In contrast to the results of other screening tests that don t seem to improve survival or early-stage disease progression (mammography and PSA, for example), a recent study reported in

Here’s some good news. A report released Tuesday by the CDC found that the rate of smoking among adults in the United States has fallen to 18 percent. Although the rate of smoking has been falling over the past few decades, it had stalled at about 20 percent for the past seven years. The report [...]
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Researchers have found a test that could be a useful indicator of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer — a cancer that affects the back portion of the throat near the tonsils. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), found that when antibodies against one [...]
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The Boston School Committee is set to vote tonight on a controversial health policy that would make condoms available in high schools in the district. The policy, which aims to counteract the spread of H.I.V./AIDS and other STIs, prevent unwanted pregnancy and encourage healthier sexual activity, proposes that students be counseled by trained staff members [...]
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Following their annual meeting, the American Medical Association has decided to classify obesity as a disease. This has the potential to affect the way society views obesity, although the influence of the AMA ends there, as they do not have any official say in this matter. Among the supporters of this declaration are the American [...]
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Although it was released just yesterday, Dr. Paul Offit’s masterpiece “Do You Believe in Magic” is already having quite an impact, as demonstrated by a very comprehensive article by Liz Szabo in yesterday’s USA today. Dr. Offit, who is the Chief of Infectious Disease at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (and one of our trustees [...]
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We have certainly advised on multiple occasions that everyone keep their vaccinations up to date, but it’s important enough to repeat — especially in light of a new survey on adult pertussis vaccination. Dr. Matthew Davis, director of the University of Michigan National Poll on Children’s Health, points out that only 20 percent of adults [...]
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In an extensive re-analysis of data from three large observational trials, Dr. An Pan and colleagues from the National University of Singapore and the Harvard School of Public Health, reported that increased intake of red meat (beef, lamb, or pork) over time increased the risk of type 2 diabetes, while decreasing intake slightly decreased the [...]
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Today’s New York Times had a pair of letters which contained some of the most brazen misinformation bordering on plain deception that we here at ACSH have ever witnessed. The first one came from a John S. Shaw, the Executive Director and Chief Executive of the Natural Products Association, writing from D.C. In an attempt [...]
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You may want to think about hopping into bed a little earlier tonight. In a column published in The New York Times today, Jane E. Brody discusses the risks associated with not getting enough sleep. She argues that most people actually need seven or eight hours of sleep to function and that sleep deprivation can [...]
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