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Giving a combination vaccine, MMR-V (MMR plus varicella-chickenpox) vaccines at one time as opposed to separately, increases the risk of febrile seizures in infants. But the absolute risk is extremely low either way, much lower than the risk of measles, and such seizures have no significant sequelae.

Regular physical activity can be beneficial at all ages, but may be especially important for seniors as loss of mobility can both be a result of, as well as cause, chronic illnesses. A new study

In what was was either a freak accident or someone actually using their mind, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Our environment is a mosaic of chemicals that add to our everyday living. Despite their ubiquitous presence and essential role in society, chemicals

The latest health news: a shoutout to Hank Campbell on his natural gas op-ed, why germy kids are healthy kids, and why getting them to eat veggies because it's healthy won't work

At ACSH we've pretty much seen it all. We deal with the loonies and their beliefs constantly: the fluoride conspiracy, big pharma withholding a cure for cancer, AIDS made by the US government to wipe out Africa, and of course the Jason of all scares the vaccine-autism link that persists despite a series of investigative reports proving that this link was not only wrong, but intentionally made up for monetary purposes. And so much more.

Today we give a shout-out to ACSH friend Michael D. Shaw for his provocative piece that was posted on the HealthNewsDigest website. This topic is something we have written about regularly: What happens to pharmaceutical research when big companies merge and/or layoff scientists?

Heart failure affects about six million Americans. This may at least partially explain why the media has been so quick to seize the opportunity to link heart failure with processed meat consumption.

A recent Internet search for bee pollen turned up over two million hits so this is obviously a very popular substance. But why are people consuming something that is basically a food for bee larvae? Might have something to do with marketing.

Cancer is a group of diseases, all involving uncontrolled cell growth. The site of the cancer and cell type make all the difference in the prognosis. For example, thyroid cancer and basal cell carcinoma could be looked at as marginal cancers at worst, since they rarely spread and thus are rarely fatal.

Binge drinking among adolescents has long been on the radar as a public health concern. However, it is also a concern for working age adults. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that excessive drinking accounts for about one in ten deaths

The FDA has posted a warning about the dangers of powdered caffeine. Caffeine? Yes, caffeine. Everyone has heard of caffeine that natural stimulant in coffee, tea and colas that helps students stay up to cram, and perks sleepy workers up from that mid-morning slump. We tend to not realize that, like all other drugs, there s a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde aspect to caffeine, and now the Mr. Hyde side has come to the forefront.

Last year we at ACSH were instrumental in getting the village of Ocean Beach, located on Long Island, to overturn its decades-old chemophobic policy of refusing to participate in the mosquito control program that was routinely used in most of Long Island, as well as wide areas of New York City.
We were prompted to do so after ACSH friend Jim Capuono a six year survivor of colon cancer nearly died from West Nile encephalitis, which he contracted from mosquitoes while vacationing in Ocean Beach in August, 2012.

In the Toronto Star Olivia Ward cites the Council, but only as a nonsensical counterpoint to a loving endorsement of the Natural Resources Defense Council in her advocacy against the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline and anything else that keeps energy for poor people at reasonable cost.

Dr. J Cuzick from the Queen Mary University of London and international colleagues from several institutions performed a review of studies linking the use of aspirin to decreased risk of several types of cancer and of heart attacks and stroke.

Of all the garbage science topics that we routinely cover, among the worst is the concept that miniscule amounts of so-called endocrine disruptors chemicals that supposedly have an adverse impact on human sexual development do anything whatsoever. The plastic component BPA and plastic softeners, phthalates, are the two poster children of the movement, but there are many more.

Past research on the efficacy of low calorie sweeteners (LCS) for weight loss has had mixed results, with some studies showing no effect, and some indicating such sweeteners can be helpful. A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition perhaps can explain these discrepancies.

In spite of repeated warnings, many Americans run the risk of the potentially lethal skin cancer, melanoma, by insisting on acquiring a tan either from the sun or from indoor tanning beds. According to a call to action by acting Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak, over 63,000 cases of melanoma are diagnosed in the United States each year, and 9,000 people die from it.0

Over the past couple of years, we ve seen the re-emergence of a number of vaccine preventable diseases, mainly pertussis (whooping cough) and measles. And the majority of these cases are among individuals who have not

Catch the latest news on declining sale of traditional cigarettes, how BMI affects mortality in older adults, and how another major case of religious exemptions against vaccines is putting lives at risk in one Florida community

As we have done repeatedly, fellow debunker Michael Shaw has some things to say about Dr. Oz on his web page Shaw s Eco-Logic.
Here are a couple of examples from his piece The Merry Old Land of Oz, which appeared on the HealthNewsDigest site:

Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day, with proponents of this meal arguing that consuming a healthy breakfast (whatever that means) is an important component of a sound weight-loss

An e-cig/vapor company takes on the misguided EU Tobacco Products Directive. They only have science, the EU s own treaties, and common sense behind them, but it will still be an uphill battle to save smokers.

Two recent stories may have rendered the old saw, one step forward, two steps backwards obsolete. And not by a little.
In fact, it would not be incorrect to adjust the numbers a bit. Such as: one step forward, two-and-a-half billion steps back, because this is the combined population of China and India two of the places where significantly more food will be required to feed their rapidly-growing countries. Together, they comprise 36 percent of the earth s population.