A study presented in San Antonio yesterday reveals that nearly half of all women at the age in which mammographic screening is recommended are not getting annual mammograms, even though a great many have insurance to cover the cost of the exams. Moreover, the study reported, only 60% of women in the affected age groups had as many as two exams during a four-year period. The study authors note the lifetime risk for breast cancer: it will strike one in nine women.

Younger postmenopausal women without a uterus (post-hysterectomy) in need of hormone replacement for menopausal symptoms may also gain protection against breast cancer by taking estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (ERT), the Los Angeles Times reports. This somewhat surprising finding was presented by Dr.

The latest report from the CDC on mortality in the U.S. presented a mixed picture. Welcome news arrived with word that the incidence of stroke has declined such that it has dropped to the fourth-leading cause of death. It had been the third most common cause of death for the past five decades.

Apparently even a whiff of tobacco smoke can threaten your health, according to a report released yesterday by U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. The report, “How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease,” insists upon a policy of zero-tolerance toward second-hand smoke and asserts that even low-level exposure to cigarette smoke, whether inhaled directly, or via second-hand exposure, can cause cardiovascular and inflammatory disease.

ACSH President Dr. Elizabeth Whelan refuses to let the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) spoil consumers holiday cheer with its alarmist attempts to create unnecessary panic over toxic chemicals in toys. In an op-ed published in yesterday s The Daily Caller, Dr. Whelan discredits PIRG s annual Trouble in Toyland report and provides parents with reliable holiday advice.

As the holiday decorations go up, so do anxiety levels. In the midst of prepping for the in-laws and the added financial stress of the holidays, the last thing Americans need is another source of unwarranted anxiety.
But just in time for the holidays, Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) released its annual “Trouble in Toyland” report, which preys on parents’ greatest fears by warning shoppers of “toxic” chemicals and other dangers lurking on every toy aisle.

Two newly-issued studies dealing with care of older men have just been released. Both emphasize the complexities faced by mature patients, a group which comprises a larger and larger segment of our population.

The last few days have also seen the announcement of two major breakthroughs with regard to the identification and prevention of infectious diseases with major impact in the third world, especially Africa. We refer to a new, low-cost meningitis vaccine being made available in the developing world, and approval of a new and better test for tuberculosis (TB).

Two opinions set forward in the last few days by Consumer Reports magazine suggest that, as ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan puts it, they should stick to testing cars.

Yesterday’s Chicago Tribune included a long feature story by reporters Patricia Callahan and Trine Tsouderos on a nationwide scare over a non-existent malady called chronic Lyme disease.