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One of ACSH's missions is to change the media narrative about science and health. Too often, the media publishes "click bait" with the intention of scaring people or promoting a new food fad. That does a disservice to the public. We aim to rectify this by getting quoted in as many media outlets as possible, and here's where we appeared recently.

If you're seeking sloppy reporting and sensationalist headlines, recently CNN did not disappoint. "Odds of dying from accidental opioid overdose in the US surpass those of dying in car accident," it stated. Well, maybe so, that is -- unless you take a deeper look and then a very different story emerges. No need. We at ACSH do it for you. Free of charge!

Fiber is an oft-ignored member of the carbohydrate family. But it provides significant health benefits and with careful selections it tastes good, too.

Insomnia affects roughly 10% of the population. Those who suffer from this sleep disorder constitute a wide variety of personalities and family histories. The inconsistent pattern among these patients makes the condition difficult to classify, which in turn makes it difficult to understand. Now, new research has identified five insomnia subtypes based on non-sleep characteristics.

Epic patent gaming, and pay-for-delay agreements to slow-walk introduction of cheaper generics to market, helped bring us to this point. But will a growing behemoth of 750 hospitals actually lower drug prices?

In the mid-19th century, traveling medicine shows became all the rage. They were basically like small circuses that also peddled phony medicine. Today, we may laugh at how gullible we once were. But charlatans like Dr. Oz are the modern-day equivalent of that traveling con job.

Our ability to forget provides a survival advantage – while assuaging suffering in the process.

We count on innovation to improve our lives. In a quest to make innovations come faster we have considered how, and to whom, we entrust research and development. A new study suggests that the rate of innovation is driven mostly by how many simple and complex solutions might be available.

Bloomberg's recent hit piece on milk touches upon almost every sensitive issue that worries parents: food, school and their children. Toss in a conspiracy theory about "Big Dairy," and that's how Bloomberg came up with a fear-mongering headline, complete with a disgusting photo that is supposed to make readers feel queasy.

With cancer death rates declining 27% over a quarter century, there's much cause for celebrating. But now, complacency is not an option.

The questions keep coming. All sorts of questions. These days, they often revolve around some video that claims to have the answer to health problems, no matter what these may be. People want to know, "can this be true?" Invariably, the answer is no.

A new study on this form of diabetes, which is developed during pregnancy, puts forth the idea that simply watching what pregnant women eat and how much they exercise is sufficient prevention. However, it's important to note that doing one without the other is problematic.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is now on this healthcare bandwagon, and as is often the case with politicians this is more distraction than substance. Unfortunately, both ends of the political spectrum are more concerned with burnishing their image than solving the problem.

The pharmaceutical industry does not make a move without knowing what is coming down the pike, or without global projections years into the future. This latest maneuver is standard fare.

Most academic and policy discussions center on the cost of care for populations. But what does it cost us individually and can that "inform the debate"? Let's consider the trees for a moment rather than the forest.

It is very tempting to purposefully mislabel a product if you can make extra money and get away with it. But, using isotope analysis, chemists have devised a way to discriminate conventional and organic milk.

In order to predict someone's opinion -- on, for instance, Trump, or marijuana legalization -- is it better to know their age or in what year the question is asked? Does our upbringing influence our cultural choices ... or do we change with the times?

How often do you hear of someone using their spouse's antibiotic from a prior illness? Or, dispensing an Ambien to a colleague or friend? For those practicing medicine without a license in person, or through social media crowdsourcing, the harms can be considerable.

Accidental or intentional trauma from foreign bodies represents a large chunk of the preventable injury health care burden. That's not only costly in monetary terms, but also in degrees of anguish and unnecessary suffering. Though the items and circumstances vary, no age is spared.

It's difficult to imagine a fate worse than rabies. A 65-year-old woman experienced the full horror of that disease -- and suffered a death that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. A new CDC case study provides the gruesome details.

To begin to understand why it looks as it does, first off is that oxygen is both a friend and enemy of cut meat. Initially, it makes meat look appealing, But further exposure to oxygen makes meat look less so, even though it is not indicative of spoilage. Read more to learn about all the chemistry taking place under the plastic wrap.

The New York Times objectively reports on how the news media, politicians and science were wrong about "crack baby" epidemic. But they never apologize to their readers or accept responsibility.

The superfood phenomenon is likely the result of (1) Our cultural obsession with quick fixes and easy answers to complex questions; and (2) Marketing gimmicks that take advantage of widespread scientific illiteracy.

There's a phenomenon known as superheating. And in your typical microwave oven, the container is not heated -- only the water is. So to answer this question, we first must understand what boiling is all about. Let's take a look.

Bundled care, paying and calculating costs for an episode of care rather than fee-for-service, was thought in theory to be able to bring substantial cost savings. But as Yogi Berra said, "In theory, there is no difference in theory and practice. In practice there is."