I don't like to often stray from scientific commentary, but I think I'm ready to articulate the rationale for this site.

I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist here, but we aren't really getting the medical news any more.

Think about it.  Newspapers don't have what you would call a bright long term prognosis.  If the New York Times is hemorrhaging money, you can be sure the rest of the nations papers are bleeding too.

The Sunday paper just isn't as heavy as it used to be.

Yesterday the FDA posted a note expressing concern about the bleeding risk of rivaroxaban a new type of blood thinner expected to eventually supplant coumadin. Millions of Americans take coumadin for stroke prevention and prevention and treatment of blood clots. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200903171127DOWJONES... The problem with coumadin is that it has to be monitored at least monthly. It has a narrow "therapeutic index " which means it can cause bleeding if the level gets too high and repeat blood clots if the level gets too low.

Over 1 million Americans are affected with venous thromboembolism leading to loss of life and illness. Patients with cancer who receive chemotherapy are at an increased risk for developing fatal blood clots. Various earlier studies have also reported that preventive use of the blood-thinning medication can reduce these events.

Dementia is a condition which affects “higher” mental functions like memory attention language and problem solving skills.   It is reported that 1% of adults of 60 years of age are affected with dementia. Ginkgo is extensively used as an herbal medicine for treating dementia in Europe and the United States. It is widely believed though not proven that Ginkgo generally treats circulatory disorders and enhances memory. Just like other medicinal herbs ginkgo leaves are used in the form of a concentrated standardized ginkgo biloba extract (GBE).

Scientists have warned US Congress about the possible risks involved while using mobile phones. They informed Congress that regular use of mobile phones could lead to brain cancer. There has been an on-going debate around the world about the possible impact of magnetic field emitted by cell phones and its effect on human beings.  Particularly children are thought to be at a greater risk though conclusive data remains years away.

Pharmaceutical corporations have sought safe effective weight loss pills for many years and Pfizer had been basking in the glow of a recent European approval of its diet pill Accomplia.  Hundreds of millions of obese people are at risk for heart attacks diabetes and strokes so the market for Accomplia is huge. Since the leptin gene was discovered in the year 1995 researchers have been trying to capitalize on the discovery to create a wonder drug that can treat obesity. Leptin (leptos means thin) is a hormone that regulates body fat.

Lung cancer is the foremost cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and Europe. The most common type of lung cancer NSCLC occurs from the tissues of the lung. Current treatments are being carried to destroy tumor cells or prevent further tumor growth. Approaches to treatment include surgery chemotherapy biological therapies like monoclonal antibodies and radiation. Avastin and Tarceva are two agents which are targeted against specific proteins that are often found in cancer cells. The proteins are involved in the growth and spread of the cancer cells.

Eczema is a noncontiguous inflammation of the skin often caused by an allergy and characterized by dry red itching patches scaling and blistering. Many studies have been conducted on the effect of probiotics in eczema. Some of the most compelling ones reveal the positive effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacter lactis in the treatment of eczema. According to the American Academy of Dermatology eczema may be an abnormal response of the body's immune system to allergens like animal dander and dust mites.

Erbitux applies for license for first line lung cancer--in Europe Results of Phase III trial encouraging

ESC 08-Munich Germany: The SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with TAXus and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) study failed to show that PCI is non inferior to CABG treatment in patients with left main or 3-vessel coronary artery disease. The findings were presented by Dr. Friedrich Mohr of Germany and Dr. Patrick Serruys of the Netherlands at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2008 in Munich.