Self-Treating with Serious Drugs on the Rise
One of the greatest innovations benefiting public health was regulation. In the pre-FDA “patent medicine” days, there were countless products on the market that ranged from useless to directly harmful. This was a time when you could sell radioactive tonics, cocaine-laced elixirs, and products containing poisons, like turpentine. The sellers of these products made many unsupported claims and preyed disproportionately on the...
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya: You Work for an Administration That Runs a Vast Censorship Regime to Suppress Scientific Discussion. Most Authoritarian Policy I’ve Seen From an American Government. You Should be Ashamed of Yourself.
Imagine if the fate of Tweets and YouTube vidoes was the sole concern of scientists today.
MAHA and “soft eugenics” revisited: The “autism tsunami,” Dr. Oz, and your “patriotic duty” to stay healthy
Two weeks ago, I referred to the "soft eugenics" of RFK Jr. and MAHA. This week, he and Dr. Oz provide new examples, one about autism, the other about public health.
Tell us Dr. John Ioannidis, Exactly Who is Waging This “War on Science”?
When science was under attack, Dr. John Ioannidis played the role of enabler. Along with his copious COVID misinformation, that will be his permanent legacy.
Mapping the Brain
I think it’s important to recognize not only how fake science can degrade medicine and exploit health care consumers, but also how real science can benefit medicine and consumers. It’s also important to separate hype from reality, because there often is science-based snake oil, meaning that there are fake treatments based on the hype of real science. We are near the beginning...
Acupuncture Paradox?
Let's see. Let's put the chaise longues facing the ice berg. The blue and white of the ice are a nice focal point. We can alternate the chaise longue with Adirondacks for those that don't want to put up their feet. We should also have a few ottomans as well. Looks good. The band sounds nice; I always did like Autumn Dream.
How bad is it? RFK Jr.’s extinction-level threat to science-based federal health policy and public health is here
Five months ago, I called RFK Jr. an "extinction-level" threat to US biomedical science and public health. That extinction is under way.
Science Based Satire: Falling Vaccine Coverage Over The Years Is A Problem That Likely Increased Due To The Failed Covid-19 Policies That Jonathan Howard Championed.
If RFK Jr. is to blame for measles outbreaks and deaths, then I would be responsible for saying he would be a net positive for public health in the US. Thank goodness that’s not the case.
Is your workout gear killing you?
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been detected in athletic clothing. Should we be worried?
The Misinformation Wars
The core mission of SBM comes down to a few things – examining the complex relationship between scientific evidence and healthcare, exploring issues of how optimally to regulate health care and health products, and fighting misinformation. Over the years I think we have made some solid strides on the first category. The medical infrastructure has been trending increasing towards higher standards of...
“Gain of Function” Research Is Misunderstood – And That Is A Problem
Misplaced concerns or opposition could lead to overregulation or even banning