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Opioid drugs were too easy to get. Plenty of people got addicted. Now, everyone is treated like an addict. Is the solution worse than the problem? Decide after you ... 

As the anti-vaccine movement garnered Hollywood momentum, science stood largely silent. However, Dr. Paul Offit, inventor of the Rotavirus vaccine, took to the helm to fight for children's health and safety. Here's an informative conversation with a true expert in the field. 

The Disneyland measles outbreak in January 2015 prompted several states to tighten their vaccine exemption laws. As for Michigan, the latest CDC data shows that, for the 2015-16 school year, the exemption rate among its kindergartners fell significantly, from 5.3 percent to 3.6 percent. Here's two reasons why the state's new policy is apparently working. 

The Polymerase Chain Reaction was developed in 1983, and since that time it's become one of the most commonly-used techniques in labs across the world. The ability to amplify one region of DNA using PCR was an incredible advance to many fields of scientific research. 

Dental sealants provide an effective means of preventing tooth decay — but they're underutilized. Perhaps one reason is the fear promoted by scaremongers of the plastic component BPA. But like most of the scares perpetrated by activist groups, this one is absurd.

These days, it seems like the big ideas of Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk garner the most attention. Perhaps, we should give Dr. Ohsumi, whose been in science for 50 years and just won the highest honor given to scientists, a bit of the spotlight. His plan is to take us back to the past by supporting young microbiologists with big ideas. 

Once the weapon of choice for prepubescent teens, cyberbullying is now deployed, with ruthless efficiency, against PhDs who have committed the unspeakable crime of conducting research on, and publicly advocating, GMOs. The goal is straightforward: Biotech scientists must be destroyed professionally. Failing that, they must be destroyed emotionally. 

Some terrifying aspects of AFM, which surfaced in the summer of 2014, are that the cause is unknown, anyone can get it and it affects the nervous system. Even worse, most of the cases are in children. The only silver lining is that it's rare. In the first eight months of this year, 50 cases have been confirmed in 24 states.

Alcohol is both good and bad. Makes some happy, others sad. It amplifies joy, or exacerbates decline. It alienates, it coalesces. It de-stresses, stresses, calms and kills. But you know what? You are the variable. So, then is moderation sexy? Explore your prescription.

The crisis of antibiotic resistance and our failure to produce a robust pipeline of new antibiotics is no more than us sticking our heads in the sand and pretending the problem will go away before we have to go to the hospital and face the crisis in a very personal way. 

First, it was the half-baked nuttiness of infrared saunas. Now comes cryotherapy, a full-body chamber offering insanely cold temperatures that its purveyors say can cure just about everything and anything -- that is, if you're gullible enough to believe them. And if it doesn't kill you, like it did last year to a 24-year-old Nevada woman.

Can't lose weight? A new study reveals two glasses of wine before bedtime could help you shed some pounds. But resveratrol, the chemical in question that some have boasted as a miracle compound, is basically just part of a fad. But if someone hands us a glass of vino, who are we to complain? 

In some circles high sugar consumption, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), has been considered to be virtually the root of all evil when it comes to health issues. But a recent study tried -- and failed -- to find a link between high SSB consumption and cancer survivors. Thus any supposed link with cancer recurrence or cancer mortality wasn't supported by this report.

Kratom, a mixture of 40+ chemicals derived from the leaf of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, has a core of very devoted followers, some of whom think it is a panacea to what ails them. Some maintain that it isn't even a drug. They are partially correct. It is a mixture of drugs. 
 
 

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Michael Pollan, food activist and journalist, is the proverbial man trapped in the past. His latest piece for The New York Times criticizes the Obama administration for not catering to his bizarre beliefs about how food production actually works. And along he tries to smear ... the American Council's president, and you.

As many as half of lab tests ordered may not be necessary, and cutting back on them can not only minimize the "ouch factor," but it can also lower medical costs. Some research has been done in this area, producing some eye-opening conclusions.

We did not evolve in a world of plentiful food; instead nature was out to kill us. Today, food is a commodity and when something becomes a commodity, it takes a while for culture to catch up. Science has outpaced our cultural maturity, and it has led to a certain amount of doublethink about food.

Due to increasing antibiotic resistance, microbiologists are on the lookout for unconventional ways to kill bacteria. Atypical methods range from phage therapy, in which bacteria-killing viruses are unleashed upon the microbes, to the use of "bed-of-nails" surfaces that physically rip bacteria apart.

To kick off our new interview series Making the Rounds, we invited surgical oncologist Dr. Ogori Kalu to our New York office for a Facebook Live video streaming session to help educate the public on breast cancer prevention. Take a few minutes to learn about the discredited myths, and to watch the interesting round-table discussion with this Stanford-educated doctor.

Much current nutrition research aims to clarify possible links between eating and getting various diseases. Is diet really responsible for cancer? For multiple sclerosis? Hard to tell, because it's really hard to know what people really eat.

Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi was honored for discovering autophagy, which is a type of programmed cell death. Some cells in multicellular organisms, like animals and plants, choose to self-destruct for the greater benefit of the organism. This can occur for a variety of reasons.

We know how the flu is spread. We know the importance of getting a flu shot. But what we may not know is the difference between the strains, and how they are named. While a bit "inside biology" for some, here's what these names mean and how they come about -- a look into the virology behind the influenza virus. 

As we enter the final stretch of this uber-vitriolic Presidential campaign, it's not a surprise that scandalous accusations are still being thrown in all directions by both sides. Recently, it was the possibility that a Bill Clinton "love child" exists. All of which raises the following: How do you answer questions about paternity?

According to SpaceX, more than 200,000 people from around the world want  to be the first to travel to Mars. But the rocket maker cautions that (1) this isn't a Moon quickie; the trip will take roughly six months; and (2) the company has no plans to bring its astronauts back to Earth ... ever. That danger aside, reportedly there are 100 finalists vying for a shot at blasting off for the Red Planet.
 

Physical activity is known to provide health benefits for young and old alike. Now, new data support emphasizing a prescription of exercise for older folks recovering from conditions that limit their mobility, to improve their quality of life and to help stave off depression and social isolation.