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In health news: why no one is to blame for this year's failed flu shot, one in five hysterectomies are unnecessary, & here's one supplement we do love!

We have written about the antibiotic crisis quite often, both in Dispatch and published op-eds. Many others have done the same.
Although much of the focus has been on the development of new antibiotics to combat resistant bacteria, there are other fronts in this war. Although the need for antibiotics is undisputed, it is better not to need them in the first place. This is an area in which good progress has been made.

A substantial minority of teens believe that occasional cigarette smoking is not so bad; worse still, a majority think that light smoking is OK. Well, it s not, and since smokers begin as teens nine times out of ten, that s the time to correct these myths.

It s been well established that physical activity can help ward off or ameliorate various ailments, ranging from arthritis to heart disease, and may even help prolong life. But the extent to which such benefits are associated with obesity, or how much exercise is needed hasn t been clearly defined.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than a third of U.S. adults are obese. Bariatric surgery in which either an inflatable band is placed around the stomach to reduce stomach size or in which the stomach and part of the small intestine are bypassed is perhaps the most effective means of

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression related to changes in seasons. Most people with SAD experience symptoms that start in the fall and continue throughout the winter months, then fade away as spring begins. Symptoms of major depression that may be part of

In his op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Henry Miller reminisces, sardonically, about the vast potential wasted of biopharming: genetically modifying plants to make pharmaceuticals. The regulators choked it to death.

Dr. Josh Bloom and Dr. Henry I. Miller in Forbes.com, January 14, 2015
The development of pharmaceuticals is among the riskiest of businesses. It now takes 10-15 years for a pharmaceutical company to get a new drug approved, and on average the cost exceeds $2.5 billion. To establish its safety and effectiveness, a candidate drug or vaccine undergoes a lengthy process of laboratory,...[Read more].

Fear, Inc. is having a big day on the New York Stock exchange. It is up 45 percent on heavy volume.
How could it not be? After all, the plastic component BPS supposedly a safe replacement for BPA isn t looking so great after all. BPA (bisphenol A) is a chemical so deadly that Times columnist Nick Kristof by far the most accomplished toxicological expert who never took a chemistry class refuses to touch cash register receipts because they contain small amounts of the chemical.

A new report analyses a vast trove of data on diabetes, studying the effects of more intense control of blood sugar based upon age and medical conditions. The answers are not clear.

The CDC issued a recommendation yesterday, advising doctors to treat the flu more aggressively by using two antiviral drugs that supposedly work to minimize the effects of flu. Although there has long been controversy

Nearly 20 years ago, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and former Representative Berkeley Bedell petitioned Congress to create the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM), which was granted an initial $2 million budget in 1992. Seven years later, the OAM was enveloped by the National Institutes of Health and renamed the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). But what exactly does this center, which has spent $1.6 billion since its inception, do?

ACSH would like to applaud Dr. John Pierce and his colleagues from the University of California San Diego Cancer Center for their latest article, featured in the Annual Review of Public Health. The review article points out the discrepancy between science and public policy as it relates to smoking cessation strategies.

The toll of prescription painkiller abuse is rising and, according to the CDC, oxycodone and hydrocodone overdose claimed over 14,000 lives in 2008 alone. And to add to the arsenal of creative ploys such as doctor shopping that addicts use to gain access to these drugs, many are now heading to emergency room departments and complaining of toothaches in order to get their prescription fix.

Bike sharing programs, which are gaining widespread popularity, provide users with free or affordable access to bicycles for short-distance trips as an alternative to motorized public transportation and private vehicles. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion and noise. Sounds like a great idea, right? It did to us, until we learned that 80 percent of these riders don t use a helmet, according to a new study.

Typically, when a pregnant woman s water breaks prematurely, doctors will induce labor in order to avoid the increased risk of a uterine infection that could harm the fetus. Yet because there are also risks to delivering a baby pre-term, Dutch researchers have more closely investigated this practice.

Another tip of the ACSH hat to Julie Gunlock, who, in her latest column for Independent Women s Forum, takes apart a recent study alleging that regular soda consumption is associated with a higher risk of stroke.

Earlier this week, we discussed a new study that found that in vitro fertilization (IVF), along with another assisted reproductive technology called ICIS (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), was associated with a significant increase in a baby s risk of birth defects. However, ACSH advisor Dr. Robert Brent, who is also Professor of Pediatrics, Radiology, and Pathology at Jefferson Medical College Research Department and Alfred I.

After we discussed the upcoming National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, to be held this Friday, April 28, reader Paul Hilling of Anchorage, Alaska, took us to task for neglecting to discuss another method of disposing of unused medications:

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) will hold a panel discussion in D.C. titled Chemical Policy and Regulation: The Costs of Bad Science and Over-Caution:

Hey, cancer survivors! Now hear this: Eat healthier and exercise more! These remarkably obvious recommendations are part of the latest guidelines for cancer survivors issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS). According to this "groundbreaking" alert, maintaining a healthy weight through proper nutrition and physical exercise can reduce the risk of cancer relapse.

Berries may slow memory loss. No, this isn't a headline from The Onion, or from another Dr. Oz Show these are the actual conclusions of a study published in the Annals of Neurology, wh noted by some otherwise reputable media venues.

If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, or if you just consume a large variety of such products, you may have a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a new study published in the journalDiabetes Care.

Stopping just short of actually pronouncing them safe, the latest review from the U.K. s Health Protection Agency (HPA) proclaims that mobile phones pose no harm to human health. After analyzing data from hundreds of studies, the researchers found no link between cell phone use and cancer, brain function, brain tumors, infertility, or cardiovascular health. Relatively reassuring, was how the review group s chair boldly described the results.

A surprising number of women overestimate the effectiveness of widely-used forms of contraception, according to a new study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.