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Although Mayor Bloomberg s ban on large-sized sugary drinks was thrown out by a state court judge last month, he intends to continue the government war on obesity. There remains a lively debate about how best to accomplish reducing obesity s toll, and to what extent government measures can influence personal behavior.

The Food and Drug Administration is admitting it s been too cautious by mandating certain warning labels on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products such as the patch and nicotine gum and perhaps the labels have even deterred people from trying the cessation aids.

A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found pre-teens who have a classmate who committed suicide were five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, Champion reported.
The idea just kind of takes root and becomes like an overwhelming obsession sometimes, for no good reason, Dr. Gilbert Ross with the American Council on Science and Health said

In a new op-ed written by ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom, he discusses a new first-line therapy for multiple sclerosis, Biogen-Idec's Tecfidera. This drug has been shown to significantly reduce the number of patients who relapse as well as reducing lesions in the brain.

There has been a drastic rise in the number of diagnosed cases of ADHD Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in American children over the last decade, according to new data released by the CDC.

More Americans now die from drug overdoses than from car accidents and the numbers just keep going up, as you can see from chart below from the CDC.

There were 42,917 poisoning deaths in 2010, with drugs accounting for most (38,329) of those. Opiate analgesics such as oxycodone (Percocet) accounted for 43 percent of all drug overdose deaths, the CDC says.

In a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found no association between receiving too many vaccines too soon, and autism. Despite the evidence, one third of parents are still concerned that vaccines may play a role in causing autism, and one in ten parents delay vaccinations or refuse to vaccinate their children.

A new study linking breast cancer and the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is both concerning and comforting, but, without carefully studying the data it is not easy for most women (or their doctors ) to know what to make of this. Upon closer examination, however, the study actually helps clarify the controversial and sometimes contradictory issue what are the risks and benefits of HRT?

According to a National Institutes of Health network study, women who experience financial, emotional or other personal stress in their lives while pregnant are more likely to have a stillbirth.

Environmental Protection Agency scientists are planning to check several hundred toenail clippings of residents in Garfield, New Jersey and environs for signs of exposure to hexavalent chromium (Cr-6). The metal gained notoriety as a result of California environmental activist Erin Brockovich accusing water-borne chromium-6 of causing cancer and a variety of other ailments in Hinkley, CA, in the 1990 s.

Researchers involved in a vast, international study of potential genetic cancer markers have found risk markers for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer before, but this new analysis doubles the known list of markers, one expert says.

Two Canadian researchers are arguing against mandatory flu shots for health care workers, saying the vaccine isn t effective enough to merit such a mandate.
Drs. Michael Gardam and Camille Lemieux of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit at Toronto s University Health say a review of recent literature shows the flu shot is only around 60 percent effective in healthy adults.

Bronchiectasis is an obstructive lung disease caused by the weakening or destruction of the muscle and elastic tissue in the bronchial tree (airway passages in the lungs). This condition may follow a chronic lung infection, or secondary to chronic bronchitis, a smoking-related problem, and lead to recurrent frequent pneumonia and if progressive, respiratory failure. Now two new studies are shedding light on the risks and benefits of using antibiotics to help treat patients.

The American Academy of Pediatrics 2012 feeding recommendation for newborns and infants states that babies should not be given solid foods until six months of age. This recommendation is based on evidence that introducing solid foods earlier may increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, eczema, and celiac disease. However, according to new research from the U.S.

Vape em if you got em! The Economist has just endorsed e-cigarettes in a remarkable editorial, writing they do not just save the lives of smokers: they bring other benefits too. Unlike cigarettes, they do not damage the health of bystanders. They do not even smell that bad, so there is no public nuisance, let along hazard, and thus no reason to ban their use in public places. Pubs and restaurants should welcome them with open arms.

Last holiday season, we covered a story about how eating meals as a family can improve children s eating habits. And previous research from the University of Illinois found that family meals can prevent eating disorders, obesity and inadequate nutrition.

Physical activity is not only important in preventing obesity in children. A new study is now suggesting that it may have a role in keeping bones strong as well.

According to an analysis done by researchers affiliated with the Harvard School of Public Health, average daily sodium intake among Americans is 3950 mg. This number is almost twice what the World Health Organization recommends, and about three-fold what our American Heart Association posits as ideal for health.

Cancer clusters the very idea sounds scary. But writing in Slate, science journalist George Johnson writes that there s very little evidence that they exist at all. Time after time, the clusters have turned out to be statistical illusions artifacts of chance.

Ever had surgery for a tear in your medial meniscus, the hard rubber-like cartilage in your knee? No less than three ACSH staffers have. But maybe it wasn t necessary, a new study suggests.

CVS is now asking its employees to have a doctor measure their height, weight, body fat, blood pressure and other health indicators and have those numbers submitted to the insurance provider. And, if employees refuse to permit that information to be submitted, they may be subject to a fee of $600.

We re sure you ve all been to restaurants where the calorie counts are listed on the menus. Researchers are now looking into the effects of a new kind of label on menus physical activity- based labels.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday released a study estimating that 1 in 50 U.S. schoolchildren have autism, surpassing another estimate that 1 in 88 kids do.

ACSH advisor, Dr. David Shlaes has written a very frightening blog post discussing bacterial resistance in Asia. Here are some excerpts:

Counterfeit medicine isn t just a problem in America. In Nigeria, two medical practitioners are asking a regulatory agency to check on the importation of fake anti-malaria drugs into the country. They say that more than two-thirds of malaria drugs in the country are fake or substandard.