ome foods that are typically part of the American diet are labeled "bad," and consumers are sometimes urged to avoid them religiously. One prominent example is eggs. Because egg yolks are high in cholesterol, their consumption has sometimes been depicted as leading directly to high blood cholesterol levels and heart disease. But that depiction of eggs glosses over the very positive nutritional roles that eggs can play in the diet.

The September 4, 2002 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine has both good and bad news for the health of American women and girls. One article (the good news) presents the results of a study on post-menopausal women showing that regular physical activity diminishes the risk of heart disease. The bad news is that a second article in the same issue reports that as girls advance from childhood to mid-adolescence, their levels of physical activity drop precipitously. This pattern does not bode well for their health.

Someday, I'm sure, it will become common knowledge that a health scare can be physically baseless yet cause real anxiety. People will learn to resist the urge to find a scapegoat for whatever illnesses happen to exist in the population (including symptoms induced by anxiety itself).

Dr. Henry Miller is a director of the American Council on Science and Health (which runs HealthFactsAndFears.com), and an angry letter writer recently told him that it is absurd for him to say ACSH acts in the "public interest" if we receive some of our funding from companies. The letter writer didn't mention how neutral, objective organizations are funded, but presumably there are grants from government and left-wing foundations involved those being pure, morally superior sources of cash.

Spared from worry about whether they will have enough to eat today or a roof over their heads tomorrow, most Americans have the luxury of worrying about the hazards that may be lurking in their air, water and food as a result of all this progress and affluence.

Editor's note: Tiki the Eco-Penguin's website has been updated since Andrew Apel wrote this article criticizing him for ACSH two years ago, but Tiki, alas, is still online and Apel's criticisms are still insightful.

Of course advocates involved with breast cancer on Long Island were disappointed in the results of the recently completed federal study "What Next?" Aug. 11 . They had been told so often by environmental activists that there must be some relation between breast cancer rates here and one or another chemical pollutant that it became received wisdom; no doubters were tolerated.

What could be more fun than getting your nails done? Manicures and pedicures are big business these days, appealing to those who seek a little luxury and some personal pampering. In 1997 alone, U.S. consumers spent over $6 billion on nail services. However, this pleasurable activity is not without risk. No matter how much nail polish you put on, you can't cover up the fact that it can bring along with it some unwanted and unhealthy consequences. Nothing to get paranoid about but something to keep in mind.

The government's National Committee for Complementary and Alternative Medicine recently announced that it may fund a five-year-long, large-scale study evaluating the possible benefit of chelation treatment for those suffering from heart disease. At first, this may sound like a reasonable inquiry. Why wouldn't we want to consider all possible options for the treatment of the number one killer in America? Just last year, almost 62 million Americans had some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and nearly one million died of related conditions.

Editor's note: Two months ago, here in New York City, a judge ordered the mayor's office to study possible health effects of garbage truck diesel emissions. So we at ACSH read the following letter from a reader with some sympathy. TS
Dr. Whelan:
When I read a recent article in the New York Times, I thought of your May 23, 2000, ACSH editorial "Can Too Much Safety Be Hazardous? A Critical Look at the 'Precautionary Principle'." I hope you will comment on the following situation.