Monthly Archives: April 2013

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Linked To Higher Rate of Diabetes and Heart Disease

Posted on April 12, 2013 | Comments Off on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Linked To Higher Rate of Diabetes and Heart Disease

…details are at MedPageToday. Insulin resistance is tied in somehow. PCOS affects five or 10% of women.

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Worried About Carnitine in Meat? Chillax!

Posted on April 12, 2013 | Comments Off on Worried About Carnitine in Meat? Chillax!
Heart attack on a plate? Think again

Heart attack on a plate? Think again

It’s probably not much to worry about, according to an article at MedPageToday. A snippet:

The latest study reviewed 13 controlled trials and found that in patients with an acute myocardial infarction, carnitine was associated with significantly reduced all-cause mortality, ventricular arrhythmias, anginal attacks, and infarct size compared with placebo or controls, according to James J. DiNicolantonio, PharmD, of Ithaca, N.Y., and colleagues.

A report from just a week ago implicated carnitine as a cause of atherosclerosis via TMAO produced by gut bacteria.

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Does Veterinary Chiropractic Work?

Posted on April 12, 2013 | 2 comments

Brennen McKenzie, D.V.M., writes at Science Based Medicine that “…there is virtually no reliable scientific evidence to show any benefit from veterinary chiropractic treatment.”

My daughter has given a little thought to becoming a veterinary chiropractor. I’ll have to share this with her.

Read the rest.

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Don’t Like ObamaCare? Consider This ACA Loophole

Posted on April 11, 2013 | Comments Off on Don’t Like ObamaCare? Consider This ACA Loophole

Some companies are considering self-insuring their workers to avoid onerous provisions of the Affordable Care Act (such as higher premium prices). MedPageToday has some details:

Self-insured firms finance most worker health costs and buy “stop-loss” reinsurance to cover especially high claims. Self-insurance has typically been the realm of large employers. But Kaiser Health News has reported brisk interest by small companies exploring self coverage.Stop-loss coverage that kicks in as low as $10,000 or $20,000 per worker makes self-insurance an option for firms with as few as 20 or 30 on staff, brokers say. Yet advocates of the law worry that more small firms with young, healthy employees will self-insure next year, exploiting what some see as an ACA loophole and leaving small-group insurance pools with sicker members and higher costs.

Read the rest.

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Is Obesity Caused By Lack of Altitude?

Posted on April 11, 2013 | Comments Off on Is Obesity Caused By Lack of Altitude?

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? An article at Obesity Panacea has the details that may convince you.

In case you can’t see that link, here’s the URL: http://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/2013/04/10/obesity-and-altitude/

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Join Us For Dietriffic’s 30-Day Exercise Challenge

Posted on April 11, 2013 | 1 comment
exercise for weight loss and management, dumbbells

If you’re not familiar with weight training, a personal trainer is an great idea

Melanie Thomassian at Dietriffic has issued a social media-based challenge to see if you can form an exercise habit over the course of 30 days starting April 15.

Much of the psychology literature I’ve seen suggests that habit formation takes more like eight to 12 weeks.

You’ve got very little to lose, and much to gain if you’re currently a couch potato. Why not join us?

Details here.

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If You’re Obese, Very Low-Carb Diet Improves Heartburn

Posted on April 10, 2013 | Comments Off on If You’re Obese, Very Low-Carb Diet Improves Heartburn
He probably takes Prilosec daily

He probably takes Prilosec daily

I’ve heard anecdotal reports of this for years.  Here’s scientific evidence, although only eight patients were studied.  Whether those at normal weight or overweight improve similarly is unknown to me.

PS: Frequent episodes of heartburn is a condition called GERD: gastroesophageal reflux disease.

h/t Melissa McEwan

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QOTD: Parker on Homeopathy

Posted on April 9, 2013 | Comments Off on QOTD: Parker on Homeopathy

I love it when ads for medical remedies claim to be “homeopathic.” That way I know straight away they’re no better than placebo.

—Steve Parker, M.D.

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Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Mixed Nuts May Be Critical to Healthy Mediterranean Diet

Posted on April 6, 2013 | Comments Off on Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Mixed Nuts May Be Critical to Healthy Mediterranean Diet

Remember that PREDIMED study published a couple months ago. It showed significant health benefits from a Mediterranean diet supplemented with EVOO and/or nuts. The general press simply focused on the Mediterranean diet angle, which helped with my book sales (thank you!).

Lawrence Appel and Linda Van Horn have an editorial on PREDIMED in New England Journal of Medicine, from which I quote:

Policymakers already recommend consumption of a Mediterranean-style diet on the basis of a persuasive body of evidence from observational studies. Our sense is that the policy implications of the PREDIMED trial relate primarily to the supplemental foods. Specifically, in the context of a Mediterranean-style diet, increased consumption of mixed nuts or substitution of regular olive oil with extra-virgin olive oil has beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease.

Read the rest.

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Roger Ebert on Alcoholics Anonymous

Posted on April 5, 2013 | Comments Off on Roger Ebert on Alcoholics Anonymous

If you think you might have a drinking problem, you gotta read this. Of AA, Ebert wrote,

It was the best thing that ever happened to me.

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