During a season when insect repellent is, of necessity, many people's signature fragrance, consumers may be drawn to sprays with more benign-sounding names and scents. An array of these “natural” repellents is widely available — there’s everything from citronella to soybean oil — but their effectiveness at actually keeping the bugs away is still in question.

There is a reliable means of reducing the risk of permanent disability from a stroke, though many stroke victims may not act quickly enough to receive it. A clot-dissolving drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) has been approved by the FDA since 1996, but it is used by only a very small percentage of stroke victims, most likely because it must be administered within a few hours of stroke onset in order to be effective.

An eight-year study led by Dr. Saundra Buys of the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center has found that annual screening for ovarian cancer does not reduce disease-specific mortality in women. In fact, the research team actually found that annual screenings with either cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) or transvaginal ultrasound increased harms associated with subsequent and unnecessary invasive medical procedures.

The past week brought promising news for both prevention and treatment of breast cancer. In the first instance, Dr. Paul E.

To: Assistant Secretary, Drug Strategy Branch Attention: Tobacco Reform Section Department of Health and Ageing GPO Box 9848 Canberra, ACT 2606
From: Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, President, and Dr. Gilbert Ross, Executive/Medical Director The American Council on Science and Health 1995 Broadway New York NY USA 10038
Statement in Opposition to Australian Government s Proposed Plain Packaging for Cigarettes Legislation
The American Council on Science and Health New York, NY USA
June 2nd, 2011

FDA officials announced Thursday that the agency's meta-analysis study did not find a correlation between the commonly prescribed class of blood pressure drugs called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and cancer risk. In the largest ARB study of its kind to date, the FDA reviewed data from randomized-control clinical trials totalling more than 155,000 patients who were assigned to take either an ARB (including Diovan, Cozaar, and Avapro, among others), or other blood pressure medicines.

Look no further than the warnings on your prescription drug labels, and you'll find the side effects of defensive medicine.

Flu vaccination isn't the only pregnancy advice being reported on — a recent study finds that women who lost the excess weight they gained during pregnancy were less likely to develop gestational diabetes (borderline or actual diabetes that appears only during pregnancy) in a subsequent pregnancy.

The results of a new study may convince women who are pregnant to get their flu shots. Many pregnant women fear getting any vaccines, including the influenza vaccine, despite overwhelming evidence of its safety and its protective effect against the flu.

ACSH would like to offer Chris Woolston a seat at our table for his unbiased, incisive article in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times that approaches the recently released World Health Organization (WHO) cellphone study from a sound perspective. With both humor and solid data, Mr.