If you feel better, should you stop taking your antibiotics?
A recent paper suggests that patients would be better off stopping antibiotics when they feel better, instead of completing the entire amount prescribed. Could this approach reduce antibiotic overuse and the risk of widespread resistance?
Quackademic Medicine at UC Irvine
UC Irvine Medicine School opens a center for integrative medicine, selling out to promote quackery in medicine.
Flu Shots: Here We Go Again!
The many myths about flu shots continue to circulate and persuade some people not to get a flu shot. Flu shots are excellent insurance, safe and reasonably effective. Immunization protects not only the recipient but also vulnerable groups in the community.
Rigvir: Another unproven and dubious cancer therapy to be avoided
Alternative cancer clinics have always claimed that their therapies "boost the immune system" to fight cancer. Recently, the Hope4Cancer Institute, a quack clinic in Mexico has added a treatment known as Rigvir to its other offerings. But what is Rigvir? It turns out that it's an import from Latvia, a purported oncolytic virus with a mysterious history that targets cancer specifically for...
The influenza vaccine and miscarriages: Much ado about nothing
A study published on Wednesday claims to have found a link between influenza vaccination and miscarriage, and antivaxers are gloating. The study itself suffers mightily from post hoc subgroup analyses on small numbers, so much so that even its authors don’t really believe its results. None of that stopped them from publishing the study, thus justifying "more research" that will almost certainly...
Study: patients should be warned of stroke risk before chiropractic neck manipulation
Another study adds to growing body of evidence that chiropractic neck manipulation is a risk factor for stroke. Patients should be warned of risk.
Faith and Supplements – B17
Amygdalin is a toxic snake oil dating back to 1830, but it is still sold today with a combination of supplement industry deception, faith, and conspiracy theories.
The Movie “Cholesterol: The Great Bluff” Is an Exercise in Denialism
The movie "Cholesterol: The Great Bluff" claims that we have been lied to: cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease and statins are harmful. It is biased and misleading. The people interviewed in the movie are denialists who don't accept the clear evidence for the role of blood cholesterol levels and the benefits of statins.
IBM’s Watson versus cancer: Hype meets reality
Five years ago, IBM announced that its supercomputer Watson would revolutionize cancer treatment by using its artificial intelligence to digest and distill the thousands of oncology studies published every year plus patient-level data and expert recommendations into treatment recommendation. Last week, a report published by STAT News shows that, years later, IBM's hubris and hype have crashed into reality.
Another Child Harmed by Pseudomedicine: Lead Poisoning from a “Homeopathic Healing” Bracelet
The CDC has published a report on yet another child harmed by exposure to a caregiver's belief in quackery...and the toxic level of lead found in a "homeopathic" teething bracelet.