or Biological plausibility
I am linking to a thorough and thoughtful article by David Epstein . The name of his article is “When Evidence Says No But Doctors Say Yes”. Careful readers of my blog know that this is something that I’ve been concerned about almost since my blog’s inception. It is a phenomenon that I’ve called the…
Read MoreStem Cell Injections Flourish With Little Evidence That They Work
I had no idea that these were not fully vetted by the FDA! As the article points out, these injections are extremely common and some insurance even pays. Wow. The FDA has taken an “industry friendly” position on allowing these injections. Are they safe? Do they work? Who knows? Money to be made! Astonishing. Apparently…
Read MoreTiger Woods Won the Back Surgery Lottery
That is the actual title of this very important discussion of spinal fusion surgery. Go the acupuncture route. Safer, cheaper, no opioids involved. Reading through this article, I want to copy almost the entire thing. This is information that is crucial and to call it “under-reported” is the understatement of the decade. An outcome like…
Read MoreMillions of Patients Affected by Faulty Medical Devices
My sort of standard advice to people is to not take any medication, nor use any new medical technique less than 7 years old. Often drugs and devices are rushed to market. Safer to let someone else take the risk. Unfortunately, in the case of pelvic mesh, it had been out for 20 years before…
Read MoreLife in the Fast Lane Kills: Mitochondria and Longevity
A fascinating interview, and not too technical, by an expert who studies longevity. Please read the whole thing, but these two excerpts below bring up some interesting concepts that might be counter-intuitive. The first is that anti-oxidants if taken as a supplement can actually lead to more free radicals. The second is that fruits and…
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