The satire program "The Daily Show" hosted by comedian Jon Stewart recently turned its laser beam of humor on people who were critical of First Lady Michelle Obama idealizing her gardener. Ironically, they make the case nicely while hoping to defend her.
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The new strain of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, has officially made an appearance in all fifty of the United States, but the more immediate concern is the rapidly inflating number of cases in southern hemisphere countries where the winter flu season is setting in. Australia and Chile are both posting record numbers of flu cases that may prompt a response from the World Health Organization.
Researchers in Colombia have reported that the Gardasil vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) may be effective for women between the ages of twenty-six and forty-five. The FDA has not approved the vaccination of women over twenty-six, nor is the practice addressed in CDC guidelines.
Those who follow our work are well aware that ACSH experts have been dreading the imminent approval of a bill in the Senate which would establish FDA regulation of tobacco products. The bill is a result of an unfortunate effort by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids conspiring with Phillip Morris/Altria to "regulate" tobacco.
The ACSH staff would like to offer a seat at the breakfast table to Peggy Northrop, editor in chief of Reader s Digest, for her refreshing interview with Dr. Manny Alvarez on yesterday s edition of Fox s Health Talk.
Senators Max Baucus and Charles Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee have proposed an excise tax on sugar-filled drinks as an initiative to curb childhood obesity, and flavored milk has been caught in the crossfire.
When most people hear about this idea they only think of sugared sodas, so it seems plausible, says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. But having the tax extended to include chocolate milk is undesirable collateral damage.
Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the new FDA commissioner, has eagerly joined the debate on how to correct food safety problems. Food safety legislation is something we ve been following closely, says ACSH s Jeff Stier, and there s no doubt that the country needs improvement in food safety. The question is: how do we do it? Some of the proposed provisions are problematic.
Dr. Anne Hoch of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee reported on a study of ballerinas that indicated they are especially vulnerable to the female athlete tetrad, a medical syndrome involving combinations of premature heart disease, osteoporosis, disordered eating, and menstrual dysfunction.
The Endocrine Society is calling for the reduced use of bisphenol-A, a chemical used to harden plastics that is frequently and erroneously accused of disrupting hormones. ACSH staffers agree with rigorous FDA studies that BPA poses no risk to humans in low doses.
In this case the endocrine society is completely wrong, says ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross. They re making a scientifically illegitimate statement, and it s profoundly disappointing. This is a poorly disguised restatement of the low-dose phenomenon, which has been repeatedly discredited as a threat to humans.
As noted in an article featuring ACSH Advisor Dr. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch, research into the efficacy of alternative medicine has run up a government tab of $2.5 billion over ten years and returned predictably dismal results. You expect scientific thinking [at a federal science agency], said R. Barker Bausell, author of Snake Oil Science and a research methods expert at the University of Maryland. It's become politically correct to investigate nonsense.
The moment that ACSH staffers have been dreading has finally arrived. The U.S. Senate approved the bill granting regulatory authority of tobacco to the FDA. Senate majority leader Dick Durbin was among those congratulating themselves, claiming, The tobacco companies' days of peddling one of the most deadly products in the world have finally come to an end. ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross is incredulous.
For almost 100 years, industry has been a powerful motivating force in the creation of new technology and the underwriting of scientific research. But in the last two decades, there has been a campaign to decry industry funding, claiming that such funding is tainting research.
It is not who funds the research; it is the quality of the research that counts. This rush to judgment against industry-funded science is problematic.
ACSH staffers are generally disinclined to dignify frivolous Internet gossip with recognition, but in the case of a natural cosmetics peddler s recent blog post attacking synthetic chemicals in cosmetics, which has been getting some undeserved attention, we figured we d point a few things out before it gets out of hand. This shouldn t be too surprising. She s a salesperson for natural cosmetics, so she has to spread rumors to sell her products, says ACSH s Jeff Stier.
ACSH staffers are encouraged by some letters published in the New York Times in response to its coverage of the proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Those who make the case against the tax are succinct, right to the point, and they can tell that this is a bad idea, says ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
The letters are very much on target, adds ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross. They make the case that there are better ways to ensure the health of our children, including accurate nutrition education and well-funded physical education programs in schools.
CNN notes that fewer teens are smoking and correlates that to fewer smokers in movies. But it's the American Council on Science and Health that made smoking uncool.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/03/health.smoking.movies/?source=acsh…
The premier food nannies, those folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), are at it again. Not content with disparaging all foods and beverages they don’t like, they’re now agitating to reverse a rule by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to “prevent states from using federal nutrition education funds to discourage soda consumption.” According to their legal affairs director, Bruce Silverglade, such beverages are “the only food or beverage directly linked to obesity.” Well, I doubt it.
Diet, exercise, and eat right. This is the guiding tenet by which many health-conscious people live and one of the driving forces behind the popularity of functional foods. Despite their immense popularity, there is no universally accepted definition of functional foods.
One day after the phase six pandemic alarm bells were sounded, Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis AG reports that it has successfully produced a first batch of swine flu vaccine using cells rather than eggs. We should be proud of these people, says ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. They re using new technology, and they re helping people. It s the first good news we ve heard about this whole ordeal.
The following letter first appeared on July 21, 2009 in Annals of Internal Medicine:
To the Editor:
If you're the kind of person who likes a good conspiracy theory, the summer's latest box-office horror flick should suit you well. Food, Inc. is a documentary by Robert Kenner featuring a diverse cast of earnest, hardworking Americans who want to help you lose weight -- without the hassle of regular exercise or personal responsibility.
The antagonist? Faceless corporations, of course, and you'll be amazed by the drastic lengths they go to in order to ensure that Americans stay fat and sick.
ACSH staffers are doubly impressed with the FDA today. Regulators have advised parents to continue medicating their children for ADHD despite the risk of sudden death suggested by a study that used questionable methods.
This is a legitimate benefit-risk analysis by the FDA, says ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross. The study [to which they are reacting] used dubious methods and argued from inconclusive data. The FDA should be applauded for saying that this is not a cause and effect study and parents should not change their children s drug regimen.
Brazilian scientists reported on Tuesday that they have identified a new strain of the H1N1 virus after examining samples from a patient in Sao Paulo. It is not yet determined if the mutated form is more virulent.
On Tuesday, the EPA proposed a $36 million plan to cap a deposit of the pesticide DDT on the ocean floor off the coast of Southern California by covering the seventeen-square-mile area declared a Superfund site in 1996 with sand and silt. According to Mark Gold, executive director of the watchdog group Heal the Bay, the cap won't clean the site, but it could reduce the health risks for people who eat fish caught off the Palos Verdes coast.
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