Search results

It’s been 50 years since cleaning up the air in the United States began in earnest. Skies are much clearer now than in the mid-20th century. Leaded gasoline is gone, power plants have been abandoning coal and sulfur dioxide has dropped by 91%. Despite these growing improvements, why have epidemiologists been unable to show the demonstrable public health benefits that their computer models predict? 

For a health issue, who doesn’t love a good screening test? Some love them, either assuring or sending them to find the underlying problem. Physicians have more of a love-hate relationship. But the quiet truth is that few screening tests for general populations, in terms of reducing mortality, are productive.

Innovation is built upon an ecosystem that takes decades to mature. Yet, China has already made substantial advances in computer science, chemistry, engineering, and robotics -- all of which pose a direct challenge to U.S. technological supremacy. However, the U.S. will remain dominant and largely unchallenged in biotech and medicine for the foreseeable future.

There is a naturally-occurring chemical called skatole. Its claim to fame is that it is named after, and smells like, fecal matter. It's "synthetic" but also "man-made" and there's a revolting distinction in this case. It's also an additive used in cigarettes and strawberry ice cream (??). Do your "duty" and read this article.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that men and women have significant differences in their physiology, and subsequent manifestation of disease phenotypes. At the same time, scientists increasingly view physiology as it changes, rather than as static points in time. Those trends come together in a new paper in JAMA Cardiology, which looks at the most ubiquitous of cardiovascular diseases: high blood pressure.

Dr. Jeffrey Singer takes issue with a Cincinnati Enquirer article touting a recent CDC report of a 30% drop in opioid prescriptions in 2016-17, compared to 2010-11. Our ACSH advisor maintains that the restriction of the drugs has no impact on their misuse, but does force pain patients to use ineffective and dangerous alternatives. In other words, prohibition.

According to the CDC, approximately 26 million Americans smoke tobacco daily. In comparison, 14.6 million smoke marijuana every day. In the headlong green rush for dollars -- it's, after all, a $7 billion market in the U.S. -- no one has been able to answer the question of whether all that pot smoking has any ill effects.

Rarely does a week go by without some rather strange stories emerging about science and medicine. This past week was no exception.

Author Steven Pinker's observation, that the world is less violent now than ever in human history, is probably true.

Heroin is like a box of chocolates. And it wasn't invented in Germany. And it's (technically) harmless. To make sense of all this gibberish you better read the article. A bunch of stuff you might not know about H.

A controversial article on red meat had an unintended consequence: it unmasked the ties between science and industry. Not the meat industry, but the "anti-meat" health-advocacy industry, which reaches into academia and commercial interests. JAMA takes a stance. Good for them, which is good for us.

It's January, with an increase in gym memberships as people vow to get fit; but the fitness craze has its roots at least 100 years ago in Victorian Britain. Did HAL, the super-smart computer in 2001 - A Space Odyssey commit murder? Stories with a kernel of truth and a dash of obfuscation or misdirection make TRUTH somewhat negotiable even in textbooks. Finally, images that capture birds in flight by compressing time.

With vanishingly few exceptions, we do not understand the underlying causes of dementia. A new study adds evidence to the hypothesis that unintended side-effects of anticholinergics may be involved.

Completely banning alcohol would only prevent about 3.5% of cancer deaths. That, of course, means the other 96.5% of fatal cancers are caused by things other than alcohol. Given that cancer is the #2 leading cause of death in America, there's a good chance that you're going to die of cancer no matter what you do. So chill out and have a drink.

In 1997, the BMJ reported that GlaxoSmithKline had withheld data in a clinical trial, specifically, that Paxil was ineffective in adolescents and often caused suicidal thoughts. From the subsequent justifiable uproar rose ClinicalTrials.gov, a registry for clinical trials requiring the posting of their results when the study was completed. A new study shows that this regulation is routinely ignored. And like a labradoodle, is all bark and no bite. 

Poor sleep is almost certainly linked to migraines, despite the findings of a new study suggesting otherwise. Though I'm merely a sample size of n = 1, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy has dramatically decreased the number of morning migraines I experience. As it turns out, the study design has some flaws.

For an operation -- specifically, total knee replacement -- how do we identify when the "Goldilocks moment" arrives? That is, not too early, when there's little benefit to the patient bearing unnecessary risk. Or not too late, when the delay has further limited physical activity, increasing long-term disability and recovery. A new study searches for some answers about how to find the "just right" time. 

KCAL9, the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, invited conspiracy theorist Zen Honeycutt -- an anti-GMO, anti-vaccine, conspiracy-mongering snake oil saleswoman and founder of Moms Across America -- to discuss children's health.

Should you be in the mood to change the color of your pee, this is the article for you. Two drugs and one natural product do the job quite vividly. A colorful chemistry lesson, a party trick, and good bathroom reading!

Bone broth is promoted as a “super-soup," rich in collagen and minerals. But in reality, this eye-watering expensive broth is a poor source of nutrition and it can’t boost your skin or help your joints, as claimed.

Pop Quiz: What's the average body temperature? Answer: 98.6° F (but you probably knew that). But a new study suggests that our new normal is a bit lower: 98.2° F. Why would that be? And does it matter?

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of HHS, just announced an award as much as $285 million to Paratek, a publicly-owned Boston-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on infectious disease research, to develop a new antibiotic for anthrax. But, will pull incentives – rewarding companies for the successful development of new antibiotics – be enough to keep large, private companies in the field of antibiotic research? ACSH advisor Dr. David Shlaes explains.

The rate hit an all-time low of 1.73, which is well below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman. Despite this, the nation is projected to add roughly 65 million to the total population over the next 30 to 40 years, representing an increase of about 19 percent.

Here's what we have for you this time: Why Doctors Think They're the Best ... an introduction to the beautiful writing of Robert McFarlane ... a nod to Dr. Aaron Carroll and the fight to debunk bad healthcare claims ... and finally, considering two views of climate change: the "gradualist" and the "catastrophist."

The idea was promoted with much fanfare. And to be honest, it made a lot of sense. For the 5% of patients who are chronically ill, the superusers that use up to 20% of our healthcare resources provide them with the necessary additional support. In the tradeoff, their health will improve, and our costs will decline. With similar coverage, the New England Journal of Medicine says that there was no improvement in outcomes. But there's more to it. Let's take a look.