Health fads and marketing: Harmless, useless or reckless?

sea-maid submitted, created time 3 months 3 weeks (www.sciencebase.com)

This article describes a material called indium sulfate. It is vaunted at NaturalHealthConsult.com as a “rare trace mineral that supports several hormonal systems in the body. Indium may strongly elevate immune activity and reduce the severity and duration of a myriad of human conditions.” The site also claims that studies were performed on it by a Dr. Schroeder, who "figured out how to remove lead from gasoline."

The article points out that while Dr. Henry A. Schroeder did study lead toxicity, there is no natural lead in gasoline. Lead was an added anti-knocking agent

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Drastic action of editor: Withhold manipulated data from clinical trials

DanyC submitted, created time 8 months 3 weeks (www.cbsnews.com)

Manipulation of studies and misrepresentation of study results could not have occurred without the cooperation (active and tacit) of clinical researchers, other authors, journal editors, peer reviewer, and the FDA.But two studies appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association have prompted the journal's editors to call for "drastic action" to prevent drug companies from misrepresenting data from clinical trials.

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DNA Tests Find Branches but Few Roots

jane2007 submitted, created time 1 year 1 month (www.nytimes.com)

HENRY LOUIS GATES JR., whose PBS special “African American Lives” explores the ancestry of famous African-Americans using DNA testing, recently has become one of the industry’s critics.The nest story is the reason: Mr. Gates says his concerns date back to 2000, when a company told him his maternal ancestry could most likely be traced back to Egypt, probably to the Nubian ethnic group. Five years later, however, a test by a second company startled him. It concluded that his maternal ancestors were not Nubian or even African, but most likely Europea

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Targeting fake drugs

Vampire submitted, created time 1 year 11 months (www.nature.com)

Pharmaceutical fraudsters have had an easy ride for years — counterfeit drugs are notoriously difficult to detect through all the layers of packaging. But a new tweak to an old stalwart of analytical chemistry could change all that.

Fake drugs are a major international concern (see 'Murder by medicine'), though estimates vary widely as to how bad the problem is. The US Food and Drug Administration suggests that 10% of all drugs are fake; other, unofficial estimates range up to 50%. The problem is worst in developing countries

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