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….
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Managing 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 ReadingBladder Cancer Alleged in Actos Lawsuits
In 1999, the FDA approved the drug Actos for Type 2 diabetes. Its popularity grew substantially after its primary competitor, Avandia, was linked to increased risk of heart attack. In 2010, the drug generated $3.4 billion in sales for its manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Now, Actos is under fire, too. The drug was recalled this summer….
Continue ReadingStudy Says Stop-Smoking Drug Carries Cardiovascular Risk
A drug prescribed for smoking cessation is linked to an increased risk of heart problems, according to a study published July 4 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Varenicline, known by the brand name Chantix, was associated with a 72% increased risk of a serious cardiovascular “event.” That sounds huge, but the scientific number-crunching shakes….
Continue ReadingDiabetes drug Avandia will be gone from retail shelves by November
Diabetes medication Avandia will be pulled from pharmacy shelves in November because it poses a major risk of heart attack, the Food and Drug Administration has announced. Under a new program effective Nov. 18, 2011, only certified physicians will be allowed to prescribe the drug, and then only to patients who’ve been informed of the….
Continue ReadingBlood sugar monitors: One to a patient, if you want to avoid infection
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are warning healthcare professionals that sharing blood glucose monitoring machines carries the risk of transmitting the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and other infectious diseases. Their simple advice: One monitor per diabetic patient. In recent years, the number of reported HBV….
Continue ReadingMurky Research: The New Era of Prescription Drug Safety
Time was when the Food and Drug Administration would give a new drug the go-ahead for marketing based on a handful of studies involving no more than a few thousand patients. Then millions of prescriptions would be written over the next few years, and the drug would finally have its real test of safety on….
Continue ReadingInactivity May Lead to Fatty Liver Disease
As if there is not already a multitude of problems awaiting those who lead an inactive lifestyle, researchers recently found yet another inactivity-related condition that threatens human health, a condition called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to Medical News Today. In an article published in The Journal of Physiology, Dr. John Thyfault of the….
Continue ReadingDiabetes: An Underrated Illness
Many people have a tendency to underestimate the devastating effects of diabetes, as Tara Parker-Pope points out in her recent NY Times article. She cites studies where participants ranked various diseases, giving diabetes only 4s and 5s on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst). Several factors give people this optimistic view….
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