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Many people are being misled by false claims that induce them to pay inflated prices for products that are “free from” various things that are actually beneficial, or for worthless remedies. Misinformation can jeopardize both their health and finances.

The deluge of the use of the term "natural" for product promotion continues unabated. But perhaps it's getting stale because KinderFarms, Jessica Biel's company, is selling stuff like Tylenol and Benadryl with the promise of avoiding "artificial petrochemicals." That ignores the fact that these drugs are all made from just that. Nope, no kindness or farms. Just another misleading ad campaign.

The spectrum of information that can be obtained by prenatal testing is wide and rapidly increasing. Many mutations, or "abnormalities," are inconsequential, while others are significant. Genetic counseling combined with noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) can be useful.

Like all natural health matchstick men, Josh Axe is a supplement hustler and champion of bad nutritional advice. On Episode 61 of the Science Dispatch podcast, hosts Cameron English and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein sit down with ACSH contributor Katie Suleta to examine one of Axe's latest cons: a six-step "liver cleanse."

Americans seem to have quite a positive view of dietary supplements. According to a 2023 survey, 74% of U.S. adults take vitamins, prebiotics and the like.
The business of supplements is booming, and with all the hype around them, it’s easy to forget what they actually are: substances that can powerfully affect the body and your health, yet aren’t regulated like drugs are. They’re regulated more like food.

Among the most creative and original mathematical thinkers (explanations of her work are virtually incomprehensible to us mortals who communicate in words rather than symbols), Amalie “Emmy” Noether’s name is associated with countless theorems, mathematical constructs, and key advances in abstract algebra, many of which are essential to modern physics.

For most of us, the closest we get to special treatment is boarding a plane using our frequent flyer miles. Concierge medicine provides the undivided attention of your primary care physician. With the Boomers needing more care coupled with a growing physician shortage, here’s the big question: Is concierge medicine the golden ticket it promises to be?

There was a famous commercial that asked the question, “Where’s the Beef?” This can be applied to the rolling wave of stories in local media about toxic PFAS contamination of drinking water. In these cases, there is no beef.

Seventeen people in the U.S. die each day waiting for an organ transplant that never comes, while over 100,000 linger on the transplant list. Lars Larson and I dive into the crux of the issue: our organ transplant system, as government-run as it gets, is plagued by inefficiency, inconsistency, and a distinct lack of accountability. There are solutions, however.

"Do I Dare to Eat an Egg?"
That question was the title of a recent health newsletter article and reflects the public's profound "ovophobia."
Egg use in the U.S. has fallen dramatically over the last 50 years, from 400 eggs per person per year in the 1940's to 235 in 1992, the last year for which statistics are available. The main reason for the decline: fear that eggs, which are high in cholesterol, will increase the risk of heart disease.

(from Priorities Vol. 8, No. 2, 1996)
Should the FDA Regulate Medical Devices? No -- pcp-no (download)

By treating risky behavior like a communicable disease, the public health establishment invites government to meddle in our private lives.

Melatonin is the latest in a long series of "alternative" medicine "miracles." It has been described as useful for treating or preventing jet lag, insomnia, immune disorders, cancer and the degenerative effects of aging and for the enhancement of sexual function. A supposed benefit of this product is that it is "natural" in the sense that humans normally produce it in their bodies. Thus, people who avoid over-the-counter sleep aids can presumably relax about taking melatonin.

It's only natural for consumers to assume that "natural" food products are the most wholesome, but this is often not true. Case in point: Unpasteurized apple juice made by Odwalla, Inc., recently caused an outbreak of about 65 cases of poisoning from the bacterium E. coli O157:H7 in several Western states (29 of which cases the Centers for Disease Control confirmed, according to a Reuter report). E.

I can imagine why Van Gogh cut off his ear. About ten years ago some infernal, multilegged creature crawled deep into my ear. The itch was extreme torture even though it wasn't a pain. I poured water into the ear to flush the critter out. When that failed, I poked at the ear with various utensils not a smart approach, but the tickling was driving me mad. I was about to crack when an ant scurried out. Why do we itch? Why does a small patch of eczema or the bite of a puny mosquito cause so much discomfort? And what's the best way to soothe an itch?

With the European Union regulators recently reaffirming the safety of bisphenol A, ACSH friend Jon Entine has a long (but breezy and well-written!) piece in the Huffington Post asking, “at what point will the science prevail?”

Do higher taxes on alcohol reduce a wide range of social ills? ACSH staffers were skeptical of a study last month purporting to show just that, reasoning that drinking is fine in moderation and alcohol abusers would buy it at nearly any price.

Following the 2008 federal CPSIA law restricting lead content in children s toys, the Associated Press found in a January investigation that Chinese jewelry manufacturers were supplanting lead with cadmium. Subsequently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission initiated its first of many recalls of cadmium jewelry due to safety concerns associated with the metal. One immediate effect of the CPSC s warning was that McDonald s voluntarily pulled 12 million Shrek glasses last spring after the comission advised parents of the possible toxicity of cadmium.

Anyone taking baby aspirin to prevent future heart attacks may also be protected against colon cancer, according to a new study published in today’s issue of The Lancet.

We should discontinue all the useless subsidies for renewables and EVs, redirect a small portion toward accelerating small-scale nuclear plants, and allocate the substantial remainder to “guns” to cope with an increasingly dangerous world.

Patients who are undergoing surgery will be relieved to learn that the FDA has approved Cadence Pharmaceuticals’ Ofirmev, an intravenous form of the pain reliever acetaminophen commonly prescribed along with more powerful but potentially dangerous opiates for post-surgical pain management. Acute pain — temporary discomfort that sets in rapidly, such as post-operative pain — often requires at least two painkillers for effective relief.

How the head, the heart, the hands, form the artist’s very soul.

Seek the ones who truly care.

Betty Ossola, canned pasta’s queen.

Why do subsidies remain for tobacco?

Patients with the brain cancer glioblastoma the disease that killed Sen. Ted Kennedy are usually dead within a year. That s why results of a small study of a brain cancer vaccine made by Celldex Therapeutics Inc. are so encouraging.