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Love it or hate it, kale is now omnipresent in modern life. And it may perhaps be the plague of the 21st century. Just because it's disgusting doesn't mean it's worthless, like some rather interesting chemistry that explains why you have to give this stuff a rubdown.

Wonder why "fake news" is taking hold as a concept and a description? Look no further than a recent CNBC article and its accompanying video, showcasing a new blood collection product. 

New mothers learn how to protect their new arrivals from sudden infant death syndrome. But when it actually comes to implementing those safety practices while in a sleepy stupor, that's when dangers arise. So researchers developed a "mobile health program" delivering safety reminders  – when they needed to be seen – which helped moms keep their newborns safer.

Ever on the alert to protect consumers from non-existent threats, E.U. member states have voted to set legal limits on the amount of acrylamide in foods. Acrylamide, of course, is the chemical naturally formed when foods containing large amounts of carbohydrates are cooked at high temperatures — think fried and baked potatoes and bread. And we predict that no-one's health will benefit from this ruling.

A new therapy involving a medication requires the approval of the FDA. Not so for a new surgical technique or device. For my surgical brethren, we need a good idea and our “can do” attitude takes over, and we try out a new technique, instrument or operation, studies can wait.

The headlines all imply that nearly all football players who make it to the NFL will develop CTE. That couldn't be further from the truth. Here are four major reasons why.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is being more widely discussed following a high-profile research study on the brains of deceased football players, including 111 from the NFL. But what is CTE and how does it differ from other brain diseases?
 

Senator John McCain has been in the news over his health issues this past week. It is ironic that another Republican senator from Arizona, Barry Goldwater is being invoked over the role of medical experts and what they say to the media. What should the talking heads of the media, especially media physicians, say in these political times.

A new, headlines-grabbing study reports that CTE, a type of irreversible and degenerative brain damage, was found in the tissue of 110 of 111 late NFL players tested. Does this mean all pro players will eventually be diagnosed with CTE? No, not exactly. But this news does mean that the league's long-term health has been thrown for a big loss.   

It never ceases to amaze me how easily people can be manipulated into worrying about nothing simply because the "nothing" is portrayed as (but really isn't) scary, while at the same time pay no attention to a "something" because it is portrayed as healthy (which is just as wrong).

While bariatric surgery is the most effective means of dealing with extreme obesity, subjects must still exercise some degree of dietary discipline to obtain the most benefit. A new analysis finds that the degree of early weight loss predicts long-term success, and both are linked to decreases in energy intake.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. To learn why, along with how best to prevent it and to clarify any misperceptions about the dynamic nature of the female cardiovascular system ... 

Does your blood type – specifically, your Rh factor (positive or negative) – matter in your daily life? Not in the slightest. But when pregnant your Rh status can matter, especially if it's negative.

Conventional wisdom suggests that occupations associated with low socioeconomic status – such as construction, extraction and maintenance jobs – would be linked to the greatest number of ALS and Parkinson's deaths because of workers' environmental exposures to chemicals. But the CDC found the opposite to be true.

Athletes classified as "moderately specialized" were found to be at a 50 percent greater risk, while those "who had a high specialization classification had an 85% higher incidence" of lower extremity injuries.

It's well known that menopause incurs many negative consequences, including hot flashes, bone loss and added weight in the abdominal area (visceral fat — the worst kind). Any of these can have negative health effects, and current treatment options such as drugs to prevent/treat osteoporosis don't do anything for added fat, or vice versa. But recent research in mice suggests that blocking the hormone FSH could greatly help.

Does race play a role in the care our veterans receive? This study sheds some light on where the differences may be found.

A recent report in the journal Lancet, titled "Dementia prevention, intervention, and care," raised the prospect that there might be evidence that older folks can improve both their hearing while reducing their risk of Alzheimer's. But it's with a heavy heart that we say that the hype far exceeded the knowledge.

A dose of science weirdness involving falling mice, a dishonest eatery that foolishly mocks chemistry ... and a truly stimulating coffee – if you get our drift.

Some medical diagnoses are like fad diets. Everyone you know has chronic Lyme disease or gluten intolerance, if not out-and-out celiac disease (whether a medical test confirms it or not). But many are just junk medicine, just as many fad diets are junk nutrition.

Fad diets never work. Stupid diets can make you ill. Here's a two-minute rant by Ana Dolaskie on eating raw chicken.

1. Dr. Julianna LeMieux and I were at the Cato Institute for the Dr. Ed Calabrese talk on the linear no-threshold model (LNT) used to set regulatory limits.
Members of our Board of Scientific Advisors, like Dr. Jerry Cutler and others, have long-considered LNT to be the Patient Zero of junk science used to create regulations. It basically says that particle 1 is as harmful as particle 1,000,000. Also mixed in the discussion is hormesis, a u-shaped curve in dose-response, which can also be controversial when misused by activists.

New research suggests that saffron – a spice used in some Asian, Indian and Mediterranean dishes – may have an intrinsic ability to fight cancer. But don't get too excited. Research on antioxidants suggests the same thing, but they fail in clinical trials.

Although some observational studies have suggested that vitamin D can help prevent upper respiratory ailments in adults, no such data substantiates that claim for children. A new study that compared low- and high-dose vitamin D with respect to such problems in kids found no effect at either level. Sorry, parents!

David Everette was simply walking to a store when making the absolute wrong decision during a fierce thunderstorm cost him his life. Instead of racing for shelter, the North Carolina resident took shelter under a tree. The tragic incident underscores the importance of knowing what to do – and what not to – when lightning is even remotely nearby.