Legislative Alchemy 2018: naturopathic licensing and practice expansion shutout?

Naturopathic doctors pushed for licensing and practice expansion in 16 states in 2018. Looks like they are in for a complete shutout.

/ December 6, 2018

Italy’s Antivaccine Government – The Attack on Experts Continues

Anti-vaccine Italian government fires its entire Health Council. This is unfortunately part of a bigger trend against expertise and reality-based policy.

/ December 5, 2018

Reader’s Digest Promotes Prevagen

Reader's Digest is advertising a memory aid, Prevagen, that has been tested and shown not to work. Shame on them!

/ December 4, 2018

Addressing the epidemic of antivaccine misinformation

Last week, Dr. Gorski was on vacation. However, part of his vacation involved spending a couple of hours with two of his heroes, meeting new pro-science advocates, and talking vaccine hesitancy and the antivaccine movement.

/ December 3, 2018

CDC Warns Against Honey Pacifier Use After 4 Texas Infants Develop Botulism

Experts are warning caregivers and healthcare professionals about pacifiers filled with raw honey after four infants in Texas were diagnosed with botulism. They are probably right. And you should probably listen.

/ November 30, 2018

Can DNA testing predict your response to drugs?

Can your genes really predict how you will metabolize certain medications? The FDA has approved the first direct-to-consumer test that claims to do this. How meaningful are the findings?

/ November 29, 2018

Chinese Researcher Reports First Gene-Edited Babies

A Chinese scientist announces first gene-edited babies, setting off a discussion of the science and ethics of using CRISPR on humans.

/ November 28, 2018

Should Evidence-Based Medicine Be Replaced by Interpersonal Medicine?

An opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine complains about the limitations of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and recommends a new approach they call "interpersonal medicine." In my opinion, good clinical medicine is already interpersonal medicine; there is no need for something new.

/ November 27, 2018

Afflicted and the Tragedy of Fake Illnesses

Afflicted is a documentary following the lives and treatments of people "diagnosed" with illnesses not recognized by science. Conversely, it could also be seen as a documentary illustrating the risks and harms of alternative medicine.

/ November 26, 2018

The White Coat Effect in Animals: Reducing Fear in the Vet Clinic

Fear during veterinary visits is a problem for everyone involved. While everyone wants less of it, there is limited evidence to support any interventions right now.

/ November 23, 2018