General Health and Mental Health

Aspirin: Could It Reduce Your Risk for Cancer?

Often called a "wonder drug," aspirin reduces aches and pains, fever, and swelling, and lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. But few of us ever imagined that it might also lower our chances of developing several types of cancer, and help keep cancer from spreading. | more

Are Bayer’s Birth Control Pills too Risky?

On December 8, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be discussing the benefits and risks of oral contraceptives containing drospirenone. While these products effectively prevent pregnancy, there are alarming risks that can be fatal. At this upcoming meeting, the FDA will specifically address the growing evidence that drospirenone increases the risk of blood clots (deep vein thrombosis) more than other forms of progestin. | more

Social Networking Sites: Benefits, Problems, and “Facebook Depression”

For better or worse, social networking is an almost unavoidable part of everyday life. The number of people joining social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus is growing exponentially, especially among youth. Due to the prevalence of social media usage among youths, many parents wonder if it is having beneficial or negative effects on their children. Like many things in life, the answer is not so clear-cut: it's yes and no. Facebook both promotes mental well-being and undermines it. | more

The Failed Promise of Gene Based Tests for Diagnosing and Treating Cancer

When the Human Genome Project released its first “draft” in 2000, many scientists believed it would revolutionize medical research. President Bill Clinton claimed that genetic diagnosis (the ability to tell who has a disease after looking at the genes) would “revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases.”Although the ability to map the human genome has great promise, a decade later it still hasn’t yielded good methods for diagnosing cancer. Even more disappointing: recent scandals and severe product flaws have cast doubt on gene-based research as a whole | more

Procrit, Aranesp, and Epogen–All Risk and No Benefits for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease?

Anemia drugs are widely used by patients on chemotherapy and patients with chronic kidney disease, but there is growing evidence that the misuse of these drugs is harming many patients. The FDA issued a “safety communication” on June 24, 2011 recommending lower doses of anemia drugs for patients with chronic kidney disease. This warning was based on studies showing increased risk of stroke, blood clots, other cardiac problems, and death for patients with chronic kidney disease | more

Ovarian Cancer CA-125 Blood Test: Does it Work?

Ovarian cancer is a deadly disease because it is rarely diagnosed early. There is not yet an effective, life-saving screening tool for the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Furthermore, the mostly commonly used tool (The CA-125 blood test) has been shown to be not just ineffective but actually harmful. | more

Getting up on the wrong side of the bed: Sleepiness and Behavior Problems in Children and Teens

Sleep is essential for the renewal and restoration of the body. But is your child getting enough? Research indicates that children who do not get the recommended 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night may be more likely to have conduct problems at home and in the classroom, as well as suffer from many health problems now and in the future. | more

Can Cleanliness Increase The Risk of Allergies and Asthma?

Is being too clean bad for your health? Research indicates that some of the products we use to avoid germs may contribute to the development of conditions like asthma and allergies. | more

Danger at the Dentist’s (and Orthodontist’s) Office: Children Exposed to Radiation

Has your child been to the orthodontist this year? Was he or she exposed to dangerous levels of radiation? More and more dentists and orthodontists are using an imaging device that delivers significantly higher doses of radiation than regular X-rays. While the machine's promoters claim that this technology is a safe way to obtain highly detailed images of a patient's mouth and skull, other health experts are concerned about the cumulative effects of radiation from these scans, and think they shouldn't be used routinely. | more

Lice are Lousy but not Unhealthy

Head lice are not a popular topic of conversation or research, but maybe they should be -- 6 to 12 million children (mostly ages 3-12) have them every year | more