Juvent is a small vibrating platform that is advertised to provide all kinds of health benefits for everyone by just standing on it for 10 minutes a day. They have no convincing evidence and the price is exorbitant. Ads for Juvent keep popping up in my Facebook feed. It is… read more "Juvent"
New Regenerative Medicine Center
Neil Riordan donated big bucks to a school of naturopathy for a Center for Regenerative Medicine named after him. Both Riordan and the treatments offered in his new center are questionable. The Neil Riordan Center for Regenerative Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences (SCNM) located in… read more "New Regenerative Medicine Center"
What Does It Feel Like to Die?
We’re all going to die; we wonder what it will feel like. This book describes what typically happens during the period between diagnosis of a fatal illness and death. ca. 1882, Washington, DC, USA — Washington, DC.: President Garfield Lying Wounded In His Room At The White House, Washington. —… read more "What Does It Feel Like to Die?"
Laser Therapy: Hope or Hype and Hokum?
I love to watch TV reality shows about veterinarians. There are quite a few of them now; my favorite is “The Incredible Dr. Pol.” I learn a lot from them. For instance, I have learned that “polio” in goats means a vitamin deficiency disease, not the infectious disease that humans… read more "Laser Therapy: Hope or Hype and Hokum?"
Is Acupuncture Winning?
When I first heard of acupuncture, in medical school in the late 60’s, I became convinced that it worked. I read impressive media reports from China touting it for everything from pain relief to anesthesia for open heart surgery. Our Chief of Anesthesiology, Dr. John Bonica, was convinced it worked… read more "Is Acupuncture Winning?"
AAFP Promotes Acupuncture
The AAFP is not following its own standards for CME. Its monograph on Musculoskeletal Therapies devotes 1/4 of its content to acupuncture, dry needling, and cupping; and one of its four “key practice recommendations” is to consider electroacupuncture for fibromyalgia. Jann Bellamy recently wrote about the American Academy of Family… read more "AAFP Promotes Acupuncture"
Acupuncture Revisited
Believers in acupuncture claim it is supported by plenty of published scientific evidence. Critics disagree. Thousands of acupuncture studies have been done over the last several decades, with conflicting results. Even systematic reviews have disagreed with each other. The time had come to re-visit the entire body of acupuncture research… read more "Acupuncture Revisited"
Amino Neuro Frequency: Just More “Embedded Frequencies” Silliness
Amino neuro frequency treatment uses one-inch stick-on patches with embedded “frequencies” that the body recognizes and directs to the proper area to treat pain and inflammation. The concept of “embedded frequencies” is bogus and ANF is nothing but a theatrical placebo. What is ANF? Amino Neuro Frequency is a treatment… read more "Amino Neuro Frequency: Just More “Embedded Frequencies” Silliness"
Stick It In Your Ear! How Not To Do Science
Have a sore throat? No worries! No need for lozenges, medicines, or home remedies. All you need to do is let someone stick needles in your ear! According to a recent study, ear acupuncture relieves sore throats. Do you believe that? I don’t. That’s one of those extraordinary claims that… read more "Stick It In Your Ear! How Not To Do Science"
“Biomagnetism Therapy”: Pseudoscientific Twaddle
In a television interview, a practitioner of biomagnetic therapy claimed she had cured her own breast lump and the metastatic cancer of another person. I wonder how many viewers believed her. On the “official website” of biomagnetism therapy, http://biomagnetism.net/, they claim it is “the answer to ALL your health problems…… read more "“Biomagnetism Therapy”: Pseudoscientific Twaddle"