Science-Based Medicine in the New Year
As 2018 ends, the managing editor of Science-Based Medicine comments on the future of SBM.
Lotus Birth: No Benefit, Plenty of Risk
The practice of refusing to cut the umbilical cord after delivery of a newborn has no benefit and risks serious infection. A recent case series illustrates the risks of so-called Lotus birth.
Naturopaths cannot call themselves “Medically Trained” in New Brunswick
A judge in the Canadian province of New Brunswick has ruled that alternative-to-medicine practitioners knows as naturopaths cannot claim that they are "medically trained" or that they offer "family practice".
Charlatans for Christmas
A novel by Robin Cook is a great read with a medical theme. It brings up some serious questions about quality control and medical education.
Legislative Alchemy 2018: Chiropractors rebranding as primary care physicians continues
Chiropractors are not properly educated and trained to be primary care physicians. Yet, their campaign to rebrand themselves as PCPs via legislation continues.
SBM in 2018 and Beyond
A look back at SBM in 2018 and the future of SBM.
Vertigo Voodoo: A Crazy-Sounding Cure That Actually Works
A sequence of positional changes sounds like voodoo, but is actually an effective way to cure benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
Functional medicine: Reams of useless tests in one hand, a huge invoice in the other
"Functional medicine" preaches the "biochemical individuality" of each patient, which is why one of its key features is that its practitioners order reams of useless lab tests and then try to correct every abnormal level without considering (or even knowing) what these abnormalities mean, if anything. So they make up fake diagnoses and profit.
Update: More Evidence Supports Delaying School Start Times for Sleep Deprived Teens
Sleep deprivation is a serious health and academic concern for teenagers. A new study adds more support for calls to push back school start times as an effective strategy.
Your gout, your fault?
Is gout a consequence of lifestyle choices? Or is it mainly genetics?
Don’t Blame the Patient