Best Cardiologists Bad for Health
This study was published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) by looking at what how patient outcomes compare who are admitted to hospitals during the annual cardiology conferences. It is a way to get at data that otherwise would be hard to come by. “They noted that there was no difference in mortality…
Read MoreInflammation: Science and Science Fiction
Great discussion of the current thinking around inflammation. There is definitely something there, but, as always, let’s not let the cure get worse than the disease. “Statins lower the chance of a heart attack, but there is growing concern not only about the side effect of muscle pain but also about increasing the likelihood of…
Read MoreTheranos: Not the Miracle Touted?
My gripe with this whole story was more about entrepreneurs needing to find some high minded motive instead of just admitting that they are out to make money. Hey! We live in America! Making money is the highest of holies so just get on with it and don’t try to tell us you’re saving the…
Read MorePlacebo Effect
Nice summary of what is currently the thinking on placebos. Author Ted Kaptchuk, one of the first westerners to explore acupuncture.
Read MoreMelatonin: Potent Anti-inflammatory Agent
http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/16/8/16981 As followers of the blog know, I do not believe in popping pills for what ails you. However, I think that melatonin as a sleep aid meets the challenge of having a very low risk to benefit ratio. Sleep is so fundamental that a bit of melatonin now and then is “what the doctor…
Read MoreProbiotics and Acne
A case for probiotics for acne. Acne. Small studies from Italy, Russia and Korea have found that probiotics from food or supplements used in conjunction with standard acne treatments may increase the rate of acne clearance, and also helps patients better tolerate acne treatment with antibiotics, Bowe told Live Science. Some probiotic strains found to…
Read MoreBrain Maker by David Perlmutter
I will be discussing in brief, this book in the August Newsletter. Melodramatic trailer for the book by clicking the photo below. He recommends probiotics (these 5–> lactobacillus plantarum, lactobacillus acidopophilus, lactobacillus brevis, bifidobacterum lactis, and bifidobacterium longum.) He also recommends “prebiotics”, which are foods that feed good bacteria in a low-carb, high fat, high…
Read MoreBetter Sleep Helps to Mitigate Alzheimer's Disease
Became aware of this very recent study listening to Science Friday. It features two issues, well even three that I’m deeply interested in. 1. Sleep. I’ve done a number of blog posts and newsletters on the importance of sleep and some natural means to sleep better. 2. Electroceuticals. The researcher, Matthew Walker from UC Berkeley…
Read MoreMore Medical Research Fraud
Follow the Money. “These days, of course, medical research is not just a scholarly affair. It is also a global, multibillion-dollar business enterprise, powered by the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries. The ethical problem today is not merely that these corporations have plenty of money to grease the wheels of university research. It’s also that…
Read MoreWhen Medical Devices Spread Superbugs
Germs that are resistant to antibiotics are cropping up with alarming frequency at American hospitals. A lethal “superbug” known as CRE infected seven patients at the Ronald Reagan U.C.L.A. Medical Center and killed two of them. The germs were apparently transmitted on inadequately sterilized medical scopes.
Read More