Current Posts – 3 Sep 2015

There’s no effective treatment for Alzheimer’s so you might think the experts would be eager to test anything that looked even slightly promising. But that’s not the way it works for non-drug treatments that might help. The default response to them is to run trials that are set up to fail. Sounds unlikely? Read about what’s been happening with high dose B vitamins  found to cut brain shrinkage by 90%.

After twenty five years we still don’t know how safe statins are and it is quite possible that lowering cholesterol is not good for your health. Twenty years in which drug company marketing departments have used all their dark arts to make these drugs the most widely prescribed ever. And now a new type of cholesterol lowering drug that is even stronger is on its way. Are we mad?

Evidence based medicine (EBM), which is supposed to be a guarantee of safe and effective treatments, is proving more of a hindrance than a help to our health. A pioneering GP talks about his disenchantment with the follies of EBM and describes how encouraging life-style changes has made a huge difference to the health of his patients.  EBM is too lax when dealing with dodgy drugs and ham fisted at assessing life-style changes. Read more…