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April 8, 2008
Major public health organizations are drawing attention to climate changeâs effects on health: the American Public Health Association has chosen âClimate Change: Our Health in the Balanceâ as the theme for National Public Health Week (April 7-13), and the World Health Organization used World Health…
April 8, 2008
So, Answers in Genesis cranked out the first issue of its new journal, and with all deliberate speed! It's remarkable. I'm guessing that creation research doesn't take quite as long as, say, real science. The pilot issue is a true testament to the idiocy of the Creation Cult. I guess we have to…
April 8, 2008
The winners of the 92nd annual Pulitzer Prizes were announced yesterday, and reporting on veteransâ care and on drug and product safety scored top honors in the journalism category:
The Public Service prize went âto the Washington Post for the work of Dana Priest, Anne Hull and photographer Michel…
April 8, 2008
What is alternative Medicine, anyway?
That's a great question. I know it is, because I asked it. I get this question almost daily. The secret answer is that there is no such thing as alternative medicine. You don't believe me? Why not--I am a doctor.
There are several ways to define alternative…
April 7, 2008
In a new apologia for Jenny McCarthy and the mercury militia, Alison Levy, writing for HuffPo, wonders what all the fuss is about.
When I watch Jenny McCarthy on CNN or when I read the blogs (and comments) on autism, I keep wondering: What is this debate about? Yes, the parents of autistic kids…
April 7, 2008
I recently posted an article on a particular "holistic" doctor's take on salt--the bottom line is the bottom line; more expensive is better. You'd think I'd call it a day.
However, if someone is going to advertise widely, he's leaving himself open for criticism. How can one family physician have…
April 7, 2008
My earlier post on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was perhaps not clear enough.
PETA is not for "the ethical treatment of animals". They are for treating animals as if they were furry humans. In fact, they are for treating animals better than we treat humans. This is a…
April 7, 2008
The watchdog group OMB Watch does a terrific job staying on top of all of the proposed rules, executive orders, and other federal government actions that have far-reaching effects but can be easy to miss. Now, they've launched a new initiative to educate people about the regulatory process and…
April 7, 2008
As it turns out, in my own neck of the woods there is a small woo-factory. I came upon it when I saw an internet add extolling the virtues of salt, as long as it's expensive salt. The author of the article turns out to be a doctor in my very metropolitan area. There is so much woo here that it…
April 6, 2008
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an extremist organization. Some might even call it a cult, and a violent one at that.
Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, is a particularly objectionable fuckwit. Many of my friends are vegetarians for ethical reasons. They object to the…
April 6, 2008
Bloggers are an odd bunch. Some are "serious journalists", some glorified editorialists, but most are just folks with access to a computer. This was the genesis of the blogosphere---individuals writing whatever they wanted, not knowing (but hoping) that maybe a few others might read their work…
April 6, 2008
There's no such thing as a slow news day. There's a war in Iraq, another in Afganistan, a genocide in Sudan, a presidential campaign, and probably some right wing blowhard having fun in a public restroom somewhere.
So what the hell was the Times thinking with this one? The premise appears to be…
April 6, 2008
Politically, I'm a leftie. That should be no surprise to anyone who knows me. But when it comes to science and medicine, my politics are irrelevant. Given that John McCain has already made some questionable public statements regarding vaccines and autism, this seems like a good time to see what…
April 6, 2008
I'm off to the walk-in clinic in a little while. If past experience is a useful guide, I will see at least a dozen people with various respiratory viruses causing colds, conjuntivitis, bronchitis, and sinus infections (offending viruses include adenovirus, rhinovirus, and many others). Generally…
April 5, 2008
I generally enjoy Bill Maher. I mean, he seems like an ass, but I enjoy his shows---except when he talks about medicine. As any regular viewer knows, he regularly spouts the usual denialist canards about medicine. This week, he was interviewing Senator Arlen Specter, who, among other…
April 4, 2008
I have a certain amount of sympathy for any parent dealing with a sick kid. I also don't think people should "suffer in silence". If, for instance, your child is injured in an auto accident caused by a drunk driver, speaking out publicly is a public service.
If, however, you are a fuckwit with no…
April 4, 2008
No, not V-8 the vegetable drink, but C8, the common name for ammonium perfluorooctanoate, an ingredient in Teflon and other non-stick products. Ken Ward of the Charleston Gazette reports today on the levels of perfluorooctanoic acid in the blood of about 69,000 residents living near the …
April 4, 2008
Several bloggers have addressed occupational health and safety issues this week:
Revere at Effect Measure considers the factors affecting healthcare worker behavior during a pandemic, and whether itâs advisable for state authorities to order HCWs to work. Â
John Astad at OSHA Underground…
April 4, 2008
Once again, JPANDS, the mouthpiece of the AAPS, has it all wrong. The contradictory missions of the AAPS often lead to humorous juxtapositions of policy. For example, the AAPS wants the physician-patient relationship unsullied by any outside forces---unless that relationship pisses them off.…
April 3, 2008
It's time to open up a can of Streisand. The author of the autism blog Neurodiversity, along with many other blogs and other online entities, has been subpoenaed to produce what amounts to her entire life to aid in some frivolous autism suit. The only thing they didn't ask her to do was submit…
April 3, 2008
One year ago yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that EPA must formally declare whether greenhouse gases could harm human health, and if they find that they do, regulate automobile greenhouse-gas emissions. Last week, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson revealed the Bush administrationâs response to…
April 3, 2008
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatsoever the man would call every living creature, that was to be the name thereof. (Genesis 2:19)
Human beings are great organizers. As…
April 3, 2008
Dear Deirdre,
Hi! How are you? I am sooo proud of you. I mean, when I have a serious personality flaw, I usually try to hide it, but you! You are willing to show the WHOLE WORLD how intellectually challenged you are (that means "stupid" LOL).
Your recent article in the Huffington Post was so…
April 3, 2008
by Susan F. Wood, PhDÂ
The FDA Amendments Act (FDAAA) of 2007 includes a small section addressing direct to consumer (DTC) advertising. The bill doesn't limit advertising to consumers, nor does it give FDA authority to put a moratorium on advertising while more data on safety or effectiveness…
April 2, 2008
I'm not sure what to make of this. An article in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports some potentially good news for type II diabetics. Type II diabetes has been extensively studied (detailed post to follow), and one area of difficulty has been reducing the…
April 2, 2008
My book Doubt is Their Product: How Industryâs Assault on Science Threatens Your Health (Oxford University Press, 2008 ) will be officially released May 1st (though itâs available now through Amazon and Powellâs), and I'll be writing and speaking more about it over the next several weeks. The book…
April 2, 2008
On March 27th, South Africaâs Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism announced a prohibition on the use, processing or manufacturing, of any asbestos or asbestos containing products. The regulationâs objectives are:
To prohibit the use, processing or manufacturing, of any asbestos or…
April 2, 2008
Scientologists apparently have the answers to mental illness. HIV denialists swear that HIV doesn't cause AIDS. But very few people are actually buying it---enough to cause trouble, surely, but the Tom Cruises and Peter Deusbergs of the world aren't winning any Nobel Prizes. Why not?
Because…
April 1, 2008
The Department of Labor's Inspector General (IG) issued a report yesterday about the Utah Crandall Canyon mine, saying:
"MSHA was negligent in carrying out its responsibilities to protect the safety of miners."
The investigation was carried out in response to a request from the Senate Health,…