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It’s common knowledge that fruits and veggies are good for us, and it’s commonly assumed that they should be fresh to mine the benefits of all the nutrients they contribute to our diets. A corollary seems to be that processed produce, e.g. frozen and canned fruits and vegetables, are a poor second choice. Is this [...]
The post Fresh isn’t always best appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Here at ACSH, we’ve said it numerous times: prolonged sitting isn’t good for the body. As if we needed more proof to get moving, several recent studies point to the health risks of too much sitting. “The chair is out to kill us,” says James Levine, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. [...]
The post Off your rockers: too much sitting is harmful appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Over the weekend just past, most significant for honoring our armed forces on Memorial Day, another far less notable event was marked: global demonstrations against Monsanto and GM-food. Why? For no other reason than that hordes of demonstrators have been whipped into a frenzy by anti-genetic-engineering zealots who artfully and cynically exploit people’s baseless fears [...]
The post Protesting the wrong issue: Marching against crop improvements appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

A new study published in the journal Neurology tries to suggest that there may be an association between exposure to pesticides and solvents and Parkinson’s disease. Even the study authors are blatantly aware of the shortcomings of their study when they say, the evidence is “limited, or at least inconclusive,” because of “lack of definitive [...]
The post Exposure to “pesticides” a risk factor for Parkinson’s? Not so fast! appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Crunch time during final exams may tempt some teens nationwide to use a study drug, a prescription stimulant- to enhance academic performance. Shocking? Not to most.

Martin Poole/GETTY IMAGES

It is difficult to know where to even start on this one. Because it’s not everyday that you see a “study” in which everything is just plain wrong. Yet, anyone reading the catchy headline will have the image of “meth mouth” imprinted in their mind, and connect it to drinking diet soda for absolutely no [...]
The post Teeth, diet soda and meth mouth: Worst title, science and study ever? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Have you talked about sex lately with your teen? Researchers say it might be a good time to start. The number of teens giving birth has plummeted by 30 percent across the country, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The reason? Some say that it’s better communication with teens. [...]
The post Teen births down 30 percent appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

In the wake of a defeated attempt in California to require labeling of genetically engineered foods and ingredients, multiple other states are jumping on that disabled bandwagon. Washington State has such a bill pending, and Vermont’s House voted in favor of a labeling bill earlier this month. Now, the Connecticut Senate has also taken the [...]
The post GMO foolishness spreads to Northeast appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

ACSH is a co-signer of the Culture of Alarmism letter sponsored by the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF). The IWF project is an effort intended to counter the “Mind the Store” campaign that seeks to pressure retailers into removing thousands of products from shelves for fear of the “hazardous” chemicals contained in the products. In signing [...]
The post Culture of Alarmism letter appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross was interviewed yesterday on the local New York CBS TV station, WCBS-TV, on the apparent epidemic of teen suicide. As we reported earlier this week, young teens who had a schoolmate who committed suicide were anywhere from twice to five-fold more likely to take their own life, or attempt to. Dr. [...]
The post ACSH’s Dr. Ross on WCBS-TV News: Teen suicide epidemic appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

In order to avoid easily preventable spoilers of summer leisure time fun and travel, we at ACSH encourage you to take seriously the tips given above. It is our hope that they will help you to have a happy, healthy summer vacation!

The New York Times yesterday published an editorial on the current measles outbreak in Britain, pointing to the fact that this outbreak is mainly due to children not receiving the MMR (mumps, measles rubella) vaccine. Many parents have chosen not to vaccinate their children based on the “ill-founded fears among parents that a widely used [...]
The post The NY Times gets it right in its pro-vaccine editorial appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

In an effort to encourage communication between smokers and their doctors regarding quitting, the CDC has launched a new campaign called “Talk With Your Doctor.” In partnership with the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Congress of Obstetricians and [...]
The post Communication between doctors and patients about quitting smoking appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

A new study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine lends further support to several recent evaluations of the utility of low-dose, spiral CT scans of the chest to detect lung cancer earlier in heavy smokers. The new report lends perspective and detail to the groundbreaking report which appeared in that same journal in August [...]
The post Spiral CT screening: a good idea, for smokers and many ex-smokers appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Keep your eyes and computers peeled for a special ACSH Dispatch release at 5PM today on a new lung cancer screening study, complete with an ACSH video featuring our own expert, Dr. Gilbert Ross, as well as Dr. Cliff P. Connery, chief of thoracic surgery at the Beth Israel Medical Center and Continuum Cancer Centers [...]
The post Breaking News appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Even though a study conducted by Sally Wenzel, MD, and co-workers at the University of Pittsburgh had only 104 participants, the results seen during a clinical trial of a novel treatment for asthma are so impressive that they are still well worth noting. The study evaluated the effectiveness of an experimental antibody drug called dupilumab, [...]
The post Can asthmatics breathe easier? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

For years ACSH has been pointing out the limits of animal testing in predicting human disease risk. So we were pleased to see an article in the recent issue of Harvard Magazine –”Mice Aren’t Men,” reporting on a study which asked if the bodies of mice react to disease and trauma in the same way [...]
The post Animal testing predictive of human disease risk? No! appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

“Suicide contagion” refers to the idea that if an individual is exposed to suicide, he or she may be influenced to think about, attempt or even commit suicide. This is thought to be especially true of young adolescents. A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal supports this idea, finding that students ages 12 [...]
The post Suicides by schoolmates influence suicidal thoughts in teens appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Ketamine (street name Special K) has been used in a variety of ways— legal and illegal, in both animals and humans. Its primary use is general anesthesia and sedation of animals. As a recreational drug it is known for its hallucinogenic properties, although it never attained the popularity of other street drugs like LSD, cocaine [...]
The post Special K—More than OK for depression sufferers appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

University of Chicago researchers presented preliminary research demonstrating that Qsymia, a diet drug that is a combination of phentermine and topiramate, can successfully reduce both body weight and blood pressure. Obese or overweight individuals who used the drug over 56 weeks lost more than ten percent of their body weight, and those participants also saw [...]
The post Two old drugs combine for new effect appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Women with high-risk pregnancies are often prescribed bed-rest because it is thought to prevent premature birth, hypertension, miscarriage and other complications a pregnant woman may face. However, new studies published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology suggest that evidence is inadequate to recommend bed-rest to these women, and in fact it may cause harm. This [...]
The post Bed-rest may not be the best recommendation for women with high-risk pregnancies appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Despite a 2009 advisory from a federal advisory panel that women under age 50 avoid routine screening mammography unless discussed with her medical caregiver, a new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found that younger women continued to get screening mammograms at the same rate in 2010 as before the panel report. [...]
The post Younger women still getting mammograms despite Uncle Sam’s advice appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Josh Bloom in Medical Progress Today
The pharmaceutical industry does many wonderful things, yet most people regard it as one step below head lice on the food chain.
This week, Merck, with some questionable help from the FDA, gave more ammunition to industry critics, who typically maintain that the industry contributes little innovation, and is simply concerned with profits.