The New York Times' "Well" section recently published an article entitled, "What Dentists Wish You Knew," which listed five points. We found them to be a somewhat odd and incomplete collection. Here are the Times' offerings, with our commentary and some bonus suggestions of our own.

1. "Your gums should not bleed when you floss"

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The Food and Drug Administration is the nation's most ubiquitous regulatory agency, responsible for overseeing products — drugs, medical devices, tobacco products, and most foods — that account for about 20 cents of every dollar spent by consumers. It is currently going through a rough patch, with priorities that seem to make little sense.

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During his long-overdue testimony before the House Committee on Agriculture in April, EPA Administrator Michael Regan complained about anti-pesticide groups tying up his Agency's resources in lawsuits; but he and his Agency have only themselves to blame. The courts are forcing change because the EPA is clearly inviting them to do it – perpetuating its reputation for lack of scientific integrity in the process.

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It is not every day that drug development results in a breakthrough with the potential to eliminate an often serious and sometimes fatal disease, but one of those days occurred earlier this month.

Earlier this month, the FDA approved a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus in individuals 60 years of age and older. It is the first RSV vaccine to gain approval anywhere in the world. It was a long haul and is a hugely important development.

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Two U.S. senators recently became incapacitated – John Fetterman (D-PA) with severe depression that required a months-long hospitalization, and whose outcome is uncertain; and Diane Feinstein (D-CA), who had a shingles infection that developed into encephalitis, from which she has not fully recovered. (And at age 89, she is unlikely to.) Marked by inflammation and swelling of the brain, post-shingles encephalitis can leave patients with lasting memory or language problems, sleep disorders, bouts of confusion, mood disorders, headaches and difficulty walking.

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