So-Called Alternative Medicine
Edzard Ernst calls it "So-Called Alternative Medicine". This insider's view of SCAM is a new book from an prolific researcher and author.
Halotherapy – The Latest Spa Pseudoscience
Halotherapy, sitting in a salt room, is the latest spa trend, just as full of pseudoscience and false claims as we have come to expect from wellness spas.
Do Sunscreens Cause Cancer?
Elizabeth Plourde thinks sunscreens cause cancer rather than preventing it. She blames sunscreens for everything from coral reef die-offs to autism. Neither her evidence nor her reasoning stand up to scrutiny.
Science-based medicine versus other ways of knowing
It has been our position that science is the most effective means of determining medical treatments that work and whose benefits outweigh their risks. Those who promote pseudoscientific or prescientific medicine, however, frequently appeal to other ways of knowing, often ancient knowledge from other cultures and pointing out deficiencies in SBM to justify promoting their treatments. Do their justifications hold water?
Chiropractic Pediatrics: “delayed referral, misdiagnosis, adverse events and ineffective treatments”
A study finds "delayed referral, misdiagnosis, adverse events and ineffective treatments" in chiropractic management of pediatric orthopedic conditions. States should act to prevent this harm to children.
Health Effect of Wind Turbines
What are the health effects of living close to wind turbines? The answer is, probably not much, but definitive data is elusive.
Fake News about Fish Oil
An ad for the dietary supplement Omega Rejuvenol is disguised as a news story in my local newspaper. It makes claims that are not supported by evidence.
Right-to-try is now law. Let patients beware!
Last week, President Trump signed the worst federal right-to-try bill under consideration by Congress into law. Its purpose was never to help terminally ill patients, and now that it's law there will be nothing the FDA can do to protect vulnerable terminally ill patients who choose it. That's a feature, not a bug. That's because right-to-try is the result of a collaboration...
Is Firing Vaccine-Hesitant Families Unfair? Definitely…I think.
Is the dismissal of vaccine-hesitant families from a pediatric practice unethical? Could it be unfair to other pediatric healthcare providers and increase risk to the community? Three medical ethicists who wrote a recent JAMA Pediatrics opinion piece believe so.
Are generic drugs equivalent to brand-name drugs?
Generic drugs cost a fraction of brand-name drugs. What gives us confidence they are equivalent? Science.