I recently came across an interesting article in JAMA in which a physician/surgeon described his personal experience with macular degeneration. “It was during the summer about 3 years ago. I became aware while I was driving, of a subtle change in the shape of billboards. The upper right hand corner of the billboard appeared to …
While reading through an issue of Alternative Medicine I came across an article with the above title. In the article it cited a study done in England where more than 800 otherwise healthy people with lower respiratory infections were treated one of three ways: They either received antibiotics immediately, got no antibiotics or were given …
It is not uncommon for young children to have phobias. Darkness is probably the most common one that I see in children. However, children should outgrow most fears by the time they are 8. So for Jonathan, who was 10 years old, to have fears of something happening to his mother was quite unusual. In …
New research from Harvard University links fluoride in tap water, at levels most Americans drink, to osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Fluoride is added to water supplies in a questionable attempt to reduce tooth decay. Richard Wiles, Sr. Vice President of Environmental Working Group, a highly-regarded Washington DC- based organization is quoted as …
It is not infrequent that a patient will ask me whether there is any validity to do the gallstone flush. The regimen usually consists of drinking apple juice during the day with no food and then in the evening consuming 600ml of olive oil and 300ml of lemon juice over several hours. Patients of mine …
If a woman feels hesitant about having a mammogram what other options does she have? Studies have shown that clinical screening is just as useful as mammography. Ultrasound scans which use high frequency waves to record the image is useful in women with dense breast tissue in picking up small tumors that mammograms might miss. …
In the early 1970’s mammography began to be actively promoted as a means of detecting breast cancer. However, as early as 1976 , John C Bailar, then the editor of the National Cancer Institute Journal questioned the procedure by writing, “The possible benefits of mammography have received more emphasis in the clinical literature than have …
In 1969 President Richard M. Nixon declared war on cancer – intending to wipe out the disease in our generation. Despite billions of dollars financing this war, cancer has become the number one killer of Americans under age 85. Breast cancer has gotten special attention with the pink ribbon campaign. What most people don’t know …
The last several years there has been an explosion in health bars. At first they were promoted by just companies involved in the health industry but now major corporate companies have entered the market with their versions. The change in our life style has contributed to the popularity of health bars. Although it is ideal …
Today I came across an article that described a study of the use of DHEA and depression. The researchers found that when they gave DHEA to depressed people not on anti-depressants 50% of them saw improvement with their symptoms. They were given quit a high dose (150mg three times a day) which can cause unwanted …