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In what is being hailed by some as a historic decision, the FDA has decided to change its recommendations for blood donations from gay and bisexual men. In 1983, during the height of the AIDS crisis, the FDA

In the debate between public health and personal choice, the Vermont House came down on the side of science and voted to repeal an earlier bill that allowed parents to avoid vaccinating their children based on philosophical beliefs

Sandra Lee, well-known TV chef and Gov. Cuomo s domestic partner, has decided to deal with her DCIS with bilateral mastectomies. She is of course entitled to make her own decision, but her example and statements may lead other women astray.

One important medical conditions in this country obesity has been an elusive target for researchers and drug companies. And now, since Orexigen the makers Contrave, have pulled the plug on the LIGHT clinical trial, the number of new diet drugs has droppe

Another apparently-beneficial screening program lung CT scans for smokers becomes controversial, when Medicare officials decide it should be covered, contradicting its own coverage advisory committee s recommendation. Who needs it? The scan, that is.

In April, we brought you the story of Mark Lynas, a former anti-GMO activist who converted to supporting the technology when he observed the power of GMOs to revolutionize the third world. One

Dr. Gilbert Ross in Science 2.0
The baseless, superstitious fear of chemicals has certainly gripped our supposedly advanced population in a haze of inchoate panic akin to the residents of 17th century Salem, or Europeans of the Dark Ages

In yesterday s New York Times Well Column, Jane E. Brody discusses memory and cognitive aging solutions and the science (or lack thereof) behind them. There are a variety of these remedies and devices currently on the

When it comes to government policies regarding health policy, we've seen pretty much every type: Meaningless, but mostly harmless, anti-science, money driven, and ill-conceived and harmful.

We tend to think of over the counter (OTC) drugs for pain relief as interchangeable but this can be a dangerous misconception.

Coffee is good for you. No seriously, it really is. No foolin . At least if the science is to be believed.

Dr. Brad Rodu is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville. He has been an ACSH advisor for many years, and has written or co-written many of our publications on tobacco harm reduction.
He was also a member of the ACSH Panel at the American Academy for the Advancement of Science

It s Monday morning. No one is in a particularly good mood. This didn't help.
We have been discussing BPA a component of polycarbonate and polyether plastics forever. This should be #1000 on your list of things to worry about (#999 is being hit by a giraffe that fell off a skyscraper.)

Why do healthcare expenditures in the U.S. tower over those of other wealthy countries? And why are the health benefits we receive not commensurate with all those billions spent? Dr. Atul Gawande has some thoughts on this in The New Yorker.

To many animal lovers, it may seem like a no-brainer research on animals should be banned. And this is the stance of over one million Europeans who signed a petition that the European Parliament is currently considering.

Maybe the name Yvette d'Entremont doesn t a ring a bell to you, or maybe you know her by her internet persona: The SciBabe. Whatever your familiarity level is with her you need to dial it way up. Start following and listening to her because she is bringing the heat. Last

We have seen some remarkable medical breakthroughs in the past two decades. In terms of sheer impact, it could be argued that transforming HIV infection from a certain death sentence into a manageable chronic disease, and a cure for hepatitis C, which is four times more prevalent than HIV worldwide, are at or near the top of this list.

The CDC has released its survey data on how many Americans are getting the recommended cancer screening test for cervical, breast and colorectal cancer. They believe too few are following their advice. We think the issue is more nuanced.

We ve written several times about the Disneyland measles outbreak that occurred earlier this year. A total of 147 people were sickened in the US, and infections also spread to Mexico and Canada. The outbreak once again sparked the debate about vaccinations. With

At ACSH, we have weighed in multiple times about our country s bizarre conglomeration of drug laws. Sometimes they make sense. Sometimes they don t. Sometimes you can t even tell.

For all those in science, educating people is a major part of the job. Whether its a professor teaching students in a classroom, a physician teaching a patient about a procedure, or a non-profit, like ACSH teaching consumers the difference between good and junk science, the work of those in the sciences should always be characterized by teaching in some form. When this system breaks down and the

The puzzle that is the cause of Autism is one of the internet s favorite conundrums. A google search into what causes autism will turn up 120 billion hits. Glyphosate and other pesticides are popular choices amongst

Inside Higher Ed is bucking the hurricane that has built up against Dr. Mehmet Oz after four American Council on Science and Health-affiliated doctors wrote a letter to Columbia University asking for him to be reprimanded for promoting alternative treatments and selling bogus cures as miracle products.

The Crane Independent School District in West Texas sent letters to parents confirming an outbreak of chlamydia in the local high school. District officials have reported at least 20 cases of the disease an estimated 1 in 15 students at the school have contracted chlamydia.

Eat This, anti-GMO fanatics! A new study from an international team of experts reports the remarkable finding of bacterial-mediated transgenic components in common sweet potatoes. Their conclusion: genetic modification is an evolutionary, beneficial phenomenon, same as it ever was.