Category: Science and Medicine
2023: The year that the evidence-based medicine (EBM) paradigm was weaponized against vaccines and public health
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has been a very useful paradigm for assessing evidence in medicine. However, like any other framework, it can be misused, particularly when fundamentalist EBM methodolatry leads to its inappropriate application to questions for which it is ill-suited, a misuse that has been weaponized against public health during the pandemic.
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera Chapter 6b
There were at least a dozen tents devoted to the Cholera. There was a small tent occupied by a single woman who sat at a desk with several piles of brochures. Looking closely, I could see the brochures were advertising for the Medical Societies, one stack for each of the five Societies. “Hello,” said the woman at the table. “How are you...
Doctors Shouldn’t Legitimize Pro-Tobacco, Child-Labor Advocates
As the adage says: "A man is judged by the company he keeps."
From the Vault: Infant Teething Myths and Misconceptions
Enjoy this classic post from the vault as we close out 2023. A few myths and misconceptions about infant teething.
When a “gender critical” is a runner-up for the Maddox Prize for standing up for science…
Helen Joyce, a virulently anti-trans "gender critical" campaigner, was recently shortlisted for the Maddox Prize, which purports to recognize people who "who stand up for science and evidence, advancing public discussion around difficult topics despite challenges or hostility," even though she promotes an agenda that denies science and demonizes trans people. How could this have happened?
Dr. Scott Atlas: “To Me, It’s Unconscionable When a Society Uses its Children as Shields for Adults.”
Does Dr. Scott Atlas *really* believe it's unconscionable when a society uses its children as shields for adults?
Do mRNA vaccines produce harmful “junk proteins” that “gunk up” the cell and cause unintended “off-target” immune responses?
A new study is making the rounds in the antivax crankosphere. The study found that the modified mRNA used in the Pfizer vaccine can cause a frame shift (to be explained) that results in the production of proteins besides the intended spike protein. The findings are, as you probably guessed, a big nothingburger compared to how they are being spun.
RSV Season is Here, So Where is Our Beyfortus?
RSV season is here. So far it's better than last year, which was the absolute worst, but it should have been much better. The roll out of a safe and effective drug that dramatically reduces risk of severe disease was botched, and we still don't know why it happened.
Steve Kirsch’s “mother of all revelations” about the “deadliness” of COVID-19 vaccines goes poof
On Thursday, Steve Kirsch gave his long-hyped talk about "record-level data" from New Zealand that supposedly demonstrates that COVID-19 vaccines have killed more than 10 million people worldwide. His "analysis" of illegally obtained data from a "whistleblower" was so ridden with false assumptions and rookie errors that even some antivaxxers couldn't accept it.
The People Can Decide the Best Policy, Only If They Have the Best Information
Doctors who prioritized politics over being a "neutral judge" failed to provide the best information.