Plantar fasciitis: new study pits orthotics against no
treatment.
Plantar Fasciitis, the severe foot pain that extends from the
plantar surface of the heel to the toes, is often treated with shoe
inserts called orthotics. They are promoted by foot doctors as a . . .
"America's best cardiac hospitals"--many others
are just as good.
America's Best Hospitals. Who among us does not like lists
that direct us to the best hospitals, the best doctors, the best
colleges? For 16 years the weekly news magazine U.S. News & World
Report . . .
It used to be breast cancer but now it isn't.(lobular
carcinoma in situ may not develop breast cancer)(Brief article)
When a breast biopsy found lobular carcinoma in situ, the next step
used to be the removal of one or both breasts because LCIS was
considered to be an early stage of breast cancer. That was . . .
Ever hear this from your Gynecologist?(pap testing may affect
pregnancy)(Brief article)
Infertility is thought to be rampant in the U.S. And the chief
reason is believed to be delayed childbearing. Too many educated young
women are waiting until their late thirties to become pregnant. . . .
Incidentalomas and lung cancer screening: death rate is
unchanged.(Clinical report)
Screening for lung cancer has been promoted to the public on and
off for nearly 50 years based on this seemingly common-sense premise:
Find a cancer early and your life will be saved. This message . . .
From the director ... medical errors still out of
control.(Editorial)
Every day patients spend in a hospital bed. they risk harm from at
least one preventable medication error. This disturbing finding is cited
in a recent report on medication errors undertaken by the . . .
How prevalent is cancer? How prevalent are cancers that will not
kill?(statistical report)
The following statistics are based either on autopsy studies of
people not known to have cancer during their lifetime or ultrasound
examination studies of symptom-free people. They show that . . .
Cancers that do not kill, prevalent and usually treated
aggressively.
If doctors look hard enough, they will find abnormalities. The
problem has escalated with improved imaging techniques like ultrasound
and scans that allow them to find tiny cancers and precancerous . . .
Not much evidence for taking multivitamins and, in some cases,
studies show harm.(Clinical report)
More than half of all Americans regularly take vitamins; most as a
one-a-day multivitamin pill and the rest take single-ingredient vitamins
specifically to prevent a chronic ailment. In May, the . . .
And this from Cornell University.(methods of controlling
bedbugs)(Brief article)
Here are some cautions about diatomaceous earth and other
do-it-yourself products from the Web site of the Cornell Cooperative
Extension, Department of Entomology, Frequently Asked Questions . . .
E-mail letter to HealthFacts about bedbugs: non-toxic
alternatives to professional exterminators.(Letter to the
editor)
I was surprised that you didn't mention any non-toxic
alternative to professional exterminators ["Bedbugs: One
Woman's Experience," June 2006]. I have multiple cats in a
one-room apartment, and my . . .
The 2004 controversy over U.S. statin-treatment
guidelines.
On July 12, 2004, the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program
updated its statin-treatment guidelines, greatly expanding the pool of
candidates for statin drugs. They include men and women . . .
Statin-treatment guidelines 198 to 1 odds that the drug
won't help.
Would you go on long-term statin drug therapy if you knew that the
odds are one in 23,000 that the drug will save you from a cardiac death?
How about one in 198? And are you prepared to stay on . . .
Publicly available surgeon-performance info does not affect
consumer choices.(referrals )
Give the public access to what is known as physician-performance
data, and people will choose top quality care accordingly. Such was our
vision when the Center for Medical Consumers started over 30 . . .
From the director ... FDA's credibility and new information
about Cox-2 safety.(director's speech)
Public confidence in the FDA's ability to protect users of
prescription drugs from harm is slipping, according to a recent Wall
Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll. When asked about how . . .
What the experts do to protect themselves.
Three experts were asked what they do to protect themselves from
bed bugs and for advice about finding a reputable pest control company.
All said they are extremely wary of hotels and conduct a . . .
Dr. Richard Pollack reacts to my bed bug experience.
When Richard Pollack read my story, he said it was a mistake to
throw out our mattress and box spring (until he heard they were around
18 years old). "It's a waste of money. You can treat . . .
Bed bugs: one woman's experience.
You probably know there's an epidemic of bed bugs in the U.S.,
but chances are, you don't know anyone who has been afflicted. I
think I know why. For seven months, I was plagued by unseen bed bugs . . .
New Web site provides critique of medical news
reporting.(www.HealthNewsReview.org )
So much of what passes for medical reporting amounts to
cheerleading for a new drug, procedure, or screening test. To make some
long overdue improvements, a new Web site (www.HealthNewsReview.org) . . .
Five-year HealthFacts index offer.
For a five-year index of all issues of HealthFacts from 2001
through 2005, send a check for $5.00 to Center for Medical Consumers,
239 Thompson Street, New York, New York . . .
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