US Department of Health & Human Services

US Department of Health & Human Services' Opinions

Pregnancy Is the withdrawal method an effective form of contraception? Disagree [It is false that] pulling out is a very good way to keep from getting a girl pregnant. Some semen leaks before ejaculation. You can get a girl pregnant even if you withdraw (pull out). And it's difficult to withdraw just before ejaculating. Edit Pitches 01 Jul 1999    Source Is moderate drinking of alcohol while pregnant safe for the baby? Disagree No amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe during pregnancy. Edit Pitches 21 Feb 2005    Source Sex Do condoms effectively prevent HIV? Agree Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, are highly effective in preventing transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Edit Pitches 02 Jun 2000    Source Agree intact condoms... are essentially impermeable to particles the size of STD pathogens including the smallest sexually transmitted virus... condoms provide a highly effective barrier to transmission of particles of similar size to those of the smallest STD viruses. Edit Pitches 10 Oct 2003    Source Crime Are computer games a significant cause of violence? Mostly Disagree We clearly associate media violence to aggressive behavior. But the impact was very small compared to other things. Some may not be happy with that, but that's where the science is. Edit Pitches 11 Apr 2003    Source Smoking Does smoking cause cancer? Agree ...the health effects of smoking provides a startling picture of the damage to health caused by tobacco use. Smoking injures almost all bodily organs, and tragically this injury often leads to incurable disease and death. The comprehensive review process that is the foundation of this series of reports has found new causal associations of smoking with disease, reemphasizing the need for continued monitoring of scientific evidence on the health effects of smoking. Edit Pitches 01 Jan 2004    Source Is second hand smoke a significant safety concern? Agree Today, massive and conclusive scientific evidence documents adverse effects of involuntary smoking on children and adults, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases in adults, and adverse respiratory effects in both children and adults. Edit Pitches 27 Jun 2006    Source Skin Do sunscreens work? Mostly Agree [Yes, but] recent research suggests that sunscreen, by itself, is not an adequate strategy for UV protection. Many people use sunscreens if they intend to stay out in the sun for a long period of time, and they reduce the use of other forms of sun protection (e.g., clothing or hats). They thereby receive the same or even a higher amount of UV exposure than they would have obtained during a shorter stay with no sunscreen. Edit Pitches 01 Dec 2004    Source Does sun exposure cause skin cancer? Agree The relationship between skin cancer and ultraviolet radiation is well established. Behaviors such as seeking shade, avoiding sun exposure during peak hours of radiation, wearing protective clothing, or some combination of these behaviors can provide protection. Edit Pitches 01 Dec 2004    Source Neutral It is not known [...] if reduction of exposure to UV radiation through the use of sunscreens and/or protective clothing or through limitation of exposure time can reduce the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in humans. ... The relationship between UV radiation exposure and cutaneous melanoma is less clear ... A meta-analysis of 18 studies that explored the association between melanoma risk and previous sunscreen use [...] suggests an absence of an association. Edit Pitches 10 Apr 2008    Source

Science Are we prepared for a pandemic? Disagree The world is obviously unprepared or inadequately prepared for the potential of a pandemic. ... Pandemics have been with us from the beginning of time and they will be with us in the centuries in the future. We haven't seen one for some 30 years and consequently we forget, but we cannot forget because ultimately they happen. Edit Pitches 01 Jan 2006    Source Do the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks? Agree Vaccines have been so successful in preventing disease in the US that in recent years, the annual number of reports to VAERS have exceeded the total number of reports of routine childhood vaccine-preventable disease. This may lead some people to believe that the vaccines are dangerous. [In reality] the risk of a serious adverse reaction to an immunization is extremely small. The risk of the disease itself is substantially more serious than the risk of the immunization. Edit Pitches 23 Apr 2007    Source Health Is Aspartame safe for human consumption? Agree Since it was first approved for use in the United States, the safety of aspartame has been questioned by some. To date, however, the agency has not been presented with scientific information that would support a change in our conclusions about the safety of aspartame. Those conclusions are based on a detailed review of a large body of information, including more than 100 toxicological and clinical studies regarding the sweetener's safety. Edit Pitches 08 May 2006    Source Cancer Is sunscreen toxic? Disagree [No, for example] the safety and efficacy data for [the new sunscreen] Anthelios SX included information from 28 studies in over 2500 patients, ranging in age from 6 months to over 65 years old. In addition, the contribution of each of the active ingredients to sun protection was studied. Side effects reported during clinical studies were infrequent and non-serious. Edit Pitches 24 Jul 2006    Source Does Protocell work? Disagree [Cancell] is a liquid that was promoted as a treatment for cancer and other diseases. Cancell was made using different mixtures of ingredients, mainly by two companies, since the late 1930s. None of the common chemicals in these products is known to be effective in treating any type of cancer. Since 1989, it has been illegal in the United States to make, sell, or give Cancell as a treatment for any disease. Edit Pitches 09 Apr 2008    Source Drugs Can hallucinogens enrich one's life? Disagree There have been no properly controlled research studies on the specific effects of these [hallucinogenic] drugs on the human brain, but smaller studies and several case reports have been published documenting some of the effects associated with the use of hallucinogens. [editor: the article then lists numerous negative effects of the drugs] Edit Pitches 01 Jun 2009    Source Are flashbacks a substantial risk of using LSD? Agree LSD users can also experience flashbacks, or recurrences of certain aspects of the drug experience. Flashbacks occur suddenly, often without warning, and may do so within a few days or more than a year after LSD use. In some individuals, the flashbacks can persist and cause significant distress or impairment in social or occupational functioning, a condition known as hallucinogen-induced persisting perceptual disorder (HPPD). Edit Pitches 01 Jun 2009    Source

Comparisons with Other Experts and Influencers

The similarity between US Department of Health & Human Services and each expert and influencer is calculated by looking at how the same questions were answered. These figures are used to calculate conforming, nonconforming, and projected opinions. The accuracy of the analysis depends on US Department of Health & Human Services' coverage, which grows with the number of their opinions entered into TakeOnIt.

Conforming Opinions

US Department of Health & Human Services' conforming opinions are opinions that align with the group of experts and influencers US Department of Health & Human Services typically agrees with.

Projected Opinions

US Department of Health & Human Services' projected opinions are opinions US Department of Health & Human Services is expected to have if their opinions align with the experts and influencers that they typically agree with.