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eat-your-vitamins-1329779If you have ever had the displeasure of sitting through all 3+ hours of the movie Titanic there's an iconic moment (no not that one) where the panic of the situation has set in and then, inexplicably, the band starts playing. Passengers are running around in full panic mode while a bunch of...

In a just published perspective piece in The New England Journal of Medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. outlines with colleagues the multi-prong approach the agency is using to combat the complex issue that is misuse and abuse of opioids while detailing surveillance measures already underway to detect rapidly the next wave of drug abuse. Among this so-called proactive pharmacovigilance plan is employing a social media “listening platform” that monitors opioid conversation traffic in traditional and other sites or forums that are publicly available. When alternative substances are mentioned, the data mining deepens.

With a goal of heading off...

Well, here's a big surprise. Yet another "dietary supplement" that is neither dietary nor a supplement has been targeted by the FDA. Yawn.

Actually, "yawn" is exactly the wrong word to describe oxilofrine, since it is a stimulant that will keep you awake. It is not only a drug, but an illegal one to boot.

Someone wanna give me a good reason that it should be sold in vitamin shops and supermarkets?

Time's up. Didn't think so. But I can tell you why it ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has done many positive things recently: they eased red tape on generic drug approval, which is 85% of U.S. spending for pharmaceuticals, setting a new record last year by August and are on pace to exceed that again before the end of this fiscal year; they finally stated they were going to look into the suspect labeling claims made by Big Organic, which are far more deceptive...

Open displays of bipartisanship are rare these days and, as such, should be applauded. Unfortunately, a recent example of bipartisanship promotes junk science and bogus health claims.

In a press release, Democratic Congressman Jared Polis and Republican Congressman Mike Coffman announced their intention to launch the Integrative Health and Wellness Caucus. That sounds nice, until you realize that "integrative" and "wellness" are code words for "alternative medicine."

However, as we've said multiple times, there's no such thing as alternative medicine. If alternative medicine worked, it would just be called medicine. In other words, a patient has two choices: evidence-based...

Dietary supplements are a big business. The industry made almost US$39 billion in revenue in 2022, and with very little regulation and oversight, it stands to keep growing.

The marketing of dietary supplements has been quite effective, with 77% of Americans reporting feeling that the supplement industry is trustworthy. The idea of taking your health into your own hands is appealing, and supplements are popular with athletes, parents and people trying to recover more quickly from a cold or flu, just to name a few....

It's mildly amusing that ACSH is referred to as "industry-friendly." That term, which is applied to us by friend and foe alike, is based on a half-truth. And half-truths are the worst kind of "truths" because they're actually lies.

The American Council on Science and Health was founded in 1978 "by a group of scientists with a singular focus: to publicly support evidence-based science and medicine." Importantly, "We are not a trade association. We do not represent any industry."

However, good science comes from many different places,...

We are terrible corporate shills. (Credit: Shutterstock) We are terrible corporate shills. (Credit: Shutterstock)

The most frustrating part of being a scientist or science journalist is trying to convince people who have already made up their minds that they have come to the wrong conclusion. Even when presented with data that definitively demonstrates the error in their logic, most people double down, while very few appear willing to...

As the calendar turns to September, football fans across America rejoice as NFL and college teams once again take the field. In between watching our favorite teams, we have continued to fight the good fight for science and health. Here's where ACSH appeared in the past couple of weeks:

(1) Dr. Josh Bloom, who is an expert on opioids, was cited by National Review about how the government's strategy to fight the epidemic is wrongheaded and counterproductive. In short, restricting prescription opioids does not address the problem (which is illicit fentanyl) and prevents chronic pain patients from getting the medicine they need to survive. As National Review said, "[T]he drug...

1. The FDA may be a government body but when they want to be snarky, they go ahead and do it. When genetics marketing whiz 23andMe figured it would use all its Google money to schmooze its way around FDA, not only did it fail, but when the inevitable crackdown on bonkers marketing claims occurred, FDA chided them with sarcasm.

FDA is not standing in the way of 23andMe selling tests intended to help consumers trace their ancestry, identify relatives and tell them why they like or don’t like the taste of cilantro.

When it comes to the public, sarcasm doesn't work so well. While companies selling...