PC Corner with Dr. Geoffrey Modest: CT and radiation–another view

i realize that i have spent a disproportionate amount of time writing about the risks of CT scan (and xray exposure in general). but there was a really good editorial in the NY times today by a cardiologist and radiologist (see http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/opinion/we-are-giving-ourselves-cancer.html?ref=todayspaper). their points:   –cancer deaths are increasing relatively, as heart disease (the major killer) […]

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Primary care corner with Dr. Geoff Modest: Just say water

the boston globe today had an interesting article on artificial sweeteners (see http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/01/27/are-calorie-sweeteners-safe/B56kqUuKVJwcEfcWx2PmhO/story.html?s_campaign=email_BG_TodaysHeadline). deborah kotz quotes some studies and interviews several people (including walt willett at harvard school of public health, who does lots of nutrition studies). their points:   –more than 12% of children now drink artificially-sweetened beverages (twice the rate of 15 yrs ago) […]

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Primary Care Corner with Dr. Geoffrey Modest: Risk and benefit estimates of mammography screening

i posted this in december, but wanted to update the 3rd item below by H Gilbert Welch (the NY times editorial) by giving the formal article/citation which appeared in Dec 30th issue of JAMA Internal Medicine (see  doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13635) , with a presentation/quantification of the benefits (avoiding advanced breast cancer and cancer deaths) and the harms (false […]

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Primary Care Corner with Dr. Geoffrey Modest: Devices less regulated/proven than Medications

these 2 headlines came across my desk.  related?? turns out that medical devices much less regulated than drugs.  Geoff   Big Changes to Heart Devices OK’d Without New Data    Many of the high-risk implantable cardiac devices in use today were approved through a supplement pathway that does not require new clinical data on the […]

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