Medical research is by its very nature, unpredictable. But every so often, something really unpredictable comes along, with the potential to provide radically different treatments for diseases or conditions.
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In the wake of a defeated attempt in California to require labeling of genetically engineered foods and ingredients, multiple other states are jumping on that disabled bandwagon. Washington State has such a bill pending, and Vermont’s House voted in favor of a labeling bill earlier this month. Now, the Connecticut Senate has also taken the [...]
The post GMO foolishness spreads to Northeast appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Have you talked about sex lately with your teen? Researchers say it might be a good time to start. The number of teens giving birth has plummeted by 30 percent across the country, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The reason? Some say that it’s better communication with teens. [...]
The post Teen births down 30 percent appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Here at ACSH, we’ve said it numerous times: prolonged sitting isn’t good for the body. As if we needed more proof to get moving, several recent studies point to the health risks of too much sitting. “The chair is out to kill us,” says James Levine, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. [...]
The post Off your rockers: too much sitting is harmful appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
A survey of general practitioners in the UK and Sweden revealed that a sizable fraction of them wrongly believed that it’s the nicotine in cigarette smoke that harms health. The online survey was undertaken by UK tobacco giant BAT, and they got responses from 100 British and 120 Swedish physicians. (The study itself is not [...]
The post What doctors don’t know about nicotine can hurt…you! appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Josh Bloom in Medical Progress Today
The pharmaceutical industry does many wonderful things, yet most people regard it as one step below head lice on the food chain.
This week, Merck, with some questionable help from the FDA, gave more ammunition to industry critics, who typically maintain that the industry contributes little innovation, and is simply concerned with profits.
For years ACSH has been pointing out the limits of animal testing in predicting human disease risk. So we were pleased to see an article in the recent issue of Harvard Magazine –”Mice Aren’t Men,” reporting on a study which asked if the bodies of mice react to disease and trauma in the same way [...]
The post Animal testing predictive of human disease risk? No! appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
This morning’s unanimous Supreme Court decision — which overturned a lower Federal court decision allowing Myriad Genetics’ patent of two human genes — is a groundbreaking moment in the history of biotechnology, and a case that will surely rank among the most noteworthy biomedical decisions of our time. The genes in question are called BRCA-1 [...]
The post The Supreme Court nails it (and Myriad)—No, you cannot patent a gene appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
A large, U.K. government-supported study, The Pesticide Users’ Health Study, 1987-2005 (PUHS) was released this week. This huge evaluation of various health outcomes focused on mortality and cancer incidence data collected from 59,000 male and 4,000 female certified pesticide commercial users over almost two decades. The results, which are sure to come as a welcome [...]
The post For longer life and less cancer: Pesticides!? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) have been a mainstay of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases. Such treatment is not without risk for some sufferers, however, says a new, preliminary study covered by MedPage Today. People with rheumatoid arthritis have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, and NSAIDS have been shown to also [...]
The post Caution advised for NSAID arthritis treatment appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOH) is at it again, seizing any opportunity to promote its obsessive crusade against sugary drinks. Today marks the day when the New York State Appellate Division will take its turn, sizing up the case of the New York City Board of Health — actually [...]
The post Attack on sugary drinks by the NYC Department of Health continues appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
It’s a given that the high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) in diabetes can lead to severe consequences down the road — neuropathy, kidney failure, blindness, and heart disease, for example — but it’s also the case that treating hyperglycemia can be problematic. If treating high blood sugar is too aggressive, it can cause severe [...]
The post Blood sugar: How low should we go? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
The federal government told a judge on Monday it will take steps to comply with orders to make emergency contraception available to anyone, regardless of age. The change of heart will allow for Teva’s Plan B One-Step (levonorgestrel) to be available over the counter immediately after the FDA receives and approves an application by Teva [...]
The post Obama switches to Plan B in contraception battle appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Did the pharmaceutical industry paint itself into a corner this time? Maybe yes. According to an article that appeared in FiercePharma, one of the premier websites covering the drug industry, the recent, radical change in the strategy of the drug industry—out of traditional disease areas and into oncology—may have backfired. A record 11 oncology drugs [...]
The post Expensive, but modestly useful new cancer drugs: What to do? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Organic foods benefit from what’s known as a “halo” effect. People believe that because they are not produced with synthetic pesticides they are more healthful. As a result, they also gain the misguided reputation of being safer. That this is not true is obvious from a recent lawsuit in California. Lynda Brackenridge is suing Costco [...]
The post Hepatitis A outbreak: Was it the (organic) berries? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
In an effort to increase rates of flu vaccination among elementary school age children, researchers from the UC Davis Health System, the Monroe County, NY Department of Public Health, the University of Rochester Medical Center and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the key may be offering the flu vaccination at [...]
The post A convenient way to vaccinate more kids against the flu, and save more lives appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Because intensive control of blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes can have negative side effects — such as repeated bouts of low-blood sugar (hypoglycemia) — it is important to evaluate whether such tight control is worth the risk. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) was a major clinical study conducted over a period [...]
The post Strict glycemic control has long-term benefits in type 1 diabetes appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Yesterday’s Sunday Times column by former chief food critic Frank Bruni discusses, somewhat ruefully, the accelerating trend toward posting calorie counts more or less everywhere food can be purchased. (This “trend” will be accelerated when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented, maybe next year, requiring chains of 20 or more locales to post the [...]
The post The Times’ Frank Bruni on calorie counts appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Grist writer Nathaniel Johnson, who is as close to an impartial journalist as Grist has, still knows that he has to cater to their crowd, and that means anyone who accepts that a pesticide is safe - the EPA, American Council on Science and Health, all of science - must have been paid off.
A healthy lifestyle focused on a balanced diet and exercise may help those with type 2 diabetes keep their cholesterol and blood glucose at bay, but ultimately, it won’t protect them from heart problems, according to a new study. The trial was halted in September after data showed that lifestyle intervention in patients with type [...]
The post Lifestyle changes not enough to tame heart problems in type 2 diabetics appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
It is both informative and inspiring to take note of the 180-degree change in the nature of the global AIDS epidemic from time to time. Today’s news provides a fine opportunity to do just that. Once written off as hopeless, Africa has witnessed some remarkable changes in the management of HIV over the past decade.
Every so often a really ingenious idea pops up that ends up making a real difference.
In an extensive re-analysis of data from three large observational trials, Dr. An Pan and colleagues from the National University of Singapore and the Harvard School of Public Health, reported that increased intake of red meat (beef, lamb, or pork) over time increased the risk of type 2 diabetes, while decreasing intake slightly decreased the [...]
The post Will reducing red meat intake decrease diabetes risk? Not so much appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
A multinational team of stem cell researchers published a groundbreaking report in the recent edition of the journal Nature, describing the production of functioning liver-type tissue deriv
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