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A commonly-used heart drug, digoxin, has never passed a controlled-study test to see if it s both safe and effective for patients with atrial fibrillation. A large VA retrospective analysis shows that it may be even riskier than suspected: maybe time for it to go.

An op-ed in the Wall St. Journal by ex-FDA second-in-command, Scott Gottlieb, accuses the regulators of chilling the development of innovative smartphone apps by its precautionary dicta. Could this be true?

Past research has demonstrated that tight control of blood glucose levels can help people with type 1 diabetes the ones who must use insulin to avoid some of the negative health consequences of the disease. A new study, published recently in The Lancet, extends the benefits of tight control to patients with type 2 diabetes the more common type usually associated with obesity and overweight.

All parents of infants, toddlers and young children should be required to read an essay in the Huffington Post by

The latest health news: Our take on the Ebola outbreak, why your smartphone isn't as smart as it could be, and how Europe is overcoming the antibiotic resistance crisis

New policy statements from the WHO, the AHA, and the CDC spew baseless, distorted allegations, warning smokers not to try e-cigarettes and spreading false concerns about second-hand vapor. They should be ashamed for selling out.

You may have heard about the speculation that wearing a bra can cause breast cancer. Apparently, the theory behind this absurd scare posits that bras (especially underwire bras) hinder the flow of lymphatic fluids, preventing the removal of waste,

Your mother may have told you to eat fish to get smart because for years it s been touted as good for the brain. Now a new study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, suggests that eating fish might help protect the heart too.

There s not much good news coming from the world s major energy producing regions, according to an editorial in USA Today. Yet, in the

There seems to be new excitement in the world of vaccine-autism conspirators. As explained in a masterful debunking essay by David Gorski on Science-Based Medicine, the Internet abounds with new evidence that the CDC purposefully hid evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and an increased risk of autism in African-American boys.

Fracking news, pro (water contamination not frack-related) and con (junk survey alleging health effects among nearby residents)

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening is a commonly ordered test, despite it s being a highly debated public health practice, and despite recent recommendations which continue to condemn the screening strategy. However, despite the US Preventive Services Task Force s (USPSTF) and other experts recommendations against routine

A new advisory from a Federal panel finds strong evidence that low-dose aspirin reduces the risk of preeclampsia in women at risk of this worrisome pregnancy-related condition. Of course, this recommendation should be individualized for patients.

Benzodiazepines are drugs that are commonly prescribed to combat anxiety, or as sedatives and muscle relaxants. They include Xanax, Librium, Valium, and Halcion, and several others. We ve known the up-and-downsides of such drugs for many years, as well as their addictive tendencies. But a new study provides concern that we might need to add another risk to that list.

The latest in health news: there are many benefits to curbing obesity in women: remission of urinal incontinence after bariatric surgery and risk lowered for gestational diabetes if weight is maintained, and a back-to-school reminder to get your children up to date with immunization.

Chronic knee pain is very common in adults over the age of 50, most commonly as a result of osteoarthritis. Sufferers often turn to alternative therapies such as acupuncture used by about three million Americans each year - to relieve pain despite the mixed results of studies looking into its effectiveness. A new study published in JAMA

The last time we discussed enterovirus about a month ago, it was confined to the Midwest. Now, federal official have confirmed 538 cases in 43 states, although this number is likely a gross underestimate, since most such

This past Tuesday, Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. signed a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags in grocery and convenience stores, making California the first state to ban plastic bags. The law will take effect in July 2015, when plastic

Dr. Paul Offit's latest op-ed in WSJ on the anti-vaccination epidemic, a good reminder for seniors this flu season, and what exercise works best in fighting teen obesity?

A potentially groundbreaking ruling in the UK may portend the removal of an unscientific and anti-public-health provision of the European Union s tobacco regulation proposal. This would be a case of addition by subtraction, we hope.

California s Proposition 37 and Washington s Initiative 522 previously failed at the ballot box, and now Oregon and Colorado will soon be voting on their own GMO-labeling laws Oregon s Measure 92, and Colorado s Initiative 105.

Flu season is here, and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age 6 months and older receive the flu vaccination every year, with few exceptions. However, even though influenza and pneumonia ranked eighth in the top 10 causes of death in the US in 2011, some people still choose to forgo the vaccine due to fear

Anaphylaxis (a severe, systemic allergic reaction) can be life-threatening. While this life-threatening reaction is quite uncommon, among the commonest causes of anaphylaxis include drug allergies, food allergies, and insect bites and stings. People who are known to be

r. Gilbert Ross in the EUReporter, October 13, 2014.
The EU s five-year process of revising the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) has resulted in a nearly-unmitigated disaster. Eschewing at every opportunity science-based (or even rational) policy, a conflicted,

With the new school year well under way, the CDC has some good news to report . Its annual vaccination coverage report documents the vaccination coverage among our nation s kindergarten children. Although the