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You'd be excused for thinking that by now everyone understands the health risks of cigarette smoking. But some recent research points to a significant lack of knowledge among many Americans — a lack that can certainly put their health at risk.

All arguments are fair game as for whether Dr. Ben Carson is the right (or wrong) person to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. But don't tell us a brain surgeon only possesses the skills to be a brain surgeon.

Four new chemical elements have official names and symbols, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry recently announced. After a five-month review, IUPAC chemists have approved the names for superheavy elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 proposed by the elements' discoverers.

The proliferation of coffee shops and energy drinks clearly shows that caffeine is in high demand. The stimulant is even added to some medicine. However, because only a handful of plants produce it, there has been some interest in creating caffeine synthetically.

Despite 50,000 emergency visits for carbon monoxide poisoning each year in the U.S., there is no effective way to treat it. That could change, thanks to some very clever work being done at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Largely overshadowed by the NFL, the National Hockey League, working in conjunction with its Player's Association, deserves credit for implementing a smart concussion prevention and management plan. It shows considerable promise, and one that demonstrates a joint commitment to making pro hockey safer.
 
 
 
 

Pharmaceutical companies usually provide innovation that helps improve the lives of patients. But AstraZeneca marketed Nexium, a drug that should have never been approved in the first place. The company did it solely for money — without any benefit to society – and it hauled in nearly $48 billion during the past decade.
 

Mom and dad are just as guilty — if not more — of soaking up screen time than their offspring. That's rather interesting, considering the fact that the same parents responded that they were concerned their children would become addicted to technology. 

Surely Pfizer wouldn't mind if you took a closer look at what's listed on its label for Centrum Silver Men, which is marketed to men age 50+, right? Copper sulfate: Pesticide. Silicon dioxide. Glass. Titanium dioxide. Paint. But the biggest dirty little secret about multivitamins is that few people actually need dietary supplements.

New genetic technology can either come to fruition and have a positive impact on our lives, or be driven into the ground. The difference depends on whether the people making decisions understand the science and can accurately and properly weigh the risks and benefits.

An egg carton might be festooned with various labels about how the hens are treated and what the eggs do, or don't, contain. Some provide some valid information for the consumer, but others fall into the "true but misleading" category. Here's a breakdown of the different types of incredible edibles. 

In the second of a two-part series involving iconic astronaut Buzz Aldrin, we delve further into high-altitude illnesses, prevention and management. We'll also debunk a few myths about altitude sickness.
 

The guidelines were born of good intentions; created to make Americans healthier. However, they were not inscribed on stone tablets and handed to mankind. Instead, the guidelines are the result of a bureaucratic process and, as such, are susceptible to dubious conclusions and adverse influence by activist groups.

Those who frequently groom or remove their pubic hair are more likely to contract sexually transmitted infections, according to new research. Among the infections, higher rates were found for herpes, syphilis, gonorrhoea and HIV.

Americans take comfort knowing that competition works to keep prices in check, which keeps businesses on their toes while they deliver price-trimming benefits to consumers. However, when it comes to the market for medication that treats erectile dysfunction, that assumption simply and shockingly does not apply.

We kick off our winter survival segments with a quick lesson on Vitamin D. Before you hit the supplement store for extra dosage of the vitamin, check your fridge. Chances are, you're already getting the daily dosage you need, even if the sun doesn't always shine.

Looking to fly to an exotic locale and enjoy catered dinners while you lament what peasants outside your hotel are doing to the environment? Then you should join fellow elites in the environmental and conservation movement at the 2016 UN Convention on Biodiversity in the resort town of Cancun.

The 21st Century Cures Bill is a huge piece of legislation that's soon expected to become law. Part of the bill facilitates antibiotic research, but a number of anti-pharmaceutical groups and individuals object to it because it benefits the pharmaceutical industry. None is worse than Public Citizen. They want to kill you, not bacteria. 

What do consumers think about organic or genetically modified foods? Demographics don't seem to make a difference, but according to a recent survey "food ideology" does.

Red Lawhern believes that the CDC is responsible for the mess that we're in. He contends the agency had an agenda, one pushed by cherry picking data from key studies.

No one looks forward to chugging a gallon of gag-inducing bowel-prep and spending hours running to the bathroom, all as a prelude to an even more pleasant experience involving a snaking tube and a camera. So if you're averse to a colonoscopy, here are other options you can consider -- albeit with some caveats.

A high-profile paper published in Science earlier this year is in jeopardy because of events that started out with a theft of a laptop may end up being a big enough transgression to have it erased from the scientific literature. Meanwhile, the paper on microbeads has a major problem, one that the journal is taking its time dealing with. 
 

At age 86, living legend Dr. Buzz Aldrin was recently medically evacuated from the South Pole. In the first of a two-part series, Dr. Jamie Wells shares an experience she had at high elevation with the former astronaut when addressing altitude illnesses, prevention and treatment.  

Here's the first in a new series called Annoying Studies. These typically include research that is already known, redundant and possibly pushing an agenda. We start with a work just published in the journal Pediatrics on weight changes and regaining birth weight in the newborn period. 

New research published in the American Journal of Infection Control suggests that professionals who administer breath alcohol tests should stay away from hand sanitizers that contain ethanol, as they can cause breathalyzers to produce a false positive result. That's because the active ingredient is often some kind of alcohol.