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Gray-haired men and women alike often wonder whether to dye their hair or leave it be. But a new option may soon be available, following a gene discovery that may allow for delaying, or even halting, gray hair growth. That change could potentially alter how we guess a person's age.

Sharing is caring, right? Researchers from Belgium have discovered that, after some years, married couples' immune systems tend to look alike. This isn't surprising, given that many couples share the same lifestyle habits; from eating the same meals, exercising together, and sharing the same germs when one spouse is sick.. Gross. Kinda cute, but gross.

Ever wonder if it’s really safe to eat food quickly after dropping it on the ground? Science suggests that it may be alright to do so -- however, there are conditions, because it all depends on what you drop and where you drop it. But given the proper circumstances, the so-called "5-second rule” can work to keep illness at bay.

The current attempt by the New York City Board of Health to force chain restaurants to label foods containing high levels of salt has been stymied for now. This is a good development, since the idea that lowering the salt intake of the general population is not supported by scientific data.

Mosquito season is around the corner, and there may be an extra surprise this year, depending on how Zika behaves. So, do you slop DEET all over your kids? Spray to kill the mosquitoes? Some are calling for the use of DDT. But if you're scared of chemicals, you might actually prefer DDT to DEET. Here's how they compare.

I received a letter from the CEO of the exercise group CrossFit, Inc., but since no contact information was listed I'm responding here. As ACSH's president, I addressed his high points and clarified other statements he made, in the hope of clearing up some important issues for those with a sincere interest in evidence-based information.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio winning his first-ever Oscar at the 88th Academy Awards on Sunday was every bit as satisfying as it should have been. But It was during DiCaprio's acceptance speech that left me, and a few others, a bit confused.

When March 27 arrives, all New York doctors will be required to switch from paper to electronic prescriptions, making the Empire State the first in the nation to make the move and say goodbye to the physician-scribbling tradition of providing medication. But it's an open question as to whether the deadline will be met.

Each year, the last day of February marks National Rare Disease Day. It's an international effort to raise awareness among the public and healthcare decision makers about the more than 6,000 diseases, that while obscure, currently exist and the impact hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

We've been calling for a ban on triclosan — the antibacterial chemical in hand soap — for some time. The FDA has finally done the right thing, because the soaps are worthless and possibly harmful. But the agency has taken action for the wrong reason, at least partly. Here's why.

Tens of thousands of women have mastectomies to treat breast cancer each year and a new study lends hope to the idea that reconstructive surgery could make breastfeeding possible afterward.

When ACSH's Alex Berezow was the editor of RealClearScience, he frequently linked to Pacific Standard's content. However, in recent months, he says the magazine as a whole has now become nearly unreadable. As its political cheerleading becomes more and more blatant, its standards for science journalism have fallen -- and that's no coincidence.

Do you know what a “bezoar” is? Probably not, but we'll explain. However, you have likely heard of the term "psychosomatic," which means an ailing mind can actually, physically bother or impair your body. Sometimes the primary disease is truly in your head, or at least it seems to have started there.

California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, commonly called Proposition 65, was enacted by popular vote in 1986. It was initially sold as a way to prevent cancer and birth defects due to chemicals in drinking water and therefore got an overwhelmingly favorable response. Who isn’t in favor of clean water? (1)

We here at the council enjoy debunking health fads. We especially enjoy debunking — in both print and video — weight loss fads. In fact, just last week I debunked one of the hottest trends in weight loss: body wraps. I don't know why this is, but something about selling unrealistic goals to vulnerable consumers for financial gain that only benefits the person at the top of the pyramid scheme really irks me. 

1. In America, we have the luxury of plentiful, affordable energy and full bellies - and so we have groups who are raising a billion dollars a year criticizing modern science and technology. Most media outlets just play along but UPI recently took a critical look at one topic; the claims of health effects related to modern natural gas extraction.

Glutathione (GSH), a combination of three amino acids made by the body, had become a fad for skin bleaching. While it is a potent antioxidant, GSH supplements or injectables have not been widely tested or approved for skin lightening. And for anyone interested in using GSH for that purpose, we can only warn that the injectable form should not be given by unqualified individuals.

Over the past few decades, there's been a significant increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer throughout the world. The countries with the highest prevalence had two common denominators: improved access to diagnostic tests (ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRIs) and routine cancer surveillance.

The MINDACT trial results suggest that women with a certain genetic profile would have a good chance of survival and cure regardless of chemotherapy, but it's not so simple.

The first in a series of articles about all of the weird things that people put in places in their body, which then get stuck there. In short, decisions that make absolutely no sense.

One of the few places one might expect to find a soaring rate of gonorrhea infection is the piously conservative state of Utah. But, new CDC data shows that the incidence of gonorrhea is up over 400% in merely three years, from 2011 to 2014.

Roughly 40 percent of women have dense breasts, but, what does that mean in the context of breast cancer diagnosis? Turns out that having dense breasts makes mammography less effective at screening, and a recent study shows that radiologists have large variations on what constitutes a dense breast in the first place.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) V has relegated the terms substance abuse and substance dependence, replacing them with substance use. Substance use disorders (SUD) are characterized as mild, moderate, or severe according to the new diagnostic criteria which require evidence of impaired control, social impairment, risky use and pharmacological indicators (tolerance and withdrawal). The actual substances in consideration include alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedatives/ hypnotics/ anxiolytics, stimulants, and tobacco. 

Bariatric, or weight loss, surgery works. A severely obese person might lose 50 percent of his or her excess body fat in the first year after such surgery. One question that has lingered for decades is: How long do such effects last? Another is: Do people gain back the weight that they've lost and, if so, how quickly does that happen?

Geeta Sidhu-Robb bills herself an inspirational mother of three, ex-corporate lawyer and entrepreneur who created a line of organic smoothies that she claims will detox you. Or anyone willing to give her money, really. She says her inspiration emerged because one of her children had severe food allergies, eczema and asthma and pesky medicine couldn't solve it. Really.