Can the Public Health Effort Do More?
Tag: Natural Medicine
NCI Pulls the Plug on Selenium and Vitamin E — What Do the Results Mean for Dietary Supplements?
From the 1950s on, the American population has been culturally conditioned that a magic bullet exists for every symptom that afflicts the human condition. Every pharmaceutical firm dreams of a blockbuster medication—a Claritin, a Lipitor, a Viagra.
Post-Traumatic Stress in the Armed Forces — A Call to Help Our Troops
According to the October 27 edition of USA Today, increasing numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to the chief of the traumatic stress program at the National Institute of Mental Health, it’s a biologically based condition where the body’s stress-response system goes into overdrive.
Curing the Incurable — Whether Autism or Cancer, Conventional Medicine Avoids the “C” Word: “Cure”
The new Us Weekly has an article about actress Jenny McCarthy’s battle with pediatricians over the health of her son, who she says became autistic after a routine vaccination. McCarthy says he was cured through a wheat- and dairy-free diet, but doctors have accused her of creating fear of necessary vaccines.
The Science of Cherries: The FDA Calls Cherries a Drug
A 1999 peer-reviewed report in the Journal of Natural Products published by the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, concluded that tart cherries may relieve pain better than aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs. The consumption of about twenty cherries reduces inflammation in a manner similar to that of aspirin or the cox-2 inhibiting… Continue reading The Science of Cherries: The FDA Calls Cherries a Drug
Low Blood Pressure is Linked to a Higher Death Rate among Seniors
The old “normals” for total cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and LDL are coming under new scrutiny. We may not live longer or better with lower cholesterol readings, lower blood pressure numbers, and lower blood sugar levels.
Vitamin Use in Cancer Care
(And You Thought the Election Rhetoric Was Vicious!) The use of vitamins—and antioxidants in particular—during cancer therapy has a long history of controversy. Many pioneers in the field of cancer care and research—Drs. Charles Simone, Ralph Moss, Kedar Prasad, and Keith Block, among others—have sifted through the conflicting research and offer an alternative viewpoint from… Continue reading Vitamin Use in Cancer Care
Supplements and Stroke
Strokes are on the rise in this country; each year there are 700,000 reported strokes in the U.S. Too frequently, they occur in people under the age of 30. The Wall Street Journal has published a number of front page articles devoted to stroke in the U.S. (1) (2) (3) (4) They show that medical… Continue reading Supplements and Stroke
Statin Drugs—Are They Worth the Money?
Prescription drug spending has increased sharply in recent years and continues to be the fastest growing segment of healthcare spending. Americans spent $40.3 billion for prescription drugs in 1990; by 2006 that figure had risen to a staggering $216.7 billion.
Is Prevention a Campaign Myth?
Every radio and television station regularly airs public service announcements that cite you can catch cancer in time with early screening. The “catch it in time” mentality has become pervasive in mainstream medical circles, as well as among consumers, public health experts, and politicians.