It has been one of the most pressing unanswered questions in public health: Do e-cigarettes actually help smokers quit? Now, the first, large rigorous assessment offers an unequivocal answer: yes. The study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of…
Image“Older adults are taking an awful lot of pills these days,” says a professor of medicine and pharmacy. Getting them to stop taking unnecessary ones is harder than one might think. CreditRich Pedroncelli/Associated Press We know many people end up…
When faced with an actual or potential diagnosis of cancer, most people are inclined to consult Dr. Google, often before they see a real live medical expert. Unfortunately, Dr. Google doesn’t always know what’s best. A generation ago, patients were…
Three years after her acute leukemia was diagnosed, my patient, a woman in her early 40s, came to clinic looking as she usually did: sporting a Ben Roethlisberger jersey, and smiling ear-to-ear when I walked into the examination room. She…
It’s not easy to say that any particular development in health or medicine was the most important in a given year. But if we had to choose some highlights, we’d opt for these unforgettable events and findings. We learned many…
Despite a number of studies questioning the usefulness of very low-salt diets in the last few years, most major medical organizations continue to recommend them. We would assume that they do so from a strong base of evidence. But with…
