Anti-sugar activists have gone so far as to require warning labels about the health risks conferred by sugar-sweetened beverages — in San Francisco. Fortunately, the District Court of Appeals has struck down that ruling because the label wasn't based on validated scientific findings. Whew!

We have yet another tragic flu story in the news. This time it's a 38-year old mother who died because she thought the flu drug she was prescribed was too expensive. The only problem? The media got everything wrong. The flu drug would not have made any difference. 

No, I'm not speaking of Jonathan Goldsmith, the guy who just pretended to be The Most Interesting Man in the World. I'm speaking of the real deal, my grandfather, Dimitri Berezow -- a man who survived Stalin and Hitler, cheated death on multiple occasions, and went on to live the American dream. His was an impossibly unique story – one that seems too extraordinary to be true (and yet is) – capped with a cautionary tale about modern healthcare.

When David Stephan, a man who was convicted in his 19 month old son's death because he treated his son's infection with "natural healing" methods over medicine, was an invited speaker at a Wellness Expo, there was a loud, visceral reaction. The result? Some sponsors got nervous, pulled out and Stephan's speech was no more. Kudos to the pro-science community for a job well done. 

Did our lost presidents surpass the life expectancy of their respective generations because of their access to superior medical care? The answer might surprise you.

This flu season, one product is making its comeback: orange juice. Sales of OJ seem to have gotten a boost — after years of decline — due to consumers' fears of getting the dreaded illness. 
But is dosing yourself with high amounts of Vitamin C warranted for this year's flu from hell?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Meaningful use reform (in the funding bill just signed by the President) is vital toward curtailing the onerous nature of Electronic Health Records' implementation. When satisfying government IT requirements becomes more important than the needs of a patient getting cancer surgery or a doctor’s providing that care, we are really missing the point.

Every single day, you take several IQ tests. You just aren't aware of them.
Did you look both ways before crossing the street? Did you get a flu shot? Did you buy that $4 organic banana? These are all IQ tests, and the result is either pass/fail. Occasionally, flunking one of these daily IQ tests has very real consequences.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions opened his mouth last week and made a fool out of himself. His suggestion that people in pain should "have an aspirin and tough it out" was insensitive, ignorant, and insulting. People who live with pain were furious. They have every right to be.

Just a quick note. I have written previously about the Independent Payment Advisory Board. The budget legislation signed today, permanently repeals its existence. To return to my original metaphor, the final stake has been driven into its heart.