Category: Science and Medicine
Aromatase inhibitors and acupuncture in breast cancer: Spinning a negative study, four years later
Four years ago, I wrote about an essentially negative study looking at whether acupuncture could alleviate joint pain caused by aromatase inhibitors, a common treatment for estrogen-sensitive breast cancer. The study's back, and it doesn't look any more positive.
The 2022-2023 Respiratory Virus Season Hits Early and Hard: Part 1
RSV, and a few of it's buddies, are back with a vengeance this year and hitting young children earlier and harder than during typical respiratory virus seasons.
Geriatric Preventive Medicine Appointments Covered by Medicare
Medicare offers free preventive medicine visits for those over 65: the Welcome to Medicare visit and the Annual Wellness Visit. Increased awareness of these benefits would improve health care, save taxpayer money, and reduce inequities of preventive medicine care for underserved populations.
Letter to a Medical Student: You Erred. You Are Owed an Apology.
While you are an adult who is responsible for your own words, the editors of Sensible Medicine did you a grave disservice by letting you publish your article.
Was Closing Schools an Obvious and Colossal Mistake?
Maybe it was a mistake to close schools. However, those who make this claim should honestly grapple with what would have happened had nothing been done rather than indulge an absurd fantasy that everything would have been fine and dandy.
A Popular Home Remedy Causes Severe Burns in Pediatric Patients
Garlic has been used medicinally for thousands of years, but the evidence for benefit isn't great. And topical use, particularly in young children, can cause severe burns. Stick to using garlic as a recipe ingredient rather than as a remedy.
Does “therapeutic ultrasound” actually work?
Ultrasound, a commonly used rehabilitation technique, may offer little benefit.
The making of COVID-19 “contrarian” doctors
In 2009, I tried to answer the question: How do doctors become quacks and antivaxxers? A Twitter encounter suggested to me that an update to that post is massively overdue.
Cutting through the Lies and Misinterpretations about the Updated Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People
The new WPATH standards of care have sparked controversy and intensified debates around gender-affirming care for trans children and adolescents.
Audience Capture: When COVID Influencers Follow Their Followers
Young doctors take heed. Be careful not to develop a brand and cultivate followers you must continually impress. Because instead of leading your followers, you might become their follower.