Section archive

Page 33 of 63

Drug

Prescription drugs, vaccines and their risks and benefits.

Drug

Why Does Successful Drug Treatment of GERD Increase Cancer?

An Archives of Surgery study of more than 750 GERD patients found esophageal adenocarcinoma in 122, and patients on proton pump inhibitors reporting no severe symptoms had roughly 61 to 82 percent higher odds than those whose symptoms stayed severe. Mercola argues PPIs may mask the risk.

Drug

Should Pediatricians 'Fire' Patients Whose Parents Don't Vaccinate?

Some pediatricians have dropped families who refuse vaccines, though the American Academy of Pediatrics advises doctors to keep treating them. The piece also reports that charred plastic shrink wrap was found in vials of Merck vaccines including Gardasil, Varivax and MMR II.

Aug 18, 2011

Drug

Even Computer Technology Can't Help Mammograms

A study of 1.6 million mammograms taken between 1998 and 2006 found computer-aided detection software did not improve breast cancer detection and raised the rate of false positives. Detection of noninvasive abnormalities improved, but the rate for invasive cancers did not.

Aug 13, 2011

Drug

Breast cancer drug herceptin boosts heart disease risk

Of 45 women aged 70 to 92 taking herceptin, 12 developed heart problems, an Annals of Oncology study found: 33% of those with prior heart disease versus 9.1% without. The authors say early trials enrolled younger, healthier women and urge caution in patients with heart disease or diabetes.

Aug 11, 2011

Drug

Before You Give Your Child This, Ask Yourself: Is this Worth the Risk?

Sweden's Medical Products Agency found 69 of 81 narcolepsy-with-cataplexy cases in people under 20 had received the Pandemrix H1N1 vaccine, with incidence at 14.1 per 100,000 within three months of vaccination against 1.3 normally. Finnish data pointed the same way.

Aug 6, 2011

Drug

Would You Get a Vaccine To Stop Drinking?

The Wall Street Journal reports new-drug revenue fell from $11.8 billion in 2005 to $4.3 billion last year. The author argues drugmakers are now courting alcoholics and addicts as a market, promoting addiction as a brain disease and a 'dual diagnosis' with mental illness.

Aug 3, 2011

Drug

Do risks of colon cleansing outweigh the perceived benefits?

A Journal of Family Practice article finds the literature does not support the claimed benefits of colon cleansing. The procedure can push up to 60 liters of fluid into the rectum, and the authors cite cases of severe cramping, dehydration and hospitalization afterward.

Aug 2, 2011

Drug

NEW State of the Art Medical Technology First of its kind heart monitor warns patients of impending Heart Attack (pr)

The AngelMed Guardian System, an implantable cardiac monitor, is in a pivotal study at 45 US medical centers. It watches the heart's electrical activity and warns the patient to go to the emergency room when critical ST segment changes occur, potentially before symptoms appear.

Jul 31, 2011

Drug

The Smear Campaign They Used to Try to Shut Us Up

Mercola interviews Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center about the reaction to their 15-second Times Square Jumbotron message urging people to make an informed vaccine decision. The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote to CBS pressing for it to come down.

Jul 31, 2011

Drug

Don't over-treat type 2 diabetes mellitus

A BMJ analysis of 13 trials covering 34,533 diabetes patients found intensive glucose lowering no better than standard treatment at preventing death overall or cardiovascular death. It cut non-fatal heart attacks 15% and microalbuminuria 10%, but more than doubled severe hypoglycemia.

Jul 30, 2011

Drug

FDA MedWatch - Silencer S2200 Centrifuge by Global Focus Marketing & Distribution, Ltd.: Class I Recall - Biohazardous Materials May be Released

FDA warns that a bucket and insert may fail to seat on the rotor, break the lid and be forced out of the machine, risking serious injury. Laboratories should stop using affected serial numbers and contact Global Focus Marketing & Distribution.

Jul 27, 2011

Drug

The Dark Side of This Popular Drug Taken by 1 in 4 Americans Over-45...

A meta-analysis pooling five trials with more than 32,000 people found intensive-dose statin therapy carried a higher risk of new-onset diabetes than moderate doses, with risk rising alongside dosage. Mercola reads it as evidence statins may feed adult-onset diabetes.

Jul 22, 2011

Drug

Multaq (dronedarone): Drug Safety Communication - Increased Risk of Death or Serious Cardiovascular Events

FDA is reviewing data from the PALLAS trial, halted early after its monitoring committee found a two-fold increase in death, stroke and heart failure hospitalization among permanent atrial fibrillation patients taking Multaq. Patients should not stop the drug on their own.

Jul 21, 2011

Drug

Esophageal cancer risk higher in medically treated GERD patients with fewest symptoms (PR)

A University of Pittsburgh study of 769 GERD patients found that those with mild or absent symptoms faced higher risk of esophageal cancer than patients with severe symptoms, even though only the severe group is routinely screened for Barrett's esophagus.

Jul 19, 2011

Drug

Antiangiogenic cancer therapies bad for the heart

M.D. Anderson researchers report in Heart Failure Clinics that antiangiogenic cancer therapies can cause cardiovascular toxicity, raising the risk of high blood pressure and heart failure, because the growth factor pathways they block also matter to normal heart function.

Jul 19, 2011

Drug

Should You Ever Take Tylenol?

Johnson & Johnson recalled close to 70,000 bottles of Tylenol over a musty odor linked to the chemical TBA, the latest in a run of recalls. Mercola relays non-drug options raised by USA Today: heat wraps, walking and stretching, and magnesium or B vitamins for headaches.

Jul 19, 2011

Drug

Radiation therapy boosts risk of pneumonia in breast cancer patients

Japanese doctors describe three breast cancer patients who developed organizing pneumonia after postoperative radiotherapy. On the basis of these cases they suggest tangential radiation plus adjuvant tamoxifen may be the cause, and note such cases have been increasing.

Jul 13, 2011

Drug

Drug Overdose Deaths --- Florida, 2003--2009

CDC's analysis of Florida medical examiner data found drug overdose deaths rose 61 percent from 2003 to 2009, reaching 2,905 a year. The prescription drug death rate climbed 84 percent, led by oxycodone at 265 percent, and by 2009 outnumbered illicit drug deaths four to one.

Jul 9, 2011

1120 stories