Category: Herbs & Supplements
Coconut Oil Warning
Coconut oil is promoted as a health food, but a recent warning from the American Heart Association warns that coconut oil is very high in saturated fats and increases your risk for heart disease.
On Guard, DōTERRA, Essential Oils, and a Lesson in Reading Research Studies
A study of On Guard™, a mixture of essential oils, showed that it reduced the infectivity of influenza virus in dog kidney cells in the lab; but that's irrelevant to the question of whether the product has any clinical effect in humans.
New Evidence for Chondroitin
Several previous studies showed chondroitin was ineffective for knee osteoarthritis, but a new study says it is as effective as celecoxib. There are reasons to be skeptical.
Medical marijuana as the new herbalism, part 5: Turning herbalism into science-based medicine
There’s a new clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing a beneficial effect due to cannabidiol, a chemical isolated from marijuana, on drug-resistant seizures due to Dravet syndrome. Although there are a fair number of caveats, this is how you begin to turn the herbalism that characterizes medical marijuana advocacy into science-based medicine.
Protandim Update: New Studies and an FDA Warning Letter
Multilevel distributors of the dietary supplement Protandim think that evidence from scientific studies supports their claims for their product. The FDA disagrees.
The Medical Medium’s Thyroid Pseudoscience
Anthony William calls himself a "Medical Medium". He has no medical expertise, but he provides medical advice based on claimed communication with the spirit world. What could possibly go wrong?
Medical Neglect of Children
Medical neglect caused horrific suffering for these children, ending in death or permanent impairment. Their parents failed them, but so did society.
Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 04/30/2017
Stroke from chiropractic. Measles in Minnesota. Fraudulent methodologies? How do your remove homeopathy from a product? Acuwhatever. And more.
Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 04/23/2017
Protection from vampires. An autistic muppet upsets anti-vaxers. Naturopaths want insurance money. Big Chiro: what THEY don't want you to know. This blog is futile. And more.
Vital Stem: Affordable Stem Cell Treatments for Everyone? Anti-Aging Breakthrough?
Vital Stem is a dietary supplement mixture that supposedly reverses the changes of normal aging by increasing the body's production of stem cells. We can't know if it works, because it hasn't been tested.