The major health problems affecting Americans and nearly all Western citizens are not due to a lack of prescription drugs. These health problems are primarily caused by lifestyle choices. I think the most critical lifestyle choice we face every day is what we will eat. Americans eat too many refined foods and not enough whole
An article in Family Practice News contained the headline: Oral Contraceptives May Be Linked to Atherosclerosis. The article contained information from 1,301 Belgian women aged 35-55. Each 10 year use of oral contraceptives was associated with a 42% increase risk of bilateral carotid (the arteries in the neck) plaque. There was also a 34% increase
The headline in the New York Times is titled, “Researchers Puzzled by Role of Osteoporosis Drug in Rare Thighbone Fractures” (3.24.10). The article states that case reports of women breaking their thigh bone are being reported in the medical literature. Some of the women were young—in their 50’s—and did not have osteoporosis. However, all of
The FDA announced on 3.10.2010 that there was no “clear connection” between bisphosphonate (e.g., Fosamax, Zometa, Boniva, and Didroneo) use and femur fracture risk. The agency had no evidence to conclude that osteoporosis drugs increase the risk of femur fractures just below the hip joint. The FDA stated, “At this point, the data that FDA
True or false: 1. Low cholesterol levels are healthy. 2. You will live longer if you have a low cholesterol level. 3. If you have congestive heart failure, it is better to take a cholesterol-lowering drug. The answer to all three statements is easy: All are false. How can that be? Have we been mislead
Over the years, I have written and lectured about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. One product seems to stand out from the rest: aspartame. Aspartame is used to provide a sweetened taste to food and drink. It is found in a wide range of food products including diet sodas and low fat foods. It is
The headline in today’s (2.12.10) Washington Post reads, “No cure for heart disease, Clinton’s case shows.” The article states, “Bill Clinton has a new lease on life, but there’s no cure for the heart disease that has twice forced the former president to get blocked arteries fixed.” Further in the article the writer states that
Maybe your mother and grandmother were right when they told you, “Eat your vegetables.” A new study (Cancer Causes Control. 2009. 20:75-86) pointed out that among dietary factors, vegetables were the only food group shown to have a favorable effect on thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer encompasses approximately 1% of all malignancies diagnosed worldwide. There were
The article in the N.Y. Times is titled, “Snack Time Never Ends (NYT 1.20.2010).” The author of the article was complaining about the number of snacks she and the other mothers have to bring to her children’s school. She wrote, “Apparently, we have collectively decided as a culture that it is impossible for children to
The article is titled, “Rise in thyroid cancer among young woman baffles experts.” (KHOU.com. Accessed 1.10.10). The article states that over 27,000 women will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer this year which is a six percent increase from 2009. The article also states that the reason the number of thyroid cancer rates is rising is
