Put that down! You don’t want to overdose on that glass of water, do you? Some substance might have left its imprint into the liquid’s memory, creating a potent drug…

Sound far-fetched? The British Parliament thinks so, which is why members of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee have recently condemned funding for homeopathic drugs.

Homeopathy is a medical system that operates based on the principle that the lower the dose of medication, the greater its effectiveness. By diluting a substance many times, the end product has only the “essence” of the substance but none of the active ingredients. (Read more…)

As the hoopla about swine flu continues to dominate the front pages and airwaves, let me draw your attention for a moment to a tiny story hidden away at the back of today’s New York Times.

It seems the gentleman infected with drug-resistant TB who ignored public health warnings and got on a series of airplanes in 2006 so he could go on his honeymoon is suing the Centers for Disease Control.  The agency released his medical records back then in an effort to find and stop him before he infected anyone else.  Apparently, the stress caused by the damage this did to his professional reputation and marriage (which ended in divorce) are worth some undisclosed amount.

Let’s try not to laugh too hard at this irony, lest we uncover our mouths in public.  And here’s to all who exhibit personal responsibility and restraint to help improve public health!

Now, I must go wash my hands for a full 20 seconds.