From the American Council on Science and Health

More data means more of the same for mammograms - The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated their recommendations on routine mammography to echo their most recent advisory: begin mammograms at 50 and get them every other year subsequently until age 75, unless medically needed more frequently. Read more.

Supplemental bad news about supplements: Cancer risk?  - With so many supplement stories in the news recently, we could have easily handled a day off from the topic. No such luck: new research suggests that some vitamin supplements may lead to an increased cancer risk. Read more.

The ACP warns against e-cigarettes. Why? No good reason, but all their peer groups do as well. - The American College of Physicians, the governing body for internists across America, issued a position statement calling for strict regulation of e-cigarettes, including bans on flavors and advertising. Read more.

New study confirms no link between vaccines and autism, no matter what parents may believe. - Yet another study on the purported connection between MMR vaccination and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) confirms what we’ve known for years. There is no link between vaccines and autism, even in children who could be assumed to be at higher risk. NONE! Read more.

 

ACSH advisor garners CAST communications award - We at ACSH have long admired the efforts of our advisor Dr. Channapatna Prakash to demystify the science and facts around bioengineering and GMO agriculture. We are thus particularly thrilled to see Prakash receive a well-deserved honor in his name. Read more.

 

Tests to detect cancer DNA in blood gaining steam - Almost twenty years after the discovery that fetal DNA is detectable in maternal blood prenatally, researchers have adapted it for a variety of purposes, such as determining paternity. Now some scientists are taking it in a different direction: screening for cancer. Read more.

Former CPSC watchdog condemns her former agency for biased, unacceptable junk science - Former CPSC Commissioner Nord takes the Commission to task for shoddy science, apparently rendered in service to a pre-determined decision to regulate another safe and useful chemical right off the market. Read more.

Prescription drug costs soared last year. But it’s not that simple. Another way to look at it. - Prescription drug costs rose last year by 13 percent—the biggest increase since 2001. But, in this case, we are not only getting a bigger bang for the buck, but we should save many more bucks before long. Read more.

Women — even (especially?) young women — should protect their hearts - Women should be aware of symptoms and causes of heart disease. Contrary to popular opinion, heart disease kills more American women than all cancers combined! Prevention is always a better option than treatment. Read more.

Their Product is Doubt: Dr. Satel shows how the CDC is the new “Big Tobacco” - ACSH friend Dr. Sally Satel’s Forbes article exposes the sleaze behind the CDC’s campaign against e-cigs/harm reduction. She explains how our public health “leaders” have adopted the tactics of Big Tobacco to lie to the public. Read more.

Large study shows divorce a significant player in heart attack risk - In romance, the phrase that many offer in solace is “time heals all wounds.” Unfortunately, a new study suggests this may not be the case. Researchers found that people who have been divorced may be at an increased risk of heart attack. Read more.

What do you think about the "no jab, no pay" policy?  - Inspired by an article in SkyNews datelined Australia, we here at ACSH wonder how our American Dispatch readers would take to this idea: financial penalties for vaccine deniers. We encourage our readers to write us with their opinions. Read more.

The 60th anniversary of the polio vaccine: "It was seen as an absolute miracle and blessing" - This past Sunday marked the 60th anniversary of Jonas Salk's polio vaccine being deemed "safe, effective and potent." Experts, including Salk's son, discuss the nationwide celebration, along with the differences in the way people view vaccinations today. Read more.

You'd have to be nuts to take this stuff - Here we go again. Another bad supplement story. Yawn, right? Not so fast. Testicular cancer is nothing to yawn about, and you can give it to yourself by buying supplement garbage, according to a new study. Read more.

Increased diabetes screening may not be as effective as hoped - In 2008, a Federal health panel recommended that doctors begin screening for diabetes in patients with elevated blood pressure. Seven years later, a preliminary study is in, and the results are discouraging. Read more.