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Speaking of unnecessary medical procedures, a Q&A article in the Los Angeles Times with Dr. H. Gilbert Welch highlights his views on the potential public health consequences of preventative medicine. Though Dr. Welch voices support for health care reform, he takes issue with the Obama Health Care bill’s emphasis on preventive screening.

The prognosis for the approval of innovative new drugs is more dismal than ever.

After U.S. officials reported an alarming 400 percent increase in the number of Americans treated for prescription painkiller abuse over the last decade, the state of Washington has decided to take matters into its own hands. It’s developing regulations prohibiting physicians from prescribing high doses of painkillers to patients who are unlikely to benefit from them, but are likely to abuse them.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed with only chest compressions is just as effective — or perhaps moreso — as CPR that includes mouth-to-mouth breathing, according to two studies in the New England Journal of Med

Just about every evening news channel publicized the possibility that nitrates and nitrites, preservatives found in cured meats, have caused an increase in bladder cancer.

ACSH trustee Dr. James Enstrom is still at the University of California at Los Angeles, despite an earlier notice that his last day would be Monday, Aug. 30. As you may recall, Dr.

Following our article in Dispatch yesterday on an award to be named in honor of Dr. Frances Kelsey, the FDA official who kept thalidomide off the market in the U.S., we heard from two of our advisors questioning just how heroic her actions were.
Brad Rodu writes:

Following the publication of her piece in National Review Online yesterday on the rise in malaria deaths caused by a ban on DDT, Seattle radio host David Bowes invited ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan to speak further on the topic last night on his show. During the interview, Bowes played a song written and performed by Malvina Reynolds titled “DDT on My Brain,” which was released in 1969. Here is just a sampling of the lyrics:

Last week the Los Angeles Times reported on a fascinating ongoing legal saga: a three-judge panel of a federal appellate court is now considering the latest motions from the Institute for Justice, a Libertarian legal foundation, which is challenging laws prohibiting individuals from selling their bone marrow.

Researchers have stumbled upon an alternate explanation for the buildup of the protein amyloid β in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Last week we brought you news of a Swedish study that reported eating 75 grams of chocolate could reduce hypertension by inhibiting a hormone produced by the kidney called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) that is a major factor in regulating blood pressure. But reader Dan Cullen of Princeton, N.J. wonders if dark chocolate has inhibited our customary skepticism. He crunched the numbers for us with some back-of-the-napkin calculations, comparing dark chocolate to the generic ACE inhibitor pill Ramipril.

Two preliminary studies published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest that common blood pressure drugs known as beta-blockers may increase survival in women with breast cancer, or make it less likely that they develop aggressive breast cancer or die from it.

Flu vaccination isn't the only pregnancy advice being reported on — a recent study finds that women who lost the excess weight they gained during pregnancy were less likely to develop gestational diabetes (borderline or actual diabetes that appears only during pregnancy) in a subsequent pregnancy.

During a season when insect repellent is, of necessity, many people's signature fragrance, consumers may be drawn to sprays with more benign-sounding names and scents. An array of these “natural” repellents is widely available — there’s everything from citronella to soybean oil — but their effectiveness at actually keeping the bugs away is still in question.

The list of reasons why no one should take up smoking is endless, and a new study from the Annals of Internal Medicine, led by Dr. Eruna Pradham, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, should provide us with yet another such disincentive.

Haven’t heard much about bacterial meningitis in the past few years? Well, thanks to routine use of vaccines against Streptococcus group b, the most common bacterial cause, rates of the disease have declined by 59 percent in a decade.

Existing guidelines suggest that new mothers breastfeed exclusively for at least the first six months, and a new study may persuade even more women to do so. The study, in the July issue of Pediatrics, suggests that breastfeeding can significantly reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Dr.

At nearly 78 years, the average life expectancy for Americans is higher than ever. Unfortunately, the quality of those extra years is not necessarily better. A study just published in Diabetes Care reports that the incidence of diabetes in this country has risen right along with the average life expectancy.

New research is questioning the benefits of taking supplemental vitamins and minerals, suggesting that, for the general population, such supplements may actually pose more risks than benefits. It's a disconcerting finding since, according to a study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 85 percent of women surveyed reported use of supplements. And the news, no doubt, has implications for consumers, who currently spend $20 billion a year on something that may be doing more harm than good.

Two existing drugs have recently been given FDA approval for new uses: One targets prostate enlargement, and the other is a combination diabetes and statin drug that is projected to prevent a wide range of complications commonly associated with diabetes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Parents can cut in half the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by making sure their newborns immunizations are on schedule. That s part of the latest recommendation issued yesterday by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) at the organization s national meeting in Boston.

Recent evidence indicates that the mass media is not too quick on the uptake when it comes to “studies” purporting to link some environmental “toxin” to health effects in rodents or humans. As a soon-to-be-classic example, this week’s news is replete with a second round of breathless coverage of a report that didn’t even warrant its initial coverage: the study in question was first published online March 16 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

In a desperate attempt to solve Boston s obesity problem, Mayor Thomas Menino has officially banned the sale of sodas and other sugary drinks deemed unhealthy from city-owned property. The policy would ban non-diet sodas, sweetened iced teas, refrigerated coffee drinks, energy drinks, juice drinks with added sugar and sports drinks.

USA Today has begun a series this week pedalling the supposed link between trace level chemical exposure in consumer products and children’s health.