High blood pressure is perhaps our most common disease. We've been treating it for well over fifty years, so you would think we have a "best treatment" well in hand. A new study suggests that if you thought that was the case, you'd be wrong.
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As winter rolls into spring, we here at ACSH are springing ahead with our pro-science agenda. (Did you see what we did there?) From Fox Business to the Financial Times, here are the places we appeared in recent days.
With recreational marijuana becoming a big deal, how can you differentiate one source of weed from another? California farmers take a page from their wine handbook: marijuana appellations, or geographical designations for growing regions.
Why on Earth does the media print sensationalist nonsense over and over again? We know of at least three reasons: (1) It cares more about internet traffic (and $$$) than anything else; (2) science journalists often have no formal education in the field; and (3) university press offices purposefully exaggerate their research.
There are many misconceptions about strokes that warrant clarification. They range from those who are at greatest risk to be afflicted to their chances of recovery. Let's take a look.
How far would you go to get an aphrodisiac effect?
While we can "fix" a hip fracture, patients just are not as mobile and independent after the injury. And that's the case even after a year of recovery. One preventative measure may be Tai Chi, a martial art that teaches defense through balance, and working with -- rather than against -- forces.
You don’t have to look very far to find wellness facilities touting this or that intravenous infusion for “detoxification” and “revitalization.” And if that's not troubling enough, as fees increase our skepticism is following suit.
One of the most important driving safety tips is to never swerve if an animal jumps in front of your car. Dog, cat, deer, raccoon -- don't swerve. Although it's an extremely natural instinct, it's also potentially deadly. If you swerve, you could hit a tree or an oncoming vehicle. But there's one exception to this general rule.
"Cost per Quality of Life Years Saved," and "Cost Effectiveness or Budget Impact Analysis" can be used to analyze information for decision-makers in various components of the economy, such as wearing helmets while operating a motorcycle. However, these analytical techniques were never meant to be applied as the ultimate arbiter of whether a medicine was worth paying for.
Does glyphosate — the world’s most heavily-used herbicide — pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and scientific debate. Learn the facts here.
“How is this possible?” is the reverberating refrain in the media and online. But the reality is it isn't as rare as you would imagine. In fact, partially duplicated systems aren’t so uncommon.
Jeffrey Smith, a yogic flying instructor who leads the Institute for Responsible Technology, an anti-GMO organization, is now encouraging cancer patients to forgo modern medicine in favor of natural remedies from Asia. If patients follow his advice, they will die.
The self-proclaimed expert on opioids and addiction "agreed" to sit down with me and answer some tough questions about his background, medical insight and plans for the future. (Keep in mind that this "interview" took place on April 1.)
A young woman ultimately diagnosed with a brain tumor claims "crippling headaches" were repeatedly dismissed as migraines. Headaches come in many forms, from benign to unsettling. So what are the red flags?
Brand names are meant to communicate trust that products are of a certain high quality. But healthcare is not a product in that way, and once again hospital's branded with a flagship's name often produce results that are not as good as the flagship itself. Let the patient beware.
Though recent and alarming headlines are touting a global superbug, it can be hard to discern fact from fiction. Should we be worried? Let's take a look and find out.
We no longer provide treatment to drug-addicted or mentally ill people who cannot, or will not, care for themselves. Society has decided that it's more compassionate to allow these unfortunate souls to make their own choices, even if those choices are irrational, self-destructive and dangerous to the community.
Here are two reports about bribery and health-care enterprises. Greasing the wheels of government with cash is another contributor to high medical costs.
The upcoming surgery for the Rolling Stones' 75-year-old, legendary front man offers a choice between the gold standard operation (which is now 60), and a cutting-edge contender that non-invasively achieves the same result.
With childbirth, the stakes are too high to add a risk factor or another hurdle. A healthy mom and healthy baby should be the goal of any delivery.
Backyard burial may seem like the easiest way to respectfully care for your pet’s remains. But it can be dangerous for other pets and wildlife, since most pets are put down with an extremely concentrated anaesthetic agent, pentobarbital. This drug remains in the pet's corpse for months, and any animal scavenging on the remains can be poisoned.
A new study reveals that reduced telomere length is associated with childhood trauma in those with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Does this new research make a compelling case for its use in the real, not theoretical, world?
Before any misinformation spreads, it's important to unpack the real significance of surpassing a due date for mother and infant.
The mad rush to rid this country of demonic prescription analgesic drugs (mainly Vicodin and Percocet) has put pain patients and their doctors in an unprecedented dilemma. What can they do for pain when real drugs are unavailable? Many have turned (or been forced to turn) to the epilepsy drug Neurontin, which is used off-label for pain. But does it work? Please read this and find out.
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