Month: February 2019

Drug maker challenges FDA on animal testing

A drug maker claims an FDA-required toxicity study in animals is unnecessary to determine safety and urges others to question the routine use of animal testing.

/ February 28, 2019

Are Smart Meters a Health Risk?

Don't worry. There is no plausible health risk from the miniscule EMF from smart meters.

/ February 27, 2019

Homeopath Quits Homeopathy but Thinks the Homeopathic Approach Has Value

A former homeopath shows that there's nothing scientific about homeopathy; in fact, it contradicts all known scientific principles. Nevertheless she finds value in the homeopathic approach to the patient and thinks all providers can learn from it.

/ February 26, 2019
Peter Gøtzsche

Peter Gøtzsche and antivaxers: Should a science advocate ever speak at an antivaccine conference?

Last week, I wrote about how evidence-based medicine icon Peter Gøtzsche was slated to speak at an antivaccine conference. This week, I now know why he agreed to appear. In part, he thought he could change antivaxer minds. This leads me to ask: Is it ever a good idea for a science advocate to speak at a pseudoscience conference?

/ February 25, 2019

Another Australian Chiropractor is in Hot Water for Manipulating a Newborn

Yet another Australian chiropractor is under fire for treating young infants. Will anything be done about it?

/ February 22, 2019

What’s all that other stuff in my medicine?

Are all those extra ingredients in your medicine or supplement, like fillers and coatings, something to be concerned about?

/ February 21, 2019

Keto Diet for Neurological Disorders

Does the ketogenic diet work for epilepsy or other neurological disorders? While the consensus is that it probably does, the evidence is surprisingly thin.

/ February 20, 2019

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.

/ February 19, 2019
PIC 2019

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...

/ February 18, 2019

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.

/ February 15, 2019