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- August 1, 2011
- 08:18 AM
- 662 views
Salt: More confirmation bias for your preferred narrative
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
Judging by the recent press reports, the latest Cochrane review reveals that everything we’ve been told about eating salt, and cardiovascular disease, is wrong: The New York Times: Nostrums: Cutting Salt Has Little Effect on Heart Risk The Daily Mail: Cutting back on salt ‘does not make you healthier’ (despite nanny state warnings) Scientific American: [...]... Read more »
Taylor RS, Ashton KE, Moxham T, Hooper L, & Ebrahim S. (2011) Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (cochrane review). American journal of hypertension, 24(8), 843-53. PMID: 21731062
- July 21, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 644 views
Salt: More confirmation bias for your preferred narrative
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
Judging by the recent press reports, the latest Cochrane review reveals that everything we’ve been told about eating salt, and cardiovascular disease, is wrong: The New York Times: Nostrums: Cutting Salt Has Little Effect on Heart Risk The Daily Mail: Cutting back on salt ‘does not make you healthier’ (despite nanny state warnings) Scientific American: [...]... Read more »
Taylor RS, Ashton KE, Moxham T, Hooper L, & Ebrahim S. (2011) Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online). PMID: 21735439
- July 10, 2011
- 05:38 PM
- 716 views
Vaccine Confidence: Attitudes and Actions
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
Few groups are more hazardous to public health than the anti-vaccine movement — because there’s a body count affiliated with their actions. When vaccination rates drop, communicable diseases re-emerge, and people suffer. While anti-vaccine sentiment will probably persist as long as vaccines are around, we’re fortunate that vaccination rates, on balance, remain very high. In [...]... Read more »
Kennedy A, Lavail K, Nowak G, Basket M, & Landry S. (2011) Confidence about vaccines in the United States: understanding parents' perceptions. Health affairs (Project Hope), 30(6), 1151-9. PMID: 21653969
- July 7, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 633 views
Vaccine Confidence: Attitudes and Actions
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
Few groups are more hazardous to public health than the anti-vaccine movement – because there’s a body count affiliated with their actions. When vaccination rates drop, communicable diseases re-emerge, and people suffer. While anti-vaccine sentiment will probably persist as long as vaccines are around, we’re fortunate that vaccination rates, on balance, remain very high. In [...]... Read more »
Kennedy A, Lavail K, Nowak G, Basket M, & Landry S. (2011) Confidence about vaccines in the United States: understanding parents' perceptions. Health affairs (Project Hope), 30(6), 1151-9. PMID: 21653969
- June 23, 2011
- 08:13 PM
- 703 views
Making sense of biomarker research
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
Everything you know may be wrong. Well, not really, but reading the research of John Ioannidis does make you wonder. His work, concentrated on research about research, is popular among those that want to improve the way we deliver medicine. And that’s because he’s focused on improving the way evidence is brought to bear on [...]... Read more »
Ioannidis JP, & Panagiotou OA. (2011) Comparison of effect sizes associated with biomarkers reported in highly cited individual articles and in subsequent meta-analyses. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association, 305(21), 2200-10. PMID: 21632484
- June 23, 2011
- 07:30 AM
- 852 views
Et tu, Biomarkers?
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
Everything you know may be wrong. Well, not really, but reading the research of John Ioannidis does make you wonder. His work, concentrated on research about research, is a popular topic here at SBM. And that’s because he’s focused on improving the way evidence is brought to bear on decision-making. His most famous papers get [...]... Read more »
Ioannidis JP, & Panagiotou OA. (2011) Comparison of effect sizes associated with biomarkers reported in highly cited individual articles and in subsequent meta-analyses. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association, 305(21), 2200-10. PMID: 21632484
- June 9, 2011
- 06:49 PM
- 389 views
Placebos as Medicine: The Ethics of Homeopathy
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
Is it ever ethical to provide a placebo treatment? What about when that placebo is homeopathy? Last month at Science-Based Medicine I blogged about the frequency of placebo prescribing by physicians. I admitted my personal discomfort, stating I’d refuse to dispense any prescription that would require me to deceive the patient. The discussion continued in [...]... Read more »
Smith K. (2011) AGAINST HOMEOPATHY - A UTILITARIAN PERSPECTIVE. Bioethics. PMID: 21320146
- May 14, 2011
- 02:20 PM
- 701 views
Counting the Placebo Prescriptions
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
How frequently are placebos prescribed and dispensed? I blogged earlier this week about Tom Blackwell’s recent article in the National Post on the prevalence of placebo prescriptions. The authors of the paper Blackwell summarized suggest that one in five physicians actively use placebos. Even if they’re being used sporadically, that’s a lot more use than [...]... Read more »
Fässler, M., Meissner, K., Schneider, A., & Linde, K. (2010) Frequency and circumstances of placebo use in clinical practice - a systematic review of empirical studies. BMC Medicine, 8(1), 15. DOI: 10.1186/1741-7015-8-15
Kermen R, Hickner J, Brody H, & Hasham I. (2010) Family physicians believe the placebo effect is therapeutic but often use real drugs as placebos. Family medicine, 42(9), 636-42. PMID: 20927672
Raz A, Campbell N, Guindi D, Holcroft C, Déry C, & Cukier O. (2011) Placebos in clinical practice: comparing attitudes, beliefs, and patterns of use between academic psychiatrists and nonpsychiatrists. Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 56(4), 198-208. PMID: 21507276
- May 12, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 700 views
Placebo Prescriptions
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
Whether it’s acupuncture, homeopathy or the latest supplement, placebo effects can be difficult to distinguish from real effects. Today’s post sets aside the challenge of identifying placebo effects and look at how placebos are used in routine medical practice. I’ve been a pharmacist for almost 20 years, and have never seen a placebo in practice, [...]... Read more »
Fässler, M., Meissner, K., Schneider, A., & Linde, K. (2010) Frequency and circumstances of placebo use in clinical practice - a systematic review of empirical studies. BMC Medicine, 8(1), 15. DOI: 10.1186/1741-7015-8-15
Kermen R, Hickner J, Brody H, & Hasham I. (2010) Family physicians believe the placebo effect is therapeutic but often use real drugs as placebos. Family medicine, 42(9), 636-42. PMID: 20927672
- April 28, 2011
- 10:00 PM
- 746 views
Do Calcium Supplements Cause Heart Attacks?
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
Calcium is good for us, right? Milk products are great sources of calcium, and we’re told to emphasize milk products in our diets. Don’t (or can’t) eat enough dairy? Calcium supplements are very popular, especially among women seeking to minimize their risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis prevention and treatment guidelines recommend calcium and vitamin D as [...]... Read more »
Bolland MJ, Avenell A, Baron JA, Grey A, MacLennan GS, Gamble GD, & Reid IR. (2010) Effect of calcium supplements on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events: meta-analysis. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). PMID: 20671013
Bolland, M., Grey, A., Avenell, A., Gamble, G., & Reid, I. (2011) Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D and risk of cardiovascular events: reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative limited access dataset and meta-analysis. BMJ, 342(apr19 1). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d2040
- April 28, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 890 views
Do calcium supplements cause heart attacks?
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
Calcium is good for us, right? Milk products are great sources of calcium, and we’re told to emphasize milk products in our diets. Don’t (or can’t) eat enough dairy? Calcium supplements are very popular, especially among women seeking to minimize their risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis prevention and treatment guidelines recommend calcium and vitamin D as [...]... Read more »
Bolland MJ, Avenell A, Baron JA, Grey A, MacLennan GS, Gamble GD, & Reid IR. (2010) Effect of calcium supplements on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events: meta-analysis. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). PMID: 20671013
Bolland, M., Grey, A., Avenell, A., Gamble, G., & Reid, I. (2011) Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D and risk of cardiovascular events: reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative limited access dataset and meta-analysis. BMJ, 342(apr19 1). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d2040
- March 3, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 773 views
Topical NSAIDs
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
I have a mental basket of drugs that I suspect may be placebos. In that basket were the topical versions of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). When the first products were commercially marketed over a decade ago, I found the clinical evidence unconvincing, and I suspected that the modestly positive effects were probably due to simply [...]... Read more »
Haroutiunian, S., Drennan, D., & Lipman, A. (2010) Topical NSAID Therapy for Musculoskeletal Pain. Pain Medicine, 11(4), 535-549. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2010.00809.x
Trelle S, Reichenbach S, Wandel S, Hildebrand P, Tschannen B, Villiger PM, Egger M, & Jüni P. (2011) Cardiovascular safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: network meta-analysis. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). PMID: 21224324
- March 3, 2011
- 07:30 AM
- 939 views
Topical NSAIDs
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
I have a mental basket of drugs that I suspect may be placebos. In that basket were the topical versions of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). When the first products were commercially marketed over a decade ago, I found the clinical evidence unconvincing, and I suspected that the modestly positive effects were probably due to simply [...]... Read more »
Massey T, Derry S, Moore RA, & McQuay HJ. (2010) Topical NSAIDs for acute pain in adults. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online). PMID: 20556778
Trelle, S., Reichenbach, S., Wandel, S., Hildebrand, P., Tschannen, B., Villiger, P., Egger, M., & Juni, P. (2011) Cardiovascular safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: network meta-analysis. BMJ, 342(jan11 1). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.c7086
Haroutiunian, S., Drennan, D., & Lipman, A. (2010) Topical NSAID Therapy for Musculoskeletal Pain. Pain Medicine, 11(4), 535-549. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2010.00809.x
- February 17, 2011
- 09:00 AM
- 845 views
Are you sure you’re allergic to penicillin?
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
As a pharmacist, when I dispense medication, it’s my responsibility to ensure that the medication is safe and appropriate for the patient. There are numerous checks we go through including verifying the dose, ensuring there are no interactions with other drugs, and verifying the patient has no history of allergy to the product prescribed. Asking [...]... Read more »
Caubet JC, Kaiser L, Lemaître B, Fellay B, Gervaix A, & Eigenmann PA. (2011) The role of penicillin in benign skin rashes in childhood: a prospective study based on drug rechallenge. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 127(1), 218-22. PMID: 21035175
- February 17, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 1,198 views
Are you sure you’re allergic to penicillin?
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
As a pharmacist, when I dispense medication, it’s my responsibility to ensure that the medication is safe and appropriate for the patient. There are numerous checks we go through including verifying the dose, ensuring there are no interactions with other drugs, and verifying the patient has no history of allergy to the product prescribed. Asking [...]... Read more »
Caubet JC, Kaiser L, Lemaître B, Fellay B, Gervaix A, & Eigenmann PA. (2011) The role of penicillin in benign skin rashes in childhood: a prospective study based on drug rechallenge. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 127(1), 218-22. PMID: 21035175
- January 31, 2011
- 11:59 PM
- 529 views
Celebrating Two Years of SBP
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
Science-Based Pharmacy hits its second birthday today. Two years ago it started with this post on homeopathy, which I recognized as the most ludicrous “health” product I’d ever seen sold in a pharmacy, and one I felt seriously compromised the credibility of the pharmacy profession. That assessment still stands. After two years, homeopathy remains as [...]... Read more »
Clauson KA, Ekins J, & Goncz CE. (2010) Use of blogs by pharmacists. American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 67(23), 2043-8. PMID: 21098377
- January 20, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 524 views
The risks of CAM: How much do we know?
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
Working in pharmacies where supplements are sold alongside traditional (over-the-counter) medications, I’m regularly astonished at the different perceptions consumers can have about the relative efficacy and safety of different types of products. Once, speaking with a customer about a medical condition she wanted to treat, I indicated that there were no effective non-prescription therapies — [...]... Read more »
Lim A, Cranswick N, & South M. (2010) Adverse events associated with the use of complementary and alternative medicine in children. Archives of disease in childhood. PMID: 21178176
Walji, R., Boon, H., Barnes, J., Austin, Z., Welsh, S., & Baker, G. (2010) Consumers of natural health products: natural-born pharmacovigilantes?. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10(1), 8. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-10-8
- January 20, 2011
- 07:45 AM
- 747 views
The risks of CAM: How much do we know?
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
Working in pharmacies where supplements are sold alongside traditional (over-the-counter) medications, I’m regularly astonished at the different perceptions consumers can have about the relative efficacy and safety of different types of products. Once, speaking with a customer about a medical condition she wanted to treat, I indicated that there were no effective non-prescription therapies — [...]... Read more »
Lim A, Cranswick N, & South M. (2010) Adverse events associated with the use of complementary and alternative medicine in children. Archives of disease in childhood. PMID: 21178176
Walji, R., Boon, H., Barnes, J., Austin, Z., Welsh, S., & Baker, G. (2010) Consumers of natural health products: natural-born pharmacovigilantes?. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10(1), 8. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-10-8
- January 6, 2011
- 08:00 AM
- 556 views
Energy Drinks
by Scott in Science-Based Pharmacy
My stimulant of choice is coffee. I started drinking it in first-year university, and never looked back. A tiny four-cup coffee maker became my reliable companion right through graduate school. But since I stopped needing to drink a pot at a time, an entirely new category of products has appeared — the energy drink. Targeting [...]... Read more »
Heckman, M., Sherry, K., & De Mejia, E. (2010) Energy Drinks: An Assessment of Their Market Size, Consumer Demographics, Ingredient Profile, Functionality, and Regulations in the United States. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 9(3), 303-317. DOI: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2010.00111.x
Clauson, K., Shields, K., McQueen, C., & Persad, N. (2008) Safety issues associated with commercially available energy drinks. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 48(3). DOI: 10.1331/JAPhA.2008.07055
- January 6, 2011
- 06:00 AM
- 1,078 views
Energy Drinks
by Scott Gavura in Science-Based Medicine
My stimulant of choice is coffee. I started drinking it in first-year university, and never looked back. A tiny four-cup coffee maker became my reliable companion right through graduate school. But since I stopped needing to drink a pot at a time, an entirely new category of products has appeared — the energy drink. Targeting [...]... Read more »
Heckman, M., Sherry, K., & De Mejia, E. (2010) Energy Drinks: An Assessment of Their Market Size, Consumer Demographics, Ingredient Profile, Functionality, and Regulations in the United States. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 9(3), 303-317. DOI: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2010.00111.x
Clauson, K., Shields, K., McQueen, C., & Persad, N. (2008) Safety issues associated with commercially available energy drinks. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 48(3). DOI: 10.1331/JAPhA.2008.07055
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