Category: Science and Medicine
Improving how the NIH decides which grants to fund: Reality vs. conspiracy
Last week, the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a plan to decrease the problem of reputational bias in grant funding. I couldn't help but contrast how hard the NIH tries to use the most rigorous scientific criteria to decide whose grants to fund with the conspiracy theory that Anthony Fauci personally doles out NIH dollars like a mob boss...
The Washington Post Takes on Baby Chiropractic
A recent Washington Post article takes on baby chiropractic and...it isn't terrible! In fact, I've seen many that are a lot worse. Still, sadly, there is an unfortunate and undeserved false balance that should have been cut from the first draft.
The Aseem Malhotra lecture isn’t what you think it is
In November 2022, Dr. Aseem Malhotra gave a lecture that was more about advancing a narrative than explaining the science.
Did Lockdowns Cause Cancer?
Attempts to rewrite pandemic history must be resisted.
The 2022-2023 Respiratory Virus Season Hits Early and Hard: Part 2
What is RSV and why is it so bad this season? I discuss this and a promising new vaccine candidate.
In Through the Nose, Out Through the Mouth
The advice to breathe "in through the nose, out through the mouth" appears to be based on superstition rather than science. Nose breathing is preferable.
Was New York’s Spring 2020 COVID Wave an Illusion?
Asking for "evidence" that New York City got hit hard by COVID makes as much sense as asking for "evidence" that New York City exists in the first place.
The Beekeeper: Sentinel Chicken?
Bee venom. Will it help Andy's rheumatism? Doubtful
Aromatase inhibitors and acupuncture in breast cancer: Spinning a negative study, four years later
Four years ago, I wrote about an essentially negative study looking at whether acupuncture could alleviate joint pain caused by aromatase inhibitors, a common treatment for estrogen-sensitive breast cancer. The study's back, and it doesn't look any more positive.
The 2022-2023 Respiratory Virus Season Hits Early and Hard: Part 1
RSV, and a few of it's buddies, are back with a vengeance this year and hitting young children earlier and harder than during typical respiratory virus seasons.