Category: Science and Medicine
Myocarditis and COVID-19: A Tale of Two Articles
Whether myocarditis is serious or not depends on the symptoms it produces and the damages it does, not on its underlying cause. Those who write about COVID-19 and vaccines should try to be consistent and thorough.
Summer is Here, and Infant Swimming Programs are Still Unproven
Summer is in full swing and many babies are hitting the beaches and pools for some fun in the sun. Unfortunately, those swimming lessons for infants that you might have seen advertised online are still unproven and potentially dangerous.
Irreversible Damage to the Trans Community: A Critical Review of Abigail Shrier’s Irreversible Damage (Part One)
Irreversible Damage, a controversial 2020 book by Abigail Shrier, has enjoyed renewed attention in the last several weeks. Shrier appeals to her audience’s emotions by voicing their deepest fears to create uproar against an already marginalized community. The claims presented do not meet scientific rigor, yet have been praised and upheld by many, effectively pushing back against equal rights for gender minorities,...
NCCIH Strategic Plan 2021–2025: Meet the new plan, same as the old plan…?
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health recently released its latest 5 year strategic plan. It's basically the same as the last strategic plan, but with one new addition. It's not really a new addition, but it signals a resurrection of an old trope about "integrating" quackery with science-based medicine.
Science-Based Satire: More Chiropractors are Using Subluxation Sniffing Dogs
Are dogs being trained to detect subtle chiropractic subluxations? If so, can they really outperform the Subluxatron 9000-X? And what about cats? These questions and more won't be answered by this post, because it's clearly satire and doesn't represent reality or even the opinions of the managing editors of this website.
The Yoga RCT
Back in December, 2020, Chief Scientist for the WHO Dr. Soumya Swaminathan tweeted about a study that suggested yoga helped improve various blood markers in people with diabetes. However, a major flaw prevents the study from being rigorous enough to believe its conclusions.
Bad Documentary Review: The Great Culling
The Great Culling is a mess of an anti-fluoridation documentary trying to scare you into...something. I watched it so you don't have to, and you shouldn't.
“What Exactly Did the Virus do to All These People?” Reflections on Ted Nugent, Mel Q, Kelly Brogan, and John Ioannidis
The notion that many people are dying with SARS-CoV-2 not from SARS-CoV-2 has hindered our ability to contain to the virus. Whether the source is QAnon influencers or a highly credentialed scientists, we must push back on narratives that are used to minimize the danger of COVID-19.
“Depopulation” by COVID-19 vaccines?
COVID-19 and antivaccine conspiracy theorists like Joe Mercola, Michael Yeadon, and Peter McCullough are spreading the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 vaccines are intended as a tool for "global depopulation". This is nothing more than an old antivaccine conspiracy theory repurposed for the pandemic. As ridiculous as it might seem, it is nonetheless very appealing to antivaxxers.
Separating Fact from Fiction in Pediatric Medicine: Burping Doesn’t Prevent SIDS, and Other Gas Related Nonsense
Though a seemingly worldwide practice, there is little plausibility and no evidence to support burping infants before, during, or after feeds. And it doesn't have anything to do with SIDS.