When it comes to food, humans aren’t the only ones trending toward a slightly more premium product: J.M. Smucker Co. said today that its pet food sales in the U.S. fell more than 6% because picky pet owners just aren’t choosing Kibbles ’n Bits as much. [More]
health
Florida Looking Into New Non-Travel Related Case Of Zika On Gulf Coast
By 8.23.16
Until now, the non-travel related cases of Zika that have popped up in Florida have been limited to a certain area in downtown Miami, as well as Miami Beach. That could be changing, after Gov. Rick Scott’s office said officials may have identified a new case of the virus that could possibly be linked to local mosquitoes on the Gulf Coast. [More]
City’s Health Board Says Man Can Keep Decorative Portable Toilets On His Property
By 8.23.16
Your neighbors might not like it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plunk a few brightly-colored, non-working portable toilets on your property, at least in one Massachusetts town. [More]
New Cluster Of Zika Cases Linked To Local Mosquitoes Reported In Miami Beach
By 8.19.16
The tally of Zika cases linked to bites from local mosquitoes down in Florida has just grown, after health officials said they’ve identified new cases in Miami Beach. [More]
State Fairs Of Yesteryear Often Featured Creepy Baby-Judging Contests
By 8.16.16
Just imagine: you’re standing in the crowd at the state fair, gaze fixed on a stage filled not with plump vegetables, carefully crafted pies, or prize cows, but babies. Yes, the past could get pretty creepy. [More]
FTC Sends Warning Letters To Online Marketers Peddling Ineffective Zika-Prevention Products
By 8.5.16
It’s been a busy week for authorities going after sham products: a day after the New York Attorney General’s office announced that six companies had agreed to stop selling products that are ineffective at warding off Zika-carrying mosquitoes, the Federal Trade Commission is reminding a slew of businesses marketing Zika-prevention products that it’s illegal to make health claims that simply aren’t true. [More]
Probably Avoid These Skin Care Products If You Don’t Want Mercury Poisoning
By 8.5.16
Mercury poisoning doesn’t sound fun, but it also doesn’t necessarily sound like something the average consumer runs into a lot in modern cosmetic aisles, what with federal regulations banning dangerous levels of the stuff. However, there are a slew of illegal skin care products for sale out there that contain mercury, and the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t want folks slathering them on their bodies. [More]
Bottled Water Expected To Outsell Soda For The First Time Soon
By 8.2.16
It might not come as a surprise to hear that bottled water sales will soon outstrip those of soda for the first time ever. After all, companies have been pushing calorie-free drinks as alternatives to the sweet stuff for some time as consumer preferences have changed. But bottled water’s burgeoning popularity isn’t just about cutting calories. [More]
Florida Officials Investigating 4 Cases Of Zika That May Have Been Transmitted By Mosquitoes
By 7.29.16
For the first time in the U.S., health officials believe local mosquitoes may have transmitted the Zika virus to humans. [More]
Anyone Can Make & Market A Dietary Supplement, Including Consumer Reports
By 7.27.16
When you see ads for dietary supplements, there are often scientists in lab coats looking at beakers and flasks, saying science-y things. In the real world, just about anyone with a credit card can make and market a supplement, even one that contains potentially unhealthy ingredients. Just ask our colleagues at Consumer Reports, the creators of the new (totally fake) weight-loss supplement Thinitol. [More]
15 Dietary Supplement Ingredients To Avoid
July 27, 2016
Taking a stroll down the dietary supplements aisle can be bewildering, what with the variety of ingredients plastered all over labels, suggesting they can help with this or that ailment. But there are some ingredients out there that may do more harm than good. [More]
7 “Health” Products From The Past That Would Never Make It Onto Shelves Today
By 7.22.16
If someone walked up to you today and suggested you drink radioactive water to reinvigorate your body, or offered you a cigarette to ease your asthma symptoms, you’d probably walk away quickly, in the hope that such craziness isn’t contagious. Yet not that long ago, these and other questionable “health” products were openly marketed to the public as great ideas. [More]
Cancer Centers Tripled Ad Spending In Last Decade; Are They Pushing Hope Or Hype?
By 7.18.16
If you watch cable TV — especially basic cable during the daytime — you’ve likely seen your share of heartwarming ads showing off cancer survivors who were saved from the brink by the handsome physicians and nurses at [Fill In The Blank] cancer treatment center. Over the last decade, direct-to-consumer marketing by cancer centers has soared, with much of that spending concentrated in the hands of about two dozen operators. However, some doctors are concerned that these ads aren’t selling patients on the reality, but on the experiences of a few rare cases. [More]
CDC: Rio Olympics Won’t Increase Risk Of Zika Transmission
By 7.13.16
If you’re planning on traveling to Rio de Janeiro in August for the Olympics, you can worry about your team winning or whether or not you’ll catch a glimpse of a famous athlete, but the Centers for Disease Control says you probably shouldn’t be concerned about an increased risk of catching the Zika virus. [More]
Synthetic Marijuana Known As K2 Linked To 33 Overdoses In Brooklyn
By 7.13.16
We’ve written in the past about the dangers of using illegal synthetic marijuana, with hospital officials reporting a spike in hospitalizations related to the drug in recent years. Now, officials in New York City say they suspect a strain called K2 caused 33 overdose in one particular area of Brooklyn where the drug is extremely popular. [More]
Researchers Detect Early Stages Of Alzheimer’s Disease In Mice With An Eye Exam
By 7.12.16
Could it be possible to detect Alzheimer’s disease in the early stages with just an eye exam? That’s the possibility researchers are floating after they were able to spot signs of Alzheimer’s in the retinas of mice using a special, non-invasive camera. [More]
Does Knowing The Calorie Count Change What Food You Decide To Order Online?
By 6.28.16
When the Food and Drug Administration’s new calorie labeling rules go into effect next year, consumers will not only see calorie counts on menu boards in stores, but in online menus as well. But will coming face-to-face with your caloric decisions change what you order when you order food online? [More]
Teen Dies After Getting Infected By Brain-Eating Amoeba While Swimming In NC
By 6.23.16
Every year, we’re more than happy to welcome back summer and all the fun that goes with it. But with those warm-weather activities also comes an unfortunate but important safety reminder: don’t let warm, fresh water go up your nose, lest a brain-eating amoeba swims up there with it. [More]
