Cancer

Less is more: The rise of overtreatment in the 21st Century

By Dr. Ronald Hoffman

The country doctor of the early 20th Century had very few tools to address patients’ complaints. Armed with a few simple medications and some basic surgical techniques, they often had to rely on reassurance and bedside manner to ease suffering. …read more

Categories: Cancer
Leyla Weighs In: The dangers of acrylamide

By Leyla Muedin MS, RD, CDN

What is acrylamide? It’s a chemical compound that usually forms in starchy foods like breads, cakes, cookies, crackers, cereals and potatoes (chips and fries) when they are baked, roasted or fried at high temperatures (at least 248 degrees F). The…read more

Categories: Cancer
11 reasons why you should be using extra virgin olive oil

By Dr. Ronald Hoffman

The Bible refers to the olive tree as the “tree of life.” Olives, the ripe fruit of the tree, yield healthy monounsaturated fats and phytochemicals that act as potent antioxidants. Research on the benefits of olive oil abounds in scientific…read more

Categories: Cancer
Leyla Weighs In: Shedding light on health statistics vs. outcomes

By Leyla Muedin MS, RD, CDN

On an almost daily basis, we are bombarded with frightening health reports. Claims such as “50,000 people will die of colon cancer this year,” or “prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men,” or “one in…read more

Categories: Cancer
Top 10 Intelligent Medicine podcasts of 2016

By Dr. Ronald Hoffman

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to remind all my readers that Intelligent Medicine is more than just a weekly radio show that you may or may not have a chance to catch in real-time. Each week,…read more

Categories: Cancer
Is the “pandemic” of vitamin D deficiency exaggerated?

By Dr. Ronald Hoffman

Eclipsed by post-election media coverage, this is clearly the big health/nutrition story of the week. The press uncritically parroted the unwarranted conclusions of a New England Journal of Medicine op-ed: “Vitamin D deficiency widely overestimated, doctors warn” “Vitamin D deficiency…read more

Categories: Cancer
Why you shouldn’t get your health advice from celebrities

By Dr. Ronald Hoffman

Stars are lining up, telling us how to vote, what wireless networks to use, what luxury cars to drive. Now they’re weighing in on our health choices. Recently, Ben Stiller offered his take on the PSA test, a screening exam…read more

Categories: Cancer
8 reasons why the FDA’s recent ban on anti-bacterial cleansers is a good idea

By Dr. Ronald Hoffman

I’m not always the biggest fan of the Food and Drug Administration. Their efforts to curtail access to supplements are misguided. They miss the boat with drug approvals on medications that subsequently cause injury and death. But, this time, I…read more

Categories: Cancer
Stem Cells: Panacea or snake oil?

By Dr. Ronald Hoffman

They are billed as the new keys to longevity, an endless inventory of “spare parts” that can regenerate sick or tired organs, a veritable Fountain of Youth. But are stem cells the medical cure-all of the future, or are they…read more

Categories: Cancer