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In the "nothing new under the sun" department, Bendectin - now called Diclegis - a drug that was long ago used to treat morning sickness, is going back on pharmacy shelves after a 30 year absence.

Along with the increased prevalence of obesity, Americans have seen a coincident surge in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). While there are numerous pharmaceutical treatments available, weight loss is seen as perhaps the most effective means of both preventing and treating the condition. As anyone who has tried to shed even a few pounds knows well, substantial weight loss is often difficult to attain and maintain.

Josh Bloom, Medical Progress Today, 4/17/13 "OxyContin(ues)- The FDA gets it right"
The age-old debate about pharmaceutical patents, novelty, and money will probably never end.

Sarah Kavanaugh, a 15-year-old Mississippi high school student, is making headlines with a petition she began that calls on PepsiCo. to stop using brominated vegetable oil in its Gatorade brand of sports drinks.

We re facing a critical shortage of new antibiotics that may lead to an inability to practice modern medicine, according to Dr. Carl F. Nathan, chairman of the department of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He explains, in a New York Times op-ed, how economic and scientific factors are to blame.

ACSH has been in the forefront of countering specious fears about vaccines — that MMR shots cause autism, polio vaccines sterilize Muslim or Hindu girls, or that the HPV vaccine will lead to promiscuity, for example. Now some researchers have developed a surveillance system, reported in The Lancet, to track vaccine mentions, and used it [...]
The post Using the Internet to find vaccine fear-mongering appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

When dining out at a restaurant, you might be getting more than you’re paying for — in terms of calories, fat and cholesterol that is. According to two new studies published in JAMA, even though fast food often gets a bad reputation, smaller chain restaurants may actually be more harmful to your health. And it [...]
The post Nutritional content of smaller-chain restaurants may be worse than fast-food appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

A clinical trial that followed 14,641 doctors for over a decade has found those who took multivitamins were 8 percent less likely to get cancer but ACSH is very skeptical about this study, for reasons we ll get to later.

Every October 24, people around the world join together to shed light on the importance of eradicating the devastatingly crippling disease of polio.

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.

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.

In a small study presented at the AHA meetings, Dutch researchers tested the comparative effect on platelet stickiness of bedtime aspirin vs. morning aspirin. The bedtime dose had a more potent effect, with implications for reducing the toll of morning heart attacks, perhaps.

New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, in his latest opus entitled Danger Lurks in That Mickey Mouse Couch wait, did he really say that? Anyway, Nick has gone off the

There are exactly two drugs that act as specific antiviral agents against influenza. Both of them (Relenza and Tamiflu) act by the same mechanism by inhibiting the enzyme neuraminidase, which is responsible for cutting free the newly formed virus particles from the host cell. In the absence of neuraminidase, the new viruses will stick to the surface of the infected cell and thus not be available to propagate the infection.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for advanced coronary artery disease (CAD) narrowing of the arteries supplying the heart muscle causing chest pain (angina), heart attack, or sudden death came into

A new scientific statement in the journal Stroke, published by the American Heart Association (in concert with the American Stroke

What do 78 calories look like? Well, it s the equivalent of about one medium apple, or a cookie, a glass of milk. It s also the

This is what happens when you let your health advice column be taken over by an environmental writer. This week s Science section of the New York Times included an advisory about

The consumption and abuse of alcohol are important topics for Americans health. Alcohol is in fact that most commonly abused substance in our nation and the world, with immense health ramifications. So why do only one-sixth of adults recall discussing the subject with a healthcare professional?

A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics on Jan. 13th that was conducted by a group from the department of pediatrics at Aldo Moro University of Bari in Italy is suggesting that colic in infants can be significantly reduced by the use of drops containing the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri mixed with oil. But not all doctors agree.

Although it is by now well-known that the FDA-approved quit-smoking methods don t work very well, a report issued by the American Heart Association gives some comfort to those smokers who used the patches, gums and drugs: at least, they don t harm you too much.

Although numerous studies seeking to find strong (or any) evidence of a link between SHS (secondhand smoke, or passive smoking) and lung cancer have failed to find such, the popular wisdom (shared by

NYC Council sends e-cigarettes and vapers who switched from deadly smoking out into the cold with real cigarette smokers. A brilliant coup, by a thoroughly political and ignorant group of lawmakers. It s now an embarrassment to be a New Yorker.

Not only are regular soft drinks (those sweetened by sugar) blamed for overeating and obesity, some studies have also pointed the finger at artificial sweeteners. But a new study, published in the journal Diabetes Care undermines such conclusions.

A major study has found that people with psoriasis are more likely to develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease among other conditions.