ACSH in the Media: Across America and Around the World!

By ACSH Staff — Feb 25, 2019
One of the most beautiful aspects of science is that it transcends culture and language. Facts are facts, no matter if you speak English or German. That's why we are so happy to see that our work is being cited, not just across America, but all over the globe. Here's where the Council's impact has been felt in recent days.
Credit: Arielinson/Wikipedia

One of the most beautiful aspects of science is that it transcends culture and language. Facts are facts, no matter if you speak English or German. That is why we are so happy to see that our work is being cited not just across America but around the entire world! Here's where we appeared in recent days:

1) Dr. Jamie Wells was quoted in an article about diabetes for U.S. News & World Report. Diabetes is a growing problem in the United States, so it is good to know the warning signs, such as polyuria (excessive urine volume) and extreme thirst.

2) Dr. Wells was also profiled as a physician leader by the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation. Congratulations, Jamie!

3) Dr. Alex Berezow was quoted in an article about "germs" for Reader's Digest. "The dirty secret about avoiding germs is that germs are everywhere," he reminded the magazine. If you're a healthy person, your immune system can take care of most of them without you even being aware of it. As a society, we have become a bit too germophobic. It's a good idea to wash your hands before a meal, after using the bathroom, or after returning home from being in public. Otherwise, relax.

4) Dr. Berezow was also quoted in an article about flu and food poisoning for Men's Health. People often get the two confused, but that's largely due to the sloppiness of our colloquial language. There's no such thing as the "24-hour flu" or the "stomach flu." Those conditions, which involve vomiting and diarrhea, are generally indicative of food poisoning. Flu, on the other hand, is often symptomatically indistinguishable from a really bad cold.

5) Our former colleague, Dr. Julianna LeMieux, was cited by an article for Der Spiegel. The popular German media outlet linked to her piece on how getting rid of old toys can improve children's playtime. (Nobody here speaks German, but we're glad that somebody at Der Spiegel speaks English!) Dr. LeMieux was also cited by the student newspaper of Portland State University in an article about pitfalls in the peer review system.

6) Dr. Charles Dinerstein's article on diet soda was cited in New Zealand Herald. A rather shabby study linked diet soda to strokes, and Dr. Dinerstein righteously debunked it. In fact, the study was so bad that he called it "fake news."

7) Dr. Josh Bloom's article on how HPV can be cured using light was promoted by the conservative outlet PJ Media.

8) Two of Dr. Berezow's articles were cited. His article on the biological differences between male and female athletes was cited by the conservative outlet NewsBusters, and his article on the Journal of Controversial Ideas was cited by BioEdge, a website on bioethics news.