The pharmaceutical industry and the press's praise of hormone replacement therapy comes to a halt in 2002; what the scientific studies that cause this turnaround say; whether men are falling prey to the same marketing tactics regarding testosterone.

What happens when the brain slams into the side of the skull; the media's coverage of cases of concussion and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy; how selective reporting can lull people into believing an issue has been adequately addressed.

Whether prescription drug X is a wonder drug or a disastrous failure; using two drugs as case studies; learning how to better understand and evaluate the media description of prescription drugs; institutional changes regarding data availability.

The changing perceptions of marijuana's safety and usefulness; different stakeholders affect media coverage; the medical use of cannabis in the US is driven by well-designed scientific studies; news reports addressing its efficacy and safety.

The media focus on weight loss is no surprise; two of every three Americans are overweight; one needs science-backed nutrition and weight-loss advice; reading beneath the headlines to determine if an article's content is salient to one's health.

Americans turn to alternative-medicine approaches that are never studied; why fish oil supplements are a $1.2-billion industry, despite research that shows no health benefit from their use; individuals continue to turn to stem cell infusions.