RedScrubs
The Resource for Medical Professionals

Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin, but a prohormone that has hit the press recently with a vengeance! This study, released recently in the May issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, states that about 13 percent of older individuals have symptoms of depression which may be related to poor vitamin D status.

We’ve heard a lot about vitamin D lately. Now a recent research study released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggests that supplementation might improve the odds of beating breast cancer. The Canadian study flat out stated that women diagnosed with breast cancer are nearly twice as likely to have cancer metastasize and are 73 percent more likely to die from their cancer if they have low levels of vitamin D.

A recent study by Medco showed that 51 percent of American adults and children are taking one or more prescription drugs for a chronic condition, up from 47% in 2001. Predictions were made for a worst case scenario in the upcoming years as the problems of diabetes, heart disease and obesity are on the rise.

Chelation therapy is the process of using chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. It has been widely used in complimentary medicine to treat heart conditions and autism.

Several years and many studies later, a newer more controversial study recently emerged from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that indicates B vitamins might not lower the risk for cardiovascular disease. The study design included 5442 women aged 42 years or older with either a history of CVD or 3 or more coronary risk factors. It was a randomized, double-blind, placebo –controlled trial using either a placebo or a supplement containing folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B6. They were treated for seven years. The women were concurrently receiving a trial of antioxidant therapy.

Studies on the utility of the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in predicting cardiovascular mortality among older adults are not readily available. This study focused on evaluating the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome on participants’ mortality rate between 1989-2004 among 4258 US adults 65 years of age and older who were at the time of enrollment free from cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study was a multicenter, population-based, prospective cohort and was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, May 12, 2008.

Are organic foods more nutritious? The number of studies addressing this question has more than doubled since the year 2000 and the quality of the studies has also improved as has the sensitivity of the analytical methods used to measure the nutrients contained in foods.

Very interesting week in the Medical Blog World. We have some people ranting about different issues including, but not limited to, Brain Scams, posts from an Angry Pharmacist, virtual public health and more. After reading a zillion posts, I picked out a few of my favorites for you to review.

The winner receives the world reknowned Scrubby, free exposure and of course a free set of Red Scrubs provided by the cool people at NW Scrubs.com.

Several nominees and this week’s winner was submitted anonymously, so don’t forget to thank your loyal followers on your site for their submissions.

—Dr. Incognito

“Despite the fact that I jog 2 miles on 4 days every week, I’m just not losing weight,” is a common complaint that I hear from exercising individuals. This conversation quickly turns to a description of specificity and overload, and how these principles determine the achievement of fitness goals.