I intended to read Sam Kean’s new book The Violinist’s Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius as Written by our Genetic Code just for fun. I was expecting a miscellany of trivia loosely gathered around the theme of DNA. But I found something much more worthwhile that I… read more "Thumbthing Worth Reading"
The Obesity Paradox
Being fat is bad except when it’s good. It’s called “the obesity paradox.” (No, that isn’t a mis-spelling for “two physicians who treat fat people.”) The adverse health effects of obesity are well established, but there are exceptions. Obesity appears to confer an advantage in certain subgroups with conditions… read more "The Obesity Paradox"
Procera AVH: A Pill to Restore Memory
At the recent Amaz!ng (no, the ! is not a typo) Meeting in Las Vegas, Dr. Gorski, Dr. Novella, “Dr. Rachie” (Rachael Dunlop of Australia) and I participated in a workshop on “Dr. Google” about how to find reliable health information on the Internet. In my presentation, I described step… read more "Procera AVH: A Pill to Restore Memory"
Learning from Animals: Evolutionary Medicine with a Twist
In 2005, cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz was called to the zoo to examine a non-human patient, an emperor tamarin with heart failure. She was surprised when the veterinarian told her not to look her patient in the eyes because eye contact could cause capture myopathy. In this condition, when an animal… read more "Learning from Animals: Evolutionary Medicine with a Twist"
Fairy Tale Science and Placebo Medicine
In May, 2012, I spoke at the 6th World Skeptics Congress in Berlin on “Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fairy Tale Science and Placebo Medicine.” My talk is now available as a YouTube video. This article was originally published in the Science-Based Medicine blog. read more "Fairy Tale Science and Placebo Medicine"
New AAP Policy on Circumcision
Back in 2008, I tried to look objectively at the scientific evidence for and against circumcision. I got a lot of flak from commenters who focused on the ethical issues rather than the scientific evidence. I concluded that the evidence showed small benefits and small risks, and I didn’t advocate either… read more "New AAP Policy on Circumcision"
Andrew Weil’s Seasonal Supplements
Dr. Andrew Weil has teamed with Innate Response Formulas to develop a series of seminars and a line of products for “seasonally appropriate integrative strategies.” Seasonal Therapeutics is a system for adjusting diet supplement recommendations according to the season of the year. To kick off the program, a one-day seminar… read more "Andrew Weil’s Seasonal Supplements"
Prostate Cancer Dilemmas: To Test or Not to Test, To Cut or Not to Cut
The issue of PSA screening has been in the news lately. For instance, an article in USA Todayreported the latest recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF): doctors should no longer offer the PSA screening test to healthy men, because the associated risks are greater than the benefits. The story… read more "Prostate Cancer Dilemmas: To Test or Not to Test, To Cut or Not to Cut"
Quackery and Mumbo-Jumbo in the U.S. Military
Cupping, moxibustion, and battlefield acupuncture are endangering troops. A cupping procedurePhoto by Keith Brofsky/Digital Vision. The military uses some of the most technologically sophisticated machinery and innovative medical techniques in history. But a disturbing current of pseudoscience in the military is wasting money, perpetuating myths, and putting our troops in… read more "Quackery and Mumbo-Jumbo in the U.S. Military"
Chiropractic Strokes Again: An Update
The risk of stroke with neck manipulation has been addressed on SBM before by Dr. Crislip, by myself, by chiropractor Samuel Homola, and by Jann Bellamy. I have listed the links at the end of this article for the convenience of interested readers. Recent studies merit a followup. A case report published in… read more "Chiropractic Strokes Again: An Update"