No excuses to be against science now: Monsanto patent expires - After the anti-science mentality that infested
environmental groups was exposed, they scrambled to shore up their base to find
a new reason to distrust science. The solution: Claim it was not a distrust of
science, but a distrust of corporations. Now Monsanto's patents are expiring who
will these "activists" turn on? Read more.
Colony Collapse
Disorder
EPA
John Stossel rips the EPA and NRDC too. Because they’re
practically the same thing - ACSH
friend John Stossel, writing for Reason.org, calls out the EPA for its
much-too-cozy relationship with activist groups espousing “environmental”
causes. But the NGOs’ goals are ideological, not scientific. Perhaps the best
example: NRDC and its revolving-door with the federal environmental agency. Read more.
The EPA is polluting our rivers. Where's the outrage? - The EPA announced that some of its regulators
working in Colorado dumped a million gallons of orange waste water containing
sediments and metals into the Animas river. The EPA and its leaders should be
held accountable the same way. Read more.
Health
Here's why that "184,000 deaths from soda" story is
bogus - It was a little over
a month ago when the headlines blared, "sugary soda kills 184,000
worldwide." Now a new analysis of that claim from STATS.org reveals the
numerous statistical and epidemiological fallacies underlying that claim,
rendering it wholly unbelievable, likely the work of ideologues, not
scientists. Read more.
Schools' controversial "BMI report cards" aren't proving
effective - Currently, 25 US
states conduct annual assessments of students' BMIs in public schools. However,
there's not any substantial evidence that such a tactic accomplishes anything
on the childhood and adolescent obesity front. Read more.
Advocates push for variable tax level on nicotine products - Today’s New England Journal of Medicine has a
Perspective article by three tobacco experts. Their discussion, Differential
Taxes for Differential Risks, contains some important policy recommendations,
some clearly salutary, and some not so much. Read more.
HRT 13 Years After the Women’s Health Initiative Study - It's been 13 years since the publication of the
Women’s Health Initiative studies that examined the role HRT in the prevention
of cardiovascular disease. The studies generated unrivaled controversy by the
media and scientific community. The results are still being debated,
reinterpreted and misinterpreted. Read more.
Scientists: Oops, NYC subway won't give you Bubonic Plague after
all - The New York City
subway system is notorious for its filth and grime. This was reinforced by a
study earlier this year that found that the plague and anthrax were lurking on
the trains. But now the scientists are backtracking on those claims. Read more.
Mexican cilantro linked to hundreds of US foodborne illness cases - No, Mr. Trump, the danger from Mexico is not
rapists, it's something seemingly much more innocuous -- cilantro! The CDC and
FDA have documented nearly 400 cases of Cyclospora infection that are linked to
cilantro imported from the Mexican state of Puebla. Read more.
ACSH's publications on Aspartame - Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners pose
no health threats to humans, a conclusion reached by decades of research and
rigorous, science-based testing. This is supported further when compare to the
deleterious effects of sugar, which is widely believed to have fueled America’s
current obesity epidemic. Read more.
Breast cancer in young women is rarer than media make it seem - A recent article published online in JAMA
Oncology raises the question as to whether breast cancer in young women is a
rare disease or public health problem. The small increased incidence is not
enough to warrant panic. Read more.
Medicine
Punishing patients to enforce laws - a cruel and misguided effort - It is hardly a surprise when our government
does something stupid. But the DEA hit the jackpot, when it decided that it was
more important to fight an unwinnable war against addiction than to consider
the needs of patients who live in terrible pain. Boy, did they screw this one
up. Read more.
Docs fail to treat vein clots, and then fail to learn from their
mistakes - A new study shows
that, despite ongoing educational efforts, doctors caring for patients with
vein leg clots fail a significant fraction of the time to prescribe
clot-dissolving anticoagulants ("blood thinners") to vulnerable
patients. Read more.
RSV: The devil you don’t know - It’s not an infection that sits on the tip of
your tongue, but an effective treatment for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
is an unmet medical need that has been shrugging off attempts to control it for
many years. Now there may be a vaccine to help prevent it. Read more.
Sandra Lee: Food Network hostess post-op problems need not have
occurred - We sympathize
deeply with Sandra Lee's travails related to her recent
post-bilateral-mastectomy complications. But her decision to have bilateral mastectomies
made her vulnerable, and her problems should be a cautionary tale for other
women. Read more.
Egg freezing revolutionizes “family planning” - Female fertility begins to decline at after age 35. However, more and more women are delaying having children. Reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Robert Greene advocates for egg freezing and its benefit of being a “technologic bridge” from a woman’s reproductive prime to her preferred conception age. Read more.
Africa celebrates one year without polio - The campaign to end polio achieved a major milestone: one year without a new case in Africa. A huge accomplishment indeed! However, many obstacles stand in the way to reach eradication including resistance from religious leaders in Kenya. Read more.
Not all types of bariatric surgery are equally effective long term - It has been well established that bariatric
surgery is perhaps the most effective means of reducing both body weight and
comorbid conditions associated with obesity. It clearly has a greater impact
than any lifestyle changes. But not all types of bariatric surgery are equally
effective. Read more.
Nutrition
Nutrition tip: Don’t look to the media for what to eat - Here’s a hard truth: We don’t know enough about
human nutrition. With all the discrepancies that have been reported lately in
collecting data for nutrition studies we should probably throw out everything
we’ve learned about nutrition over the past century. Read more.
Food myths debunked by solid science - How many scary food myths are circulating right
now? Let me count the scares! No, let’s not, there are way too many. But here’s
a cogent antidote to many of them, from experts’ opinions publicized in an
unexpected manner: a small NBC-affiliate radio station in Alabama. Good work! Read more.
Yes, not all hamburger meat is from the same cow - Washington Post writer Roberto Ferdman may be
shocking the public by noting that not all hamburgers are made of meat from the
same cow. We should hope not. To scientists and the food-savvy public, such a
process would be an alarming waste of resources. Read more.
Gary Hirshberg: Organic yogurt guru’s credibility under attack - The loss of credibility of formerly responsible
corporate leader Gary Hirshberg, VIP of Stonyfield Organic, is bemoaned by a
science journalist and an expert in agricultural technology. Hirshberg once led
the so-called corporate social responsibility movement, but now he’s anti-GMO. Read more.
Pharmaceuticals
The Cure for Ignorance About the Pharmaceutical Industry
- We at ACSH deal with idiotic nonsense on a regular basis. Nothing surprises us
anymore. That was true until Jeffrey Sachs re-wrote the Communist Manifesto in
the Huffington Post. He wants a groundbreaking hepatitis C drug to be provided
universally by the company that had the misfortunate to invent it. Read more.
Adverse drug side effects reporting is slow - then the real
problem starts - A new study
found that about 10 percent of serious and unexpected drug side effects are not
reported to the FDA by pharmaceutical companies within the federally required
time. A MedPage Today op-ed reveals additional problems in drug safety. Read more.
Thalidomide whistle-blower Dr. Frances Kelsey has passed away - Dr. Frances Kelsey, who prevented thousands of
birth defects by refusing to allow thalidomide sales in the US, has died at
101. Her action (or inaction) saved many families from tragedy as well as
changed the way new drugs are evaluated. Read more.
Excessive or inadequate? Confusion about medication rampant - What’s a person to do, when on the one hand it’s clear that many Americans are being under-treated for a dangerous condition, while on the other, too many of us are getting way too much “care.” The lesson: especially when it comes to our health, too much is as bad as too little. Read more.
Nuclear power plants are not nearly as risky as some would have us believe - What's clean and green and doesn't kill birds? Nuclear energy, that's what. "Environmentalist" fear-mongers exaggerate risks and ignore benefits when they pressure regulators into decommissioning nuclear plants. Read more.
Vaccinations
Jon Stewart never apologized for putting millions of children in
danger - It was ten years
ago, but we here at ACSH still remember when Jon Stewart, host of The Daily
Show, gave an open mic to RFK Jr. to spew anti-vax and anti-science rhetoric.
Not only did Stewart let this monster speak, he heaped him with praise. Will
Stewart ever apologize? Read more.
Pregnant women need vaccines too! - In her latest NYT column, Jane Brody encourages
pregnant women to get vaccinated, and explains the two-for-one-benefit of
protection for both women and their babies. Not only are the babies then
protected for months after birth, but also immunization can reduce the risk of
pregnancy complications and birth defects. Read more.
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