In a unanimous decision, an FDA panel voted Tuesday to approve the first rapid, over-the-counter HIV test. Already in use in professional health care settings since 2004, the OraQuick HIV test uses a mouth swab and returns results in about 20 minutes. Although the home test has only a 93 percent accuracy rate, the FDA advisory committee determined that the benefits of the at-home test outweigh the risk of false negatives.
Search
Sodas have been taking a big hit in the war on obesity lately. Perhaps, then, it s not too surprising that average soda consumption by Americans is on a slow downward trend: As of last year, the average American drank slightly less than two sodas per day a 16 percent decrease from the peak of soda consumption in 1998.
Nearly 20 years ago, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and former Representative Berkeley Bedell petitioned Congress to create the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM), which was granted an initial $2 million budget in 1992. Seven years later, the OAM was enveloped by the National Institutes of Health and renamed the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). But what exactly does this center, which has spent $1.6 billion since its inception, do?
Elsewhere on the type 2 diabetes research front, a study has emerged that finds a link between consistently skipping breakfast and developing this disease. In the current issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the results of a study that tracked 29,000 men for over 16 years showed that those who consistently skipped breakfast had a 21 percent higher risk of developi
Finally, a government health care policy everyone can get behind: Written prescriptions are going the way of the iron lung. Indecipherable written prescriptions have long been a source of frustration for pharmacists and patients alike. Now, the federal government is taking steps to encourage doctors to prescribe electronically; starting this year, holdouts will see cuts in their Medicare reimbursements.
For the first time in over 20 years, the CDC has redefined the level of concern for lead levels in children's blood.
A new study shows that aspirin may be just as effective as the conventional blood thinner warfarin for heart failure patients when it comes to balancing stroke prevention with adverse effects, particularly bleeding. The finding is important because heart failure (HF) is a common and serious problem affecting millions of Americans, especially among the older population.
New York, NY, May 31, 2012 New York City Mayor Bloomberg s proposed ban on the sale of soda servings and most other sweetened beverages over 16 ounces is the most egregious foray yet in his war on sugary drinks, notes the American Council on Science and Health.
Drs. Elizabeth M. Whelan, Gilbert Ross and George Lundberg on medpagetoday, May 30, 2012
Treating Recalcitrant Nicotine Addiction: the EBM Way
A new report finds that life expectancy in New York City is rising faster than anywhere else in the US, prompting health experts to consider whether the city might serve as an object lesson to public health departments around the country.According to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, Manhattan's life expectancy increased by 10 years between 1987 and 2007, with the other four counties that co
The Vaccines for Children program has been providing free vaccines to children in need for nearly two decades. Unfortunately, a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has found that a significant fraction of providers around the country have been irresponsible when it comes to storing these vaccines.
The effects of chronic sleep debt on a person's general health have become better understood, as research increasingly links inadequate sleep (six hours or fewer a night) with a higher risk of everything from heart attacks to weight gain.
We have, unfortunately, had the occasion to report several times within the past month on the rising rate of diabetes among U.S. kids.
Josh Bloom, Medical Progress Today 6/14/12, "About Face (Eating)"
In 1985 Michael Hovey, an organic chemist at du Pont in Wilmington cooked up a batch of 3-methylfentanyl, an illegal narcotic that is one hundred thousand times stronger than morphine, in his lab, ushering in the modern era of so-called "designer drugs".
Dr. Gilbert Ross in the Financial Post
Junk Science Week: Too much to swallow
Dr. Elizabeth Whelan in the Financial Post
Junk Science Week: Artificial science
EDITOR'S NOTE: We often address light-hearted themes in Friday Dispatch. Today, however, we have the unpleasant task and mission of exposing a very serious issue. In fact, we ve decided to devote today s Dispatch to a single story, that of the unjust termination of Dr. James Enstrom from his research position of 34 years at UCLA, based on independent research that didn t accord with the University s ideological agenda. We think the story s that important.
Beyond just serving as a source of family-friendly entertainment, Mickey Mouse will now be providing kids and parents with information on health and nutrition. Walt Disney Co. announced yesterday that its TV, radio, and website networks will not accept advertisements for foods that do not meet the specific nutritional criteria laid out in the company s new set of guidelines.
A (qualified) shout-out to The New York Times editorial page. ("Is this June 1st or April 1st?" ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross wanted to know.) When we opened the paper today, we were astonished to discover that that the Times editorial writers actually echo our distaste for Mayor Bloomberg's latest hijinks.
In 2009, nearly a quarter of a million Americans underwent gastric bypass surgery, demonstrating the growing popularity of the procedure, especially in the wake of our nation s expanding waistlines. And though some experts argue that the operation does not sustain long-term weight loss, a recent analysis published in the Annals of Surgery found that people who opted for the surgery were actually able to keep their weight off for two years or more.
Yesterday we expressed our amazement that The New York Post would run an editorial supporting Mayor Bloomberg s proposed ban on sugary beverages larger than 16 ounces. Today we were shocked again to see that The Post published a letter to the editor by renowned anti-food industry activist Dr.
A recent study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition had us rolling our eyes at its insistence that women who replaced sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juices with water had a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes. While we suspected the study of being another data dredge of the over 82,000 women in the Harvard School of Public Health s Nurses' Health Study II, we called upon ACSH scientific advisor and statistician Dr.
A Mother s Day garden party at an upstate New York Buddhist monastery took a turn for the worse after 150 attendees fell ill with food poisoning and many had to be hospitalized. And while it seems as though we re always reading about the latest food-borne outbreak (recent stories included listeria-tainted cantaloupe and salmonella-tainted eggs), in reality, the rate of food-borne illness in the U.S. fell by almost 25 percentsince the late 1990s, according to a new report from the CDC.
Last September, we covered the results of a Japanese study that found a link between diabetes and Alzheimer s disease. Now, new research published in the Archives of Neurology provides further evidence that diabetes may indeed lead to a higher risk of and a more rapid decline in cognitive function.
In addition to improving heart health and facilitating weight loss, a new study has added to a body of evidence suggesting that exercise may also help women stave off breast cancer.
Pagination
ACSH relies on donors like you. If you enjoy our work, please contribute.
Make your tax-deductible gift today!