Statins are one thing keep coming back to: we don’t know much about the very long term use – 30, 40 years – that are going to be routine from now on.My concern is that the Yellow Card system may not be accurate or sensitive enough to do pick up infrequent side effects that nevertheless become common […]
Continue Reading →Sex in the city
I find myself feeling most uncomfortable over the “Find your me spot” campaign “organised and paid for by Bayer Schering Pharma”. It’s a series of ‘nights out’ for ladies, with tips on fashion, flirting, how to create ‘kissable lips’ – oh, and contraception. Quite a twist on reps taking doctors out for dinner – take prospective […]
Continue Reading →I love this
Remedy versus GMC . Good luck, Remedy.
Continue Reading →The problems with mortality rates
I am troubled by hospital league tables for many reasons, but the biggest reason is that I don’ t think, were I using them for myself or a family member, I would rely on them. I think I would rely most on a nurse or a junior doctor telling me if they would, or wouldn’t, […]
Continue Reading →Salt, and where it comes from
From the BMJ . I think very interesting: there is mounting evidence that salt is a problem, but the campaigns to tell us to add less salt to our food seem increasingly futile: you need manufacturers on board. I love salt, but I love it more because when I add it rarely it tastes better: […]
Continue Reading →Making Sense of Statistics
A new guide from Sense about Science, and a very good resource.
Continue Reading →“Simple test saved Jimmy’s life”
..is the headline on a local NHS newsletter. It refers to FOB colon cancer screening, which is part of the National Screening Programme. The story below reveals that after the positive test, Jimmy had a colonoscopy, a CT scan, “very aggressive” chemotherapy, a large operation (a colectomy) and a liver resection for metastatic spread. Not […]
Continue Reading →and while on the GMC website
a practitioner of ‘live-blood analysis’ is to attend a Fitness to Practice enquiry this week. A quick google reveals quite a few other medical practitioners offering this non evidence based test in the UK; for example “Every person should have this test because it is the ultimate preventative medicine tool available today”; it costs about 150 pounds. […]
Continue Reading →David Southall restored to the medical register
After a very long time. Part of the problem with getting to the truth has been the media reporting of Southall’s work. This article by Iain Chalmers and the late Edmund Hey is hard hitting and worth reading.
Continue Reading →The end of the Prince’s Health charity. Three cheers
You couldn’t make it up. The Princes Foundation for Integrated Health is closing as a result of fraud investigation. Two people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud. Rather amusingly, the trustees are claiming that the aims of the Foundation (integration of what we might term non evidence into versus evidence based treatments) have been […]
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