Category: Medical Ethics

Alternative medicine kills cancer patients, “complementary” edition

By definition, alternative medicine has not been shown to be effective or has been shown to be ineffective. Thus, alternative medicine is ineffective against cancer and can best be represented as either no treatment at all or potentially harmful treatment. It is thus not surprising that cancer patients who choose alternative medicine have a higher risk of dying from their cancer. A...

/ July 23, 2018
Cerebral angiogram

Clínica 0-19: False hope in Monterrey for brain cancer patients (part 3)

This is the conclusion of my series on Clínica 0-19, the cancer clinic where Drs. Alberto Siller and Alberto Garcia see patients with DIPG, a deadly brain tumor, whom they treat at Hospital Angeles in Monterrey Mexico with an unproven combination of intra-arterial chemotherapy with up to 11 drugs and a poorly defined dendritic cell immunotherapy. Some people have asked me: What's...

/ July 9, 2018
President Trump signs right-to-try

Right-to-try is now law. Let patients beware!

Last week, President Trump signed the worst federal right-to-try bill under consideration by Congress into law. Its purpose was never to help terminally ill patients, and now that it's law there will be nothing the FDA can do to protect vulnerable terminally ill patients who choose it. That's a feature, not a bug. That's because right-to-try is the result of a collaboration...

/ June 4, 2018

The Ethics of CAM: More Harm than Good?

A new book examines the ethics of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Ernst and Smith demonstrate that CAM is inherently unethical and does more harm than good.

/ March 20, 2018

Physician aid-in-dying laws spread amid legal challenges

Legalization of physician aid-in-dying is increasing in the U.S. but opponents are taking their opposition to the courts and Congress.

/ August 31, 2017

Doc Doc Zeus: A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of Medical Boards

A novel about a doctor who raped a minor and is being investigated by his state medical board provides behind-the-scene insights into the workings of medical boards. It helps explain why these boards are so often ineffective, why medical malfeasance so often leads to a token disciplinary action rather than to loss of license.

/ August 8, 2017

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 05/21/2017

Choosing CAM leads to bad outcomes the world over. How deep can an acupuncture needle go? Measles continues and Minnesotans and will be welcomed in Texas. Rat rectal stimulation for Science. And more.

/ May 22, 2017

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.

/ April 30, 2017

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 04/02/2017

Death from vaccine-preventable infections. Homeopathy and acupuncture do not work. There is a difference between cost and worth. And more.

/ April 2, 2017

Stem Cells for Macular Degeneration: Meticulous Science vs. Unethical Carelessness

Rigorous scientists stabilized a patient’s macular degeneration with a cutting-edge stem cell treatment; less rigorous scientists misapplied stem cell science and left three women blind.

/ March 28, 2017