Public Health Policy
Air Pollution and Your Heart
Even small changes in outdoor air pollution levels can have a significant impact on heart health, according to a study in The Lancet Planetary Health, which examined data from...
Remembering Kirk Smith, 1947-2020
“Some have greatness thrust upon ’em,” Shakespeare wrote in Twelfth Night. Others have greatness thrust two flights up. I was in the latter group.
The office of Kirk R. Smith,...
American Cancer Society Updates Guideline For Exercise and Foods to Limit
Exercising more and limiting (or even avoiding) certain foods are among the key steps recommended to prevent cancer in an updated guideline from the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Based on...
Where Are All the Women?
Nearly 30 years ago, the Revitalization Act of 1993 established legal requirements and guidelines to ensure that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) include women in its clinical research...
Smoke Screen
I’m a big film fan—and if you’re like me, you’ve watched a record-number of movies at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. But I’m not a fan of seeing actors...
The Scourge of Vaping
If you’ve been following the news over the last nine months, you have undoubtably heard about the health crisis involving the use of vaping devices (commonly referred to as...
Defining ‘Daily Values’
It helps to have a basic understanding of what Daily Values (DVs) and %DVs are on the Nutrition Facts panel on packaged foods, since they figure so prominently in...
Meet Your New Nutrition Label
If you’re among the many grocery shoppers who regularly use the Nutrition Facts label on food packages to help guide what you buy, you likely have noticed big changes...
Drive High, Get a DUI?
As more states legalize marijuana (cannabis), readers have asked if there is a legal blood limit considered “driving under the influence” (DUI), as there is for alcohol. The answer...