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Adherence to medical treatment involving multiple medications is not easy. Can electronic reminders and financial incentives help?

"The Little Black Book of Junk Science is just what it sounds like," says Dr. Alex Berezow, Senior Fellow in Biomedical Science for the Council and author of the work. "Everyone talks about fake news but it is a little harder to know what junk science is if you are not an expert. This book is a pocket-sized reference that will allow the public to do just that. Family barbecues will never be the same!"

Of all the fads to cling to, let's not jump on this bandwagon. And especially when scientific bodies, and a government agency like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warn you not to. 

One phenomenon that continues to mystify physicians and healthcare professionals alike is the "obesity paradox," the idea that significant extra weight can actually be beneficial and provide protection in some circumstances. 
For years, studies have been released that produced competing findings – some that supported its existence, others that undermined it – only serving to muddy the waters in this area of research. 

Can ratings of physicians and hospitals help patients improve their care? Is there an objective way to weigh costs and benefits? Improving our information is more difficult than it seems.

Delicious irony: our friends over at the Natural Defense Resource Council excel at scaring people about (mostly) harmless chemicals. They are also huge fans of solar power. But the solar panels contain the same chemicals that NRDC is always scaring us about. What to do? They haven't a clue.

It makes some sense that over-consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (sodas or fruit juices, for example) could be linked to both obesity and the risk of type 2 diabetes. But artificially-sweetened beverages? The ones with fewer calories? Still, another paper tries to support that link — but leaves us wondering about the lack of logic in this approach.

Rehabilitation for stroke patients after hospitalization is critical, can family help? Not so much on their own.

U.S. News and World Report recently disclosed their Best Children’s Hospitals 2017-2018 annual rankings. Do children’s hospitals even matter? Is an academic center, community or other facility good enough?

1. Seeya Nostra - the economy is so bad in the Sicilian region of Italy - the official unemployment rate is 22 percent, and we know that government numbers are bogus - that the mafia has given up on extorting fellow Italians and started moving to Germany. It sounds like the worst Godfather sequel ever. 
2. NASA forced to admit it does not have a child slave colony on Mars

A drug used to treat depression appears to work by blocking the detrimental effects of stress on brain structure.

Does being the fastest man on Earth mean the Jamaican sprinter also has the best body mechanics? We might believe so, but actually it might not be true. Using a model they engineered, researchers at Southern Methodist University say the multiple Olympic gold medalist may have "an asymmetrical running gait." The findings raise some intriguing questions.

Think your coffee tastes like ... well ... crap? With recent reports revealing ice from three of the largest coffee companies was contaminated with fecal matter, expect a little panic to ensue. As for now, here's the medical scoop on this poop.

Research paid for by two manufacturers of neonicotinoids suggest that sub-toxic levels of the agent may affect bee welfare, except it requires the bees to live in Hungary or the UK, and probably already have mites and undersized hives. Bees in Germany were fine. Why claim negative effects?

Genetics, age, and hormone fluctuations play a role in women's migraines.

Manganese metal looks like, uh, nothing special. A shiny metal. But some of the chemical compounds that contain the element are very special. One, potassium permanganate may have been the inspiration for the name rock group Deep Purple.

Studying how cells heal themselves potentially has a wide application in medical research. And for the last 100 years slicing a single cell into two equal parts has only been done by hand. But a young, observant scientist and her fellow Stanford University researchers have just developed a method that's 200 times faster than the current process. 

Sunburn is not only painful, but can be a precursor to skin cancer, and thus is to be avoided as much as possible. But if you're unable to avoid too much exposure, a preliminary study suggests that vitamin D just might be able to help.

With a Prop 65 warning on glyphosate, environmentalists outmaneuvered the science community once again.

In the latest celebrity science flop, NASA officials called out Gwynneth Paltrow's company Goop for falsely promoting 'wellness stickers' made from NASA spacesuit material. Paltrow isn't the first nor last to make B.S. science claims to self-promote, so let's take a look at some of the most memorable Celebrity v. Science claims.

Whether you're a journalist, scientist, or layperson, the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid) appears to be an effective strategy for getting your message across.

Poor security resulting in 'cyber attacks' have resulted in regulatory fines and class action lawsuits. It is time to deconstruct what those fines and suits mean.

The real world implications of electronic medical records extend beyond the conceptual panacea, for better or worse. And then there's a rarely-addressed adverse effect. Let's take a look.

One headache drug discovery chemists face is a preternaturally annoying problem called crystal polymorphism. It can kill an otherwise promising drug unless it can be fixed, and sometimes it can't. But NYU chemists discovered that DDT exists in two forms, with one better at killing bugs, which could lead to using smaller pesticide amounts.

Turmeric, and its constituent curcumin are widely touted to be one of the wonders of traditional Chinese medicine, treating or curing everything from ankle sprains to cancer. But a recent careful review of the scientific data undercuts all these claims, labeling these compounds  as IMPs — invalid metabolic panaceas. Enjoy turmeric in your curry, but don't expect it to save you life!