I started to write about science and medicine at the Washington Post, in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

People wrap themselves in their beliefs. And they do it in such a way that you can't set them free. Not even the truth will set them free.

I have never earned one penny from any pharmaceutical company. I will never accept one penny from them either. Ever.

I think it is true that you can eat extremely healthy food at McDonald's, and you can eat amazingly badly at Chipotle.

Your dollar cheeseburger isn't a dollar if you factor in what it's going to cost in health care.

Vaccination is a public health issue because influenza is a highly contagious disease. If you don't vaccinate your child, his or her schoolmates are much more likely to become ill. That is why some places (New York, for example) are making the vaccine mandatory for school children.

I started to write about science and medicine at the Washington Post, in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.