Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Prince Charles' Endorsement of Homeopathic Group 'Obscene': Critics
Critics have blasted Britain's Prince Charles for becoming patron of a homeopathic medicine group.
On Wednesday, Charles was announced as patron of the Faculty of Homeopathy, a British professional body that regulates and promotes homeopathy, CNN reported.
The Prince of Wales' endorsement of the group is "obscene" and it's "counter-productive" to support such a cause with "so many pressing health issues in the world today," the nonprofit Good Thinking Society said.
The society promotes evidence-based science and opposes homeopathy, a form of complementary medicine, CNN reported.
"This news is sadly no surprise, given how routinely Prince Charles has used his royal platform to advocate for an anti-science position when it comes to homeopathy, but it is obscene to think that the UK's next head of state believes this is an appropriate issue to use his considerable public profile to promote," the society said in a statement posted online.
"If Prince Charles wants to have a genuine positive effect on the health of the nation he intends to one day rule, he should side against those who offer dangerously misleading advice, rather than fighting their corner."
A spokesman for Charles said the prince "believes that safe and effective, complementary medicine can play an important role in healthcare systems, as long as approaches are integrated with conventional treatments, a position he has reached after years of talking to experts in many different areas of medicine," CNN reported.
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San Francisco Is First U.S. City to Ban E-Cigarette Sales
San Francisco is the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes.
City supervisors passed the measure in a second and final vote on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
Supporters believe the ban will reduce underage use of e-cigarettes, while critics say it will make it more difficult for adults to buy an alternative to regular cigarettes.
San-Francisco is also home to leading e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs. The company says it's opposed to youth use of e-cigarettes and is working on a ballot initiative that would regulate but not ban e-cigarette sales, the AP reported.
The new law would forbid the sale of e-cigarettes that have not undergone a premarket review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, something no e-cigarette maker has done, CNN reported.
The ban also applies to flavored tobacco products and covers sales in brick-and-mortar stores and online sales shipped to a San Francisco address.
"E-cigarettes are a product that, by law, are not allowed on the market without FDA review. For some reason, the FDA has so far refused to follow the law," city attorney Dennis Herrera said in statement last week after the measure passed an initial vote, CNN reported.
"Now, youth vaping is an epidemic," he said. "If the federal government is not going to act to protect our kids, San Francisco will."
