A Woman Dies from a Severe Allergic Reaction After Live Bee Acupuncture Session
A woman in Spain has died from a severe allergic reaction after a session of live bee acupuncture. With low plausibility, the potential for fatal outcomes, no evidence to suggest that benefits outweigh even minor side effects, and lots of dead bees, this is an intervention that should be avoided.
A Miscellany of Medical Malarkey Episode 3: The Revengening
A setback for bogus marketing claims for fancy athletic tape. E-cigarettes aren't a good Christmans stocking stuffer for your kids. An update on the European measles outbreak. That's right, it's time for another miscellany of medical malarkey!
The 2018 Flu Epidemic: Hives and other Influenza Related Nonsense
While it isn't likely to be the flumaggedon, it is shaping up to be a really bad flu season. Unfortunately there is a lot of overzealous news coverage that I fear is causing more anxiety among parents than is warranted.
Rabies Claims the Life of a 6-Year-Old Florida Child: The Tragic Case of Ryker Roque
Rabies is an incredibly deadly infection, but one that is virtually 100% preventable. Unfortunately a Florida child recently paid the ultimate price when his parents failed to seek out appropriate medical care for a bat bite, and despite an experimental but flawed treatment protocol.
Legionnaires’ Disease: The Other Disneyland Outbreak
As 2017 came to a close, Disneyland again played a role in the outbreak of an infectious disease, this one much more deadly than measles.
Snake-Based Medicine? Another Salmonella Infection Linked to Rattlesnake Pills
Rattlesnake pills, another entry in a long line of bogus cancer cures, have been linked (again) to a potentially deadly Salmonella infection.
Vaccine Post Updates: the Good, the Bad, and the Crooked?
Updates on two previous vaccine related posts plus one of the most ridiculous anti-vaccine theories of all time.
Science-Based Satire: Alternative Medical Adverse Events on the Rise
Are patients being senselessly slaughtered by poorly trained Reiki practitioners? Probably not. Okay, they aren't...at least not directly. But Reiki is dumb and so is the belief that the power to manipulate human energy fields would be risk free. Here satire article is.
Hopelessly Devoted to Woo: TLC and Forbes Bring Us Yet Another Celebrity Healer
Endorsed by journalists and studied by academic medicine, bogus celebrity energy healer Charlie Goldsmith now has his own television program. In other words, it's just another day at Science-Based Medicine.
The American Chiropractic Association Answers Crislip’s Call, Joins the Choosing Wisely Campaign
The Choosing Wisely campaign has invited the largest chiropractic organization in the United States to publish a list of interventions to avoid. The results, while not entirely without merit, consist of redundant or unnecessary recommendations. And there is a glaring absence of recommendations to avoid any of the blatant pseudoscience commonly practiced by chiropractors.