Yes
by Dr. Edgar J. Schoen
"Circumcision is like a substantial and well-secured annuity; every year of life you draw the benefits. Parents cannot make a better paying investment for their little boys." An 1891 book on the medical aspects of neonatal (newborn) circumcision included this statement by Dr. P. C. Remondino, a prominent California physician of the era. Now, over a century later, a burgeoning body of peer-reviewed reports in the scientific literature confirms that circumcision is an important preventive health measure.

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) today called on the Food and Drug Administration to approve irradiation of beef to limit Americans' exposure to E. coli bacteria

Last week's unprecedented recall of 25 million pounds of beef contaminated with the disease-causing Escherichia coli bacteria tells us a good deal about the futility of demanding zero risk in our food supply.The ensuing media frenzy tells us even more about America's naivete concerning food production.

Scientists from the New York City Advisory Council on Health Priorities, an affiliate of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), applaud Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's campaign to encourage taxicab passengers to buckle up. In an open letter to the mayor, the Advisory Council praises the campaign for mandating the provision of functional accessible seat belts, as well as the newly installed celebrity audio messages reminding patrons to fasten their seat belts in all 12,053 taxicabs licensed in New York City.

Branding a substance a human carcinogen solely because cancer has occurred in laboratory animals force-fed the substance at unrealistically high doses diverts both attention and resources from far more significant threats to human health. So states a panel of experts affiliated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH).

A panel of scientists and physicians from The American Council on Science and Health has concluded that the widely touted health benefits of vegetarianism are not necessarily due to the absence of meat. In a new report, ACSH health experts review scientific data on the possible health benefits of vegetarianism, explain how vegetarians can plan healthful diets, and discuss the suitability of vegetarian diets for people with special needs. Dr. Ruth Kava, ACSH Director of Nutrition, says: "The mere fact that a diet is meatless does not guarantee that it is healthful.

Executive Summary

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Survey results indicate that 2 to 7 percent of Americans regard themselves as vegetarians, but less than 1 percent completely exclude meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish from their diets. Even fewer Americans choose vegan diets that exclude all foods of animal origin.

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Have you ever forgotten where you put your keys and searched your apartment high and low? Or perhaps, more than once, you forgot the name of someone who had just told you his name. Or maybe you make a shopping list even when your prospective purchases are few.

Yes
by Laurie Leiber
For nearly two decades, two U.S. Surgeon Generals C. Everett Koop and Antonia Novello and numerous public health organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Parent Teachers Association, the American Medical Association, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have called upon manufacturers of alcoholic beverages to advertise more responsibly. National polls show that Americans increasingly favor either restricting or banning broadcast alcohol advertising.

Many people become vegetarians because they believe, in error, that vegetarianism is uniquely conducive to good health. The findings of several large epidemiologic studies indeed suggest that the death and chronic-disease rates of vegetarians primarily vegetarians who consume dairy products or both dairy products and eggs are lower than those of meat eaters. But this does not mean that maintaining or improving health requires abstention from eating meat.