Is the "Freshman 15" Cause for Concern?
By Krystal Ford
Publication Date : Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Many college freshman students are living on their own for the first time. Students not living at home are now buying groceries, making meals, or living off the school meal plan and are completely in charge of their diet. When one considers this newfound freedom (Cake for breakfast? Why not?) combined with the stress of studying and less time for sports, it's easy to see how the weight can sneak on.A Read Full >>

ACSH Morning Dispatch Round-Up: 200th Dispatch and More
By Krystal Ford, Todd Seavey
Publication Date : Monday, June 9, 2008
DISPATCH: Hunger, Mercury, Alcohol, Smoke, and ToenailsNorman Borlaug's op-ed on the fight against hungerACSH trustee Dr. Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and professor of international agriculture at Texas A&M University, co-wrote an op-ed addressing the issue of world hunger.  In the article, Dr. Borlaug and Peter McPherson acknowledge that   Read Full >>

ACSH Dispatches Round-Up: Spring Brings Thoughts Unscientific
By Krystal Ford
Publication Date : Tuesday, May 27, 2008
DISPATCH: Plastic, Longevity, Gender, and VitaminsThe Anti-Quote of the Day: The dangers of plastic bottles"The truthful answer is that nobody knows" their full health impact yet, said David Ozonoff, a professor of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health. "And because we don't know, it's prudent to avoid something that is avoidable." --_Boston Globe_, April 23, 2008.ACSH on Fox NewsACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan appeared on Fox News   Read Full >>

Biofuels: Burning Away Our Food Supply
By Krystal Ford
Publication Date : Thursday, May 1, 2008
What started out as a great idea -- replacing our dependence on oil with a renewable clean-burning resource, biofuel -- has quickly sprouted unintended consequences.  We are diverting our perfectly good growing land to produce crops used exclusively for biofuel production.  We have essentially decided to burn our food supply in attempts to replace our oil fix.  This seems about as logical as burning money for heat.  We are desperately in need of energy-junkie rehab. We are   Read Full >>

ACSH Dispatches Round-Up: Earth Day and More
By Corrie Driebusch, Krystal Ford
Publication Date : Wednesday, April 23, 2008
DISPATCH: Environmentalists, Budget-Planners, and CandidatesQuote of the day: Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace, said, "But I later learned that the environmental movement is not always guided by science.  As we celebrate Earth Day, this is a good lesson to keep in mind." --the _Wall Street Journal_, April 22, 2008.Earth DayHappy Earth Day!  There are many stories in the news about the environment and what impact we have on it and vice versa.  An opinion   Read Full >>

Raw Milk: To Drink or Not to Drink
By Krystal Ford
Publication Date : Thursday, March 27, 2008
For many people, the concept of drinking unpasteurized milk may seem foreign. After all, you cannot legally purchase raw milk in eighteen states, and in four others it can only be purchased as pet food. Even if you could purchase raw milk in your local grocery store, would you want to? Hasn't raw milk been recognized as a microbial hazard since pasteurization began in the 1920s? Apparently not, since there seems to be a growing interest in drinking raw milk, Read Full >>

Tainted Drugs: A Triad of Blame
By Krystal Ford
Publication Date : Thursday, March 20, 2008
It would be hard to argue against the benefits of pharmaceuticals. Their development and use has led to life-prolonging effects such as lowering many people's blood pressure and cholesterol, boosting the immune system of HIV positive patients, and even the remission of some types of cancer. But what happens when these drugs we have so come to depend on contain ingredients, often made in remote regions of the world, that may actually harm us? We may ask ourselves, who is protecting us? And   Read Full >>

The ABCs of STDs
By Krystal Ford
Publication Date : Friday, March 14, 2008
Everywhere you look in the news this week, there seems to be something about sex. Whether it’s the Spitzer scandal, HPV and oral cancer connection, or the frighteningly high rate of sexually-transmitted disease (STD) among America's teenage girls, sex is on the minds of many. One thing that should be eminently clear is that sex (in all forms) can lead to STD infections, some forms of cancer, and loss of job as governor.Read Full >>