I was waiting to comment on the Zika virus until more information comes to light, but I have decided to throw my two cents in. As most of you know, in Brazil, there is an epidemic of microcephaly—infants being born with tiny heads and many health problems associated with it. An astute doctor in Brazil
I am sure you are aware that the water supply in Flint, Michigan, was recently found to be contaminated with lead. Over the last few weeks, headlines were made across every major media outlet including the New York Times (NYTs) and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The lead in Flint’s water supply is truly a
Do we need more cholesterol-lowering medications? Big Pharma thinks so. A new class of cholesterol-lowering medications called PCSK9 inhibitors is being unleashed on us. PCSK9 inhibitors are monoclonal antibodies. PCSK9 can bind to LDL-cholesterol receptors on the cell walls. Once the PCSK9 binds to the LDL-cholesterol receptor, the complex is absorbed into the cell and broken
Dr. Peter Lipson, an internal medicine physician in Southfield, MI wrote a commentary on my latest blog about mandatory vaccinations and summer camp. I am reprinting Dr. Lipson’s comments in italics, my original blog post in regular font, and my comments to Dr. Lipson in bold. No Vaccination, No Camp. Finally. – Forbes by Peter Lipson http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlipson/2016/01/02/no-vaccination-no-camp-finally/
As a child, I attended sleepover camp as many Jewish children did. Camp Tamarack is the largest (or one of the largest) Fresh Air Society camps in the U.S. Some of my favorite memories from my childhood occurred at Camp Tamarack. I still have many Tamarack friends that I still connect with. This summer, I
Since graduating from medical school in 1989, I have come to the conclusion that much of what I was taught was wrong. In fact, at my medical school graduation, the dean said, “Fifty percent of what we just taught you was wrong, your job is to figure out which part was correct and which was
Is a blood pressure less than 120/80mm Hg healthier than a higher blood pressure? Scientists randomly assigned 9,361 subjects with systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or higher and increased cardiovascular risk, but without diabetes, to two groups. The intensive treatment group had a systolic blood-pressure target of less than 120 mm Hg while
The FDA has approved a new flu vaccine—Fluad. Should we say, “hooray,” or “oy veh”. I will let you decide. Fluad is the first seasonal influenza vaccine containing an adjuvant called squalene. Adjuvants in vaccines, such as aluminum, are used to cause a greater immune system response as compared to vaccines used without an adjuvant.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am pleased to announce a “Black Friday” Weekend sale—all books and DVD’s are 20% off from now until 6 p.m. EST Sunday, November 29, 2015. Visit my online bookstore at www.drbrownstein.com and just enter BlackFriday (as written here) in the coupon code to receive your discount. DrB
We take too many prescription drugs. A study in JAMA(2015:314(17):1818-31. Nov. 3, 2015) was titled, “Trends in prescription drug use among adults in the U.S. from 1999-2012.” The authors used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which included 37,959 adults. The authors found an increase in overall use of prescription drugs