The U.S. EPA reported a study that showed common chemicals—polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE’s) found in all our homes are contributing to a rash of thyroid problems in pets. This is a class of chemicals which are widely used in our modern society. PBDE’s are used in many common household items as a fire retardant. These
According to a report by the Center for Disease Control, by the year 2050 one in three Americans will have Type 2 diabetes. Currently, one in ten Americans has Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is often referred to as ‘adult –onset’ diabetes. It is the most common form of diabetes and occurs from a
The headlines read, “American Heart Association Backs Statin Use for At-Risk Kids”. Revised guidelines by the American Heart Association now say that children (>8 years old) with high cholesterol and risk factors for heart disease should be treated with statin drugs. I can’t imagine a worse thing to do to a child. Yes, it is
Last week, I saw a patient, Nancy, who works at a local hospital. Nancy was told if she did not receive the flu vaccination, she would have to wear a mask for three months. Furthermore, Nancy would have a red sticker placed on her name badge telling all that she did not receive the flu
Dear Blog Readers, I received a few ‘unhappy’ emails from RD’s (registered dieticians) concerning my article (Blog post 9/27/10) about how the State of Michigan is trying to put a licensing program in place which ensures that only RD’s can give nutritional advice. Please read below to see the controversy. The first letter was written
The headlines from MSNBC read: “ Baby Boomers May Be Less Healthy Than Parents (4.20.07).” How can this be? Boomers smoke less than their parents, seem to exercise more, yet have poorer health parameters. The article went on to report that boomers report more difficulty climbing the stairs, getting up from a chair and doing
How would you feel if the government controlled who can and cannot give you nutritional and dietary advice? I don’t think we want the government controlling nutritional information do you? Well, if you live in the state of Michigan, a law passed in 2006 makes it unlawful to give nutritional or dietary advice unless the
A study of 1,028,437 healthy Danish citizens found the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Voltarin (or Cataflam), Vioxx, and ibuprofen were associated with an increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Voltarin use was associated with a 91% increased of cardiovascular death compared with patients with no nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory usage. Vioxx (withdrawn from the market in 2004 due
An article in the Archives of Medicine (Vol. 167 No. 2. Jan. 22, 2007) found that daily use of the most common antidepressants–SSRI’s such as Prozac®, Zoloft®, Welbutron®– were found result in a 2005 increase risk of bone fractures. This study examined a group of patients who were 50 years of age and older and
A recent study (Cancer Research) reported that pancreatic tumor cells were found to use fructose to divide and grow. The researchers from UCLA found that tumor cells fed both glucose and fructose used the two sugars in different ways. Fructose was found to result in rapid growth of pancreatic cells. “These findings show that cancer
