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High blood levels of a chemical (PFOA) found when Teflon is heated to high temperatures was associated with a 40% increased risk for developing osteoarthritis. A second chemical also found in the contaminated water, PFOS, was associated with a 25% lower risk of osteoarthritis! It is hard to know when a chemical contamination will cause a health issue. PFOA has...

According to a January 2012 article published in Diabetes Care, people infected with H. pylori are more than twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those without the infection. Clearly, this is an association, not a cause because although 97% of those testing positive for the microbe and developing type 2 diabetes, 91% who did not develop type 2 diabetes....

  Treatment to increase HDL cholesterol has been viewed as useful, but new data published in the journal Lancet in May of 2012, suggests that there's no value in doing so to prevent heart attacks. It could be that HDL is a marker for increased risk for heart attack, much like the PSA is a marker for prostate cancer. This does not mean that statin...

The best way to assess your blood pressure is to take multiple home readings. This is more accurate than taking blood pressures in the doctor's office because of the "white coat syndrome." Many people are treated for high blood pressure and don't have it a all! Overtreatment leads to complications from medications as well as hypotension (low...

  Even a few NSAIDs may be unsafe if you have heart disease. Shockingly data on 83,000 patients shows that even a week of treatment led to another heart attack or dying 45% more often if they had a prior heart attack. The percentage rose to 60% if treatment was for 30 days. There is no safe window for NSAIDs in people with a prior heart attack. There...

NSAIDs have now been linked to an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation and flutter. The association was strongest for new users. The risk is increased by 40% for COX-1 inhibitors and 70% for COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex. This translates to 1 in 250 taking COX-1 drugs and 1 in 140 taking Celebrex. The risk is highest for the elderly, those with rheumatoid...

Adults using hypnotics (sleeping pills) to help with sleep have an associated 3 fold increased risk for early death and a 35% increase risk for cancer according to a study published in the British Medical Journal in February of 2012. Drugs studied include Restoril, Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata, and some antihistamines such as Benadryl. While this is only an association...