From the American Council on Science and Health

-Featured Article -

Some consequences for Dr. Oz’s flim-flam “medical” advice - A Columbia faculty Chair and even Oprah seem to be distancing themselves from Dr. Oz. It’s about time, given both his unprofessional demeanor and potentially harmful“medical” advice on his TV show, and his attempt to distract attention from his own malfeasance. Read more

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Abuse-Deterrent Narcotics: A good idea with unintended consequences. - It is hardly news that the US is plagued by an enormous narcotic addiction problem and thanks to new technology, there is a method that minimize opioid abuse. But unfortunately, with drug abuse, nothing is simple. Read more.

Small Study, but big step forward for gene therapy - Gene therapy has been thought of as the holy grail of treatment for genetic disorders, but unfortunately the technique has been as elusive for researchers as the grail was for Arthur. However, a new study is bringing hope that gene therapy is closer to a reality than ever before. Read more.

Early trial for type 1 diabetes vaccine shows promise - Type 1 diabetes affects close to 1.25 million Americans, and those affected by the disease must take insulin injections daily. While there is no cure for type 1 diabetes, researchers have successfully completed the first step in developing a vaccine to prevent the condition. Read more.

Senate slated to take up cosmetic safety and regulation. Why? - Senators are pushing a bill to tighten FDA regulation of cosmetics — but why? One reason: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), whose antipathy to all things chemical is well known. Doesn’t the drug agency have bigger threats to regulate? Read more.

Newt Gingrich and the Times: They need to rethink their priorities. - Yes, Newt and The New York Times, we DO need more NIH funding. Especially for antibiotic research—something that was not even mentioned once in Gingrich’s op-ed on the topic. ACSH Advisors Dr. David Shlaes weighs in. Read more.

At home and abroad, vaccines are making waves in the news this week. - Measles in Florida, ignorance in Australia, and movement on the California bill to end “philosophical” vaccine exemptions led the vaccine news this week. Plus the WHO released some cautionary data leading up to World Immunization Week. Read more.

NY Times editorial and op-ed sows confusion between e-cigs and real ones. - New York Times tag-teams e-cigarettes, part of the media crusade orchestrated by the top levels of America’s “public health” and abetted by willing lackeys such as The Times, Matt Myers and ex-FDA head David Kessler. Read more.

American inactivity reaches new high, even higher for arthritis sufferers. - The Physical Activity Council recently released data on the activity levels of Americans in 2014 and the results are troubling, but not just for obesity. Arthritis sufferers are also missing the mark on physical activity. Read more.

GSK’s experimental shingles vaccine over 97 percent effective, according to researchers. - Shingles, caused by a reactivation of the dormant chickenpox virus, can be painful and life-altering. While Merck’s Zostavax is on the market, GSK’s experimental vaccine is reported to be much more effective across all age groups in a Phase III trial. Read more.

It’s early but new drug for lowering cholesterol looks promising. - A new way of lowering LDL cholesterol? Researchers have reviewed 24 clinical trials in which a new drug made with a monoclonal antibodies were used, it might be too soon to say for sure that it saves lives, but it the results look promising. Read more.

Some food labels probably overestimate calorie content. - When is a calorie not a calorie? Never, but the calories listed on food labels aren’t always correct. The news maybe disconcerting to dieters who rely on food labels to count calories but depending on the type of nutrients, the numbers may be as much as 25% too high. Read more.

Childhood bullying: More than just a temporary nuisance. - It is hardly news that bullying in school is a serious problem for the victims, which can lead to suicide, violent outbursts and depression. But, a new study shows that bullying can also be permanent. Read more.

Too much TV is not good for children. But how much is that? - TV viewing, even briefly, found to be associated with weight gain in children. Can TV cause obesity? No. Can sedentary behavior — for which TV may well be a surrogate — promote obesity? Yes it can, but how much is “too much.”So let’s not mix up cause and effect. Read more.

New study suggests salt has no effect on teens’ blood pressure, but potassium does. - US health officials have long warned that for teenagers, too much salt can raise lifelong risk of high blood pressure. A new study suggests that salt has no effect on teens’ blood pressure, however, a diet rich in potassium leads to more long-term health benefits. Read more.

California vaccine bill progresses through another committee. - California vaccination bill has passed another hurdle, this time the State Senate's Judiciary Committee, in its tortuous route to approval. Hopefully it will be finalized before the next outbreak of vaccine-preventable, contagious disease! Read more.

Prominent anti-GMO activist changed his mind after learning the science. - In his op-ed in Sunday’s NYTimes, former anti-GMO activist Mark Lynas explains his conversion to supporting biotechnology as a means of feeding the world’s increasing population, many of whom are or are fated to be malnourished without higher crop yields. Read more.

An effective vaccine plus a less contagious disease led to rubella eradication in the Americas. - Rubella, or more commonly German Measles, is no more — at least not in the Americas, according to global health authorities. In large part, we have an effective vaccine to thank for this success story. Read more.

The growing antibiotic crisis: Much talk, little action. - While we worry about minor issues, a really major one is barreling in on us. The WHO once again warns us of the consequences of the growing bacterial resistance crisis. Meanwhile, Tyson Foods helps a bit by removing antibiotics from its chicken. Read more.

Eating Homeopathic Cows - Just when you think things can't get any crazier, something like this comes around. Thanks to the European Commission, sick cattle will no longer be treated with medicine. Nope—just homeopathy. Should someone call PETA? ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom discusses on Science 2.0. Read more.

Europe has already pulled ahead of the US in drug approvals. Now, an HIV test too - Life can sure be funny. There have numerous debates about a longstanding “competition” between the US and EU. Which is more innovative? Where are drugs approved more quickly? A new at-home HIV test suggests that the US might be behind now. Read more.