Reuters reports from the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America: "Every year, many patients undergo unnecessary computed tomography (CT) scans that are not indicated, exposing them to more radiation than is necessary, according to new research...The average amount of excess radiation dose per patient from unnecessary scans could mean up to an additional 20,000 radiation-induced cancer cases per year in the U.S., the authors wrote in their abstract for the meeting."

In a summary of the American Urological Association PSA Best Practice Policy 2009, The Journal of Urology reveals the American Urological Association's updated recommendation that PSA screening begin at age forty instead of fifty.

Statistics posted online yesterday by the CDC indicate that the number of H1N1 infections seems to have peaked for the fall flu season. The number of children and teenagers dying from H1N1 continues to rise, however. According to the New York Times, "An additional twenty-seven deaths in lab-confirmed cases of it were reported among children and teenagers in the week ended Nov. 21, raising the total to 234 since April. In a typical flu season, there are fewer than 100 deaths among that segment of the population."

Senior citizens are questioning the H1N1 vaccine controls that have them prioritized below younger age groups, with some even calling it an example of healthcare rationing. ACSH Advisor Dr. Marc Siegel of the NYU School of Medicine addresses the difficulties caused by the vaccine shortage in today's Los Angeles Times.

On a lighter note, ACSH staffers were amused by this picture of a homeopathic sleep aid whose package advertises its formula as "non-drowsy." While this sort of honesty in advertising is rare among homeopathic remedies, it is nonetheless good for a chuckle.
"The whole concept of homeopathic medicine is an abomination scientifically," says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. "It runs counter to every scientific principle, though it fits in nicely with the low-dose theory of the anti-BPA crowd, which says that substances which are non-toxic at high doses can still be toxic at very low doses."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: "Despite months of additional study and a self-imposed timetable, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration likely will not release its ruling Monday on the safety of bisphenol-A."

Metro International reports: "[New York City's] law banishing trans fat took effect in July 2008 and touched everyone with Health Department food licenses including emergency food providers."

Experts from the World Health Organization and Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS report that the worldwide number of people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has remained virtually the same for the past two years.
"This is some rare good news about AIDS," says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. "International health officials say the number of new cases of HIV peaked in 1996, but there may be an exception for Africa where it could still be prevailing and increasing. Still, these are hopeful signs in the war on AIDS. It's very encouraging."

According to the New York Times: "Federal health officials are trying to shift supplies of the seasonal flu vaccine away from chain pharmacies and supermarkets to nursing homes, hoping to counter a shortage that threatens to cause a wave of deaths this winter among the nation's most vulnerable population."

A CDC report concludes that obesity rates are increasing throughout the U.S., with especially high rates in Appalachia and the South.
"Is it news that the obesity problem is greater in the South?" asks ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. "This has been known for a while, the question is why. There seems to be a socioeconomic variable first of all, but it might have more to do with culture differences. Southern cuisine includes many high-fat, fried foods. Basically, their diets are not very well-balanced. Their food is likely to be higher in fat and calories in general."