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For the uninitiated, "Bringing Up Bébé" was an international bestseller written by Pamela Druckerman, an American living in Paris. She quickly noticed how French children behaved very differently from her own. So, she started researching French culture and discovered an entirely different parenting philosophy. Unlike parenting fads that come and go, this book will always be relevant.

New York Times science writer Gina Kolata usually gets it right. But her recent article "10 Medical Myths We Should Stop Believing. Doctors, Too" scores only 9/10. Ms. Kolata used a study that concluded that Advil and Tylenol are as effective as Vicodin or Percocet in treating acute pain. But the study itself is a myth.

Disease X -- a yet unseen deadly infectious disease with an epidemic potential for which no countermeasures exist --  has recently been added to WHO's Blueprint list of priority diseases of concern to public health. While we don’t know what Disease X might be, it reflects the fact that a future pandemic threat may be unexpected.

Opioid hysteria is not confined to the U.S. or Canada. A British group writing for the BBC manages to get all the usual stuff -- and then some -- wrong. So here's a deal: We keep baseball, they keep cricket, and we both stop writing idiotic, misleading papers on the phony "opioid crisis." Jolly good idea if you ask us!

Can a predictive algorithm or electronic messaging improve outcomes for patients with acute kidney injuries? Potentially, yes. But practically, not yet.

Just like airplanes, surgeons' on-time performance can improve patient outcomes. Can scheduling by algorithm make the operating room more efficient?

This issue is a flashpoint today in America, and these shootings are frequently reported with benchmarks demonstrating disparity. But which benchmarks are the most valid? And are they the best -- or only -- way to characterize the problem? A new study takes a different approach.

Expert societies, especially the infectious disease pharmacists, should consider making recommendations regarding off-label use of antibiotics. These recommendations should be based on clinical, microbiological, and pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic data. 

Older people often take many supplements, including ones purported to help with brain health. A recent study says the supplements do not work.

All the tricks pulled by anti-science activists should be permanently relegated to the make-believe haunted house. Meanwhile, ACSH is here to provide a pro-science treat. Here's where we appeared in recent days.

Why do microbes kill some people but not others? This is one of the hardest questions to answer in medical microbiology. Here's what we know about the senator's tragic death from the rare tickborne virus.

ACSH advisor Dr. Wolfgang Vogel was not pleased about how the 1998 settlement money between the tobacco industry and state governments was spent. Little of the $246 billion actually went to smoking cessation programs. Will we see the same irresponsible use of funds obtained from lawsuits against opioid makers?

We're now nearly two years into taxing sugar-sweetened beverages. The current data on individual household purchases shows that these taxes are slimming wallets more than waistlines. And of the four cities considered, only Philadelphia showed a persistent decline in consumption, reaping all the "benefit."

Some chemicals are so dangerous that even experienced chemists hate to use them. Here's a real doozy. Diazomethane is an explosive, highly toxic gas, which is a carcinogen. It is made from another toxic carcinogen and the chemical that makes Drano work. Aside from that, it's just fine.

A new study shows that when we mentally tally expert opinions, we treat numeric predictions differently than those predicted by words. One of those expressions moves us towards a more extreme prediction offered by experts.

The tragic accident, when a restaurant manager in Massachusetts died, was the result of a simple chemical reaction called neutralization. That's when an acid and a base are combined. Unfortunately in this case, the base was sodium hypochlorite, or bleach. When bleach is acidified, deadly chlorine is released. It's a terrible shame this young manager wasn't aware of this fatal combination. So you can stay safe, here's what to look out for.

Responding to the urgent, ongoing need for essential and accurate information to counter the harm caused by years of medically and scientifically flawed opioid policies, ACSH is adding two world-class experts in this field – Jeffrey A. Singer, MD, and Danial Laird, MD, JD – to its Board of Scientific Advisors. In addition, Henry Miller, MS, MD, a staunch and influential supporter of patient rights, is returning to the advisory board.

The Lancet has decided that being culturally "woke" is more important than presenting evidence-based reports and opinions.

Antibiotic resistance is spotty. If you are hospitalized in New York and you acquire a Gram-negative infection in the hospital, there is a reasonable chance it will be caused by a highly resistant pathogen. If you go to a hospital in New Hampshire or Vermont, there is almost no chance for that to happen. ACSH advisor Dr. David Shlaes explains.

Parents and children reading together - the idea may conjure up images of a child safely snuggled in bed sharing a quiet moment with Mom or Dad. But when the book is an e-reader, a new study suggests the scene is more reminiscent of two kids fighting over who gets the remote control.

The denial of prescription analgesic medication to chronic pain patients has caused unnecessary suffering. But it has also driven up the suicide rate, trapping those who cannot bear to live without the drugs that have kept them functioning for years. ACSH advisor Red Lawhern, Ph.D., discusses the tragedy of intolerable pain.

In a press release, the American Heart Association sensationalized research presented at its meeting, then included a disclaimer that the research may not be accurate. And the association doesn't necessarily endorse it. And then the Surgeon General posted it on Twitter.

Prince Andrew, who currently occupies the hot seat for at least two dubious associations, sheds some light on a relatively unknown disease: anhidrosis, the inability to sweat. Let's take a look at that physical condition. (Whether you believe him is another story.)

Two Arkansas professors were recently charged with making methamphetamine. But the chemical that police found was a simple reagent called benzyl chloride. Are these guys guilty? It all depends on the chemistry.

CVS just sent out a mass email patting itself on the back because the pharmacy chain no longer sells cigarettes. That's fine and good. But here's some of the other junk they sell.