MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'hype'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:10:00 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968426&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2Fnewsid.1949%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp By Gilbert Ross. A respected newspaper notes the latest toll among Europeans of a virulent strain of the bacterium E. coli, the source of which has recently been determined to be sprouts from an organic farm in Germany. In the same newspaper, a few pages distant, a credulous journalist has in essence copied and pasted another press release from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a U.S. activist organization, warning us yet again about the traces of pesticide residues on their so-called "Dirty Dozen" list of fruits and vegetables. (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968426 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4968426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852939&cid=t_115472_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F22%2Fbummer-the-world-didn%25e2%2580%2599t-end-now-what%2F “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” ~Richard Bach If I owned a restaurant I would have the morning after brunch special for Sunday, May 22.  It would, of course, be called The Day After Brunch, in honor of the day most of us knew would come –in spite of the media frenzy.  The meal would be a chance to celebrate and cope. On the menu? Eggs benedict, for those who felt betrayed by the hype. Glazed donuts for those who really didn’t see it coming. A Forgiveness Frittata for anyone needing to absolve themselves or others. And, yes, you are allowed to groan when you hear this, but the drink of the day would be: Orange Juice glad the world didn’t end? If you are reading this the end of the world hasn’t taken place.  Of cour... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852939 Mon, 23 May 2011 01:31:35 +0100 4852939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532566&cid=t_115472_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fi9wHzkYLI3U%2F Those free medical journals - which are sent at no cost to doctors and are financed by pharma ads - are much more likely to recommend drugs that are mentioned in its pages than journals that are funded by subscription fees, according to a new study. Consequently, some physicians may not readily notice any possible bias as they go about absorbing information needed for patient care. The researchers identified 11 German educational medical journals from 2007 that are widely read by general practitioners, and these were divided into types according to revenue sources: free journals financed completely by paid ads; mixed-revenue journals that charge readers and also take paid advertising, and subscription-based journals that are completely financed by readers. They then selected nine drugs or ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532566 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:05:57 +0100 4532566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4105667&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-secret-sign-of-aging-international-disease-mongering%2F2010.10.25 Just five days ago we wrote about an American journalist’s observations of medicalization of one problem sometimes observed after menopause: Vaginal atrophy. Today we see that this disease-mongering trend has popped up in Australia as well. This should be no surprise. Such campaigns are usually led by multinational pharmaceutical companies and their advertising and public relations agencies. What caught our eye was an article on a women’s health foundation website — a foundation that posts a pretty thin excuse for why it won’t tell you its source of funding. Its article on vaginal atrophy uses classic disease-mongering language: “Ask a woman over the age of 50 about the ‘signs of ag[e]ing’ and she’ll most likely lament about grey hairs, wrin... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4105667 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:00:43 +0100 4105667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4025617&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-american-cancer-societys-hype-prostate-cancer-screening-clearly-saves-lives%2F2010.10.02 Dr. Otis Brawley has taken the gloves off on prostate cancer screening. Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS), makes some powerful statements about controversies in prostate cancer screening in a new YouTube video that is billed as the first of a series that the ACS will post on discussions with its officials. Key nuggets from this video — not surprising to anyone who has followed this debate or Brawley’s past comments — include these quotes: “I’m very concerned. There’s a lot of publicity out there – some of it by people who want to make money by recruiting patients – that oversimplifies this – that says that ‘prostate cancer screening clearly saves lives.’ That is a lie. We don’t know ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4025617 Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:00:16 +0100 4025617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3665971&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fflibanserin-another-pre-fda-approval-drug-hype%2F2010.06.15 This week the FDA will vote on flibanserin, the much-talked-about drug for women with the condition called hypoactive sexual desire disorder or — because everything in sexual health needs an acronym like ED or PE — HSDD. On the eve of the FDA vote, CBS last week ran still another story about flibanserin. This drug has received so much news coverage, you’d think it cures cancer. And CBS did little more than promote the hype even more, saying FDA approval “could translate into a $2 billion market in this country alone” and then failing to challenge the disease-mongering estimate of “10 percent to 30 percent of women” with this condition. It all just goes along with the drug company’s efforts to build a demand before the drug is even approved. (... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3665971 Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:00:41 +0100 3665971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3640975&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1900%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan . While it is customary for parents to make sure that their children get all the recommended vaccinations, many adults avoid getting their shots & mdash; and tens of thousands of people contract vaccine-preventable diseases each year as a result. (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3640975 Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100 3640975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3625452&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1896%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp By Drs. Henry I. Miller and Elizabeth Whelan. President Barack Obama& #39;s cancer panel report is a travesty, a paragon of political correctness and unscientific, naive speculation and misinterpretation. (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3625452 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100 3625452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3607454&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1895%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp As you plan for your summer vacation, what do you need to worry about? And what are the bogus scares? ACSH sorts through the bogus claims from the real dangers. (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3607454 Wed, 26 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100 3607454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3566587&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1891%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp By Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. The President& #39;s Cancer Panel& #39;s recent report on the & quot;environmental& quot; causes of cancer is a scientific travesty constructed on a number of false premises. (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3566587 Fri, 14 May 2010 05:00:00 +0100 3566587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208446&cid=t_115472_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F26%2Fptsd-brain-scan-hype%2F Last week, we noted along with many news outlets that a biomarker had been apparently discovered for PTSD. The researchers claimed they had a new tool to help make a differential diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The tool is a brain scanning technology that, like EEG, measures the brain’s electrical activity. But instead of directly measuring such activity, it measures magnetic fluctuations in the electrical activity. The technique is called MEG. There are certain technical benefits to this method as compared to a traditional EEG, so some researchers are exploring its greater use. Mind Hacks has a very good analysis of why the researchers’ claims were overreaching and a bit ridiculous: Crucially, the scan didn’t pick out cases of PTSD among people with ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208446 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:00:08 +0100 3208446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146027&cid=t_115472_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F05%2Fwomens-sexuality-and-g-spot-research%2F I’m not exactly sure what it is about our fascination about women’s sexuality. Perhaps it’s as simple as because women’s sexual reproductive organs are mostly on the inside and men’s are mostly on the outside that researchers seem forever fascinated by female sexuality. I was honestly debating as to whether to comment on the recent media hype about new research which, according to media reports, claims that the “g spot” in female sexuality may be a myth. Why was I not going to write on this topic? Because after reading the “research” that was conducted, I was mystified how this research even got published in a peer-reviewed journal. The researchers didn’t actually study whether pairs of female identical and fraternal twins had th... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146027 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:10:52 +0100 3146027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398632&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F05%2Feven-scientists-now-criticize-escr-hype.html Science has a good piece in the current issue exposing the hype that has permeated embryonic stem cell research advocacy and its reporting by media. In "A Stem Cell History Lesson," (no link, here's the abstract), University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researcher James M. Wilson warns against unrealistic boosting of ESCR, as was done previously with gene therapy. His column starts with a recent quote from President Obama:"At this moment, the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown and it should not be overstated," the president said. "I cannot guarantee that we will find the treatments and cures we seek." Unfortunately, some stakeholders in hESC research have failed to exhibit the same restraint, effectively promising cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, sp... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398632 Sat, 09 May 2009 17:02:00 +0100 2398632 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347911&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F04%2Fpelosi-demagoguery-and-political-hype.html Either Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi doesn't know what is actually happening in biotechnology or she doesn't care. Actually, I think it is both. The other day, she went into utter hype mode about ESCR that was reminiscent of the bad old days when the only agenda of the Democrats and the media was, "Get Bush!" (Come to think of it, it still is.) From the story: We've had a situation where it's faith or science - take your pick. We're saying science is an answer to our prayers," the San Francisco Democrat saidWe've been through this faith nonsense repeatedly here at SHS, so I won't regurgitate it all again, except to note that it is very dangerous to demean rational and important ethical concerns as nothing but "faith," which is a personal and private matter, and thereby assert that ethi... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347911 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:26:00 +0100 2347911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1964088&cid=t_115472_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fhealth-care-blog-technology-hype-cycle.html :"# Technology Trigger – The initial launch; a new technology reaches public or press attention.# Peak of Inflated Expectations – A few successful applications of the technology (often by highly selected individuals or organizations) help catalyze unrealistic expectations, often aided and abetted by hype driven by word of mouth, the blogosphere, or vendor spin.# Trough of Disillusionment – Virtually no technology can live up to its initial PR. As negative experience mounts, the balloon is pricked and air rushes out. The press moves on to cover another “hotter” technology, like a moth flitting to the light (see Phase II).Hypecycle_2# Slope of Enlightenment – A few hardy individuals and organizations, seeing the technology’s true potential, begin experimenting with it unencumbe... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1964088 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:35:00 +0100 1964088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939082&cid=t_115472_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fdiabetes-research-in-the-news-viewpoints-from-the-dri.html Are diabetes headlines in the mainstream media mostly a bunch of hype, or do they bring us real hope for the future?  The panel I moderated on this topic at the Diabetes Research Institute’s annual conference in New York City last week produced quite a lively discussion. I referenced all of your comments as well, [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939082 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:53:45 +0100 1939082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1355973&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F04%2Fstem-cell-hype-being-reported-finally.html For the last ten years, "the scientists," in order to win the political debates over ESCR and SCNT, often wildly hyped the potential for CURES! CURES! CURES! In the process, they convinced Californians--now facing a $16 billion budget deficit and tens of billions in bond debt--to borrow $300 million every year to pay for human cloning and ESC research. States vied with each other in an Oklahoma land race type scramble to throw money at Big Biotech. The focus of the media became obsessed with overturning President Bush's ESCR funding policy, to the point that it committed serial journalistic malpractice with biased reporting and a news blockade on non embryonic stem cell successes.Well, those CURES! have not even appeared as distant silhouettes on the horizon yet, and finally, a few in the ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1355973 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:10:00 +0100 1355973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1243412&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F02%2Ftrounson-vs-neaves-embryonic-stem-cell.html I wrote the other day about the hype merchant, William Neaves of the Stowers Institute, continuing to tout embryonic stem cells--which he usually intentionally confuses with human cloning--as moving on the fast track to provide cures:"The rapid pace of advances in embryonic stem cell research means that day when this science can be translated into cures is drawing near," But Alan Trounson, the new head of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine states that despite Californians borrowing $7 billion (including interest) to fund ESCR and human cloning research, cures may be 25 years away. From the story: The same day that President Bush won a second term, California voters approved a bold plan to pour $3 billion of taxpayers' money into stem cell research over the next decade. Supp... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1243412 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:16:00 +0100 1243412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1100068&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1648%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp Twelve resolutions to help make the next twelve months healthy, science-based, and rational: (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1100068 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:00:15 +0100 1100068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1036850&cid=t_115472_132_f&fid=35013&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fpedrobeltrao%2F%7E3%2F187284392%2Flinking-out-personalized-medicine.html Personalized medicine continues to climb the hype cycle. I have been getting most of the best news coverage on the subject from blogs.- Bertalan Meskó reviews companies focused on personalized medicine (see part I and II)- Attila Csordas and Deepak Singh cover the social aspects of personal health and the tie-in to 23andMe- Gareth Palidwor reads into the details to speculate that the business model of 23andMe might be to sell the aggregated user data.- Gene Sherpas puts on the brakes, describing the hype as Genomic VoyeurismI am concerned that all the attention the genomics side of personalized medicine will distort the relative importance of nature versus nurture. Everyone craves for a peek at their own destiny and at their roots. These services hope to provide both of these by looking a... Public Rambling blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1036850 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:49:00 +0100 1036850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=964519&cid=t_115472_132_f&fid=35013&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fpedrobeltrao%2F%7E3%2F172206114%2Ffortune-cookie-genome.html *in an imaginary future*Today is the day I get the sequencing results back. It is going be interesting to have finally a glimpse of my very own genome. At the same time I am afraid of the potential disease associations they might find in there. In any case I rather know it with time to do something about it. Thats it ... I exhale and open the main door to the building walking up the desk.- Hi. I have an appointment with my genetic adviser.- Oh yes, go up to the 3rd floor, they are expecting you.I walk up a DNA shaped stairway and walk into the office of one of the attending specialists. He was the one convincing me of how useful it would be to purchase the GenomeSurvey(TM) package.- I got your email. The results are in ?- Yes, we have your genome fully sequenced and uploaded into your serv... Public Rambling blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=964519 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:21:00 +0100 964519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=885510&cid=t_115472_131_f&fid=35743&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthegenesherpa.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fmedia-hype-in-genetics-blame.html This study indicates that the journalist "hype" was actually in agreement with the original source's "hype". The story entitled "How geneticists can help reporters to get their story right" is also covered at Uncommon GroundScientists have a social responsibility to talk knowledgeably with reporters, and to do so is in the interest of science in an era when public funding and control over science is significant. However, some scientists avoid this task because it is onerous. At a minimum, it requires the same level of preparation that one would give to a platform presentation at a scientific conference. Such time and care are warranted, because the reach of the reporter is larger than that of the academic conference.Well, I wonder if when pressed for a deadline, the journalist will rely on... Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=885510 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:14:00 +0100 885510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=574179&cid=t_115472_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F112438080%2F Pedro has a cool take on the Gartner hype cycle. He has projected where certain life science technologies lie onto the Gartner hype cycle chart (reproduced below) Figure by Pedro Beltrao I’ve been involved in a few of these over th years (bioinformatics, structural biology, nanobiology, expression profiling). I might disagree on some of the specifics, e.g. I think nanotech in biology is probaby ahead of synthetic biology, but that reflects our personal experiences as well. Further reading: … hype and naysayers Technorati Tags: Gartner, Hype Curve, Life Science, Technology (Source: business|bytes|genes|molecules) business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=574179 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:45:39 +0100 574179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=573329&cid=t_115472_132_f&fid=35013&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpbeltrao.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fbio-science-hype-cycle-i-found-out.html Bio-science hype cycleI found out about the Gartner's Hype Cycle today a story at Postgenomic (via Science Notes and HealthNex)The Gartner's Hype Cycle is meant to highlight the relative maturity of different IT technologies. The idea originated from the common pattern of evolution of human perception towards nascent technologies. From their initial trigger passing trough exaggerated expectations, disillusionment and finally to a maturity and stability.Just for the fun of it I tried to plot the same graph with some bio-science related technologies and/or ideas:This is a very limited and biased view but for me it was interesting trying to think were to place the different technologies. (Source: Public Rambling) Public Rambling blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=573329 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:08:00 +0100 573329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461007&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1443%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp The American Council on Science and Health is dedicated to helping you set rational priorities for a healthy and long life... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461007 Thu, 14 Dec 2006 05:00:00 +0100 461007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461009&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1426%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp New York, NY -- December 4, 2006. As the New York City Health Department prepares to vote tomorrow on its proposal to reduce heart disease risk by banning the use of trans fatty acids (TFAs) in City eateries, one science group argues that it would be wiser to educate consumers about more important causes of heart disease -- and that even advising daily alcohol consumption would make more health sense than banning trans fats. (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461009 Mon, 04 Dec 2006 05:00:00 +0100 461009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461011&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1354%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp FROM: DR. ELIZABETH M. WHELAN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND HEALTH. Dear Mr. Willard... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461011 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 05:00:00 +0100 461011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461015&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1253%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp NEW YORK, NY -- December 15, 2005. Radiation therapy for breast cancer patients following lumpectomy saves lives and should be used more often, despite the fears of many women about radiation. So says the American Council on Science and Health, reacting to a study in the December 17, 2005 issue of the British medical journal the Lancet... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461015 Thu, 15 Dec 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461013&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1251%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FROM ACSH The American Council on Science and Health is dedicated to helping you set rational priorities for a healthy and long life. While it is tempting to focus our anxiety on mysterious threats that lie largely beyond our own control, such as a possible terrorist attack the truth is that when it comes to achieving long life and good health, we largely determine our own fate, through routine, everyday decisions... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461013 Thu, 15 Dec 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461017&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1229%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp New York, NY -- November 14, 2005. Scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) once again present an analysis of the natural foods that make up a traditional holiday dinner. Results indicate that our favorite foods are loaded with chemicals that can cause cancer in laboratory animals when administered in very high doses -- but none of these "carcinogens" are manmade or added to the foods. Instead, they occur naturally. But ACSH scientists have good news: these natural "carcinogens" pose no hazard to human health -- nor, for that matter, do manmade ones... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461017 Mon, 14 Nov 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461019&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1192%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp This week the Senate, following an earlier vote by the House, stands on the verge of passing legislation that will legalize and promote the importation of cheap prescription drugs from countries like Canada. Many Americans will rejoice, seeing this as a victory for the little consumer over Big Pharma. Unfortunately, however, the green light for drug importing will prove in the long run to be bad news for all of us, depriving us of the blockbuster drugs that would otherwise be in our future... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461019 Tue, 27 Sep 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461020&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1173%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp New York, New York -- August 2005. The lawsuit brought by California Attorney-General Bill Lockyer is unfortunate and contrary to the interest of public health, according to physicians and scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH). The lawsuit claims that the defendants, including McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and producers of several popular brands of potato chips, violate California's Proposition 65 because they do not warn consumers that some of their food items contain acrylamide, a substance produced when carbohydrate-rich foods are cooked at high temperatures... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461020 Tue, 30 Aug 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461021&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1167%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp New York, NY -- August 24, 2005. The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) today petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to eliminate "junk science" from the process by which it determines whether a substance is likely to cause cancer in humans... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461021 Tue, 23 Aug 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461022&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1164%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp "Indications: (partial list) Asthma, Cancer, Chickenpox, Cholera, Depression, Diarrhea, Flu, Headache, Herpes, Nervousness, Paralysis, Ringworm, Sciatica, Toothache, Ulcers, Warts." --from The Handbook of Medical Herbs , second edition; J.A. Duke (CRC Press, 2002), p. 579. Must be pretty good stuff if it's being promoted for us against all those ills, right? Or perhaps you're wondering... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461022 Mon, 15 Aug 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461023&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1159%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp Last week Senator Bill Frist made headlines with his apparent turnabout in favor of federal funding for research using embryonic stem cells (ESC) -- a break with the policy of President Bush. Almost all proponents of ESC (potentially far more flexible and thus conducive someday to far more treatments than adult stem cells) saw this as terrific news, while opponents -- including a full spectrum of religious groups and social conservatives -- characterized Frist as a traitor. But Frist may not have changed enough to keep him from stifling ESC after all... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461023 Fri, 05 Aug 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461024&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1096%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp Ever since ABC News anchor Peter Jennings announced last week that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, we have observed an increased interest in the disease--particularly the probability of it occurring in former smokers. We have spoken with dozens of former smokers and read reports of anxiety in this group, and, drawing on the American Council on Science and Health's past research, we offer facts and advice on lung cancer. Our advice is tailored to three different groups: a) ex-smokers, b) current smokers, and c) non-smokers who are candidates to take up the habit... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461024 Fri, 08 Apr 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461025&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1093%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx have become the targets of Congressional hearings and a proposed post-approval drug monitoring body, but in all the hype about their hoped-for benefits and hubbub over their newfound side effects, it's easy to forget that these drugs do, after all, have important benefits -- and that we were on the verge of finding new and even more important uses for the drugs when the controversy over them arose, potentially squelching valuable research... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461025 Tue, 05 Apr 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461026&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1091%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp In the course of a hundred hours of non-stop coverage dedicated to saving Terri's life by mandating the re-insertion of her feeding tube, how many other lives could have been saved if even 20% of those hours had focused on eating disorders (the likely victims, the deadly consequences, the existing remedies and treatments) or other, more widespread public health problems... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461026 Fri, 01 Apr 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461027&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1080%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp A March 23, 2005 Wall Street Journal article by Jim Carlton informs readers that a "study" by an environmental group provides "fresh evidence of a potential pathway by which certain chemicals end up in people"... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461027 Thu, 24 Mar 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461028&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1045%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp New York, New York -- February 2, 2005. The American Council on Science and Health today warned of the serious and negative health implications of our nation's current fixation with removing "carcinogens" -- trace levels of chemicals that at high dose cause cancer in laboratory rodents -- from the food, water and general environment... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461028 Tue, 01 Feb 2005 05:00:00 +0100 461028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461029&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.1011%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp "Follow the money," Deep Throat warned Woodward and Bernstein as the two reporters were about to break open the Watergate scandal. Generally, this is good advice for anyone seeking to understand what is happening in a complicated business story. But not always. Former New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) editor-in-chief Jerome Kassirer would have us believe that contemporary medical scientific research is so riddled with financial conflicts of interests as to be all but worthless. His assessment of the current National Institutes of Health (NIH) cholesterol guidelines, which appeared in a Washington Post op-ed, "Why Should We Swallow What These Studies Say?" (Aug. 1), and is amplified in a new book bashing the pharmaceutical industry, On the Take: How Medicine's Complicity with Big Busin... Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461029 Mon, 13 Dec 2004 05:00:00 +0100 461029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461031&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.986%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson this week declared that the sudden shortage of influenza vaccine in the United States is "not a health crisis." He argued that anxious Americans should be patient while the government works to reallocate the nation's limited supply of vaccines. To his credit, Thompson was trying to prevent panic -- and prevent the long lines of flu-shot seekers we are increasingly seeing on the nightly news. But let's call a spade a spade... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461031 Thu, 21 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0100 461031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461030&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.985%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp October, 2004--New York, NY. Scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health analyzed the natural foods that make up a traditional holiday dinner -- and have found that they are loaded with "carcinogens": chemicals that in large doses cause cancer in laboratory animals. None of these chemicals are made by man or added to the foods. Indeed, all of these "carcinogens" occur naturally in foods. But ACSH scientists have good news: these natural carcinogens pose no hazard to human health... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461030 Thu, 21 Oct 2004 05:00:00 +0100 461030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461032&cid=t_115472_87_f&fid=34605&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acsh.org%2Fhealthissues%2FnewsID.968%2Fhealthissue_detail.asp TheScooponSmoking is a new ACSH website for teens. Warning labels that say "smoking may be hazardous to your health" are making one of the most profound understatements in human history. Now there's a website geared to teens that details the scientifically documented health effects of smoking -- instead of vague, sweeping warnings... (Source: Health Issues) Health Issues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461032 Thu, 23 Sep 2004 05:00:00 +0100 461032