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ACSH Dispatches Round-Up: Us on 20/20, Daily Show, Times Site, More
By Elizabeth Wade
May 15, 2005
ACSH on Comedy Central and Fox Business, plus Frieden, Flu, and Food
By Elizabeth Wade
Jeff takes on Michelle Obama's organic garden on The Daily Show
Last night ACSH's Jeff Stier appeared on Comedy Central's The Daily Show to discuss the downside of the organic and locally grown food movements. In particular, he talked about Michelle Obama's White House garden with "reporter" Samantha Bee in a segment called "Little Crop of Horrors." Stier says, "It's a comedy show, so the interview was really fun. Going on The Daily Show will help us reach people with varying opinions on these issues while showing that we have a sense of humor."
He continues, "Of course, to make it funny, the show tried to talk about some companies that have supported our work in the past. We wish they would have acknowledged the thousands of individual donors around the country like you who support our cause. Maybe they thought you weren't funny enough, but we appreciate your support nonetheless!"
Stier will also appear on Fox Business Channel's morning show Money for Breakfast Weekend this Saturday and Sunday. He will be discussing how the Consumer Product Safety Information Act (CPSIA) needlessly hurts small businesses while doing nothing to improve or protect public health. Check your local listings for the exact time, or watch the clip on our You Tube channel next week. And don't forget to follow Jeff's Twitter updates until then!
Dr. Frieden goes to Washington
ACSH staffers are disappointed that New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden has been chosen to be director of the CDC. "It's not a safe choice," believes Stier [UPDATE: See Stier's comments on the matter in this New York Times story]. "His main role at the CDC will be as an administrator in charge of a large budget. But the way he handed out 'green vouchers' last year exhibited poor management. The CDC also can't let the policy go beyond the science, as Dr. Frieden did by overstating the threat of secondhand smoke."
Dr. Frieden has also facilitated government intrusion into medical privacy by requiring New York City laboratories to report the results of blood-sugar tests -- and personal information -- of city residents with diabetes, as ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan wrote about in the National Review. Then there are his crusades against salt and trans fat! While, as ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross points out, "The CDC doesn't have much regulatory power," ACSH does not have high hopes for how Dr. Frieden will lead the agency. (For more criticism of public health "nanny states," see a recent article on the proposed soda tax from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.)
Queens schools close due to swine flu
New York City has closed three Queens schools in response to swine flu outbreaks there. The assistant principal of one of the schools is currently in the hospital in critical condition, while hundreds of students from the two middle schools and one elementary school are experiencing mild flu symptoms. "People are probably very confused, because New York has closed three schools due to swine flu after saying just last week that doing so wouldn't be necessary," Dr. Whelan says.
Dr. Ross reminds us, "When we are dealing with an outbreak of a potentially dangerous disease, every situation needs to be handled individually -- you can't rely on blanket statements when the extent of the epidemic remains in flux."
In more positive swine flu news, the small biotech company Replikins Ltd. reports that it could make a synthetic vaccine against the virus in just a week by using computer software to quickly count and replicate proteins. However, Dr. Whelan says, "There is a big difference between coming up with a vaccine quickly and mass producing it for millions of people."
How safe are frozen foods?
The New York Times reports that when it comes to frozen foods, the burden of safety is shifting to the consumer. With companies and the FDA having a difficult time tracking down the source of all contamination, it is vital that frozen food be heated to a high enough temperature to kill pathogens -- which is often difficult to do in a microwave, since the convenient machines don't cook food evenly. "It is important to let frozen food sit in the microwave for a few minutes after cooking to let the heat dissipate throughout the product," ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava advises. "But the real answer to the problem of food contamination and food borne illness is irradiation, irradiation, irradiation!"
May 14, 2009
Daily Show, Seasonal Flu, Courtroom Science, New Drugs, and Vitamin A
By Elizabeth Wade
Watch ACSH on The Daily Show tonight!
ACSH's Jeff Stier will appear on Comedy Central's The Daily Show tonight to discuss the downside of the locally grown and organic food movements. "The Daily Show is first and foremost a comedy show, so they are going to mock us -- and that's OK," Stier says. "I had a sense of humor about the interview and enjoyed it a lot." Tune in tonight at 11pm, or tomorrow at 10am and 8pm, to see the segment.
Is there a lack of demand for a swine flu vaccine?
A poll released by the University of Texas indicates that fewer than a third of adult Americans would get a vaccine to protect against swine flu if one were made available. "That seems so puzzling to me after all the panic and fear," says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. We suspect the apparent complacency about a swine flu vaccine stems from the idea that initial reports about the danger of the new virus were overblown and the fact that most cases outside of Mexico are still mild.
"But even a mild flu is pretty unpleasant!" remarks ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava.
The results of this poll may be skewed even further, however, because only 36% of respondents said they got a seasonal flu shot last year. "The participants in this poll don't appear to be any more afraid of the swine than they are of the seasonal flu," says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. "But if there is a more dangerous second wave of the swine flu in the fall, people will be lining up for the shot."
The right way to use science in court
U.S. District Court Judge Jack B. Weinstein granted Eli Lilly's request to exclude the testimony of an expert witness in a class action suit claiming the drug Zyprexa causes medical injury. Dr. Stephen Hamburger, who has testified for the plaintiff in twenty individual cases involving Zyprexa, was not only unfamiliar with the facts about the cases but even made up "scientific theories" on the spot in an attempt to explain how Zyprexa could lead to medical problems.
Judge Weinstein explained his decision by saying, "[Dr. Hamburger is] shockingly careless about the facts in the cases he proposes to opine about...He repeatedly and impermissibly stretched the truth to support findings of causality...The court cannot permit a major pharmaceutical litigation to become the subject of the kind of 'rubber-stamp' expert opinions that have so marred mass litigations such as those involving asbestos and breast implants."
Dr. Whelan notes, "This is a very sophisticated interpretation by a judge about how science should be used in court."
Dr. Ross agrees, "It's a good sign that judges like Weinstein may be using logic and science to evaluate expert testimony in such junk science litigation."
Passing "the innovation test"
John C. Lechleiter, chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly & Co., has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about the importance of encouraging innovation by drug companies even as we prepare to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system. "It's a great piece," says Dr. Ross. "Before we change the health care paradigm in this country, Lechleiter encourages us to make sure the measures pass what he calls 'the innovation test.'"
Lechleiter writes, "Virtually no discovery reaches the point of regulatory approval if it is not shepherded through clinical development by a large biotech or pharmaceutical company. This means companies too often maligned as 'Big Pharma' are in fact the only entities with the right combination of expertise, infrastructure, and financing to pull this off."
He details problems with government-run health insurance, price controls, and weakened enforcement of biotech patents and concludes by offering his support for "The Pathways to Biosimilars Act," which is now before Congress. It would, he says, "[give] innovators the time needed to recoup their research investments while defining a clear framework for legal copying of biotech products down the road. It strikes the right balance between innovation and competition."
A little vitamin A goes a long way in combating blindness
New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof today explores the problem of blindness in West Africa, which is largely caused by vitamin A deficiency. He rightly argues that distributing inexpensive vitamin A supplements to impoverished children would go a long way toward solving the problem, but ACSH knows of another solution: "golden rice," or types of staple foods which could be genetically modified to include a vitamin A precursor. "Kristof is absolutely right in describing 'what a little vitamin A could do' in terms of decreasing blindness in developing countries, but I'm disappointed that he doesn't mention golden rice or biotechnology in general as a way of fortifying West Africa's staple foods," says Dr. Kava.
May 13, 2009
Soda, Cheerios, Calories, Colons, and Formaldehyde
By Elizabeth Wade
Stier takes on the soda tax on CNBC
ACSH’s Jeff Stier appeared on CNBC last night to debate the merits of the proposed federal soda tax. While his opponent was in favor of taxing sugary drinks as a way of making back some of the money that obesity costs the U.S. healthcare system, ACSH knows that just as soda isn’t to blame for the obesity epidemic, a soda tax won’t provide the quick fix some are looking for. As Stier said in the interview, “Obesity is a very serious public health problem in this country, and we need serious, science-based approaches to deal with it. A gimmick like this one meant to fund something else isn’t going to do the job.”
Jeff’s appearance on CNBC was scheduled yesterday afternoon, so we regret that we were not able to alert our readers about it in yesterday’s Morning Dispatch. Jeff did, however, provide real time updates on Twitter, where you can always find late breaking news and the most up-to-date information about ACSH.
FDA declares: Cheerios not a drug
The FDA has warned General Mills that claiming on the label that Cheerios can lower cholesterol is a “serious violation” of agency regulations. In fact, such a specific claim can only be made if the product is approved as a drug. “It’s a functional food issue – when can you make a health claim and when can you not?” explains ACSH’s Dr. Ruth Kava. “Right now, you can’t really distinguish what General Mills says about Cheerios and what drug companies and the FDA say about statins. But Cheerios are obviously not a drug – you can’t just add them to any meal you choose and expect your cholesterol to go down.”
Stier agrees, “The FDA is right to step in on this issue. There are potential risks to General Mills being allowed to make such a specific claim about Cheerios’ health benefits, because someone with elevated cholesterol levels might think they don’t need statins because they eat Cheerios every day. Many people would like to lead healthier lives by following ‘healthier’ diets rather than by taking medicines, but it’s not always realistic after a certain point. After all, these are Cheerios, not Statin-Os!”
ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross adds, “When I was in practice, I had little success getting patients’ cholesterol down with dietary manipulations, so statins were a godsend. The FDA did give General Mills approval to make some health claim about Cheerios two years ago – but I think the Cheerios marketers did overstate their case, though, and deserve to be chastised.”
Calorie counts come to Massachusetts menu boards
Massachusetts will likely soon require fast food restaurants to post calorie counts on their menu boards and drive-thru stations. “I’d like to see the results of surveys done in New York City after the calorie count postings were mandated before other places start to enact these laws,” Dr. Kava says. “As it is, we don’t know if such a requirement is effective in encouraging people to make healthier choices at these restaurants.”
ACSH’s Cheryl Martin, however, believes, “Posting calorie counts on menu boards is a direct way to inform the consumer. You can’t force people to make wise choices, but sometimes it helps to nudge them in the right direction. Indeed, calorie count postings have definitely helped me to make healthier choices.”
Virtual colonoscopy will not be covered by Medicare
Medicare will not pay for virtual colonoscopies, which use CT scans to detect signs of colon cancer. “While the virtual procedure is less expensive and less invasive on its own, if it detects a polyp, you have to have a regular colonoscopy anyway to remove it,” Stier says. “If a significant number of people who have the virtual colonoscopy then have to have a second test, it becomes more expensive.”
Dr. Kava agrees, “The virtual test doesn’t have any great advantage. You even have to do the same prep, which is really the worst part of getting a colonoscopy.” But Martin points out, “Some people aren’t ever going to have a colonoscopy because of fear of how invasive the procedure is, so it would be helpful to have this virtual test as an alternative.”
Evaluating the risks of formaldehyde exposure
A new study lends some support to the contention that occupational exposure to high levels of formaldehyde increases the risk of cancers of the blood and lymphatic system, but also indicates that the risk decreases over time once the exposure has ended. “The evidence about the dangers of high levels of exposure to formaldehyde is pretty persuasive, but we can’t then make the leap to claiming that low-level, environmental exposure to formaldehyde is also a health threat,” Stier says.
He continues, “For example, you may recall that victims of Hurricane Katrina were provided housing in FEMA trailers. An overheated congressional inquiry raised concerns about cancer risks for this group of people because of formaldehyde exposure from the trailers, and those concerns were unwarranted.”
May 12, 2009
Soda Tax, Swine Flu, BPA Ban, and Supplements
By Elizabeth Wade
The soda tax goes federal
Despite the failure of and widespread opposition to New York’s proposed soda tax, the Senate Finance Committee is now considering a similar measure to raise funds for its planned overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system. While officials claim that taxing sugary beverages such as non-diet soda, certain fruit drinks, and sports drinks would discourage people from consuming these “unhealthy” products, ACSH staffers don’t buy the public health rationale. “Why don’t they just admit it has nothing to do with public health and everything to do with generating cash?” says ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
The federal plan does have one bright spot: it wouldn’t tax diet drinks. “I’m surprised, because that makes sense,” remarks ACSH’s Dr. Ruth Kava. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is supporting the plan, and ACSH’s Cheryl Martin detects some hypocrisy in CSPI’s position: “Aren’t they now suggesting that a diet drink is a ‘healthier product’ choice? As I recall, this is the same group that has been ranting for years about how dangerous low-calorie sweetened drinks are to health. So what’s the story CSPI?”
Swine flu: What’s next?
The swine flu has not yet reached pandemic levels, but some researchers warn that the situation could worsen as the fall and winter months arrive in the Northern Hemisphere. World Health Organization researcher Neil Ferguson, for example, estimates that the swine flu could spread around the world in the next six to nine months, affecting one-third of the world’s population and killing four out of every 1,000 infected patients. But while the new swine flu virus appears to be easily transmitted between people, it remains to be seen if the strain will be more lethal than seasonal influenza (which kills 36,000 Americans every year).
Currently, there are about 5,000 laboratory-confirmed swine flu cases in 30 countries around the world, with 61 deaths. “The confirmed cases are just the tip of the iceberg,” Dr. Whelan suspects. “The virus is really spreading fast, even though it’s mild outside of Mexico right now.”
But even the most pessimistic estimates don’t measure up to the devastation of the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed at least 50 million people worldwide. “Sometimes I think we talk too much about the 1918 pandemic,” Dr. Whelan says. “The circumstances are so very different now, what with antivirals, antibiotics, surveillance, and a good understanding of how the disease is spread.”
Supplements may change body’s response to exercise
A new study finds that taking supplemental forms of the antioxidant vitamins C and E may counteract some of the benefits of exercise. Dr. Kava explains, “Usually exercise increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin, but taking supplements of vitamins C and E appears to inhibit that reaction.”
The results of this study apply only to dietary supplements containing high levels of the specified antioxidants, not the forms of the vitamins found in fruits and vegetables. ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross says, “This study adds to the body of evidence indicating that taking supplemental antioxidants has never been shown to be helpful, and that in excess they can be detrimental.”
Don’t forget to inform your doctor if you take any dietary supplement (or plan to start), as they are unregulated and can interact dangerously with some prescription drugs. For more information on this topic, read ACSH’s publication What’s the Story? Drug-Supplement Interactions.
Minnesota bans BPA
ACSH staffers are disappointed that Minnesota has become the first state to ban the plastic-hardening chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) from children’s bottles and cups. To make matters worse, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed off on the bill, contradicting his earlier promise to stick to the science with regards to the safety of phthalates, another common chemical in plastics. “He was so sensible about phthalates, so it’s extremely disappointing that he reversed his position,” Dr. Whelan says. Dr. Kava suspects, “He probably got in trouble for being so sensible and felt pressured to give in to junk science.”
May 11, 2009
Salt, Smoking, Obesity, and Conflicts of Interest
By Elizabeth Wade
Salt attack!
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is going after salt in restaurant meals as a cause of hypertension. Michael Jacobsen even calls some meals at restaurants like Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Chili’s “practically killers” and claims, “[F]or somebody that already has high blood pressure, they are really at risk of getting congestive heart failure several hours after the meal.”
But ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan has a different approach to the issue of widespread hypertension: screening and, when appropriate, medication. “It is so incredibly irresponsible to focus on salt in discussions of hypertension and never talk about getting people screened for high blood pressure,” she believes. “CSPI is not effectively educating people by talking about the ‘dangers’ of salt 99% of the time.”
Stier weighs in on conflicts of interest debate
ACSH’s Jeff Stier has an editorial in Clinical Psychiatry News criticizing how industry-funded science is being vilified. “It is not who funds the research; it is the quality of the research that counts,” he reminds us. He continues:
The point is: We all have a bias. We all bring something to the table. So it is a good thing that we disclose what that bias is. Is it industry-funded science? Fine. Let’s disclose that, and let’s encourage everyone to disclose what their other biases are, whether it’s that they work for the government and perhaps want to get more funding for their agency, or whether they are doing work on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry.
All scientific research, regardless of the way it is funded, needs to be considered with the utmost skepticism. Every study should be evaluated to determine whether there is something wrong with it. To put additional skepticism on industry-funded research just because of the way the work is funded means that less scrutiny is being placed on non-industry funded research.
For more on this issue, check out ACSH’s publication Scrutinizing Industry-Funded Science: The Crusade Against Conflicts of Interest.
Tobacco bill likely to pass, not likely to improve public health
The Kennedy-Waxman bill, which would give the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products, is likely to come up for a vote in the Senate this week, and the Washington Post predicts that it will easily pass. “If you are a layman, regulating tobacco sounds like a great idea,” Dr. Whelan says. But, as MD readers know, the Kennedy-Waxman bill will do nothing to make cigarettes safer – and will actually reduce access to less harmful smokeless tobacco products that can help smokers quit. Moreover, it will give cigarettes an implicit “FDA Seal of Approval,” which is entirely unwarranted, as they will still be the same lethal product they always have been.
On top of all that, the bill has the approval of tobacco giant Altria (formerly Philip Morris) – indeed, Altria’s support is considered vital to the bill’s passage. ACSH staffers agree with Dr. Richard Hunt, director of the nicotine-dependence program at the Mayo Clinic: “I’m a little suspicious of anything that Philip Morris supports. I haven’t known Philip Morris to do anything in the interest of public health.”
ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross says, “We’re not opposed to the idea of tobacco being regulated, but there is a better way to do it than this bill proposes. The right way would be to establish real regulatory guidelines, focus on educating the public, and promote more access to reliable information about reduced risk products such as smokeless tobacco.”
Obesity linked to overeating, but what about exercise?
A new study concludes that overeating, rather than reduced physical activity, is the driving force behind the U.S. obesity epidemic. But as ACSH’s Dr. Ruth Kava explains, “When you talk about overeating, you have to consider it relative to energy output.” Dr. Whelan agrees, “You can’t really separate energy consumption and energy output when it comes to obesity.” ACSH is wary of placing the blame for the obesity epidemic on just one factor, and we know that approaches to solving this complex problem need to be multifaceted. For more information on the dangers of obesity, read ACSH’s comprehensive publication Obesity and Its Health Effects.
May 8, 2009
Yard Sales, Bug Bombs, Chicken Soup, Diet Pills, "Bad" Foods, and More Flu
By Todd Seavey
ACSH Times 20/20 = Science
Remember that tonight's John Stossel hour _You Can't Even Talk About It_ (10pm Eastern, 9 Central, in the 20/20 timeslot) will feature ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava talking about the benefits of food irradiation, on ABC (right after the series finale of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, on Fox).
In other media news, ACSH's Jeff Stier (though not quoted) talked to Gardiner Harris, the writer of this New York Times story, which briefly describes the possible shortcomings of the incoming FDA principal deputy commissioner, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, in roughly Stier's terms.
This is just one of many examples of ACSH working to get its message out even via sometimes-hostile media. (And last night saw the start of lawyer Stier's stint on a New York panel interviewing prospective judges, where he'll be making sure, among other things, the judges can handle questions about rules that help keep junk science out of courtrooms.)
Having a Yard Sale This Weekend? Got Bugs? Get a Lawyer
Via Twitter, we see that Reason is reporting on one of the dire consequences of the (misnamed) Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, namely that you can't even sell old items at a yard sale legally anymore if children might use them and expensive tests for (extremely low) levels of lead haven't been performed on them.
You're not likely to hear big companies making new products complain about the devastation this law is causing informal sellers of old items, though you did hear Stier (like Manhattan Institute and Reason writer Walter Olson) complain about it early on.
Similarly, you also probably won't hear professional exterminators complaining about a new New York City regulation -- one restricting amateur use of "bug bombs." "You have to hire an expert, a professional bug-bomber," says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross (who is himself trying to get rid of a slightly larger creature: his family's large, tiger-striped tabby, not quite appropriate for their new quarters but reportedly pleasant, if anyone in the New York area is interested in adopting Tiki).
Chicken Soup, Good for the Common Cold, or Bad, Maybe
Somewhat amusingly, a new study suggests the possibility that (at least in vitro) chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis -- which means the same folk remedy that appears to aid cold sufferers by decreasing inflammation may also make their systems less able to ward off viruses. No easy solution for the common cold, to the chagrin of folk remedy fans and modern science alike.
FDA Hits and Misses
FDA, recognizing the potential value of some antipsychotic medications, is easing up in some ways, but ACSH Trustee Dr. Henry Miller notes in a letter in today's Wall Street Journal that in others it has become even more restrictive about off-label use of drugs.
We also liked a recent WSJ letter condemning the idea of lower tariffs for ill-defined "green products" -- and this cartoon on the topic of pharmaceutical solutions to obesity, about which ACSH recently issued a (more serious) report.
Traffic Lights for Food
In what ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan calls "another preposterous proposal," researchers led by Bridget Kelly from the Cancer Council of New South Wales, Australia are suggesting that we assign red or green traffic light symbols to foods in the supermarket depending on whether they're deemed bad or good, "unhealthy" or healthy. "What is so bad," asks Whelan, "about giving a little kid who comes home from school two Oreos and a big glass of milk?" Will fattening avocadoes also be red-stamped? "They taste much too good, so they must be bad."
The new procedure for buying food under this system, jokes Whelan, will be: "First, you go into the store and you have a mental breakdown from guilt because you're buying these foods with red on them, so you must be a bad parent."
Flu Dilemma? Flu Hype?
It's still unclear how authorities will respond over the long haul to the swine flu outbreak. "Do we have to abandon the seasonal flu vaccine" in order to have sufficient resources to vaccinate against H1N1, asks Ross? Will the World Health Organization boost vaccine production or not?
Of course, some are now saying the furor over swine flu was completely overblown. "Yes and no," says Whelan. "It really needed our attention."
On the other hand, such stories are easily blown out of proportion. "Forty-two deaths in Mexico, two in the U.S., out of about 2,300 worldwide" notes Ross, playing devil's-fearmonger. "That's a 2% mortality rate -- higher than the 1918 flu," if one wanted to spin the current outbreak in an alarmist fashion.
"But again," adds Whelan, crucially, "we have to talk about the denominator -- these are deaths among the official, laboratory-confirmed cases," but there may be countless people who had mild cases never recorded, making the true mortality rate very low.
It's true that in the 1918 case, adds Ross, "the mild first wave was followed by a devastating fall and winter wave," but the result now should be mixed headlines emphasizing the importance of watching and learning from seasonal and geographic variations, not a mixture of either dismissive or panicked headlines.
May 7, 2009
Vaccine Sought, Vaccine Feared – and ACSH on 20/20 Tomorrow
By Elizabeth Wade
Swine flu outbreak slows, while search for vaccine heats up
Now that the immediate fear over swine flu has abated to some degree, health officials around the world are figuring out how to best address the possibility that a more lethal mutation of the virus will return in the fall and winter. "This swine flu epidemic is haunted by the specters of 1918 and 1976," says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. The 1918 flu pandemic killed millions of people in part because most governments did not take appropriate measures to protect public health (Philadelphia famously held a war bonds parade in the middle of the outbreak), whereas a swine flu scare in 1976 caused the U.S. to rush a vaccine program that ended up producing its own panic over side effects.
ACSH Trustee Dr. Henry Miller fears that it is already too late to get a swine flu vaccine ready for the fall and that trying to do so could result in resources being directed away from producing seasonal flu vaccines, as he argues in a New York Post op-ed. CDC officials, however, do not anticipate the same problems with the development of a swine flu vaccine. "It's possible that they will get the seasonal flu vaccine ready early so that they can switch to producing and distributing a swine flu vaccine later, when the virus could return," Dr. Ross explains. "Or they may add another antigen to the seasonal flu shot that would protect against swine flu."
While those who contracted swine flu during this outbreak will likely be immune to any future waves of the disease, doctors advise against purposely exposing yourself to the virus, as some are reportedly doing. "I would strongly recommend against so-called 'swine flu parties'," Dr. Ross says. "We have many more ways to fight this virus than we did in 1918, such as Tamiflu, Relenza, antibiotics, and probably a vaccine by the end of the year. Don't take a risk now."
ACSH staffers have been strong voices for a rational, calm approach to the swine flu outbreak (check out ABC's interview with ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan), but we also advise against becoming complacent, especially with the possibility of a second wave in the fall. We think that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has the right approach: "When I start talking in New York about disease...the first thing I say is: 'I'm going to tell you what we know and what we don't know. And I'm not going to speculate on anything between,'" he says.
Listen to your doctor, not Oprah, about the safety of vaccines
Amidst the hype over the possible swine flu vaccine, we can't forget that many children are still going unvaccinated against diseases like measles, chickenpox, and whooping cough because of their parents' unfounded fear that childhood immunizations cause autism. Even Oprah is promoting this dangerous superstition by inviting anti-vaccine crusader Jenny McCarthy to be a regular on her show. "This is a lose-lose situation for public health," Dr. Ross says. "We are very disappointed that a respected figure like Oprah would give a forum to a celebrity pushing such an irresponsible agenda." (For more information on the danger of celebrities spreading false information, see ACSH's publication Celebrities vs. Science.)
A New England Journal of Medicine study published today confirms that more parents opting out of childhood vaccines leads to more outbreaks of childhood diseases. As Dr. Saad Omer, the study's lead author, told the Wall Street Journal, "People need to recognize that in the case of infectious diseases, what other people do impacts my child. If they live in a community that has a cluster of refusers, their risk of getting a vaccine-preventable disease goes up, just by virtue of who they play with."
Unsurprisingly -- yet admirably -- it appears that parents who listen to their pediatricians are more likely to fully vaccinate their children. For more information on the safety and importance of doing so, check out ACSH's publication What's the Story? Childhood Immunizations.
ACSH on 20/20
We are excited to announce that ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava will be appearing on ABC's 20/20 tomorrow night. As part of John Stossel's special You Can't Even Talk About It, Dr. Kava will be discussing the benefits and safety of food irradiation. Tune in on Friday, May 8, at 10pm Eastern, 9pm Central, and don't forget to follow the event on ACSH's Twitter.
May 6, 2009
Less Smoking, Less Flu Panic, More Cosmetics Paranoia
By Elizabeth Wade
Smoking rates drop, but harm reduction still faces hurdles
The smoking rate in New York City has fallen to 15.8%, down from 21.5% in 2002. "We should give some of the credit to the New York City Department of Health for helping to promote an atmosphere and an environment that discourage people from smoking," says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. "However, these numbers mean that there are still 1 million adult smokers in New York City, and we shouldn't overlook the importance of helping them quit."
Quitting smoking is notoriously difficult, and even teenagers, who have not spent as many years smoking as some adults, have a hard time kicking the habit. A new CDC survey indicates that while 60.9% of teenagers who smoke cigarettes daily have tried to quit, only 12.2% were successful. (Unfortunately, this is about the same fraction as adult smokers who quit successfully and stay off cigarettes for at least one year.) Ninth graders had a better chance of quitting than older high school students, but still only 22.9% of them managed to do so.
Smokeless tobacco for harm reduction is one of the best quitting aides at cigarette smokers' disposal, but ACSH staffers worry that the bill giving the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products will demonize smokeless tobacco and limit smokers' access to it. The bill will come up for a vote in the Senate soon, so many anti-tobacco activists are rushing to publicize studies that they feel lend support to the bill.
For example, the pulmonologist Dr. David M. Burns presented the abstract of his still unpublished study claiming that elevated levels of the carcinogen nitrosamines in American cigarettes make them more dangerous. "The study wasn't published and hasn't been peer reviewed, but he wants to get his news out before the FDA regulation bill comes up for a vote in the Senate," says ACSH's Jeff Stier.
ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan agrees. "He's certainly trying to influence legislation." And Dr. Ross adds, "The bill would likely make cigarette companies reveal more about the ingredients in their products. But how this would lead to reducing the deadly toll of smoking eludes me."
Are cosmetics "toxic?"
ACSH staffers are skeptical of Scientific American's investigation of the safety of cosmetics. "The cosmetics industry is vulnerable [to criticism] because it is self-regulated, meaning that its products don't need FDA approval," Dr. Whelan states.
In the words of Lisa Archer, the national coordinator for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, "We're operating in a vacuum in terms of safety. The FDA doesn't even define what 'safe' is, so it's totally up to the discretion of cosmetic companies."
But Dr. Ross points out, "No one has ever shown that cosmetics are associated with negative health effects. They are essentially calling for companies to stop using 'toxic chemicals' that have never hurt anyone. I call this 'no-harm reduction'."
Stier adds, "This report describes the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and its parent and inspiration the Environmental Working Group in benign, 'non-profit public-interest group' terms -- completely ignoring their ongoing, activist, agenda-driven campaigns against safe consumer products."
The calm after the swine flu storm
The first U.S. resident has died from swine flu, but health authorities are still saying that we have less to worry about from the virus than we initially feared. "The first American to die of swine flu was a woman in her thirties, but she was apparently quite ill before she contracted the virus," Dr. Whelan explains. And as Mexico City lifts restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the virus, the U.S. government recommends that any school in this country that closed because of swine flu be reopened as well.
These days, the biggest threat from swine flu might be the bogus "cures" for sale on the Internet, and the FDA has started cracking down on websites that offer them. "People must put ads for these snake-oil products out there and hope that no one in the government regulatory apparatus is going to find them," Dr. Ross says. If you encounter a product fraudulently claiming to cure or protect against swine flu, you can report it to the FDA on their site.
May 5, 2009
Flu, DDT, Sci-Hype, Women's Lungs, Canadian Toddlers
By Elizabeth Wade
Swine flu in summary
Tara Parker-Pope has a good roundup of questions and answers about the swine flu in today's New York Times. She writes that although it seems as if we have less to be worried about than we did a week ago, we shouldn't assume our initial fear was an overreaction: "[T]he course swine flu will take in the Southern Hemisphere -- and, this coming fall, in the Northern Hemisphere -- still isn't clear. And it's worth considering what might have happened if public health officials hadn't sounded the alarm," she points out.
Parker-Pope's rational take on facemasks is particularly appreciated: "Facemasks aren't particularly effective against the spread of flu. The main effect may be 'social distancing': masks scare people away from one another," she writes.
As the spread of swine flu appears to have slowed, Mexico plans to reopen its schools, restaurants, museums, and other public places this week. In the meantime, Mexico City residents are using humor to cope with fears about the outbreak.
DDT: A last resort or a vital tool in the fight against malaria?
ACSH staffers were livid that Scientific American published an article called "Should DDT Be Used to Combat Malaria?" "It's shocking that it's even a question," says ACSH's Jeff Stier.
ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross left a comment on the article's website, writing, "DDT was banned by the EPA administrator in 1972 against the advice of his scientific advisory panel -- there remains NO EVIDENCE of significant adverse human health effects, which was true even at the massive overuse levels of the 1960s. Their 'concern' over the 'potential effects of DDT use on future generations' would be obviated by the loss of these generations to malaria without DDT."
Health news hype traced back to medical centers
A new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine examines press releases from academic medical centers and finds them to be as likely as the news media to exaggerate the importance of weak or irrelevant science. "In order to get press coverage in the first place, you have to have a sensational story," ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan points out. "We shouldn't blame the media exclusively for the exaggeration, scares, and hype we see all over the health news."
Dr. Ross agrees but still reminds us, "Headline writers often take fairly balanced and sedate studies and turn them into scary sound bites. Headlines are meant to draw a reader in, but it shouldn't be at the expense of good science."
More bad news about smoking
Women may be uniquely vulnerable to smoking-related diseases, particularly lung cancer. "A new study shows that women smokers who develop lung cancer tend to be younger and have smoked fewer cigarettes over the course of their lives than men who develop smoking-related lung cancer," Dr. Ross explains. "But women seem to have a better survival rate -- after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, the median survival was 4.7 years for women, as opposed to 2.1 years for men."
We often write about how rising smoking rates pose a serious public health threat to developing countries, so we were disappointed but not entirely surprised to hear that the government of China's Gong'an county has ordered its municipal staff to smoke 230,000 packs of locally-made cigarettes to boost the economy or pay a fine for "under-performance." "This isn't what you want to hear from China, which already has 350 million smokers -- 1 million of whom die of smoking-related diseases every year," Dr. Ross says. "And the fact that most male doctors in China still smoke isn't helping the situation."
Canadian toddlers low on vitamin D
The Toronto Globe and Mailreports that 80% of Canadian toddlers studied do not have enough vitamin D and that one-third have vitamin D levels that are so low they classify as deficient. "It's a small study involving only ninety-two children and it has only been presented at a meeting," Dr. Ross notes. "However, the findings tend to go along with what we've been learning about vitamin D lately: namely, that low vitamin D levels are more common than we thought and that vitamin D deficiency may be associated with health problems beyond bone diseases."
May 4, 2009
Swine and Hysteria, Fat and Hydroxycut
By Elizabeth Wade
Swine flu slows down, but will hysteria remain high?
The threat of a deadly swine flu pandemic may be decreasing, but the likelihood of panic and hysteria remains high. ACSH experts are working hard to educate the public about the realities of swine flu. In addition to ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan and Dr. Gilbert Ross being Fox Radio's experts of the day last Friday, Dr. Ross appeared on both ABC's Tiempo and WLIW's Crosson and Welles this weekend to discuss the outbreak.
We'd like to offer a seat at our breakfast table to Anthony Markovich, a graduate student who shared his perspective on the swine flu outbreak with CNN: "I'm sure the deaths in Mexico have something do with the infrastructure. I know our health care system has its flaws, but it is more advanced...[Swine flu] is a joke compared to other things going on. Malaria is killing thousands of people daily, the economy is not getting any better, it is time to move on."
We appreciate that Markovich understands that there are many other diseases that currently pose more of a public health threat than swine flu does, but Dr. Ross says, "I don't think we can dismiss swine flu just yet."
Dr. Whelan agrees, "Since the influenza virus does not like hot, humid weather, the number one fear is that this new strain will go underground this summer and re-emerge even stronger in the fall." Meanwhile, we hope that the development of a swine flu vaccine does not leave us without a seasonal flu vaccine come fall. "Even with full vaccine production and availability, the seasonal flu causes over 35,000 deaths in the U.S. alone," Dr. Whelan reminds us. "We are not yet at a point where we should abandon the production of the seasonal flu vaccine to concentrate all our resources on developing a swine flu vaccine."
The antiviral drug Tamiflu has been effective against swine flu in laboratory tests, which has caused health officials and manufacturers to take steps to prevent healthy people from hoarding the drug. A run on pharmacies in France even prompted vaccine manufacturer Roche to make Tamiflu available only to hospitals. The other effective anti-flu drug Relenza -- which must be inhaled -- is also likely to come into play if the virus continues to spread; a new study shows that early use of Relenza could delay the emergence of a new strain's resistance to Tamiflu.
Hydroxycut pulled from shelves because of negative health effects
The FDA is warning consumers against taking the weight-loss supplement Hydroxycut, which appears to be associated with one death due to liver failure and twenty-three other reports of serious adverse health effects. "This story shows what kind of double standard exists in our system," Dr. Whelan says. "Nutritional supplements like this can be put on the market without any regulation or approval, but our prescription and over-the-counter drugs have to go through such hurdles."
While there are only a small number of reported problems with Hydroxycut so far, "the bottom line is that supplements like these are unregulated and shouldn't be," Dr. Whelan adds. Check out ACSH's publication What's the Story? Drug Supplement Interaction for some potential dangers of combining nutritional supplements and prescription drugs.
May 1, 2009
Flu Fear, Cigarette-FDA Synergy, Obesity Oversimplifications
By Elizabeth Wade
Swine flu panic spreads faster than the disease itself
Even as news about swine flu seems to be leveling off, the paranoia about it is still growing. "There is a family in my building who haven't let their children leave the apartment since Tuesday," says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. "It's terrible to instill unnecessary fear in children like that."
Vice President Joe Biden certainly didn't help the situation by cautioning Americans against being in airplanes, subways, classrooms, and other "confined spaces" during an interview on yesterday's Today Show. The White House has since attempted to "clarify" his inflammatory remarks by emphasizing that only people who are sick should avoid airplanes and subways and that the only air travel that should be avoided is nonessential trips to Mexico. But Dr. Whelan, for one, believes Biden must go farther in retracting his statement. "We need a full-fledged apology -- I would even write it for him!" she says. "There is no reason to restrict healthy people from going on airplanes or subways."
ACSH's Jeff Stier thinks that there is enough blame to go around -- and that some should rest with Matt Lauer, who conducted the interview with Biden. "He didn't ask a follow-up question when Biden said these crazy things. He didn't even blink!" Stier points out.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) persistent raising of its pandemic alert level has some people unnecessarily frightened. "The WHO and governments around the world have a responsibility to explain exactly what these 'alert levels' mean to the general public," Dr. Whelan states. "People are panicking because they don't understand that the WHO index has nothing to with virulence or death rates. A level 5 alert refers to the number of cases and where they are scattered around the world, not to the severity of the cases -- which remain mild outside of Mexico."
Still, the baseless fear that pigs and pork products spread the disease is so rampant that the WHO has said it will refer to the disease as "H1N1 influenza A" rather than "swine flu" in order to avoid confusion, although we doubt such a change in terminology will catch on.
Novartis is taking the lead in developing a vaccine against the new strain of swine flu, and it hopes to employ new cellular development techniques to manufacture the vaccine more efficiently than usual. "If swine flu continues to pose a danger in the fall, it's possible we'll be getting two kinds of flu shots to protect us during the next flu season," says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross.
Are cigarettes "more dangerous than ever?"
A new study suggests that changes in cigarette design have led to an increased risk of developing lung cancer from smoking. The alleged culprit is the chemical nitrosamines, which is related to the development of adenocarcinoma, a specific type of lung cancer.
"But the bottom line is that inhaling the products of tobacco combustion is always going to be dangerous," says Dr. Whelan. "I smell an agenda promoting the FDA regulation of cigarettes here." Dr. Ross agrees, "This study is completely political."
Recognizing the complexity of obesity in schools
ACSH staffers are very impressed by a letter in the New York Times about obesity in schools by Herbert Pardes, the president and chief executive of New York Presbyterian Hospital. He writes:
The problem is more than just junk food. Many of the national and state standards set for school nutrition and physical activity are routinely ignored...Nutrition standards in the school cafeteria, nutrition education to develop healthy, lifelong behavior, and physical education need to be part of the solution. Schools need to put the same emphasis on health as they do on mathematics and science before today's overweight child becomes tomorrow's obese adult. "Dr. Pardes offers the opposite of a simple solution to the complex problem of obesity, and we'd like to offer him a seat at our breakfast table for his insight," Dr. Ross says.
Elizabeth Wade is a research intern at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH.org, HealthFactsAndFears.com). Todd Seavey wrote the May 8 Morning Dispatch.
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