[This article is also available in English. Thanks to Pensar for the Spanish translation.] La pandemia del COVID-19 aún no ha terminado. A pesar del éxito de las vacunas, las personas continúan contrayendo la enfermedad. La mayoría de los casos corresponden a personas no vacunadas, pero incluso aquellas que han sido vacunadas por completo pueden
On November 16, 2021 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had authorized marketing of EaseVRx, which they described as “a prescription-use immersive virtual reality (VR) system that uses cognitive behavioral therapy and other behavioral methods to help with pain reduction in patients 18 years of age and older with diagnosed chronic lower
At least half of Americans (maybe as many as 2/3) take dietary supplements. They assume the government will guarantee safety, efficacy, and truthful advertising. They couldn’t be more wrong. The very term dietary supplement is based on a fiction. Dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA but the regulations are very different from the regulations
Joe Namath is promoting Medicare Advantage Plans on TV. Some of what he says is misleading. Here’s the rest of the story. You’ve probably seen those Medicare Advantage commercials on TV featuring Joe Namath. I had been annoyed by them for a long time and assumed there was more to the story than what he was
The AMA urges us to promote health equity by adding progressive political language to what were once simple statements of fact. The American Medical Association has just released Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts. Jesse Singal has been tweeting about it, calling it “a strange document that calls for doctors to insert
Sometimes TV commercials are more entertaining than the programs. My husband and I laugh every time we see the commercials for the UPWalker on TV. According to their website: “Unlike walkers that force you to hunch over putting painful pressure on your wrists and back, the UPWalker is designed to support you in a secure
This book is a handy reference that explains what happens when you visit the Emergency Department and provides tips on how you can handle some problems at home. I was asked to review this new book: Your Inside Guide to the Emergency Department and How to Prevent Having to Go, by Fred Voon, MD, a Canadian
The Blue Zones where people live longer may be a myth. The Blue Zone Diet is based on speculation, not solid science. The so-called Blue Zones are geographical locations where people are said to live longer than elsewhere. These include Sardinia, Okinawa, Loma Linda (California), the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, and Icaria, Greece. They
Some doctors are offering laser therapy for “vaginal rejuvenation”. It is no more effective than placebo, can cause harm, and is very expensive. After menopause, the absence of estrogen may cause a number of symptoms. About half of women develop vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA). The lack of estrogen causes thinning and fragility of the vulvar and
Craig Good’s new book explains that all food is good and urges us to relax and enjoy rather than worrying and feeling guilty. Good advice, indeed! And solidly based on science. Craig Good has written a Good book, published by Very Good Books, with Good advice about eating. The title is Relax and Enjoy Your Food:
