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.

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.

/ March 23, 2018

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!

/ March 9, 2018

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.

/ February 9, 2018

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.

/ January 26, 2018

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.

/ January 12, 2018

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.

/ December 29, 2017

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.

/ December 15, 2017

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.

/ December 1, 2017

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.

/ November 17, 2017

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.

/ November 3, 2017