The Magic Feather Effect: Placebos and the Power of Belief in Alternative Medicine
In her book The Magic Feather Effect, journalist Melanie Warner covers placebo research, shows that alternative medicine is placebo medicine, takes a "try it yourself" approach, and gives belief and anecdotes more credit than they deserve.
The strange saga of Peter Gøtzsche and Physicians for Informed Consent
Recently, it was noted that Peter Gøtzsche, formerly of Cochrane Nordic, was featured on the speaker list for an antivaccine quackfest organized by the antivaccine group Physicians for Informed Consent, along with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Toni Bark, and Marry Holland. Two days later, he announced that he would not be speaking there. So what happened? And what is Physicians for Informed...
The Cholesterol Controversy
Why is cholesterol so much more controversial than the other cardiac risk factors? A review of cholesterol’s troubled and contentious history might help us understand where many of the cholesterol controversies originated… and why it’s time to let them pass into history.
FDA promises industry-friendly “modernization” of dietary supplement regulation
The FDA promises the "most significant modernization of dietary supplement regulation" in 25 years while maintaining its industry-friendly regulatory scheme.
The Myth of Vaccine Shedding
No - the measles vaccine cannot cause an outbreak through virus shedding, but this myth persists in antivaccine circles.
Kidney Cancer and Incidentalomas
Kidney cancer diagnoses are increasing but there has been no increase in mortality or rate of metastases. Kidney cancer is most often diagnosed as an incidental finding on a CT scan that was done for unrelated reasons. Treatment may not always be needed.
The benefits of the measles vaccine go beyond just protecting against measles, 2019 edition
It's indisputable that vaccines protect against specific infectious diseases. What's less well known is how a vaccine like the measles vaccine protects against more than just measles.
Rotavirus Vaccine May Reduce Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in Kids
Rotavirus infections kill thousands of kids every year around the world, but far fewer than before the introduction of a safe and effective vaccine in 2006. Now it looks like the vaccine may also prevent type 1 diabetes.
Do custom-compounded pain creams actually work?
Pharmacy-prepared pain creams are widely used for different types of pain and injuries. They may be expensive, but do they work better than a placebo?
Psychological Placebos
New research shows the importance of carefully separating real therapeutic effects from psychological placebos.