The President of Stanford Is Unsure Which Number is Larger, 9 or 133
It doesn't bode well for the future that leaders of major American institutions say naked emperors are wearing beautiful clothes.
Elderberry (What is it good for)
Accumulated evidence does not demonstrate that elderberry has meaningful beneficial effects.
microRNA – 2024 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine
The 2024 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine goes to two researchers, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, for their work on microRNA. They began their research in the same lab in the late 1980s as postdoctoral fellow, and then continued to collaborate after they each started their own labs. Their research involves a key question about multicellular life. Every cell in the...
Antivax as ideology: “Limited hangouts” run by “controlled opposition”
Antivax is more ideology and conspiracy than science. The recent accusation that antivax influencers are running "limited hangouts" as part of "controlled opposition helps illustrate this characteristic, in which the insufficiently radical are portrayed as useful idiots for the enemy or even heretics.
The NCCIH embraces the quackery that is “functional medicine”
The process of "integrating" quackery with medicine continues apace as the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health embraces the quackery that is "functional medicine."
A “Biosafety” Organization Partnering With Dr. Jay Bhattacharya To Guard Against Viruses Is Like A Zebra Teaming Up With A Lion To Promote Vegetarianism
Biosafety Now is fine working with a pro-virus, misinformation doctor to prevent a potential pandemic. What about a doctor who worked with patients and countered misinformation during an actual pandemic?
Post Hoc Bias in Medicine
We are more likely to use an ineffective treatment after slight symptom improvement, even when the changes are coincidental.
Myopia Epidemic
Myopia, or near-sightedness, has been steadily on the rise over the last half-century. A recent systematic review updates the literature on the extent and nature of this epidemic. Let’s get straight to the findings and then discuss what this means. The reviews includes: “276 studies, involving a total of 5,410,945 participants from 50 countries across all six continents.” The researchers find a...
Conspiracy Thinking And Alternative Medicine
Just recently, in casual conversation, someone commented to me that “they” already have a cure for cancer but are hiding it. This is a claim I frequently encounter. One survey, from 2005, found that 27.3% of those surveyed endorsed this belief. Another survey from 2014 found that 37% of people believe the FDA is suppressing natural cancer cures on behalf of “Big...