The always outstanding Carlat blog has a nice item this morning about the lengths pharmaceutical companies will go to in order to bury unfavorable results.

I used to enjoy playing "Devil's Advocate" with the drug reps, arguing points with them. I now realize that, as they say, the reps are always the last to know, and they just will say what they have been trained to say. Then they get laid off. It must be a tough job.

Andrew Pollack is probably the single most influential health writer in America. He has the bully pulpit the closest thing to a national platform. His reporting is excellent balanced and thorough. I had the privilege of speaking with him in April 2009 for a tamoxifen article though he did not quote me in the story. So it was somewhat provocative that Mr. Pollack seems not altogether happy about the trend towards maintenance therapy. Higher costs longer treatment.

Patient Advocate Foundation’s 10th Annual Patient Congress June 24-25 2009 Washington DC Join us and EDUCATE yourself on healthcare topics EMPOWER yourself to take control of your own healthcare and encourage yourself to ENACT this education and empowerment to make a difference in the nation's healthcare system.

Where is the thyroid gland and what is it’s function? The thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and sits just below the voice box and in front of the trachea (wind-pipe). It resides under thin muscle layers in the midline central neck just above the sternum and moves with swallowing as it is attached to the trachea. The thyroid gland is a central organ in the body that secretes thyroid hormones and as such regulates our body’s metabolism energy level and various other functions.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical typically used in making plastic stronger. It is also utilized in sealing food cans baby bottles water bottles some food containers CDs and dental sealants and prevents liquid leaking out of bottles. It actually persuades a group of proteins that defend cancer cells from the toxic effects of chemotherapy. BPA falls under the “some concern” categories. BPA has been in the news recently because of its probable health vulnerability.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disorder which affects the brain and spinal cord of generally young persons. Majority of researchers consider it as an "autoimmune disease” in which white blood cells intend to fight infection or disease are mistaken to target and attack the body's own cells. MS affects almost 400 000 people in the United States and quite a few million worldwide. Many useful medications are available for the treatment of MS.

A large meta-analysis of cancer patients who are taking erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) has established that there is a considerable increased risk of death related with these agents. While the outcome is not new but it has led to restriction labeling and black box warnings for these products and it will inculcate apprehension over the use of ESAs in cancer patients say experts. These findings are the outcome of a detailed study carried out on 13 933 cancer patients from 53 clinical trials.

A report undertaken at the Cochrane Library has found that no evidence exists for the alleviation of Eczema by probiotics but that some data points towards a correlation with infections and gut problems. The results of this research coincide with the current and increasing trend of probiotic bacteria being used to treat Eczema. Affecting 5% of people at some juncture in their lives Eczema is a condition characterised by itchy skin and is particularly common in children.