FDA warns companies selling illegal hangover remedies

The FDA recently warned seven companies not to claim that their dietary supplements can prevent, treat, or cure a hangover, because only FDA-approved drugs can make such claims. The agency also warned that NAC, a popular supplement ingredient, cannot legally be used in dietary supplements.

/ September 10, 2020

FDA Decision on Oleandra

FDA rejects the application for oleandrin as a new dietary ingredient, but flaws in the regulations remain.

/ September 9, 2020

New book: Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement

This book is a handy compendium of everything worth knowing about the anti-vaccine movement and how to challenge the misinformation.

/ September 8, 2020

Don’t use a COVID-19 vaccine, cry the antivaxxers, because of the horseshoe crab!

Antivaxxers are now urging vegans not to use a COVID-19 vaccine because blood from horseshoe crabs will be used in its manufacture. At its heart, this is no different than their weaponization of beliefs against other vaccine ingredients, except that it does use a germ of a good point that we should be looking for other ways to ensure that vaccines have...

/ September 7, 2020

Did the “Benadryl Challenge” Kill an Oklahoma Teen?

Did a dangerous new TikTok "challenge" result in the death of a 15-year-old teenager from Oklahoma? Probably not, but Benadryl is still a bad drug and parents should discuss the dangers of social media with their young children.

/ September 4, 2020

The TikTok “Benadryl Challenge” is demonstrating how toxic Benadryl can be

Even without the risk of overdose, there are good reasons to avoid Benadryl entirely.

/ September 3, 2020

COVID in Children

Recent evidence suggests children can be carriers of SARS-CoV-2, which has implications as schools reopen this Fall.

/ September 2, 2020

Taopatch Offers Everything… Except Science

Taopatch promises all kinds of vague benefits, but the mechanism of action is implausible and what they call scientific proof is no such thing.

/ September 1, 2020

Can “optimizing your metabolism” through diet prevent or cure COVID-19?

A favorite claim by those favoring "holistic" therapies is that using diet to "optimize metabolism" can prevent or treat COVID-19. These claims are of a piece with similar claims for many other diseases and are just as exaggerated.

/ August 31, 2020

The First Multiple Sclerosis Patient

Twenty years before Charcot described the nerve-destroying disease multiple sclerosis, an illegitimate British noble spent much of his adult life describing the disease and its effects.

/ August 28, 2020