Perhaps due to the advent of the Internet, twenty-four-hour news networks, and the tendency of the media to hype health scares, the public has faster and more extensive access to information (or misinformation) regarding health risks than ever before. So says Ragnar E. Lofstedt in his Risk Management in Post-Trust Society (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005).

A new study suggests that HIV infections among men having sex with men in San Francisco may be occurring at about half the rate previously calculated (1.2% per year, down from 2.2%). While speculations abound about what accounts for this great success (and about whether the data are conclusive), an excellent article in today's New York Times points out one possible contributor: a new form of Internet dating known as sero-sorting.

For anyone that cherishes good health and values straight facts, the oft-cited statistics of 630,000 American babies born every year with elevated levels of mercury in their blood and potentially damaged brains, if true, ought to be mind-boggling. These American babies are said to have been poisoned before birth when their pregnant mothers consumed fish with trace levels of mercury, and after birth when they were breastfeeding.

An August 16, 2005 article by Amanda Gardner of HealthDay News quotes ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava on the question of a possible mechanism for cardiovascular benefits from garlic:
"It's still in the realm of very basic research," added Ruth Kava, director of nutrition at the American Council on Science and Health in New York City. "Whether or not it's going to have any real impact in terms of human health, it's much too early to say."

It's no secret that crystal methamphetamine is oozing eastward, into urban areas, and up the socioeconomic ladder. But with all the recent media coverage, one has to wonder...is the meth epidemic something novel, or is it just the same old story with a new drug playing the lead role? Skeptics and critics of the "War on Drugs" point out that as long as demand exists for a drug, law enforcement is practically powerless to prevent its use.

"Indications: (partial list) Asthma, Cancer, Chickenpox, Cholera, Depression, Diarrhea, Flu, Headache, Herpes, Nervousness, Paralysis, Ringworm, Sciatica, Toothache, Ulcers, Warts."
--from The Handbook of Medical Herbs, second edition; J.A. Duke (CRC Press, 2002), p. 579

The misguided anti-amalgam movement has been given new life by the widespread but bogus claims associating mercury with autism. Amalgams are dental fillings made of mercury, silver, and other metals. They have been used over a century and a half; millions, perhaps billions have been placed in patient's mouths, and no valid evidence has ever been unearthed of harm to anyone. But health frauds and quacks continue their assault on the public, and misinformation spreads. Sad to relate, there are dentists willing to exploit these unfounded fears.

An August 14, 2005 article by Mimi Spencer describes endless food scares and quotes ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan:

An August 14, 2005 article by John Johnston quotes ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava:
"Researchers have concluded that our society must recognize that sedentary lifestyles are having a negative impact on the health and well being of our youth," according to Ruth Kava, director of nutrition at the American Council on Science and Health.

A new study by E.G. Knox of the University of Birmingham (UK) claims children who were born near "emissions hotspots" (bus stations, train stations, and other transportation hubs) are at greater risk for childhood cancers than those who were born farther away.