Medical developments from around the world

Caesarean Section and Baby’s Health

It was some 10 years ago that I had written an article, when Caesarean Sections (or C-sections as they are also called) were being performed with increasing regularity. In the article, I had said that they were good for the babies’ immune system, based on my own observations and the hypothesis that the immune system depends on the germs in our body, most of which we acquire during our passage through the birth canal of our mother. C-sections could be performed as a rare life-saving measure, but using C-sections at the drop of a hat for the mother’s, or doctor’s, convenience is not advisable.

Researchers from Copenhagen University published data, from a study they conducted, in the Journal of Immunology on 10th July. The study shows exactly what I had observed during my five decades of practice. A similar study on rats was published in 2013 which went a step further to show how the immune system is depressed in C-section offsprings vis-à-vis the vaginally-delivered ones.

C-section babies have a greater susceptibility to allergies, asthma and even auto-immune diseases! Germs are at the root of most of these infirmities in such hapless babies.

Soya Protein Might Be Harmful for Men

The randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (JACN), looked at how soy supplementation affects testosterone, cortisol and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in men who engage in resistance exercises and training. They compared these effects to those brought about in men who supplement their protein intake with whey. They found that, compared to men who supplemented their protein intake with whey, those taking soy did not necessarily produce more oestrogen. They did, however, experience decreased testosterone levels and elevated cortisol levels, a deadly combination that can leave men at the risk of contracting disease and weight gain.  

Organic Food Is Far Better!

Researchers have analysed 343 peer-reviewed studies from around the world that had measured differences between organic and conventional fruits, vegetables and grains. It is the largest meta-analysis ever conducted on the topic.

The researchers found that there was a statistically significant difference in the nutritional content of organic and conventional produce. “Organic fruits and vegetables contain between 19% and 69% more antioxidants than their conventional counterparts,” says the British Journal of Nutrition.

Prostate Cancer and Birth Control Surgery

There are indications that there is a significant increase in the rate of cancers of the prostate in men who have vasectomies. One can still argue that the numbers are not large enough to be statistically significant, but that is how reductionist medical statistical science works, to shield their moneybags. The fact remains that if we interfere with nature, there is bound to be some effect. That is my conviction.

Hospital Malpractice

Dr Nikita A. Levy MD, a gynaecologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, has been using a small pen in the tie to record all the pelvic examinations of more than 25,000 women that he had examined in his 20 years of service in the hospital. He was a popular doctor.

Later, investigations proved that Levy was using this method to illegally record his examinations. When the case became public, many women were devastated and many of them required psychiatric treatment. Soon after he was summarily dismissed, Dr Levy committed suicide. His hospital is still paying compensation to women, almost on a daily basis. So far they have given out $190 million.