ACSH Science Dispatch

Now that the political drama around gas stoves has waned, it's time to discuss the science. Here's what all the talking heads got wrong. Does secondhand weed smoke cause asthma? Maybe, though the most recent study cited as evidence isn't all that rigorous. Join host Cameron English as he sits down Dr. Chuck Dinerstein to break down these stories on episode 33 of the Science Dispatch podcast:

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) recently concluded that gas stoves have polluted our indoor spaces. So polluted that “more than 12% of current childhood asthma cases in the US can be attributed to gas stove use.” Could that be true? Only if you believe in Mathmagic.

Asthma is a significant disease; among children, the prevalence is between 7 and 11%. The exacerbation of asthma by second-hand tobacco smoke is well documented, but as smoking tobacco has declined, smoking wacky weed has increased. What effect has this second-hand smoke had on “the children?”

Sweden garnered both intense criticism and high praise for its  conservative pandemic response. How did the country's COVID-19 outcomes compare to those of the US and other countries? From deforestation to  climate change and pollution, headline after headline warns that we're  rapidly destroying our planet. These scandalous assertions are out of step with the latest evidence.

Join host Cameron English as he sits down Dr. Chuck Dinerstein to break down these stories on episode 32 of the Science Dispatch podcast:

Sweden has been the poster child of the live-free-or-die, no-lockdown  crowd. The Great Barrington Declaration has its roots in the Swedish  response. But beyond those snippets, what actually took place there? It  is time for many of us, including myself, to find out.

Dreary, despondent headlines about pollution and climate change are  the norm. But they are not painting an accurate picture. Many countries  are making serious efforts to protect the environment. Human ingenuity  is the ultimate resource. 

Former surgeon general C. Everett Koop was a towering figure in the  world of public health. A pediatric surgeon with deeply held religious  convictions, Koop was an iconoclast willing to challenge the accepted  wisdom of both major political parties when their platforms contradicted  the evidence. What could public health officials today learn from  Koop's example?

Join host Cameron English as he sits down Dr. Chuck Dinerstein and ACSH contributor Barbara Pfeffer Billauer  to break down these stories on episode 31 of the Science Dispatch podcast:

The recipe for good public health policy is like a souffle—simple  ingredients combined in a complex manner. Done well, it’s a delight.  Heavy-handed, using sour (outdated) ingredients, it’s a mess, even  toxic.

Everett Koop was a man of morals. A religious man who read the bible.  He was also a man of science. He got his job through politics. Yet he  knew how to keep these forces separate. Nowhere was this more apparent  than in his pushback against political pressures to oppose abortion on  health grounds and to educate the populace about AIDS and tobacco use.

Heavy metals in baby food do not cause autism. Listen in as we discuss the evidence. Dropping an F-bomb now and again might confer an important health benefit, according to recent research. Do we finally have a scientific justification for the use of colorful language? 

Join host Cameron English as he sits down Dr. Chuck Dinerstein and ACSH contributor Susan Goldhaber to break down these stories on episode 30 of the Science Dispatch podcast:

Swearing – defined as speaking “specific, negatively charged, and often emotionally loaded terms” – violates our norms of both the sacred and profane. While polite society often reflects on swearing’s negatives, it turns out that there are some health benefits for the sender (but not the receiver).

I almost drove off the road listening to an ad from a law firm urging parents with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to be part of a lawsuit suing baby food manufacturers for causing their child’s condition. According to the ad, the question of what causes ASD has been settled and what remains is for parents to get what is owed them from baby food manufacturers that have been hiding the truth from the public for years.

A recent study found that marijuana smoke may cause emphysema. The problem? The study was complete garbage. Celebrities and social-media "influencers" are hyping the weight-loss benefits of repurposed diabetes drugs. Should these medicines really be used to slim down? It's complicated.

Join host Cameron English as he sits down Dr. Chuck Dinerstein to break down these stories on episode 29 of the Science Dispatch podcast:

“In a new analysis of medical records, cannabis smokers had higher rates of a certain type of emphysema than tobacco smokers.” It's another attention-grabbing headline that fails to tell the whole story. Let’s skip the public relations version and consider the study's findings.

Ozempic, a drug indicated for Type 2 diabetes, has become the latest weight-loss darling. Not since ivermectin has a drug gained so much interest from its off-label uses. Let’s take a deeper look at the science and a regulatory conundrum.

A ferocious debate ensued over Emily Oster's recent call in the Atlantic for COVID "amnesty." Everybody in the dispute is wrong. Should you drink Smart Water? Only if you're "dumb," says our resident chemist. 

Join host Cameron English as he sits down Dr. Chuck Dinerstein and Dr. Josh Bloom to break down these stories on episode 28 of the Science Dispatch podcast:

Emily Oster, an economist and popular author on the real facts of parenting, suggested that it was time for a COVID amnesty. There was a quick, demonstrative, and at times, angry response from many sources. I have studied acknowledging, correcting, and atoning for medical mistakes, including my own, for decades. Here is what I am thinking.

If you watch TV, ads for Coca-Cola's Smart Water are inescapable. Also inescapable is that the ads suggest that the stuff will make you smart or perhaps offer some other health benefit. But the only thing smart about Smart Water is Coca-Cola's ability to make you shell out money to buy something you could pretty much get from a fire hydrant in Newark.

30 years ago, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) launched a PR campaign against a plant-growth regulator called Alar, effectively eliminating use of the chemical in agriculture. What's the legacy of this infamous anti-chemical scare? The New York Times continues to attack good scientists on the say-so of environmental groups. The paper is trashing its credibility. 

Join our directors of bio-sciences and medicine, Cameron English and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein, as they break down these stories on episode 27 of the Science Dispatch podcast.

Meryl Streep, a proud Vassar grad, recently received a Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater. But rather than stress her stellar career as an actor, she discussed an earlier moment as a citizen-scientist. “Once you know how to search out and credit the facts around certain problems, you are called on by your conscience to act on them. The Vassar conscience rings a bell in your head; it’s a call to action in your heart.” The problem? Alar.

The New York Times has again attacked an upstanding scientist based on claims made by duplicitous activist groups. This episode illustrates why the public's trust in media is plummeting.

"It can disappear in a moment," Dr. Chuck Dinerstein said after his near-fatal battle with a pulmonary embolism. How should our mortality influence our worldviews? Unregulated medical devices may put patients in harm's way. Why is the Cleveland Clinic parroting anti-vaping talking points from the Truth Initiative? 

Join ACSH directors of bio-sciences and medicine, Cameron English and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein, as they break down these stories on episode 26 of the Science Dispatch podcast.

Last week I stopped breathing. If it was not for my wife, who gave me some breaths, and the village of people who subsequently cared for me, we would be speaking through a Ouija Board.

Sepsis is an overwhelming infection: bacterial, viral, or fungal. It requires immediate medical attention and intervention. EPIC, the company with the largest share of the electronic medical records market, developed an algorithm to help physicians timely identify at-risk patients. An independent study shows that it is not helpful. Is this healthcare’s 737Max moment?

The Cleveland Clinic, one of the world's foremost academic medical centers, has jumped on the anti-vaping bandwagon, perpetuating unfiltered nonsense about the health effects of nicotine.

In the wake of legalization campaigns across the US, medicinal and recreational use of cannabis have gained widespread support, with nearly 60 million Americans reporting use of marijuana in 2020. The drug is thought to pose minimal risk while offering a number of potential medical benefits. Nevertheless, there can be significant health risks associated with cannabis use. Just as we openly discuss the harms associated with alcohol, tobacco, and, opioids, so too should we discuss the downsides of cannabis use, argues Dr. Roneet Lev.

Ronnet Lev is a nationally acclaimed medical expert and speaker who continues to treat patients in the emergency department. She is dually board-certified in emergency and addiction medicine, bringing over 25 years of experience treating frontline cases of addiction.

Some cancers can be detected based on the fungi that grow within tumors, researchers say. Could this discovery lead to a life-saving screening technique? ACSH debated a pair of "fat  acceptance" advocates on Dr. Phil. Let's break down the discussion.

Join our directors of bio-sciences and chemistry, Cameron English and  Dr. Josh Bloom, as they break down these stories on episode 24 of the Science Dispatch podcast.

An Israeli group has discovered that some cancers can be identified  by blood tests that identify the DNA of different fungi that grow within  different tumors. Could this be a breakthrough in cancer screening? Or  maybe more? A strange but fascinating theory.

Cameron English recently appeared on "Dr. Phil" to discuss the  fat-acceptance movement—a dangerous, misnamed "social justice" cause  that needs to die an abrupt death. Let's break down the debate that  ensued.