May 2008 - Posts

• The patient vanishes

  One fundamental difference between alternative and conventional medicine is the way each treats the patient. To the alternative practitioner, every patient is different, and presents a unique array of symptoms; to the conventional doctor, the patient’s Read More... Posted 30 May 2008 15:29 by Bryan Hubbard | 3 Comments Filed under: double-blind placebo study, Ivan Ilych, Tolstoy

• Their industry is cancer

  How much do industry groups and their hired ‘experts’ hide from us the carcinogenic effects of their products and services? We know the way the tobacco industry twisted and turned for years before finally having to admit that cigarettes cause Read More... Posted 23 May 2008 13:05 by Bryan Hubbard | 5 Comments Filed under: cancer, Richard Doll, Devra Davis, mobile phones

• Profits before people

  Those who cling to the belief that medicine is more a science than a commercial enterprise might consider the story of a group of drugs known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and their approval process. ESAs are routinely given to cancer patients Read More... Posted 09 May 2008 10:25 by Bryan Hubbard | 4 Comments Filed under: cancer, EPOs, ESAs, anaemia, transfusion

• The metaphysics of stress

  Somebody dies suddenly from a heart attack. “Ah, well,” says a close friend, “I’m not surprised, really. He was always stressed.” Stress, it seems, is the great killer of our times, and medical researchers are confirming Read More... Posted 02 May 2008 13:24 by Bryan Hubbard | 14 Comments Filed under: heart disease, stress