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To the Editor:
Sen. Breaux makes some cogent points concerning America's looming energy crisis (Op-ed, Jan. 18). It is unfortunate, however, that he neglects to mention one energy source which would fulfill his criteria of environmental preservation, high efficiency, and domestic sources to reduce our dependence on foreign cartels: nuclear power.

For the past few decades, Americans have been manifesting a chronic condition best described as "chemicalphobia."
All around us, ads brag that products are "100% natural" or "organic" or chemical free." Many consumers think that "chemical" is the opposite of "natural" and the opposite of "good." Viewed in this context, the 100-percent natural Holiday Dinner Menu that the American Council on Science and Health publishes each year comes as quite an eye-opener.

See also http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/442554

A recent survey of 225 leading general internists ranked the top ten medical innovations of the past twenty-five years, and four out of the top eight innovations were medications used to treat chronic and life-threatening diseases (per Fuchs in Health Affairs, Sept./Oct. 2001). While much of the current health care dialogue revolves around the high cost of prescription drugs, this report underscores the benefits of an innovative, research-oriented pharmaceutical industry and how their products have improved the lives of all Americans.

Water is necessary to prevent overheating of the body; for fecal, urinary, and perspiratory excretion; and for bodily chemical reactions of numerous kinds. Environmental and physiologic conditions can greatly affect how much water the body loses. For example, in residents of hot climates, perspiratory water losses generally are much more than in residents of temperate regions. Exercising increases such water losses. So does fever.

To the Editor:
Vaccinations against influenza the "flu shot" should indeed be encouraged by our public health officials, but not merely to allay fears concerning confusion with anthrax symptoms ("Flu Shots Won't Alleviate Worries...", Nov. 1).
Influenza, a largely preventable disease, continues to kill over 20,000 Americans each year, despite the availability of an effective vaccine. Yet, between one-third and one-half of those who would most benefit, such as the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases, remain unprotected.

To the Editor:
In regard to Dr. Scott Gottlieb's Oct. 19th editorial-page piece "Ammo for the War on Germs" some of his ideas are misleading:

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) has found that, as a group, consumer-oriented and homemaking magazines outrank other types in the quality of their nutrition reporting. The eighth ACSH survey of nutrition reporting by popular magazines ranked 14 of 20 surveyed magazines as "excellent" or "good" sources of nutrition information.

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), applauded President George W. Bush for nominating Dr. Elsa Murano for the office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA'S) Undersecretary for Food Safety.
Dr. Murano is the director of the Center for Food Safety at Texas A&M University. Her research on food safety has included studies of a variety of disease-causing organisms, including E. coli O157: H7. She is a recognized expert on the use of irradiation to improve the safety of foods, and has edited and authored books on that topic.

Something in the water, The neighbors all lament. Can't trust the companies, Can't trust government.
But we know, you know, they know, Though science can't say why we're sick, We'll ferret out the truth This isn't just some lawyer's trick.
Hired that lawyer who wrote A Civil Action, Played in the film by John Travolta. Without him digging up the truth, You think the companies would've told ya?

According to O'Dwyer's PR Daily, former Greenpeace UK head Peter Melchett has been hired by the PR firm Burson-Marsteller which represents, among other companies, Monsanto, a prominent maker of genetically-modified foods, which Greenpeace regards as evil. The PR firm helps companies sound eco-friendly and socially responsible.
The report says that an internal Greenpeace memo reassures members that Melchett will still tell companies to "go organic" and that he will never help "bad companies avoid the likes of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth."

It is difficult to enter any local drug store or grocery and not be intrigued by the nutrition bar aisle. Who wouldn't be tempted by such claims as, "PowerBar Harvest, a great way to kick start your day with the natural energy and nutrition that powers world class athletes"? Others are targeted more towards female consumers, ones looking to celebrate life with every bite: "OASIS is the new nutrition bar from BALANCE, designed uniquely for women.

The Oscar nominees were announced this month. One of the films up for Best Picture deserves some credit for acknowledging the complicated costs and benefits of going off one's medication: A Beautiful Mind. Another is perhaps the best depiction one could hope for of a mythic, pre-scientific past in which no one has to worry about such decisions and magical healing methods abound: Fellowship of the Ring, the first movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Americans are terrified of even tiny amounts of toxic substances, but apparently they'll make an exception if, say, injecting the toxin that causes botulism into their faces helps fight wrinkles.

Currently the media is covering two "safer tobacco stories," one dealing with the claim by Vector Tobacco that its Omni cigarette is "the first reduced carcinogen cigarette" (a topic addressed on HealthFactsAndFears.com last week), the other dealing with claims that chaw use is safer than cigarette smoking. Indeed, U.S. Tobacco, the maker of the chewing tobaccos Skoal and Copenhagen, is currently asking the Federal Trade Commission for permission to advertise that its products could be a safer way to consume tobacco than cigarettes.

Don't women have enough to worry about? Breast cancer is scary enough without all the recent confusion about mammography. That's the sad but true state of the science today, and science simply refuses to be rushed, hyped, or intimidated by doctors, pressure groups, or even the government.

Defenders of cloning are up against fears that are more deeply rooted than anything born of modern science or politics, I suspect. This worries me, since I've written in defense of therapeutic cloning and, away from my official ACSH duties, have helped organize a petition protesting the ban on cloning that is being considered by Congress.

Statistics can easily be manipulated to yield a desired message, and they often are, concludes Matthew Robinson in Mobocracy: How the Media's Obsession with Polling Twists the News, Alters Elections, and Undermines Democracy. Though Robinson is mainly interested in politics and elections, his conclusions have especially dire implications for issues of public health. It's an important reminder that the conventional wisdom isn't so wise.

Consumers today are inundated with ads for so-called "functional foods" that will supposedly improve their health. But scientists and physicians associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) find that many of the supposed health benefits of these foods are not backed by substantial scientific information.

It is with deep and profound sorrow that the American Council on Science and Health announces the death of its Director and Co-Founder, Dr. Fredrick J. Stare on April 4, 2002.
Born in 1910, Dr. Stare was one of the nation's foremost and leading nutritionists, who contributed much to the field of nutrition during his lifetime. Besides founding, and for many years chairing the Department of Nutrition in the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Stare was extremely active in providing sound, scientifically-based nutrition information for the public.

As noted by reader Meredith Kapushion, PETA, an animal rights organization opposed to hunting and the use of animals in medical experiments, is now suing New Jersey for having too many deer calling the burgeoning deer population a threat to "public safety," in large part because a deer wrecked PETA's Honda Civic. Here is an excerpt from the group's letter to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, threatening to sue for over $6,000 in damages:

A couple of weeks ago, we alerted our readers to a recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association underlining the potential problems of unsupervised use of herbal and other dietary supplements. We noted that at least some of these products could potentially interact with prescription and other pharmaceuticals with unforeseen adverse effects on consumers. In addition, the products themselves are not closely regulated in this country, and safe or effective dosages are not necessarily known.

Only about one-third of women know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, according to an AHA-sponsored survey in 2000, while almost two-thirds of female respondents thought cancer was their chief health threat. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) kills nearly half a million women each year, with over 240,000 women dying of heart attacks, twice the number of all female cancer deaths combined.

Hey, look! The secret to happy parenting has been known since the 1950s. Smoking may be very bad for Mom and Junior's lungs, but it can do wonders for alleviating stress in their relationship...
Responses:
April 5, 2002