Defibrillators are medical devices that treat irregular heartbeats and can prevent sudden cardiac arrest. The 79,000 Americans who were implanted with the Riata or Riata ST Silicone implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads made by St. Jude Medical are left wondering what to do now that the FDA recalled the device in December 2011. This recall was announced a year after the company stopped their sales of the product.
Read More »Medical Care for Adults
The National Center for Health Research reviews important new research as soon as it is published. We cut through the hype regarding various medical treatments to let you know what is proven and what is unknown about the risks and benefits of various treatment options. We do not accept funding from the companies that make medical products, so you can trust that our information is based on science, and not biased by financial ties to the treatments we’re evaluating.
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Some of these articles were written this year and others were not, however, if they are on our website it means the information is up-to-date. We always scrutinize new research and call the researchers to learn even more. Then we translate it into plain language that everyone can understand.
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Exposure to Heavy Metals and Fertility: What a Couple Should Know
Are you or someone you love trying to start a family or have another baby? A study suggests that when men or women are exposed to heavy metals in their environment it can make it more difficult for a woman to get pregnant. We should be aware of the ways we come into contact with these metals, and limit our exposure. Taking a few preventative measures today might make it easier to get pregnant and have a healthy baby.
Read More »Do Lemons Prevent Cancer?
A widely circulating e-mail claiming to be from the Institute of Health Sciences in Baltimore states that lemons are a “proven remedy against cancers of all types” and that lemons are 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy. The claims this e-mail makes are not correct. Although lemons have many health benefits, no study has ever been done that would compare the effectiveness of a lemon to chemotherapy.
Read More »Drugs to Quit Smoking Can Affect Mental and Physical Health: the Truth About Chantix and Zyban
Everyone knows that smoking harms health and that the habit is difficult to quit. Unfortunately, some products that help people stop smoking can also be harmful.
Read More »“Ghost written” articles on hormone treatment for menopause
This article, written by Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman of Georgetown University Medical Center, reveals the ethically questionable ways in which Wyeth Pharmaceuticals promoted Prempro, their hormone “replacement” treatment for menopause.
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