2010 December | pilladvised

Google Body Browser Launched

At the beginning, you Googled the web.

Then you Googled the news.

Now you can try a new tool that let’s you Google the human body.

Cholesterol Supplement Quality Alert

Here is a report on red yeast rice from NCCAM:

Red yeast rice is made by fermenting a type of yeast (Monascus purpureus) over rice. In dietary supplement form, red yeast rice is typically used to control cholesterol. According to the 2007 NHIS Survey, cholesterol is one of the top 10 conditions prompting complementary and alternative medicine use among adults.

Licorice Root

Latin Names- Glycyrrhiza glabra, Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Chinese licorice)

Botanical Illustration of Glycyrrhiza glabra from Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885

As an herbal remedy licorice root has a long history in both Eastern and Western traditions. Most licorice is grown in Greece, Turkey, and Asia. Peeled licorice root is available in dried and powdered forms.

Licorice root is also made into capsules, tablets, and liquid extracts. Continue reading »

Antidepressants Side Effects: Common Tricyclic Antidepressants Linked to Heart Disease

A study done in Scotland found that tricyclic antidepressants were associated with a 35% increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers from the University College London followed 14,784 women and men without a known history of CVD and looked at the side effects of these antidepressants, called tricyclic antidepressants.

Antacid Alert: Rolaids Recall

The latest recall on Rolaids is just one more in a long list of recalls for McNeil, a unit of Johnson & Johnson.

The antacid Rolaids has been recalled by the maker because of “some consumer reports of foreign materials in the product, including metal and wood particles”. Continue reading »

Aspirin and Cancer – Study in JAMA Finds Aspirin Impacts Cancer Test

Yesterday we reported on research from Oxford University on daily low dose aspirin and cancer risk.

Today there is more news on aspirin and cancer, from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, on how low dose aspirin may improve the sensitivity of a colon cancer test. Continue reading »