The FDA and Tobacco: Questions about the landmark regulation bill
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H. Last week Congress passed a bill that gave the FDA regulating authority over tobacco.The president is sure to sign it.It is supposed to be a blow to the tobacco industry...
View ArticleAMA Resolutions: Doctors’ opinions on insurance companies, electronic...
by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor The American Medical Association held their annual meeting this week. Obama’s speech there grabbed the headlines, but AMA members also voted on some interesting...
View ArticleAMA Resolution Awards: The most interesting and entertaining from the annual...
by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor On Friday, I blogged about some interesting resolutions from the American Medical Association’s annual meeting. Today, as promised, it’s time for the My Family...
View ArticleMedicare Part D news: Drug companies to discount some medicines 50 percent...
by Leigh Ann Hubbard, managing editor In an interesting turn of events, relief is coming for seniors. Drug manufacturers are going to help pay for some medicines! This sounds great, definitely, but we...
View ArticleDEVELOPING: Questions about Boniva, Tamiflu and the Medicare donut-hole discount
by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor My Family Doctor has learned that Boniva and Tamiflu are no longer covered by the recently announced Medicare-discount agreement. Whether their manufacturer Roche...
View ArticleCSPI Sues Denny’s Over Sodium: What’s your opinion of the lawsuit?
by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor For Baby Boomers and more, it’s just plain dangerous to eat at Denny’s! So says the activist group Center for Science in the Public Interest, often called “the food...
View ArticleNew surgeon general is overweight. Does it matter?
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H. President Obama’s pick for the new surgeon general, Regina Benjamin, M.D., is drawing a little controversy. She appears overweight. Here at My Family Doctor we have a...
View ArticleUniversal Health Care: Is Medicare really a single-payer success? One...
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H. “If you want an example of a successful single-payer system, just look at Medicare,” many say. I say, not really. A single-payer system is the form of universal...
View ArticleH1N1: What are your questions about swine flu? We’re going to ask the experts.
by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor We’re tired of wondering. As the world’s governments prepare for a potentially huge outbreak of H1N1 this fall, we regular people are left to wonder, what’s the big...
View ArticleIs there a “death panel” in Obama’s health-care bill?
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H. Of course not, you say. Ridiculous. But could a report by ABCNews.com about 64-year-old Oregon woman Barbara Wagner suggests otherwise? When she was dying of lung...
View ArticleCan Fruit Really Rot in Your Stomach? The Truth About the Food Combining Theory.
by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor Just around the corner loom … dum, dum, duuuuum … New Year’s resolutions! Let the dieting begin! This week, we focus on one type of diet that has not only your waist...
View ArticleWould you eat meat from cloned animals?
by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor Did you know it’s legal to sell meat from cloned animals–but the USDA has asked companies not to because people are wary of it? We just posted a debate about whether...
View ArticleSoy is good for you but needs more research, says registered dietitian
by Leigh Ann Otte, managing editor Remember when the experts were telling us to eat more soy? Tofu, edamame—lap it up! Then, wouldn’t ya know it, we were told it causes cancer. Thyroid problems. Male...
View ArticleUniversal health-care debate rages—on our Web site!
by Leigh Ann Otte Our universal health-care debates consistently rank as two of the most popular articles on the site. But when the bill passed last week, the comments section lit up like crazy. People...
View ArticleShould Medical Marijuana Be Legal? Experts Debate, on National Pot Smoking Day.
by Leigh Ann Otte Today, 4/20, is National Pot Smoking Day. Yeah, it’s unofficial. But around the country, people will be smoking marijuana at 4:20 p.m. So we thought this would be the perfect moment...
View ArticleElective C-Sections: A Woman’s Choice Versus Safety?
by Leigh Ann Otte Sometimes, a C-section is medically necessary. But what if it’s not and you want one anyway? Some women schedule C-sections so they can have their baby on a certain date. Others do it...
View ArticleEmbryonic Stem-Cell Research: Get the Facts Behind the Opinions
by Leigh Ann Otte Embryonic stem-cell research has been in the news lately. But how much do you really know about it? Where do embryonic stem cells come from? Why do many researchers want them when...
View ArticleViolent Movies, Violent Kids: Some Researchers Question the Claims
by Leigh Ann Otte Media violence often leads to real-world violence in children and teens. Right? After all, both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics say so. Yet...
View ArticleOccupy the Internet! Doctors Unite to Build Accessible, Reliable Health Site
by Leigh Ann Otte It’s amazing how much misleading information there is on the Internet, isn’t it? People claim just about anything—and do it with such authority that it seems like they must know what...
View ArticleDo Abortions Affect Women Negatively? Experts Debate
by Leigh Ann Otte Have you been watching the Republican presidential debates? Or are you waiting for the big guns in the fall? During every heated election cycle, some of the most contentious issues...
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