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Back in the day, AARP used to stand for the American Association of Retired Persons. But since the organization offers membership to anyone over age 50 – and Americans' ideas of "retirement" have been radically altered since the organization's founding in 1958 – AARP is no longer just for those who, to borrow a phrase from the fifties, have stopped punching a clock.

A team of University of Pennsylvania researchers recently found that those "who are more mindful are more receptive to health messaging," in order to physically improve themselves, "and more likely to be motivated to change."

Anorexia nervosa prompts physical changes in the brain, and researchers report that even after "successful" treatment it does not revert back to its healthy state. Specifically, the organ continues to have an "elevated reward system" as compared to normal brains.

Since “fake news” seems to be the current buzz-worthy expression, let's point out that we don't have to look very far to find common medical falsehoods that originate in the Land of Celebrity. Like bubble-headed actresses who get attention for no good reason, here are some phony claims that lead the way.

Every year, millions of Americans undergo a colonoscopy. It's become routine, and the cancer-spotting process saves lives. Now instead of a camera fitting inside a colon, imagine one that can slide and peer through a blood vessel. It's a procedure that someday may be able to predict strokes or heart attacks before they occur.

We're currently in the middle of the FDA's open-comment period on genetically edited foods. To date, 191 comments have been submitted, the majority expressing a sentiment of "poisoning the people." Well, scientists and pro-science folks, now's the time to make the scientific community's voice heard. Here's how to do it.

Ticks may be on their way to the operating room.

We were all over media last week, including in not-so-flattering ways, thanks to a cabal of anti-science activists.

Our resident pediatrician always advises us not to be fooled by the cuteness. New research analyzed science reporting in newspapers, the results aren't pretty. Beware of shiny-object syndrome! 

Again the mainstream media gets a study wrong, but they do have a great headline. The study concludes we should emphasize good and bad eating habits; it doesn't have any idea how many deaths are attributable to diet.

Two new articles on disease transmission – one by Steve Schow, PhD, and the other by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Mark Johnson – shed light on an important, overlooked topic: how infections spread from animals to humans.

Sara Gottfried "re-gifts" the standard advice about exercise, sleep and diet behind a new facade devoid of scientific evidence. The doctor and author claims that her regimen – which includes trips to a sauna and red wine – will reprogram our genes and help us live longer. Too bad that it's based on a premise that does not exist.

Will patients ever shop for health care the way consumers do for an iPhone? Pfizer's Dr. Robert Popovian asks this question in his latest contribution for Morning Consult. The answer? Individuals need much more information to make informed decisions. To that point, here's one way this could work. 

Older mothers may be better – or maybe not. But when a study is based on moms' answers to a questionnaire about their own children, it's also possible that older mothers just think their children are more perfect than how younger moms view their kids.  

It glistens, oozes, sometimes sparkles and seems to be everywhere: in homes, schools and offices, and on travel gear and key chains. So it's no wonder that kids are accidentally – and even intentionally – ingesting hand sanitizer. The result can be signs of alcohol toxicity.

We want to hear what kids around the nation (and globe!) want to know about science and health. Kicking off our new segment, #KuriousKiddos, are Isaiah and Gabriel who ask us this: Our mom dilutes our juice with water because she says too much sugar is bad for us. Is it healthier to drink diluted juice or the real deal?
Watch the video to hear our answer!
If you'd like to submit a question to #KuriousKiddos, please e-mail us at: simovskaa@acsh.org
 
 

Results of a nationwide survey just released by the American Heart Association reveal that 47 percent of "respondents with a known history of, or at least one risk factor for heart disease or stroke, had not had their cholesterol checked within the past year." Nearly 95 million adults have total cholesterol numbers above 200. 

You've heard of being in a fog while pregnant, but is there science to back this up? A little bit. Watch our video to find out.
Plus, a bonus announcement from Ana Dolaskie.

Any effort to fight fake news is noble and should be applauded. But, if Mr. Wales believes his new venture will be the solution to fake news, it will fall short for at least four reasons. 

The American College of Surgeons recently announced submissions of their plan for attribution of care and physician payment to the Health and Human Services Department’s Planning and Evaluation Office of Health Policy. Let's discuss their approach to attribution, since surgery is a team activity.

1. Organic Consumers Association, and the groups it funds, like US Right To Know and the lawyer-run partisan attack site Sourcewatch, may be in a lot of trouble.

In Part 1, we considered "the spread," which is the difference between the cost of a product or service and the price charged for it. Here it Part 2, we examine the factors and pressures that create this difference.

Excessive ice stalls a climate change expedition, the merits of a pillow-based exercise regimen ... and more news that's a bit, shall we say ... loonie.

The FDA just released a list of 25 eating establishments in California, Texas and Oklahoma that received – and may have already served – tuna steaks that tested positive for hepatitis A. The agency is urging those who ate either raw or undercooked tuna from these restaurants within the last two weeks to receive a post-exposure vaccine.

Edgar Allan Poe had a fascinating but strange mind, and perhaps he wasn't truly mad to think a raven was after him. Turns out, if you wrong a raven, it will shun you... Forevermore.