The CDC reports a decline in US cigarette smoking rates, now at 9.1%, the lowest ever recorded, down from 10.1% in 2024. While electronic smoking rates remain steady at 6.7%, public health challenges persist, with 11.6% lacking health insurance. Effective… Read More »Some good news — US cigarette smoking rate hits a new low
Herd immunity is vital for protecting communities from infectious diseases through widespread vaccination. Despite the dismissal by anti-vaccine activists, the recent measles outbreaks highlight the importance of achieving high vaccination rates. Herd immunity benefits both individuals and society, safeguarding those… Read More »The importance of herd immunity and vaccines — saving lives
The CDC reported a historic high life expectancy of 79.0 years in the U.S. for 2024, up from 78.4 in 2023. Despite improvements, U.S. life expectancy lags behind other developed countries due to factors like higher infant mortality and healthcare… Read More »CDC says USA life expectancy hits an all-time high in 2024
A recent global ecological study links the consumption of ultraprocessed foods to increased premature deaths, indicating a dose-response relationship. While the findings suggest a correlation, they lack conclusive causation. The author expresses skepticism about the definitions and methodologies used, advocating… Read More »Ultraprocessed foods are linked to increased premature deaths
A CDC report suggests undetected transmission of bird flu from animals to humans, with asymptomatic cases possibly more prevalent than thought. A study of veterinary practitioners found antibodies in three individuals, indicating potential silent spread. While the current risk remains… Read More »Asymptomatic bird flu cases in humans may be a concern
A systematic study examines the benefits and risks of adding fluoride to water. It appears that the benefits outweigh the risks
Physicians are concerned about recent measles outbreaks in the USA, citing misinformation as a contributing factor. Lack of public memory of measles’ severity, due to vaccine success, has lowered vigilance. Highly contagious, measles’ complications can be severe including death, with… Read More »Measles outbreaks in the USA are a public health problem
It is a public health imperative that researchers continue to show that gun control laws save numerous lives.
I wanted to go back to vaping, and the safety of electronic cigarettes (EC, to save my typing fingers). ECs were originally developed as a tool to quit cigarette smoking, which is factually linked to lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. And if that’s all they did, then this article would be very short. But we really need to look at the science of the safety of vaping, and that’s going to take a lot of writing.
ECs have become much more than a tool to end smoking, they have evolved into a popular subculture phenomenon known as the “vaping community” that, in many respects, seems to parallel the marijuana advocates. The vaping community continues to push a belief that ECs are safer than traditional cigarettes, have little health risk to the vaper (electronic cigarette smoker), and is much more socially acceptable than smoking cigarettes or cigars.
One of the most ironic and amusing stories about ECs is that Jenny McCarthy, the antivaccination expert who thinks that all ingredients in vaccines are dangerous, has become an advocate for vaping. I bought a brand new, upgraded version 4.7, nuclear-powered irony meter, and it just broke. Thanks, Jenny.
During the 2022 midterm election, California voters decided to support a ban on flavored tobacco products, including flavored electronic cigarettes. That’s a step in the right direction to keep people, especially children and teens, from thinking that it’s like candy.
What are the dangers of electronic cigarettes? Are there any at all? Has the safety of vaping ever been adequately researched? This article is going to dig into it. And we’re going to have a boatload of fun from commenters because I have got a feeling that their beliefs matter more than science with respect to the overall safety of vaping.
Read More »Vaping safety — what does science say about electronic cigarettes
Many of you know who Dr. Leana Wen, MD, Research Professor of Health Policy and Management at George Washington University, is because she is one of the current voices in public health issues. She has written two books and she has been outspoken during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also the CEO of Planned Parenthood.
However, you may be like me, and you may have never heard of her before. It’s possible I read something about her in the past, but I just don’t remember it.
Unfortunately, she has been a target of both sides of the political spectrum — during the first part of the pandemic the anti-mask and anti-vaccine community despised her because she supported COVID-19 restrictions. Lately, she has supported the relaxation of those restrictions and has been attacked by some who think that those restrictions should remain, especially masks.
To be clear, I support keeping COVID-19 restrictions, at least through this winter, but I do not advocate violence against anyone, including Dr. Wen. No matter what the source of the attacks is, and I am embarrassed that it is my side that is the attacker, attacking scientists is against everything I stand for.
This week, Dr. Wen was supposed to speak at a panel discussion at the American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting in Boston that focused on countering backlash against public health. Ironic, isn’t it? At any rate, she withdrew because of “credible threats” against her.
Whether or not you support her public health policy statements, and I know a lot of my friends don’t, she is a credible scientist that shouldn’t be forced from an important public health forum because of reasons.
Read More »Public health expert Leana Wen skips talk because of “credible threats”