A Los Angeles Times health column advises people not to believe that “our bodies [are] awash in ‘toxins,’… and that we should therefore go to dramatic lengths, such as ‘colon cleansing’ and chelation, to get rid of all this bad stuff.” 

My Take?

HealthDay News is reporting that oral cannabis (a form of medical marijuana) was ineffective in treating certain types of acute pain and actually increased sensitivity to some other kinds of discomfort.

My Take?

This small study, from researchers at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, is among many others that you’ve seen me report that are slowly driving a nail in the concept of safe or effective medical marijuana. You can read more about this in my series on marijuana here on this blog. Or, pick up a copy of my book, Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook.

The AP is reporting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down on teas, supplements, creams, and other products that falsely claim to cure, treat, or prevent cancer, even though they are not agency-approved drugs. All are available for sale on the Internet. 

The agency has sent 25 warning letters to companies and individuals marketing these products, FDA officials said Tuesday. Twenty-three of the letters went to domestic companies and two to foreign individuals.

A report in Health on the Net reminds us that, according to the CDC, from 1998 to May 2005, raw milk or raw milk products were implicated in 45 food-borne illness outbreaks that resulted in more than 1,000 cases of illness in the United States.

ABC News reports a new study suggesting that St. John’s wort is not a useful treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Although the researchers only studied 54 children between 6 and 17 years old who have ADHD for eight weeks, the study design was the gold standard randomized controlled trial. And, they found that St. John’s wort was no better than placebo when it came to improving the children’s attentiveness or hyperactivity.

ABC News is reporting a study showing Chinese red yeast rice extract reduced the risk of repeat heart attacks by nearly one half. The researchers tested red yeast rice extract pills versus a placebo on nearly 5000 Chinese heart attack patients who were followed for 5 years.

Vitamin and mineral supplements are, of course, a staple of a lot of people’s lives. But a report from CBS News suggests that some are not only unnecessary, but could be dangerous.

Reuters Health is reporting a study showing that people with low vitamin D levels may face an increased risk for peripheral artery disease (PAD). In participants with the highest vitamin D levels, only 3.7 percent had PAD. Among those with the lowest levels, 8.1 percent had PAD.

Here are my takes on some of today’s health headlines, including one that is, in my opinion, being blown way out of perspective:

Mercury teeth fillings may harm some: FDA

Silver-colored metal dental fillings contain mercury that may cause health problems in pregnant women, children and fetuses, the Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday after settling a related lawsuit.

In the book that I co-wrote with my good friend, Donal O’Mathuna, Ph.D., Alternative Medicine: The options, the claims, the evidence, how to choose wisely, we wrote an evidence-based article on marijuana. Here’s our fourth excerpt of that information:

In earlier excerpts, we discussed “What It Is,” “The Claims People Make about Marijuana,” “Study Findings,” and “Cautions.” In this, our final excerpt will review “Our Recommendations.”

Here are my takes on some of today’s health headlines.

If Dad is not involved in child care, can we blame the mom?

Here are my comments on some of today’s health headlines:

FDA Approves Spray-On Estrogen to Treat Menopause

The FDA has approved a form of spray-on estrogen called Evamist, which contains estrodial in ethanol.

Evamist is sprayed on the inside of a woman’s forearm, dries clear in one minute, and is said to be slowly released over a 24-hour period. Supposedly, it cannot be washed off and it won’t transfer to other people.