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It's now apparent that two ideals of Hollywood culture – sexual liberty and feminism – are at odds with each other. Powerful people are still exploiting those they claim to care about.

Umbilical cord blood banking has gained notoriety ever since it was discovered that those cords are a rich supply of hematopoietic stem cells. Operating on the premise that cord blood samples are a form of "biological insurance" against potential future illness, cord blood banks are really selling a false promise.

Tom Petty, the rock 'n roll guitarist who first gained fame in the late 1970's with his band, The Heartbreakers, and maintained his popularity ever since, went into cardiac arrest before dying Monday night. But what is cardiac arrest, and how does differ from a heart attack? We explain.

Protecting foreign service members is one of the most important responsibilities of the U.S. State Department. So, reducing the number of American diplomats in Cuba – as well as expelling Cuban diplomats from Washington, to emphasize the situation's gravity – is entirely appropriate, especially since we still have no idea what actually happened.

Researchers from UCLA found that through mice experiments, decaffeinated black tea may promote some form of weight loss, which occurs when chemicals, known as polyphenols, produce changes in the gut bacterium.

A Detroit mother was sentenced to seven days in jail for failing to comply with a judge's orders to vaccinate her son, as she had agreed to do in her divorce agreement. Falsely claiming a religious exemption, this woman is now a martyr for anti-vaccine propagandists.

When you feel a cold coming on start popping zinc lozenges. That will do much more for you than vitamin C or Echinacea.

In spite of anti-vaccine efforts to scare parents, recent CDC data indicates that the overwhelming majority of children entering kindergarten are being appropriately immunized. Using data from 48 states and the District of Columbia, researchers found that a median of over 90 percent of kids are receiving the recommended vaccines.

If you think ozone is just up there in the sky somewhere, think again. It's also being used more and more to combat bacteria and infections, like MRSA. So the next time the conversation turns to ozone, it's good to know the context before you weigh in. And so that you can look knowledgeable here's your quick overview. 

Should the U.S. learn from China about air pollution? A history professor says yes, and he bases his argument on an epidemiological paper that utilizes deceptive maps and dubious methods.

A four-time Iditarod champ has been accused of doping some of his dogs with a painkiller. Tramadol, an atypical opioid, has some properties in common with the traditional opioids like morphine, which makes this interesting both medically and scientifically. How does it work? It is not as restricted as Vicodin, nor should it be. Here's why. 

If you're tempted to use an "all natural" supplement containing aristocholic acid to cure your insomnia or other ailments, best think again. Not only can that particular component destroy one's kidneys, new data implicates it in causing liver cancer. No, Virginia, natural is not always safe!
 

Agent Orange was used as a defoliant during the Vietnam War. A recent paper indicates that the chemicals which comprise AO persist in high concentrations in some pockets of South Vietnam. In addition, they could be causing hormonal imbalances in babies born in those regions.

Here's great news for diabetics who need to check their blood-glucose levels frequently: the FDA just approved a non-invasive monitor. It's a major mile-marker on the road to facilitating optimal management of a very high maintenance disease.

The origin of life is a profound mystery. Once life arose, natural selection and evolution took over. But the question of how a mixture of various gases created life-giving molecules that arranged into structures capable of reproducing themselves remains unanswered.

Asthma is a very serious public health problem. Although traditional drugs work well for most, they're not good enough for others with a more severe disease. The approach to asthma has shifted to immune system modulation by biological drugs, and they're making a difference. But how good are they, and what else is out there?

Repetitive head injuries are par for the course for football players. Do factors such as the number of years played or the age when the athlete first started playing have long-term effects?

Two months after the first gene therapy for cancer was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, there is now another. Known as Yescarta, it will be used to treat adults with a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, large B-cell lymphoma, who have failed to respond to other treatments.

The sheer number of baby products on the market can overwhelm any new parent. But the Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on one in particular: the sleep positioner. Officials consider it dangerous to the infant, as its use has been connected to 12 fatalities to date. 

Before you pay for the juice cleanse, learn how your body actually rids itself of harmful toxins absolutely free of charge. The American Chemical Society's video series explains how our very own bodies are equipped to help keep us clear of toxins.

In an effort to combat patient non-compliance with medications, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first pill with an ingestible tracking sensor. Will it be used for good or evil, or something in between? 

In a nod to science, Newsweek reported that there might be genetic underpinnings to obesity. So kudos, for at least that. But why not share the actual science instead of dumbing it down to, “Regardless of how much you eat, your weight may be out of your hands?” For the scientifically-literate explanation, here it is.

Amidst the noise of the opioid crisis is a pernicious shift in power, from doctors and their patients to the government. In a futile attempt to fight the unwinnable war on drugs, many states are now restricting what doctors can prescribe. Dr. Josh Bloom whose recent Op-Ed appeared in the Las Vegas Tribune-Review, looks at this frightening trend.

1. In Las Vegas Review-Journal, Dr. Josh Bloom wrote about a worthwhile effort to combat deaths due to illegal opioids which has transformed into government interfering in the doctor-patient relationship. Though bad doctors have been arrested, and "pill mills" shut down, the overwhelming majority of harm has come from illegal purchases, not cancer patients in real pain.

The rise of the industrial turkey is a story large enough to contain many narratives, which range from the salvation of agriculture to the rise of TV dinners. Indeed, it is a tale of American exceptionalism.