New review of mammography in JAMA explores our lack of coherent or easily applied decision-making about the benefits and risks of the test and whether and when women should undergo screening mammograms
Recent hypertension guidelines by the ACC/AHA substantially relax treatment standards. I explain why I disagree with the changes, as do various other professional groups. Here’s the short story.
Last month the USPS Task Force released a comprehensive analysis of studies that looked at possible benefits of vitamins and vitamin/mineral combinations in reducing cancer and preventing heart disease. The report reiterated that they found no evidence that vitamins helped either class of disease.
BMC Medicine article on DNA barcoding of randomly chosen herbal products yields troubling results.
Chest CT scans on an annual basis have been shown to find lung cancers in former long-term smokers early enough to reduce mortality by 20%. We should consider starting annual chest CTs for all current and former serious smokers.
The NE Journal (2/25/13) published a study from Spain that showed that overweight middle-aged people at high risk for stroke, heart attack or death from cardiovascular disease can reduce that risk by almost 30% with a “Mediterranean” diet compared to a diet higher in starch but lower in fruits, vegetables and legumes, olive oil and nuts. We should pay attention.
We will include hepatitis C antibody testing with your next annual checkup blood tests, to try to identify those people unknowingly infected with the disease. The peak exposure time was the 1980s. Treatment is now highly effective.
An Op-Ed Commentary in the Lincoln Journal on March 7 reminded me that the forces of darkness and ignorance are alive and strong even in our communities. The writer proposed to remove fluoridation from our water despite almost seven decades of clearly beneficial results. I had to respond.
The British Medical Journal (www.bmj.com) just reported that a review of studies of egg consumption determined that there was no increase in heart attacks or strokes related to regular eating of eggs.
Dr. Kanner looks at a Norway study which separated the benefits of screening mammography from breast cancer treatment improvements. Mammography is clearly helpful, but the help may be more modest and come with more adverse effects than recognized before.