Category: Guidelines
Hidden in Plain Cite: HHS backs Teen Pregnancy Program priorities with phantom references
This story came to my attention through mainstream headlines noting that a federal judge accused HHS of using fake and/or AI-generated references: So I decided to take a close look at the references myself. These dubious references appeared in two Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) issued by the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program (TPP), administered by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA). The...
The Council on Chiropractic Education reaffirms the subluxation, backs off primary care (sort of)
The subluxation lives on in new chiropractic education standards.
Legislative Alchemy: Licensing reflexologists and other practitioners of pseudoscience
State legislatures are considering bills that would legitimize pseudoscience like reflexology and reiki by recognizing their practitioners as health care professionals.
‘Start low, go slow’: The smart, safe approach to drug dosage in the elderly
Lower starting doses with cautious titration reduce toxicity without sacrificing effectiveness
Quoth quacks, “The medical consensus has changed before, making my quackery science!”
Brave maverick doctors (i.e., quacks) have long tried to portray themselves as "innovators" challenging an ossified medical consensus for the good of patients. This tradition continues among COVID-19 quacks, in particular the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance and its founders.
Burden of Proof Studies and Health Risk
A new way of presenting knowledge about health risks highlights the ambiguity of the evidence and the importance of basic health behaviors.
Conclusions Not So NICE: A Critical Analysis of the NICE Evidence review of puberty blockers for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria
A critical look at the UK's National Health Service-commissioned review of transgender youth health services and the harm it has caused.
Melatonin
Melatonin supplements are increasingly popular, but the evidence is weak and mixed.
Probiotics, revisited
New guidelines do not recommend probiotics for most gastrointestinal conditions.
The Mask Ask: Understanding and Addressing Mask Resistance
The wearing of masks has become contentious on scientific and ideological grounds. Why is that, and how can we communicate with people who don't follow the scientific guidelines?