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Methadone has been known to be an effective treatment for opioid addiction and dependency since the 1960s. Unfortunately, in this country, since 1972, the federal government segregates people with opioid use disorder from people with other health conditions that doctors treat in their offices by requiring them to travel miles each day to take a daily dose of methadone at government-approved clinics. Congress may soon undertake the first serious reform in how people get methadone in more than a half-century.

The New York Times recently summarized an article from the prestigious journal Science, claiming that 460,000 fewer Medicare deaths since 1999 could be attributed to reduced emissions from 138 coal-fired power plants.

This past month, Stanford Medicine posted the following press release headline: “A Stanford Medicine-led trial of identical twins comparing vegan and omnivore diets found that a vegan diet improves overall cardiovascular health.”

A vacation is a tough time to get sick or hurt. It's even tougher when you might have a perfectly legitimate need for a controlled substance, but can't get it from any urgent care facility. The result? Instead of getting an effective drug for what ails you you get tossed out with something nearly worthless. This just happened to my wife. Here's the story. It's infuriating.

This year the American Council on Science Health turned 45. That's a long time for a non-profit to be around. But ACSH has persevered because we continue to offer something no other organization provides: quick and easy-to-read, always factual – and thorough – science.

The Uniform Law Commission is an aggregation of 350 state-appointed commissioners who provide “states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.” In 1980, it drafted the medico-legal criteria for death, which were adopted by most states. In July, the Commission failed to reach a consensus on how to update a 43-year-old legal standard.

The classic ethical dilemma for autonomous driving is the "trolley problem." It's a binary choice of intentionally killing one person to avoid the deaths of multiple individuals – or yourself – while driving. But should this dramatic “edge case” be the model for autonomous vehicles’ decision-making? A group of researchers argue that more mundane driving scenarios would be better.

In a move that will significantly expand the restrictions on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – more commonly known as the “forever chemicals” – the International Agency for Research on Cancer has reclassified perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as “carcinogenic to humans.” It did so even though no valid studies show it increases the risk of causing cancer in people. How will this reclassification increase pressure in Europe and the U.S. for more action? Here's a look.

The wellness world loves science washing. By using technical-sounding jargon, it’s easy to add a sheen of legitimacy to an otherwise nonsensical product or offering. One of the most recent examples is Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis, or FBCA.

A host of societal problems are associated with social media (SM): Amongst other ills are the dissemination of anti-vax disinformation; being purveyors of anti-Semitic tropes; and fostering narratives resulting in teenage suicide, anxiety, and depression. Until now, host platforms have enjoyed broad protection from legal action –even when dangerous ramifications surface. That may be about to change. 

Winter is here, which means a barrage of pathogens is patiently waiting to make our lives miserable. Influenza, colds, and the "stomach bug" are the top three nasties likely to get you, but can you prevent this by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based disinfectant? Or maybe neither?

In a CBS Eye on the World interview, host John Batchelor and I discussed myriad pressing concerns regarding data security in the healthcare sector.

Was Derek Chauvin's use of force against George Floyd justified? The former police officer's attorney said yes, pointing to a controversial syndrome known as "excited delirium" to explain Floyd's frenzied behavior while in custody. Does this defense withstand scientific scrutiny? Meanwhile, 10,000 steps: it's a magic threshold often used to pinpoint fitness, but there's little evidence behind this popular idea.

The level of respiratory illnesses in the U.S. is high and increasing. We are again experiencing a "tripledemic" of COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). As the peak incidence of those infections approaches, we should be vigilant and take appropriate precautions.

Let’s Eat Grandma – more than just an error in punctuation
Take-out pizza
Hospitals as Hotels
Candy Land’s origin story

A recent study from JAMA Internal Medicine documents that in many cases in which a patient has died, the electronic medical record – the baseline truth for Big Healthcare Data – lists them as alive. Does the term "garbage in, garbage out" ring some bells?

In last week’s “Red State/Blue State” square-off between the governors of Florida and California, CA's Gavin Newsom touted his state’s lower per-capita overdose death rate. It might have to do with how the different states compare on harm reduction.

Congestive heart failure refers to the inability of the heart to perform its basic function, which is pumping blood throughout the body. It comes in various forms, causing swelling of the legs and shortness of breath. It is a very debilitating condition that few outside medicine are aware of. A new study offers a unique treatment, but more importantly for our discussion, it sheds light on how “science” advances and looks at an infrequently used term, hormesis.

Anyone who has spent time in a traffic jam waiting to “get somewhere” can easily accept the premise that traffic can raise your blood pressure. If you don’t believe me, spend 30 minutes going 4 miles in Los Angeles or trying to go over the George Washington Bridge in New York at rush hour. A new study suggests that the creeping elevation of your blood pressure is not so much due to your fellow drivers but to pollutants in the air. Obviously, they haven’t driven in Jersey. What could they be thinking?

Sickle Cell Disease is an awful genetic disease that disproportionally affects black people. It's caused by a single-point mutation in DNA, which results in a modified hemoglobin protein, differing by only one amino acid. While this may sound insignificant, it's anything but. Simple organic chemistry explains why this change profoundly affects those unfortunate enough to inherit the disease, which is characterized by abnormal hemoglobin.

An email from Dr. Kan Shao, a professor at Indiana University School of Public Health, states that EPA’s current version of Benchmark Dose Software modeling is “extremely misleading and not scientifically justified.” It is very unusual for a scientist who has been deeply involved with the EPA in developing risk assessment modeling to openly criticize the EPA. This requires a deeper dive into this issue.

I spoke recently with John Batchelor (CBS Eye on the World) and Mark Hahn (Drive Time Live, CSCJ Radio) about the recent therapeutic breakthrough in treating Sickle Cell Disease.

A new internal organ!
Why is TV news wildly profitable?
A Holiday Warning - making consumption easy
Cash is King!

Walk down the baby food aisle in your supermarket, and you'll surely run into the “Toddler Milk” display. Every parent or grandparent wants the best for their child, and a product specially geared to a toddler's needs seems enticing. Don’t be fooled.

A recent survey of pharmacists found that 75% did not have “enough time and personnel to safely perform or meet duties.” This is due, in part, to pharmacists shouldering the extra burden of providing vaccinations. And because 94% of pharmacists work for large corporations, where productivity is measured in prescriptions completed hourly. The typical solution is to increase the number of pharmacists or to turn much of the pharmacy function over to pharmacist-extenders pharmacist technicians. However, there is a simpler solution.