Archive for the ‘Preventative Medicine’ Category

Physical Activity Can Prevent Most Major Chronic Medical Problems

Monday, January 14th, 2008

                                     Physical activity is a well accepted treatment when prescribed for patients after orthopedic surgery or for rehabilitation after a stroke.  Physical activity is also felt to reduce the risk of developing certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  However, despite these accepted benefits, the percentage of adults ...

Patients on Cholesterol-lowering Medications Have a Lower Incidence of Cancer?

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

  Drugs known collectively as "statins" are widely prescribed for lowering cholesterol (for example, Lipitor) and their benefits in reducing the risk of heart attacks is generally well accepted. However, a recent study conducted in veterans showed that patients on such drugs had a 25% lower incidence of cancer. This ...

Where you Live can Affect your Chances of Developing Type 2 Diabetes

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

A recent study published in the journal, Epidemiology, suggests that people who live in certain neighbourhoods have an increased chance of developing insulin resistance and subsequent type 2 Diabetes. People who lived in neighbourhoods "more conducive" to exercise and healthy diet had less insulin resistance. These ...

Increases in Autism Does Not Appear To Be Related To Vaccinations

Monday, January 7th, 2008

                                Concerns regarding the link between childhood vaccinations and the development of autism have existed for some time.  It has been suggested that the preservative Thimerosal, which contains mercury, that had been prevalent in vaccines prior to 2000 may be a causative factor.  However, this relationship has never been proven, ...

Doctors often Write Patients Placebo Presciptions

Friday, January 4th, 2008

A recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that almost 50% of internists polled in Chicago have prescribed their patients placebos during their career. Placebos are pill containing no actual medicine, just an inert substance like Dextrose ("sugar pills"). Many of those MD's ...

Mammogram Accuracy Varies By Radiologist

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

                                    Previous investigation has revealed variation in the quality of screening mammograms performed, which affects the accuracy of detecting breast cancer.  This study performed by a researcher at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle found a significant disparity in the interpretation of mammograms even when a lump was present on ...

Cholesterol and Stroke. A Confusing Relationship

Monday, December 3rd, 2007

The link between high cholesterol and heart disease is fairly well established and accepted in the medical community, however recent research has left investigators wondering about the relationship between cholesterol and stroke.  A study just published in The Lancet found that in middle to older age patients, elevated cholesterol was ...

Know the Risk, Make the Change

Saturday, December 1st, 2007

Researchers from McGill University in Montreal found that simply by having physicians discuss their patients' risks for heart disease and educate them on how to reduce them, a measurable improvement was seen.  Patients were randomised to either receive "usual" care, or to have specific "ongoing feedback regarding their calculated coronary risk and ...