Cancer
How Safe Is the Artificial Sweetener Aspartame?
The artificial sweetener aspartame has been controversial for decades. The FDA approved it as a replacement for sugar in 1974. However, its public board of inquiry revoked the approval in October 1980…
Is Drinking Coffee Good or Bad for You?
Over the years, researchers and health care providers have debated how drinking coffee affects health. Scientists have uncovered some fascinating data on how coffee–specifically, caffeinated coffee…
Duloxetine Recall: FDA Flags Carcinogenic Risk f…
Not Again! We have had it with carcinogenic contamination of pharmaceuticals. This has been happening far too often. The latest scandal involves more than 7,000 bottles of generic duloxetine (Cymbalta…
Carcinogenic Benzene Is Found in Acne and Rosace…
Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was first created in 1858. By the 1920s, doctors were using it as both a local antiseptic and a local anesthetic to treat burn patients and those with skin ulcers. By the 1950s …
Can You Manage Your Blood Sugar Naturally?
Metformin is a first-line medication for people with type 2 diabetes. Although doctors also prescribe it for different disorders, from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) to prostate cancer, the majori…
Is Metformin a Miracle or a Menace?
The diabetes drug metformin has a lot of friends and foes. It never fails to amaze us when people try to either put a medicine on a pedestal or have the FDA ban it. Most drugs have both benefits and r…
Show 1401: Are Miracle Cures Hiding in Plain Sig…
This week, we talk with a physician who was struck with a catastrophic illness as a medical student. He nearly died from it; in fact, a priest administered last rites. But David Fajgenbaum wouldn’t …
Cellphone Brain Cancer Risk Fades but Heart Risk…
Before you read one more word, please recognize that I am not an impartial observer when it comes to radio frequency [RF] and electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation. I recently wrote about microwave we…
What Is the Best Diet for Cancer Survivors?
Does it matter what you eat after you’ve been treated for cancer? Patients with a history of cancer are rarely given advice about diet. That may now change because of an epidemiological study of dat…
FIT | Can You Detect Colon Cancer Without a Colo…
Have you ever had a colonoscopy? It might not be the most pleasant screening test ever devised, but it does save lives. Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer death, and a colonoscopy is a way to d…
Prices Slashed on 10 Blockbuster Drugs For Medic…
Americans pay more than the people in other countries when it comes to prescription drugs. That’s largely because other countries negotiate prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Until now, Ameri…
Should You Be Peeling After Washing Fruit?
The Food and Drug Administration is unequivocal. Washing fruit and vegetables is essential because “…harmful bacteria that may be in the soil or water where produce grows can come in contact with …
Show 1395: Gut Check–How Digestive Health Infl…
This week, we talk with integrative gastroenterologist Robynne Chutkan about why our digestive health is so important. Of course, our digestion provides us with the nutrients that power our bodies, in…
Are There Toxins in Your Drinking Water?
Does your drinking water contain contaminants you don't know about? Too many municipalities do dispense water with dangerous impurities. Even more alarming, the toxins you encounter in your water or a…
Will Eating Junk Food Put You at Risk for Cancer…
A lot of people are anxious about developing cancer. A poll in the UK found that 2/3 of those queried are very worried that they will get a cancer diagnosis. Many were concerned that they would not be…
Show 1390: How Insurance Company Rejections Impa…
If you need surgery, medication or some other medical intervention, you count on your health insurance company to pay the bill. When the treatment is unusual or the expected cost is especially high, i…
Show 1354: How Hypnosis Can Help Your Health (Ar…
Would you be surprised to learn that hypnosis is a powerful tool for healing? If your primary exposure to this practice has been in books and movies, you may have a few misconceptions about how it wor…
Are Younger People Now at Risk for Colon Cancer?
Most of the time, studies on how frequently cancer occurs focus on specific diagnoses, such as lung cancer or colon cancer. Several years ago, scientists detected a disturbing trend in the rates of re…
Could Sunlight Save Your Life?
Ask most people what they fear most and the answer is almost always cancer. That's because cancer rivals heart disease as our number one killer. We now have highly effective treatments for heart disea…
Do Tattoos Increase the Risk for Cancer?
Tattoos have become a popular fashion statement. It is estimated that about 20% of Swedes and 30% of American adults now have tattoos. This body art makes an esthetic statement and often conveys expli…
Show 1387: The Patient-Led Revolution in Health …
For years, the reigning paradigm in health care has been “Doctor knows best.” Providers rarely sought input from patients about their needs or experience. That picture has been changing, though, a…
Eating Ultra-Processed Food Is Bad for Your Brai…
I know you are getting tired of reading about the dangers of eating ultra-processed food. I am really sorry about that, but the research just keeps piling up that these foods are really bad for your h…
Is Your Car Seat More Dangerous Than You Think?
You have doubtless heard the expression “Your home is your castle.” For many, though, it is the car that is a kind of castle. That because people spend a lot of time in their cars. Many have to co…
The Resurrection of Aspirin as an Anticancer and…
Aspirin has been getting mixed reviews lately. There’s good news and bad news. Once upon a time doctors recommended low-dose aspirin for middle-aged and older patients to prevent heart attacks and s…
Will Boosting Your Step Count Save Your Life?
How many steps do you take a day? You may have heard that you should be taking 10,000 steps a day. Initially, that ideal step count was not based on evidence, but rather was a marketing maneuver. Howe…
Why Would the FDA Approve Ineffective Drugs?
I cannot answer that question. It mystifies me why the Food and Drug Administration allows so many worthless medications on the market. Since I cannot understand the FDA’s motivations, perhaps a mor…
Can You Prevent Colorectal Cancer With Aspirin?
For years, doctors have been debating the pros and cons of aspirin. They have long known that this old drug can cause serious gastrointestinal irritation. But epidemiologists have also noted that regu…
Show 1250: Antimicrobial Resistant Infections Co…
Everyone is weary of the coronavirus pandemic and ready to be done with it. So the news that a new pandemic is already slowly unfolding is unwelcome. But unless we pay attention and do what we can to …
Which Toxic Chemicals Are Hiding in Household Pr…
We usually take the most common household products for granted. However, perhaps we should be actively questioning their safety. An analysis of more than 100 consumer products reveals that a surprisin…
Will Drug Shortages Endanger Your Life?
One of the most under-reported health care problems in the US has to do with shortages of essential medications. We have been concerned about this crisis for more than a decade. In the November, 2011 …
What Is the Story on Calcium Supplements?
When medical experts change their minds, the rest of us may become confused. One such flip-flop that has puzzled a lot of people concerns calcium supplements. For years, doctors urged their older pati…
Daily Exercise Boosts Lifespan
Everyone agrees that exercise is beneficial for your health, though not everyone actually participates in daily exercise. Muscle-strengthening exercise, in particular, can reduce the risk of premature…
HPV Vaccine Slashes Cases of Cervical Cancer
Cancer of the cervix, the channel between the vagina and the uterus, has long been a problem for women's health. Physicians strive to detect this cancer early by doing Pap smears as part of a pelvic e…
Should You Be Taking Vitamin Supplements?
Vitamins were among the most exciting discoveries of the early 20th century. Since then, however, doctors have been expressing a lot of skepticism about the value of taking vitamin supplements. Last y…
You Have Likely Been the Victim of Diagnostic Mi…
Some mistakes are worse than others. When Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 had a mid-cabin door plug blow out shortly after takeoff on January 5, 2024, there were a lot of unhappy passengers. The flight wa…
Can Magic Mushrooms Ease Cancer Death Anxiety?
People with life-threatening cancer often feel anxious or depressed. Understandably, many have severe death anxiety. It is not always amenable to standard psychotherapeutic treatment. For some time no…
Orphan Drugs Have Become a Billion Dollar Bonanz…
There was a time when people took care of orphans and widows. Everyone understood that these vulnerable individuals required compassion and assistance. The Bible urges us to look after orphans and wid…
Is Cooked Oatmeal Better for You Than Instant Oa…
Oats have been a dietary staple for many centuries, and they have a reputation as a healthy whole grain. Eating cooked oatmeal on a regular basis (daily or several times a week) can help control chole…
Show 1362: Lowdown on New Medicines for Treating…
This week’s radio show is the second of a two-part series on new medicines for treating obesity. This episode features Dr. Robert Lustig, neuroendocrinologist and anti-obesity crusader. He discusses…
The Miracle of Metformin Against Diabetes, Cance…
One of the cheapest and most effective medicines for controlling blood sugar has been around for decades. In truth, though, herbalists were using goat's rue (French lilac) for hundreds of years before…