Are They Safe? Energy drink manufacturers say yes – absolutely – they’re safe. They have evidence, many studies. Proof. They may be correct. But it would be best to have independent clinical epidemiologists check the data; outfits like the Cochrane Collective or the National Institute of Medicine should provide impartial reviews. Why Are People Concerned? […]
Post-Election Depression? (11/19/12)
Who’s Depressed? Some of my medical colleagues thought I would see patients sleepless and unhinged, suffering “post-election depression.” I haven’t seen it. Bodies regenerate themselves continuously. They never stay the same, always rebuilding, from the beginning to the end of life. Countries do the same. Populations are born, immigrate, emigrate, grow up and die witnessing […]
Who Will Pay For Health Care? (11/13/12)
So Where’s the Money? The election is over. Who will now pay for health care? There’s a simple answer – you will. Where Will You See Increased Costs? First through higher co-pays. The Affordable Care Act does little to control health insurance pricing or capriciousness (we paid for it last week but we decided against […]
To Screen or Not to Screen for Cancer (11/5/12)
Cancer Prevention Who would not wish to prevent cancer? When President Nixon started the “War on Cancer,” hopes were high that cancer screening would dramatically lower cancer incidence and death. It did not work out that way. Now, researchers often wonder how much screening benefits hospitals and providers – compared to patients. In his book […]
Telling A Fake – Art Versus Science (10/29/12)
The Art of Truth Is it, or isn’t it? Will eating lots of sugar cause cancer? Do energy drinks cause sudden death? In a “gotcha” media culture where the fate of nations is treated as a sports contest – and presidential debates reported with the same gravity as “Dancing with the Stars” – it pays […]
