An article in the Washington Post (1.4.2010) reported that of 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States, nearly 20% are kept secret. Why the big secret? The Environmental Protection Agency, the government agency designed to protect us, the citizens, worked with industry to help them protect trade secrets. Why does industry need protection?
An article on MSNBC (www.msnbc.msn.com on 3.21.07) reported on the toxic fumes found in new cars. Bromine and chlorine were the most common toxic elements reportedly found in automobiles. These elements are found in the seats, armrests, door trim and shift knobs and other areas of the car. Think about it, you spend perhaps two
Ginger is a good herb, right? Good for many things including helping prevent motion sickness and improving digestion. Where do we get our ginger from? Nearly 78% of the ginger imported to the U.S. comes from China. In 2006, 53.8 million pounds of ginger was imported from China. Investigators in California found that ginger, imported
As I am sitting home on a Tuesday morning (I have a bad cold) instead of seeing patients, I became incensed over the Big Pharma Cartel. No longer will I refer to them as Big Pharma as they have crossed a line. Big Pharma Cartel more accurately portrays what is going on these days. What
A few months ago, I was invited to give a talk at the hospital that trained me. The chief of cardiology (Dr. David) asked me to give a talk on the holistic approach to the hyperlipidemic patient (or the high- cholesterol patient). Dr. David has been a friend and colleague for many years. He took excellent
How many studies have to be done which show a drug is a failure before doctors will stop using it? It is a very interesting question in light to the news headlines today about the block-buster cholesterol drug Zetia (Zetia is also part of the drug Vytorin). The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM. 2009;361)
A series of articles in JAMA (4.16.08) documented how Merck misrepresented the data on the early Vioxx trials and manipulated the clinical research. This series of articles came to light due to the litigation over the 50,000 people who died by taking Vioxx. The authors of this series were privy to the court documents during
There is no question we are suffering an obesity epidemic in the United States. Nearly two out of three people are overweight and one out of three adults are obese. I have no doubt that the main reason there is so much obesity in the U.S. is due, in large part, to lifestyle choices. In
I have received many emails this week asking me to comment about a recent article claiming that taking iodine causes/exacerbates thyroid problems. Let’s think about it. Thyroid problems have been increasing at epidemic rates over the last 30 years. Hypothyroidism affects from 13 million to 45 million Americans. Another 10-15 million Americans are affected
Big Pharma is now making a push that cholesterol lowering medications should be used in anyone with signs of inflammation. The Jupitor study (NEJM. VOl 359; 2008) looked at the use of Crestor (a statin drug) in “healthy” individuals who had elevated laboratory tests showing inflammation (via a blood test known as the CRP test).