Germ Theory Versus Terrain: The Wrong Side Won the Day
Whereas most Americans probably have heard of Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), it is doubtful that many are familiar with the name and work of Antoine Béchamp (1816–1908). The two […]
Children’s Love Affair with Tablets: Neither Cute nor Harmless
In 2010, Apple launched its first iPad. The event made a big splash in the tech marketplace, almost instantly transforming tablets from “fictional gadgets from the future” into […]
Cuppa Joe or Cuppa Jolt? Why You Should Avoid Coffee
Coffee plays a prominent role in the culinary and cultural landscape of the United States and many other nations. Whether imbibed in the form of endless watery refills […]
Medicate Your Cares Away? Think Twice About Antidepressants
A review of some of the anti-depressant risks.
Uptight and Out of Sight: The Global Constipation Epidemic
In the penultimate volume of J.K. Rowling’s famed Harry Potter series, when the dark forces led by “you-know-who” (aka Lord Voldemort) seem to be unstoppable in their takeover […]
Mercury’s Poisonous Persistence in the Medical Armamentarium
Reading Between the Lines Mercury, science and medicine have a long, intertwined history, dating back to ancient times.1 Historians believe that Arab physicians were using mercury compounds as […]
Modern Assaults on the Thyroid
Thyroid health is critically important. The thyroid gland—which makes and secretes hormones that regulate metabolism—influences cells, tissues and organs throughout the body. As one thyroid expert puts it, […]
Red Meat: The Food They Love to Hate
In late October 2015, one of the nutrition establishment’s most cherished villains—red meat—hit the newsstands again in a big way. A report by the cancer agency of the […]
Microwave Radiation Coming to a Lamppost Near You
In an exceptionally short period of time, cellular technologies have become a dominant fixture of modern-day life. When the first clunky cell phones became commercially available in the […]
Much Ado about Obstetric Dilemmas
When you are an excited mom-to-be, and you know that natural childbirth is important for the health of mother and child, ending up with a cesarean section (c-section) […]
MSG: Three Little Letters that Spell Big Fat Trouble
Chances are, if you are not obese yourself, you know someone who is. Nearly two-fifths (38 percent) of all adults in the U.S. are obese, as are over […]
Growing and Eating: What Teenage Boys Do Best
My teenage sons have always had hearty appetites. Even as babies, the boys nursed enthusiastically. Later, they developed a genuinely omnivorous appreciation for the seasonally varied, nutrient-dense diet […]
Soy Infant Formula and Autism
Rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are skyrocketing. According to the most recent National Health Interview Survey from 2014, 2 percent of children aged three to seventeen in […]
Zika and the Rush to Judgement
Reading Between the Lines Not infrequently, individuals who assertively proclaim that “the science” and “the facts” buttress their position on a given topic do so with the intention […]
Understanding the Concussion Epidemic: The Importance of Nourishing the Brain
When the film Concussion was released in late 2015, pundits noted that the topic of sports-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) had “gone Hollywood.”1 Although the movie focuses on […]
Lead in the Water: Flint’s Cautionary Tale
Reading Between the Lines Nutrition Updates by Merinda Teller, MPH, PhD Historians may disagree about the extent to which the decline of the Roman Empire can be attributed […]