All posts by Mark Crislip

Mark Crislip, MD has been a practicing Infectious Disease specialist in Portland, Oregon, from 1990 to 2023. He has been voted a US News and World Report best US doctor, best ID doctor in Portland Magazine multiple times, has multiple teaching awards and, most importantly,  the ‘Attending Most Likely To Tell It Like It Is’ by the medical residents at his hospital. His multi-media empire can be found at edgydoc.com.

What Should We Do in the Absence of Evidence?

What to do in the absence of a clear diagnosis and randomized, controlled trials? Often nothing, sometimes something. It's complicated.

/ May 1, 2015

Mediocre Expectations: Acupuncture

I had a dickens of a time writing this entry. The last week has been spent in New York for NECSS. It is safe to say that New York has plenty of distractions for us Dug the Dog types. Reality may be a honey badger, but New York is a squirrel. I say that when I travel I usually do not come...

/ April 17, 2015

FDA and Homeopathy: Part Two.

Friends, FDA, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Homeopathy, not to praise it. The evil that homeopaths do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Homeopathy. The noble Ullman Hath told you homeopathy was effective: If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Homeopathy answer’d it....

/ April 3, 2015

NECSS and SfSBM: A weekend of science and skepticism

A day of Science-Based Medicine, a weekend of science and skepticism NECSS, the North-East Conference on Science and Skepticism, is upon us. Included in the program will be a day of Science-Based Medicine. Full Conference schedule here with Bill Nye as the Keynote speaker. SfSBM speakers will be Harriet Hall, Jann Bellamy, David Gorski, Steve Novella and Mark Crislip. SfSBM speakers will...

/ March 28, 2015

Lyme: Two Worlds Compared and Contrasted

The practice of infectious disease (ID) is both easy and difficult. If you read my ID blog on Medscape you are aware of my trials and tribulations in diagnosing and treating infections. ID is easy since, at least in theory, diseases have patterns and an infecting organism has a predictable epidemiology and life cycle. So if you can recognize the pattern and...

/ March 20, 2015

Bias and Spin: Acupuncture and Chiropractic

We all construct our narrative based on our biases and spin the facts so that the narrative confirms our biases. Among other characteristics, what separates an SBM provider from a SCAM provider is realizing that biases are always active and apply to me as well as everyone else. My biases are simple: I am skeptical that humans can reliably understand reality without...

/ March 6, 2015

A Day of Science and Skepticism with NECSS SfSBM

A day of Science-Based Medicine, a weekend of science and skepticism Registration for NECSS, the North-East Conference on Science and Skepticism, is now open. Included in the program will be a day of Science-Based Medicine. Full Conference schedule here with Bill Nye as the KeyNote. Speakers will be Harriet Hall, Jann Bellamy, David Gorski, Steve Novella and Mark Crislip. NECSS will be...

/ February 21, 2015

Traditional Chinese Pseudo-Medicine Hodgepodge

As I have noted before, more is published on acupuncture and traditional Chinese pseudo-medicine than the other SCAM. Here are some of the articles that drew my attention. Captain Hook and acupuncture Here is one of the more curious articles on acupuncture I have yet to find, “Psychophysical and neurophysiological responses to acupuncture stimulation to incorporated rubber hand.” I did not know...

/ February 20, 2015

A Day of Science-Based Medicine at NECSS

A day of Science-Based Medicine, a weekend of science and skepticism Registration for NECSS, the North-East Conference on Science and Skepticism, is now open. Included in the program will be a day of Science-Based Medicine. Speakers will be Harriet Hall, Jann Bellamy, David Gorski, Steve Novella and Mark Crislip. NECSS will be held April 9th–12th, 2015, in New York City at the...

/ February 15, 2015

SfSBM at NECSS

A day of Science-Based Medicine, a weekend of science and skepticism Registration for NECSS, the North-East Conference on Science and Skepticism, is now open. Included in the program will be a day of Science-Based Medicine. Speakers will be Harriet Hall, Jann Bellamy, David Gorski, Steve Novella and Mark Crislip. NECSS will be held April 9th–12th, 2015, in New York City at the...

/ February 7, 2015