Substitute the word "Halloween" for any celebratory event and pervasive worry-lists abound. Fun also matters.
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When science and money mix, science suffers. The pressure to publish and get grant money has corrupted researchers, who must "publish or perish" and get grants. This unholy alliance between the popular media and scholarly publications spawned the never-ending flow of sensationalistic results, especially those pertaining to human health effects.
A study of the dietary preferences of dogs and cats show distinct differences when palatability is constant. Are there lessons for us about our eating choices?
The Guardian's health page is scaremongering about e-cigarettes and pushing bizarre solutions to obesity. This is what happens when political activists write about public health.
The meme that "natural is safe" can get you into trouble in many ways. It's one that's appropriate at this time of year, when gardens and flowers are on our minds, since some plants are naturally deadly. Here are a few commonly found in our gardens and often available from nurseries, as well.
Americans are increasingly choosing alternate sites of care, specifically retail clinics, urgent care centers and telemedicine. Their choices reflect a balancing of care, convenience and price. But in the end, what's the true overall cost of this shift?
A ruling last May in the UK Court of Appeal may have set an important precedent – that genetic testing extends the duty of a healthcare professional beyond the patient. Yet, extending that duty also risks damaging the underlying trust between doctor and patient.
When not one country in the world meets the “breastfeeding standards” set forth by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), it might be time to question their value. Are they attainable — more importantly, should they be?
Drug shortages are being reported more frequently; physicians are asked to postpone elective care. Rather than continue to blame greed or hidden agendas perhaps we might consider the findings of the Government Accountability Office.
A key challenge in building electric aircraft involves how much energy can be stored in a given amount of weight of the onboard energy source. Although the best batteries store about 40 times less energy per unit of weight than jet fuel, a greater share of their energy is available to drive motion. Here's more on why batteries are, relatively speaking, heavy for aviation.
Many science articles pushed into the media convey information about potential danger, even when these dangers are very unlikely. Why? A study of our behavior suggests it's our primitive lizard brain seeking to protect us from harm.
John Mackey of Whole Foods, which sells products at a 45% markup over other stores by claiming that its food is cleaner and healthier and holier, is adorably complaining about investor greed and propaganda.
By demonizing biotechnology and conventional agriculture, Whole Foods has profited handsomely. But with its recent financial struggles, it would be nice if the sales downturn was the result of Americans waking up to the fact that the chain has been lying to them for years.
In infants, whooping cough is horrific. They are especially vulnerable during their first few months, before they can receive their first vaccinations. A new study strengthens the CDC's recommendation: expectant mothers should get the whooping cough vaccine in their third trimester, to transfer protective antibodies to their newborns.
Soliris is a drug for an orphan disease, one which affects relatively few people. While these types of drugs are inherently more expensive, the market expected a price tag of $100,000 – not the actual cost of $500,000. How did the manufacturer Alexion come up with this astronomical price?
Science struggles in a regulatory environment that increasingly puts the precautionary principle over benefit, and regulators that cater to environmental groups that view science as some corporate conspiracy.
The DEA, an arm of the Department of Justice, released a 184-page report claiming that prescription opioid analgesics is the drug class that's killing the most Americans. Huh? This sure seems strange. But a closer look suggests that the only thing strange is the manner in which that data is used in the report. The DEA spins and wins. Pain patients lose.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton collapsed Monday night in front of legislators while giving the State of the State address. Though he rebounded well, he just disclosed a recent prostate cancer diagnosis. Learn about the proper medical care that's needed when someone faints, and why it happens in the first place.
Bariatric surgery is the most effective means of dealing with severe obesity. But there are several types of surgery which involve more, or less, alterations of the gastrointestinal tract. Choosing among them depends on a variety of factors relating to GERD, or gastro-esophageal reflux symptoms.
It's time to get your flu shot. Every year, the medical community emphasizes the importance of getting the vaccine. And every year the same excuses pop up as to why many won't. Let us explain why one of those excuses – that the flu vaccine will give someone the flu – is simply not possible.
Advances in technology will continue to affect our lives in myriad ways. Technology Review magazine recently picked ten of the potentially most important ones. Let's see what we have to look forward to.
Every year, millions of Americans undergo a colonoscopy. It's become routine, and the cancer-spotting process saves lives. Now instead of a camera fitting inside a colon, imagine one that can slide and peer through a blood vessel. It's a procedure that someday may be able to predict strokes or heart attacks before they occur.
We would think a physician could use guidelines to advise a patient about screening. But what if the guidelines are good for society, but not necessarily as good for the patient? Three separate articles in the Annals of Internal Medicine clarify the dilemma, without providing a solution.
Any effort to fight fake news is noble and should be applauded. But, if Mr. Wales believes his new venture will be the solution to fake news, it will fall short for at least four reasons.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” - Alice in Wonderland
Science is, above all, a methodology designed for discovering objective “truths” about the natural world. All lawyers and politicians speak quite highly of Truth, and all routinely claim that it is on their side, rather than their opponents’, however, the real function of legal and political debate is not to discover truth, but to win. And, whenever “winning” is the prime directive,
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