Finally, a government health care policy everyone can get behind: Written prescriptions are going the way of the iron lung. Indecipherable written prescriptions have long been a source of frustration for pharmacists and patients alike. Now, the federal government is taking steps to encourage doctors to prescribe electronically; starting this year, holdouts will see cuts in their Medicare reimbursements.
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Elsewhere on the type 2 diabetes research front, a study has emerged that finds a link between consistently skipping breakfast and developing this disease. In the current issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the results of a study that tracked 29,000 men for over 16 years showed that those who consistently skipped breakfast had a 21 percent higher risk of developi
A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine has spotlighted some complex problems regarding the treatment of type 2 diabetes in children. Because diabetic children respond differently than adults to conventional treatments, the study examined the efficacy of three different treatment approaches in adolescents.
Those who have had their cholesterol levels tested are typically informed that there are two types of primary importance: LDL, or bad cholesterol, and HDL, which is the good kind. And while much research has determined that reducing LDL protects against heart disease and cardiovascular events, some doctors have wondered whether raising HDL actually achieves the same effects. However, earlier classes of drugs (Pfizer s Torcetrapib, most notably) designed to increase HDL failed to demonstrate any beneficial effect, and were thus abandoned.
Yesterday, we reported on the final recommendation issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which advised against PSA screening for prostate cancer in men of any age.
New York, NY, May 31, 2012 New York City Mayor Bloomberg s proposed ban on the sale of soda servings and most other sweetened beverages over 16 ounces is the most egregious foray yet in his war on sugary drinks, notes the American Council on Science and Health.
Drs. Elizabeth M. Whelan, Gilbert Ross and George Lundberg on medpagetoday, May 30, 2012
Treating Recalcitrant Nicotine Addiction: the EBM Way
A new report finds that life expectancy in New York City is rising faster than anywhere else in the US, prompting health experts to consider whether the city might serve as an object lesson to public health departments around the country.According to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, Manhattan's life expectancy increased by 10 years between 1987 and 2007, with the other four counties that co
Sodas have been taking a big hit in the war on obesity lately. Perhaps, then, it s not too surprising that average soda consumption by Americans is on a slow downward trend: As of last year, the average American drank slightly less than two sodas per day a 16 percent decrease from the peak of soda consumption in 1998.
A new study shows that aspirin may be just as effective as the conventional blood thinner warfarin for heart failure patients when it comes to balancing stroke prevention with adverse effects, particularly bleeding. The finding is important because heart failure (HF) is a common and serious problem affecting millions of Americans, especially among the older population.
For the first time in over 20 years, the CDC has redefined the level of concern for lead levels in children's blood.
A Mother s Day garden party at an upstate New York Buddhist monastery took a turn for the worse after 150 attendees fell ill with food poisoning and many had to be hospitalized. And while it seems as though we re always reading about the latest food-borne outbreak (recent stories included listeria-tainted cantaloupe and salmonella-tainted eggs), in reality, the rate of food-borne illness in the U.S. fell by almost 25 percentsince the late 1990s, according to a new report from the CDC.
We have, unfortunately, had the occasion to report several times within the past month on the rising rate of diabetes among U.S. kids.
Dr. Gilbert Ross in the Financial Post
Junk Science Week: Too much to swallow
Dr. Elizabeth Whelan in the Financial Post
Junk Science Week: Artificial science
Beyond just serving as a source of family-friendly entertainment, Mickey Mouse will now be providing kids and parents with information on health and nutrition. Walt Disney Co. announced yesterday that its TV, radio, and website networks will not accept advertisements for foods that do not meet the specific nutritional criteria laid out in the company s new set of guidelines.
Fewer women in their 40s are having mammograms, a new study from the Mayo Clinic reports and this is good news. In 2009, a federal advisory panel recommended that women should wait until age 50 rather than age 40, as was previously recommended before beginning regular mammographic screenings for breast cancer.
As I mentioned on Monday, the Chairman of the New York Senate Health Committee recently proposed a ban on e-cigarettes in New York. I was disturbed that such a counterproductive measure would actually be considered. I sent a letter to the members of the Senate Health committee, which while expressing support for the proposal to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors explains why a total ban would be antithetical to public health:
Last September, we covered the results of a Japanese study that found a link between diabetes and Alzheimer s disease. Now, new research published in the Archives of Neurology provides further evidence that diabetes may indeed lead to a higher risk of and a more rapid decline in cognitive function.
A (qualified) shout-out to The New York Times editorial page. ("Is this June 1st or April 1st?" ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross wanted to know.) When we opened the paper today, we were astonished to discover that that the Times editorial writers actually echo our distaste for Mayor Bloomberg's latest hijinks.
In 2009, nearly a quarter of a million Americans underwent gastric bypass surgery, demonstrating the growing popularity of the procedure, especially in the wake of our nation s expanding waistlines. And though some experts argue that the operation does not sustain long-term weight loss, a recent analysis published in the Annals of Surgery found that people who opted for the surgery were actually able to keep their weight off for two years or more.
Yesterday we expressed our amazement that The New York Post would run an editorial supporting Mayor Bloomberg s proposed ban on sugary beverages larger than 16 ounces. Today we were shocked again to see that The Post published a letter to the editor by renowned anti-food industry activist Dr.
A recent study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition had us rolling our eyes at its insistence that women who replaced sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juices with water had a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes. While we suspected the study of being another data dredge of the over 82,000 women in the Harvard School of Public Health s Nurses' Health Study II, we called upon ACSH scientific advisor and statistician Dr.
In addition to improving heart health and facilitating weight loss, a new study has added to a body of evidence suggesting that exercise may also help women stave off breast cancer.
ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom is at it again, this time with an op-ed in Forbes. In this piece, Dr. Bloom describes two significant accomplishments of America s pharmaceutical industry within the past two decades: the development of effective anti-HIV drugs, and the recent approval of curative and tolerable treatments for hepatitis C. However, as Dr. Bloom points out, such innovations will be much less likely in the future.
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