Author: Erin Elizabeth

On June 28th, a panel of physicians and other medical experts reported that there isn’t enough evidence to recommend healthy (those who are not pregnant and who do not have pelvic symptoms, i.e., pain or unusual bleeding) women continue to get annual pelvic exams. While millions of women undergo this routine exam every year, the US Preventive Services Task Force- which advises the federal government on preventive care- concluded that studies have not shown that pelvic exams decrease a woman’s chance of developing illnesses such as ovarian cancer or of dying prematurely. Also on Tuesday, in a rather surprising...

By Carey Gillam  It’s been a rough year for Big Soda, sellers of those sugary soft drinks that kids (and adults) love to chug. A June 16 decision by city leaders in Philadelphia to impose a “soda tax” as a means to discourage consumption of beverages seen as unhealthy is only the latest in a string of bad news for companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, which have seen soft drink sales steadily declining. Nervous investors drove shares in those companies lower after the Philadelphia move in recognition of what is but the latest evidence that consumers, lawmakers and health experts...