The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs recently approved a bill requiring the VA to expand veterans' access to chiropractic care at VA medical centers the House is expected to vote on the bill this week.
According to ACSH s Jeff Stier, taxpayers should be concerned because they may soon have to pay for chiropractic care for veterans a troubling development, since overall, chiropractry is not part of mainstream medicine.
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Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the FDA s Center for Tobacco Products, spoke at a tobacco policy conference on Monday. Jeff Stier got a chance to participate in the conference on Tuesday. The topics included smokeless tobacco (snus) as a means of harm reduction, and the FDA's deliberation of a ban on menthol.
ACSH's Drs. Elizabeth M. Whelan and Gilbert Ross have written to the Food and Drug Administration to say that regulating or banning the ingredients in cigarettes probably won't decrease their toxicity. The text of their letter:
To: Dr. Lawrence Deyton, Director
FDA Center for Tobacco Products
Cristi L. Stark, M.S.
Senior Regulatory Health Project Manager
May 26th, 2010
Subject: ACSH additional submission re: cigarette ingredients
Dear Dr. Deyton and Ms. Stark:
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that Philip Morris USA and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. are suing New York City for displaying graphic point-of-sale health warnings about smoking. Citing violations of their First Amendment rights and preemption by federally mandated warning labels, Philip Morris and RJR are calling for an end to the graphic campaign, which features such images of cancerous lungs and decayed teeth.
Americans may be receiving too much medical care, and it could be making them sicker, The Associated Press reported in a lengthy article yesterday. Author Lauran Neergaard cites the over-prescription of antibiotics for viruses, needless evaluation and treatment of back pain, fetal monitoring and PSA tests in men over 75 as among the most unnecessary and avoidable treatments performed.
Sunday's New York Times featured a front-page article by Michael Moss discussing the food industry’s efforts to avoid regulatory limits on the salt content of processed foods: “By all appearances, this is a moment of reckoning for salt. High blood pressure is rising among adults and children. Government health experts estimate that deep cuts in salt consumption could save 150,000 lives a year.”
The UN s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) predicted yesterday that worldwide cancer deaths would increase to 13.2 million by 2030, nearly twice the 2008 figure. IARC s new database also projects a shift of the cancer burden from wealthier to poorer nations.
From the Manhattan Institute's Medical Progress Today "Second Opinion" section
No one wants misleading pharmaceutical advertising, but the Food and Drug Administration's plan to deputize doctors to police drug companies is a misguided effort.
Most physicians and health care workers simply don't have the hard data necessary to judge whether an ad overstates a drug's efficacy or plays down its risks. The hundreds of needless reports will distract the FDA from its core mission.
Whether you are traveling around the world or relaxing at home, a safe, healthy vacation will add to your enjoyment. Here are some health and safety tips to keep in mind when planning your summer vacation.
Times they are a-changin and the FDA is becoming more aware of this as they reconsider a rule implemented in 1983 that prohibits men who have had sex even once with another man since 1977 from donating blood. Originally put into practice due to fears that HIV would contaminate the blood supply, the rule now seems outdated with the current availability of more accurate testing to screen for HIV.
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
ACSH Responds to misinformation in the CNN special,“Toxic America”
For Immediate Release
ACSH staffers offer an honorary seat at the table to Dr.
While on the road again in Washington, D.C., ACSH's Jeff Stier attended the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research conference on BPA. One of the presenters, Dr. Julie Goodman, director of epidemiology at Gradient Corp. and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, provided the most insight concerning the real adverse effects of BPA in humans, which are none.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that normal dietary amounts of omega-3 fatty acids especially from fish are sufficient for reducing the risk of heart disease, and additional supplementation is not likely to provide additional benefit.
He who laughs hardest, laughs last, and ACSH staffers shared a hearty chuckle this morning over a study indicating that free-range chickens in Taiwan have an average of 5.7 times higher levels of dioxin than their counterpart caged hens.
A randomized trial published today in The Lancet assesses the risk of adverse gastrointestinal effects — mainly bleeding — in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis patients associated with treatment using celecoxib (Celebrex) in a head-to-head comparison trial versus diclofenac (a commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) plus the stomach-protecting omeprazole (Prilosec).
It is the first day of summer, and while many will want to dive into their swimming pools, a recent report by the American Association of Pediatrics points out that African-American children are three times more likely to drown than white kids, mainly due to deeply entrenched fears of drowning.
ACSH received deafening criticism from some of our friends regarding our handling of the Not Empty Noise story yesterday, in which we wondered why the European Union isn't warning spectators at World Cup soccer games about the dangers of possible hearing loss from plastic horns known as vuvuzelas. Stier explains, We should have expressed more skepticism towards the referenced hearing loss study, as many of you rightly advised. However, we did not intend to give a free ride to that study.
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the governing national organization responsible for accrediting medical education courses, recently announced a troubling new policy prohibiting physicians and researchers employed by the pharmaceutical industry from participating in medical education presentations or meetings, citing conflict of interest considerations.
The results of a recent study conducted by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle suggest that using fish oil supplements may reduce women s risk of developing breast cancer by 32 percent. Yesterday, Good Morning America medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard reminded viewers that these results are only preliminary but show promise as a preventive measure against breast cancer.
Federal officials used flawed statistics to justify a ban on flavored cigarettes last year, claims Dr. Joel Nitzkin, chair of the Tobacco Control Task Force for the American Association of Public Health Physicians. At a Sept. 22, 2009, press conference, Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard Koh claimed the ban “will break the cycle for 3,600 young people who start smoking daily."
Yesterday, ACSH reported on the recent accusations against McDonald’s by China’s Scientific Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), which alleges that the fast-food giant uses harmful additives in their Chicken McNuggets. ACSH staffers knew the claims were baseless, yet we were still curious as to who was responsible for spurring the Chinese health agency into initiating this investigation.
The results of a recent small clinical trial indicate that the popular supplement glucosamine is only as effective as a sugar pill for treating lower back pain. While limited studies have only shown its promise as a pain reliever for arthritic knee pain, many patients also attempt to alleviate lower back pain with glucosamine.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) (aka: the “Food Police”) is threatening to sue McDonald’s for including toys with their Happy Meals, citing supposed violations to consumer protections laws in a number of states. CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson claims that the marketing of toys with fast food is illegal in these states.
Vitamin D has garnered more publicity in recent months than any other vitamin. This week, The Money Times reports on a United Kingdom study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, claiming that deficiencies of this Sunshine Vitamin correlate with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
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