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One of the most dangerous food allergies in children is peanut allergy. For highly allergic individuals even a tiny amount of peanut, or contamination with peanut protein, can lead to a life-threatening reaction, known medically as anaphylaxis.

If you follow BPA (bisphenol-A) on your Google news alert, no one would blame you for being surprised that you actually woke up the next morning.
BPA, which is reacted with another chemical to form ubiquitous polycarbonate plastics, and also used as is on cash register receipts, may be the most studied substance ever, which is especially ironic, since no one has ever found any evidence of an adverse effect on human health.

A large population study suggests men should tread carefully when it comes to testosterone treatments as the therapies have been linked to an increased risk of cardiac problems. But questions remain whether the drug or behavior change is to blame.

In a new study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. S.A. Cunningham of Emory University and colleagues reported that later incidence (new cases) of obesity is greater for children who are overweight as early as kindergarten.

Another one bites the dust well, it s actually the same one: vitamin E, when fed to mice, led to increased cancer cell growth. OK, only a mouse study, right? But similar to some human results as well: why take the risk?

Melinda Wenner Moyer, a science writer and mother, curious about whether it was really necessary to feed her son organic instead of conventional produce took matters into her own hands and did research

Prostate cancer (PRCA) is really (at least) two different diseases. The most common form sometimes called the kitty cat form, is by far the most common, and the least harmful. Most men who have this type will eventually die from something other than the cancer.
On the other hand, the aggressive tiger form is much less common, but has a far different outcome.

Here's a countdown of the top 13 health scares of 2013!

We are reaching the height of flu season, and the percentage of healthcare workers who have gotten the flu vaccination remains unacceptably low. The goal of public health authorities is to

Dr. Shoa L. Clarke admits he was a vocal opponent of GMOs back when he was a young proto-scientist and activist. But once he began to study genetics, he learned the facts about bioengineering and

So now they re trying to pin the blame for Alzheimer s disease on DDT! Really? This is an excellent example of the wrong way to do a scientific study. It doesn t even pass the smell test.

The very good news is that antibiotic research by drug companies is slowly starting up again after a long sabbatical. But almost without exception, the complete story of how we got here is not told.

In her Personal Health column in the New York Times, Jane Brody tackles perhaps the greatest problem facing public health professionals today how to get smokers to quit, or prevent non-smokers from ever starting.

A Wall Street Journal Op-ed by a member of the EU Parliament decries the direction being taken by science there: it s back to the dark ages as fear trumps evidence.

Like Mayor Bloomberg before him, de Blasio advocates positions that reflect his stance on health related issues, but are not science-based.

Last week, we covered the defeat of a bill in New Hampshire that would have required the labeling of genetically modified foods. The bill was recommended for defeat by the Environment and

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness around the world; it is characterized by increased pressure within the eye. There are actually several types of glaucoma, and the type called open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is the most common.

Alzheimer s disease (AD), perhaps the most important condition without any satisfactory treatment, is likely to remain this way. Given the extraordinary toll it takes on individuals and their families, this is especially tragic.
But this serves as a difficult, but accurate lesson regarding medical research: There are diseases which, no matter how much time and money you spend on research, that you come up with nothing. This is perhaps the best example of such a disease.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects about one out of every fifty school children. However, according to the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5)

A new retrospective study shows a significant association between reduced rate of knee- and hip- replacement revision and treatment with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A good candidate theory for prospective trial to confirm, or refute.

Another attempt at requiring labeling of genetically modified foods has been defeated, this time in New Hampshire. The bill, which would have required all foods that contain products of genetic engineering

In the Really Good Timing department, our story on January 21st reported that Johnson and Johnson was removing traces of the formaldehyde preservative from its baby shampoo for absolutely no scientific or health-based reason.
At that time, ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom noted, In the end it doesn t really matter, because chemical Y will eventually be replaced by chemical Z, and the scientific extortion process will start again.
Almost as if on cue, chemical Z hit the news today. The Chemical Z du jour is called 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI), and is part of the caramel coloring that give sodas (especially colas) their color.

A new Perspective article in the New England Journal of Medicine almost allows for the likely benefits of electronic cigarettes as part of a harm reduction approach to reducing the deadly toll of smoking. At last some science-based progress!

The way that some folks push all-natural foods, you d reasonably assume they contain no chemicals but boy would you be wrong!

Expectant mothers will soon be able to know quite a bit more about the unborn child they re carrying maybe more than they need to know. New gene tests that go far beyond traditional chromosomal evaluation in looking for genetic abnormalities are on the horizon. Genetic microarray analysis promises to detect everything from autism to club foot, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.