Category: Food and Medical Politics

Food and Medical Politics

Anti ‘detox’ stance is unscientific and defies common sense

I came across this story today. It’s based on an article written by Professor David Bender – a nutritional biochemist. His article, which appeared in the journal The Biologist, apparently debunks detoxification regimes. They’re worthless and unscientific, apparently. The body, we’re assured, already has efficient detox systems (including the liver) that efficiently eliminates toxins and […]

December 14, 2011· 3 min read

Read article →

Cholesterol and Statins

Claims regarding the impact of foods on cholesterol are simply irrelevant

I got a press release today from the consumer advocacy group Which? informing me that “Misleading health claims to be banned at last”. Apparently, European Union Member States today voted to adopt a list of scientifically proven health claims that can be made about food and drink products. Claims for green tea and glucosamine (regarding […]

December 6, 2011· 3 min read

Read article →

Cholesterol and Statins

Aspirin for prevention of cardiovascular disease “ineffective or even harmful in the majority of patients” (just like statins)

Aspirin is perhaps best known for its painkilling properties. But another of its actions in the body is to inhibit the ability of blood components called ‘platelets’ to stick together. It’s when platelets clump together that clots are formed. In other words, aspirin partially inhibits clot formation. Small blood clots called ‘trombi’ are essentially responsible […]

December 1, 2011· 4 min read

Read article →

Cholesterol and Statins

Podcast 25th November 2011

How often should we eat, one way to prevent flu is to catch flu, FDA swallows drug company hype without thinking. For RSS feeds, click on http://www.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/8966 and then the ‘RSS feeds’ button to the right. For help regarding the playing, downloading and subscribing of the podcasts, click here.

November 25, 2011· 1 min read

Read article →

Cholesterol and Statins

The FDA swallows drug company hype without thinking

Vytorin is a drug which combines the statin simvastatin with ezetimibe – a drug which blocks cholesterol absorption in the gut. To date, there has been no good evidence that ezetimibe reduces the risk of, say, heart attacks and strokes, but that has not stopped doctors feverishly penning prescriptions for this drug. The fact is, […]

November 24, 2011· 4 min read

Read article →

Food and Medical Politics

Podcast – 18th November 2011

Water does not prevent dehydration (according to the EU), why a diet that does not cause weight gain is not necessarily healthy, mammography very unlikely to save a woman’s life. For RSS feeds, click on http://www.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/8966 and then the ‘RSS feeds’ button to the right. For help regarding the playing, downloading and subscribing of the […]

November 18, 2011· 1 min read

Read article →

Food and Medical Politics

Water can’t prevent dehydration (according to the European Union)

I came across this story this morning. In short, it tells us that EU bureaucrats have forbidden companies that sell bottled water from claiming that water can prevent dehydration. I’ve not read the ruling, just the report I link to. But it seems, on the surface, to be a decision which has taken considerable time […]

November 18, 2011· 3 min read

Read article →

Food and Medical Politics

When mammography detects cancer which is successfully treated, has mammography saved that woman’s life? Probably not

Many years ago (more than I care to remember), I was giving a lecture about health, and more in passing that anything else, mentioned just how ineffective many conventional medical approaches are, including cancer screening. After the lecture I was approached by a woman who took at least some exception to my claim that cancer […]

November 15, 2011· 4 min read

Read article →

Children's Health

Podcast – 11th November 2011

Statins appear to do about as much harm as good, more exercise unlikely to help tackle childhood obesity, flu vaccines and Tamiflu still not very effective (despite what some doctors may think). For RSS feeds, click on http://www.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/8966 and then the ‘RSS feeds’ button to the right. For help regarding the playing, downloading and subscribing […]

November 11, 2011· 1 min read

Read article →

Food and Medical Politics

Report of doctor who failed to get the flu vaccine doesn’t let the facts get in the way of a good story

I saw this story yesterday on the BBC’s website. It concerns a consultant chest physician, Dr Peter Hockey, who gives himself a slap on the wrist for not getting a flu jab. He ended up being hospitalised and couldn’t work for five months. He’s kicking himself for contracting a condition which he describes in the […]

November 8, 2011· 3 min read

Read article →