Virginia Hopkins Health Watch The Science of Alternative Medicine

The Latest Articles in the Virginia Hopkins Health Watch

VIRGINIA HOPKINS HEALTH WATCH
Natural Hormone & Nutrition News, Drug Watch and More…

Truthiness in Advertising: Is Qlaira® Really a Natural Birth Control Pill?
The headline of the press release from Bayer Healthcare says, “Natural hormone inspires new contraceptive pill.” Really?! I thought. This could be exciting!
FDA says Diet Pills Spiked with Drugs
According to [...]

Qlaira® Birth Control Pill

Truthiness in Advertising: Is Qlaira® Really a “Natural” Birth Control Pill?

New oral contraceptive, Qlaira® is being marketed as “body-identical” but a closer look proves otherwise.

The headline of the “consumer media” press release from Bayer Healthcare says, “Natural hormone inspires new contraceptive pill.”

Really?! I thought. This could be exciting! But of course it was not to [...]

Buyer be Aware: Tamiflu and Relenza Should be Used with Caution

by Virginia Hopkins
The research is contradictory, the benefits are debatable and the threat of drug resistant viruses is real.
FLU DRUGS

Oseltamivir Phosphate (Tamiflu)
Zanamivir (Relenza)

What Do They Do in the Body?
Both drugs are neuraminidase inhibitors. They inhibit enzyme activity in flu viruses, which in turn inhibits their [...]

Truthiness in Advertising – Gardasil

Here’s the script of a TV ad for Gardasil, a vaccine for the human papillomavirus ( HPV) which may cause cervical cancer. These ads have been widely broadcast and feature hip young skateboarding and drum-playing girls just wanting to be “one less.” The Gardasil ad script is in italic type. My version of the truth, as I think it should be voiced by Merck, the manufacturer, is in normal type.