Dried licorice root fights the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease (with related alternative medicine links)

From the 4th January 2012 Science Daily article

Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice — used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine — that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults. In a study in ACS’ Journal of Natural Products, they say that these substances could have a role in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

Stefan Gafner and colleagues explain that the dried root of the licorice plant is a common treatment in Chinese traditional medicine, especially as a way to enhance the activity of other herbal ingredients or as a flavoring. Despite the popularity of licorice candy in the U.S., licorice root has been replaced in domestic candy with anise oil, which has a similar flavor. Traditional medical practitioners use dried licorice root to treat various ailments, such as respiratory and digestive problems, but few modern scientific studies address whether licorice really works. (Consumers should check with their health care provider before taking licorice root because it can have undesirable effects and interactions with prescription drugs.) To test whether the sweet root could combat the bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities, the researchers took a closer look at various substances in licorice.

They found that two of the licorice compounds, licoricidin and licorisoflavan A, were the most effective antibacterial substances. These substances killed two of the major bacteria responsible for dental cavities and two of the bacteria that promote gum disease. One of the compounds — licoricidin — also killed a third gum disease bacterium. The researchers say that these substances could treat or even prevent oral infections.

Related Resources

• Drugs and Supplements (sponsored by the Mayo Clinic)
  Somewhat lengthy drug and over-the-counter medicationinformation with these sections: description, before using, proper use, precautions and side effects. From Micromedex, a trusted source of healthcare information for health professionals.  

Herb and supplement information includes information on uses based on scientific evidence as well as safety and potential interactions with drugs, herbs, and supplements. From Natural Standard, an independent group of researchers and clinicians

• Drugs, Supplements, and Herbal Information (from a MedlinePlus page)
  Prescription and over-the-counter medication information contains answers to many general questions including topics as what a drug is used for, precautions, side effects, dietary instructions, and overdoses. From the American Society of Health System Pharmacists

Herb and supplement information includes information on uses based on scientific evidence as well as safety and potential interactions with drugs, herbs, and supplements. From Natural Standard, an independent group of researchers and clinicians.

• HerbMed^® 
  an interactive, electronic herbal database – provides hyperlinked access to the scientific data underlying the use of herbs for health. It is an impartial, evidence-based information resource provided by the nonprofit Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc. This public site provides access to 20 of the most popular herbs.
• Herbs at a Glance (US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
  a series of fact sheets that provides basic information about specific herbs or botanicals—common names, uses, potential side effects, and resources for more information.
• Herbal Links
  a compilation of  sites that the researchers at the University of Iowa Drug Information Service consider to be the highest quality and most useful to pharmacists for finding information concerning herbal medicines.

Related articles

• Dried licorice root fights the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease (eurekalert.org)
• The Link Between Gum Disease and RA (everydayhealth.com)

American College of Physicians Ethics Manual Sixth Edition

From the article abstract about the revised ethics manual

The sixth edition of the American College of Physicians (ACP) Ethics Manual covers emerging issues in medical ethics and revisits older ones that are still very pertinent. It reflects on many of the ethical tensions in medicine and attempts to shed light on how existing principles extend to emerging concerns. In addition, by reiterating ethical principles that have provided guidance in resolving past ethical problems, the Manual may help physicians avert future problems. The Manual is not a substitute for the experience and integrity of individual physicians, but it may serve as a reminder of the shared duties of the medical profession.

The full review of this manual by the ACP may be found here

Related articles

• Ethics Manual Examines Emerging Issues In Medical Ethics – American College Of Physicians (medicalnewstoday.com)
• ACP’s Ethics Manual examines emerging issues in medical ethics (medicalxpress.com)
• News From The Annals Of Internal Medicine: Jan. 3, 2012 (medicalnewstoday.com)

The Economist—and the Truth About Microwave Radiation Emitted from Wireless Technologies

 

A Critique by Scientific Experts, Physicians and Oncologists

 Excerpt from the article

In its unsigned commentary on September 3, 2011, “Worrying about Wireless”, The Economistmakes a number of technical errors and misleading statements about microwave radiation that we write to correct. The governments of more than a dozen nations have issued precautionary advice and policies about wireless devices, including restricting cellphone use by children in France, India and Israel (See Worldwide Advisories at http://www.saferphonezone.com).  The Economist would do well to consult with experts in these and other tech-savvy nations to learn the science behind these countries’ decisions so that it can provide accurate reporting on wireless safety and health matters.

The Economist states:

“Let it be said, once and for all, that no matter how powerful a radio transmitter–whether an over-the-horizon radar station or a microwave tower–radio waves simply cannot produce ionising radiation. The only possible effect they can have on human tissue is to raise its temperature slightly.” 

This is a red herring.  Of course microwave radiation is non-ionizing radiation.  It has insufficient energy to directly break chemical bonds including mutating DNA. Independent studies show that microwave radiation from cellphones can damage genetic material and disrupt DNA repair without inducing heat.  Microwave radiation from cellphones can also increase the production of damaging free radicals, which can also indirectly damage DNA. ^[1a,b,c]

In 2000 the cellphone companies T-Mobil and DeTeMobil Deutsche Telekom Mobilnet commissioned the ECOLOG report.  This report acknowledged that microwave radiation damages genes, living cells, and the immune system.   Since then, the evidence base suggesting that prolonged cellphone use can harm human health has grown substantially.  In May 2011, after a rigorous review of the evidence, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiation emitted by wireless devices including cellphones as “possibly carcinogenic.”

In addition, scientific studies carried out in Russia in the 1950s and 1960s and corroborated by European researchers more recently show that microwave radiation affects the heart, brain and liver, as well as the production of hormones and male human and animal fertility….

Read the entire article (medium long)

Related articles

• Cellphone And Wireless Risks – Experts Criticize The Economist’s Coverage (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Mobile phones – latest alert (after-cancer.com)
• Does WiFi pose health risks? (macleans.ca)
• Cellphones and health: How Canada’s precautions compare (cbc.ca)

Death rate measure used to judge hospital quality may be misleading

From the 3 January 2012 press release

Hospitals, health insurers and patients often rely on patient death rates in hospitals to compare hospital quality. Now a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine questions the accuracy of that widely used approach and supports measuring patient deaths over a period of 30 days from admission even after they have left the hospital….

…The study compared two widely used approaches to assessing hospital quality. One approach uses mortality rates of patients who die during their initial hospitalization, and the other uses rates of patients who die within 30 days, whether or not they have been discharged.

Drye and colleagues focused on mortality rates for patients with heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. For these conditions, one-third to one-half of deaths within 30 days occur after the patient leaves the hospital, but this proportion often varies by hospital.

“We were concerned that only counting deaths during the initial hospitalization can be misleading,” said Drye. “Because some hospitals keep their patients for less time than others due to patient transfers to other facilities or because they send patients home more quickly.”

Drye and her colleagues found that quality at many U.S. hospitals looked quite different using the two different accounting methods.

The team also found that measures looking only at deaths in the hospital favor hospitals that keep their patients for a shorter length of time.

“To assess current and future patient management strategies,” said Drye. “We should assess all patients for a standard time period, such as 30 days.”…

Citation: Annals of Internal Medicine 156:19-26. (January 3, 2012)

Read entire press release

Related articles

• Judging Hospital Quality Via Death Rate May Be Misleading (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Death rate measure used to judge hospital quality may be misleading (eurekalert.org)
• Death rate measure used to judge hospital quality may be misleading (medicalxpress.com)
• Measuring In-Hospital Mortality Favors Hospitals with Short Stays (forbes.com)