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.

Have Researchers Developed a Potential Microbial Miracle for Phenylketonuria Patients?

Researchers specializing in synthetic biology are developing a new therapy for PKU, a potentially devastating metabolic disorder, and they have some promising preliminary human data. But it's just too early to get excited.

/ September 7, 2018

Science-Based Satire: Integrative Baby Monitor Combines the Best of Conventional and Alternative Features

Are there really baby monitors on the market that can alert a parent to stagnant chi as well as dangerously low oxygen levels? No, that's ridiculous! Will a company sell one at some point in the future? Probably. But for now, it's satire.

/ August 24, 2018

A London Chiropractor Gets His Undeserved Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Thanks to his anti-science and anti-medicine worldview, and a complete misunderstanding of evolution, a London chiropractor is getting some undeserved attention from the media.

/ August 10, 2018

More Marijuana More Problems for Young Children

Young children explore their environment with their mouths. As more marijuana edibles make their way into homes, more potentially dangerous unintentional ingestions are going to happen.

/ July 27, 2018

Rise of the Miscellany of Medical Malarkey…Again

More deaths in the European measles outbreak. Experts call for a national registry of sleep-related deaths in infants. Raw milk puts several Tennessee children in the intensive care unit. Oh, and medicinal dog urine. It must be time for another miscellany of medical malarkey.

/ June 29, 2018

Anti-Vaccine Hotspots are Getting Hotter

More parents are seeking to avoid childhood vaccinations in states that allow nonmedical exemptions. These "hotspots" of decreasing vaccination rates, some of which include large urban cities, are likely locations for future outbreaks of preventable disease.

/ June 15, 2018

Is Firing Vaccine-Hesitant Families Unfair? Definitely…I think.

Is the dismissal of vaccine-hesitant families from a pediatric practice unethical? Could it be unfair to other pediatric healthcare providers and increase risk to the community? Three medical ethicists who wrote a recent JAMA Pediatrics opinion piece believe so.

/ June 1, 2018

A Canadian Journalist Calls Out Pediatric Chiropractic, and a Chiropractor Responds

A recent National Post article calls chiropractic care of the infant and young child into question for some very good reasons, none of which were effectively rebutted by the Canadian Chiropractic Association President.

/ May 18, 2018

Separating Fact from Fiction in Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Anti-D Immunoglobulin for the Prevention of Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn

The Healthy Home Economist, a pseudoexpert in health and wellness with no actual education or training in medicine, is telling mothers to avoid a safe and effective approach to preventing a deadly pregnancy complication that used to result in the death of thousands of babies every year.

/ April 20, 2018

Science-Based Satire: NASA Teams with NCCIH to Study Alternative Medicine in Space

Are NASA and the NCCIH working together to study reiki in space? It sounds plausible I know, but this isn't even remotely true. It's satire. Enjoy!

/ April 6, 2018