On Thursday, April 25th, Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn., held a conference entitled “Changing the Community: A Symposium on Childhood Obesity.” The one-day conference included presentations by three speakers, as well as two workshop sessions. The keynote speaker, Dr. William Dietz, former director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity in the Center for [...]
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Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMS), such as tamoxifen, are widely used to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer in women who have been treated for the disease. SERMs are drugs that may block or accentuate the action of estrogen, depending on the tissue being examined. Tamoxifene and raloxifene, for example, inhibit the action of estrogen [...]
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Former ACSH trustee Dr. Henry Miller, now a Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy at the Hoover Institution, argues in a recent letter to the Wall Street Journal that the major beneficiaries of genetically modified foods are small, poor farmers. Miller says, “[the] assertion that genetic engineering of crops leaves ‘cash-poor farmers dependent on buying seeds, fertilizer [...]
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ACSH publications for July 2012- December 2012.

Somewhat similar to routine mammography of younger women, prostate-specific antigen screening in men without symptoms of prostate cancer has been shown to do more harm than good.

Once again the Environmental Working Group (EWG) seeks to perpetuate its myth of dangerous fruit dangerous, they say, because of trace amounts of pesticides found on them. Although their list of the most dangerous fruits garners wide attention, there seems to be little attention paid to the science or lack thereof in this listing.

Once again the Environmental Working Group (EWG) seeks to perpetuate its myth of dangerous fruit — dangerous, they say, because of trace amounts of pesticides found on them. Although their list of the most “dangerous” fruits garners wide attention, there seems to be little attention paid to the science — or lack thereof — in [...]
The post Here we go again: EWG libels apples, other fruits appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Many teens somehow believe driving under the influence does not affect their safety, according to a survey published by the insurance company Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). Worse still — nearly 25 percent of American teenagers drives under the influence of some drug. Not surprisingly for teenagers, there is a disconnect between [...]
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Our top stories for Monday, April 29, 2013: The shocking truth about American teens and driving under the influence, and why some asymptomatic men still opt for regular PSA testing.

The regulators in Europe continue to ban chemicals at the drop of a rat. In the latest instance, the head of the European Commission has decided to take it upon himself to ban a class of pesticide called “neonicotinoids,” on the slimmest evidence that this class of chemicals might have contributed to the loss of [...]
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