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A paralyzing conflict inside the nation’s product safety regulator has prevented the agency from taking action against a popular baby product that studies have linked to at least 48 infant deaths over 27 years and that public health officials say should be banned, according to a Washington Post investigation. The cause of the breakdown is a small team inside the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that does not believe the product — padded crib bumpers — played a role in most, if any, of the infants’ deaths, derailing the agency’s attempts to regulate or ban crib bumpers. (Frankel, 11/23)

Elderflower syrup. Turmeric milk. Cannabidiol oil. Natural health trends come and go. So how should you decide which ones to chase? The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health can help. Part of the National Institutes of Health, the agency is devoted to determining what complementary and alternative medical approaches are useful and safe — and which ones aren’t. (Blakemore, 11/23)

When research participants sign up for studies that are federally funded, they have to go through a process known as informed consent. That means the researchers must brief them on the risks and benefits of participating, like who might have access to their data or what they might be able to find out about their health, if anything, by joining a study. Traditionally, research has focused on gaining insights that can improve public health, rather than the health of the individuals who provide their data. (Hernandez, 11/24)