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In 1960, a Boeing mechanic was told he had renal failure – a death sentence. But he was started on an experimental technique – dialysis – which extended his life for 11 years and made him Patient Zero in this revolutionary area in health care. Today, Medicare spends more than $10 billion on dialysis, medications and laboratory testing for some 370,000 patients.

The first in a series of articles about all of the weird things that people put in places in their body, which then get stuck there. In short, decisions that make absolutely no sense.

Glutathione (GSH), a combination of three amino acids made by the body, had become a fad for skin bleaching. While it is a potent antioxidant, GSH supplements or injectables have not been widely tested or approved for skin lightening. And for anyone interested in using GSH for that purpose, we can only warn that the injectable form should not be given by unqualified individuals.

If you're thinking about going to Consumed the Movie, Amy Porterfield Levy will disabuse you of that notion—hilariously. 

For more than a decade New York City schools have offered "Breakfast in the Classroom," a program that had hoped to boost academic performance as well as school attendance. However, the BIC program fell short on both counts, according to a study that concluded that there was no evidence of success for the initiative.

Dr. David Shlaes, American Council advisor and infectious disease expert, has been blogging about antibiotics since 2009. His latest entry concerning the FDA is rather encouraging, but it's also a bit disturbing.

Concussions: Fact v. Fiction

Preservation of vision should be a cherished, lifetime goal. So let’s talk high velocity projectiles -- or their avoidance -- chemical splashes, particle fragments and creepy crawlers.  

Twin pregnancies are at high risk of stillbirths, as compared to mothers carrying just one baby. This risk increases five-fold when they each has their own placenta, and 13-fold if twins share it. Complications can often happen in pregnancies near term that have otherwise gone well, with no single cause identified for this occurrence.
 

Researchers at Temple University have been able to successfully eliminate HIV-1 viral genome from human CD4+ T lymphocytes, significantly reducing HIV viral load in ex vivo cultures.

Those diagnosed as autistic face a range of challenges as a result of their condition. But new, disturbing research appears to show that for individuals on the autism spectrum, premature death -- ranging from 12 to as much as 30 years -- might prove to be the most significant problem of all.

High intensity interval training is all the exercise rave. It has legions of gung-ho devotees dedicated to being in top physical form. And it appears that if this activity is your thing, you better be. Researchers believe that the activity may do more harm than good, specifically for those who are not in prime physical condition.

Ho hum. Endocrine disruptors again. This time it's from a study in Europe that involves two chemicals and two female reproductive disorders. The only problem is that the study tells us absolutely nothing. The authors should be embarrassed by this paper.

William Tyler Jarvis, Ph.D, a longtime adviser to the American Council on Science and Health, a retired professor of public health and a determined defender of sound science, passed away at the age of 80 on March 1.

Researchers from UCLA are trying to zero in on the optimal dose of exercise that could alleviate addiction among methamphetamine users. Heavy meth addicts who exercised at least three hours per week reported reduced feelings of compulsion, and were shown to have lower levels of the drug in their system.

In an effort to halt what some pediatricians are calling a rising tide in vaccine hesitancy, the American Academy of Pediatrics have released a statement urging states to crack down on parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. The recommendations go as far as stating that pediatricians reserve the right to exclude anti-vaccine families from the practice who refuse to change their minds.

Millions of Americans are, mistakenly, big believers in the power of dietary supplements. At the same time many remain completely ignorant about the inherent risks associated with them, especially since they can interfere with prescription drug medications. And in some cases combining the two can have severe consequences.

What everyone "knows" is that dog ownership is good for one's health. But are there data to support that? Yes, a preliminary study from Sweden provides some confirming data.

A New York City Council hearing by the Committee on Environmental Protection, originally slated for today, won't he going off as scheduled. But this will serve the public interest, since at the very least any delay will give legislators additional time to rethink their well-meaning, but ultimately misguided, proposal that could ban so-called "flushable" wipes.

It's known that predatory open access (pOA) journals have low standards. But the story of the paper submission of Dr. Alexandre Martin's son, Tristan, underscores just how unethical they are. If published, Tristan would have plagiarized his work without ever having been aware of it. Did we mention that Tristan is seven years old? 

We're drooling, and not because Brad Pitt is newly single. It's because we just learned the 20 most hashtagged foods on Instagram, and the verdict is: we like calories. Take a look; bib not included.
 
See the full list here.

What is a scientific poll? First, it is a misnomer. There is nothing scientific about a poll. Second, it is conducted using sound statistical techniques. What's more, savvy politicos know that not just any poll will do.

The news regarding antibiotic misuse is, needless to say, bleak. But the work being done by Dr. Sara Cosgrove and Dr. Pranita Tamma offers a ray of hope. And an arm of the Dept. of Health and Human Services seems to agree, financing their work with $16 million, which is a lot for that governmental agency. 

Did the Earth spin off its axis?  Or, are we just dreaming that the rebirth of joy and humor and common sense and reasonableness could be the latest trend in parenting? Pinch us, please. It might just be the therapeutic intervention we need.   

Some people just come right out and ask if you will simply repeat, in public, what they say. In fact, it is such a given in the anti-science community, where the technique is so common. Amazingly, brazenly, those folks often just blatantly ask each other to parrot their work, no matter how flawed it is. Here's how Friends of the Earth does it.