Category: Medical devices

Whole body MRI

False balance in an NBC news story on whole body MRI scans

Over the weekend, NBC News aired a story on whole body MRI scans. Although it did include the usual cautions about false positives and the harm they cause, the caution was diluted by the story's focus a rare case of a woman who had a brain tumor detected. Overall, it was false balance that reminded me of vaccine/autism stories 20 years ago.

/ February 19, 2024

Can Kinesiology Tape Increase Oxygen Delivery and Improve Sports Performance?

USA Track & Field is endorsing a kinesiology tape that is claimed to improve cell oxygenation.

/ June 22, 2023

Earthing Update

Earthing is yet another dubious medical claim exploiting weaknesses in the system.

/ February 8, 2023

Treating Nightmares with a Smart Watch

Preliminary evidence suggests a watch may help people with severe nightmares. Of course, more research is needed.

/ December 20, 2022

Joovv and Other Red Light Therapies

The Joovv Go is a handheld device for red light therapy. Red light therapy remains controversial: most of the claims are not supported by credible scientific evidence.

/ October 4, 2022
Pulse oximeters

COVID-19 puts the spotlight on an unexpected racial disparity in health care

Evidence increasingly suggests that pulse oximeters, the little finger clips that measure blood oxygen, overestimate the blood oxygenation in Black patients. It's a problem that's been discussed a long time that took a pandemic to bring to public consciousness. How can SBM decrease or eliminate such healthcare disparities?

/ July 18, 2022
Signos Glucose Monitor

Signos Sells a Continuous Glucose Monitor, But Not to Diabetics

Signos is asking customers to pay for the privilege of testing their glucose monitoring system.

/ May 17, 2022

Plenity – A New Weight Loss Pill

Plenity is a new weight loss pill designed to create a sense of fullness. It is backed by a single study where users had an average weight loss of 22 pounds. Not an effective way to achieve ideal weight, but may help some people when combined with diet and exercise.

/ May 10, 2022