What’s the best way to cut your risk of developing Alzheimer’s? One bit of advice you see regularly is to keep your mind active – do things like crosswords and so on. But here’s a new way that raises a lot of interesting questions about the current narrow focus of Alzheimer’s research. A new study has […]
Diabetes and how the dieticians failed
June 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Prison is a dysfunctional system for dealing with mostly young men, many of whom have learning or emotional difficulties along with drug problems. The official system we have for dealing with diabetes seems much the same. The problem with prisons is that they do very little to address the problems that have put offenders in […]
Can diabetes societies prevent diabetes?
June 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment
As you enter the vast conference centre – half a mile or more end to end – hosting the 79th Scientific Session of the American Diabetes Association in Philadelphia, your first sight on the left is a Dunkin’ Donuts store. Up the escalator brings you to the ADA’s mission statement which reads in part: “to […]
Who made us fat? Brilliant documentary
June 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Men Who Made Us Fat , a brilliant BBC 2 documentary that went out last night, should be forcibly played to dieticians and other experts who for decades have urged the low fat diet as the solution to weight loss and heart protection, not to mention being comfortable with a hefty intake of sugar as […]
Five reasons not to take statins
May 23, 2012 by 4 Comments
If you are over fifty-something you will soon have to make a decision about whether or not to take a statin to bring down your cholesterol and cut your chance of having a heart attack. You will certainly be offered them. Now according to the latest “evidence” the decision is a no-brainer. These drugs have […]
Do anecdotes of side-effects count as evidence?
May 14, 2012 by 1 Comment
I can sympathise with the frustration felt by Professor Edzard Ernst, dedicated promoter of the principles of evidence based medicine, when faced with under-reporting of side-effects. But I’m surprised at his readiness to abandon them when going into print. His latest attack on Chiropractic just doesn’t follow the rules of evidence based medicine, at least […]
Doctors need not fear credibility gap
May 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Clinical trials paid for by drug companies are widely seen as being untrustworthy because of the hiding of data, spinning of results and all the other dark arts described in books such as Pharmageddon. So much so, that there is now something of a PR offensive underway to reassure everyone that all is well. But […]
Whose job is it to get medics to follow the evidence?
May 9, 2012 by 2 Comments
One of the reasons for gathering evidence in trials is to use it to better treat patients. But what happens if doctors know what should be done in theory but then don’t or can’t do it? This is a far from a theoretical issue for kids diagnosed as ADHD on Ritalin or someone getting one […]
Lifestyle alters ageing marker
May 6, 2012 by 2 Comments
Telomeres are the exciting new kids on the ageing block. We all have them and they play a crucial role in protecting our DNA when cells divide. They are linked with ageing because the older you get the shorter your telomeres become. So one big question about ageing is: If I keep my telomeres from getting too […]
Serious doubts on value of clinical trials
May 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment
It’s a no brainer that evidence based medicine is a good idea. Who doesn’t want to know that there is is some form of testing going on to find out if your treatment is likely to work? The medical profession, or most of it, confidently asserts that this is the way medicine is done these […]
Body of Evidence 
Recent Comments