Category: Science and Medicine

An Impossible, Unethical Study of Dubious Value That’s Not Meant to be Taken Seriously

Everyone knows it would be impossible to run an RCT of a million children in the middle of a raging pandemic Doctors who suggest such a thing don't expect you to take them seriously.

/ July 10, 2022

Recent trends in pediatric chiropractic use: the good, the bad, and the unhelpful

A new study looks into the numbers behind pediatric chiropractic in the United States. There isn't much new here, but it adds a bit of nuance to the discussion. Still, it's clear that we need better data.

/ July 8, 2022

Gender-Affirming Care is Not Experimental, Part II

A lot of the "facts" about providing healthcare to transgender youth turn out to be not actually facts. We present here a summary of the evidence relating to transition-related health care for transgender adolescents.

What’s the Opposite of a Vaccine Selfie?

Healthcare workers know they are trusted professionals, and most take that responsibility seriously when sharing their vaccination choices with the public. What term should be used for doctors who use their social media clout to influence others to skip an important vaccine dose?

/ July 1, 2022

Moral outrage is not a good guide to pandemic policy reform. Vinay Prasad, please take note.

Vinay Prasad identifies some dubious problems in the government's efforts to protect public health, and offers some questionable solutions.

/ June 30, 2022
Supreme Court

Legislative alchemy and abortion: How the fall of Roe v. Wade will degrade science-based medicine

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, eliminating the federal right to an abortion. What does that mean for science-based reproductive health and science-based medicine in general? Hint: It's not good, even for areas of medicine outside of reproductive health.

/ June 27, 2022

Racism, Medicine, and the #GoldfarbChallenge

There's evidence doctors are biased. There's no evidence that learning about this subject is dangerous for medical students.

/ June 26, 2022

Gender-affirming care is not “experimental”

Gender-affirming care remains the evidence-based standard of care for gender dysphoria in transgender adolescents, despite claims by some laws and lawmakers that it is “experimental”.

, / June 25, 2022

The Shocking Link Between a Popular Toy Company and Preventable Infant Deaths

The 2019 recall of a dangerous infant sleep product helped uncover how corporate greed and poor federal regulations contributed to preventable deaths and helped lead to improvements that will save lives.

/ June 24, 2022
Universal health insurance

Medical debt vs. universal health insurance: The interface between SBM and policy

This blog has long argued that the best medicine is science-based medicine (SBM). The problem is that in the US SBM is often not accessible, except at ruinous cost, which is why I argue that we have to broaden our definition of SBM to include the systems that deliver it and pay for it.

/ June 20, 2022