Results for: "functional medicine"
Dubious Autonomic Nervous System Claims
Beware overblown claims that autonomic testing can help almost anything.
Is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. antivaccine? Judge him by his own words!
Last week, an antivaxxer on Substack—where else?—tried to argue that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is not antivaccine by encouraging you to judge him by his own words. I agree. You should judge RFK Jr. by his own words, as they show definitively that he has been antivaccine since at least 2005.
Spinal Manipulation, Chiropractic, and Subluxation Theory
While generic spinal manipulation can be helpful in treating mechanical-type back pain, there are good reasons to be skeptical about chiropractic manipulation based on subluxation theory which dictates that health can be restored and maintained by adjusting vertebral subluxations. A grain of truth mixed with subluxation theory makes it difficult for many of us to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate use of...
Is Olive Oil Good Medicine?
A study found that olive oil increased longevity and reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases, but it only showed correlation, not causation.
Cleveland Clinic Drops the Ball in an Attempt to Educate Parents on Safe Sleep
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. More Cleveland Clinic more problems, this time it's some questionable advice on safe sleep for infants.
Scientific review articles as antivaccine disinformation
Antivaxxers have always written dubious scientific review articles to try to make their wild speculations about vaccine science seem credible. Usually such articles wind up in bottom-feeding journals. Unfortunately a recent pseudo-review article was published by an Elsevier journal, making it seem more credible when it isn't.
FTC targets physicians’ COVID claims with cease-and-desist letters
The FTC recently announced it had issued 20 more cease-and-desist demands to physicians and others claiming their products and services prevent or treat COVID-19 without sufficient scientific backing. Unfortunately, this has not stopped many of the targets from making other bogus health claims.
Does Acupuncture Increase Red and White Blood Cells and T-Cells?
An article by a medical acupuncturist claims that acupuncture increases red and white blood cells and T-cells. The evidence is far from convincing.
Too many lab tests still escape FDA review, threatening patient safety
Even as the lab testing market grows, too many tests escape FDA review based on a meaningless categorization that has nothing to do with patient safety. Congress should pass the VALID Act of 2021, allowing the FDA to adequately regulate direct-to-consumer and other lab tests with the potential to harm the public.
Near-fatal blood infection following naturopathic IV vitamin infusion
A patient nearly died from a blood infection after a compounded naturopathic vitamin infusion. IV vitamin infusions are a common naturopathic therapy used without adequate medical rationale and are not worth the risks.