Category: Research (Page 17 of 93)

FDA Approves New Weight Loss Drug

May 11, 2012 / Staff

Weight loss drug lorcaserin was given approval by the FDA and will be marketed under the brand name Lorgress.

The panelists decided that the benefits of the weight loss drug outweigh the risks for severely obese patients.

The panel included specialists in obesity and diabetes, pediatric endocrinologists, cardiologists and toxicologists.
According to Arena Pharmaceuticals, which developed the drug, Lorqess “behaves as an appetite suppressant which helps patients lose weight by essentially causing them to feel less hunger sensations.”

Quality Control, Research, Wellness

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Is Breastfeeding Indecent Or Natural?

May 11, 2012 / Staff

Breast feeding has become a heated and divisive topic lately and, quite frankly, the messages are confusing.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all mothers breastfeed for a full year or longer if the mother is willing and able.

Mothers are getting mixed messages and little support for their parenting decisions.

Dr. Bill Sears, the father of a child-rearing philosophy called attachment parenting and author of the well-known parenting manual, The Baby Book, is credited with redefining motherhood.

It turns out that he and his wife Martha had written a lot of earlier books about attachment parenting before The Baby Book, including one with an evangelical approach. I also came across a book the Searses wrote in 1982 based on another book called The Continuum Concept, which I traced back to a college dropout who had become fascinated by child care in the Venezuelan jungle. “We read the book and thought, Well, this is neat,” says Sears.

Where do you weigh in on the debate?

Nutrition, Research, Resources, Wellness

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Testosterone Replacement Therapy Helps Men Lose Weight

May 10, 2012 / Staff

Male testosterone should never be below normal, according to Dr. Larry Fisch, Urologist and author of, “The Male Biological Clock”.

Those men who have low levels of testosterone may experience fatigue, low sex drive and loss of strength.

Many men with large bellies may have low levels of the male hormone as well as those with diabetes.

Check with your physician to see if you could benefit from testosterone replacement therapy.

Doctors, Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

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One In Six Cancers Caused By Treatable Infections

May 10, 2012 / Staff

A few treatable infections lead to over 2 million cancers a year.

Human papillomavirus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori are the leading infections which can cause cancer as well as HIV.

Merck’s Gardasil vaccine is used to prevent the human papillomavirus ,which is responsible for cervical and some head and neck cancers, is available for both men and women.

The expectation is that eliminating the virus will help to end the cancers.

In terms of deaths, the study authors estimated that 1.5 million of the 7.5 million cancer deaths that occurred worldwide in 2008 – or about one in five – were related to infectious diseases.
How do researchers know if a cancer is caused by an infectious disease? Viruses such as HPV and Hepatitis B and C actually invade a person’s DNA and leave their signature in the genetic sequence. Helicobacter pylori does not, but the bacterium can be found in gastric tumors.

Health Care Policy, Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

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Prescription Dugs Can Cause You To Gain Weight

May 9, 2012 / Staff

Here is a list of at least 13 drugs that can contribute to weight gain, despite your best efforts.

Popular drugs such as Allegra, birth control pills and insulin contribute to weight gain, however, are crucial to the health and well being of many.

“Patients and doctors need to be more aware of this—it’s an under-recognized driver of our obesity problem,” says Lawrence Cheskin, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, in Baltimore.