American Death Rate Drops Sharply

The National Center for Health Statistics released the statistics on the number of deaths in 2004. The results document the biggest drop in the American death rate in almost 70 years. The findings are summarized in this AP article.
The center said drops in the death rates for heart disease, cancer and stroke accounted for most of the decline. "We were surprised by the sharpness of the decrea...
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Raloxifene (Evista) as Effective as Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) for Breast Cancer Prevention

The National Cancer Institute Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR) Trial has just concluded. It was one of the largest breast cancer prevention studies ever. It found that raloxifene, which is usually used for osteoporosis, is as effective as tamoxifen in preventing breast cancer in post-menopausal women who are at high risk of breast cancer. Raloxifene also had fewer side effects. This study has generated much press attention and is sure to impact the lives of thousands of women who are cu...
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Blood Filtration More Effective than Diuretics for Hospital Treatment of Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a very common condition in which the heart becomes increasingly ineffective at pumping blood and fluid backs up and leaks into the lungs and other tissues. It is a very frequent cause of hospitalization. Diuretics (medications that remove fluid from the body by increasing the volume of urine produced) have been the mainstay of acute treatment, and in the last few years other medications such as beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, and aldosterone blockers have been sh...
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Coenzyme Q10 — Some Good News about a Supplement

The recent clinical studies about dietary supplements have been largely negative, important reminders that most supplements can't deliver on the expectations that patients have for them. Given this bleak background, I wanted to share with you some good news about Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). The Medical Letter, one of the best unbiased sources of reviews of medical studies, reviewed CoQ10 in last week's issue. Since the article is available on...
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Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements: Still Modestly Beneficial

Last week's New England Journal of Medicine article publishing the results of a large National Institutes of Health (NIH) study on the effects of calcium and vitamin D supplements on risk of bone fracture and the risk of colon cancer has generated much media attention. The results were disappointing to some, but I believe that they help make our expectations of calcium and vitamin D more realistic. You can review...
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A Single Episode of Exercise Can Improve Your Mood

This Washington Post article reviews a recent study in which depressed patients were randomized to either rest quietly for 30 minutes or to walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes at 60 to 70 percent of their maximum heart rate.  The people who exercised reported higher scores of well-being afterwards. This post-exercise sense of accomplishment and vigor is familiar to anyone who does c...
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