See Overdiagnosed by Dr.
H. Gilbert Welch.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Keep the Scope Out of Your Knees!
40% of patients without pain or
a history of significant injury have damaged cartilage on X-rays or MRI. Studies show that after 5 years, those who
had surgery for this problem with an arthroscope do no better than those treated
medically. Nutritional supplements might
be better yet, certainly with much less side effects.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Gallstones That Don’t Hurt
About 10% of people have
gallstones found with ultrasound with no symptoms of gall bladder disease. Surgery is often recommended, even though
there is no risk involved. Most do not
require surgery. Some can be passed by a
Gall Bladder flush. There are many
versions described on the internet.
See Overdiagnosed by Dr.
H. Gilbert Welch.
Celebration of HealthAssociation website
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Exercise Can Often Be More Effective Than Taking Another Drug for Cardiovascular Disease or Diabetes.
Exercise Can Often Be More Effective Than Taking Another
Drug for Cardiovascular Disease or Diabetes.
A study
quoted in JAMA and published online in the British Medical Journal looked at
meta-analyses for 4 drug and 12 medication clinical trials. They concluded that researchers and
clinicians concentrated so much on drug therapies that they ignored the great
health benefits of exercise. Regular
aerobic activity reduced mortality and the prevention of coronary artery
disease and diabetes more effectively than combinations of drugs.
See JAMA 2013;310:2026-2027.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Evidence-Based Medicine Must Incorporate Patient Preferences
A recent
JAMA editorial stressed that scientific evidence is not sufficient for making
patient care decisions. One guideline is
that all patients should receive statin drugs.
However, a study showed that 70% of diabetic patients with low cardiac
risk who were told about the limited benefit and potential side effects of
statins refused to take the drugs. It is
the job of doctors to present the evidence and the options (yes, that should
include chelation therapy for patients with vascular disease), but it is the
right and responsibility for the patient to make the ultimate decision on what
therapies they want to utilize.
See Montori VM, JAMA 2013;310:2503-2504.
Celebration of Health's website click here
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Stents Have No Benefit Over Medical Therapy for Arterial Blockage with Minimal or No Symptoms
Do
you have reduced blood flow to your heart but this is not giving you
significant symptoms like prominent chest pain and shortness of breath? The name for reduced blood flow is ischemia,
and it is often found incidentally with stress EKG’s, stress echoes, and
angiography. The usual treatment is
angioplasty plus stents, but this treatment is no better for reducing future
cardiac events than taking standard cardiac meds. On the other hand, taking chelation therapy
does reduce future cardiac events.
Evidence-based medicine shows the difference clearly. But most cardiologists are not yet abiding by
the evidence.
See Dr. Kathleen Stergiopoulus
from SUNY—Stoney Brook School of Medicine for a meta-analysis that included the
MASS II, COURAGE, BARI 2D, and FAME 2 clinical trials and JAMA
2013;309:1241-1250.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Cholesterol in the Diet Appears Not to be the Bad Guy
The
government’s Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has recommended that dietary
avoidance of cholesterol is no longer needed for most patients. We still want to avoid saturated fat and
trans fats. But foods such as eggs,
which contain high levels of cholesterol, are no longer considered a
problem. Finally, a nutritional
guideline that makes sense.
Reported in the Toledo Blade,
Feb. 11, 2015, page 1.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has a Much Better Name
The
Institute of Medicine proposed a new name for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: “Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease”. It is cumbersome but it better describes a
problem that can devastate the victims. Usually
the illness is triggered by a virus, allergy, or environmental toxins. It is marked by a profound depletion of
energy following minimal physical or mental activity. Drug therapy give little relief, but
integrative treatment of a yeast imbalance, allergy desensitization, and
thyroid and adrenal support can be very helpful.
Google the Institute of Medicine report on CFS, April, 2015.
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