High Cholesterol and Complementary Health Practices | NCCAM

According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, high blood cholesterol is one of the top 10 conditions prompting use of complementary health practices among adults. This issue provides information on “what the science says” about the effectiveness and safety of several dietary supplements reportedly used by people with high cholesterol, including red yeast rice, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, and garlic.

High Cholesterol and Complementary Health Practices | NCCAM.

I’ll take a statin please.

Diabetes: Drugs only work if you take them – MayoClinic.com

It’s a common problem. According to an April 2011 Mayo Clinic Proceedings article, only about half of those who are prescribed medication take it exactly as prescribed.

via Diabetes: Drugs only work if you take them – MayoClinic.com.

Read in between the lines when reviewing medical records. Adjust your risk assessments accordingly.  Decline if warranted.

“Caffeine Delivery Systems” (not coffee)

Energy drinks can lead to serious health consequences, including palpitations, rapid heart rates, dehydration, elevated blood pressures, or even heart attacks. Their high caffeine content, along with “natural” additives, can interact with prescription drugs. Worse, 56% of college students report mixing energy drinks with alcohol, which studies show increase the risk of committing or experiencing a sexual assault, riding with a drunk driver, or becoming involved in an alcohol-related car accident. According to a recent report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there were over 20,000 emergency room visits involving energy drinks in 2011, double the number from 2007. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration received reports of 18 deaths and over 150 injuries that may have been associated with the drinks.

via Why energy drinks should be considered stimulant drugs.

Kidney Disease and Increased Mortality Risk in Type 2 Diabetes

Among individuals with both diabetes and kidney disease, standardized mortality was 31.1% (95% CI, 24.7%–37.5%), representing an absolute risk difference with the reference group of 23.4% (95% CI, 17.0%–29.9%), adjusted for demographics, and 23.4% (95% CI, 17.2%–29.6%) when further adjusted. We observed similar patterns for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality. In conclusion, those with kidney disease predominantly account for the increased mortality observed in type 2 diabetes.

via Kidney Disease and Increased Mortality Risk in Type 2 Diabetes.

AAP Offers First Clinical Guidance for DM2

Up to one in three new diabetes cases diagnosed in people younger than 18 is type 2 diabetes, noted the AAP in its clinical guidelines. Health experts link the growing prevalence of this condition among youths to the rising prevalence of childhood obesity.

Seventeen percent of children and adolescents in the U.S., or 12.5 million people, age 2 to 19 are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 1980, the prevalence of obesity in this age group has nearly tripled, the CDC says.

via AAP offers first clinical guidance for type 2 diabetes – amednews.com.