Stents 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…
Read MoreIBM Watson AI doctor Not Fulfilling Hype
The push to get rid of human workers will never cease. Just like robots, AI diagnosis and treatment still not ready for prime time. I’m not saying that they won’t be in the future, but for now, human intervention still needed.
Read MoreThe Challenge of Going Off of Psychiatric Drugs
This article is a must read for anyone who has been on psychiatric medications for any length of time. It can be agony to get off of them, and debilitating to take them over time. There is so much in this article, and very important information. I see this so often in my practice where…
Read MoreStatins. The Discussion Goes On
In this article the author lays out why she’s decided to stay on statins. But what is remarkable is that she has had over 700 comments to her original article. I’ve read through some of them and there are many readers who think that the side effects are downplayed by physicians. Some of the readers…
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