Archive | News RSS feed for this section

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) dropped a bombshell recently. This organization, which the US government tasks with setting the recommended daily intakes (also called Dietary Reference Intakes, or DRIs) of various nutrients, unveiled the eagerly anticipated new guidelines for vitamin D. Given that they hadn’t been updated in 13 years—and there’s been a virtual explosion […]

If you’re looking for a wonder drug, look no further than aspirin. This inexpensive over-the-counter medication reduces fever, eases aches and pains, and lowers systemic inflammation. It helps prevent heart attacks and strokes and, if taken during a heart attack, just might save your life. Now, a new study demonstrates yet another, extremely important benefit […]

High blood pressure affects roughly 75 million Americans. This condition increases risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney disease, and those who are labeled with hypertension pay higher insurance rates and are frequently subjected to lifelong use of dangerous medications. Yet, a recent study suggests that four in five blood pressure readings taken […]

Aegrescit medendo: “The disease worsens with the treatment” from the Aeneid by Roman poet Virgil, 70–19 BC As a conventionally trained physician, I recognize and appreciate the breakthrough drugs that truly save lives and enhance health. However, far too many of the medications on the market are superfluous, at best, and downright dangerous, at worst. All told, […]

Researchers recently examined nearly 200,000 prescriptions written for more than 75,500 patients by 1,217 doctors in Massachusetts over the course of one year in order to determine drug adherence rates among patients. They found that between a quarter and a third of prescriptions were never filled. For example, 28.4 percent of scripts for hypertension went […]

As our epidemic of diabetes gathers steam—more than one in 10 adults in this country and nearly one in four over age 60 are now affected—its related complications are on the upswing. Hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer with vision loss, kidney failure, neuropathy, and lower-limb amputations brought on by diabetes-induced nerve and blood vessel […]

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” “A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.” “Man cannot live on chocolate alone, but woman sure can.” These quotes are reflective of our collective sweet tooth. On average, Americans consume 22.2 teaspoons of sugars every day. That adds up to 355 calories a day—20 percent more than […]

Are you confused about whether to have a PSA test or a mammogram? Join the crowd. Everywhere you turn, there’s conflicting information about cancer screening. The American Cancer Society says one thing, and the US Preventive Services Task Force says another. Bureaucrats and politicians—who have no medical background whatsoever but are eager to appease—join the […]

“I am a registered nurse and certified nurse anesthetist. Nine years ago I came down with severe fatigue and achiness and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. My internist tried anything and everything—heavy metals, sleep studies, supplements, and more. For two years there were days I never got out of bed. Of course, this […]

It may be bad form to say “I told you so,” but I told you so. In the October 2009 issue of my newsletter, as the world was gripped in H1N1/swine flu hysteria, I predicted that the pandemic—which had been declared a national emergency that would infect up to half of the nation, overwhelm hospitals […]