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Among 400 older patients with arthritis of the knees, a combined approach including diet and exercise had more beneficial effect on symptoms than either intervention alone.

Digoxin, a drug derived from the foxglove plant, is one of the oldest and most widely used treatments for a variety of cardiac conditions. For example, it can regularize the heartbeat in many who have atrial fibrillation and it can strengthen the heart beat for those with heart failure. A new study published in the journal Circulation, however, suggests that its use for adults with heart failure should be reevaluated.

ACSH advisor Dr. David Shlaes, a world-renowned expert on antibiotics and the bacteria that are increasingly resistant to them, encourages all of us to watch Frontline tonight at 10 EST. They are covering a topic that you

It would be almost impossible to find a better example of the difficulties that face the pharmaceutical industry than the campaign against hepatitis C.
Called The Silent Killer, the blood-borne disease infects the liver, gradually doing irreversible damage over a two- to three-decade period. Most people who are infected do not even know this until symptoms of liver failure show up, at which time the disease can be life threatening. The majority of liver transplants in the U.S. are due to liver failure caused by long-term hepatitis C infection.

Let s give a big ACSH shoutout to Kevin Bonham, whose November 8th blog in Scientific American superbly pointed out why the intersection of science and ideology can be a dangerous place.
His piece entitled GMO Labeling, I-522, and Why This Debate Sucks for Progressive Scientists Like Me." is a brilliant examination of multiple facets of the GM foods debate, in which he concludes that despite his political beliefs (very liberal), he will go with the scientific evidence not political dogma when it comes to this controversial issue.

According to the American Cancer Society and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the use of breast MRI should be limited to those women who have a greater than 20 percent lifetime risk of breast cancer, or for further evaluation of indeterminate lesions. Furthermore, MRI is not recommended for new cancer diagnoses or

The Food and Drug Administration is admitting it s been too cautious by mandating certain warning labels on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products such as the patch and nicotine gum and perhaps the labels have even deterred people from trying the cessation aids.

In a recent op-ed in the UK's Guardian, a Tom Riddington ostensibly a physician condemns in no uncertain terms the increasing uptake of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) by hundreds of thousands of desperate, addicted UK smokers (soon to be millions in all likelihood). A similar trend in the e-cigarette market has been documented in both Europe and here in the U.S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkrUNwZbJB4
Sleep may not be on the list of priorities for a lot of teens, but maybe it should be. A new study published in the journal Pediatrics, found that increased sleep time may lead to a decrease in adolescent obesity, and those teenagers with the highest BMIs would see the greatest benefits.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced yesterday that the City plans to raise the legal age for tobacco product purchases to 21 from 18. Given the stated support for this proposal by both a majority of the Council, as well as Mayor Bloomberg, the likelihood is close to 100 percent that this will be enacted and go into effect, probably this year.

Women with high-risk pregnancies are often prescribed bed-rest because it is thought to prevent premature birth, hypertension, miscarriage and other complications a pregnant woman may face. However, new studies published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology suggest that evidence is inadequate to recommend bed-rest to these women, and in fact it may cause harm. This [...]
The post Bed-rest may not be the best recommendation for women with high-risk pregnancies appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

A new study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine lends further support to several recent evaluations of the utility of low-dose, spiral CT scans of the chest to detect lung cancer earlier in heavy smokers. The new report lends perspective and detail to the groundbreaking report which appeared in that same journal in August [...]
The post Spiral CT screening: a good idea, for smokers and many ex-smokers appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (there’s a mouthful for you, but let’s call them NSAIDs or “n-saids” for short) are the most commonly used class of drugs in the world. They act as anti-inflammatory agents, but in the real world they are used as pain relievers for people with a variety of conditions, ranging from active inflammatory [...]
The post Common pain-relievers linked to heart risk appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

It looks like the food and beverage industry is finally getting some acknowledgement for the positive role they are playing in the fight against obesity. Three years ago, sixteen of the major players in this industry including Coca-Cola, General Mills, Nestle, Kraft and ConAgra, partnered with Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a Healthier America as the [...]
The post A nod to the food and beverage industry in the fight against obesity appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Greenpeace and other anti-GMO groups destructive activities have the effect of worsening hunger in the Third World, for no reason other than their own anti-science, anti-progress agendas. It's long past time to allow Golden Rice on the market. EFSA has voided Italy's nonsensical ban on GM corn--a good sign.

Because of its importance, experts have recommended that vitamin D supplements might be useful for improving bone density and perhaps preventing osteoporosis. But recent research, as we have noted, has not documented a bone benefit from vitamin D supplementation.

No medical organization recommends the prostate-specific antigen test for older men, and yet many primary care doctors continue to administer it even to those over age 75. Why?

According to an American Heart Association scientific statement published earlier this week, engaging in an aerobic exercise or resistance training program can be seen as an “adjunctive” therapy to standard medical and dietary therapies for treating hypertension. However, evidence to support the use of biofeedback techniques, isometric handgrip exercise, device-guided slow breathing, meditation, yoga, relaxation [...]
The post Exercise as ‘adjunctive’ therapy for treating hypertension appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

It’s well known that poorly controlled and long-lasting diabetes can lead to changes in the retina (retinopathy), and is a leading cause of blindness. Alarmingly, a recent study described in Med Page Today found that even young people with type 2 diabetes might have retinal changes within only five years of the onset of the [...]
The post Early eye problems cropping up in diabetic teens appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

There’s good news for dog owners — having a pet may lower your risk of heart disease, according to a new assessment by the American Heart Association. “Pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, is probably associated with a decreased risk of heart disease,” Dr. Glenn N. Levine, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine and chairman [...]
The post Having a dog may increase your heart health appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Seeing the handwriting on the wall — historically unprecedented declines in cigarette sales matched with accelerated sales for electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) – old-line “Big Tobacco” companies are now selling, or getting ready to sell, their own versions of the new devices. First in line was Lorillard, which purchased Blu e-cigarettes last April 2012. Now, RJReynolds [...]
The post Big Tobacco enters e-cigarette market. Hooray. appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Attitudes toward marriage between blood relatives vary considerably across all cultures, but whatever the traditions of different cultures, there is a serious health concern regarding consanguinity (a relationship between blood relatives) - marriage between first cousins can more than double the risk of giving birth to a baby with a congenital

The death of Masao Yoshida from esophageal cancer was announced by the company he helmed during the March 2011 disaster, Tokyo Electric Power.

One group of landowners who wish to exploit the gas/oil reserves beneath their property are being prevented from doing so by "environmentalists"

The link between autism and mercury has once again been debunked. Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center conducted a large cohort study involving mothers and children in the Seychelles,