As overused as the expression you can t make this up is, sometimes there is simply no other phrase that can do the trick. You decide.
Yesterday, it was Chinese dietary supplements that were in the news. Today it s spices from India. And if there is a better way to illustrate how badly the FDA s hands are tied while trying to protect people from substances they should not be consuming, it isn t obvious.
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An article in the Oct. 12th New York Times takes an astounding 3800 words to make one point: Drug companies are charging much more (too much?) for their products in the U.S. compared to other parts of the world.
A new study shows the impressive success rate of e-cigarettes in reducing the use of cigarettes in a small select group, over the course of one year. Smoking was reduced in vapers and dual users, and many dual users wound up quitting cigarettes. We also comment on yet another duplicitous interview by the CDC's Tom Frieden.
We at ACSH are rarely surprised by anything we see published. Since it is our job to debunk bad science, we get a steady diet of it. But we got a special dessert dropped in our laps, and this one takes the cake.
Although the study in question is from July, it is so jaw-droppingly awful that we decided to include it today. And when you read it, you may want to discontinue your subscription to Scientific American, which according to ACSH s media director Erik Lief should really be called Unscientific American.
If ever there was a need for an effective new drug, it would be something to treat obesity. Yet, following the Fen-Phen debacle in 1997, when Wyeth was forced to withdraw their highly effective appetite suppressant (also called Redux) due to heart valve toxicity and rare cases of often fatal primary pulmonary hypertension, drug companies and the FDA were scared off to the point that 13 years would pass before another appetite suppressant would be approved.
In a surprisingly pro-public-health move, the EU Parliament voted down attempts to restrict or even ban e-cigarettes. Now we hope the FDA follows their lead.
Drawing on her own personal experience with alopecia areata a condition resulting in the development of bald spots which can be especially devastating for women Dr. Angela Christiano, a
In early September, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology posted a new definition of the profession to their website: They insisted that members treat only women, and limit the time they
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.
Two stories in one: No link found between secondhand smoke and lung cancer; and no one seems to care
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
New York City s Board of Health has voted to make flu shots mandatory for preschoolers and daycare admittance. This is set to affect about 150,000 kids. Exemptions, however, look like they ll be readily available. So, if the point is protecting kids and their families, will it really make a difference?
Today is the 38th Great American Smokeout, sponsored since 1976 by the American Cancer Society. So why is the American Cancer Society trying to preserve cigarette markets and dissuade smokers from quitting?
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.
In today s you must be kidding news, the FDA, prodded by the Obama administration, told Congress that they were very concerned about the threat of bacteria that are immune to drugs.
ACSH friend Dr. Henry Miller and economist Vasilios Tsimiklis wrote a spot-on piece published on forbes.com detailing the rising health care expenditures in industrialized countries and the necessity for
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
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.
The current JAMA s Clinical Evidence Synopsis, and an accompanying editorial, strongly suggest
A new scientific statement in the journal Stroke, published by the American Heart Association (in concert with the American Stroke
We would like to give a shout-out to Bjorn Lomborg for his op-ed in the New York Times, in which he makes an excellent case for cheap fossil fuels for those living in impoverished countries. He makes his case with numbers: More than 1.2 billion people have no access to
Although most of us may not be aware of it, hypertension (HTN) is the most common condition seen in primary care situations, and is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and death. Over the past twenty years, the definition of HTN as in how high it must be to warrant treatment has gradually been lowered by successive conclaves of experts.....
Several societies concerned with countering the spread of infectious diseases issued a call for mandatory immunization of all healthcare workers. They outlined their reasons, but those are quite obvious and this mandate is long overdue, as we here at ACSH have been saying for years.
Good news keeps on coming regarding cancer death and incidence rates. But, what about the cancer epidemic we keep hearing about from those whose agenda requires scaring the public? They won t acknowledge this trend.
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.
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