This organization reviews health news. I'm looking at this CNN article on POM:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/10/27/health.pom.drink.labels/index.html

and their review:

http://www.healthnewsreview.org/review.html?review_id=3286

This issue has been in the news and our articles on pomegranate juice and the manufacturer of POM are affected.

Fred

--------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: November 1 Weekly Digest from HealthNewsReview.org From: "HealthNewsReview.org" feedback@healthnewsreview.org Date: Mon, November 1, 2010 8:14 am To: fredbaud@fairpoint.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Gary Schwitzer, Publisher

Welcome to November. And it comes in like a lion with the r [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&... of Dr. Kenny Lin as Medical Officer for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] (USPSTF) - apparently over the cancellation of today's task force meeting at which a vote on prostate cancer screening recommendations was scheduled to take place. On his blog, Lin says "Politics trumped science this time, as it has in the past [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...]," referring to the hijacking of the USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations one year ago. He implies that the timing of the meeting, on the eve of the midterm elections, was problematic for somebody in Washington. We wrapped up October with 12 story reviews last week - four of them on news of a new DNA test for colon cancer. We found all four lacking - for a variety of reasons. We just don't seem to scrutinize screening studies as carefully and skeptically as we do other topics. In at least one instance, an American Cancer Society official agreed with us - that a "flawed" study of PSA screening for prostate cancer did not prove a decline in cancer recurrence [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...]. One example of a journalist applying tough scrutiny to screening: Larry Husten at Cardiobrief.org criticized free aneurysm screenings at K-Mart. He concluded: "Not all blue light specials are bargains. [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...]" Also, don't miss the article on health product advertising flooding editorial content in new web ways [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...]. I enjoyed my first visit to the University of Missouri last week, where I gave the luncheon keynote talk at the Missouri Health Policy Summit [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...], on "Too Good To Be True: The Health Care Reform Stories You Don't Hear Much About." Thanks for your continued interest. Let's look for some good stories and improved coverage this month. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Story Reviews from the Past Week ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Researchers at Philadelphia conference announce progress toward noninvasive colon cancer test [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Philadelphia Inquirer Score: 2 out of 5 stars The story starts with an overly optimistic lead and never does follow up with adequate discussion of the limitations of this preliminary research. And why use the tired old "Holy Grail appears to be getting close" line? (Not the only story to do so.) New DNA Tests Aimed at Reducing Colon Cancer [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] New York Times Score: 3 out of 5 stars Not good enough on some key criteria: costs, evaluating the quality of the evidence, getting independent sources, and comparing the new approaches with existing alternatives. Noninvasive Test for Colon Cancer Shows Promise in Early Trial [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Health Day Score: 3 out of 5 stars Health Day used the tired old line about the "Holy Grail." So did the Philadelphia Inquirer in its version of this story. How about just giving readers the "unholy evidence"? New Colon Cancer Screening Test in the Works [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] WebMD Score: 3 out of 5 stars There were many ways we saw journalists hype this study. (One journalist wrote to us that the news was "PR-driven hooey" and "frothy.") Instead of framing this as "A new, consumer-friendly test for colon cancer" that "could persuade more Americans to undergo screening," this story could have provided more meaningful context. Do Cortisone Shots Actually Make Things Worse? [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] New York Times Score: 5 out of 5 stars The story brought clarity to a complicated and confusing topic. It offered important take-home messages for patients and healthcare providers alike-at least in the area of tennis elbow, where the evidence is most compelling. POM-boozled: Do health drinks live up to their labels? [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] CNN Health Score: 4 out of 5 stars This Health.com story (not reported by but simply republished by CNN.com) did an excellent job of picking apart the claims made by POM Wonderful pomegranate juice and other beverages that are promoted as health products. More not always better with in vitro fertilization [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Associated Press wire service Score: 4 out of 5 stars The story did a good job of covering what is new here: more is not more. It was a thoughtful, well-researched story. Bitter Taste Receptors Found in Lungs May Aid Asthma Patients [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Health Day Score: 0 out of 5 stars This story appears to be nothing more than a rewrite of a university news release [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...]. Science working to create workable, safe blood substitutes [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Los Angeles Times Score: 4 out of 5 stars This wonderfully written piece serves as both a profile of one of the most important components of our bodies -- blood -- and a glimpse into the future of what blood transfusions may become. Aspirin May Cut Prostate Cancer Deaths [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] WebMD Score: 3 out of 5 stars We think that WebMD - like Health Day [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] - should have to write on the blackboard 100 times, "Association does not equal causation." Maybe 200 times. In big letters. Aspirin May Help Patients Beat Prostate Cancer [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Health Day Score: 3 out of 5 stars This story came so close at times to addressing key issues but still fell short on association vs. causation, on limitations of observational studies, on costs, and on independent perspectives. Baking Soda Boosts Athletic Performance [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] WebMD Score: 0 out of 5 stars Foot fault on this tiny, short-term tennis trial that has questionable relevance to most readers. Quotes are pulled from a news release. There is no independent perspective. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blog Posts from the Past Week ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gov't. agency prostate cancer screening expert resigns; meeting cancellation the reason? [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Health care political rhetoric on the eve of the midterm elections [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Cancer Society official: "flawed" study does NOT prove that PSA tests reduce cancer recurrence [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Speaking at Missouri Health Policy Summit [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Drug company settles case complaining of prostate cancer fear-mongering [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Free aneurysm screenings: Not all K-Mart blue light specials are bargains

[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] More robot hype - McGill's McSleepy joins DaVinci for McProstate removal [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Let's hope there isn't political pressure on prostate CA screening recommendations [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] Scans that are "little more than pretty pictures with a big price tag & potentially serious side effects" [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] How health product advertising is creeping (leaping?) into editorial content [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] "The secret sign of ageing" - international disease-mongering [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kz7rkmcab&et=1103853465799&s=4173&...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Gary Schwitzer Publisher HealthNewsReview.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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