5 reasons to think twice before taking blood pressure drugs
Updated 12 February 2024 High blood pressure, or hypertension, is often dubbed ‘the silent killer’. There’s no disputing its credentials as a killer: Almost 20 per cent of early deaths across the world are linked to elevated blood pressure… and most shockingly, in the study that reached this conclusion, ‘elevated’ was defined as a systolic…
5 reasons to think twice before taking an antidepressant
One in 10 Australian adults is taking an antidepressant, but a growing number of scientists are asserting that these blockbuster drugs do more harm than good.
The perils of proton pump inhibitors – Part 3
Updated 29 January 2024 In Part 1 of this series on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), I covered the basics – how these drugs work, what they’re supposed to be prescribed for, and the deeply concerning rate of inappropriate use of these medications. In Part 2, I examined the known and suspected adverse effects of PPIs,…
The perils of proton pump inhibitors – Part 2
Updated 22 January 2024 In Part 1 of this series on proton pump inhibitors, I covered the basics – how these drugs work, what they’re supposed to be prescribed for, and the deeply concerning rate of inappropriate use of these medications. And now, in Part 2, I’ll examine the known and suspected adverse effects of…
The perils of proton pump inhibitors – Part 1
Updated 15 January 2024 Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of medicines that include Nexium, Somac, Pariet, Prilosec, Maxor and Prevacid, and many generics. These drugs, which drastically reduce the secretion of hydrochloric acid by the stomach, are among the best-selling pharmaceuticals of all time. Australians are enthusiastic participants in the global acid-suppressing pill-popping…
Is ‘mental illness’ in the mind, or the body… or both?
8 January 2024 In last week’s post, Worried sick, I briefly mentioned a study which examined markers of both brain and body health in people diagnosed with any of four neuropsychiatric conditions, and found that they had greater deviations from healthy controls in markers of body health – most notably in their metabolic, hepatic, and…
Worried sick
New research shows that hypochondriacs die younger. 1 January 2024 The late, great Irish comedian Spike Milligan poked fun at the hypochondriac’s morbid obsession with illness and death, by quipping that he wanted the words “I told you I was ill” engraved on his headstone. (His request was finally honoured two years after his death,…
Beat the holiday season blues – with broccoli and berries!
18 December 2023 ‘Tis the season to be jolly, so the Christmas carol tells us, but not everyone is feeling particularly perky at this time of year. Between running the gauntlet of overcrowded shopping malls in search of perfect gifts for hard-to-buy-for loved ones; negotiating the obligatory family Christmas dinner (a painful experience for many…
A truly low salt diet lowers blood pressure as effectively as medicine – in one week
11 December 2023 As I’ve written in a previous article, 5 reasons to think twice before taking blood pressure drugs, high blood pressure is no trifling matter: “High blood pressure (hypertension) kills. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study, it is the leading contributor to premature death and disability throughout the world. In fact,…
Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome: An underrecognised and rapidly escalating problem
4 December 2023 As I’ve discussed in previous articles, antidepressants are now the most commonly prescribed class of drugs in Australia, with ten per cent of adult Australians currently taking some form of antidepressant. Despite their lack of efficacy when compared to placebo and their laundry list of serious side effects (from sexual dysfunction to…