Health Headlines

March 31, 2011

Report highlights potential dangers of complementary and alternative medicines for children

In my evidence-based book on alternative medicine, Alternative Medicine: The options, the claims, the evidence, how to choose wisely, I wrote a cautionary chapter on the […]

March 31, 2011

Parents continue to give OTC cough, cold treatments to young children despite FDA warnings

In a couple of past blogs, FDA: Skip OTC remedies to treat colds in young children and Cold medicines and children: a dangerous mix? I’ve warned parents […]

March 30, 2011

Chiropractic Care: an evidence-based evaluation

I’ve had several questions from readers about my views on chiropractic care. It’s a topic I reviewed for my evidence-based book, Alternative Medicine: The options, the […]

March 30, 2011

Isoflavones reduce postmenopausal insomnia, hot flashes

In a past blog, Natural Medications (Herbs, Vitamins, and Supplements) for Menopausal Symptoms, I discussed the data supporting a trial of isoflavones in women with menopausal […]

March 30, 2011

Diet soda consumption may be linked to increased heart attacks and strokes

I often have patients ask if I think diet sodas are a healthy substitute for regular soft drinks. I tell them, “NO!” The primary reason, that […]

March 26, 2011

Taking low-dose aspirin and NSAIDs can be a challenge (Part 2)

In a previous blog, “Taking low-dose aspirin and NSAIDs can be a challenge – (Part 1),” I wrote: I have many patients who are taking low-dose […]

March 25, 2011

Pointers for measuring your blood pressure at home

I’m a proponent of my patients monitoring their blood pressure at home. However, there are a couple of concerns when using a home monitoring device to […]

March 25, 2011

Smoking pot hastens onset of mental illness

This headline is not a new one, but another study reminds us that smoking marijuana has been linked with an increased risk of mental illness. Now […]

March 18, 2010

Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes

What if nearly half of all physicians in America stopped practicing medicine? While a sudden loss of half of the nations physicians seems unlikely, a very […]

March 18, 2010

Court once again rejects theory that vaccines cause autism

A federal court has determined that the theory that thimerosal-containing vaccines cause autism is “scientifically unsupportable,” and that the families of children diagnosed with the condition […]

March 18, 2010

Understanding the California Law Suit Over PCBs in Fish Oil Supplements

Long-time readers to this blog and my best selling book, Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook, know of my enthusiasm for fish oil (omega-3 fatty acid foods […]

March 22, 2010

Discovering Teenagers’ Risky ‘Choking Game’ Too Late

Here’s a heart rending story from the New York Times about an extremely risky game that is becoming more and more popular with teens. Worse yet, […]

March 22, 2010

Medical community unaware of ‘Choking Game’s’ popularity among teens

The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reported that there is a game being played throughout the nation by some teenagers that involves “cutting off oxygen […]

March 22, 2010

Nearly a third of physicians surveyed unaware of ‘Choking Game’

In the New York Times online Doctor and Patient column, Pauline Chen, MD, observed, “Until recently, there has been little attention among healthcare professionals to” the “choking […]