Category: Politics and Regulation
Bring on the Evidence: A new regulatory approach to CAM
Complementary and alternative medicine is popular, but it's poorly regulated, and most products lack good evidence of efficacy. A new approach proposed in Australia may help consumers make more informed, science-based health decisions.
Turning chiropractors into primary care physicians via Legislative Alchemy
Via the magic of Legislative Alchemy, chiropractic lobbyists are trying to to convince state legislators to expand chiropractic scope of practice so they can rebrand as primary care physicians.
Regulating Health Care Products
How should we optimally regulate health care products to protect consumers? A conversation with the Acting Chairman of the FTC.
In 2017, are antivaxers winning?
The election of Donald Trump as President has emboldened antivaxers, because they quite rightly sense that he is one of them. His inauguration as President, combined with other trends, have led observers to ask the question: Are antivaxers winning, or will 2017 be the year of the antivaxer?
Donald Trump versus the FDA: Is the standard of evidence for drug approval actually too low rather than too high?
All of the candidates being considered by President Trump for FDA Commissioner believe that the FDA is too strict in its standards for approving new drugs. In a commentary in Nature last week, two bioethicists argued that, at least in terms of preclinical data, the standard of evidence is actually too low. Which is correct?
Board Disciplinary Actions. What Naturopaths Really Do Not Want You To Know
Disciplinary actions against ND's in Oregon by the Board. How to find them and what they are.
Battles over non-medical exemptions to vaccination festering in state legislatures
Bills to eliminate, as well as to add, non-medical exemptions to school vaccination requirements are pending in state legislatures. Some bills make harder to claim an exemption. Others discourage vaccination by requiring “misinformed consent" and weakening public health officials' ability to act.
Flame Retardants Have Ignited a Flaming Controversy
Flame retardants are controversial: proponents say they reduce fire damage and save lives; critics say they don't work, are poisoning our environment, and should be banned.
Donald Trump and Peter Thiel vs. the FDA: Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Donald Trump's three most likely picks for FDA Commissioner all favor loosening drug approval standards. Two are cronies of Peter Thiel, of which one believes that the FDA shouldn't require evidence of efficacy, only safety, and the other believes that a "Yelp for drugs" would do a better job than the FDA. The third candidate is a bona fide, honest-to-goodness pharma shill....
Oh no, not again! Massachusetts Legislature passes naturopathic licensing bill
The Massachusetts legislature passed a licensing bill giving naturopaths the right to use bogus lab tests to diagnose fake diseases and treat patients with useless remedies like homeopathy and herbs. It's up to Gov. Baker to stop this.