Watch for this buzzword to become important in health care quality and safety over the next few years: “Comparative effectiveness research.” The $787 billion economic stimulus package that was signed into law in February 2009 will fund federal research on comparative effectiveness of treatment options, according to The New York Times’ Robert Pear. The research….
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Vitamins Failed to Prevent Diseases in Recent Studies
Do large doses of vitamins really help ward off health problems, including insomnia, fatigue, digestive disorders, and impaired immune system? A number of recent scientific studies challenge the long-held popular belief in the disease-preventing power of vitamin pills, which cost Americans $23 billion a year, Tara Parker-Pope reports in a New York Times article. A….
Continue ReadingBeware of “Natural” Weight-Loss Supplements Tainted with Potent Drugs
In a recent initiative against contaminated weight-loss products, the FDA finds 69 drugs to be contaminated with prescription drugs and chemicals, and expects the list of brands to grow even longer in the next few weeks, reports Natasha Singer of the New York Times. A complete list of the tainted drugs found so far is….
Continue ReadingAnnual Inspection May Reduce Deaths from Oral Cancer
One of the less common forms of cancer, oral cancer was diagnosed in about 35,300 Americans last year and caused the death of 7,600 people. Although oral cancer is one of the easiest to detect and diagnose, the five-year survival rate is only 59%, and more than 60% of cases are diagnosed in the late,….
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