One of the many medical myths that we are bombarded with is the idea of "chronic Lyme disease." Lyme is real and can be serious if not treated. But attempts to "cure" chronic Lyme can be dangerous or even deadly, especially when long courses of antibiotics are given. Here's the latest on this from the CDC.
Search
John Mackey of Whole Foods, which sells products at a 45% markup over other stores by claiming that its food is cleaner and healthier and holier, is adorably complaining about investor greed and propaganda.
Surgical techniques and medical care does change with the generations. How is a surgeon suppose to keep up? Can you teach an old-doc-dog a new trick or two?
When it comes to coconut oil, the greasy stuff is best used on your skin, not melted in a pan meant for eating. The 100% fat in this oil isn't healthier than olive oil, or any other cooking oil. Has mainstream media finally caught on?
Pregnancy means letting go of some of your favorite things — temporarily. As she wraps up her fifth month of pregnancy, here's what ACSH's Ana Dolaskie says she misses most. Hint: It rhymes with "shmeer."
You may have met someone – a child or adult – who was instantly friendly and inquisitive. But soon after, you felt this extrovert's interaction may have crossed normal social boundaries. It's possible you spoke with someone afflicted with Williams syndrome, a behavioral disorder that can produce both joyful and heartbreaking results.
Just because a current smoker first started with e-cigarettes does not mean that e-cigarettes caused that person to smoke. It's probably true that teenage tobacco users also consume alcohol and caffeine. According to the CDC's faulty logic, therefore, we could also conclude that beer and soda are gateway drugs.
Recently, a crazy story went viral, which called into question the media's ability to separate fact from fiction. When confronted with claims that some folks don't eat, but sustain themselves on the energy of the universe, some in the media failed to challenge this nonsense. Letting this slide can produce dangerous consequences for those who fall for it.
In what can be considered nothing short of a scientific quantum leap, it's been discovered that when you add hot water to wax it melts. Who knew? But a cadre of internet idiots would have you believe that the viral video of boiling water being poured onto an apple is evidence of toxic pesticides being released from the fruit rather than plain old melting wax. D.U.H.
When the anti-gluten craze dies down, there's another just waiting in the wings — the anti-lectin craze. According to food guru Steven Gundry, lectins are mostly what ails us. Unfortunately, they're in supposedly healthful foods such as beans, nuts and legumes. So what's a person supposed to eat?
It's one thing to read countless stories about pain patients being subjected to indescribable suffering, thanks to a thoroughly misguided, foolish CDC attempt to "address" the opioid overdose epidemic. It's quite another to actually speak with one of them, whose story is haunting and profoundly upsetting.
Recognizing the highly integrated nature of patient sharing between institutions, the Centers for Disease Control rightly aims to make a dent in healthcare-associated infection deaths by using a regional, nuanced approach. Thank you.
Sulphoraphane, found in broccoli and other vegetables of that group, has been touted as an anti-oxidant for years – but without much evidence that it has a real beneficial health effect. However, recent research suggests that it might actually be useful to help people with type 2 diabetes maintain normal levels of blood glucose.
1. Friday was the premiere of "Food Evolution", a documentary about the many beneficial advances in agricultural science we have had, in New York City and Los Angeles. I had seen it before, two weeks ago, at the University of Guelph when they flew me in to give a talk. Guelph is an agriculture town, everyone knows a scientist or a farmer, they see the benefits of science and farming, and I wanted to see how that compared to New York City, where anti-science beliefs about food are the norm.
Over time, wealth makes people desire a clean environment. That’s why environmentalists, if they are to be successful, must be pro-human at heart.
Could it be that the Mediterranean Diet works best for those individuals raised or genetically associated with the Mediterranean? Put another way,are traditional diets, the ones consumed by our genetic ancestors keep us healthier?
Whether you're a journalist, scientist, or layperson, the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid) appears to be an effective strategy for getting your message across.
With a Prop 65 warning on glyphosate, environmentalists outmaneuvered the science community once again.
Sunburn is not only painful, but can be a precursor to skin cancer, and thus is to be avoided as much as possible. But if you're unable to avoid too much exposure, a preliminary study suggests that vitamin D just might be able to help.
Studying how cells heal themselves potentially has a wide application in medical research. And for the last 100 years slicing a single cell into two equal parts has only been done by hand. But a young, observant scientist and her fellow Stanford University researchers have just developed a method that's 200 times faster than the current process.
"The Little Black Book of Junk Science is just what it sounds like," says Dr. Alex Berezow, Senior Fellow in Biomedical Science for the Council and author of the work. "Everyone talks about fake news but it is a little harder to know what junk science is if you are not an expert. This book is a pocket-sized reference that will allow the public to do just that. Family barbecues will never be the same!"
Preservatives help keep our food supply safe and reduce food waste. Apparently, Panera Bread is unaware of this.
Any donor may request our latest publication free of charge, and everyone at the event got a copy. If you prefer to avoid paper, it's available as a PDF inside this article. Along with national coverage, the news was carried by regional papers from Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Salt Lake Tribune to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Buffalo News.
Good news: more of us are walking than we were even 10 years ago, and over 60 percent of both adult men and women report regular walking. That still leaves us with a large proportion of couch potatoes; certain demographic groups do lag behind. Perhaps the message that needs better targeting: even moderate activity can be beneficial.
An abundance of caution; we have all heard the phrase. And in what situations does that apply? For the most part, situations where there's a remote chance of a catastrophic outcome that puts its thumb on the scale.
Pagination
ACSH relies on donors like you. If you enjoy our work, please contribute.
Make your tax-deductible gift today!