Results for: cholesterol
Osteopenia: When Does Decreased Bone Density Become a Disease Requiring Treatment?
Osteoporosis is routinely treated with bisphosphonates to prevent fractures. A new study suggests that osteopenia should be treated too. But questions remain.
Functional medicine: Reams of useless tests in one hand, a huge invoice in the other
"Functional medicine" preaches the "biochemical individuality" of each patient, which is why one of its key features is that its practitioners order reams of useless lab tests and then try to correct every abnormal level without considering (or even knowing) what these abnormalities mean, if anything. So they make up fake diagnoses and profit.
Gold Water, Silver Water, Copper Water
Ayurveda recommends gold water, silver water, and copper water to treat various conditions. There is no evidence that they work or even that they contain gold, silver, or copper.
No Benefit from Fish Oil
A new systematic review of clinical trials shows no clear benefit to consuming omega-3 fatty acids in food or supplements.
Aloe Vera
Many claims are made for the health benefits of aloe vera, used both topically and orally. The scientific evidence is lacking.
Five steps to add ten years to your life expectancy
A new study identifies five lifestyle decisions that can add over a decade to your life expectancy.
Autism prevalence increases to 1 in 59, and antivaxers lose it…yet again
Autism Awareness Month isn't as full of news stories about autism with false balance between science and antivaccine pseudoscience advocates as it was in years past. Every few years, though, when new autism prevalence figures are released, we can count on antivaxers losing it. 2018 is just such a year.
New Study Finds that Statins Prevent Cardiovascular Deaths
A new meta-analysis shows that statin drugs are effective at preventing cardiovascular events and death, especially in patients with a baseline LDL cholesterol >100.
Fake News About Margarine
An alarmist email is circulating with misinformation about margarine. A little fact-checking shows that both margarine and butter can be part of a healthy diet.
Should Evidence-Based Medicine Be Replaced by Interpersonal Medicine?
An opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine complains about the limitations of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and recommends a new approach they call "interpersonal medicine." In my opinion, good clinical medicine is already interpersonal medicine; there is no need for something new.