Bisphenol A (abbreviated BPA) is on it's way out. This is a chemical that is used in many hard plastic containers, and has been used in such items as baby bottles, sports bottles, and to help line food cans. BPA is known to leach from these containers at a slow rate when containing cold liquids, and even faster when exposed to heat and cleaners. Lab studies have shown these can cause adverse effects when exposed to animals, and human effects are unknown. The Canadian government said they intend to ban the use of this chemical in food related containers and bottles. Wal Mart and a few other retailers said that they will pull these products from the shelf in the U.S. in the near future, even thought the FDA has not acted on this issue (yet).
So, my advice? Anytime you can avoid a potentially harmful situation, it's best to do it. Using material with this chemical in it is not vital and will be easy to exclude. The easiest way to tell if a plastic container is ok is to check the recycling label. Plastics are given a number 1-7. Numbers 2,4, and 5 seem to be the safest. The other ones are known to leach some of the substance, and numbers 3,6, and 7 should probably be avoided.
Right now, many of the popular water bottles are made with the number 7 plastics. I'm sure manufacturers are aware of the issues with BPH, so I expect them to change the manufacturing process in the near future.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Overfed and Undernourished
I just finished reading a great article today published in 2006 in the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. To read the full text, you should be able to access the article here: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/103/47/17589
This article discusses the effects of micronutrient deficiency on the aging process. Micronutrients are the trace amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other biochemicals found in foods. This is opposed to macronutrients, which are what is found in higher concentrations in food. Macronutrients are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
Historically, foods that humans have consumed were made up of a balance of macro- and micro- nutrients. For instance, vegetables and fruits are made up of carbohydrates and a small amount of protein and fat. They also contain an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Contrast this with the foods consumed today in the Standard American Diet (SAD). We have an abundance of processed and refined foods that are stripped of their vitamins and minerals. Because of this, we consume plenty of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, but they lack the vitamins and minerals that we need.
The human body is probably one of the most complex and resilient ‘thing’ to ever exist in this universe. This allows us to adapt to almost anything that we can do to our bodies. In the case of micronutrient deficiency, our bodies can adapt to allow short term survival, but it is done so at the expense of long term health and well-being. In other words, taking in fewer nutrients than we need now doesn’t cause any immediate short term effects, but let this go on for several years or decades, and it takes its toll on health.
We see evidence of this phenomenon everyday. Chronic micronutrient deficiency is linked with increased risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. All diseases that are on the rise and combined kill more people than any other causes. Not to mention, we have also seen an increase in degenerative diseases such arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
The reasons behind it are explained in the article and a little too much to go into depth here, but the short version is micronutrient deficiency causes DNA damage and mitochondrial decay, leading to increased free radical production and oxidative stress in the body. This “leads to functional decline of mitochondria, cells, tissues, and eventually organs such as the brain with an accompanying loss of ambulatory activity.” The DNA damage and mitochondrial decay is also seen with exposure to radiation and other harmful chemicals. It’s interesting because most people freak out over the risk of radiation exposure from 3-Mile Island or having x-rays done, yet they think nothing of allowing themselves or their kids to become micronutrient deficient!
So, what’s the bottom line? This is one of numerous published research articles that discuss the importance of proper nutrition and its impact on health. It ads to our growing body of knowledge that what we put in our bodies really does matter, and that we can’t take it for granted. This particular article also gives a good argument for taking daily multivitamin and multimineral supplementation. This allows us to get the most basic amount of micronutrients regardless of what we eat each day. However, I would strongly caution people that these supplements do not replace a healthy well balanced diet that contains a variety of unprocessed natural foods such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. There are micronutrients in foods that we haven’t even discovered yet and could not possibly include them in a man made pill. So, make sure you eat your produce and whole grains!
This article discusses the effects of micronutrient deficiency on the aging process. Micronutrients are the trace amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other biochemicals found in foods. This is opposed to macronutrients, which are what is found in higher concentrations in food. Macronutrients are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
Historically, foods that humans have consumed were made up of a balance of macro- and micro- nutrients. For instance, vegetables and fruits are made up of carbohydrates and a small amount of protein and fat. They also contain an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Contrast this with the foods consumed today in the Standard American Diet (SAD). We have an abundance of processed and refined foods that are stripped of their vitamins and minerals. Because of this, we consume plenty of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, but they lack the vitamins and minerals that we need.
The human body is probably one of the most complex and resilient ‘thing’ to ever exist in this universe. This allows us to adapt to almost anything that we can do to our bodies. In the case of micronutrient deficiency, our bodies can adapt to allow short term survival, but it is done so at the expense of long term health and well-being. In other words, taking in fewer nutrients than we need now doesn’t cause any immediate short term effects, but let this go on for several years or decades, and it takes its toll on health.
We see evidence of this phenomenon everyday. Chronic micronutrient deficiency is linked with increased risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. All diseases that are on the rise and combined kill more people than any other causes. Not to mention, we have also seen an increase in degenerative diseases such arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
The reasons behind it are explained in the article and a little too much to go into depth here, but the short version is micronutrient deficiency causes DNA damage and mitochondrial decay, leading to increased free radical production and oxidative stress in the body. This “leads to functional decline of mitochondria, cells, tissues, and eventually organs such as the brain with an accompanying loss of ambulatory activity.” The DNA damage and mitochondrial decay is also seen with exposure to radiation and other harmful chemicals. It’s interesting because most people freak out over the risk of radiation exposure from 3-Mile Island or having x-rays done, yet they think nothing of allowing themselves or their kids to become micronutrient deficient!
So, what’s the bottom line? This is one of numerous published research articles that discuss the importance of proper nutrition and its impact on health. It ads to our growing body of knowledge that what we put in our bodies really does matter, and that we can’t take it for granted. This particular article also gives a good argument for taking daily multivitamin and multimineral supplementation. This allows us to get the most basic amount of micronutrients regardless of what we eat each day. However, I would strongly caution people that these supplements do not replace a healthy well balanced diet that contains a variety of unprocessed natural foods such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. There are micronutrients in foods that we haven’t even discovered yet and could not possibly include them in a man made pill. So, make sure you eat your produce and whole grains!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Important note about auto insurance in PA
Here's a quick suggestion for those that live in PA. Call up your auto insurance agent and tell them you want to increase the medical coverage on your policy. State minimum is $5,000, and this is what most people carry. However, a trip by ambulance to the ER with a CT scan or MRI can eat that up very quickly, leaving no coverage for follow up care.
For $50 to $100 or so per year (check with your agent for exact numbers), you can increase this coverage significantly. If you currently have health issues, old injuries, arthritis, etc., it is even more important to increase this coverage. An auto accident can make these conditions much worse, therefore requiring more care than if a perfectly healthy individual was in an accident.
The flip side of this is that if you keep the bare minimum and burn through the $5,000, all care after that amount is on you. Even if you have health insurance, copays and deductables can add up quickly.
I am posting this information because I see it all the time. Someone with the $5,000 minimum is in an accident. They receive emergency care and require a lot of testing. The $5,000 is exhausted on day one, yet they are left with an injury that require months of chiropractic care or physical therapy, or even worse, surgery. Whether they are have private health insurance or not, bills start to pile up. They are left either in economic hardship, or they have to rely on a lawyer's ability to recover the money through a lawsuit (which can take years to complete).
For $50 to $100 or so per year (check with your agent for exact numbers), you can increase this coverage significantly. If you currently have health issues, old injuries, arthritis, etc., it is even more important to increase this coverage. An auto accident can make these conditions much worse, therefore requiring more care than if a perfectly healthy individual was in an accident.
The flip side of this is that if you keep the bare minimum and burn through the $5,000, all care after that amount is on you. Even if you have health insurance, copays and deductables can add up quickly.
I am posting this information because I see it all the time. Someone with the $5,000 minimum is in an accident. They receive emergency care and require a lot of testing. The $5,000 is exhausted on day one, yet they are left with an injury that require months of chiropractic care or physical therapy, or even worse, surgery. Whether they are have private health insurance or not, bills start to pile up. They are left either in economic hardship, or they have to rely on a lawyer's ability to recover the money through a lawsuit (which can take years to complete).
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Start off the year with a cleanse
Happy holidays everyone!
This is the time of year many of us let loose. It seems like everyone is throwing a party, chock full of sweet treats and other tasty dishes to indulge yourself in. Try not to overdo it and once the season passes, get back on track and make healthy choices. It may be difficult to fight the cravings, but those will go away in a few days.
I always like to start out the year right with a cleanse. The idea of a cleanse is to remove all 'bad' things from the diet while adding as many 'good' things as possible. Basically, flush the bad out with the good. I like to use the program from Standard Process. It consists of drinking 2-4 healthy shakes per day along with consuming as many fresh vegetables as possible (sans corn and white potatoes) and a little bit of fruit. It also includes a supplement regimen consisting of fiber and other detox promoting nutrients. Honestly, I always feel my best after doing a cleanse. And it's not just about cleaning out the colon like some programs. This is a 3 week program that aims at giving you the best nutrition possible while getting rid of the bad stuff. I have yet to have patients, family, or friends complete a cleanse and not feel significantly better.
So, enjoy the rest of the holiday season, but remember, when the smoke clears, get yourself back on track and back to optimal health.
This is the time of year many of us let loose. It seems like everyone is throwing a party, chock full of sweet treats and other tasty dishes to indulge yourself in. Try not to overdo it and once the season passes, get back on track and make healthy choices. It may be difficult to fight the cravings, but those will go away in a few days.
I always like to start out the year right with a cleanse. The idea of a cleanse is to remove all 'bad' things from the diet while adding as many 'good' things as possible. Basically, flush the bad out with the good. I like to use the program from Standard Process. It consists of drinking 2-4 healthy shakes per day along with consuming as many fresh vegetables as possible (sans corn and white potatoes) and a little bit of fruit. It also includes a supplement regimen consisting of fiber and other detox promoting nutrients. Honestly, I always feel my best after doing a cleanse. And it's not just about cleaning out the colon like some programs. This is a 3 week program that aims at giving you the best nutrition possible while getting rid of the bad stuff. I have yet to have patients, family, or friends complete a cleanse and not feel significantly better.
So, enjoy the rest of the holiday season, but remember, when the smoke clears, get yourself back on track and back to optimal health.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Muscle, Bone, Joint System of the Body
The Muscle, Bone, Joint System of the Body
The so called “frame” of the body is made up of a system of muscles, bones, and joints and is known as the musculoskeletal system. It provides the physical structure for the body and does it in a way that allows us a great deal of mobility and movement. Learning more about this system is helpful in understanding how massage therapy and other bodywork can help improve its function and reduce stress on the system.
The bones are the basic framework of the body. They are made up of rigid fibers that are calcified to form a rather strong and solid structure. The body is made up of 206 bones, and the place where two bones come together is called a joint. These joints allow motion to take place by creating a place where two or more bones can move or pivot on one another. The joints allow motion, but muscles are required to provide the force needed to ultimately cause movement of bones around a joint. Like many parts of the body, this seems like a fairly simple system, yet it is rather complex when we take a closer look.
To create movement, muscles must work together to produce the force needed to cause movement, as well as allowing the movement to happen. Let’s take a look at performing a biceps curl for example. In this movement around the elbow joint there are two main muscles, the biceps and the triceps. In order for a person to curl the arm up and bring the hand closer to the shoulder, the biceps must turn on, and the triceps must turn off. The biceps shortens to create the force to pull the forearm towards the upper arm, and the triceps lengthens to allow motion to occur. This is an important concept because it happens with every move we make, and when this system doesn’t work correctly due to injury or stress, it can cause problems. It’s also important because how the muscles work together influences our posture.
When a person is injured or develops a problem slowly over time due to sustained or repetitive stress, this muscle/bone/joint system can be thrown off balance. The intricate relationship between muscles working together to create motion around a joint becomes disturbed in a way that places constant stress on the system or changes how the motion is suppose to occur. A good example of this scenario is seen with people who work at a computer station daily for a significant number of hours for a long period of time (especially if it’s not set up properly). What happens here is that from the constant leaning over the computer, the upper back muscles become stretched out and weak, while the chest and shoulder muscles to the front become tight and shortened causing the shoulders to round forward and the upper back to become humped. Also, the neck muscles to the back become weak and the ones in the front become tight causing the head to drop forward. Instead of having a balance between the muscles in the back and the muscles in the front, there is now a constant struggle of the overstretched and weak muscles fighting with the tension of the muscles that have become short and tight. It’s easy to see how that is not an ideal situation and how it can lean to a great deal of pain and discomfort.
To get a sense for how an imbalance in this system can create problems for the body, try this experiment. It will demonstrate how this can affect the way a joint is suppose to move, leading to pain and dysfunction. Sit up nice and tall in your chair, arms at the side, palms facing forward. Make sure you are sitting up nice and straight. Now, raise the arms like you are making a snow angel and lift them up over your head so that the thumbs come together. Most people should be able to do that without a problem. Now, start over with the arms at the side, but instead of sitting up straight, slouch forward in the chair (simulate rounded forward posture) and turn the palms to the back (simulates dominance of front shoulder muscles). Now, try to raise the arms like you did in the first part. Be careful, don’t hurt yourself! It’s much more difficult, right? That’s a great example of how it is important for muscles to work properly by allowing proper posture and therefore allowing the body move the way it was meant to move.
Let’s take this experiment one step further. Go back the first part and sit up straight. Instead of lifting the arms, take in a nice deep breath. Now, slouch over and try to take the same deep breath. Much easier the first time, right? You may not notice it during regular breathing, but poor posture can make those breaths more difficult as well. The average person takes between 16-20 breaths per minute. That’s over 28,000 breaths per day. If the muscles aren’t working properly and allowing the posture to thrown off, that’s 28,000 breaths that require just a little bit more energy than usual. It’s no wonder people are tired all the time! Oh, and not only is it just a little more difficult to take those breaths, but it could cause breathing to be slightly shallower preventing as much air as usual from entering the lung, which makes less oxygen available for breathing. Again, it’s no wonder people are tired all the time!
So, hopefully this entry provided a basic understanding of the muscle/bone/joint system, a general understanding of how it works, and how imbalances in the system can create problems. Check back in the future for entries that go into more detail about the various components of the system, specific problems that can occur when things go wrong, and how chiropractic and massage therapy can help correct problems.
The so called “frame” of the body is made up of a system of muscles, bones, and joints and is known as the musculoskeletal system. It provides the physical structure for the body and does it in a way that allows us a great deal of mobility and movement. Learning more about this system is helpful in understanding how massage therapy and other bodywork can help improve its function and reduce stress on the system.
The bones are the basic framework of the body. They are made up of rigid fibers that are calcified to form a rather strong and solid structure. The body is made up of 206 bones, and the place where two bones come together is called a joint. These joints allow motion to take place by creating a place where two or more bones can move or pivot on one another. The joints allow motion, but muscles are required to provide the force needed to ultimately cause movement of bones around a joint. Like many parts of the body, this seems like a fairly simple system, yet it is rather complex when we take a closer look.
To create movement, muscles must work together to produce the force needed to cause movement, as well as allowing the movement to happen. Let’s take a look at performing a biceps curl for example. In this movement around the elbow joint there are two main muscles, the biceps and the triceps. In order for a person to curl the arm up and bring the hand closer to the shoulder, the biceps must turn on, and the triceps must turn off. The biceps shortens to create the force to pull the forearm towards the upper arm, and the triceps lengthens to allow motion to occur. This is an important concept because it happens with every move we make, and when this system doesn’t work correctly due to injury or stress, it can cause problems. It’s also important because how the muscles work together influences our posture.
When a person is injured or develops a problem slowly over time due to sustained or repetitive stress, this muscle/bone/joint system can be thrown off balance. The intricate relationship between muscles working together to create motion around a joint becomes disturbed in a way that places constant stress on the system or changes how the motion is suppose to occur. A good example of this scenario is seen with people who work at a computer station daily for a significant number of hours for a long period of time (especially if it’s not set up properly). What happens here is that from the constant leaning over the computer, the upper back muscles become stretched out and weak, while the chest and shoulder muscles to the front become tight and shortened causing the shoulders to round forward and the upper back to become humped. Also, the neck muscles to the back become weak and the ones in the front become tight causing the head to drop forward. Instead of having a balance between the muscles in the back and the muscles in the front, there is now a constant struggle of the overstretched and weak muscles fighting with the tension of the muscles that have become short and tight. It’s easy to see how that is not an ideal situation and how it can lean to a great deal of pain and discomfort.
To get a sense for how an imbalance in this system can create problems for the body, try this experiment. It will demonstrate how this can affect the way a joint is suppose to move, leading to pain and dysfunction. Sit up nice and tall in your chair, arms at the side, palms facing forward. Make sure you are sitting up nice and straight. Now, raise the arms like you are making a snow angel and lift them up over your head so that the thumbs come together. Most people should be able to do that without a problem. Now, start over with the arms at the side, but instead of sitting up straight, slouch forward in the chair (simulate rounded forward posture) and turn the palms to the back (simulates dominance of front shoulder muscles). Now, try to raise the arms like you did in the first part. Be careful, don’t hurt yourself! It’s much more difficult, right? That’s a great example of how it is important for muscles to work properly by allowing proper posture and therefore allowing the body move the way it was meant to move.
Let’s take this experiment one step further. Go back the first part and sit up straight. Instead of lifting the arms, take in a nice deep breath. Now, slouch over and try to take the same deep breath. Much easier the first time, right? You may not notice it during regular breathing, but poor posture can make those breaths more difficult as well. The average person takes between 16-20 breaths per minute. That’s over 28,000 breaths per day. If the muscles aren’t working properly and allowing the posture to thrown off, that’s 28,000 breaths that require just a little bit more energy than usual. It’s no wonder people are tired all the time! Oh, and not only is it just a little more difficult to take those breaths, but it could cause breathing to be slightly shallower preventing as much air as usual from entering the lung, which makes less oxygen available for breathing. Again, it’s no wonder people are tired all the time!
So, hopefully this entry provided a basic understanding of the muscle/bone/joint system, a general understanding of how it works, and how imbalances in the system can create problems. Check back in the future for entries that go into more detail about the various components of the system, specific problems that can occur when things go wrong, and how chiropractic and massage therapy can help correct problems.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Honey Bests Popular Cough Med
If you take the time to look, you'll see there are more and more studies like this coming out every day. The drug companies don't like to see these studies, but quite commonly when drugs are put up against a natural remedy, the natural remedy comes out ahead or a close second. Even if it comes out a close second, due to the relatively low chance of side effects, the natural remedy actually comes way out on top. In this instance, we have honey versus DM. Side effects of honey? It contains nutrients that are good for the body and it can help improve allergies. Side effects of DM? From Wikipedia:
"Side-effects of dextromethorphan use can include body rash/itching, disassociation, nausea as well as other gastrointestinal disturbances, drowsiness, dizziness, excitation, vomiting, blurred vision, dilated pupils, sweating, fever, hypertension, shallow respiration, diarrhea, urinary retention, and increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.[6]
Dextromethorphan can also produce psychological dependence due to its potential for recreational use, but does not produce physical addiction, according to the WHO Committee on Drug Dependence.
Dextromethorphan, when combined with guaifenesin, an expectorant used in many preparations, is likely to cause nausea and vomiting when the combination is taken at high doses.[6]"
Here's the abstract of the research article:
=======================
Effect of Honey, Dextromethorphan, and No Treatment on Nocturnal Cough and Sleep Quality for Coughing Children and Their Parents
Ian M. Paul, MD, MSc; Jessica Beiler, MPH; Amyee McMonagle, RN; Michele L. Shaffer, PhD; Laura Duda, MD; Cheston M. Berlin Jr, MD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(12):1140-1146.
Objectives To compare the effects of a single nocturnal dose of buckwheat honey or honey-flavored dextromethorphan (DM) with no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infections.
Design A survey was administered to parents on 2 consecutive days, first on the day of presentation when no medication had been given the prior evening and then the next day when honey, honey-flavored DM, or no treatment had been given prior to bedtime according to a partially double-blinded randomization scheme.
Setting A single, outpatient, general pediatric practice.
Participants One hundred five children aged 2 to 18 years with upper respiratory tract infections, nocturnal symptoms, and illness duration of 7 days or less.
Intervention A single dose of buckwheat honey, honey-flavored DM, or no treatment administered 30 minutes prior to bedtime.
Main Outcome Measures Cough frequency, cough severity, bothersome nature of cough, and child and parent sleep quality.
Results Significant differences in symptom improvement were detected between treatment groups, with honey consistently scoring the best and no treatment scoring the worst. In paired comparisons, honey was significantly superior to no treatment for cough frequency and the combined score, but DM was not better than no treatment for any outcome. Comparison of honey with DM revealed no significant differences.
Conclusions In a comparison of honey, DM, and no treatment, parents rated honey most favorably for symptomatic relief of their child's nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty due to upper respiratory tract infection. Honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection.
"Side-effects of dextromethorphan use can include body rash/itching, disassociation, nausea as well as other gastrointestinal disturbances, drowsiness, dizziness, excitation, vomiting, blurred vision, dilated pupils, sweating, fever, hypertension, shallow respiration, diarrhea, urinary retention, and increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.[6]
Dextromethorphan can also produce psychological dependence due to its potential for recreational use, but does not produce physical addiction, according to the WHO Committee on Drug Dependence.
Dextromethorphan, when combined with guaifenesin, an expectorant used in many preparations, is likely to cause nausea and vomiting when the combination is taken at high doses.[6]"
Here's the abstract of the research article:
=======================
Effect of Honey, Dextromethorphan, and No Treatment on Nocturnal Cough and Sleep Quality for Coughing Children and Their Parents
Ian M. Paul, MD, MSc; Jessica Beiler, MPH; Amyee McMonagle, RN; Michele L. Shaffer, PhD; Laura Duda, MD; Cheston M. Berlin Jr, MD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(12):1140-1146.
Objectives To compare the effects of a single nocturnal dose of buckwheat honey or honey-flavored dextromethorphan (DM) with no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infections.
Design A survey was administered to parents on 2 consecutive days, first on the day of presentation when no medication had been given the prior evening and then the next day when honey, honey-flavored DM, or no treatment had been given prior to bedtime according to a partially double-blinded randomization scheme.
Setting A single, outpatient, general pediatric practice.
Participants One hundred five children aged 2 to 18 years with upper respiratory tract infections, nocturnal symptoms, and illness duration of 7 days or less.
Intervention A single dose of buckwheat honey, honey-flavored DM, or no treatment administered 30 minutes prior to bedtime.
Main Outcome Measures Cough frequency, cough severity, bothersome nature of cough, and child and parent sleep quality.
Results Significant differences in symptom improvement were detected between treatment groups, with honey consistently scoring the best and no treatment scoring the worst. In paired comparisons, honey was significantly superior to no treatment for cough frequency and the combined score, but DM was not better than no treatment for any outcome. Comparison of honey with DM revealed no significant differences.
Conclusions In a comparison of honey, DM, and no treatment, parents rated honey most favorably for symptomatic relief of their child's nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty due to upper respiratory tract infection. Honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection.
Diabetes Drug Linked to Osteoperosis
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7117764.stm
If that link expires, here's a summary of the story. Researchers founds that use of the popular diabetes drug Avandia may contribute to decreased bone density.
There's a line in the story that sums up the way western medical scientists think about drugs and disease:
"other drugs might be produced to have the reverse effect of the diabetes drug, and possibly promote the growth of new bone. "
No, they didn't mention anything about the prevention of diabetes, nor the use of diet and exercise to reverse or manage diabetes. They didn't talk about using other drugs with less side effects. Instead, they are pleased to create another drug to cover up the side effects of the Avandia. That sounds like a great idea, right?
If that link expires, here's a summary of the story. Researchers founds that use of the popular diabetes drug Avandia may contribute to decreased bone density.
There's a line in the story that sums up the way western medical scientists think about drugs and disease:
"other drugs might be produced to have the reverse effect of the diabetes drug, and possibly promote the growth of new bone. "
No, they didn't mention anything about the prevention of diabetes, nor the use of diet and exercise to reverse or manage diabetes. They didn't talk about using other drugs with less side effects. Instead, they are pleased to create another drug to cover up the side effects of the Avandia. That sounds like a great idea, right?
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