Here’s more evidence for the charge that the health-care industry overscreens, overdiagnoses, overtreats and often overcharges. A recent study by the University of Michigan published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that expensive tests like MRIs are used more often than more effective screenings that cost less. The study concerned peripheral neuropathy, a disorder….
Continue ReadingArchives for January 2012
Paula Deen’s Dicey Dance as a Diabetes Drug Spokesperson
Most people understand that TV chef Paula Deen’s brand of cuisine is to healthful eating as channel-surfing is to exercise. There’s nothing wrong with her high-fat, high-sugar recipes, as long as you follow the rule, “Everything in moderation.” But when Deen chose to keep her diabetes secret from her public for three years, then burst….
Continue ReadingElectric Heaters, Floor Lamps Recalled
A couple of home furnishing products recalled this month affect thousands of consumers, as reported on AboutLawsuits.com. Here’s a heads-up if you own either a Honeywell portable electric heater or a Big Lots floor lamp. The Honeywell recall affects about 19,000 Surround Select portable electric heaters. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC),….
Continue ReadingConflict of Interest Strikes Again at the FDA
On his GoozNews website, journalist Merrill Goozner recently tackled the decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to overrule FDA scientists and ban the sale to minors of the over-the-counter morning-after contraception pill. He noted that opponents called it a blatant political move by the White House to woo social conservatives. It’s part….
Continue ReadingSmokers’ Desire to Quit Hits Roadblocks in State Budgets
We’re well into the new year, and by now many of your resolutions may have been consigned to the “next year” bin. But if you’re trying to quit smoking, no time is better than the present. Every year nearly half a million people die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses including lung cancer, heart disease and pulmonary….
Continue ReadingShould You Take Lipitor or a New Generic? Lots of Questions as a Big Drug Loses Its Patent
When patents expire on profitable brand-name prescription drugs, patients and their insurance companies usually both catch a break on the price as generic manufacturers move in with cheaper versions of the same drug. That’s happening now with Lipitor, the most prescribed brand name drug in the U.S., but the usual rules on pricing may be….
Continue ReadingSuccess of Nicotine Replacement Products Called Into Question
Because the effects of nicotine are deadly, because cigarettes are so addictive (some research indicates it’s harder to kick nicotine than it is heroin), any and all efforts should be made to quit smoking. In trying to wean themselves off of “cancer sticks,” many people turn to nicotine replacement in the form of patches that….
Continue ReadingFDA Curbs Use of Antibiotics in Animals
Given our propensity to pop an antibiotic at the first sign of a sniffle-and much of the medical establishment’s willingness to gratify this often unwise habit-it’s hard to believe that the use of antibiotics to fight infection has been common practice for only a couple of generations. Like all medications, they come with risks of….
Continue ReadingManaging Diabetes Is a Team Effort
Diabetes is an affliction of modern life. Americans have abundant and relatively inexpensive food. We have a lack of interest and/or time for exercise. We are predisposed toward a high incidence of the disease and its devastating consequences. Diabetes is a disorder of the metabolism. Its signature-high blood sugar-is the result of the body not….
Continue ReadingVictims of Rare Diseases See New Focus on “Orphan Drug” Research
A recently introduced bill in the House of Representatives seeks to update legislation for “orphan” diseases and drugs. “Orphan” status denotes disorders that are extremely rare-generally afflicting 6,000 or fewer patients. Pharmaceutical companies have no financial incentive to develop drugs and treatments for them because there aren’t enough users to pay the costs and sustain….
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