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Dr. Josh Bloom on Science 2.0, May 21, 2014.
Is life great or what?

Dr. Gilbert Ross' op-ed in Forbes.com. What's Bloomberg Smokin' Now? There is no reason to question why soon-to-be-former Mayor Michael Bloomberg has once again sic'd his attack dog of a Health Commissioner, Tom, Farley, on another innocent victim: electronic cigarettes (e-cigs)

While the global tobacco market is being roiled by mergers and, especially, the disruptive growth of low-risk e-cigarettes/vapor products, the NYTimes decided to report on the surge in production sales to adults! of novel vaping flavors.

Tattoos are a popular trend among young people and adults alike. According to the Harris Poll, their prevalence has increased over the past decade, climbing from about 15% five years ago to 21% in 2012. When comparing

A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests vasectomies are associated with an increased risk of advanced or lethal prostate cancer.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is putting out a book called, Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak: The Evidence Supporting the Immediate Removal of Mercury a Known Neurotoxin from Vaccines.

The headline blares, 2,500 Ground Zero workers have cancer. Such alarmist headlines serve neither medicine nor journalism, but do get your attention, which seems to be the goal.

The FDA approved a new therapy last week to improve blood sugar control in patients with diabetes primarily type 1 (insulin-dependent). The drug, Afrezza, is a novel short acting insulin formulation administered by

A small study conducted by the National Institutes of Health shows bone marrow transplantation as an effective means to treat severe sickle cell

A new study shows that a type of androgen-blocking drug, an aromatase inhibitor (marketed since 2005 to reduce the risk of breast cancer) is at least as effective against a common hormonal disorder as standard treatment.

Today s Wall Street Journal examines an age-old question: What does the expiration date on a drug mean? Is it safe to take drugs after this date? Do they still work?
The Journal piece gives some general guidelines most of which are correct but there is information that is not included, says ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom, and what is not there is probably more interesting.

Our regular readers will not be surprised about any of this, or the fact that we are again writing about it.
Despite subtly worded labels that suggest that dietary supplements are both safe and health-promoting, they are neither they are untested drugs, which are allowed to make quasi-claims thanks to the abomination that is disingenuously called the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

New large study shows that the common arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation (AF), long known to result from heart ailments, may also cause heart attacks.

The Harvard School of Public Health in collaboration with the Silent Spring Institute (yes, you guessed it, named after the infamous environmentalist Rachel Carson), just released a list of 102 chemicals as

It is a fairly safe bet that Alex Berezow is going to have a very busy day, and some of it will be rather unpleasant.
Berezow, the founder of the enormously popular RealClearScience website takes no prisoners in his scathing piece a combination of opinion and investigation that Whole Foods (and the rest of the organic food industry) will not be happy to read.
Here are some of the most provocative (and good luck finding any that aren t) quotes and references:

The gluten-free craze is going strong, as about one-third of Americans report trying to avoid gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Yet, only about two to three million Americans have celiac

Every now and then, someone really gets it.
This past June, it was Alex Berezow, the founding editor of RealClearSciencewhose piece The Lies that Whole Foods Tells blew the doors off of Whole Foods and their less-than-truthful marketing practices.
This time, it is Michael Schulson, whose new piece in The Daily Beast addresses the same topic from a somewhat different angle, and none too gently. It is a must read for anyone who is confused by, or on the fence on the GM food controversy.

Dr. Jennifer Raff, Ph.D., an anthropological geneticist, masterfully writes an open letter to anti-vaxxer parents that gets straight to point even in its title: Dear parents, you are being lied to. The piece was published on her blog, Violent Metaphors.

According to new recommendations released by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), all sexually active young adults and

With one definite case of Ebola hemorrhagic fever (and one other possible) having been diagnosed in Dallas, those who said it can t happen here have been proven wrong. What about those warning of an epidemic? Also wrong.

All over the news today is the anti-Ebola drug ZMAPP (which hasn t even been proven to work), and the difficulties in making large quantities of it.
ACSH s Dr. Bloom comments, The good news is that since 52 percent of the people in the US think GM foods are unsafe, Mapp Biopharmaceutical, the maker of the drug should really only need to make half as much.
Why is this? Let s take a look at how ZMAPP is made.

Bacterial resistance is a devastating problem for healthcare even now, especially in hospitalized patients. If current trends continue, we are all facing a real crisis. In an op-ed by former

A new study attempts to invoke the Precautionary Principle as justification for warning people against eating meat and dairy. The authors are actually promoting their well-known vegan agenda, covertly.

Two new additions to the growing scientific (as opposed to the ideological) literature on reduced-risk nicotine products (e-cigarettes in shorthand) show more clearly their high likelihood of benefiting smokers trying to quit smoking.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition in which the over-production of epidermal (skin) cells build up on the surface of the skin, forming itchy, dry red patches that often causes significant discomfort. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, about 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis. And 125 million individuals