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NYT Epic Fail on Acupuncture
This makes the third time in just two weeks that a major mainstream or scientific outlet published credible nonsense about acupuncture, but I had to cover it after dozens of people e-mailed me about this recent article in the New York Times Magazine. It is ostensibly about the interstitium, but pivots to using this recent discovery to retcon an alleged explanation for how...
Measles Surging As Vaccine Rates Drop
As easily predicted, declining measles vaccine rates in the US is leading directly to surging measles cases. In 2025 we saw the highest measles cases, 2288, since 1991, and in 2026 we are on track to exceed this number with 1814 confirmed cases so far (these are confirmed cases). The US is also not getting the worst of it, that would be...
PNAS Publishes Rank Pseudoscience
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published an article on acupuncture. It's a highly credulous take that tries to convince the reader that acupuncture is more than just a highly theatrical placebo. Quackademic medicine continues apace.
New Review Casts Doubt On Alzheimers Drugs But Is Controversial
There's a lot less than meets the eye to a recent Cochrane review that casts doubt on the efficacy of drugs for Alzheimer's disease.
New Study on AI Clinical Decision-Making
Large language model artificial intelligence applications (LLM AIs) seem poised to have a significant effect on the practice of medicine, both good and bad, which is why we are giving it as much attention as we are here. LLMs give impressive results when tested on medical knowledge, able to pass multiple-choice exams designed for general medical and specialty certification. In fact it...
More On Raw Milk
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been pushing the narrative that raw unpasteurized milk is both safe and better for your health than pasteurized milk. As usual, he is objectively wrong.
Smart Drugs Are Here
There is a quiet revolution going on. While so much media attention is being spent on debating the risks vs benefits of raw milk, the latest outrages from the systematic dismantling of quality science at the CDC and other federal agencies, and by the tsunami of terrible medical science being pushed on social media, science-based medicine marches on. Public awareness of recent...
Zoonotic Spillover Is A Problem
Recently I gave the latest update on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 – bottom line, it was very likely a zoonotic spillover event and not a lab leak. Following that, I interviewed a researcher, Dr. Andersen, who is an expert on the origins of epidemics/pandemics and has researched this very question. He reinforced the spillover hypothesis, indicated he had considered the lab leak...
Liver Failure From Alternative Medicines
One of the persistent themes we confront at SBM is the evolving double-standard in clinical medicine. On the one hand, in mainstream medicine there is a push for higher standards of science and evidence and more effective regulation. At the same time proponents of “alternative medicine” are constantly seeking ways to water down scientific standards and loosen regulations. This is sold to...
MAHA Ruins Everything – Apeel Edition
About 30-40% of all food produced is wasted and not consumed. That is a stunning figure – a third of produce goes to waste. That amount of food is grown on land area the equivalent of China, uses 45 trillion gallons of water, and produces about 3% of greenhouse gas emissions. An average American household of four spends about $3 thousand a...