Over time, regulations and guidelines change, ongoing research produces new results, and manufactures and retailers implement new practices. Unlike many publications, A Voice for Choice Advocacy is committed to keeping our articles up-to-date, so even if an article was written months or years ago, it includes the most current information available.
By Kirsten Steinman EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Your almond milk stays smooth. Your salad dressing stays blended. Gellan gum is one ingredient food manufacturers use to create that consistency. Food-safety authorities have found no major concerns at estimated levels of...
By Carter Trent EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Five hours a day: that’s the average American’s screen time, and new research suggests it might be doing something eerily similar to early-stage dementia. From TikTok scrolling to AI doing your thinking for you, “digital dementia”...
Written by Audrey BeimEdited by Nicki Steinberger, PhD EDITOR’S SUMMARY: That “Dry Clean Only” tag on your favorite blazer comes with more than a price: the cleaning process can leave behind chemical residue. From a spilled kerosene lamp in 1855 to today’s $89 billion...
Written by Tracy Reilly and Nicki Steinberger, PhD EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Your body is an ecosystem, not a collection of isolated symptoms. Functional medicine starts there, looking at you as a whole person and exploring how your biology, history, environment and daily...
By Nicki Steinberger, PhD EDITOR’S SUMMARY: An unoccupied mind is anything but empty. In the spaces between tasks, entertainment, and endless input, something less visible is unfolding: memories settle, ideas connect, and the impulse for something new begins to reveal...
By Kirsten Steinman EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Lyme disease has been recognized for decades, yet some of its most consequential questions remain unsettled. From diagnostic blind spots and persistent symptoms to co-infections, overlooked pathogens and provocative clues buried...
By Jennifer Wolff-Gillispie HWP, LC EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Once regarded as a trusted medicine, later condemned as a dangerous drug, and now undergoing renewed scientific scrutiny, cannabis has rarely been understood without controversy. This balanced examination explores...
By Sarah Campise Hallier EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Propylparaben has been used as a preservative in personal care products, pharmaceuticals and food for nearly a century, and it remains one of the most studied and debated ingredients in consumer products. The controversy...
Written by Kerry Aoloni Research contributed by Karen HarringtonEdited by Nicki Steinberger, PhD EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Vitamin D has one of the best-documented deficiency diseases in medical history—and one of the clearest examples of a fat-soluble nutrient that can build...
Written by Sarah Campise HallierEdited by Kirsten Steinman and Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D. EDITOR’S SUMMARY: GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro have rapidly become some of the most prescribed drugs in the United States, offering meaningful weight loss for many...
By Kirsten Steinman EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Wool has clothed humanity for thousands of years—breathable, biodegradable, renewable and remarkably durable. But the fiber in your sweater today bears little resemblance to what early shepherds gathered by hand. Industrial...
By Jennifer Wolff-Gillispie HWP, LC EDITOR’S SUMMARY: We spend most of our lives indoors, yet rarely question what our homes may be releasing into the air we breathe. From off-gassing furniture and flooring to synthetic fragrances and hidden environmental hazards,...
By Kirsten Steinman EDITOR’S SUMMARY: The foods most aggressively marketed to infants and toddlers are frequently the ones most likely to undermine their health—loading developing bodies with excess sugar, industrial additives and contaminants during the years when...
By Sarah Campise Hallier EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Ultra-processed foods are no longer a niche category—they are the foundation of the American diet. Formulated from refined components and engineered for palatability, these products are designed to encourage repeat...
By Verity Bell EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS are widely assumed to be genetically driven—but genes account for only a minority of cases. Environmental and lifestyle factors play a primary role, operating through overlapping mechanisms: oxidative...
By Jennifer Wolff-Gillispie HWP, LC EDITOR’S SUMMARY: For decades, eggs were blamed for rising cholesterol and heart disease, pushed aside in favor of processed substitutes and low-fat promises. But modern research tells a far more complicated story. Once feared as...
By Kirsten Steinman EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Emerging research suggests that early human access to nutrient-dense shellfish may have played a meaningful role in cognitive development—and oysters remain one of the most concentrated sources of brain-supporting nutrition...
Written by Carter TrentEdited by Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D. EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of daily life—including emotional support and mental health guidance. But as AI tools grow more human-like, concerns are mounting over...
By Jennifer Wolff-Gillispie HWP, LC EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Medical history is filled with ideas once dismissed as implausible, dangerous or unscientific—until science evolved enough to understand what was there all along. From handwashing and organ transplantation to the...
Written by Sarah Campise HallierEdited by Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D. EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Circumcision remains a routine part of newborn care in many U.S. hospitals, despite declining rates and ongoing debate over its medical necessity. Its rise as a standard practice was...