Here s another drop in the bucket of needless health scare stories: A study presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Chicago finds that pregnancy increases the risk of heart attack by three- to four-fold. However, a look at the figures for absolute risk shows that this increase amounts to just one heart attack for every 16,000 deliveries. Not quite the crisis that the headlines suggest.
Search
Throughout the ages, people have resorted to countless methods to cure the common cold, yet such bugs continue to plague people around the world, with no cure in sight. However, the results of a recent meta-analysis suggests that there may be an evidence-based treatment that could shorten a cold s duration even if it s still not the cure we ve been searching for.
Residents of Washington state: Brace yourselves. Public health officials have warned that the state is on track for the worst epidemic of pertussis, or whooping cough, since the 1940s. So far this year, over 1,100 cases of the disease have been confirmed, and 20 infants have been hospitalized. We re seeing 100 to 125 new cases every week, says Tim Church, a spokesman for the state Health Department, who also predicts that Washington will end the year with about 3,000 whooping cough cases total.
ACSH has a long history of balancing hype from various sources with evidence-based science, especially when it comes to countering sensationalized studies that rely on questionable methodologies.
In a blog post that would be funny if the topic weren t so distressing, ACSH advisor Dr. Michael Siegel, professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, criticizes the FDA s latest announcement warning smokers about the dangers of using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes).
The toll of prescription painkiller abuse is rising and, according to the CDC, oxycodone and hydrocodone overdose claimed over 14,000 lives in 2008 alone. And to add to the arsenal of creative ploys such as doctor shopping that addicts use to gain access to these drugs, many are now heading to emergency room departments and complaining of toothaches in order to get their prescription fix.
Asthma rates in the U.S. have been rising over the past 10 years, reaching the highest level ever in 2010, according to a new report from the CDC. The report assessed data from the National Health Interview Survey, which included self-reported diagnoses of asthma among a nationally representative sample of Americans. The results indicate that, while in 2001 about 7.3 percent of people in the U.S. reported having asthma, as of 2010, this number rose to 8.4 percent.
While there are many reasons to continue brushing and flossing your teeth, improved cardiovascular health is unlikely to be one of them, according to a new scientific statement by an American Heart Association (AHA) expert committee. The statement, published in the AHA journal Circulation, draws from the expert committee s review of 500 journal articles and studies that, ultimately, did not confirm a causative link between gum disease (or any oral or dental condition) and cardiovascular diseas
Hey, cancer survivors! Now hear this: Eat healthier and exercise more! These remarkably obvious recommendations are part of the latest guidelines for cancer survivors issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS). According to this "groundbreaking" alert, maintaining a healthy weight through proper nutrition and physical exercise can reduce the risk of cancer relapse.
Earlier this week, we discussed a new study that found that in vitro fertilization (IVF), along with another assisted reproductive technology called ICIS (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), was associated with a significant increase in a baby s risk of birth defects. However, ACSH advisor Dr. Robert Brent, who is also Professor of Pediatrics, Radiology, and Pathology at Jefferson Medical College Research Department and Alfred I.
Josh Bloom, Medical Progress Today Spotlight Feature 5/10/12
Me-too? Says who?
In an op-ed for Forbes, Angela Logomasini, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, takes the EPA to task for attempting to skirt the standard regulatory system on chemical regulation. She describes an insidious new policy called Design for the Environment, which is effectively restricting certain substances by putting pressure on manufacturers to voluntarily remove them from the market.
As if the health hazards of smoking weren t reason enough to avoid the habit, extensive exposure to second-hand smoke has also been known to have adverse health effects, particularly for children who live with a smoking parent. Now, a new study presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference finds that the respiratory symptoms we often see in children who live with a smoker may actually extend into adulthood.
The nasty bacterial infection, Clostridium difficile (C. diff), is making its way out of the hospital and into the community. Hospital patients have long been at risk of acquiring this infection, but a new study presented at the Digestive Disease Week s annual medical conference indicates that now children who aren t hospitalized are also being infected at increasingly high rates.
Last year, the U.S. saw 222 measles cases the highest number since 1996, a statistic that public health officials are now using to remind kids and adults to get vaccinated. And because 200 of the identified cases were imported from abroad and from countries one might not immediately associate with the disease, including France and Italy the latest warning is especially important to those traveling.
When folks here at ACSH hear the term cancer phobia, we instinctively assume it means the pervasive fear that exposure to certain chemicals or environmental factors will undoubtedly increase one s risk of cancer. Yet in a recent op-ed for The New York Times, science journalist David Ropeik uses the label in quite a different way: He describes the sense of doom that many patients experience upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, or simply when they hear the word cancer.
A June 5th referendum in California will determine whether a one-dollar tax will be added to cigarette packs sold in the state. Right now, survey results suggest that voters support the measure by a slim margin: 50 percent of those polled were in favor, while 42 percent were opposed and 8 percent remained undecided.ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, for one, will be watching the voting outcome with interest.
Less than a decade ago, almost a third of South African babies were born infected with HIV.
It s one of the most dreaded aspects of a recommended preventive medical schedule: the colonoscopy. But a new study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that virtual colonoscopy without the harsh laxative bowel preparation, and which doesn t use a scope, might be just as effective as regular colonoscopy at detecting polyps in the colon as long as the polyps are large enough, that is.
For those interested in the dangers of illegal medicines to both drug development and our health, check out this event tomorrow from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI):
Phake: The deadly world of falsified and substandard medicinesThursday, May 17, 2012
5:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
AEI, Twelfth Floor 1150 Seventeenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 (Two blocks from Farragut North Metro)
A study just published in The Lancet has found that radiation exposure from repeated CT scans in childhood might significantly increase the admittedly low risk of leukemia and brain cancer.
ACSH has long criticized those who have repeatedly called for reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a federal law that was passed in 1976 to regulate chemicals. And though numerous attempts have been made to get Congress to amend the act over the years primarily because anti-chemical activist groups such as NRDC thought it was not stringent enough their efforts have thus far not led to any changes.
Since their implementation in large-scale food production, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which have helped feed many of the world s starving populations have gotten much flak from environmental groups and the organic industry.
Who ever thought that a morning cup of coffee, which so many Americans rely upon in order to jump-start their day, could also forestall a meeting with the Grim Reaper? Well, according to the results of a new prospective study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, coffee drinking is associated with lower total and cause-specific mortality.
Last week, we took note of the rarity of ACSH's opinion coinciding with that of The New York Times: We both agreed that, as The Times editorial put it, Bloomberg's proposed sales limitation on sugary beverages was "A Ban Too Far."So we were even more surprised to note that The New York
Pagination
ACSH relies on donors like you. If you enjoy our work, please contribute.
Make your tax-deductible gift today!