Healthier Talk

The chemical that's giving you heart disease

wcdouglass — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:22:28 +0000

If you thought packaged food was bad, you should see what's in the packaging itself.

Why your doc needs a refresher course in statistics

aspreen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:07:23 +0000

How good is your doctor at math?

I know it seems like a strange question. But the answer could be more important than you might ever imagine. It turns out that your doctor's less than stellar math skills are likely to lead you to be subjected to unnecessary...and potentially harmful...cancer tests.

Bad news gummy bears

Jenny Thompson — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:43:00 +0000

Run for your lives! The multis are coming!

That can only mean one thing, of course -- it's time for another comically feeble "exposé" of the imagined dangers, drawbacks, and pointlessness of multivitamins.

Diet soda in new health scare

Edward Martin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:39:36 +0000

Let's face it: There's nothing "diet" about diet soda. It won't make you healthier and it won't even help you to lose weight -- and that's been proven.

Dangerous drug gets free pass for kids

Christine OBrien — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:27:20 +0000

Picture this:

You're the maker of a blockbuster painkiller. Sales are soaring ($2.5 billion in 2011); you're on top of the world.

Never mind that your painkiller could increase the risk of life threatening heart problems, including heart attack and stroke--and that the risk becomes greater if you use it long term.

Break the bottled water habit?

DrJonathanWright — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:13:46 +0000

Question: What's your stance on bottled water? Some people tell me I shouldn't drink it because the plastic bottles are poisonous. Others tell me I should steer clear of tap water because of fluoride and chlorine. What should I do?

The sweetest scandal in the history of American health

wcdouglass — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:00:08 +0000

Ever wonder what our former Secretary of Defense did before he got into politics?

Well years ago, he was the fearless leader of a company called GD Searle Corp. that developed a "miracle sweetener" called aspartame. (Yes, the same stuff in those little blue packets.)

Death by sleeping pill

aspreen — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:48:35 +0000

Hey, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, sleeping pills are nothing but bad news.

I've been warning you about their dangers for years now.

Statin induced brain fog…the FDA finally catches up

Jenny Thompson — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:38:20 +0000

If FDA officials had been piloting the Titanic on April 15, 1912, they might have told passengers they were looking into "reports" that an object in the water came into contact with the ship, and then put fears to rest over the remote chance that there might be any buoyancy issues.

The one cancer screening that works

Edward Martin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:30:37 +0000

Over screening for cancer is nothing short of a national disaster.

PSA tests and mammograms have created a generation of men and women battling the lifelong side effects of devastating treatments they didn't need because the cancers never would have hurt them in the first place.

An orange a day keeps stroke away?

Christine OBrien — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:28:43 +0000

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

We all know the old saying, but maybe it's time for a change of fruit.

Step to the "beet"

DrJonathanWright — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:05:59 +0000

Question: I read that many medical experts now believe that elevated levels of homocysteine--not high cholesterol--are the main cause of cardiovascular disease in Western society. Some say it's good to eat beets because they contain betaine, an important source of a molecule that accelerates the detoxification of homocysteine and transforms it into cysteine, a safe amino acid. Do you have any more information about this?

New sugar substitute could be the riskiest ever

wcdouglass — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:38:42 +0000

The same company that gave us the dangerous sweetener aspartame is back with one hell of an encore.

Shave ten years off your brain

aspreen — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:29:16 +0000

It's happened to almost everyone.

Maybe you've found yourself staring at row after row of parked cars in a lot wondering where you had parked your own. Perhaps you missed a really important appointment. Or maybe you ran into an old friend on the street and somehow totally blanked on her name.

Common therapy is very advanced...and very dangerous

Jenny Thompson — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:53:03 +0000

Today I'm going to do my small part to help grant a decent man his dying wish -- that you and I might avoid his fate.

A stroke while you sleep

Edward Martin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:57:52 +0000

The only thing scarier than a stroke is having one and not even knowing it.

It's the so-called "silent" stroke -- given the name because it comes and goes with no symptoms.

Not on the outside, anyway.

Big Pharma sees big bucks in China

Christine OBrien — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:44:30 +0000

Allergy relief that's more effective than anything pharmaceutical companies have been able to create.

A 1,000-year-old secret to beating aging.

A powerful weapon against breast cancer.

Those are just a few of the offerings of traditional Chinese medicine we've covered over the years. It's powerful stuff, to be sure. And Big Pharma wants in.

Happy ending for one rosacea sufferer

DrJonathanWright — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:49:03 +0000

Question: I’m contacting you to thank you for publishing your newsletters. A friend of mine forwarded one of your newsletters to me when she learned I was having difficulty managing my rosacea.

Congress wants to limit access to science

wcdouglass — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:57:33 +0000

How can you expect to make informed decisions about your health if you're denied access to the latest research -- or, even worse -- if the science you ARE given access to has been cherry-picked by those with financial investments in it?

The shocking mineral secret to avoiding Alzheimer's

aspreen — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:56:12 +0000

I have a friend who flat out refuses to drink apple juice. Lisa swears that it tastes like rusty nails and I've never been able to convince her otherwise.