Month: December 2022

It Will Take More Than “Courage” to Restore Public Trust in Medicine

Judah Kreinbrook, a first year medical student, responds to a post on Sensible Medicine by a medical student that exaggerated the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccines while expressing anger at how trust in medicine has been undermined. Having been raised by a family steeped in antivaccine views, Kreinbrook invokes his journey to SBM to gently correct his fellow medical student and...

/ December 31, 2022

Misinformation is Censorship

It's impossible to have a meaningful conversation with a misinformed interlocutor- and there are many- who insists COVID is just the flu, it poses a "negligible" risk to a healthy person younger than 65, and the pandemic ended long ago.

/ December 30, 2022

Should You Take Vitamin D Supplements?

Recent research found that supplemental vitamin D doesn't prevent fractures or have any effect on the diseases it has been claimed to help, and blood tests for vitamin D are useless.

/ December 27, 2022
Aragorn at the Black Gate of Mordor

After 15 years of SBM: Lessons learned and what the future holds

Last week, Dr. Novella discussed what SBM has accomplished over the last 15 years. I'm going to discuss lessons learned, what has changed, and remaining huge challenges. Unfortunately, after the pandemic, our position in 2022 reminds me even more than ever of Aragorn at the Black Gate of Mordor, but that does not mean things are hopeless.

/ December 26, 2022
Sen. Ron Johnson rountable

Ron Johnson’s “vaccine round table” does little to actually help patients.

Sen. Ron Johnson held a roundtable discussion earlier this month regarding COVID-19 vaccine injuries. It featured a cast of antivax grifter and typical antivax talking points that we've come to know since the pandemic hit. This antivax propaganda exercise helps no one other than the antivaccine movement.

/ December 24, 2022

More COVID More Measles?

There are a number of potential problems children are facing that are related to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, not the least of which is a rise in vaccine hesitancy and even anti-vaccine belief.

/ December 23, 2022
Xenon gas

Does xenon gas improve athletic performance?

Were the Russians on to something in 2014 by huffing xenon gas?

/ December 22, 2022

15 Years of SBM

A look back at a decade and a half of SBM.

/ December 21, 2022

Treating Nightmares with a Smart Watch

Preliminary evidence suggests a watch may help people with severe nightmares. Of course, more research is needed.

/ December 20, 2022
Turbo cancer?

Do COVID-19 vaccines cause “turbo cancer”?

Over the last several months, antivaxxers have been claiming that COVID-19 vaccines cause "turbo cancer", cancers (or cancer recurrences) of a particularly aggressive and fast-growing variety diagnosed in younger and younger patients. "Turbo cancer" is not a thing, and the evidence cited is as weak as any antivax "evidence", including anecdotes and misinterpretation of epidemiology.

/ December 19, 2022