Posted by: drbretthill in Medical intervention on
Aug 15, 2010
Dr Brett Says: Did you know that over 50% of our kids have used some form of medication in the last 2 weeks? This might not horrify you as much as it does me right now but go and read the inserts on each of those drug packets and your tune will change. They all have serious side effects.
From LA Times
A major new international study released Friday has found that adolescents who take acetaminophen, better known under the brand name Tylenol, have a higher risk of asthma, allergic nasal conditions and the skin disorder eczema. Those who took the common painkiller as infrequently as once a month had twice the normal risk of developing the disorders. Experts noted, however, that the study does not show that the drug causes the problems. In fact, some said, it is equally likely that the children were taking the drug because they were already suffering from asthma.
Acetaminophen is widely viewed as a very safe drug-one reason why hospitals use it routinely as a painkiller instead of aspirin or ibuprofen. The major problem associated with it is liver damage caused by overdoses. Recently, however, there has been a growing drumbeat about possible dangers from the drug. One study, for example, found that acetaminophen increased the risk of hearing loss in men. And some others have hinted that the drug is linked to asthma in newborns whose mothers used the drug during pregnancy and in young children exposed to it.
The new findings were reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine by researchers in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. The team, headed by epidemiologist Richard Beasley of the Medical Research Institute in Wellington, New Zealand, gave written questionnaires to 322,959 13- and 14-year-olds in 50 countries exploring their use of acetaminophen, other drugs, and asthma symptoms. They were also shown a video containing five scenes of clinical asthma and asked whether they had experienced any symptoms similar to those shown. About 73% of the teens said they had used acetaminophen at least once in the previous year and 30% said they had used it monthly.
Dr Brett Says: Nope it's not a joke, this guy is serious. Not only do you get the side effects of the unhealthy burger, fries and soft drink but we'll throw in the side effects of the statins as well! How's the PR spin as well, trying to pass off pharmaceutical medications as 'supplements'. The wonders of the Big Pharma PR machine will never cease.
From The Independant
Customers of fast food restaurants could be offered a free statin along with the burger, salt and ketchup, to mitigate the meal's damaging effects on the heart, doctors suggest.
Posted by: drbretthill in Paleo, Move on
Aug 12, 2010
Dr Brett Says: Our hunter gatherer ancestors ate no milk yet had stronger bones due to the amount of exercise they did. Interesting!
From Adelaide Now
NEARLY every man on the planet is an inferior version of men that have come before, a visiting author says.
Dr Brett Says: Want some proof that our current approach to health is out of whack? Well here it is. This scientists thinks the best way to destress is to inject a bunch of genes in a herpes virus, no doubt washed down with a cocktail of extra chemicals. We know how to switch off the stress response; eat, think and move in a healthy way and guess what it has no nasty side effects!
From The Daily Mail
Forget the age-old remedies of yoga, meditation or popping pills. Relieving chronic stress could soon be as simple as having an injection, according to scientists.
Posted by: drbretthill in Eat on
Aug 3, 2010
Dr Brett Says: Don't forget though that it is not just about reducing your carbohydrate intake. You need to make sure that the carbs you do eat are healthy carbs and the fats and proteins you replace them with are healthy fats and proteins. What re healthy carbs, fats and proteins? Well, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy meats and eggs.
From the LA Times
The fascination with low-carb versus low-fat diet continues; the latest news comes from a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine released today that found that people on both diets lost about the same amount of weight over two years. However, the low-carb group had an edge in raising HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering diastolic blood pressure
The study looked at 153 people who were randomly assigned to a low-carb diet, and 154 to a low-fat diet. The low-carb group limited carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day for the first 12 weeks, then gradually increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy foods until they reached a desired weight. The low-fat group kept daily calories to 1,200 to 1,500, and fat to 30% of their diet.
Both groups also took part in a two-year behavioral program that focused on how to manage relapses, self-monitoring, and an emphasis on moderate physical activity.
Posted by: drbretthill in Eat on
Aug 3, 2010
Dr Brett Says: Don't forget though that it is not just about reducing your carbohydrate intake. You need to make sure that the carbs you do eat are healthy carbs and the fats and proteins you replace them with are healthy fats and proteins. What re healthy carbs, fats and proteins? Well fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy meats and eggs.
From the LA Times
The fascination with low-carb versus low-fat diet continues; the latest news comes from a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine released today that found that people on both diets lost about the same amount of weight over two years. However, the low-carb group had an edge in raising HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering diastolic blood pressure
The study looked at 153 people who were randomly assigned to a low-carb diet, and 154 to a low-fat diet. The low-carb group limited carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day for the first 12 weeks, then gradually increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy foods until they reached a desired weight. The low-fat group kept daily calories to 1,200 to 1,500, and fat to 30% of their diet.
Both groups also took part in a two-year behavioral program that focused on how to manage relapses, self-monitoring, and an emphasis on moderate physical activity.
Posted by: drbretthill in Eat on
Jul 28, 2010
Dr Brett Says: Not before time but the real reason to do it is for the health impact not the environmental impact. There is so much research out there now about the effects of the BPA released from plastic water bottles that something needs to be done. There is also already concerns about the BPA free plastics that are on the market. The best bet if you can find it is to get a nice solid glass container with a neoprene coating to protect it.
From ABC news
Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College in Sydney's north has banned the sale of plastic water bottles.
Posted by: drbretthill in Pregnancy and birth, Eat on
Jul 27, 2010
Dr Brett Says: I am a massive advocate of mothers breast feeding and my practice proudly displays the sticker of the Australian Breast Feeding Association declaring that 'breast feeding is welcome here'. The positive impact it has on your babies health is often not fully understood and our society does not do enough to improve our breast feeding rates. This study though surprises even me. Remember that this study only talks about costs related to 3 specific diseases and in the US alone, imagine if the full cost was tallied!
From pediatrics.aappublications.org
The Burden of Suboptimal Breastfeeding in the United States: A Pediatric Cost Analysis
Melissa Bartick, MD, MSca, Arnold Reinhold, MBAb
Posted by: drbretthill in Eat on
Jul 14, 2010
Dr Brett Says: Take note, despite these drinks being packaged as healthy and performance enhancing they are really the exact opposite. There is no doubt that these excessive caffeine and sugar loads are bad for your health.
From Adelaide Now
THE Federal Government will investigate energy drinks following calls for some of them to be banned.
Dr Brett says: Well said Dr Parry. It is a major concern to see just how much of a doctors education comes from pharmaceutical reps with no formal medical training. The fact that 'big pharma' can hide studies that are negative and only publish positive ones is also a MAJOR concern. It undermines the whole scientific method of analysis.
DOCTORS are losing faith in medical literature as pharmaceutical companies undermine the integrity of trials, an Adelaide doctor says.
Dr Peter Parry, a psychiatrist and senior lecturer at Flinders University, says trial sponsors use suppression and spinning of negative data to sell their products and that leads to doctors unknowingly making the wrong prescribing choices.
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