July 17th, 2010 by Harriet Hall, M.D. in Better Health Network, Book Reviews, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Age-Related Deaths, Aging Gene, Alive Forever, Anti-Aging Products, Anti-Aging Research, Anti-Aging Revolution, Antioxidants, Calorie Restriction, Cell Damage, CR, David Stipp, Degenerative Changes, Evidence Based Medicine, Extending The Lifespan, Fountain Of Youth, Free Radicals, General Medicine, Geriatrics, Getting Older, Longevity Clinics, Longevity Research, Miracle Pill, Ponce de Leon, Prolong Life, Rapamycin, Ray Kurzweil, Resveratrol, SBM, Science Based Medicine, Telomerase, The Youth Pill, Why We Die
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Wouldn’t it be great if we could find a way to prolong our lives and to keep us healthy right up to the end? Ponce de León never found that Fountain of Youth, but science is still looking. What are the chances science will succeed? How’s it doing so far?
In his new book The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Aging Revolution, David Stipp tries to answer those questions. From the title of the book, I expected hype about resveratrol or some other miracle pill, but instead it is a nuanced, levelheaded, entertaining, informative account of the history and current state of longevity research. It makes that research come alive by telling stories about the people involved, the failures and setbacks, and the agonizingly slow process of teasing out the truth with a series of experiments that often seem to contradict each other.
Anti-aging can mean several things. Extending the average lifespan is not the same as extending the maximum lifespan. Extending lifespan is not the same as preventing the degenerative changes characteristic of aging. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
July 15th, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Evidence-Based Social Media, Mark Hahnel, Science 2.0, Science Based Medicine, Science Blogs, Science-Based Social Media
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I’ve recently come across Science 2.0, a new community site that doesn’t want to become a Facebook for scientists, but something different. Here’s what Mark Hahnel, the founder, had in mind:
As you know, Science 2.0 is based on real time news and comments, which the users provide. Obviously, places like friend feed do exist and I don’t wish to take anything away from it. The idea of this place though, is a fluid evolving site, where users can suggest, edit or contribute in any way they wish. I’d really like to hear suggestions on what people would like to see, how we can answer the questions that science 2.0 poses collectively. I only started the site last week but the response has been great and the site has evolved quite a lot in a week due to user suggestions. There are several things I am working on in to develop the site, at the forefront of my mind is wikis.
Now it’s added to the extended list of Community Sites for Scientists and Physicians.
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
July 15th, 2010 by JenniferKearneyStrouse in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Brain Plaques, Cognitive Decline, Cognitive Impairment, Dementia, Exercise, Florbetapir, Framingham Heart Study, Geriatrics, Mental Impairment, Moderate To Heavy Exercisers, Neurology, Older Adults, PET scan, Preventive Medicine, Tea Consumption, Vitamin D
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Data presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Honolulu this week indicated that exercise and adequate vitamin D levels could help reduce risk for the disorder. Framingham Heart Study researchers found that risk for dementia was halved in “moderate to heavy exercisers” compared with more sedentary people, while researchers on a separate study found that vitamin D deficiency can greatly increase risk for mental impairment.
Another study found that injecting the compound florbetapir into the brain of patients with dementia and then performing a PET scan could help pinpoint the size and location of plaques.
Researchers also reported that tea consumption was linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline in older adults without cognitive impairment, but there was no dose response and more studies will need to be done to determine a definitive link. (CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Medscape)
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
July 15th, 2010 by David H. Gorski, M.D., Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research, True Stories
Tags: Berwickian, Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services, CMS, Dr. Don Berwick, Evidence Based Medicine, General Medicine, Healthcare Consumers, Healthcare Legislation, Healthcare reform, Information Exchange, Institute For Healthcare Improvement, Patient Empowerment, Patient-Centered Care, Patient-Centered Medicine, Patient-Centeredness, Patients As Consumers, President Obama, Primary Care, Recess Appointment, Science Based Medicine, The Patient Is Always Right, U.S. Healthcare System, Woo
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There’s been a bit of buzz in the health blogs over President Obama’s decision last week to use the mechanism of a recess appointment to be the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Recess appointments, for those who may not be aware, allow a President to put a nominee in place when Congress is in recess in order to have him in place without the messy process of having him approved by the Senate. True, the Senate still has to approve a recess appointment by the end of its term, or the seat goes vacant again, but it’s an excellent way to avoid having nasty confirmation fights during election years. Of course, both parties do it, and the reaction of pundits, bloggers, and politicians tend to fall strictly along partisan lines.
If you support the President, then a recess appointment is a way to get around the obstructionism of the other party. If you don’t support the President, it’s a horrific abuse of Presidential power. And so it goes. Either way, I don’t really care much about the politics of how such officials are appointed so much as who is being appointed.
The man who was appointed last week to head CMS is Donald Berwick, M.D., CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. His being placed in charge of CMS will likely have profound consequences not just for how the recent health care/insurance reform law is implemented, but for how the government applies science-based medicine to the administration of the this massive bill. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
July 14th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Cialis, ED, Erectile Dysfunction, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Internal Medicine, Levitra, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Men's Health, Pharmacology, Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors, Primary Care, Proper Drug Use, Reproductive Health, Sexual Health, Sildenafil, Viagra
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The medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings recently contained some clinical pearls that I wanted to pass on to my men readers who take medication for erectile dysfunction (ED). They reported on a healthy 67-year-old male who took two 25mg doses of Viagra (sildenafil) but still did not get erections. He was frustrated and inquired about other treatments for ED.
The article reported that patients often take Viagra and other phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (Cialis, Levitra) incorrectly. To be effective, Viagra must be taken on an empty stomach at least one hour before intercourse. Research has shown that approximately half of patients who don’t respond to Viagra will have success when they take it properly. The dose can go up to 100mg, but there is no need to increase the medication until the patient learns how to take it.
So there you have it. Take it on an empty stomach at least one hour before sex.
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
