The number of deaths from drinking and driving among teenagers has taken a backseat to the hazards of texting while driving. Worse yet, “fifty percent of high school students of driving age acknowledge texting while driving.” A new study shows researchers at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park estimate more than 3,000 annual [...]
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In an effort to join in the fight against the obesity epidemic, Coca-Cola Co. has made plans to expand distribution of its low-calorie drinks. Coke also has plans to make sure that calorie counts are posted on the front of all coke products around the world. In addition, the company intends to sponsor physical activity [...]
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For those who follow the list of dietary supplements that, upon clinical scrutiny, turn out to be useless, this should be no surprise. But for millions of Americans it will probably be just that. A large five-year trial examining the benefits of the supplement with regard to cardiovascular outcome came up with a very empty [...]
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It’s well known that poorly controlled and long-lasting diabetes can lead to changes in the retina (retinopathy), and is a leading cause of blindness. Alarmingly, a recent study described in Med Page Today found that even young people with type 2 diabetes might have retinal changes within only five years of the onset of the [...]
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Have you heard? New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had lapband surgery in February. Lapband surgery, a variation of bariatric surgery, involves wrapping a device similar to a band or a belt around the stomach in order to make the stomach smaller, limiting the amount of food it can hold, and therefore resulting in weight loss [...]
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Medical research is by its very nature, unpredictable. But every so often, something really unpredictable comes along, with the potential to provide radically different treatments for diseases or conditions.

Those who are trying to impede the spread of the reduced-harm nicotine delivery device known as the e-cigarette will find their task at least a bit harder henceforth. One of the pseudo-arguments against smokers using this technology to help them quit is that young people who are non-smokers might find the devices attractive, try [...]
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“The pharmaceutical industry does many wonderful things, yet most people regard it as one step below head lice on the food chain. This week, Merck, with some questionable help from the FDA, gave more ammunition to industry critics, who typically maintain that the industry contributes little innovation, and is simply concerned with profits. For the [...]
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The silly season for summer scares is upon us, it seems. A group of self-styled “cancer experts” issued a press release warning of the dangers of cancer-causing substances in grilled meat of just about any type. The group, the American Institute for Cancer Research, warns of the increased risk of colon cancer from meat, especially [...]
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Put this one in under “odd news.” Sucking on a pacifier shouldn’t just be for babies, Swedish researchers say — when parents do so, it may actually help protect babies from problems later in life. “Parents sucking on their infant’s pacifier may reduce the risk of allergy development, possibly via immune stimulation by microbes transferred [...]
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