Getting Past the Hype
Do Cell Phone Radiation Shields Work?
You may have seen cell phone radiation blockers or radiation shields advertised on the internet. Many of these products are scams to prey on real concerns about the long-term risks of cell phone radiation. Read More
Should you Believe Online Reviews of Doctors?
Choosing a new physician can be a nerve-wracking task, but thanks to the Internet, information about the doctors you are considering is just a click away. But, are online reviews actually helpful in determining the quality of medical care you will receive? Read More
Pomegranate Juice and Prostate Health
Pomegranate juice contains plenty of antioxidants, but does it improve health, as the ads imply? Read More
Statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) and the New Safety Warnings: What It Means for You
The FDA issued new safety warnings for statins in February 2012 about the increased risk for diabetes, memory loss and muscle pain, symptoms that we have been warning patients about for some time. Read More
Is Newer and More Expensive Care Better?
You get what you pay for, right? Many people assume that more expensive care is superior. However, care that is far less expensive is sometimes just as good or even better. Read More
“Pink Viagra” (Flibanserin): lots of risks and almost no benefit
There is no doubt that some women lose sexual desire, especially as they age. It would be great if there was a safe and effective drug to help them, but this drug is not it. Read More
Do Hair Dyes Cause Cancer?
The bottom line for now, pending additional research, is that people who have been using permanent hair dyes since the 1980s appear to be at little to no increased risk of lymphoma or other cancers. Read More
Examining the Safety of Natural Supplements
In their quest for health and beauty, half of all American adults take natural supplements to solve all sorts of problems. But do these products really work, and how much do Americans know about their safety? Not as well as one may think, and not nearly enough.
Ultimately, it is unwise to trust the claims that manufacturers of dietary supplements make about either the effectiveness or safety of their products. Let the buyer beware. Read More
Are e-cigarettes safer than regular cigarettes?
Don’t be fooled. E-cigarettes are addictive and contain cancer-causing chemicals. Read More
Ghostbusting: Exposing Drug Company-Hired Ghostwriters in Medical Journals
Doctors rely on scientific papers for accurate information on which drugs and treatments are best for their patients, but are all these papers trustworthy? Often times, industry-paid “ghostwriters” author these papers, leading to biased articles that mislead doctors into prescribing medication that may not work or could be harmful to their patients. Read More