Blog Entries

Tylenol linked to asthma in teens

brett@drbretthill.com — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Did you know that over 50% of our kids have used some form of medication in the last 2 weeks? This might not horrify you as much as it does me right now but go and read the inserts on each of those drug packets and your tune will change. They all have serious side effects.

From LA Times

A major new international study released Friday has found that adolescents who take acetaminophen, better known under the brand name Tylenol, have a higher risk of asthma, all [...]

Doctors want statins served with fast food

brett@drbretthill.com — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Nope it's not a joke, this guy is serious. Not only do you get the side effects of the unhealthy burger, fries and soft drink but we'll throw in the side effects of the statins as well! How's the PR spin as well, trying to pass off pharmaceutical medications as 'supplements'. The wonders of the Big Pharma PR machine will never cease.

From The Independant

Customers of fast food restaurants could be offered a free statin along with the burger, salt and ketchup, [...]

Measure of a real man

brett@drbretthill.com — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Our hunter gatherer ancestors ate no milk yet had stronger bones due to the amount of exercise they did. Interesting!

From Adelaide Now

NEARLY every man on the planet is an inferior version of men that have come before, a visiting author says.

Peter McAllister believes modern man fails to live up to his legacy because his predecessors had to be faster, stronger, smarter and fitter to survive.

Botanic Gardens of Adelaide trainee horticulturalist Hugh Mat [...]

Relieve stress by injecting Herpes?

brett@drbretthill.com — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Want some proof that our current approach to health is out of whack? Well here it is. This scientists thinks the best way to destress is to inject a bunch of genes in a herpes virus, no doubt washed down with a cocktail of extra chemicals. We know how to switch off the stress response; eat, think and move in a healthy way and guess what it has no nasty side effects!

From The Daily Mail

Forget the age-old remedies of yoga, meditation or popping pills. Relie [...]

Low-carb diets may have the edge in some heart disease risk factors

brett@drbretthill.com — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Don't forget though that it is not just about reducing your carbohydrate intake. You need to make sure that the carbs you do eat are healthy carbs and the fats and proteins you replace them with are healthy fats and proteins. What re healthy carbs, fats and proteins? Well, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy meats and eggs.

From the LA Times

The fascination with low-carb versus low-fat diet continues; the latest news comes from a study in the Annals of I [...]

Low-carb diets may have the edge in some heart disease risk factors

brett@drbretthill.com — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Don't forget though that it is not just about reducing your carbohydrate intake. You need to make sure that the carbs you do eat are healthy carbs and the fats and proteins you replace them with are healthy fats and proteins. What re healthy carbs, fats and proteins? Well fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy meats and eggs.

From the LA Times

The fascination with low-carb versus low-fat diet continues; the latest news comes from a study in the Annals of In [...]

School bans plastic water bottles

brett@drbretthill.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Not before time but the real reason to do it is for the health impact not the environmental impact. There is so much research out there now about the effects of the BPA released from plastic water bottles that something needs to be done. There is also already concerns about the BPA free plastics that are on the market. The best bet if you can find it is to get a nice solid glass container with a neoprene coating to protect it.

From ABC news

Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy [...]

Adequate breastfeeding could save $3.6 billion

brett@drbretthill.com — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: I am a massive advocate of mothers breast feeding and my practice proudly displays the sticker of the Australian Breast Feeding Association declaring that 'breast feeding is welcome here'. The positive impact it has on your babies health is often not fully understood and our society does not do enough to improve our breast feeding rates. This study though surprises even me. Remember that this study only talks about costs related to 3 specific diseases and in the US alone, imagi [...]

Federal probe into energy drinks

brett@drbretthill.com — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Take note, despite these drinks being packaged as healthy and performance enhancing they are really the exact opposite. There is no doubt that these excessive caffeine and sugar loads are bad for your health.

From Adelaide Now

THE Federal Government will investigate energy drinks following calls for some of them to be banned.

The Australian Medical Association says drinks containing stimulants such as caffeine and taurine, when mixed with alcohol, were [...]

Alarm at growing medical 'spin'

brett@drbretthill.com — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett says: Well said Dr Parry. It is a major concern to see just how much of a doctors education comes from pharmaceutical reps with no formal medical training. The fact that 'big pharma' can hide studies that are negative and only publish positive ones is also a MAJOR concern. It undermines the whole scientific method of analysis.

DOCTORS are losing faith in medical literature as pharmaceutical companies undermine the integrity of trials, an Adelaide doctor says.

Dr Peter P [...]

Pregnant women 'should avoid high heels'

brett@drbretthill.com — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: This is good advice that I give to all the pregnant ladies in the practice. High heels are not great at any time but partucularly not for expecting mums. They dramatically change the biomechanics of the whole lower limb, pelvis, lower back, in fact the whole spine. They create lots of pressure which is exactly what a pregnant mum doesn't need. Now can someone please tell this to my pregnant wife!

From ninemsn

Pregnant women who want to emulate celebrities by wearing [...]

Cereals not as good as they claim?

brett@drbretthill.com — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Who would have thought? Cereal manufacturers overstating the health benefits of their own products. I have been saying for years that the claimed health benefits just don't stack up so it is good to see something finally being done about it.

From the NY Times

The Kellogg Company has agreed to advertising restrictions to resolve an investigation into its claims about the health benefits of its Rice Krispies cereal, the Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday.

[...]

Coffee doesn't really perk you up

brett@drbretthill.com — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: This is so true. All coffee does is set you up on a viscious cycle of energy peaks and troughs and makes it harder for you to achieve a healthy consistently high energy level.

From The Sun Times

People who wouldn't think of going through a morning without a cup of coffee usually think it helps perk them up. But surprising new research suggests that it only helps bring them back to the normal state they'd be in if they didn't drink any coffee at all.

Scientist [...]

Processed carbs cause heart disease!

brett@drbretthill.com — Sun, 23 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: If you are a regular reader of my columns and newsletters you won't be surprised to hear this at all. Our modern diets are way too high in processed carbs and it is killing us.

From CNN.com

(Health.com) -- Women who eat more white bread, white rice, pizza, and other carbohydrate-rich foods that cause blood sugar to spike are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease than women who eat less of those foods, a new study suggests.

Men who eat lots [...]

Healthy meats are healthy

brett@drbretthill.com — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Fat and cholesterol are not the evils they have been made out to be. Free range, grass fed, organic meats are a very healthy part of a balanced diet. Grain fed, processed chemical laden meats are not. Simple as that!

From abc news

Eating processed meats like hot dogs, bacon and deli meat could increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes compared to eating unprocessed red meats like beef and lamb, according to a new study.

Study finds that processed meat [...]

ADHD linked to pesticides

brett@drbretthill.com — Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: This should cause you to have a serious think about switching to organic food. We really have no idea what many of these chemicals are doing to our bodies and wont know until it is too late. Do you really want to be a Guinea Pig?

From The Los Angeles Times

Using data from a national survey, researxhers find that higher levels of malthion detected in urine is associated with a higher risk of the disorder. Food may be a factor.

May 16, 2010|By Thomas H. Maugh I [...]

Mums off to chiros

brett@drbretthill.com — Sun, 16 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Great article here. We see lots of pregnant mums, recently birthed mums and babies in our practice for exactly these reasons.

From Herald Sun

PREGNANT women are increasingly turning to chiropractors to treat sore backs and help them prepare for childbirth.

Chiropractors Association of Australia president Simon Floreani said there had been a significant increase in expectant women seeking help, including a 50 per cent rise in five years at his Middle Park pra [...]

Fighting the flu without vaccination

brett@drbretthill.com — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Given that the flu vaccines have been withdrawn for kids under 5 there has never been a better time to look at more natural ways to boost your immune system. Why not get your kids a chiropractic check up, or ensure they are getting enough vitamin D by getting 20 mins sunshine a day, either in the morning or evening.

From The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchild [...]

Did 'Regular' Flu Shot Up Risks for H1N1 Flu?

brett@drbretthill.com — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: Pretty telling really. The facts are that whilst a flu shot may or may not increase your resistance to the particular strain of flu it targets, it also contains ingredients that decrease your health. I.e. the swine flu vaccine contains in gredients that the NIH have said are are reasonably expected to cause cancer. As a result, it makes sense that you will become more succeptable to other diseases, including other flu's as a result of that loss of health.

USn [...]

Study: Breast-feeding would save lives, money

brett@drbretthill.com — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Brett Says: There is so much evidence now to support breast feeding but it is worth reminding just how good it is.

From Google.com

CHICAGO - The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women fed their babies breast milk only for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.

Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who revie [...]