One of the greatest public health successes of the 20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the fluoridation of most public water systems in an effort to control tooth decay. But recent research is showing that fluoride has several significant downsides—including harming the creation of tooth enamel.
When Time magazine asked to Dr. Water Willett, of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard, to name the most significant scientific news of the 20th century, he said simply, “We changed the fats in our diet.”
“America has the best healthcare in the world.” But is that true, or just more political jargon? Certainly Americans spend more than any other industrialized country on healthcare. But America falls short in how long we live—or how well.
Today’s news, both political and financial, is filled with tales of greed and corruption. Vested interests ensure that earmarks litter important legislation. The lust for a quick profit and lax regulation have led to bank closures. Wall Street and Capitol Hill are now awash in finger-pointing by consumers whose investments are worth a fraction of […]
The investigators and institutions that have been participating in the National Institutes of Health Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) have temporarily and voluntarily suspended enrollment of new participants in the study. The lead TACT investigator, Gervasio Lamas, M.D., of the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, received a complaint from an outside party […]
Your Voice Counts on Capitol Hill The frenzied activity in Congress over the banking crisis is in response, at least in part, to an unprecedented outpouring of voter outrage. Less well publicized was the reaction to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). It provoked the greatest outpouring of voter activity that Capitol Hill […]
Hope For Traumatic Brain Injury, Diabetic Failure-to-Heal Wounds, and More? On September 30, President Bush signed into law the FY2009 Continuing Resolution that contains the Defense Appropriations bill. In doing so, crucial funding became available to complete a scientific study important to all Americans.
Over ten years ago, pharmaceutical residues were found in lakes in Switzerland. A girl in middle school in West Virginia read about the drugs in Swiss lakes, and wondered about drugs in our nation’s waters. Local school teachers had no answers for her. She asked the U.S. Geological Survey and they also had no information. […]
More and more evidence being published in conventional medical journals show a correlation between heavy metals and heart disease. Lead is linked to high blood pressure; mercury is linked to the incidence of heart attacks.
The Food and Drug Administration has released proposed guidelines for regulating genetically engineered animals, paving the way for them to enter the food supply. This news has stunned many consumer groups. It is estimated that as many as two dozen applications to sell genetically engineered animals are already pending before the FDA.