My recent blog on my homepage
discusses that our current health care model is actually a disease-care system.
I highlight some concerns over the health care reform and how the underlying
issue of increased funding to a broken system may not be the answer.
Below are a few recent
headlines in current medical practices that have caused some heated debate
amongst health care providers and integrative practitioners alike. The relevant
sources have been provided, and I encourage you to become more informed by
viewing all sides.
1.
Largest Canadian Mammography Study Shows No Benefit of Screening
Part of the ObamaCare plan is to increase “prevention”
by increasing access to screening to rule out diseases. One screening that has
been a hot topic is mammography. Since November of 2009, the US Preventive
Services Task Force started a controversy when they updated their screening
guidelines. They recommended that annual mammograms weren’t necessary for women
under 50 years old and after 50 years of age mammograms were only advised to be
given every two years. However, many cancer groups refused this recommendation.
Furthermore, in 2011 the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(ACOG) actually advised increasing the amount of screening compared to its
previous recommendations, with annual mammography starting at age 40 years of
age.
Now, a recent 25 year study of approximately 90,000 Canadian
women reported that mammograms have no impact on breast cancer mortality. The
study randomly assigned women aged 40-59 years either five annual mammography
screens or no mammography as a control. The main outcome was death from breast
cancer. The findings were comparative between both groups and the authors
concluded that mammography did not reduce mortality beyond physical exam.
However, they may lead to over diagnosis.
Some experts argue if even one life is saved, it is
worth it. Still, others site the psychological and physical harm that may result
from a diagnosis that is unfounded.
Mercola,
J. Largest, Longest Study on Mammograms Again Finds No Benefit. Mercola.com. February 26, 2014
Miller,
A, Wall, C, Baines, C, Sun, P, To, T, Narod, S. Twenty five year follow-up for
breast cancer incidence and mortality of the Canadian National Breast Screening
Study: randomised screening trial. BMJ 2014; 348-246; doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g366 (Published 11 February 2014)
FDA
Says Yes to Bt Toxin
You are what you eat, right? What if what you eat may
be harmful?
Recently, The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved
an exemption that would allow for pesticide residues to exist at any level for soy.
Similar exemptions for corn, cotton, and other foods have already been
approved.
What
Are 5 Reasons Why GMO “Science” May Not Be a Good Thing?
According to the Organic Consumer’s Association (OCA):
1. Roundup pesticide was linked
to fatal, chronic kidney disease. Article in Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, February 2014
2. Roundup
persists in soil and water, leading to additive levels. U.S.
Geological Survey report
in Environmental Toxicology and
Chemistry, February 2014
3. GMO
crops have led to an increase in use of pesticides and herbicides, creating possible
negative synergetic effects. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
report,
February 2014.
4. Pesticides have various health risks. Article in BioMed Research International,
February 2014.
5.
Small-Scale, organic farming may be a solution to feed the world. U.N. Commission on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD), Wake Up Before It Is Too Late, December
2013
Sources:
Mercola,
J. EPA Approves Exemption for Bt Residues in Soy Foods for GM Crops. Mercola.com.
February 26, 2014.
Paul,
K. & Cummins, R. Five New Reasons Monsanto’s ‘Science’ Doesn’t Add Up.
Organic Consumers Association. February 27, 2014.
Increased
Vaccines Did Not Appear to Significantly Lower Disease Risk in One Study
Recently, there was a longitudinal study from 2001-2008
to assess how nonmedical exemption (NME)
laws and annual uptake of vaccines required for school or daycare entry affect pertussis,
measles, mumps, Haemophilus influenzae type B, and hepatitis B rates.
The abstract reported results as follows:
NME law restrictiveness and vaccine uptake
were not associated with disease incidence rate for hepatitis B, Haemophilus
influenzae type B, measles, or mumps. Pertussis incidence rate, however, was
negatively associated with NME law restrictiveness (b = −0.20;
P = .03) and diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus
vaccine uptake (b = −0.01; P = .05).
Yang
YT and Debold V. A Longitudinal Analysis
of the Effect of Nonmedical Exemption Law and Vaccine Uptake on
Vaccine-Targeted Disease Rates. American Journal of Public Health February
2014;104(2): 371-377.
MS
Risk and Birth Control Use
In a new case-control study, women with multiple
sclerosis (MS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) were 35% more likely to
have used oral contraceptives in the 3 years before their diagnosis than women
who did not have MS or CIS
Hughs,
S. MS Linked With Use of Oral Contraceptives. Medscape.com. March 6, 2014.
Acetaminophen
Use in Moms Linked to Risk for ADHD Symptoms in Children, Study
A study in the Journal of American Medical Association
Pediatrics associated maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy to a
higher risk for Hyperkinetic Disorders (HKDs) and ADHD-like behaviors in children.
Liew, Z, Ritz, B, Rebordosa, Lee, P-C, & Olsen,
J. Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy, Behavioral Problems, and Hyperkinetic
Disorders ONLINE FIRST (abstract).JAMA
Pediatrics. Published online February 24, 2014.
doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4914
