by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
A new JAMA study is very interesting for two reasons. It gives us hope for preventing a leading cause of blindness in the U.S. But it’s also a great example of why, while the popular “association” studies give us valuable information, they never prove causation. You need more-focused studies for that.
First, the great news: (more…)
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
The conclusion from the Women’s Initiative Study that multivitamins don’t prevent cancer, heart disease or overall mortality troubles me for some reason.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Women’s Initiative Study. It involves a large group of women (161, 808) followed over a long period (eight years in this instance.) Statisticians analyze the tons of data known about this group and report the findings. The data doesn’t care what I or anyone else thinks. It is what it is.
In the comment section of this report the author cites two other good, long-term women’s studies that showed an association between multivitamins and decreased colon cancer. It took 10 years in one group and 15 years in the other to start seeing a decrease.
But that’s not what bothers me. It’s not the study itself, but that people might get the idea no one needs vitamins. I mean, the New York Times has an article entitled “Vitamins; A False Hope?” This was a study on multivitamins, in set doses. It concluded nothing about set groups of individuals needing specific vitamins at other dosages.
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
Many people use nutritional supplements, herbs, vitamins to try to boost immunity and ward off colds. It is only natural (pun intended) since we don’t have a cure for the annoying and frequent set of viruses that cause colds.
A few days back, I wrote about some general tried and true methods to increase your immunity that have good studies to back them up and don’t cost money. They should be your base for protection. Only implement other methods after you have put the base in place.
Good, reliable studies of herbs, vitamins and supplements that prove efficacy and safety are harder to find. Although many people swear by their home remedy, the mainstream medical world has not taken these seriously, in the past. We are now trying to catch up but have a long way to go.
The reason I reneged on my promise to post this information, on boosting your immune system with herbs, supplements and vitamins on yesterday, was I wanted to wait on access to the information at www.naturalstandard.com, where they utilize a group of medical experts and scientists to review all of the reliable data we have on alternative medicines. Their mission is ”to provide objective, reliable information that aids clinicians, patients, and healthcare institutions to make more informed and safer therapeutic decisions.”
Here is what they say about specific supplements, herbs and vitamins fighting the common cold.
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
A government survey recently revealed that 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children used complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) in the U.S. in 2007. But how did they define CAM? What is conventional medicine? And why do people use CAM, anyway?
These and more answered by your favorite family doctor :). OK, second best, I’ll give you my opinions.
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
The benefits of vitamin D are many. Fighting off rickets, osteoporosis, cancers, type 2 diabetes and heart disease are just a few. Used to, everyone got enough vitamin D from sunshine. But, now, there is a problem. Skin cancers, including the deadly melanoma, are on the rise, and UV sunlight is a major risk factor. We don’t know how much sun we can get, if any, without an increased risk. We are also not sure how much vitamin D is ideal, but the trend is for more.
What is a person to do?
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
The FDA wants you to know that drugs not only interact with other drugs; they also interact with dietary supplements, food and beverages. Always talk to your doctor and read any information available before starting new medicines.
To prove the point, the FDA has listed examples.
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
Not eating enough potassium appears to be related to high blood pressure—independent of how much salt you eat—reported Dr. Susan Hedayati at the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting. (Dr. Hedayati works at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where I trained, since it is affiliated with Parkland Hospital.)
I look forward to the published study. If you read my blog often, your next question should be …
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
The older we get, the more we start to worry about dementia. … What was I saying? Oh, yeah, dementia, a decline in our memory, thinking, figuring things out. Declining cognition. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia.
Actually, it is nothing to laugh about. The increasing elderly population makes certain it will become a big and bigger public health hazard. Our ignorance of how to prevent or treat it, or even knowing the causes for certain, makes it fair game for people to want to try anything they’ve heard might help.
Ginkgo biloba falls into that category of hope.
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
The FDA has put out a primer called FDA 101: Dietary Supplements. There is nothing new but loads of information you need to know. Supplements are defined as vitamin, mineral, herbal, botanical or amino acid products, or enzyme supplements. The thing is they are not regulated in the same way as medications
Some take-home messages from the report are:
