Rodin’s Thinker is doing his best to think but if he hasn’t learned critical thinking skills, he is likely to make mistakes. The human brain is prone to a multitude of cognitive errors. Critical thinking in medicine is what the Science-Based Medicine (SBM) blog is all about. Jonathan Howard has… read more "Critical Thinking in Medicine"
Cómo creemos
En el clásico artículo de James. E. Alcock, que se publicó en el Skeptical Inquirer en 1995, The belief engine (La máquina de creencias), el autor escribió: “Nuestros cerebros y sistemas nerviosos constituyen una máquina generadora de creencias, un sistema que evolucionó, no para asegurar la verdad, la lógica y la razón,… read more "Cómo creemos"
Osteopenia: When Does Decreased Bone Density Become a Disease Requiring Treatment?
Osteoporosis is routinely treated with bisphosphonates to prevent fractures. A new study suggests that osteopenia should be treated too. But questions remain. Bisphosphonate drugs have been shown to increase bone density and prevent fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (remember Sally Field in those ads for Boniva?) but what about… read more "Osteopenia: When Does Decreased Bone Density Become a Disease Requiring Treatment?"
Vampire Facials
[Este artículo está disponible en español. La traducción al español apareció por primera vez en la revista Pensar.] There is a new celebrity fad: vampire facials. Have you seen the pictures of Kim Kardashian West after her vampire facial, showing her face spattered with blood and covered with tiny puncture wounds? If… read more "Vampire Facials"
Tratamiento Facial “Vampiro”
[This article is also available in English. Thanks to Pensar for the Spanish translation.] Hay una nueva moda para las celebridades: los tratamientos faciales vampiro. ¿Ha visto usted la foto de Kim Kardashian West luego de su tratamiento-vampiro, mostrando su rostro salpicado con sangre y cubierto con pequeñas heridas? Si no la… read more "Tratamiento Facial “Vampiro”"
Revolviendo el contenedor de basura del VAERS La realidad es la mejor medicina
Sin duda, las vacunas son uno de los más grandes triunfos de la medicina moderna. La viruela fue el flagelo más letal en la historia humana, responsable de 300 a 500 millones de muertes solo en el Siglo XX, cuando ya estaba desapareciendo. Gracias a las vacunas, la viruela ha… read more "Revolviendo el contenedor de basura del VAERS La realidad es la mejor medicina"
Autism Revisited
Is the autism epidemic due to more awareness and better diagnosis, or to diagnostic substitution? Is it due to something that has changed in our environment? Is there really an autism epidemic? Gil Eyal et al., the authors of the book The Autism Matrix: The Social Origins of the Autism Epidemic wonder… read more "Autism Revisited"
Health Freedom, Right to Try, and Informed Consent
Starting with the Terrible Twos, when toddlers hear the word “No” on a regular basis, people don’t like to be told they can’t do something. They often believe government regulations interfere with their rights. The government requires vaccinations for school attendance; parents complain that they should be able to make… read more "Health Freedom, Right to Try, and Informed Consent"
Charlatans for Christmas
A novel by Robin Cook is a great read with a medical theme. It brings up some serious questions about quality control and medical education. Today is a holiday in the U.S. It is a day to give and receive, to enjoy family and friends, a day of selflessness and… read more "Charlatans for Christmas"
Vertigo Voodoo: A Crazy-Sounding Cure That Actually Works
A sequence of positional changes sounds like voodoo, but is actually an effective way to cure benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This will not be my typical Science-Based Medicine post. What it is not This will not be: About vaccines, diet, pseudoscience, quackery, or alternative medicine A critique of a… read more "Vertigo Voodoo: A Crazy-Sounding Cure That Actually Works"