Search results

Some thoughts on the "debate" between Drs. Jeff Singer and Ardianne Fugh-Berman. Such as it was. The video is now available. Have a strong stomach.

Death seems like it would be a pretty discrete data point with little ambiguity. After all, you either are or are not dead. But as it does so often, the meaning of death in health research is more complex than that simple binary choice. A new study of death and dying in Denmark provides food for thought about how best to use that discrete endpoint to better understand the care we provide.

The activist group Slow Food recently published a listicle warning consumers about the dangers of pesticides. Let's see if their top-10 list stands up to scrutiny.

There's been a lot of news, some of it fear-mongering, about Pfizer's Covid drug Paxlovid. Some people are having their symptoms return after completing the five-day course. Does that mean there is something wrong with the drug, or it's simply a property of the virus? Drs. Henry Miller and Josh Bloom try to provide an answer in Issues & Insights.

What meditation can teach us about listening to others?
It is time to BBQ – a chemistry lesson you can eat
Does science uncover new “truths” or continue to enslave the “already exploited?”
AARP’s conflicted interests

A new mathematical exercise suggests that if we stop eating beef and simply substitute beans, we can reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 75%. The math is good. But the assumptions? Not so much.

Vaccination protocols have been set by age, but age-specific efficacies are not well established. Age is by far the most important determinant of mortality rate; the probability of death increases exponentially with age for major causes of death, including COVID. Here we examine relationships between mortality rates, age, and vaccination coverage for the original series and booster shots as they changed during the pandemic.[1]

In episode 7 of the Science Dispatch Podcast, we review New York University's experiment to offer students free medical school, the goal being to push doctors into under-served communities and understaffed specialties. We then tackle a popular nutrition myth: the dementia-fighting benefits of blueberries.

“Modern food production, be it field cultivations of crops or the capture of wild marine species, is a peculiar hybrid dependent on two different kinds of energy. The first and most obvious is the Sun. But we also need the now indispensable input of fossil fuels and the electricity produced and generated by humans.”

Two thousand people a week are dying from (almost entirely) illegal street drugs. While at the same time prescriptions for legal pain medications have been cut by half in the past decade. The FDA’s solution? Postage-paid envelopes for people to return the extra pills they don't have. It's almost funny. Just don't laugh until it hurts.

A trailer for the American Council on Science and Health's Big Fears Little Risks documentary

The U.S. National Organic Program (NOP) was established in 1990 as part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The mission of AMS is to administer programs that “create domestic and international marketing opportunities for U.S. producers of food, fiber, and ‘specialty crops.’” Organic is one such specialty crop. Many U.S. consumers swear by organic foods but are unaware of the history, principles, and regulations behind the NOP.  Read on if you dare to know more.

Fox News claims Americans are obese primarily because they eat too many carbs. The science behind this idea is still not compelling.

On Episode 6 of the Science Dispatch Podcast, ACSH contributor Susan Goldhaber explains the genetic underpinnings of Alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease affecting some 2.5 million Americans—including Jada Pinkett Smith. Now that Will Smith's so-called "slap heard 'round the world" has faded from the headlines, let's discuss the science behind the infamous Oscar meltdown.
We then examine fiber's exaggerated health benefits and the anti-GMO movement's descent into obscurity.

As with many current problems, the issue of gun control and solutions to gun violence is heavily nuanced and multi-layered. So is the science. Let’s go behind the headlines and take a look.

Most users perceive marijuana as a healthy, natural plant. It's touted as a cure or treatment for pain, anxiety, seizures, and other various ailments. Yet, much of this is false. Dr. Roneet Lev, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and addiction specialist, tells us about what the pot industry prefers to keep to itself.

As a bipartisan group of Senators seeks a regulatory path away from gun violence, “One proposal being discussed would possibly incentivize states to enact red flag laws on an individual, rather than national, basis. But for some Republicans, red flag laws are already too invasive of a regulation.” [1] Are red flag laws helpful, or more safety theater? A new study provides some useful information. I wonder if the Senators will take “the science” into account?

Trip report: Josh goes into a Manhattan CVS to buy some Tylenol and is horrified by generic drug discrimination. Then he steals a piano.

An immigrants tale of serendipity and finding a vital medication on a distant island
Stupidity is not monolithic; it comes in so many forms. The problem with making something “fool-proof” is that fools are so clever.
Bicyclists killed by autonomous vehicle – what the operator tells us.
What if there is no answer to gun violence?

If you look at Google’s Ngram viewer [1], the word transgender has been used 1285% more in 2019 than the year I graduated from medical school in 1976. Given the multiplicity of articles and arguments on all media platforms, you would think that the transgender community was growing at some quiet but phenomenal rate. I decided to educate myself to fill in the large gaps in my knowledge. Perhaps you are like me and want to have a better understanding. Here is what I have learned from medicine’s scientific literature.

Federal regulators and anti-tobacco campaigners are on the warpath against flavored vaping products. Though alcohol and marijuana use are more common (and more harmful) teenage vices, there seems to be little interest in restricting access to these products.

In April, the EPA published its draft Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde (inhalation), a 192-page document. The publication of this document raises issues that go far beyond the health effects of formaldehyde, issues concerning science, policy, the role of our scientific agencies, and the potential overreach of government regulatory authority.  

On Episode 5 of the Science Dispatch Podcast, ACSH contributor Dr. Barbara Billauer recounts the tragic story of the "Radium Girls," a cohort of young women who were gradually sickened and killed by occupational radium exposure in the early 20th century. Subsequent research has shown that their employers knew the girls were at risk, but denied culpability and continuously assured them that all was well.
These shocking developments changed the way we view occupational health and safety—providing the foundation for current radiation exposure standards.

Everyone I know is against STDs (Sexually transmitted diseases). I haven’t heard anyone say the solution is to ban sex. Instead, most health specialists advocate “safe sex.” When it comes to guns, however, this rationality is lost. We’re either categorically in favor or against, with some focusing on gun safety. So, how would you make a safer gun?

Barry Bonds has an asterisk next to his name because he used muscle-enhancing steroids. President Clinton earned an asterisk because he used another human as a humidor. Will Smith applied for his when he slapped Chris Rock. An asterisk after your name signifies some notable exception, usually bad. I have questions.