A newly released study of children and young adults with concussions provides us with specific guidelines about returning to activity. In this case, the activity is cognitive.
Concussion Recovery in Children and Young Adults
Exercise Is Medicine
A recent review of studies comparing exercise as medicine to prescription medication got some attention, but far from enough. Everyone accepts that we should exercise to prevent disease but research and clinical experience teach us that it is more powerful than prescription medications, even for those who are seriously ill.
Doctors, Drugs, and Conflicts of Interest
Why are ethically tainted guidelines accepted in medicine and why are tainted commentaries published in prestigious medical journals? Why are docs so easily mislead by drug company marketing? How is that drug companies are allowed to continue to operate with civil and criminal misdeeds merely a part of their cost of doing business?
Heart Disease Myths
Everybody knows how to prevent heart disease. Not really. Everybody just thinks they know. In truth, just about everybody is pretty much wrong.
Pharmacy Pricing Shenanigans
Prescription drugs are too expensive. You can’t be certain you will get the best price by insisting on generic drugs from big chain pharmacies. With a little bit of research you can save yourself a great deal of money.
Mammography and Breast Cancer
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 […]
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 […]
Immunizations and Skepticism – Whooping Cough, Shingles, Swine Flu
As of July 1, children in California are subject to a new law which requires an additional dose of the whooping cough (pertusis) vaccine. Unlike the “required” doses for younger children, which can be waived after a discussion between the child’s physician and parents, this draconian legislation only allows a waiver if the parents sit […]
Skepticism is Healthy
Those of you who have been reading my newsletter for the last few years will probably remember the article I wrote (posted also on my website) regarding the huge investment drug companies have made in their efforts to influence physician prescribing, the success of those efforts and the facts about how this compromises your health […]