FDA proposes ban on curcumin and other naturopathic favorites in compounded drugs
Based on a thorough review of the evidence by experts, the FDA is proposing a ban on using curcumin, cesium chloride and other naturopathic favorites in compounded drugs.
Fat Shaming Is Counterproductive
Fat shaming not only doesn't work, it is counterproductive. So what might help fight obesity?
Naturopathy in the VA
The VA is contracting with naturopathic doctors to provide non-science-based treatment to our veterans. This is a mistake.
A world-renowned placebo researcher asks, “Does placebo research boost pseudoscience?”
Professor Fabrizio Benedetti is the most famous and almost certainly also the most influential researcher investigating the physiology of placebo effects. In a recent commentary, he asks whether placebo research is fueling quackery, as quacks co-opt its results. The answer to that question is certainly yes. A better question is: How do supporters of science counter the placebo narrative promoted by quacks,...
The Verdict is In: There is No Justice for Ezekiel Stephan
Ezekiel Stephan died from bacterial meningitis and his parents' failure to seek appropriate medical care in 2012, and now they have been acquitted after the Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial. It appears that there may be no justice for Ezekiel.
Do dietary supplements improve heart health?
Dietary supplements are widely consumed to improve heart health. But what does the evidence say?
Crystal Healing
Crystal healing is back and growing in popularity. What does that reveal about our society and alternative medicine?
Professor Gives Grades to Alternative Medicine
Edzard Ernst assigns a grade to 150 alternative medicine modalities, evaluating plausibility, efficacy, safety, cost, and risk/benefit balance. A very useful reference.
Federal “right-to-try” over a year later: Still a failure and still about the money (and weakening the FDA)
Federal "right-to-try" legislation was passed and signed into law by President Trump over a year ago. Advocates promised that lots of terminally ill people who were dying then would be saved by having the right to "try" experimental therapies outside of the context of clinical trials. That has not happened. This should come as no surprise, because right-to-try was never about getting...
New Florida law forces physicians to endorse pseudoscience
A new Florida law forces physicians to endorse chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage as non-opioid alternatives for pain, even if the physician disagrees with that advice.
Health Narratives on Social Media