Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common enough, but a study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that doctors too often prescribe antibiotics for bacteria in the urine when a patient s condition does not actually warrant it.

Those who suffer from chronic, severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may soon be able to seek relief via a new implantable device.

Speaking of allaying chemical fears, ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross gave a presentation yesterday to members of the International Fragrance Association in New Jersey. The topic was the pervasive influence of chemophobic fears on our policy makers and the public, which are largely based on ideology and junk science.

As we enter the new year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides Americans with some optimistic statistics: We re living longer by about a month, to be more precise. According to the new report, the average life expectancy in 2009 was 78.6 years, compared to 78.7 years in 2010. During the same time period, U.S. death rates also dropped by about half a percent, with a 3.9 percent decline in infant mortality and a 13.3 percent drop for HIV/AIDS.

Congratulations to India are in order: The country has remained polio-free for an entire year. Thanks to the great efforts of the Polio Eradication Program in India, which aims to immunize every child under the age of five with the oral polio vaccine, there have been no reported cases of polio in the country for the past year. That s a marked difference from just two years ago, when 741 people were diagnosed with the disease.

Affecting over 2 million people in the U.S., atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) and can be associated with palpitations, chest pains, fainting, and congestive heart failure. The condition can be diagnosed by simply taking a patient s pulse or looking at an ECG. However, some people may not be aware that they have this condition; that is, they have silent AF.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a type of assisted reproductive technology that has gained popularity in the U.S. over the last 20 years. But a new study questions the current recommendations for women who want to try the procedure.

Feeding the World: Why Pesticides are a Critical Part of the Solution
Environmental Toxicologist Featured Speaker at Capitol Hill Briefing

Josh Bloom, Forbes January 11, 2011
Garbage In, Anti-Nuclear Propaganda Out: The 14,000 Death Fukushima Lie

While proponents of a new penny-per-ounce soda tax claimed this week that it could significantly reduce obesity and save $17 billion dollars in medical costs annually, ACSH doubts that such a tax would have any beneficial impact on public health at all.