An email correspondent occasionally sends me items of interest from the Indian press. He recently sent me two clippings about initiatives to solve all of India’s problems by studying the Vedas (for Hindus) and the Qu’ran (for Muslims). The Vedas The headline read, “For diabetes, cancer cure, Raj institute to… read more "Recent Developments in “Eastern” Science"
Five Fatal Foods
I get a lot of emails offering dubious health advice and dubious products. I recently got one with the alarming title “Five Fatal Foods” and a link to a video. It had a warning in big red capitals: WARNING: YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER! DON’T EAT THESE FIVE FOODS BEFORE… read more "Five Fatal Foods"
Rigor Mortis: What’s Wrong with Medical Science and How to Fix It
I just finished reading Richard Harris’ excellent book, Rigor Mortis: How Sloppy Science Creates Worthless Cures, Crushes Hope, and Wastes Billions. From the title, I was expecting an angry, biased polemic attacking science and scientists. I was very pleasantly surprised. He doesn’t condemn science. He points out problems with… read more "Rigor Mortis: What’s Wrong with Medical Science and How to Fix It"
Hope and Hype for Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s sucks! It is a relentless, devastating, cruel disease that destroys patients’ memory and personality, making them no longer the person they used to be. It leaves its victims dependent on caretakers and eventually kills them an average of 4 to 8 years after diagnosis. Ten percent of the population… read more "Hope and Hype for Alzheimer’s"
A Misguided Study to Test the Reliability of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulse Diagnosis
Pulse diagnosis and tongue diagnosis are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. They are based on imagination, not on anatomical and physiologic reality. Pulse diagnosis History of pulse diagnosis Pulse diagnosis was an important part of ancient medicine in Egypt, Greece, India, Tibet, and elsewhere. The specific methods used were… read more "A Misguided Study to Test the Reliability of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulse Diagnosis"
New Blood Pressure Guidelines: Why Are Previously Normal BPs Now Classified as High Blood Pressure?
Under the new blood pressure guidelines, more people are classified as having high blood pressure; but the treatment emphasis is on lifestyle changes, not medications. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recently released new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure. The highlights are reported here.… read more "New Blood Pressure Guidelines: Why Are Previously Normal BPs Now Classified as High Blood Pressure?"
Ayurveda: Ancient Superstition, Not Ancient Wisdom
I frequently get emails asking whether I think a certain treatment is supported by evidence or is quackery. I recently got one from an elderly man who was wondering whether he should take a friend’s advice to consult an Ayurvedic doctor. That was the first time I’d ever been asked… read more "Ayurveda: Ancient Superstition, Not Ancient Wisdom"
Turpentine, the Fountain of Youth According to Dr. Jennifer Daniels
Jennifer Daniels says turpentine is the Fountain of Youth, able to cure many ailments, both real and imaginary. It isn’t; it’s a poison with no recognized benefits for human health. Turpentine is a solvent and a poison, but some people are drinking it as a medicine. Scott Gavura wrote about it two… read more "Turpentine, the Fountain of Youth According to Dr. Jennifer Daniels"
Freud Was a Fraud: A Triumph of Pseudoscience
Psychiatry is arguably the least science-based of all the medical specialties, and Freudian psychoanalysis is arguably the least science-based psychotherapy. Freud’s theories have been widely criticized as unscientific, and treatment of mental disorders has increasingly turned to psychotropic medications and effective therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Freud’s impact on… read more "Freud Was a Fraud: A Triumph of Pseudoscience"
I Was Wrong about Protandim
A seriously flawed Protandim study seemed to show that side effects were no more common than with placebo. Actually, they were almost twice as common. The researchers were looking at the wrong numbers and didn’t even add correctly. I have written about Protandim several times. In May, 2017, I said that while there was no… read more "I Was Wrong about Protandim"