Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia have long been associated with mostly female patients, but research presented at the recent American Psychological Association (APA) convention suggests a certain well-defined, largely male population also might be at risk. Some men who engage in bodybuilding take legal, over-the-counter dietary supplements to such an extreme degree that….
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Study Shows Big Pharma Is Lax About Reporting Adverse Drug Events
If someone takes a drug and experiences a side effect noted on its label, it’s time to discuss it with the prescribing doctor. But any side effect not noted on the label, and any serious adverse drug event, such as one requiring hospital admission, according to regulations, must be reported by the drug’s manufacturer to….
Continue ReadingFDA Expresses E-Cigarette Concerns for Kids
The popularity of electronic cigarettes has grown a lot faster than the body of science about their potential health effects. But the toxicity of nicotine is well known, and the FDA is raising concern about how e-cigarette nicotine could affect children. The agency has put the e-cig industry on notice that it plans to require….
Continue ReadingFeds Go After Websites Selling Suspect Medicine and Devices
Partnering with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, the FDA last month put the screws to more than 1,000 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous drugs and medical devices directly to consumers. Operation Pangea VIII, as described in a news release, was a global cooperative effort led by INTERPOL in which 115 countries participated. For….
Continue ReadingSmoking-Related Cancers Aren’t Limited to the Lungs
According to JAMA Internal Medicine, half of the 346,000 people 35 and older who died from cancer in 2011 had a history of smoking cigarettes. But what’s truly remarkable about the new research is that this is the first study to identify deaths from 11 kinds of cancer besides lung cancer that were associated with….
Continue ReadingTread Carefully on Treadmills
A couple of weeks ago, renowned Silicon Valley executive Dave Goldberg died of severe head trauma and blood loss after a gym accident involving a treadmill. His untimely death at 47 raised the profile of a device whose risks had previously gone mostly unnoticed. Treadmill accidents, according to the Boston Globe, injure thousands of people….
Continue Reading‘Performance’ Supplement BMPEA Linked to Strokes
In April, the FDA sent warning letters to five nutritional supplement companies demanding that they stop selling products containing BMPEA, an amphetaminelike stimulant. This month, a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that this dangerous compound might cause a stroke. We blogged last month about BMPEA-containing supplements promoted for weight-loss and sports performance,….
Continue ReadingThe Potentially Lethal Risk of a ‘Gentle’ Powder
Talcum powder is a common grooming product for women and it’s often used in baby care as well. But disturbing reports of its possible association with ovarian cancer went largely unnoticed for years. The investigative news site FairWarning.org recently explained how such a seemingly benign personal product threatened so many people. Eight years ago, Deane….
Continue ReadingFDA Takes Another Look at Regulating Homeopathic Meds
Homeopathic medicine is an alternative to traditional medical care, and although it involves taking pills, they are not pharmaceuticals and are not, therefore, regulated by the FDA. But last week, that agency held hearings to revisit whether homeopathics should undergo analysis before they are marketed as safe and effective. As explained on NPR, in 1988,….
Continue ReadingAsk Before You Mix Meds and Supplements
A lot of people believe that dietary supplements they buy over the counter are merely nutritional insurance, but many of these can have unexpected side effects when taken with other medicine. Guidelines recently issued by the FDA warn consumers about the risks of mixing popular dietary supplements with medications. As explained on AboutLawsuits.com, people risk….
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