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When the best female tennis player in history asks for teething advice, we're happy to oblige. Unfortunately, there's only one thing that can be done to help with a baby's teething – and it's probably not what you think.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

FDA-approved gene therapies is atop of the list of exciting health and science advances of 2017. Following in the wake of two cancer therapies approved earlier this year, a third therapy – this time for vision – received a thumbs-up just before the arrival of 2018. 
 

Can you hear Ho, Ho, Ho from the halls of the FDA? We can! They are playing Santa this year, helping to make one of our Christmas wishes come true. That's by bringing the gift of stopping people from getting harmed by homeopathic remedies. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The technology that allows someone to communicate written sentences solely with their eyes is truly incredible. And that fascinating device provides at least some merciful measure of freedom for those trapped by the progressive, unceasing horrors of ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gerhig's Disease.

It's no secret that air pollution is bad news (but no longer in the U.S.). It's also no secret that people write sensationalized junk that poses as science to drive home a point or support an agenda. Today we're having a two-for-one special. You get both. And no – small particulate matter does not affect IQ. This is beyond ridiculous.

The long-term problems of a transvaginal mesh shed light on an issue concerning the FDA's concept of "substantial equivalence" in approving some medical devices. 

It's the season for Top 10 lists. The challenge, as usual, is to narrow down all the junk science we debunked this year to just the 10 best (or is that worst?) stories. It would be far easier to create a Top 100 list.

One type of malady that most people really hope to avoid is Alzheimer's Disease. As the population ages, this disorder and similar ills will likely become more common. While much research has been devoted to figuring out how to forestall these problems, recent studies indicate we still have a long way to go to get there.
 
 

More than 300,000 elderly folks fracture their hip each year, and 95% of those hospitalizations are caused by falling, usually sideways. If there were a few simple ways to minimize this chance of serious injury, wouldn't it be smart to know them? Sure it would. And here they are.
 
 

Words matter. We should have more patients and fewer "healthcare consumers." The term is terribly harsh, since it's all about taking.
 
 

Here are the final four exciting developments in science, health and technology of 2017. And, a prediction for what innovation could be truly disruptive in the future.

It's time to turn the forces of political correctness against themselves. If society is going to be in the dubious business of banning words, then we ought to do that because they're factually incorrect – rather than politically incorrect. And there's no better place to start than with the abbreviation "GMO."

The CDC is told seven words are no longer allowed in their documents. Banning words and thoughts doesn't work, just ask George Carlin. Do they think it will somehow work now?
 

A 38-year-old former NFL running back believes he's currently experiencing symptoms of CTE, the degenerative brain disease that currently can only be diagnosed after death. Can his insight help researchers better understand this disease? Is it meaningful, or meaningless?

Drug discovery is a long, tortuous and impossibly difficult job. A group at the University of Warwick has come up with a mathematical model that seems to be a very big step in streamlining the process. But is it really? To answer this we need to take a look at how drugs are discovered. 

Waze, a driving navigation app, has moved from traffic advisor to traffic director as it's user base grows. But does this new algorithmic overlord have special responsibilities?
 
 

Drugs submitted for FDA approval must have safety and efficacy data for the condition they're designed to treat. Sometimes, however, a drug is found to be effective for another condition, and doctors are within their rights to prescribe it for such "off-label" uses. Such may soon be the case for metformin.

Just about 10 years ago, ACSH published the first edition of our booklet Celebrities vs. Science, calling out a number of well-known personalities for promulgating non-scientific nonsense. Unfortunately, that trend has continued, as a new essay points out.

Somebody is pulling a conceptual fast-one over those gullible enough to believe it, both on and off the ice. It's the selling of a false reality, rooted in a baseless premise that changing a uniform's color can make athletes skate faster. Absurd doesn't begin to describe this.

Value-based healthcare: that's the goal. But like blind men touching an elephant, describing one part or another, what we mean by "value" depends on who we are. 

When it comes to medical developments, it was an exciting year in the pursuit of what was once impossible. Here are some top picks that genuinely are changing the medical and tech landscape.

The senior senator from Arizona, diagnosed with brain cancer in July, was hospitalized for "normal side effects of his ongoing cancer therapy." Here's what that means.

The FDA really doesn't want you taking pain meds. How strong is the agency's position on this? Pretty strong – enough to recommend that physicians receive extra education in alternative pain management methods. While that's fine in theory, one of the methods happens to be acupuncture, which is not fine at all.

Wasting food, a precious resource, is bad. Does French regulation make for less waste? Or could there be an equally simple free-market solution?
 

Injuries aren't always what they seem, and not all scars and bruises are the same. They can tell a very different story. For instance, are you certain that item you re-tweeted of suspected abuse was actually that?