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Although for all intents and purposes the flu season is over, at least in North America, experts have recently been ringing alarm bells about the possibility of a new influenza pandemic. A new report in the journal Scientific Reports reveals that researchers from MIT found 581 flu virus strains circulating in pigs and birds with [...]
The post Influenza: How do we deal with emerging threats? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Here’s an interesting idea: a set of underwear that can sense when a person smokes. Although this may not sound real, the National Institutes of Health actually awarded the University of Alabama two grants, totaling about $400,000 to make this project a reality. This money was used for two separate studies. One study involved bringing [...]
The post Underwear that can detect cigarette smoking appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

In an effort to join in the fight against the obesity epidemic, Coca-Cola Co. has made plans to expand distribution of its low-calorie drinks. Coke also has plans to make sure that calorie counts are posted on the front of all coke products around the world. In addition, the company intends to sponsor physical activity [...]
The post Coca-Cola Co. joins the fight against obesity appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

The number of deaths from drinking and driving among teenagers has taken a backseat to the hazards of texting while driving. Worse yet, “fifty percent of high school students of driving age acknowledge texting while driving.” A new study shows researchers at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park estimate more than 3,000 annual [...]
The post Texting and driving: leading cause of death among teens, study finds appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Well, that didn’t last long. Wrigley has taken its new caffeinated gum off the market while the Food and Drug Administration investigates the effect of caffeine on children and adolescents. Each of the eight pieces of Alert Energy gum contained about 40 milligrams of caffeine — about the equivalent as half a cup of coffee. [...]
The post Caffeinated gum taken off the market appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

For those who follow the list of dietary supplements that, upon clinical scrutiny, turn out to be useless, this should be no surprise. But for millions of Americans it will probably be just that. A large five-year trial examining the benefits of the supplement with regard to cardiovascular outcome came up with a very empty [...]
The post Fish oil study — another supplement to throw back appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

It’s well known that poorly controlled and long-lasting diabetes can lead to changes in the retina (retinopathy), and is a leading cause of blindness. Alarmingly, a recent study described in Med Page Today found that even young people with type 2 diabetes might have retinal changes within only five years of the onset of the [...]
The post Early eye problems cropping up in diabetic teens appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Have you heard? New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had lapband surgery in February. Lapband surgery, a variation of bariatric surgery, involves wrapping a device similar to a band or a belt around the stomach in order to make the stomach smaller, limiting the amount of food it can hold, and therefore resulting in weight loss [...]
The post The secret’s out: Governor Christie had lapband surgery appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Those who are trying to impede the spread of the reduced-harm nicotine delivery device known as the e-cigarette will find their task at least a bit harder henceforth. One of the pseudo-arguments against smokers using this technology to help them quit is that young people who are non-smokers might find the devices attractive, try [...]
The post Anti e-cigarette propaganda exposed appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

“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. For the [...]
The post Merck gives itself and pharma a black eye appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

The silly season for summer scares is upon us, it seems. A group of self-styled “cancer experts” issued a press release warning of the dangers of cancer-causing substances in grilled meat of just about any type. The group, the American Institute for Cancer Research, warns of the increased risk of colon cancer from meat, especially [...]
The post Grill without fear appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Put this one in under “odd news.” Sucking on a pacifier shouldn’t just be for babies, Swedish researchers say — when parents do so, it may actually help protect babies from problems later in life. “Parents sucking on their infant’s pacifier may reduce the risk of allergy development, possibly via immune stimulation by microbes transferred [...]
The post Baby binkies: Should parents be sucking them too? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Although they’ve been around for years, tanning beds have thus far escaped much regulation — even though the American Academy of Dermatology has stated that they cause a 75 percent increase in the risk of the dangerous skin cancer melanoma. Further, the Academy says the risk increases with each use. The FDA this week proposed [...]
The post FDA proposes new rule for tanning beds appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Josh Bloom in The New York Post, 5/3/13 "Searching for the wrong miracles"
The US pharmaceutical landscape has changed rapidly and radically over the past decade with dire consequences. Companies have exited en masse from research in traditional disease areas, plunging headfirst into cancer research.

A new study conducted by the National Toxicology Program, an agency that is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has put yet another dietary supplement in the spotlight.

You may want to think about having a snack before you go grocery shopping. According to new research published in JAMA, going grocery shopping on an empty stomach may actually result in more high-calorie food purchases. Researchers at Cornell University conducted a two-part study. The first part, conducted in a lab, involved 68 participants who [...]
The post Think twice before shopping on an empty stomach appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

The approach to fighting obesity using appetite suppressants came to a screeching halt in 1997, when Wyeth, the maker of the wildly successful diet drug phen-fen, was forced to withdraw the drug after the FDA received numerous reports of heart valve problems and also some cases of pulmonary hypertension, a rare but often fatal lung [...]
The post The diet drug Qsymia is safe and effective-as expected appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Kudos are due to the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune for their stand against a proposal to levy a penny-an-ounce tax on a wide variety of beverages — including sports and energy drinks and bottled teas, among others. The monies raised via these proposed taxes are aimed, ostensibly, at helping the fight against [...]
The post Common sense in California — for a change appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

The drip-drip-drip of scare stories, tirades and advertisements warning us about toxic, hazardous and cancer-causing chemicals has turned into a deluge of late. It is impossible to watch a TV news show or read a magazine or turn on your computer without being warned, over and over again, that if we don’t do something, the sky [...]
The post Should we listen to scare groups about chemicals? No. appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

It’s no secret that the world is facing a terrible scenario as antibiotics that used to be very effective in treating bacterial infections are failing one by one due to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. And as if this problem wasn’t bad enough, the cessation of most antibiotic research by major pharmaceutical companies all but guarantees that this problem will become far worse. [...]
The post The downside of cancer research appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

So you thought it was all over, right: given the Federal Court’s mandate by Judge Korman one month ago to make Plan B “universally available” OTC, and this week’s decision by the FDA to do just that, but only for age 15 and up, the path to universal access to the morning-after pill seemed nice [...]
The post The morning after the morning-after pill: now come the lawyers appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

In an act that is sure to cause an unnecessary scare, industry, environmental and health groups have called for the amending of the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, specifically focused on cosmetics and personal care products. The new bill, The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2013, would give the FDA the “authority to create and enforce [...]
The post More chemical scares with The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2013 appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Sometimes science is like the weather. Wait a few weeks and it changes. Such is the case with Zithromax (azithromycin), an important antibacterial drug that is a member of the macrolide class of antibiotics (erythromycin being the best known). Azithromycin is used against a number of bacterial infections, including strep throat, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Back in March, the FDA warned [...]
The post Zithromax is safer than it was two months ago? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.