Here s some good news for those promoting the use of e-cigarettes as a form of tobacco harm reduction. According to a survey conducted in 6,000 current and former smokers in the United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, e-cigarettes devices which provide nicotine in a benign vapor, geared towards helping addicted smokers quit are viewed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes by 80 percent of those surveyed. The survey found though, that only 3 percent of respondents currently used e-cigarettes.
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A randomized, controlled trial is known as the gold standard when it comes to medical research but electronic medical records are paving the way for wily scientists to conduct other types of research.
This doesn t sound good. The Centers for Disease Control last week warned doctors to prepare for the arrival of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea from Asia, and avoid prescribing too many antibiotics for fear they may create superbugs.
Gonorrhea has become resistant to all but one class of antibiotics, known as cephalosporins, which are getting less effective at treating it especially among men who have sex with men on the West Coast, the CDC says.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) problems maintaining an erection may be a barometer of heart problems and could indicate an increased risk of death, a new study has found. The degree of risk correlated with the severity of the ED, as well as the presence of pre-existent heart disease.
People are very likely to underestimate their true weight, especially obese individuals, according to a recent study. And their inaccuracy at assessing their own adiposity seems to be getting worse.
Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, president and founder of the American Council on Science and Health, sent the following letter to the editor of the New York Post in response to their Dec. 23, 2012, article, Big pay, low payoff at NYC nonprofit.
Zithromax, a commonly used antibiotic that is in the macrolide family of antibiotics (the same as erythromycin) has long been associated with an EKG abnormality called QT prolongation. But according to the FDA, azithromycin may be more dangerous than previously thought.
A recent study published in the journal BMC Public Health, Outdoor advertising, obesity, and soda consumption: a cross sectional study, investigating the relationship between obesity and outdoor advertising, found that areas with more outdoor advertising had higher rates of obesity than those with fewer ads. Researchers concluded that if this association was further proven with additional research, it could be used to inform policy related to obesity generating advertising.
Vaccinations for the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak saved an estimated 500 lives and may have caused 77 people to develop Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) a temporary, but serious paralytic autoimmune disorder, a new study finds.
Researchers led by Dr. Bruce Gellin of the National Vaccine Program Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzed a survey of 23 million people in the U.S and found that cases of GBS were about twice as likely to occur in the six weeks following vaccination as they were later on.
Drug overdose deaths rose in 2010 for the 11th straight year, killing over 39,000 Americans, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nearly 60 percent of the overdose deaths 22,134 involved prescription medicines, rather than illegal narcotics. Three out of four medicine-related deaths involved opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin, and only 17 percent were suicides the larger fraction were accidental.
Following a year filled with baseless attacks on chemicals ranging from phthalates to BPA, a United Nations-sponsored research team released a report blaming these everyday chemicals for an increase in birth deformities, hormonal cancers and psychiatric diseases among many, many other conditions of vague or indeterminate etiology, including cancers of various types, obesity, you-name-it.
ACSH has just finished conducting a rigorous analysis of the top 10 health scares of 2012 and we can hereby declare it was a pretty scary year. From phthalates in school supplies to the labeling of genetically modified food to BPA in cash register receipts, there were a number of scares out there. But we re here to tell you you don t have to live in fear get the facts about these phony scares here.
Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop didn t live long enough to see America turned into a smoke-free society but can we? That s the provocative idea behind an op-ed in today s New York Times by Richard Daynard, a Northeastern University law professor and president of its Public Health Advocacy Institute.
In her Personal Health column in today s NY Times Science section, Jane Brody sheds light on the pregnancy hazards linked to many medicinal substances, and new findings which show that during the last 30 years, the use of prescription drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy has grown by more than 60 percent.
We re not the only ones who think there s something really fishy about how the Obama administration is delaying AquaBounty s application to sell genetically modified salmon.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not just a problem for kids nearly a third of those diagnosed as children with ADHD still have the condition in adulthood, according to a 20-year study, published yesterday in Pediatrics.
Pregnant women who suffer from severe morning sickness and vomiting which in its severest manifestation is termed hyperemesis gravidarum can now find relief: The popular anti-nausea drug Ondansetron (Zofran) was found to pose no increased risk of harm to their developing babies.
Should we be giving even more shots against pertussis (whooping cough)? A new study is showing that the pertussis vaccine isn t as long-lasting as was originally thought.
Seductive additive boosting addiction or harmless flavoring? ACSH examines the evidence on and complexities regarding menthol as an ingredient in tobacco products, an ingredient whose banning is often debated. This paper updates a previous research paper on the same subject.
Statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs, but discontinuation rates are relatively high. A new study in The Annals of Internal Medicine shows that in the large majority of cases where statins were stopped due to perceived adverse effects, the drug once re-started provoked no recurrent problems.
Women who have suffered a stillbirth or have pre-existing medical conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, or varicose veins are at greater risk of developing dangerous blood clots after giving birth, a new study has revealed.
Boy, did we hear it from our readers after asserting yesterday that routine annual mammography was overrated, citing a study that found false positive test results can wreak havoc with a woman s psyche.
For those with severe peanut or tree nut allergies, flying may provoke anxiety. Given that Air Canada is the only airline with any sort of formal policy on peanut and tree nut allergies, a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology-In Practice may give those with these allergies some relief.
Vape em if you got em! The Economist has just endorsed e-cigarettes in a remarkable editorial, writing they do not just save the lives of smokers: they bring other benefits too. Unlike cigarettes, they do not damage the health of bystanders. They do not even smell that bad, so there is no public nuisance, let along hazard, and thus no reason to ban their use in public places. Pubs and restaurants should welcome them with open arms.
According to an analysis done by researchers affiliated with the Harvard School of Public Health, average daily sodium intake among Americans is 3950 mg. This number is almost twice what the World Health Organization recommends, and about three-fold what our American Heart Association posits as ideal for health.
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