Generic Drugs and Global Deception
Generic drugs are supposed to be equivalent to brand-name drugs, but all too often they are defective. Katherine Eban's book shows that corrupt overseas manufacturers have committed intentional global fraud. The system is broken and the FDA lacks the power to correct abuses.
Veterinary quackery at the San Diego Zoo
As I was spending a quiet Saturday night watching Animal Planet, I was disturbed to see out and out quackery on The Zoo:San Diego, as an elephant named Tembo, who was suffering from arthritis of the hip and one of her legs, was being subjected to thermography and acupuncture. Yes, as with human medicine, acupuncture quackery has infiltrated even the highest levels...
Pet Food Mislabeling: Let Food Be Thy Dogma
Should you feed your dog organic, biodynamic, grain-fed, non-GMO, high-protein, low-carb, unpasteurized, cruelty-free, free-range, soy-lacto-egg-free caribou Num-Nums? Particularly when their last meal was cat vomit?
Improving mental health is a walk in the park (but mind the volcanoes)
Using Twitter and geotagging, researchers add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating an association between contact with nature and improved mood.
Gluten Update
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity remains controversial, but the research continues.
Do Acupuncture Points Exist? Can Acupuncturists Find Them?
Acupuncturists do a systematic review and reveal they can't reliably locate acupoints. No wonder: they don't exist.
One reason mouse studies often don’t translate to humans very well
Mouse models are often used as preclinical models of human disease, but the number of drugs that succeed in mice but go on to be approved as a drug for humans is only about one in ten. A new study comparing gene expression in the cells of human brains with those of mouse brains provides new insight into why.
Science-Based Satire: Children of Anti-Vaccine Parents More Likely to Refuse Cootie Shot
Are the children of anti-vaccine parents refusing their cootie shots? Are we at risk of seeing outbreaks in our schools? They do say that the organic, non-GMO apples don't fall far from the tree. No, this is satire. Everyone knows that the cootie virus can only be found in government research laboratories.
The floor is yours
What topics would you like to see covered at Science-Based Medicine? Open thread today for your suggestions and comments.
Maternal Fluoride and IQ
New study purporting to show correlation between fluoride and IQ comes under heavy criticism.
Don’t Blame the Patient