Last week I posted a list of 30 rebuttals to many of the recurrent criticisms that are made by people who don’t like what we say on SBM. I thought #30 deserved its own post; this is it. At the end, I’ve added a few items to the original list. What’s the… read more "Answering Our Critics, Part 2 of 2: What’s the Harm?"
Answering Our Critics, Part 1 of 2
Some people don’t like what we have to say on Science-Based Medicine. Some attack specific points while others attack our whole approach. Every mention of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) elicits protests in the Comments section from “true believer” users and practitioners of CAM. Every mention of a treatment that has… read more "Answering Our Critics, Part 1 of 2"
Baby’s DNA in Mom’s Blood: Noninvasive Prenatal Testing
Until recently, the moment of birth was a surprise. We anxiously awaited the obstetrician’s announcement: “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” Then we checked to see if any crucial parts were missing and we counted the fingers and toes. We had to wait for a baby to be born… read more "Baby’s DNA in Mom’s Blood: Noninvasive Prenatal Testing"
What Can We Learn from the Kitavans?
A Swedish researcher, Staffan Lindeberg, has been studying the inhabitants of Kitava, one of the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea. He claims that sudden cardiac death, stroke, and exertion-related chest pain never occur in Kitava; and he attributes this to their eating a Paleolithic diet. 2,250 people live on… read more "What Can We Learn from the Kitavans?"
Does Everybody Have Chronic Lyme Disease? Does Anyone?
Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme spirochete, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease (but not chronic Lyme disease). A deplorable article by Suzy Cohen on Huffington Post is titled “Feel Bad? It Could Be Lyme Unless Proven Otherwise.” It consists of irresponsible fear-mongering about a nonexistent disease. A science-based article would be titled “Feel… read more "Does Everybody Have Chronic Lyme Disease? Does Anyone?"
Cranial Manipulation and Tooth Fairy Science
Tooth Fairy Science is science that studies a phenomenon that doesn’t exist. You can do studies on the Tooth Fairy; for instance, comparing how much money she leaves to kids in different socioeconomic groups. You can do studies on the memory of homeopathic water. You can do studies on the… read more "Cranial Manipulation and Tooth Fairy Science"
Brainwashed: Neuroscience and Its Perversions
Sally Satel and Scott Lilienfeld have written a new book, Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience. Its purpose is not to critique neuroscience, but to expose and protest its mindless oversimplification, interpretive license, and premature application in the legal, commercial, clinical, and philosophical domains. The brain is a wondrous thing:… read more "Brainwashed: Neuroscience and Its Perversions"
Homeopathy First Aid Kits
I don’t know how I missed them, but somehow homeopathic first aid kits had not registered on my radar. They’re readily available. Even Amazon.com sells them, for $54.99. They contain 18 vials of tiny sugar pills, all with potencies of 200C, guaranteed by Avogadro not to contain a single molecule… read more "Homeopathy First Aid Kits"
Cunnilingus, Michael Douglas’s Cancer, and the HPV Vaccine
Conservative Christians are calling for banning oral and anal sex between consenting adults, claiming that the practices allow for the spread of disease. Radio host Brian Fischer says that a rise in head, neck and throat cancers “among millennials” is a direct result of the influence of “Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.”… read more "Cunnilingus, Michael Douglas’s Cancer, and the HPV Vaccine"
What Doctors Feel
Doctors are often accused of being unfeeling technicians who treat their patients like cases of disease rather than people (think Dr. House). We were taught in medical school to remain detached, not get too close to patients, and not show our emotions. That attitude was epitomized in William Osler’s essay Aequanimitas. But doctors have… read more "What Doctors Feel"