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Is it time for dieters to ditch the written food journal, and go high tech? That's what researchers in Washington State are pondering as they study dieters who, instead of writing down everything they eat, document their daily food consumption on Instagram, the picture-laden smartphone app. 

An investigation by Business Insider found that, "United had more pet deaths in 2016 than any other major US airline." Given United's recent public relations debacle, is this true, too? Technically yes, but statistically no. Becasue it's the statistics that matter, not the raw numbers.

Can an electrical signal applied to the ear reduce, on a global basis, the greatest cause of maternal death? 

If your unborn child takes up anywhere between 6 and 8 pounds (sometimes even 9 and 10!), why the heck are we gaining 20 to 35 pounds in nine months? Here's how the weight gets distributed on your body.
 
 
 
 

For some, opioids aren't just painkillers; they serve as a lure into an addictive, self-destructive lifestyle. The sense of euphoria that opioids can cause proves irresistible to some addicts. For this reason, pharmaceutical companies are seeking to discover and develop non-opioid, non-addictive drugs to treat pain.

Dr. Lance O'Sullivan decided to take action when the anti-vaccine movie "VAXXED" was shown in his community. By protesting the misinformed movement while spreading the truth about the benefits of vaccines, the staunch vaccine supporter is our new hero. If only he wore a cape.  

A recent study suggests that having four or five beers can be as effective as taking over-the-counter painkillers for pain relief. This may be so, but there's a catch — one that's not worth the risk.

The recently published meta-analysis by the American Institute for Cancer Research is a summary of summaries. As you might expect, something is always lost in summation. In this instance, the loss is useful, credible information.

Federal health officials have identified a clear link between the increase in domesticated chickens and the rise in Salmonella incidents. And the statistics indicate that close contact with these adorable chicks and egg-laying birds is accelerating the spread of disease to humans in the home.

Does being the fastest man on Earth mean the Jamaican sprinter also has the best body mechanics? We might believe so, but actually it might not be true. Using a model they engineered, researchers at Southern Methodist University say the multiple Olympic gold medalist may have "an asymmetrical running gait." The findings raise some intriguing questions.

Caring for patients as they approach their deaths is sensitive, emotionally fraught territory. It is also an important discussion. A new study sheds some light on the difficulties in those talks for patients and physicians. 

The recent Alzheimers Association’s International Conference might explain an uptick in mainstream media reports about the disease. And they have a common thread: the reports are based on clinical abstracts rather than the actual papers or datasets. So do these media reports serve to clarify – or confuse?

While bariatric surgery is the most effective means of dealing with extreme obesity, subjects must still exercise some degree of dietary discipline to obtain the most benefit. A new analysis finds that the degree of early weight loss predicts long-term success, and both are linked to decreases in energy intake.

The story of the allegedly toxic (and potentially lethal) homeopathic teething products continues. The latest piece of the puzzle is the multiple violations an FDA investigation uncovered at Raritan Pharmaceuticals, one of the company's manufacturing facilities.

What's more disturbing: The revelation that roughly a third of the athletes at the 2011 track world championships were doping – undetected – or that it took six years for the news of such a remarkable breakdown to become public? If this was a race, using the sport's parlance, you might say they'd break the tape simultaneously. 

Stories circling around the web caution having your pets outdoors during the ultimate solar eclipse this Monday due to risk of damaging their eyes if they just so happen to look up. (Spoiler alert: Your dog doesn't typically look up on a normal day, and on this day, he probably won't either.)
But, if you do have pets, or live on a farm and have livestock, here's how the solar eclipse may affect them.

Pumpkin season is here, but it's more than just a fad. There's a bit of science behind why we're so obsessed with pumpkin spice everything!

Medicare doesn't dispute how much pharmaceutical companies charge for their drugs. This laxity has inevitably led to the program being fleeced by them – to the tune of over a billion dollars. And that's just for a drug that doesn't even need to be in use.

People with red hair tend to have a greater health risk from sun exposure, and for developing skin cancer. But now researchers at Boston University report that they've found a way to potentially reduce that risk by altering a protein involved with pigmentation in humans.

A recently published working paper states that the water in Flint, Michigan is presumably responsible for startling drops in fertility rates, and increased fetal deaths, as compared to neighboring cities. How reliable are these data and should we really be sounding alarm bells?

Researchers recently conducted a small study that showed promise for weight loss if you took part in a cheat day from your diet. Be careful, though, the plan can backfire.
 

A little girl sitting near the field at Yankee Stadium got hit in the face with a baseball travelling 105 miles an hour. This type of tragedy doesn't occur frequently, but when it does the results are catastrophic. And the solution – protective netting – is simple and extremely effective. It's time that all teams enact this public safety measure prior to the start of next season.

As great as is it, who would have expected the TV series Game of Thrones to be fodder for a chemistry lesson about electrons, oxidation, reduction and tin. But it is, thanks to (former) King Stannis Baratheon. Whoever said that chemistry wasn't magic?

A recent report on a pilot program to increase the availability of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses underscores the current anti-doctor climate in healthcare. Under-valuing physicians, and replacing them with substandard care, ultimately places the patient at risk. And that, my friends, is unethical.

British researchers say it's time to invert the debilitating, pervasive mindset that gives older adults permission to accept that "I'm getting older, so I better stop being active and start getting used to slowing down." Instead, they say that it's not getting older that stops one from being active, but it's that being inactive accelerates the process of getting old.