Month: December 2019

Elderberry Elixir for the Common Cold

There is evidence from blinded, placebo-controlled studies that elderberry can modestly shorten the duration of colds and flu. Since there is no cure for the common cold, elderberry might be worth a try; but more research is needed.

/ December 31, 2019

How do we stop crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe from being used to fund quackery?

GoFundMe and other crowdfunding sites have long been used by desperate patients seeking to fund their use of unproven and downright quacky treatments. How can these sites be changed in order to keep them from being used as a funding supply for unethical quacks?

/ December 30, 2019

Ellura: A Supplement Backed By Evidence

Ellura is a dietary supplement marketed to treat recurrent urinary tract infections. There is promising evidence and a credible mechanism of action, and using it instead of antibiotic prophylaxis could reduce antibiotic resistance.

/ December 24, 2019
Mercola versus flu vaccines and COVID-19

“Natural health” and the antivaccine movement: The case of Dr. Joseph Mercola

Dr. Joseph Mercola has been selling quackery for over two decades. It turns out that he also promotes antivaccine pseudoscience, as a new report from The Washington Post shows.

/ December 23, 2019

FDA warns public about exosome treatments

The FDA and Nebraska health authorities issued warnings after patients became seriously ill following treatment with exosomes, an unproven, potentially risky and, per the FDA, illegal product being promoted by dubious stem cell clinics.

/ December 19, 2019

Decision Against Spelling to Communicate – A Small Victory for Science

Spelling to Communicate is just another form a facilitated communication, an invalid technique that was disproved decades ago but refuses to die.

/ December 18, 2019

The Science and Pseudoscience of What We Eat

Dr. Joe Schwarcz sets the record straight about food myths and what the research actually shows.

/ December 17, 2019

NCCIH surveys physicians on their recommendation of “complementary health approaches,” with depressing results

The NCCIH recently published a study examining the percentage of US physicians who had recommended "complementary health approaches" to their patients in the last year. The percentages are far higher than they should be.

/ December 16, 2019

Measles Deaths Surge Worldwide Thanks to Poverty and Anti-Vaccine Propaganda

According to recently released WHO/CDC data on worldwide measles mortality, 2018 marks the second year in a row with a significant increase since the historical low in 2016. And 2019 is shaping up to be even worse. The main reason for this is poverty and lack of access is resource poor regions.

/ December 13, 2019

The Apple Heart Study

A recent study involving the Apple Watch raises some interesting points about modern clinical trials. It also has some implications and conclusions about screening for atrial fibrillation (a. fib).

/ December 12, 2019