In an attempt to do justice to the ACSH’s efforts I have tried to improve my presentation of their work each week. As time goes by I will find what I believe is the best presentation in order to make sure the issues are clearly and completely outlined in a manner that is user friendly.
I have often said that I would like to explore and expand my presentations on a host of issues, but I have a job that interferes with my life. Soon I hope to have more time as I pass my 65th year. One of the things I would like to do is organized an ACSH page by topic. As an example I would like to have a page that is devoted to all the cancer articles for 2011 and so on. But….that is for another day.
It is also my hope that Paradigms and Demographics will become a source blog on all of these subjects. I do believe it is important to have a source that is only interested in the facts and prepared to publish them…..with an eye to consistency of thought and devotion to the truth….something the activists have difficulty with; along with their allies in the media.
There are so many great writers and sites out there that is it a shame not have all of their works organized in this fashion. I have attempted to do this with the page I have titled, Caruba’s Corner, Green Myths and Other Lies. There are a number of writers that have been graciously allowing me to republish their works, including Gil Ross and Elizabeth Whelan from the American Council on Science and Health. At some point in the near future I wish to do an article about all of these people, which numbers around fifteen or so.
Cancer
Weight of cancer getting lighter
After reading the headline, "Weighing Cancer Risks, From Cellphones To Coffee," ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross was ready to sink his teeth into what he perceived to be yet another anti-chemical news story. …. “RITE: Risk Is equal to Toxicity times Exposure,” which Dr. Ross puts in layman’s terms: “Everything under the sun, even water, can be considered toxic, or a hazard, to a varying degree. A substance such as cyanide is highly toxic, so even a small exposure creates a risk. Water, on the other hand, is not toxic at common exposures — but too much of it can kill.”….. says ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan: “When it comes to cancer phobias, common sense holds little sway.”
Did you hear that, NY Times? Cancer death rates keep falling
Speaking of cancer, the American Cancer Society announced some good news on Friday: Cancer death rates are continuing to decline and, best of all, new cases of lung cancer among women are falling after having steadily increased since the 1930s.
ACS's toxic headline contaminates cancer discussion
The lower a person's socioeconomic status, the greater the risk of cancer. Those are the findings from a report released last Friday by the American Cancer Society (ACS)….. But the language of the ACS’s alarming headline “Poverty is a Carcinogen: Does Anyone Care?” does not sit well with ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, who believes labeling poverty a carcinogen “dilutes the meaning of the word. In that case, we could also label sedentary behavior a carcinogen.” “Indeed,” says ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom. “A carcinogen is a substance, not a behavior, which is more aptly considered a risk factor for cancer — not a carcinogen.”
Smoking
Another problem for smokers: Poorer prognosis for prostate cancer
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that, among prostate cancer patients, current smokers have an increased risk of prostate cancer mortality compared with non-smokers.
Will a picture be worth more than just words on a warning label?
The FDA's proposed new graphic warning labels on cigarette packs are causing a stir among pundits and, of course, tobacco companies.
Weight and Surrounding Issues
News from all over on the obesity front
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls: there are obesity updates for all.
Can surgery cure diabetes? Maybe — for a while, at least.
In other weight loss news, one of the authors of a new study recommends that weight loss surgeries, such as gastric bypass and gastric banding, become front line type 2 diabetes treatments.
ABC “sugar high” crashes on soda junk science
Readers who turn to ABC as their source of news will get a very skewed impression of distinguished professor Dr. David Allison, head of the Section on Statistical Genetics at the University of Alabama and director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Nutrition Obesity Research Center.
Pharmaceutical News
New bill seeks to treat (antibiotic) resistance to new drug development
A bipartisan bill introduced to Congress by Georgia Republican Phil Gingrey - the Generating Antibiotics Incentives Now (GAIN) Act - attempts to spur interest among pharmaceutical companies to develop new and effective antibiotics, traditionally an unprofitable sector of the drug market.
My Take – Is Greed Good? The article goes on to point out the “profit motive” is the key to all of this. When I was in New York last September for the premier of 3Billion and counting I had an interesting conversation with a young woman regarding this issue. My point was then and it is still today. You can’t keep allowing these socialists nations to force the pharmaceuticals to give them the products for free. Some have even demanded that they turn the patent and process over to them so that they can manufacture the antibiotics themselves. They may be able to convince everyone that this is for the common good, but it is absolutely a long term detriment to humanity. Does anyone ever ask; why aren’t these socialists coming up with the new drugs themselves? The U.S. has been the leader in this kind of research for years because they can recover their costs and make money in America. We need to get that if we expect to see more and innovative pharmaceuticals come to the market. Remember….no matter how much these products cost today….they will eventually go out of patent and become public domain. That is the purpose of patents. Get the products to market….and it will only happen if they are allowed to profit from their efforts. The left calls this Greed. I call it enlightened self interest. This is the seed that makes everything grow. Did We Get That?
Supremes protect generic makers after dissing innovators
The Supreme Court handed down a decision yesterday that represents a significant victory for the pharmaceutical industry.
Nutrition
Must we really take our (multi)vitamins?
In Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Melinda Beck investigates the efficacy of the ubiquitous multivitamin. Yet it is, again, important to understand that the general population has very little to worry about when it comes to vitamins. For a more nuanced look at what Dr. Bloom calls “Vitamyths,” check out his article
So, why do so many of us take vitamins? The answer is Very Effective Marketing. It has become part of the American psyche that vitamins are good, that they will protect us from all sorts of diseases and that we don’t get enough of them in our dietsRadiation and Public Health
One burger — medium-well and irradiated, please!
ACSH staffers this morning lauded Los Angeles Times writer Elena Conis for her comprehensive and informative article on the many benefits of food irradiation, an effective yet underused method of preventing food-borne infection that has been around for the last century.
My Take – I keep hearing activists make the claim that there is no safe level of radiation. Horsepucky! That is a blatant lie and they have to know it.
Urban Myths, the Media, Sound Science and the Public
AMA’s new “public safety” policies: Neither medicine nor science
The Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) has resulted in the Association's adoption of a bevy ofnew public safety policies that have little (or nothing) to do with the actual safety of the public.
Media coverage of FDA breast implant update a total bust
Ever since the FDA finally approved silicone gel breast implants in 2006, the procedure has grown in popularity; nearly 400,000 breast enlargement or reconstruction procedures were performed in the U.S. in 2010 alone.
Our Dr. Bloom calls attention to America’s disappearing scientists
Writing in today's New York Post, ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom points out a troubling trend that may be hindering America's ability to compete globally on the scientific front: science jobs are quickly vanishing in the U.S.
My Take - This must explain why there are so many junk scientists out there. So many of the good ones left!
Dr. Nestle takes on the scaremongers of EWG
ACSH staffers were pleasantly surprised to find an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times underlining the scientific illiteracy and irresponsibility of the anti-pesticide scare tactics consistently used by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in their semi-annual Dirty Dozen reports.
If there is a health scare today, the American Council on Science and Health will most likely have the answer by tomorrow; and for members it will appear in your e-mail. No effort on your part, except to read the answer. All that the ACSH is interested in are the facts and they are prepared to follow them wherever they lead. Who can ask for more? Please Donate Now!
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