In an entry on the Well New York Times blog, Jane Brody cogently describes the origins and uses (and misuses) of the Body Mass Index or BMI (body weight divided by the square of height).
Behavioral economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky described cognitive errors and pitfalls that affect our ability to gauge the probability of even simple events. And these errors
When national debates, contesting social and public standards, come to a boil, research studies are frequently a neutral and
Friday's Medical Wrap includes GM labeling - is a federal law necessary? and what to do about Junk Science.
Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS) recently introduced a bill that would preempt any efforts by state legislatures to require manufacturers to label the presence of genetically-engineered ingredients in their products. His bill, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (SAFLA), would give this responsibility to the FDA instead.
Dr. Gilbert Ross in The Star-Ledger, April 10, 2014
What a breath of fresh air it was to read
ACSH s dialogue with the Canadian Minister of Health, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, about their confused, confusing and ultimately counterproductive policy re: e-cigarettes. No progress, sadly, in helping Canada's smokers quit.
t s all over the news today. Depending on the accuracy of the headline, you may conclude that worms live longer when exposed to glucosamine, mice live 10 percent longer when fed glucosamine or that YOU may live 8 years longer if you take the stuff.
As we always caution, be careful of the headlines. They are often misleading or just plain wrong.
Dr. Matthew V. DiLeo and colleagues from Cornell University analyzed the biochemical footprints of a variety of tomatoes, some of which had been genetically engineered to ripen more slowly than usual, and compared those to the footprints of conventional varieties (both modern and heirloom types).
The antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are often used for the treatment of the flu in children and adults. Although past research has suggested that these drugs could reduce hospital admissions and
