Category: Science and Medicine
“Personalized” dietary recommendations based on DNA testing: Modern astrology
GenoPalate is a company that claims to give "personalized" dietary recommendations based on DNA testing. Unfortunately, what is provided by such companies is more akin to astrology than science.
A Popular Class of Antibiotics May Increase Risk of Birth Defects
A new study in the British Medical Journal has revealed a possible association between taking a popular antibiotic during early pregnancy and major congenital malformations.
Quackery in Medical School: Chapman Points
If you want to become a physician in the United States, you have two educational routes available to you: osteopathic and vanilla medical schools. Osteopathic medical school graduates earn a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O) degree, and vanilla medical school graduates earn a Doctor of Medicine (M.D) degree. If you’re wondering what the difference is between the two, the answer is basically...
Inappropriate Antibiotic Use is Rampant in U.S. Pediatric Hospitals
A recent study looked at antibiotic use in thousands of hospitalized children and the results weren't great. Too many kids are receiving suboptimal antibiotic prescriptions. One potential solution is an increased focus on, and improved resources for, antibiotic stewardship programs.
Can statins make you an asshole?
Can statins have rare but significant effects on behavior? A case study.
European Manifesto Against Pseudo-Therapies
A new organization in Spain is trying to protect patients from becoming victims of pseudoscience. They have prepared a manifesto.
How can we counter misinformation from “chemo truthers”?
Denial of the benefits of chemotherapy is very prevalent in "natural health" movements. This denial is based on fear mongering, pseudoscience, and conspiracy theories and thus shares many similarities with the antivaccine movement. How can the misinformation spread by "chemo truthers" be countered on social media?
Are Humans Cooling? Probably Not.
Are humans cooling? According to a recent study out of Stanford, yes we are...a bit. I'm skeptical of the findings, however, and even more so of the proposed explanations. More data is needed.
Is defending science-based medicine worth it?
Pseudoscience, denialism, fake news, and disinformation about health are a bigger problem than ever, thanks to social media. As doctors and scientists join lay defenders of science on social media, will they be willing to pay the price in terms of harassment? Or will they decide it's not worth the hassle? And what about our fellow docs who think that it's beneath...
New Regenerative Medicine Center
Neil Riordan donated big bucks to a school of naturopathy for a Center for Regenerative Medicine named after him. Both Riordan and the treatments offered in his new center are questionable.