It’s no secret that the world is facing a terrible scenario as antibiotics that used to be very effective in treating bacterial infections are failing one by one due to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. And as if this problem wasn’t bad enough, the cessation of most antibiotic research by major pharmaceutical companies all but guarantees that this problem will become far worse. [...]
The post The downside of cancer research appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
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Kudos are due to the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune for their stand against a proposal to levy a penny-an-ounce tax on a wide variety of beverages — including sports and energy drinks and bottled teas, among others. The monies raised via these proposed taxes are aimed, ostensibly, at helping the fight against [...]
The post Common sense in California — for a change appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
We have been writing regularly about the escalating crisis of antibiotic resistance (for the latest developments in this area, see the blog by ACSH advisor Dr.
Although it’s common knowledge that the “Mediterranean diet” is supposed to provide heart benefits, it hasn’t been clear how much of its different constituents should be consumed. Now, some preliminary research has provided clues about how much of what product could be effective. The research was presented at the meeting of the European Association for [...]
The post Clarifying the Mediterranean diet appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
According to new research from the CDC, rates of foodborne illnesses have increased from the period of 2006-2008 and 2012. Specifically, increases occurred in the prevalence of illness from Campylobacter — associated with poultry, raw milk and contaminated water, and Vibrio associated with raw shellfish. Symptoms of illness range from diarrhea, stomach pain and fever [...]
The post Rise in foodborne illness appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
After the politically-motivated listing of the plastic hardener Bisphenol-A (BPA) was at last squeezed onto California’s nefarious Proposition 65 list of allegedly toxic chemicals, a local Sacramento judge kicked it off, correctly stating that the chemical’s listing flew in the face of scientific and regulatory evidence. A division of California’s environmental agency finally figured out [...]
The post BPA on Prop 65 list: now you see it, now you don’t, thankfully appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Many teens somehow believe driving under the influence does not affect their safety, according to a survey published by the insurance company Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). Worse still — nearly 25 percent of American teenagers drives under the influence of some drug. Not surprisingly for teenagers, there is a disconnect between [...]
The post Teens and DUI- disturbingly common appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Once again the Environmental Working Group (EWG) seeks to perpetuate its myth of dangerous fruit dangerous, they say, because of trace amounts of pesticides found on them. Although their list of the most dangerous fruits garners wide attention, there seems to be little attention paid to the science or lack thereof in this listing.
Today’s announcement by the FDA’s Commissioner Margaret Hamburg approving Plan B One-Step for women and girls age 15 and up, while welcome in the “better late than never” category, does not come close to complying with Federal Judge Ed Korman’s ruling of April 5th. That ruling, finding for the plaintiffs in a 2001 lawsuit against the Bush-II [...]
The post FDA goes almost halfway towards complying with Plan B ruling appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
The silly season for summer scares is upon us, it seems. A group of self-styled “cancer experts” issued a press release warning of the dangers of cancer-causing substances in grilled meat of just about any type. The group, the American Institute for Cancer Research, warns of the increased risk of colon cancer from meat, especially [...]
The post Grill without fear appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
When given the choice of when to have an elective surgery, you may be better off choosing a time earlier in the week, especially as opposed to over the weekend. According to a new study published online in BMJ, opting for surgery on a Friday or over a weekend results in increased rates of 30-day [...]
The post Beware of the “weekend effect” appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Today’s New York Times has an editorial which future generations will read and discuss as evidence of the former “paper of record’s” descent into its own fantasy-land. Entitled An Opening to Strengthen Chemical Regulations, the disconnect between reality and the solipsism of the Times’ editorial board is put into high relief by their thesis: Now [...]
The post New York Times: Livin’ the Dream, a chemical-free world appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Last week, a farmer in OR reported finding evidence of wheat containing Monsanto’s Roundup Ready variant. The bizarre aspects of this alleged discovery are manifold: RR wheat was FDA approved as safe for human consumption after the typical exhaustive testing GM products are subject to (because of activist-generated fears of GM technology, in other words, [...]
The post GM wheat found in Oregon: a real tempest in a teacup appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom has had an op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal, where he considers whether the U.S. government’s unprecedented move to give $200 million over 5 years to GlaxoSmithKline to aid in their antibiotic develop effort is a good idea. In an ideal world, this would be unnecessary, but thanks to misguided and [...]
The post Should the government be subsidizing drug companies? In this case, yes. appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
A new report out of the vast Cochrane Library database reveals that several of the commonly used products to help smokers quit actually do work! Or do they? These results are derived from a huge meta-analysis of 267 trials involving 101,000 study subjects who were given one or more nicotine-replacement treatments (NRTs) and/or drugs such [...]
The post Big (no) news: Cessation products work better than nothing! appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Keep your eyes and computers peeled for a special ACSH Dispatch release at 5PM today on a new lung cancer screening study, complete with an ACSH video featuring our own expert, Dr. Gilbert Ross, as well as Dr. Cliff P. Connery, chief of thoracic surgery at the Beth Israel Medical Center and Continuum Cancer Centers [...]
The post Breaking News appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Last week, the California Senate passed a proposed bill, SB648, by a 21-10 vote, banning the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) anywhere that smoking (of regular tobacco cigarettes) is banned. In essence, if the Assembly joins in and the measure becomes law, in our largest state e-cigs would be treated as equivalent to cigarettes for [...]
The post Cali lawmakers cannot tell smoke from vapor appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
In what seems to be an endless battle over emergency contraception and its [unnecessary] restrictions, a Federal appeals court ordered the U.S.
It’s been all the rage lately — states attempting to enact legislation requiring that foods containing genetically engineered ingredients be so labeled. Last fall, California tried and failed to pass such a law, and the New York legislature decided against it too. Some 20 states, according to a report in The New York Times, are [...]
The post Connecticut Senate passes conditional GMO labeling law appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
After years with a dearth of anti-obesity drugs, Eisai and Arena Pharmaceuticals just announced that Belviq (locaserin) will be available to patients on June 11. Belviq is a prescription drug that is approved for obese adults whose body mass index (BMI) is 30 or more, and for overweight adults (BMI of 27 -30) who have at [...]
The post At last: New obesity drug available appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
Here’s some good news. A report released Tuesday by the CDC found that the rate of smoking among adults in the United States has fallen to 18 percent. Although the rate of smoking has been falling over the past few decades, it had stalled at about 20 percent for the past seven years. The report [...]
The post Smoking rates falling among adults in the US appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
In contrast to the results of other screening tests that don t seem to improve survival or early-stage disease progression (mammography and PSA, for example), a recent study reported in
For those who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes — the overweight, obese, or those with a family history, for example — a small new study just published in Diabetes Care suggests that walking at a moderate pace for 15 minutes after meals can help prevent the disease. The study, led by Dr. [...]
The post Walk to ward off diabetes appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.
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