When Optimism Is Unrealistic
When Optimism Is Unrealistic
But despite clearly understanding the purpose, and limits, of early-phase trials, the patients were also blinded by what researchers called an “unrealistic optimism,” or an optimistic bias, when it came to applying that knowledge to their own particular situations. A majority of patients assumed that the experimental drugs would control their cancer and that they would experience benefits but not complications.
In essence, they believed they would fare better than the average patient enrolled in the same trial.
NY Times 3/3/11
Can Exercise Keep You Young?
Can Exercise Keep You Young?
Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, was startled to discover that exercise kept a strain of mice from becoming gray prematurely.
…. heartening new research published last week in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, exercise reduced or eliminated almost every detrimental effect of aging in mice that had been genetically programmed to grow old at an accelerated pace.
NY Times – March 2, 2011
Strides Made Toward Early Diagnosing of Pancreatic Cancer
Researchers have made significant progress in understanding the biology of pancreatic tumors, suggesting that there may be ways of identifying the usually fatal cancer at a much earlier and more treatable stage.
A principal finding is that pancreatic tumors are not aggressive cancers. To the contrary, they grow slowly, taking an average of 21 years to become fatal.
Strides Made Toward Early Diagnosing of Pancreatic Cancer
Medical Marijuana Raises Tough Questions for Nursing Homes
When states began embracing medical marijuana, few anticipated this inevitable scenario: patients using it would grow older, and many would need to enter assisted living and nursing homes. The prospect has just begun to raise difficult questions for administrators and state regulators.
Medical Marijuana Raises Tough Questions for Nursing Homes
Red-yeast cholesterol fighters can be worthless
A little more than a decade ago, a federal court ruled that over-the-counter red-yeast rice products were not drugs — despite the fact that these products contained naturally occurring chemicals that were functionally indistinguishable from lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering prescription drug. And so a major dietary supplement industry was born. By 2008, Americans were spending $20 million a year on red-yeast rice products, many on their doctor’s recommendation (and perhaps even via their doctor’s offices).
But a new study warns that not all red-yeast rice products contain pharmacologically active concentrations of the fungal products. As such, its authors caution: “Buyer Beware!”
Red-yeast cholesterol fighters can be worthless
Fish Oil Supplements Good For Heart, Maybe Not For Depression
Fish Oil Supplements Good For Heart, Maybe Not For DepressionThere’s oodles of evidence linking fish oil to heart health. Studies have shown Omega-3s can help lower triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), improve heart rhythm problems, and protect against a range of cardiovascular diseases. But evidence that fish oils may help with post-partum depression? Not so much.
10/19/10
Fish Oil Supplements Good For Heart, Maybe Not For Depression
Can a Child’s Birthday Predict ADHD?
Today in this posting, I’ll be talking about 2 articles that consider the same topic: the relationship between a child’s birthday, and the incidence with which they are diagnosed and treated for ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. These 2 articles were published in September’s issue of the Journal of Health Economics.
The lead author on the first article is Evans, and the lead author on the other article is Elder. These authors examine the question of whether children who were relatively younger than their classmates were more likely to get a diagnosis of ADHD or receive medical treatment for this condition.
10/8/10
Can a Child’s Birthday Predict ADHD?
8/30/10 Doctors Seek Way to Treat Muscle Loss
Why muscles wither with age is captivating a growing number of scientists, drug and food companies, let alone aging baby boomers who, despite having spent years sweating in the gym, are confronting the body’s natural loss of muscle tone over time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/health/research/31muscle.html?ref=health
9/4/10 Medical Myths That Can Kill You
Some myths are harmless. But some can kill you if you don’t get the facts from a doctor. In this Lifescript exclusive, NBC News medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman debunks the most dangerous health misconceptions – and shares secrets that could save your life. Plus, test your women’s health IQ…
Lung-cancer patients who quit smoking survive longer
There’s no question that quitting smoking benefits your health, not least by reducing your risk of developing lung cancer. But what if you’re a smoker who has already been diagnosed with lung cancer — will quitting give you any advantage in fighting the disease?
