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From hospital inpatient “wealth screenings” for potential donors, to digital "geofencing" cell phones in emergency rooms, the erosion of patient privacy is real. Guess who's the latest to have access to your intimate data (e.g. pregnancy status, ovulation cycle, blood pressure) without your consent?

One of the most beautiful aspects of science is that it transcends culture and language. Facts are facts, no matter if you speak English or German. That's why we are so happy to see that our work is being cited, not just across America, but all over the globe. Here's where the Council's impact has been felt in recent days.

Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Tylenol, have some 'splaining to do. It would seem as if the company is using some unsavory marketing tactics to boost sales of its product. How so? For starters, the company has informed us that Tylenol is not an opioid. Who knew? What's the reason behind this odd claim? Better keep reading.

A recent bus crash reminds us that all episodes of impaired driving are not due to overdose.

Like Pig-Pen from Peanuts, a cloud of filth follows Andrew Wakefield wherever he goes. Vaccine exemptions have soared 1900% in Texas since he moved there. Now, he's trying to get anti-vaccine politicians elected.

Due to rampant false claims, could moratoriums on medical searches by social media companies actually free up time in an office visit. And also, lessen health care burdens?

Rent doesn't just refer to apartments and land. Also, rent is not profit, it requires no activity in adding value and it entails little risk. The rising cost of healthcare includes the rising cost of healthcare's rents.

Eating at Panda Express recently in Seattle, it was hard not to notice that after just a few bites some diners found their forks to be completely bent out of shape. A quick look at the handle revealed why: It was marked "compostable."

Why on Earth does the media print sensationalist nonsense over and over again? We know of at least three reasons: (1) It cares more about internet traffic (and $$$) than anything else; (2) science journalists often have no formal education in the field; and (3) university press offices purposefully exaggerate their research.

Kolodny, the self-appointed (but thoroughly unqualified) opioid czar, repeatedly uses the made-up phrase "heroin pills." It's an apparent attempt to demonize opioids like oxycodone. In a way, he's succeeded. To fill the void left by the oxycodone shortage, the Southwestern U.S. is being flooded by "real" heroin pills called "Mexican Oxy." But the pills aren't actually heroin; they're fentanyl copies of oxycodone, which kill when consumed. Nice going, once again.

With recreational marijuana becoming a big deal, how can you differentiate one source of weed from another? California farmers take a page from their wine handbook: marijuana appellations, or geographical designations for growing regions.

Hospice provides comfort during the last months of life. But many patients requiring dialysis cannot, or do not, take advantage of this care. We need to do less harm.

As Big Pharma shifts risk for drug discovery to start-ups, the acquisition and licensing of those discoveries serve as a hidden driver of medication cost. Consider Keytruda.

The founding of the modern funeral industry can essentially be traced back to President Abraham Lincoln and his support for embalming the human body after death.

Do artificially-sweetened beverages increase your risk of having a stroke? Maybe, be you have to be African-American, overweight, under-exercised and on a diet termed by the government to be unhealthy. It also helps if you have high blood pressure.

The fact that Ethan Lindenberger is over 18 years of age cannot be glossed over here. When dealing with minors -- which this teen by legal definition is not -- the terrain can get murky.  

Russian trolls and the Organic Consumers Association both spread anti-vaccine propaganda and conspiracy theories in an effort to undermine American technology. Worse yet, they actively collude with one other.

Can yoga, instead of producing only anecdotal success stories, instead demonstrate that it can deliver quantifiable health benefits? A new study may herald a shift in the Western discussion of an Eastern practice.

From Seattle to New Haven, we here at the American Council have crisscrossed America spreading good science news while debunking junk science. We even made a couple of international appearances! Take a look.

Safe or low-risk doses for PFOA, and related chemicals by various governments, are currently widely disparate. Fortunately, recent findings in humans may reduce some of this disparity. Efforts to use this newer information should allow for harmonization -- or at least more consistency -- in government positions.

Oxytocin-deficient animals point to deep links between social behavior and the need to keep warm.

Doing so is becoming increasingly problematic these days, as another person was arrested for practicing medicine without a license. One common aspect among imposters is that they know just enough information to be dangerous. Here's how to separate physician fact from fiction.

Dietary supplement companies are not renowned for their ethical business practices. But 16 companies may have redefined the word "sordid" by peddling useless supplements to Alzheimer's patients and their families. At least they got swatted down by the FDA. But how much did they suck from desperate families before the FDA warning letters went out? And how do these guys sleep at night?

The new behavioralists are trying to figure out how to best reward physicians for good outcomes. We may call it "pay for performance," but it seems an awful lot like all those studies of rats pressing levers to get a reward or avoid being shocked.

The CDC says "tobacco use by youth is rising." If that were to be true, it'd be horrible -- but it's not. Cigarette use is down. The only reason the CDC can make this claim is because the agency considers e-cigarettes and vaping devices -- which only contain nicotine -- to be tobacco products. This is misleading and undermines public health.