the relationship between the medical community and big pharma
THE BIG INFLUENCE OF BIG PHARMA ON MODERN CORPORATE MEDICINE “I hate to ruin the fun, but practicing physicians are influenced far more by guidelines, esteemed academic physicians, and opinion pieces in prestigious journals than we are by a deli platter and a smiling drug rep. We look to the world of academic medicine because, […]
dr sanjay gupta takes on mammography
THINKING ABOUT ANOTHER MAMMOGRAM?THINK TWICE! After dealing yesterday with the twin nightmares of OVER-DIGANOSIS & OVER-TREATMENT, I figured I needed to give you a real-life example — this one having to do with BREAST CANCER. Neurologist and celebrity physician (I believe he is a regular on CNN) ran an article by Staff Contributor Shannon Firth […]
more news on the dinosaur known as “the annual physical”
ANNUAL PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS: RELICS FROM A BYGONE ERA “When I, as a doctor, say I do not advocate for the annual physical, I feel like I’m attacking moms and apple pie. It seems so intuitive and straightforward, and [it’s] something that’s been part of medicine for such a long time. I would argue that […]
more government yammering on antibiotic resistance and superbugs
THE PROBLEM OF ANTIBIOTICRESISTANCE AND SUPERBUGSNO WORRIES: THE GOVERNMENT IS COMING TO THE RESCUE!(Implementation of Executive Order 13676) “Antibiotic resistance that turns ordinary disease-causing bacteria into illnesses that can’t be controlled could bring about the “next pandemic,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden warned at a National Press Club event Tuesday.” From […]
the fda: are they here to protect the public, or to run cover for big pharma?
THE FDA FAILS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE… AGAIN Ji-Elle “That misconduct happens isn’t shocking. What is: When the FDA finds scientific fraud or misconduct, the agency doesn’t notify the public, the medical establishment, or even the scientific community that the results of a medical experiment are not to be trusted. On the contrary. For more […]
pre-diabetes (metabolic syndrome), the ama, and our government
PREDIABETES / METABOLIC SYNDROMEAND OUR GOVERNMENT WestportWiki “In one of the most medically advanced countries in the world, more that 86 million Americans live with prediabetes, yet nearly 90% of them don’t even know it. This isn’t just a concern, it’s a crisis.” Dr. Robert Wah, president of the AMA, via a press conference announcing […]
press releases as evidence-based medicine
Press Releases as Evidence-Based Medicine? An Exercise in Exaggeration “Press Releases are frequently about as “Evidence-Based” as Mad Magazine.” -Dr. Russell Schierling “Exaggeration in news is strongly associated with exaggeration in press releases. Improving the accuracy of academic press releases could represent a key opportunity for reducing misleading health related news.” The conclusion of the […]
evidence-based medicine, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment
NEW STUDY COMPARES WHAT PATIENTS THINK THE RISKSOF MEDICAL TREATMENT ARE, COMPARED TO REALITY “Most participants in our sample who underwent routine cancer screening reported that their physicians did not tell them about overdiagnosis and overtreatment. The few who received information about overtreatment had unrealistic beliefs about the extent of that risk. The large number […]
physicians using the media to fleece the population
MEDIA AS BIG PHARMA’S SHILL I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If I were only interested in making money, I would manufacture a “natural” product, hire a great web designer and an expert in SEO, and advertise to two different groups — those struggling with CHRONIC PAIN and those wanting to LOSE […]
a short review of dr. jc smith’s “the medical war against chiropractors”
A REVIEW OF DR. JC SMITH’STHE MEDICAL WAR AGAINST CHIROPRACTORS:THE UNTOLD STORY FROM PERSECUTION TO VINDICATION “Chiropractic has endured, grown, and thrived in the United States, despite internal contentiousness and external opposition. Its persistence suggests it will continue to endure as an important component of health care in the United States. In response to the […]
my take on the recent article in the lancet (treating obesity seriously)
OBESITY AND WEIGHT LOSSONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUSMEDICAL JOURNALS ON THE PLANET WEIGHS IN “Irrespective of starting weight, caloric restriction triggers several biological adaptations designed to prevent starvation. These adaptations might be potent enough to undermine the long-term effectiveness of lifestyle modification in most individuals with obesity, particularly in an environment that promotes […]
the latest dietary guidelines for cholesterol consumption
DIETARY CHOLESTEROLDESTROYER OF HEALTH AND CLOGGER OF ARTERIES? “A government advisory panel has decided Americans shouldn’t worry about too much cholesterol in their diets. The panel says cholesterol is no longer a ‘nutrient of concern.’“ From CBS medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook on yesterday’s edition of the 6:00 news (Everything You Knew About Cholesterol Could […]
what about the new medical treatments for obesity?
A NEW GENERATION OF MEDICALTREATMENTS FOR OBESITY “It sounds cool, and, as recently pointed out by the FDA, patients will undertake all sorts of risks and discomfort for the promise of weight loss. Unfortunately, a 9% difference from placebo is not much better than intensive lifestyle intervention alone as recently demonstrated in the Look AHEAD […]
is evidence based medicine really “evidence-based”?
EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE: IS IT REALLY AS “EVIDENCE-BASED” AS YOU’VE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE? “[Drug] trials can be rigged in a dozen ways, and it happens all the time.” Dr. Marcia Angell from 2004’s, The Truth about Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It. Angell’s book was written over […]
what do patients hate most about their doctor visits?
WHAT DO PATIENTS LIKE LEASTABOUT THEIR DOCTOR VISITS? Wellcome Trust # V0011616 In a recent national survey, Consumer Reports asked 1,000 randomly chosen Americans what they liked least about their visiting their doctor (on a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the worst). Although things like “waiting“, “rushed office visits“, and “inconvenient office hours” […]
drug reactions and under-reporting
DRUG REACTIONS AND UNDER-REPORTING “Off-label prescribing is widespread in Canada and the United States. For 160 drugs commonly prescribed to U.S. adults and children, 21 percent were for off-label indications… In this case, 73 percent had little to no scientific backing and once again psychoactive drugs such as gabapentin had the highest level of off-label […]
the cost-effectiveness of chiropractic
IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE COST-EFFECTIVE? Charles Thompson – Deansboro/United States – Pixabay A few months ago, a medical journal (JMPT) published a study done by a group of medical doctors from Warwick Medical School in Coventry, England called Cost Effectiveness of Manual Therapy for Musculoskeletal Conditions. Although there was no new research done, the data from […]
is “evidence-based medicine” affected by industry payoffs?
DO INDUSTRY PAYOFFS AFFECT THE INTEGRITY OF EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE? “Physicians and researchers must exercise judgment in complex situations that are fraught with uncertainty. Colleagues, patients, students, and the public need to trust that these judgments are not compromised by physicians’ or researchers’ financial ties to pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology companies. Ties with industry are […]
quackery in medicine?
IS QUACKERY TAKING OVER MEDICINE? PawełS Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) warned us in 1984’s Ghostbusters, that we were, “headed for a disaster of biblical proportions…. Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!” According to Dr. David Gorski of Science Based Medicine, that time has arrived. After a similar rant against chiropractic just […]
more breast cancer research: double mastectomy, good or bad?
BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSISSHOULD YOU HAVE A DOUBLE MASTECTOMY? No profession is more jam-packed, stuffed, wedged, and crammed full of “SACRED COWS” than the practice of medicine. There’s the issue of VACCINES, there are ANTIBIOTICS, there are STATIN DRUGS, there is EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE, NON-CELIAC GLUTEN SENSITIVITY, DIETARY FAT, ANNUAL PHYSICALS, etc, etc, etc. And that’s just […]