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The New York Times devoted nearly a full page in the business section to “emissions.” Emissions of what? Presumably, CO2, which was not explicitly mentioned, nor were methane, black carbon, or other greenhouse agents. The U.S. has focused – even obsessed – on CO2, and we act as if the nation was the chief player on the planet. That makes us feel good and even self-satisfied in assuming that our diligence is helping to save the planet. But is it?

Hospitals and health systems are not immune from concerns about their environmental impact. Most studies surround the discharge of anesthetic gases or single-use plastics. A new study provides different concerns.

The British broadcaster has become part of a cynical anti-science collaboration.

Local surveillance of COVID-19 in wastewater (WW) is widespread and reported by the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS). We previously used NWSS data to examine national trends and relationships in attempts at wastewater epidemiology (WWE). Now, we consider the consistency of geographic trends at scales ranging from local treatment plants in the five boroughs of New York City to statewide coverage.

Spy vs. Spy
The real Uncle Tom
Education
File this under unintended consequences of regulations

A new study suggests that the antiviral Molnupiravir may “paradoxically” be driving COVID-19 mutations, creating variants of concern. What is going on? It is all about molnupiravir’s mode of action and evolution.

The EU is about to ban the sale of body fluids, including breast milk, sperm, blood, and other “substances of human origin” (SoHO). Some argue this will decrease supply. Others claim the regulation protects human dignity. Who’s right? And how do we decide?

If it were April 1st, you'd probably treat the concept of "Vegan Tylenol" as a practical joke. But it's September, and a company is actually selling the stuff.

Science skepticism – my how it has changed over the past few decades.

On May 25, 2023, merely six weeks before the Wuhan Biosafety lab lost its NIH funding amid the controversy of possible lab leaks and connection with COVID-19, the U.S. proudly opened the doors of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), the 14th biosafety level-4 lab in the nation. It was also the first here capable of handling large animals. What is going on?

Evidence suggests that Tylenol isn't an effective pain reliever in many cases, so why do doctors rely on it post-surgery? When it comes to treating and discussing COVID-19, do doctors have the right to speak freely, even when they dissent from accepted medical wisdom?

A new JAMA Open Network paper concludes that Paxlovid is effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients who have been vaccinated or have acquired immunity from previous infections. And a look back at how the drug works its "magic."

Exactly 10 years ago -December 2, 2013 - my first-ever published opinion piece about the erosion of pain control appeared in The New York Post. It was titled "New painful casualties of the drug war" and was written three years before the CDC's formal declaration of war on pain patients. It is frightening to look back a decade and see how much of this has come true. Plus much worse. Here is the article from the Post opinion page.

The media reports that colchicine, a very old drug, has now been discovered to reduce the risk of recurrent heart disease and has a new FDA indication. Of course, the “discovery” has taken 10 years, and the data for the FDA approval is from 2020. Just how helpful will colchicine be to you and me?

In the past week, two Senators questioned a planned study by the FDA on long-acting opioids. They write, “This study is intended to specifically look at the use of EERWs [enrichment enrollment randomized withdrawal] to approve new opioids.” That is not all they got wrong.

Flu is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality every year. Flu vaccines are safe and effective, but far too many Americans decide to forgo them. The result is preventable illnesses and deaths. We must do better at encouraging flu vaccination.

The paternalistic model of the relationship between physician and patient is so done. The new relationship is supposed to be an exchange between almost peers – between you, formerly patients, now consumers, and us, formerly physicians, now providers. But is that really the case?

“Oregonians voted in November 2020 to stop incarcerating people for using drugs unapproved by the federal government and instead direct resources to harm reduction programs. The pandemic got in the way. Now, while this project is still in its infancy, a group of Oregonians wants to replace something that hasn’t had a chance to work with something that we KNOW hasn’t and won’t work.”

Now that prospective parents have the option to genetically design their kids (at least to a point), what does this mean to society in terms of other responsibilities involved in child-making?

The Washington Post and an investigative journalism outlet called The Examination have partnered to investigate nutrition influencers on social media. Their investigation is ongoing, so we can expect more from them. While I think this work is important, I believe some red flags in this investigation are worthy of discussion.

Could the news on the environment get any worse? Every day, we are inundated by stories about extreme weather events, including floods, hurricanes, extreme heat, a global water crisis due to severe droughts, and a food crisis resulting from declining land suitable for agriculture. But there is some good news to report. Innovation is driving solutions to many of these problems. Perhaps the situation is not as dire as the news reports.

The honest answer to our shortage of primary care physicians
Musical scoring of Indiana Jones
Are our perceptions top-down or bottom-up?
Rules for Readers

As if fentanyl isn't bad enough, a series of opioid receptor agonists called nitazines is making its way into the street drug supply. But is this because the chemicals used to make fentanyl are now more difficult to obtain? It's certainly possible, if not likely. Organic chemists are nothing if not versatile.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a physician was charged with manslaughter for administering morphine and a sedative to patients who couldn't leave the hospital during the disaster. Was she alleviating their pain and anxiety or trying to kill them? Meanwhile, many news outlets are paid to slant their science coverage. How did that happen, and what do we do about it?

I was always an early riser, but having to be at the hospital by 5 or so AM refined that predisposition. A new study of sleep shows that when we go to bed, how long it takes to fall asleep, and countless other measures of our biological need to sleep are part genetic and part cultural.