FSM News & Articles
Calls to ban controversial nutritionist from University of Melbourne: Christine Cronau’s support of the keto diet in itself is not problematic – but she has been known to claim that high fat diets ‘starve’ cancer, using pseudoscientific logic. She’s giving seminars on her three bestselling books, and looking to host them at university venues. While Ms Cronau’s website states that she has booked university facilities on a commercial basis and that the university does not endorse the content of her seminar, one wonders if attendees might still conflate the location with university support. It seems to be a strategy to seek out universities for these events – likely to give a veneer of validity.
FSM Friends News & Articles
Fighting Online for SBM: “Physicians simply posted pro-vaccine articles on Facebook, and were faced with a massive online backlash. This backlash was not confined to trolling. If you can’t handle a few nasty comments, you probably should stay away from social media. Not to minimize the impact of trolling – it can overwhelm constructive conversation and poison an online ecosystem. These physicians, however, experienced much more. Some were physically threatened. Their site was swarmed by anti-vaxxers who not only verbally attacked them, but also fraudulently gave their private practice one-star reviews.”
General
Naturopaths are snake-oil salespeople masquerading as health professionals: “Surely, if they truly had faith in their practice, naturopaths would let the results speak for themselves, rather than spending time being hyper-defensive and trying to discredit trained medical professionals.
NY suburb declares measles emergency, bars unvaccinated minors from public places: Rockland County in New York State USA has ordered unvaccinated minors to stay away from public places in a bid to halt a measles outbreak in the area. Rockland County Executive Ed Day explains: “It’s an attention-grabber, there’s no question about it. The goal isn’t to make arrests, but to bring attention to the issue. Of the 153 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, 82 percent had not gotten the measles mumps rubella vaccine, according to county statistics. Most of those infected are minors. I must take this step to protect the infants, infirm, and ill of this County who are unable to be vaccinated against the measles or who are immune compromised. I must make every effort to protect them.”
Revheads warned as woman diagnosed with measles after Grand Prix: “The infectious period of patients with measles is roughly five days before, to four days after, the appearance of the rash. But it can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear following exposure.”
Tooth whitening – don’t gamble with your teeth: Four of the products contained citric acid as the “accelerator”, which will soften and dissolve the enamel. This may lead to a large whitening effect, but over time the enamel will be lost. Once enamel is gone, it cannot be replaced. A serious side effect is yellowing teeth as the underlying dentine, which is naturally yellow, comes to the surface. Over-the-counter whitening products are self-administered and so are open to misuse. The product may not be applied correctly, and it seems almost inevitable that some people will apply more, hoping to increase the whitening effect.
While the EU strictly governs the use of hydrogen peroxide, regulation in other countries is more relaxed. In the US, these products are classified as cosmetic – not medical. It is possible to buy products with either high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (up to 25%) or other unregulated ingredients. There are documented cases of damage occurring to teeth, gums and the mouth from their use, but as they are regulated as cosmetic products, manufacturers don’t have to submit reports of injury or other problems to the US Food and Drug Administration. Thanks to the internet, it’s possible to buy products with higher concentrations from anywhere in the world.
Red yeast rice supplements likely damaged this woman’s liver: In another PSA, supplements are not automatically safe. They can carry the same risks as drugs, but without the safety or effectiveness standards. Taking supplements because you don’t like the idea of drugs is not a good strategy. If you have a specific medical condition, WHATEVER you want to do manage it, talk it over with your doctor.
Today’s Abused Health Concept
The Keto Diet: 7 reasons you shouldn’t do the keto diet long-term:Proponents like to claim that low carb, high fat high protein diets are a sustainable positive long term health change. Such a diet may help with a weight loss regime, but there are both long term risks and reasons a person may want to avoid the Keto diet in the short term too.
These include:
• risk of atrial fibrillation
• risk of reduced exercise capacity
• risk to aggravate gall bladder disease
• possible nutritional imbalance (depending on diet restriction)
• reduced fibre intake
• reduced gut health
• increased LDL cholesterol intake.
Great Moments in Health & Science
History and the future of Robotic Surgery: Robotic surgery has continued to improve as further mechanical and computer advances have been made. Already able to offer a lower complication rate for some specific surgeries, robotic surgery will likely continue to expand in its applications.