Cancer
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 …
Valisure Found Benzene in Acne Products
Valisure is an independent testing laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut. Over the last several years it has been a thorn in the FDA's side. That's because this lab has discovered carcinogens in a wide…
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…
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…
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…
Will Eating Junk Food Put You at Risk for Cancer…
People who consume a lot of ultra-processed food (aka junk food) are at higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Now, researchers in the UK have add…
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…
Do Forever Chemicals Raise the Risk for Thyroid …
You have no doubt heard about “forever chemicals,” per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds. Scientists shorten this chemical terminology to the acronym PFAS. Manufacturers use PFAS in nonstick pots and…
Is Aspirin a Miracle or a Menace?
Here’s a quick drug quiz: How many medicines do you know that are over 120 years old, are readily available and cost a few pennies a pill? And that’s for the brand, not the generic. As far as we c…
Show 1354: How Hypnosis Can Help Your Health
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…
Shocking Conflicts of Interest in Nonprofit Pati…
Americans are big boosters of patient advocacy organizations (PAOs). They contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to nonprofits like the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and …
Show 1351: Are You Risking Your Life Trusting Ma…
Have you ever taken a package out of your mailbox on a hot day and noticed that it was warm to the touch? If the pouch contained a tee shirt or a pair of sneakers, you probably didn’t think much mor…
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…
A Pharmacist’s Perspective on the Cancer E…
Dennis Miller, R.Ph. is a retired chain store pharmacist. His book, The Shocking Truth About Pharmacy: A Pharmacist Reveals All the Disturbing Secrets, can be downloaded in its entirety at Amazon for …
Is Drinking Coffee Good or Bad for You?
Over the years, researchers and health care providers have debated how drinking coffee affects health. Portuguese scientists have just published fascinating data on how coffee–and, separately, caffe…
How Do You Weigh the Benefits and Risks of Aspir…
Aspirin has been around for over 100 years. Moreover, it is one of the most versatile drugs in the pharmacy. This tablet relieves pain, lowers fever and reduces inflammation. In addition, it has anti-…
How Can You Manage Opioid-Induced Constipation?
Opioids have gotten a bad name over the last several years because so many users have overdosed and died. But people have been using these drugs, also known as narcotics, for millennia. The ancient As…
Will Statin Drugs Help Fight Cancer?
Many people take statin drugs to control their cholesterol. A few years ago researchers at Johns Hopkins found evidence that statin drugs may also help kill cancer cells (PNAS, Feb. 25, 2020). Now, sc…
Study of Vitamin D Supplements Results in Disapp…
Millions of Americans are low in vitamin D, but taking vitamin D supplements may not do any good. A study of vitamin D supplements published in The New England Journal of Medicine (online, Nov. 10, 20…
Show 1307: Cocoa Compounds and the COSMOS Trial …
This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we explore the power of cocoa compounds to help heart health. Our first guest is Harvard’s Dr. JoAnn Manson, lead investigator of the COSMOS trial.…
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…
How Does Eating Ultra-Processed Food Affect Your…
Americans love ultra-processed food! Things that come in a box or a bag take up tremendous shelf space in our supermarkets and convenience stores. Think: candy, crackers, Doritos, Oreos and Fritos, no…
FDA Stance on Drugs & Cancer Is Confusing
Cancer is one of our scariest diseases. Just ask anyone who has received a diagnosis. Everything stops. That's because it is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., killing over 600,000 people …
Do People Who Skip Meat Have a Lower Chance of C…
Colorectal cancer is common and deadly. It is the third most common malignancy and the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the world. A new study published in BMC Medicine reports that diet ca…
Will Oklahoma Upend Mail-Order Pharmacy?
The FDA has very strict guidelines for temperature fluctuations when it comes to the storage and shipment of medications. Yet the FDA takes zero responsibility for mail-order pharmacy shipments. The c…
Does Regular Vigorous Exercise Cut the Chance of…
Can you run away from cancer? It sounds like a silly question, but new research suggests that regular, vigorous exercise helps protect people from cancer. In addition, metastatic spread is far less co…
Can N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) Help Cancer Patient?
We don't often hear about doctors suggesting dietary supplements, but occasionally a compound sold as a supplement functions like a pharmaceutical as well. N-acetylcysteine, abbreviated NAC, falls int…
Show 1317: Psychedelic Compounds for Healing
This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we speak with scientists studying the potential of psychedelic compounds to help heal mental illness. Recreational use of drugs like LSD during the 1…
How to Keep Cancer from Spreading by Taking Aspi…
Cancer remains our number two killer, just behind heart disease. Far too many people die each year from cancer of the breast, prostate, colon and lung. What can be done to prevent tumors or keep cance…
Drug Price Gouging Is Immoral
Are you angry about the ever-escalating cost of medicine? Here are some examples you may not be aware of. Humira (adalimumab) is highly advertised on TV. It is used to treat Crohn’s disease, ulcerat…
Is It Really Risky to Eat Red Meat?
For years, scientists have been trying to figure out if people who eat red meat are more likely to die prematurely of heart disease. In 2019, a series of research papers published in the Annals of Int…
Opioid Crackdown Leaves Cancer Patients In Pain!
Far too many people are dying from opioid overdoses. You already knew that. It’s been in the news for years. Many of the deaths are due to fentanyl. This synthetic opioid has become widely available…