The FDA has issued yet another warning about drug interactions with antidepressants that raise serotonin levels, and in particular the SSRI and SNRI antidepressants. (See list below) The new FDA warnings are about interactions with the antibacterial drug Zyvox (linezolid), one of the few antibiotics left that is still effective against infections such as MRSA […]
Doctors at teaching hospitals have known for decades that July is not a good time to be hospitalized because that’s when the newbie “trainees” (e.g. doctors-and-nurses-in-training) arrive, wide-eyed, intense and sleep-deprived. Poor decisions and misdiagnoses abound. In the US it’s known as the “July Effect,” and in the UK it’s known as the “August Killing […]
Health Watch Q&A Q: I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s and their frozen fish, but lately there’s been news about imported fish being toxic. Virginia, would you buy tuna from Thailand? A: Sometimes, but eating fish from anywhere has become a risky business. Fish in the US is commonly mislabeled. Swordfish may really be […]
The FDA has issued a warning that in rare cases, use of the pain-and-itch benzocaine sprays, gels and liquids can cause methemoglobinemia, a sometimes-fatal blood disorder. With summer on the way, along with sunburn, insect bites and rashes, it’s important to remember that most substances that go on the skin travel into the bloodstream, and […]
Yes we can reduce our toxic burden, and in just 3 days! All it takes is naked food. “My daughter is pregnant and she’s so worried about exposing her baby to hormone-disrupting chemicals, but what’s she supposed to do, they’re everywhere!” This is a commonly voiced frustration, especially among mothers and grandmothers, but there is […]
The other day I was talking on the phone to a woman in her early 30s who has been trying to conceive for four years. She said her husband has been tested and is fine, and that the doctor tested her FSH and LH levels, and they were fine. She and her husband decided to […]
The heartburn drugs known as proton pump inhibitors or PPIs have already been proven to increase the risk of osteoporosis, vitamin B12 deficiencies, and pneumonia. Some of the best-known PPIs include Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid. Vitamin B12 deficiencies, especially in the elderly, can cause anemia, fatigue, depression dementia and irreversible nerve damage. Now an FDA […]
People diagnosed with Parkinson’s may really be suffering from the side effects of prescription drugs or Drug-induced Parkinsonism (DIP). Every year about 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The consequences of the diagnosis are not just the progression of a terrible disease, possibly leading to placement in a nursing home, but also the side […]
The meteoric rise of asthma in children and adults since the 1970s has been blamed on smog, fragrances, processed foods, chemicals such as formaldehyde found in furniture and carpets, dust mites, tobacco smoke and more. But many parents aren’t aware of the connection between antibiotics and asthma. A number of studies published over the past […]
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 […]