All posts by David Gorski

Dr. Gorski's full information can be found here, along with information for patients. David H. Gorski, MD, PhD, FACS is a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute specializing in breast cancer surgery, as well as a Professor of Surgery and Oncology and member of the faculty of the Graduate Program in Cancer Biology at Wayne State University. If you are a potential patient and found this page through a Google search, please check out Dr. Gorski's biographical information, disclaimers regarding his writings, and notice to patients here.

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MAHA vs. the FDA: Dredging up old anti-regulation revisionist history

Recently, I've noticed articles from outlets aligned with MAHA calling for the elimination of the FDA. It's all recycled "health freedom" revisionist history and ahistorical nonsense.

/ May 4, 2026
Placebo

The myth of the magically powerful placebo returns

It's been a long time since I've written about the deceptive narratives around placebos promoted by supporters of alternative medicine. Unfortunately, a new article claiming placebos can work as well as "real medicine" is making the rounds on social media. Here we go again.

/ April 27, 2026
Functional medicine

KevinMD platforms criticism of MAHA by a “functional medicine” practitioner

Although some of the criticisms of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s MAHA movement are spot on, why did KevinMD platform a practitioner of functional medicine woo to make them?

/ April 20, 2026
Why can't we be friends?

MAHA and science-based public health: Can’t we all just get along?

The answer is: Very likely not, at least not as long as MAHA embraces quackery and antivax pseudoscience—not that that didn't stop STAT News from ignoring the elephant in the room, vaccines, in search of a "kumbaya" moment between MAHA and public health.

/ April 13, 2026
Steve Kirsch: Misinformation superspreader

Antivax tech bro Steve Kirsch uses AI to rediscover the Jock Doubleday challenge

Everything old is new again, even when AI is involved, as a very old antivax trope is rediscovered for a new generation.

/ April 6, 2026
Aaron Siri

RFK Jr. is definitely coming for your vaccines (part 10): An RFK Jr. ally tells us what’s coming next

ICAN attorney and antivaxxer Aaron Siri recently petitioned HHS to add 300 "injuries" to the Vaccine Injury Table for the Vaccine Injury Compensation System. It's all part of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s plan to undermine and destroy the system, thus driving vaccine manufacturers out of the market.

/ March 30, 2026
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lying about vaccines again

RFK Jr. is definitely coming for your vaccines (part 9): ProPublica reports, and a bump in the road to remaking ACIP

A judge recently ruled that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went too far in his drive to turn ACIP into a an antivax committee. Meanwhile, ProPublica reports on where we are heading; it's not good.

/ March 23, 2026

Using alternative medicine to treat cancer, even alongside conventional therapies, is still a bad idea

With the MAHA movement poised to introduce a lot more "integrative" or "complementary and alternative" treatments into oncology (and medicine in general), a new study shows the likely result.

/ March 16, 2026
MAHA Institute

RFK Jr. is definitely coming for your vaccines (part 8): “Massive Epidemic of Vaccine Injury,” ACIP, and a prominent oncologist

The MAHA Institute is holding an event called MEVI Roundtable: Massive Epidemic of Vaccine Injury to fear monger about vaccines. Unfortunately, Dr. Wafik El-Deiry, a prominent oncologist-scientist, will participate.

/ March 9, 2026
RFK Jr. fail

One year of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS Secretary: The Lancet reacts, and so do I

Editors of The Lancet published an op-ed decrying RFK Jr.'s one year of failure at HHS. They're correct about RFK Jr, but they are not blameless in what has happened.

/ March 2, 2026