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Statins, despite their overwhelming benefit to cardiovascular health, carry around a perennial black eye – they cause muscle pain. This longstanding "fact" is a result of a notoriously inaccurate type of study called an observational study. Guess what happened when another study was done properly? 

By demonizing biotechnology and conventional agriculture, Whole Foods has profited handsomely. But with its recent financial struggles, it would be nice if the sales downturn was the result of Americans waking up to the fact that the chain has been lying to them for years.

Regardless of people's views on capital punishment, it's unlikely that many would approve of chemically torturing prisoners to death. But because European drug companies now refuse to sell U.S. prisons drugs that can be used for lethal injections, some have tried using untested alternatives for executions. The results have been horrific. The reason? Pharmacological ignorance. 

Following the multi-year drought in the west and northwest, the question being raised is whether the mighty sequoia – which requires massive amounts of water – has been weakened or otherwise compromised. While there's no precise answer to that now, arborists are seeing signs that water depletion could be a real threat.

As if the U.S. opioid overdose crisis isn't bad enough, we have another killer on the streets. One of its components is called U-4700, a drug Upjohn was trying to make into a painkiller decades ago. It never made it to your local drug store, but it's now a big hit at the "street pharmacy." Worse still, a 10 year-old could make it. 

If your only source for news comes from the idiots at Mother Jones or Sourcewatch, you probably don't know much about the real American Council on Science and Health. In that case, you believe their manufactured claims – that we are some kind of sinister group organization – and not that we want to give readers useful information.

Most of us stay away from mushroom hunting since we are well aware of the dangers. There are certainly more poisonous mushrooms in the woods than edible ones. But mushroom hunters will tell you that Morels are one of the most popular and most delicious edible mushrooms you'll find in the Springtime.... If you can find them —they're quite elusive. 
So if you're going to hunt, here's what to look for.
 

Immunology studies the way we maintain our body’s integrity – “immunity’s central motif” – as well as our definition of self. Differentiating our self from "other" has many scales, and it's been used to separate tribes, ethnicities, nations. So in addition to cells, can immunology also help us understand the interactions of humans?

When it comes to finding new antibiotics, no place is too weird to look. Three separate teams of researchers have identified potentially useful antibiotics from some of the strangest places imaginable: Sponges, sea snails, and marine worms.

Since I believe laughter is often the best medicine, I didn’t have to look very far to find funny movie scenes that also delivered meaningful medical lessons.

Antibiotic resistance is a crisis. One of the driving forces is that the drugs are overprescribed by primary care physicians. Although there are efforts to minimize the unnecessary antibiotics being given to those who don't need them, a new study shows that they're just not working.

Once again, the Ramazini Foundation published a study suggesting that the artificial sweetener sucralose causes cancer —specifically blood cancers — in mice. But a panel from the European Food Safety Authority analyzed that study and found that its conclusions were spurious and in no way should be construed to indict the sweetener. Can we say we told you so?

We are being confronted with very important questions about the anti-GMO movement and Mr. Ruskin, an anti-GMO activist who operates the website U.S. Right to Know. Are anti-GMOers also anti-vaxxers?2 If not, then why do they take money from anti-vaxxers?

Glucose and fat are essential to powering muscles. But glucose is the only energy source that fuels the brain and sustains motivation. Scientists believe that if glucose depletion could be reduced, "hitting the wall" – or for marathoners, giving up – could theoretically be delayed. A recent study examined this glucose-brain connection.

Our innate coagulation – or clotting – cascade is quite a dynamic, but formidable system. When optimally effective, it manages retention of a balanced condition between not too much bleeding and not too much clotting. Let's take a look at how to reduce your chances of developing pathologic clots.

Boron is not a word that comes to mind over small talk. You may have never even uttered the name of a rather uninteresting metal. But some of the chemical compounds that contain boron are very cool. Don't be a boron moron, and give this a look. 

When the House of Representatives says it will "defund" Planned Parenthood, it sounds simple. But it's not – because lawmakers will have to enact new rules about who gets paid via Title X and Medicaid. That would mean that many women (and some men, too) wouldn't have access to a wide variety of both contraceptive, and general, health care.

High-profile incidents in which a mentally ill person commits a violent crime has led to the stereotype that these struggling people all pose a dire threat to society. But a team of researchers, studying data from more than 75,000 patients, has developed a model that accurately predicts which patients are unlikely to become violent.

For those of you who are following herpes vaccines in development, the news out of Australia isn't bad. Or especially good. Admedus just released Phase IIa clinical trial results of its herpes simplex 2 vaccine. Even the company didn't seem all that enthusiastic (which is, in a way, OK.)

Astronauts get it in space, as do passengers when riding in trains and cars. And some of the latest gaming technology has created new entrants to Club Queasy: virtual reality enthusiasts. So while motion sickness is a very common condition, it doesn't have a definitive cure. But here's how you can manage it when it strikes.

A high-profile paper has finally been retracted by the journal Science after 10 months of investigation. The work has been ruled to be so full of negligence by an ethical review board – which discovered missing data and flat-out lies – it's a wonder how it was ever accepted in the first place. 

And, the award for best promoting public health and being a patient advocate goes to ... musician Ed Sheeran!

With new pregnancy come new health story ideas! Indulge me for a minute: we've started a new segment called The Pregnancy Diaries. Let's talk health issues, questions and expectations when expecting!
First up: Ana Dolaskie's Top Five First Trimester Woes!
 
 

While brilliant, Stephen Hawking states uninformed opinions, like when the theoretical physicist claimed a few years ago that "philosophy is dead." In an upcoming documentary, Dr. Hawking says humans must flee from the planet because of "climate change, asteroid strikes, epidemics and overpopulation." But he's wrong on every single count.

Recently, in a room full of microbiologists, this question was posed: "How many of you believe climate change is the world's #1 threat?" Silence. Not a single person's hand was raised. Were they all rejecting science? No, not at all. They just didn't see it as threatening as antibiotic resistance, pandemic disease or geopolitical instability.