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Another Drug (on top of statins) To Lower Cholesterol?

The Healthier Life — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:13:41 GMT

In a report published in the March 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Johns Hopkins and Swedish researchers claim that an experimental drug called eprotirome lowers cholesterol by up to 32 per cent in patients already using statins - an effect equal to doubling statin drug doses. According to the researchers, eprotirome brings all the benefits without the harmful side effects associated with statin drugs.

Leading Osteoporosis Drug Could Make Your Condition Worse...

The Healthier Life — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:07:38 GMT

The drug Fosamax is used to treat osteoporosis and osteopenia. It is supposed to strengthen bones to offset bone-weakening problems... but ironically, it turns out that it may actually be weakening them even more!

Mainstream Medicine Finally Catches on to the Risks of Taking a Daily Aspirin

The Healthier Life — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:46:22 GMT

Aspirin increases the likelihood of major bleeding in the brain, stomach or elsewhere in the body, and experts warn that the beneficial effects must be weighed against the risk of harm.

Obesity: Sending the Wrong Message is Becoming a Big FAT Problem

The Healthier Life — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:26:14 GMT

The message should first and foremost be that a balanced diet combined with a healthy and active lifestyle is the most effective way to lose weight and promote good health...

With estimates predicting that 60 per cent of the population will be clinically obese by 2050 and with obesity costing the NHS £7.2 Billion a year, one would expect the government to come up with more substantial solutions that are based on facts and practical solid advice.

Gardasil: Cervical Cancer Vaccine Now Offered With ‘Extra Perks’

The Healthier Life — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:56:35 GMT

If it’s not the UK government ordering too much of the H1N1 vaccine (and the retrospective fact that the Swine Flu pandemic was blown out of proportion), then it is the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, like this one, that’s being questioned. Now the furore surrounding the H1N1 vaccine has died, yet another vaccine laden with controversy has reared its ugly head.

This time (and no surprise here) it’s the cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil.

The Latest Instalment in the Anti-Vitamin Campaign

The Healthier Life — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:14:26 GMT

Recent newspaper headlines claim vitamins are rendered “useless” in as little as a week after opening the containers they’re stored in.

The same of course applies to many substances. Take salt and sugar, for example – left outside in humid conditions they harden and lose their taste. Pharmaceutical drugs aren’t immune from such conditions either - that’s why their labels state that they should be stored in cool, dry conditions (as do the labels on nutritional supplements I hasten to add… certainly good quality ones).

Avandia: Just How Low Can Greedy Drug Giants Stoop?

The Healthier Life — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:01:54 GMT

In 2007 the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) made headlines with a study that illustrates just how expansive this danger really is and how an increased risk of suffering a heart attack is only one part of Avandia’s risk profile.

Astonishingly, the drug stayed on the market despite the findings of a report in 2007 - published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) - that demonstrated it was killing around 19 per cent of patients, and was causing non-fatal heart problems in a further 8 per cent.

Palm Oil: Why is it Wrapped in Such Controversy?

The Healthier Life — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:54:38 GMT

Just go to your kitchen cupboard and look at the ingredients listed on the packaging of some of the items you’ve bought... I’m guessing that ‘vegetable oil’ is listed on many of those labels – right? Vegetable oil is usually a blend of oils and in the UK, the oils used most in vegetable oil are soya, rapeseed, sunflower, maize and palm oils.

The harsh reality is that its production poses a serious environmental threat to the Indonesian rainforests and its inhabitants. That’s not its only drawback, as once it’s processed and refined, palm oil also poses significant health threats to consumers – and that includes almost all of us, given how many products contain it.

Swine Flu Pandemic and Vaccines Under Investigation

The Healthier Life — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:07:53 GMT

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will have to explain what scientific evidence they used, justifying their change of definition of what a pandemic is, in May 2009.

The European Council also wants to know precisely what influence the pharmaceutical industry had in the decision-making. Since governments have sealed contracts with vaccine producers, securing orders in advance, (like with Tamiflu during the Bird Flu scare) producers of vaccines were sure of enormous gains without having any financial risks.