Is the FDA embracing quackery? A draft proposal recommends that doctors learn about acupuncture and chiropractic for pain management.

Chiropractors and acupuncturists have lobbied for a greater role in treating pain. They might well have won it. Last week, the FDA released proposed changes Wednesday to its blueprint on educating health care providers about treating pain, which now recommend that doctors learn about chiropractic care and acupuncture as therapies that might help patients avoid opioids. There's still time to stop this.

/ May 15, 2017

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 05/14/2017.

The week in review. Measles cases climb in Minnesota; Texas is jealous. Koala and rabbit abuse. FDA suggesting pseudo-medicine? And more.

/ May 14, 2017

Naturopathic Edumacation: A FAQ

An evaluation of a Naturopathic Education FAQ.

/ May 12, 2017

Two (now retracted) studies purporting to show that vaccinated children are sicker than unvaccinated children show nothing of the sort

Antivaccine websites have been touting two recently published studies as strong evidence that vaccinated children are less healthy than unvaccinated children. The studies are so flawed that they show nothing of the sort. Even more hilariously, the bottom-feeding predatory open access journal that published them appears to have retracted them.

/ May 11, 2017

Inoculating – Against Misinformation

A new study confirms what we suspected - you can't just correct misinformation with information, you have to expose the tactics of deception so people can recognize them for themselves.

/ May 10, 2017

Protandim Update: New Studies and an FDA Warning Letter

Multilevel distributors of the dietary supplement Protandim think that evidence from scientific studies supports their claims for their product. The FDA disagrees.

/ May 9, 2017
Acupuncture

Cries the acupuncturist, “Medicine is biased against us, and there’s a double standard!”

A recent article in Popular Science argues that medicine has a bias against acupuncture, holding it to a higher standard of evidence than conventional medical interventions. Even if there is a double standard, the answer is not to recommend acupuncture, but rather to stop recommending medical procedures that don't work.

/ May 8, 2017

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 05/07/2017.

Death from alternative medicine impersonators. An acupuncture study done so acupuncturists can get insurance money? A chiropractor has to refund the feds one million dollars. And more.

/ May 7, 2017

New Study Reveals Increase in Babies Injured by Nursery Products

After years of steady decline, a new study reveals a concerning increase in overall baby product-related injuries since 2003 and a sharp rise in concussions.

/ May 5, 2017

The Medical Medium’s Thyroid Pseudoscience

Anthony William calls himself a "Medical Medium". He has no medical expertise, but he provides medical advice based on claimed communication with the spirit world. What could possibly go wrong?

/ May 4, 2017