All health practitioners have seen patients who develop a dependence on prescription anti-insomnia medications. This apparent increase in mortality risk, however, comes as a surprise. The usual caveats apply, in that this study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. However, the researchers quoted in this MedPage article seem quite concerned. The use of hypnotic sleep [...]
Archive for February, 2012
Annual U.S. Death Toll from Sleeping Pills May Top 500,000
Posted in Uncategorized on February 28, 2012 |
Walking Back the Decision to Curtail Hormone Replacement Therapy
Posted in Uncategorized on February 28, 2012 |
After waiting several years until the furor died down, it appears that the drug companies and those they fund have decided that the time is ripe to walk back the decision to sharply curtail use of hormone replacement therapy. That decision was based on the landmark 2002 Women’s Health Initiative findings that showed an increased [...]
Family History the Simplest Genetic Test of All
Posted in Uncategorized on February 22, 2012 |
A reminder that low-tech procedures have great value. As the WSJ reports today, British researchers showed that by systematically collecting detailed family history from patients, they boosted the number of patients at high risk for heart disease detected by standard assessment tools from 12% to 18%. Catching more high-risk patients would mean doctors could better [...]
Heart Attack Grill Lives Up to Its Name
Posted in Uncategorized on February 16, 2012 |
I first learned of the Heart Attack Grill from a student whose hometown was Chandler, Arizona, site of the original location of this enterprise. Here’s the Wikipedia entry for this iconic part of Americana. And now, not for the first time, a national news story highlighting one of the ways that this burger joitn livbes [...]
Tai Chi May Help Parkinson’s Patients Regain Balance
Posted in Uncategorized on February 10, 2012 |
A heartening NPR story that reports on a study in the current New England Journal of Medicine: Maricle had difficulty walking upstairs, downstairs, to the car or down the street. So it’s no wonder that, when she heard about a new study at the nearby Oregon Research Institute to look at the potential benefits of [...]
U.S. Military Implements First Nutrition Upgrade in 20 Years
Posted in Uncategorized on February 9, 2012 |
Whenever there’s a meaningful, health-affirming decision made by any group in the public or private sector, it deserves to be celebrated. From an Associated Press wire story in today’s Washington Post: WASHINGTON — Hold the mystery meat: Military bases will soon be serving more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dishes under the first program in 20 years [...]
Australian Universities Defend CAM Programs
Posted in Uncategorized on February 6, 2012 |
Last week, efforts by some Australian scientists to pressure universities in that nation to eliminate complementary and alternative programs garnered wide press attention. Some Australian universities offer degree programs in chiropractic, osteopathy and acupuncture and Oriental medicine. In today’s New York Times, the first story I’ve seen wherethe universities reply: Macquarie University, which is in [...]
Lose Weight by Eating Less
Posted in Uncategorized on February 1, 2012 |
Not exactly a major surprise, as noted here by Marion Nestle in her Food Politics blog. A new diet study just out from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition went to a lot of trouble to prove the obvious. When it comes to weight loss, how much you eat matters more than the proportion of [...]
