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Healthcare has cultural roots. Chicken soup as “Jewish penicillin” exemplifies one culture’s role in signifying quality, remedy and affective connotations like comfort. Meanwhile, many choose traditional Chinese medicine over its Western counterpart, a decision that provides insight but leaves us with some questions. 

A premature infant is born with a form of severe lung injury that carries a 20% chance of survival. Her physician decides to throw a medical “Hail Mary” and try an untested adult technique to bypass the injured lungs. The infant survives, and after a few more tries, the physician realizes that the survival rate may be as high as 80% with this new treatment. Does he know enough that the treatment should become standard practice, or is a randomized clinical trial required?

Few life experiences are crueler than childhood cancer, but this blatant unfairness motivates some of the best, kindest and most heartfelt medical care. In that light, clinicians in adult oncology can learn a great deal from pediatric cancer practices.

EWG warns the public about pesticide residues on produce, and tell people to buy organic instead. What they leave out is all of the organic pesticides, some even sprayed on the day food gets on the truck.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) loves ratings and listicles. But they must not love delicious baked goods, since they also go after cinnamon rolls, muffins, and donuts — and the supposed culprit isn't new nor surprising.

Drug shortages are being reported more frequently; physicians are asked to postpone elective care. Rather than continue to blame greed or hidden agendas perhaps we might consider the findings of the Government Accountability Office.

The recently published meta-analysis by the American Institute for Cancer Research is a summary of summaries. As you might expect, something is always lost in summation. In this instance, the loss is useful, credible information.

"Follow the money!" activists shout. The money trail, according to this logic, always leads to lies and deception.
This puerile fallacy, argumentum ad aurum, is just a thinly disguised ad hominem attack commonly used against scientists. Instead of criticizing the quality or conclusions of the research, activists instead assault the integrity of the scientist.

A team of Spanish researchers believes it's discovered a fruity concoction that reduces muscle soreness. The formula is a combination of watermelon and pomegranate juice enriched with citrulline and ellagitannins, ingredients that are linked to beneficial metabolic effects and performance enhancement.

Citing prescription drugs as a contributing factor to his recent DUI arrest, Tiger Woods' experience sheds light on the need to educate about impaired driving as a public health concern.  The American Automobile Association (AAA) reports "prescription drugs are the most prevalent of all drugs found in drugged drivers involved in fatal crashes." Whether legally or illegally obtained, substances can impair a driver.

So how's your sex life? 
If not to your liking, then thinking differently about it will likely help improve it, and perhaps your health as well. That's according to a new study which found that enjoyable perceptions and participation regarding sex will make middle-aged adults feel better – and younger – than their actual age.

The headlines are scary — even one daily alcohol-containing drink causes an increased risk of breast cancer (oh my!) But a closer look at the study giving rise to such headlines should help calm those fears, at least a little.

Every day that a new antibiotic development is delayed will mean more people will die from antibiotic-resistant infections. But a fair plan to provide incentives for companies to continue, or re-enter, antibiotic research is being held up in the U.S. House. Democrats get the blame here. 

A recent study suggests that having four or five beers can be as effective as taking over-the-counter painkillers for pain relief. This may be so, but there's a catch — one that's not worth the risk.

In Part 1, we considered "the spread," which is the difference between the cost of a product or service and the price charged for it. Here it Part 2, we examine the factors and pressures that create this difference.

The difference between the cost of a product or service and the price charged for that product or service is the spread. The pharmaceutical industry, more of a pharmaceutical industrial complex (PIC), has been responsible for many miraculous things. Harvoni, a medicine that has a greater than 95% efficacy in eliminating Hepatitis C, for example. But there is no more extraordinary feat by the PIC than for a manufacturer to price a medication at $10 a pill, receive $5 a pill as payment and along the way they and five or six intermediaries profit – and profit hugely.

There's the unsupported belief that organic farming is better for the environment. While there are many reasons this isn't true, German and Sweden researchers have just found another: While the carbon footprint associated with both conventional and organic diets is roughly equal, an organic diet requires 40% more land.

Glyphosate is perpetually in the news. However, last month was especially busy because various agencies concluded that it either did – or did not – cause cancer or kill butterflies. The herbicide has even been implicated as a cause of autism, but the science is terrible. Perhaps the worst science came out of MIT in 2014 — confusing correlation with causation. A big no-no.

Dr. Lance O'Sullivan decided to take action when the anti-vaccine movie "VAXXED" was shown in his community. By protesting the misinformed movement while spreading the truth about the benefits of vaccines, the staunch vaccine supporter is our new hero. If only he wore a cape.  

Sextuplets were born to parents who reportedly were said to be “overcome with joy” after trying to conceive for 17 years. This article will explore the science behind multiple births, in general, emphasizing what happens after delivery.

As part of the newly-published proposed budget are significant cuts to research. The prime target is indirect expenses, which seems to be a slush fund to some and a critical financial asset to others. A deeper look finds interconnections, rather than a way to reduce spending.

Soliris is a drug for an orphan disease, one which affects relatively few people. While these types of drugs are inherently more expensive, the market expected a price tag of $100,000 – not the actual cost of $500,000. How did the manufacturer Alexion come up with this astronomical price?

It's no exaggeration that the World Health Organization has helped saved hundreds of millions of lives. As such, something like a halo surrounds whatever it chooses to do. That said, the Washington Post reports that the WHO spent more on travel than on fighting AIDS, hepatitis, malaria, and tuberculosis – combined. Were these smart choices?

An important question is what type of exercise — aerobic, such as walking, swimming or bike riding; or resistance, such as weight lifting — would help the older obese person who's looking to lose weight? The answer is both, particularly when done in tandem.

Happy 80th Birthday, Golden Gate Bridge. Over the last eight decades, the iconic suspension bridge has become famous for more than just its engineering. Sadly, it's become a destination for those seeking to commit suicide.