If drugs are to be effective and safe to use, it is axiomatic that the regulatory process has the power, resources and competence to be capable of validating all the information which has to assessed before official approval can be granted. Genuine doubts have frequently been expressed which indicate that the regulation of drugs is […]
Now that the Pfizer attempt to take over Astra Zeneca has failed it is relevant to take a detailed look at the drug companies. In particular we need to know what exactly they achieve in terms of improving standards of public health and the costs involved. In fact it is not necessary to dig very
84. Time to put the Drug Companies under the Microscope Read More »
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recently proposed new guidelines for the treatment of healthy people with statins. If the new guidance is confirmed it will mean offering statin treatment for the primary prevention of CVD to people who have a 10% or greater 10-year risk of developing CVD. As a
In a paper just published in BMJ Open, it is reported that the incidence of prediabetes in England increased from 11.6% in 2003 to 35.6% in 2011 (1). Those with prediabetes have an increased risk of developing full blown diabetes. Furthermore vascular complications, nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathies are more common in people with prediabetes than
82. Huge Increase in the Incidence of Prediabetes Read More »
“The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet” is the title of an important new book by Nina Teicholz, which has recently been released in the USA and is now available in the UK (1). The case against the official dietary recommendation to reduce saturated fat (SFA) is already
According to The Daily Telegraph (28 May 2014) two thirds of the population should be sent to state-funded slimming classes run by firms such as Weight Watchers, in the hope that this will enable them to comply with new NHS guidance (1). The official advice from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
80. Can Weight Watchers Really Crack the Obesity Crisis? Read More »
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia which affects almost half a million people in the UK. The term ‘dementia’ describes a set of symptoms which can include loss of memory, mood changes, and problems with communication and reasoning. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, which means that gradually, over time, more parts
79. ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE. IS THERE A ROLE FOR DIET? Read More »
The BMJ has recently announced that it is withdrawing statements which suggest that adverse effects occur as a response to treatment with statins in 18-20% of patients (1). The background is that an article in the BMJ (2) which was published in October 2013 questioned the evidence behind new proposals to extend the routine use
78. Statins…….Is the Edifice Beginning to Crumble? Read More »
In my last blog, I quoted a number of case studies from individuals who had successfully overcome diabetes by making changes to their diet. As a result the blood glucose had been reduced to “normal” levels and in most people, the need for drugs had been eliminated. It was therefore with some surprise that
Diabetes is essentially excessive glucose in the blood. In the normal course of events insulin is produced by the pancreas which prevents the build up of blood glucose. In Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) there is an inherent weakness in the ability to secrete sufficient insulin and in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) the amount of glucose