A recent article in The New England Journal of Medicine by Andrew L. Mammen, MD, PhD, reviewed statin-associated myopathies. Reading his article prompted me to revisit the subject of statin side effects. It can no longer be disputed that statins statistically benefit patients who have cardiovascular disease or who are at high risk… read more "Statin Side Effects"
Clear Thinking About Cancer
Book Review of This Book Won’t Cure Your Cancer. By Gideon Burrows. NGO media, 2015. ISBN 978-0955369599. 212 pp. Paperback. $15.79. Gideon Burrows has inoperable brain cancer that is slow growing but is inevitably going to kill him. He has written a remarkable book about his experience, This Book Won’t Cure… read more "Clear Thinking About Cancer"
The Essential Role of Regulation In Human Health and In Ecology: The Serengeti Rules
The doubling time for E.coli bacteria is 20 minutes. With uncontrolled growth, it would take a mere two days for the weight of bacteria to equal the weight of the Earth. What rules determine the actual numbers of bacteria? Why is the world green; why don’t insects eat all the leaves? How… read more "The Essential Role of Regulation In Human Health and In Ecology: The Serengeti Rules"
Stem Cells and Chiropractic
As good a source of stem cells as any chiropractor. My local newspaper is a constant source of topics to blog about. It regularly features ads for untested dietary supplements and for chiropractors who offer non-chiropractic treatments and don’t identify themselves as chiropractors. Recently, a full-page ad for NW Pain… read more "Stem Cells and Chiropractic"
Newborn Babies Don’t Have Sex, So Why Do We Vaccinate Them for a Sexually Transmitted Disease?
Vaccination is arguably the greatest accomplishment of modern medicine; vaccines have saved millions from death and disability, and smallpox has been eradicated forever. But vaccines are not without their critics. Since Jenner first experimented with cowpox, there have been people who have rejected vaccinations for various reasons, usually appallingly wrong-headed… read more "Newborn Babies Don’t Have Sex, So Why Do We Vaccinate Them for a Sexually Transmitted Disease?"
Persecution of Scientists Whose Findings Are Perceived As Politically Incorrect
Alice Dreger has written a delightful, breezy, and slightly terrifying book on activism gone bad, and how it impacted scientists just trying to uncover facts and truth. Highly recommended! It dates back at least to Galileo. A scientist finds evidence that contradicts a cherished popular belief. Instead of a rational… read more "Persecution of Scientists Whose Findings Are Perceived As Politically Incorrect"
Prenatal Multivitamins and Iron: Not Evidence-Based
When I was pregnant, I obediently took the iron pills and prenatal vitamins prescribed by my obstetrician. And I prescribed them for every pregnant patient I took care of as a family physician. I never questioned the practice. It seemed intuitively obvious that it was a good thing; we know… read more "Prenatal Multivitamins and Iron: Not Evidence-Based"
Cure Is About Caring, Not Curing: Placebos, Alternative Medicine, and Patient Comfort
In a recent post, Dr. Gorski criticized two articles by Jo Marchant on placebos and alternative medicine. He mentioned that she had a book coming out and suggested I might want to review it. The title is Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body. I don’t know of any evidence… read more "Cure Is About Caring, Not Curing: Placebos, Alternative Medicine, and Patient Comfort"
Screening Tests and Primum non nocere
Primum non nocere is a Latin phrase meaning “first do no harm.” It is commonly attributed to Hippocrates, but if he ever said any such thing, he certainly didn’t say it in Latin. He lived in ancient Greece from 430 BC to 370 BC and presumably spoke Greek. The phrase,… read more "Screening Tests and Primum non nocere"
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Rituximab Revisited
Three years ago I wrote about an experimental treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): rituximab (brand name Rituxan). I was concerned that doctors who offered it, like Andreas Kogelnik, were jumping the gun by offering it before the evidence was in, and that they might be putting patients at risk. A correspondent… read more "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Rituximab Revisited"