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Maternal opioid use is growing nationally. A new study reflects this, its impact on babies and regional disparities. As a result, babies are suffering withdrawal at alarming rates. Our directives must address the symbiotic relationships that perpetuate the current and intergenerational struggles of families. 

The U.S. Supreme Court decided not to revisit a challenge to the NFL's class-action lawsuit brought by former players. The high court's refusal, which ends a landmark case that began in July 2011, allows for payments approaching $1 billion to start being made this spring to more than 20,000 former players.

To kick off our "12 Days of Christmas" holiday list, highlighting the top stories that we've debunked this year, we start with ... the perennial nuisance, the National Resources Defense Council. Those folks made our 2016 list because they just love scaring people over nothing. Here are a few examples.

Standing on the doorstep of 2017, we can only wonder which anti-science voices will be the loudest next year, as we consider how best to debunk their anti-science messages.

Chiropractors appear to have a "you have it, we treat it" type of philosophy. That makes us question the validity of their far-out claims and wonder about the evidence that's supposed to support their statements. And we are not alone.

More vaccinations mean fewer people are getting preventable diseases. But 2016 was a year filled with the fervor of the anti-vaxxer movement. And alarmingly, that dangerous zeal for stopping this effective public health measure, which helps save the lives of children, looks like it is ramping up as we head into 2017. 

In June, we were besieged with headlines stating that hot drinks cause cancer. It was all due to a letter from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the same letter that overturned its long-standing claim that coffee causes cancer. The bottom line: IARC is confusing. So this holiday season, go ahead and have your coffee -- as hot as you like it.

On the First Day of Christmas, ACSH gave to me... The End of the NRDC
On the Second Day of Christmas, ACSH gave to me... Two Killer Coffees
On the Third Day of Christmas, ACSH gave to me... Three French Fries

We tend to associate vaccines with prevention of acute illness — which they're quite good at. But future benefits can also accrue to the vaccinated, such as prevention of shingles in those who have avoided chicken pox, and escaping measles-engendered encephalitis.

Continuing our 12 Days of Christmas series, we dedicate Day 5 to homeopathic products – which can be found in the aisles of almost every pharmacy. However, over the course of this past year, one in particular found itself more and more in the news – and less and less on the shelves.

OK, America. Time to finally but down that second burger and that extra-large soda. A new CDC report shows that for the first time in 22 years, life expectancy for the average American has dropped. Heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death, is directly linked to nation's ubiquitous overeating epidemic.
 

With medical fitness to serve being a recurring theme in 2016, Santa Claus requested his doctor release his latest health report. Will he be cleared by Christmas?

Ah yes, holiday time is here — so is egg nog, Christmas cookies and Hanukkah latkes — all designed to pack on the pounds. So how to best prevent or treat the resulting overweight or obesity? Science tells us there's no best way. But as we've thought for a while, there are many ways to take the weight off. And if one doesn't work another just might.

Your noggin is not as special as you think. That is, in terms of losing heat in the winter. Here's why you can skip the hat and not be entirely doomed.

In a post on her website, Khloe Kardashian expresses her love for Vitamin E. And while the benefits of this antioxidant have been well established, she wrongly recommends its use for strengthening of the vaginal lining.

We've known for a while that excess body fat (as in overweight and obesity) can raise the risk not only of chronic diseases like diabetes, but also some types of cancer. A new report indicates that the number of types of cancer may be more than we have thought.

In 1972, the National Academy of Sciences asked me to investigate the persistence of Agent Orange and other defoliants used during the Vietnam War. For seven months, I walked in the chemical in my bare feet. Now at age 83, the bottom line is that I am a very healthy guinea pig after huge and nearly continuous exposure to herbicides.

Organic farming produces 20% fewer crops. An inefficient food production system is, by definition, not sustainable. The authors also underscore this point by noting that “if all US wheat production were grown organically, an additional 12.4 million hectares (30.6 million acres) would be needed to match 2014 production levels.” Extrapolate that out to the rest of the globe, and one can easily see how organic farming cannot feed the world.

We need a more scientific approach to funding scientific research. It won't be easy to evaluate short-term crises against long-term epidemics, but too many lives are at stake to shy away. Scientists have a key role to play in educating decision makers on risk and helping to get that balance right.

The nation's coastal waters are rising, and towns dating back centuries are at serious risk of being engulfed and disappearing completely. What should the U.S. be doing to address this cascading calamity? More engagement and continued dialogue with the Dutch, who are experts iin the field of flood prevention, might be a good place to start.

Brussels is now a destination for medical tourism. Unfamiliar with the term? According to the CDC , "medical tourism" refers to foreign travel for the purpose of receiving medical care. It's estimated that up to 750,000 US residents travel abroad for medical care each year....The most common procedures that people undergo on medical tourism trips include cosmetic surgery, dentistry, and heart surgery.”

The importance of protein for muscle-building and cell functions was discovered in the 1830's, but there is still some controversy regarding what's considered an ideal source of protein for overall health. A recent study in the Journal of American Medical Association directly compared animal protein with plant protein, and it produced some interesting results.

Sure, it would be great if there were one magical thing you could do to lose weight, without lifting a finger

Defining addiction isn't as easy as it seems.

Insulin-requiring diabetics may be able to toss their syringes in the not-too-distant future, if a new type of insulin-containing pill can conquer research hurdles. Packaging the hormone in a new type of lipid vesicle could protect it from breakdown by stomach acid and eliminate the need for frequent injections.