If you have been reading my thoughts for some time, you know that I am not a big advocate of mammograms. I really wish they would do the job they are supposed to do, but they just don’t. Another study appeared recently, documenting the unpleasant consequences of well-intentioned mammographic screening. It is not the […]
Strength Training, Health, and Body Image
A large new study of adolescents in the Minneapolis area surprised and excited the study authors and a writer for the New York Times. They found that many of the girls and over 1/3 of the boys were doing things (changing eating patterns, exercising, taking protein drinks or using steroids) to improve their body composition. […]
Be Careful What You Swallow
A study was just published with exclamatory headlines warning about vitamin D and calcium raising the risk of kidney stones. They studied the blood and urine of 163 healthy, postmenopausal women for a year. Investigators gave the women from 0-4,800 iu of vitamin D and raised their calcium to 1,200 – 1,400 mg/day. 1/3 of […]
High Intensity Intermittent Exercise – Fast, Efficient, Fun, and Effective
As you probably know, exercise may well be the single most important health habit. Drinking water, eating well, using supplements properly, avoiding toxins, sleeping, working on your attitude and relationships are all also vitally important. However, even beyond its power to prevent and treat disease, exercise may well provide the greatest wellbeing boost of any […]
No Benefit Without Risk – Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol
Many medications are available only by prescription (unless you own a computer or travel to another country). That is because of the risks that accompany their use. When drugs become available we tend to believe that availability is some sort of certification that they are safe, and weak compared to prescription meds. Not true. Recent […]
Autism and Immunizations
The widely disseminated comments of many organizations and authorities would lead one to believe that any possible linkage between vaccination and autism has been entirely disproven. That is not so. The theory that there might be a connection is biologically plausible. One of the most consistent biological abnormalities among children with autism is their limited […]
Coffee and Prostate Cancer
It is nice to report good news. In this case, the good news is that a recent study of prostate cancer found that drinking coffee reduced risk. It is always essential to view dietary studies skeptically. There are so many reasons they can be misunderstood, or just plain wrong. The world is too complicated to […]