In his TobaccoAnalysis blog, ACSH advisor Dr. Mike Siegel, professor at Boston University s School of Public Health, reports on the FDA s Center for Tobacco Products latest initiative to compile a list of the ingredients found in cigarettes and cigarette smoke. This endeavor, he says, is a pointless waste of time and resources, since there is nothing the agency can actually do with the list that would benefit public health.

In yesterday s Dispatch, we reported on new statistics from the CDC on foodborne illness, noting that the latest numbers of such illnesses were far lower than we expected. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Vincent Ianelli, associate professor of Pediatrics at Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas who blogs at keepkidshealthy.com, wrote in to point out that, while our analysis focused on the study s concrete numbers, other data based on estimates reveal a different picture:

Traditionally, doctors have been advising patients with heartburn to avoid eating a meal within three or four hours of bedtime but is this just a medical old wives tale, or is the recommendation founded on real scientific evidence?

Proven to be the leading cause of cervical cancer, the human papillomavirus (HPV) has recently been linked to anal and oral cancer as well. That s why it s important for young men and women to protect themselves against those strains of the virus with the HPV vaccine. Currently, the vaccine schedule consists of three shots that are spaced months apart, but unfortunately, a three-dose regimen may not be economically feasible for many.

The results of a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report have corrected a long held misconception of the number of fatalities associated with foodborne illnesses. Most news media typically report that there are thousands of foodborne-related deaths annually, yet the latest statistics from 2008 put the number at just 22.

Though most of her recent article for the online magazine Fast Company is dedicated to criticizing genetically modified (GM) foods, writer Ariel Schwartz does bring up some poignant facts. For instance, she draws attention to the dire agricultural situation in sub-Saharan Africa, a region continuously on the brink of famine. As Schwartz explains, over 200 million residents in this area rely on the staple food cassava.

Every year, about 36 million people die from non-communicable diseases worldwide. While most attribute these deaths to heart disease and cancer, in fact, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is another major cause. Consisting of chronic progressive respiratory insufficiency due to chronic bronchitis and emphysema which is almost always attributable to cigarette smoking COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in our country, with about 130,000 fatalities in 2009.

A Cleveland hospital has reduced its incidence of bloodstream infections to one-third of what it used to be and the radical improvement has nothing to do with antibiotics. Instead, the Metrohealth Medical Center strictly enforces handwashing among its staff.

Bariatric surgery has become one of the most effective treatments for severely obese patients. The surgery promotes weight loss by changing the digestive system s anatomy, limiting the amount of food that can be consumed and digested. Now, a recent meta-analysis of 52 studies has found that, in addition to losing large amounts of weight, patients who underwent a particular type of bariatric surgery reduced their predicted risk of cardiovascular disease by almost one-half.

A prescription-grade formula of an otherwise common over-the-counter remedy holds the possibility of some relief for those who suffer from osteoarthritis of the hand, reports a new study in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.