All posts by Clay Jones

Clay Jones, M.D. is a pediatrician and a regular contributor to the Science-Based Medicine blog. He primarily cares for healthy newborns and hospitalized children, and devotes his full time to educating pediatric residents and medical students. Dr. Jones first became aware of and interested in the incursion of pseudoscience into his chosen profession while completing his pediatric residency at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital a decade ago. He has since focused his efforts on teaching the application of critical thinking and scientific skepticism to the practice of pediatric medicine. Dr. Jones has no conflicts of interest to disclose and no ties to the pharmaceutical industry. He can be found on Twitter as @SBMPediatrics and is the co-host of The Prism Podcast with fellow SBM contributor Grant Ritchey. The comments expressed by Dr. Jones are his own and do not represent the views or opinions of Newton-Wellesley Hospital or its administration.

Some Good, But Preliminary Real World Data on Those Baby RSV Shots

The first post-rollout data for the RSV antibody shot looks pretty good, but far too many little ones missed out.

/ March 15, 2024

More Evidence that Ignoring Safe Sleep Advice Puts Babies at Risk of Unexpected Death

A new study of thousands of cases confirms that sharing a sleep surface with a caregiver significantly increases the risk of unexpected death in infancy.

/ March 1, 2024

Music for Reducing Pain in Newborns

Newborns are exposed to painful procedures for good reason every day. Treating pain is important in this population, and music might play a role. At least it definitely won't hurt.

/ February 16, 2024

Science-Based Satire: Historic Conference Clarifies Vertebral Subluxation Causes

Did a meeting of chiropractors from around the world come to a historic consensus on the true causes of the chiropractic subluxation? No, this is satire. Still read the post though. Please.

/ February 2, 2024

Another Year, Another Measles Outbreak

Another year is here, and that means more measles outbreaks here and around the world as far too many children (and some parents) lack protection from the safe and effective vaccine.

/ January 19, 2024

A Bit of Good News: Kids Appear to Have Lower Risk of Post-COVID Conditions Than Previously Thought

Based on a recently published study using improved criteria for determining long term COVID-related health problems, it looks like kids are less likely to be negatively impacted than previously thought.

/ January 5, 2024

From the Vault: Infant Teething Myths and Misconceptions

Enjoy this classic post from the vault as we close out 2023. A few myths and misconceptions about infant teething.

/ December 22, 2023

RSV Season is Here, So Where is Our Beyfortus?

RSV season is here. So far it's better than last year, which was the absolute worst, but it should have been much better. The roll out of a safe and effective drug that dramatically reduces risk of severe disease was botched, and we still don't know why it happened.

/ December 8, 2023

U.S. Infant Mortality Increases for First Time in 20 Years

Recently published CDC data has revealed an increase in the number of infant deaths in 2022, the first in two decades. The United States continues to struggle with serious healthcare disparities and to lag behind other countries when it comes to keeping young children alive.

/ November 10, 2023

Science-Based Satire: Chiropractors Brace for November Neck Pain Tsunami

Are men who grow a beard next month at risk of neck injuries caused by chiropractic subluxations? Of course they are. And what about those leftover pandemic beards? Shave. Shave now! This is definitely a real problem. I mean, I can't just make something up...on the internet.

/ October 27, 2023