Heirarchy of Evidence

The misuse and abuse of meta-analyses

The meta-analysis has been misused and weaponized to promote dubious COVID-19 treatments.

/ November 25, 2021

Nepotistic Journals

Research identifies another potential bias in scientific publishing - nepotistic journals.

/ November 24, 2021

Virtual Reality Therapy

Are virtual reality headsets a valid tool for treating back pain? Maybe.

/ November 23, 2021
Harry Potter vs. Lord Voldemort

COVID-19 vaccines versus “purity of essence,” revisited

Antivaxxers frequently make the false claim that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines "permanently alter your DNA". These claims are really a concern about "impurifying" their "purity of essence" and have now gone into some truly disturbing territory, such as antivaxxers calling themselves "purebloods".

/ November 22, 2021

Contrarian Doctors: The Pandemic is Over, Again

I can’t help but wonder if one of the reasons the pandemic isn’t over yet, is because contrarian doctors repeatedly said it was.

/ November 19, 2021

The “Natural Immunity is Real Act”: Real or an act?

Republican legislators have proposed a law requiring federal agencies to acknowledge, accept, truthfully present and incorporate "consideration of natural immunity" in their COVID regulations. It's just political theatrics based on a flawed understanding of infection-induced "natural" immunity.

/ November 18, 2021

Illness, Healing, and Other Terms That Can Be Confusing

Watch your language. Some terms that are frequently confused: pain vs. suffering, disease vs. illness, cure vs. healing. Science-based medicine focuses on diseases; alternative medicine focuses on illness: that explains a lot.

/ November 16, 2021

Doctors Must be Honest with Parents About Known Risks of COVID-19

Pediatricians know their job is to present accurate and thorough information so parents can make informed decisions. Contrarian doctors who write about COVID-19 should spend less time lecturing pediatricians and more time learning from them.

/ November 13, 2021