Weight loss and Weight Chat Blog

Not long ago, I recommended you avoid CT angiography as a screening test for heart disease unless you were absolutely convinced that it was necessary and not just being ordered either because it’s a new, extremely cool, technology, or because your doctor has an equity position in the machine (meaning he or she or the practice profits every time the test is run because they own or lease the equipment). I noted that as a screening test for people without symptoms of heart disease, CT angiography has yet to be proven effective. Moreover, even though the test is quite short, there is significant radiation exposure from the X-rays used to obtain the high-tech images (orders of magnitude greater than that used in a simple chest X-ray).But let’s say that you actually have symptoms of coronary artery disease. Is CT angiography an appropriate diagnostic test for you? […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

Last time, I wrote about Ginkgo biloba being ineffective for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, which may have led you to wonder what actually can prevent it? In your Internet search, you might have been drawn in by the headline at CNN: “Five ways to keep Alzheimer’s away.” Unfortunately, that article, as with many similar ones that abound on the Internet, is long on hype and short on hard evidence. The article is so misleading, in fact, that before I tell you what’s really known about preventing Alzheimer’s I’d like to briefly puncture that particular hot air balloon.The CNN list of five ways to prevent Alzheimer’s begins with antioxidants, and in particular, vitamins A, C and E. They quote a psychiatrist who claims that “There are studies that suggest antioxidants might prevent dementia.” Yes, but those studies are seriously flawed and by no means definitive. […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

Recently, I noticed a flyer in my local newspaper advertising an upcoming stroke prevention screening and since the flyer was so misleading and from a national company that screens all over the U.S., I thought I’d give you some facts to consider in case one of these screenings comes to your town and you wonder whether it’s worthwhile.
The company involved is called Life Line Screening and their flyer claims “We Can Help You Avoid a Stroke.” They offer a package of four tests for $139 in which they look at your carotid arteries and your abdominal aorta using ultrasound technology, your heart rhythm using ECG technology, and the blood flow in the arteries of your legs using blood pressure technology (but actually, only the carotid exam and the heart rhythm have anything to do with stroke prevention). The entire process only takes an hour and is perfectly safe, […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

On Friday July 25, 2008, California became the first U.S. state to ban trans fats (from restaurants beginning in 2010 and from baked goods in 2011). Similar bills are pending in more than 12 other states and are already on the books in several cities including Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. But while banning trans fats is a good idea, it is only a partial fix as it is likely that they will be replaced by other hidden fats, which, while they may be less bad than trans fats, are nonetheless bad. In order to help you understand this complex but important issue, I am reprinting my April 3, 2008 piece on this subject:
Most people know that foods containing trans fats are bad, which is good. But not everyone realizes that foods containing no trans fats are not necessarily good, which is bad. You can hardly […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

If you see advertisements for or your doctor recommends you undergo CT angiography because it’s a relatively quick, painless way to get detailed images of your heart and its blood supply, and could uncover hidden abnormalities even though you have no symptoms of heart disease, consider asking the following questions:

Do you, or does your practice, own or lease the CT scanning machine?
How much money do you or your practice stand to gain from this test?
If I went to another cardiologist, who doesn’t own or lease a CT scanning machine do you think they would also recommend the test?

Turns out that there’s a significant controversy surrounding the increasing use of CT angiography. Not surprisingly, most of its proponents own or lease the equipment while its detractors either don’t or work […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

If you see advertisements for or your doctor recommends you undergo CT angiography because it’s a relatively quick, painless way to get detailed images of your heart and its blood supply, and could uncover hidden abnormalities even though you have no symptoms of heart disease, consider asking the following questions:

Do you, or does your practice, own or lease the CT scanning machine?
How much money do you or your practice stand to gain from this test?
If I went to another cardiologist, who doesn’t own or lease a CT scanning machine do you think they would also recommend the test?

Turns out that there’s a significant controversy surrounding the increasing use of CT angiography. Not surprisingly, most of its proponents own or lease the equipment while its detractors either don’t or work […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

The Master Cleanse program is a liquid (lemonade) fast some of whose proponents tout its benefits as a diet while others recommend it as a detoxification regimen. In either case, its adherents are both misinformed and misguided. As with all quick-fix crash diets, Master Cleanse works initially (because of extremely reduced caloric intake and excessive bowel movements), but as soon as the fast ends, and regular eating resumes, the lost weight is quickly regained. As a detoxification regimen, Master Cleanse is both unnecessary and ineffective. Your colon is not a septic tank, building up toxic contents, that needs periodic cleaning. Rather, it is an elegantly evolved perpetually self-cleaning system that empties on a regular, or as-needed, basis.
In this regard, consider the wisdom of Dr. Douglas Pleskow, a Boston gastroenterologist, quoted in an article entitled “Time to cleanse? Think again,” in the Boston Globe, May 12, […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

That’s right, even water can be a scam these days. That’s because of relentless marketing, widespread misinformation and an ingrained mythology surrounding what ought to be a pretty simple fact of modern life: If you’re thirsty, have a glass of tap water. That would stand in contradistinction to a claim such as, “You need to drink at least eight eight ounce glasses of water a day (the 8×8 rule), preferably bottled, regardless of whether you’re thirsty and regardless of whether you live in a hot climate or engage in strenuous physical activity.” In fact, the 8×8 rule is so thoroughly entrenched in our common psyche that even most healthcare practitioners and nutritionists will spout it without a moment’s hesitation.
Unfortunately, however, the 8×8 rule is a complete myth, and there never has been any scientific research done that would lead us to such a conclusion. It is […]

Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com

Readers of my scambuster reports will want to listen in to our upcoming interview with Dr. Stephen Barrett, founder of the critically important Web site Quackwatch.com. On April 30, 2008, our show Health Now with Judy Foreman will be talking with this pioneering and tireless exposer of health quackery, frauds and scams. You can register for this free program at Health Now.
Health Now with Judy Foreman is our weekly live Internet webcast (formerly called HealthTalk Live) in which we explore a wide range of issues and concerns that affect anyone touched by a chronic illness. Health Now features expert guests and listener phone and e-mail questions, and the discussion is always informative and free-ranging. Listen every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Pacific, and check out the program archives. Judy Foreman is an award-winning health writer and author of the syndicated column Health Sense.
Dr. Stephen Barrett […]

Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com

Detoxykall. To some, a new chance at weight loss. To me, just another in a literally endless stream of weight-loss scams. That such a product exists at all, and that it is generating interest among thousands of people, speaks to two unfortunate truths:
• There is tremendous suffering and desperation surrounding weight, weight-loss, eating and body image issues; and
• There are legions of unscrupulous predators eager to exploit that pain for their commercial gain.
Of course, there’s nothing especially bad or unique about Detoxykall. I could have picked any of hundreds of similarly bogus weight-loss wonders, this one just happened across my desk at the right time and just happened to catch my attention because of the large amount of Internet-interest it seems to be generating.
What is Detoxykall? According to the product’s Web site:
DETOXYKALL is a liquid concentration which contains the […]

Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com