Shameless self-promotion: Dr. Gorski on the Thinking Critically podcast
Dr. Gorski appeared on the Thinking Critically podcast to discuss the antivaccine movement, COVID-19, medical conspiracy theories, and his journey to skepticism.
Yes, You Can Swaddle Your Baby…But a Sleep Sack is Probably the Safest Option
Taking care of a baby can be scary, and there is a lot of conflicting advice out there. This is especially true when it comes to recommendations on the safety of swaddling. While not completely risk free, swaddling can be done safely and the benefits likely outweigh the risk. But you can always just use a sleep sack.
Conspirituality: Where New Age wellness meets right wing conspiracy thinking
Conspiracy theorists and QAnon may sound miles apart from wellness, yoga and GOOP, but they're converging into "conspirituality", the integration of spirituality and conspiracy theories.
Psychic Mediums and Grieving Children
Self-proclaimed psychic mediums find a new way to exploit vulnerable children.
Melanoma: A Pseudoepidemic of Skin Cancer Prompts New Screening Recommendations
There appeared to be an epidemic of melanoma skin cancer, but it seems to be a pseudoepidemic caused by overdiagnosis. Screening everyone with skin exams does more harm than good and can no longer be recommended.
The efforts of antivaxxers to portray COVID-19 vaccines as harmful or even deadly continue apace (VAERS edition)
With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continuing apace, so are the efforts of antivaxxers to portray the vaccines as dangerous. This time around, they've resurrected the old antivaccine trick of deceptively misusing the VAERS database to imply causation from VAERS reports. That's not how VAERS works, however.
Ad-Conned: A Critical Look At CASPer
Medical schools are facing a flood of applicants, and have started using for-profit tests alleged to assess people skills as a way to distinguish candidates. The evidence is weak, and lacks transparency.
Consumer and public health groups push for cancer warning on alcoholic beverages
A coalition of consumer and public health groups, citing scientific consensus, is pushing for a government-required warning that alcohol consumption causes cancer on alcoholic beverage containers. Despite the evidence, we can expect alcohol industry opposition.
CRISPR vs. TALEN
There are more than one genetic engineering technologies available. Here's a comparison.
Is Midstream Urine Collection Necessary?
There's considerable evidence that the standard procedure for urine specimens, with cleansing and mid-stream collection, may not be necessary. Is it time to change?
Don’t Blame the Patient