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French public health agencies are recommending that women who received breast implants from the now defunct Poly Implants Protheses (PIP) manufacturer receive an explant, or removal of the implant, following reports of excessive ruptures. For those who do not wish to undergo this preventive, non-emergency procedure, an ultrasound every six months to monitor the implants is advised.

It used to be that a person diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) was often subject to the dismal prognosis of a gradually but inexorably progressive disease. But developments over recent years are starting to change that outlook. New and more sophisticated drugs have been approved, and more are currently in Phase 3 clinical trials. So, patients with MS can now be more optimistic abut their future than ever before. As Dr.

For those who are considering bariatric surgery, a new study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden provides a compelling reason to undergo the procedure: It lowers the incidence of heart attack and stroke and decreases the number of cardiovascular-related deaths among patients.

ACSH is happy to report on the latest American Cancer Society (ACS) statistics, which show that U.S. cancer death rates continue to fall. We reported on similar findings in June and April but confirmation of this downward trend is welcome news.

Andrew Wakefield, the original architect of the phony autism-vaccine scare, has had the chutzpah to file a defamation suit against the journal BMJ, its editor, and a journalist for printing a scathing series of articles last January that attacked him for the ethical flaws in his retracted paper.

Even though our understanding and awareness of anorexia has improved, it s still not clear how best to treat anorexic patients when they arrive at the hospital. A severely underweight anorexic, who may be at risk of death, needs to regain that weight as soon as possible. But giving such patients too many calories early on can lead to a dangerous complication called refeeding syndrome, which in some cases can be fatal or lead to cardiac arrhythmia.

A new option for staving off pneumococcal pneumonia one of the biggest causes of death among older adults in the United States has just been approved for use in Americans aged 50 and older. The Prevnar 13 vaccine, produced by Pfizer, is formulated to protect against 13 forms of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium, which can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and other diseases. Pneumonia caused by this bacterium leads about 300,000 older adults to be hospitalized in the U.S. each year.

A regular, low dose of aspirin has long been thought to be an effective preventive measure against heart attack and stroke, but a large new analysis of data from several clinical trials suggests that reductions in mortality extend only to people with a history of cardiovascular disease.

In what amounts to a step backward, BASF, the giant German chemical company, has decided to halt its efforts to sell genetically modified (GM) products in Europe. Their decision comes in response to unfounded but continuing fears among European consumers that genetically modified products pose a health risk. As Stefan Marcinowski, a BASF board member, states, There is still a lack of acceptance for this technology in many parts of Europe.

A Baltimore man whose tracheal cancer had progressed beyond the point of operation now has a second chance at life, thanks to a remarkable new procedure. Christopher Lyles is a 30-year-old electrical engineer who, just last November, received a tracheal transplant made from plastic fibers covered by his own stem cells. The procedure, which was led by Dr.

The New York City Department of Health is at it again: In their obsessive effort to oversee every aspect of New Yorkers diets, the agency used graphic ads plastered all over the subways depicting an overweight man with a missing leg. A caption over the image reads, Portions have grown. So has Type 2 diabetes, which can lead to amputations.

I was honored that the Wall Street Journal asked me last month to participate in an in-print debate regarding whether pharmaceutical patents should get a longer life.
My contribution was limited to 1,000 words, so there was much I could not say. Of this, probably the most interesting material involved each side answering questions taken from the other contributor's essay. What follows are the questions that were posed to me, and my response.

A group of at least 12 teenage girls in upstate New York have been beset by a host of mysterious Tourrette s-like symptoms. Multiple tests by experts have found that these bizarre symptoms, which include involuntary tics and verbal outbursts, have no apparent toxic or infectious origin, leading health experts to believe that they are most likely of psychological origin.

Although it s long been recommended that doctors measure a patient s blood pressure in both arms, this guideline is often ignored.

When it comes to treating high cholesterol and its consequences, it seems that statins don t discriminate by gender even though men have a much higher rate of cardiovascular disease. According to a meta-analysis of over 141,000 patients, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, statins reduced major cardiovascular events by 19 percent in females and 23 percent in males.

Sinus infections are miserable. Anyone suffering from one wants relief as soon as possible. The tricky thing is, the overwhelming majority of such infections are caused by viruses; only about 2 percent of sinus infections are bacterial. Since viral infections do not respond to antibiotics, having your doctor prescribe an antibiotic is unlikely to help.

It seems like a problem that would exist only in the developing world counterfeit drugs making it into the mainstream market. But American consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about counterfeit medications ending up in their own pharmacies: The FDA has confirmed that a fake version of the cancer drug Avastin was sold to at least 19 doctors and clinics.

The past 20 years have seen a flurry of new smoking cessation interventions from media campaigns to high taxes to nicotine patches and other pharmaceutical interventions. One would hope that with so many technological and policy advances, smoking cessation rates would be steadily increasing. Not so, suggests a recent study in the journal Tobacco Control. In fact, over the past two decades, there has been no increasing trend in smoking cessation rates in the American population, despite so many new efforts.

Dark roast aficionados and overworked college students need not fear having a few cups of coffee a day, suggests a new study. Researchers from Germany report that people who drink coffee do not have any increased risk of chronic disease such as heart disease or cancer, compared to those who abstain from the beverage and they may even have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that cigarette sales are declining, and the better news is that some of that success may be attributed to a rise in the popularity of smokeless tobacco products. At least that s the hope of Altria Group Inc, a giant tobacco company that has recently cranked up its production of smokeless tobacco products in the U.S. As tobacco-related diseases take their toll on smokers, some have decided to make the switch from cigarettes to other cleaner nicotine delivery systems.

What s the difference between Meryl Streep and a qualified toxicologist? Well, chances are that a toxicologist won t presume to lecture publicly on method acting, but Streep apparently has no qualms about advising us on matters of chemical safety. In 1989 Streep was at the forefront of a contingent that believed the plant growth regulator Alar was turning the nation s apples carcinogenic. ACSH s Dr.

The Environmental Protection Agency s new National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants would only minimally benefit public health, while costing many millions of dollars, write Dr. Willie Soon and Paul Driessen in a Washington Times op-ed. The new standards target emissions of mercury and other airborne toxics from coal- and oil-fired power plants and electric generating units. But to what purpose, Soon and Driessen ask?

Limb amputation necessitated by severe circulatory problems is one of the most frightening risks that diabetics face.

While it s a preventive measure we ve recommended for some time, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has now officially recommended that all American seniors age 65 and older receive a vaccination which would likely be a booster shot for whooping cough.

ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross is off to Vancouver, where he'll speak at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Saturday, February 18. He'll discuss the importance of using tobacco harm reduction methods to save smokers’ lives. By encouraging smokers to switch from cigarettes to much less harmful sources of nicotine, such as certain forms of smokeless tobacco or electronic cigarettes, we can help greatly reduce the over 400,000 tobacco-related deaths that occur each year in the U.S.