Month: February 2017

Turning chiropractors into primary care physicians via Legislative Alchemy

Via the magic of Legislative Alchemy, chiropractic lobbyists are trying to to convince state legislators to expand chiropractic scope of practice so they can rebrand as primary care physicians.

/ February 16, 2017

Regulating Health Care Products

How should we optimally regulate health care products to protect consumers? A conversation with the Acting Chairman of the FTC.

/ February 15, 2017

Natural Remedies for Diabetes: Plavinol, Glucopure

There is not enough evidence to support using dietary supplements in the treatment of diabetes. There is preliminary evidence that some herbs lower blood sugar by a modest amount, but it would be foolish to think they could replace conventional treatment of diabetes.

/ February 14, 2017

In 2017, are antivaxers winning?

The election of Donald Trump as President has emboldened antivaxers, because they quite rightly sense that he is one of them. His inauguration as President, combined with other trends, have led observers to ask the question: Are antivaxers winning, or will 2017 be the year of the antivaxer?

/ February 13, 2017

Corrigendum. The week in review for 02/12/2017

The week in review. Chiropractic and stroke. Integrative Medical doctors don’t trust vaccines. Death from medical marijuana. Shilajit: compost or mulch oozing from Himalayan rocks. India goes full Tuskeegee with AIDS. And more!

/ February 12, 2017

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. promotes an awful epidemiology study linking vaccines and neurological conditions from…Yale?

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has never seen a lousy study linking vaccines to bad things that he didn't like. This is no exception. Oddly enough, this study was funded and carried out by a lawyer and an investment banker, with the help of an eminent Yale pediatrician. Of course, the study doesn't show what RFK Jr. thinks it shows.

/ February 12, 2017

Vaginal Seeding: To Swab or Not to Swab Your Newborn Baby

More mothers are requesting vaginal seeding, but does the evidence support this potentially risky intervention?

/ February 10, 2017

Do anti-inflammatory drugs effectively treat spinal pain?

While anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used to treat back pain, a new review suggests that they may not provide meaningful benefits to most people.

/ February 9, 2017

Russian Academy of Sciences Calls Homeopathy Pseudoscience

That homeopathy is pure pseudoscience is not news. Its basic principles are essentially magic, and the preparation of homeopathic products is indistinguishable from brewing a magic potion. Its two core principles, as the commission states, are a priori dogma - that like cures like, and that diluting substances out of existence leaves behind their magical essence. Science has progressed over two centuries...

/ February 8, 2017

Re-thinking Antioxidant Supplementation for Macular Degeneration

After the AREDS trial, people with moderate to severe age-related macular degeneration were advised to take dietary supplements to slow the progression of the disease. But some experts say the trial actually showed supplements don't work, and might even make some patients worse.

/ February 7, 2017