NeuroLogica Blog » Topic Suggestions

Jun 01 2010

Topic Suggestions

Published by Steven Novella

Post and discuss your suggestions for new topics here.

443 responses so far

443 Responses to “Topic Suggestions”

# Steven Novellaon 13 Aug 2008 at 11:40 am

Posted by bob_plotkin

Steve,

I checked your archives and did not see anything that you may have done on acupuncture. I did some research myself and found conflicting studies on the efficacy of acupuncture. I am a little torn on this because while I personally can not understand how your “life force” can be disrupted by a tiny needle, I recently spent some time with people who I would not usually expect to place any credence in such a procedure but had experience and thoughts on the procedure which have given me pause.

One person having had bad back pain for years and after trying a myriad of medical procedures said that after treatment by acupuncture she was much better. She has a science background and is not an alternative medicine person – in fact, she is helping her very sick mother working closely with many doctors seeking the best traditional medical treatments.

The second person had a comment which I found very intriguing. This is a MIT PhD in physics with a long career in science – and also not a CAM person by any means. When I said that I could not understand what the underlying science is of acupuncture, he responded that while that may be true, I should not rule out thousands of years of trial and error. I am forced to see the logic in this statement – and not finding any definitive materials on the subject thought it may be something you could comment on.

Of course, if I missed a blog, please point me to it!

Thanks again -

Bob (yes, Lisa’s husband – your cousin…)
# Steven Novellaon 13 Aug 2008 at 11:50 am

Bob,

Here are my previous entries on acupuncture:

http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=103
http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=14

I also mention it frequently in other entries, but the ones above are specifically on acupuncture (14 directly addresses your question)

Regarding your two points:

- Anecdotal evidence is never compelling or definitive. You can find similar stories to support any treatment, no matter how far-fetched or even disproven. Only controlled studies can settle the question. You seem to be grossly underestimating the degree to which memory of personal experience can deceiving or just quirky.

- Thousands of years of trial and error is the argument from antiquity. (I deal with that here: http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=15)

For three thousand years the humoral theory of illness flourished in the West. Thousands of years of anecdotal trial and error were 100% wrong. Chi and acupuncture were cultural embedded ideas, perpetuated through belief, confirmation bias, subjective validation, and cultural inertia. They were not systematically tested.

Once scientific methods were used to systematically test ideas – multitudes of ideas that had previously survived for thousands of years fell one-by-one.

Finally, by coincidence, I was just asked to submit an article on reasons I do not think acupuncture works. Look for this in the near future.
# Fifion 13 Aug 2008 at 12:08 pm

Um, because I’m lazy and I’d like someone else to compile all the information, I’d love to see a series that looked at the biological and neurobiological aspects of various “mystical” experiences in a systematic way. But perhaps you’ve done this and I should just check the archives
# mindmeon 13 Aug 2008 at 2:23 pm

Can you do something on placenta injections? A female friend in Korea ran out of her doctor’s office after he offered to inject her with Japanese placenta, claiming it would pretty much cure anything. Google shows others have quacky ideas. And just recently some a list hollywood star claimed placenta makes good fertilizer:

http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/passtheremote/2008/08/matts-placenta-plans.html
# kvsherryon 13 Aug 2008 at 2:41 pm

I would like to know your opinion, both as a doctor and as someone who can deconstruct an argument, about the expanding roles of and reliance on Nurse Practitioners in todays healthcare. I know that there is much debate from both the ANA and various physicians groups about whether or not the public should be treated by NPs. The most recent article against was written by a DO and can be found at the following link:

http://newsok.com/doctor-nurse-line-is-blurring/article/3280464/

Thank you
# SatansParakeeton 14 Aug 2008 at 11:04 am

I find it a little difficult to separate the fact from the fiction regarding medical marijuana (MM). The MM movement still seems to me to mostly be about providing a legal back door to allow people to get high, but I know there have been a fair amount of studies on using marijuana to treat pain and nausea. The MM movement tends to go a little far and suggest that marijuana can cure everything. Which studies have shown real benefits from MM and have they been repeated often enough to make them fairly convincing?
# martinvon 16 Aug 2008 at 7:57 am

Dear Steven,
it would be most interesting to read your analysis of Jill Bolte Taylor’s reflection of her stroke she has been widely expressing in media and in her book My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey. TED has her talk, which is the most e-mailed and much discussed of all TED talks.

Her experience has been an inspiration to many people, but some say that despite of her scientific background she has taken a leap of faith into New Age mysticism.

Best wishes from Estonia!
# ordinarygirlon 20 Aug 2008 at 10:12 am

My dad was recently diagnosed with Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks. He’s been referred to a university hospital in North Carolina for treatment. My mom is a kind of freaked out about the whole thing and has been doing a lot of research on the internet. She explained the surgery he might go through to me, but wasn’t really sure about what type of treatment he would have.

Are you familiar with the treatment? My dad hasn’t had sinus surgery in the past, but he has had multiple strokes and did have heart bypass surgery several years ago which left him in a coma for several months during recovery, possibly resulting in additional strokes. The site of leakage is his nose and he’s apparently been having leakage for several years, although he didn’t know it was spinal fluid until about a month ago. I know the primary concern is bacterial infection, but I don’t know if there are any other risks or concerns due to his past medical history.

I’m confident that he’ll receive good treatment and I accept that there are risks to any type of treatment. I’m hoping to learn more to help put my mom at ease. My parents have a hard time accepting science and are suspicious of doctors, especially after my dad’s previous surgery.

Thanks!
# superdaveon 20 Aug 2008 at 9:32 pm

I think a great topic for either the blog or podcast would be the recent announcement by columbia neuroscientists in which motoneurons were produced from stem cells that were derived from reprogrammed stem cells.
# Deemeron 28 Aug 2008 at 5:46 am

I’m surprised that there hasn’t yet been any comment around the news (at least as reported in Europe) about the JAMA study reporting heavy metal content in Ayurvedic “medicines”.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7583573.stm

Can the increased diagnoses of autism be linked to an increased consumption of woo?
# anandamideon 29 Aug 2008 at 11:16 am

Steve
I´ve just left a comment on ´The Color Test´, in which I mentioned NLP. I don´t know if you know a lot about the subject, but if you do it could be an interesting topic for a post; NLP (´Neuro-Linguistic Programming´) hangs on to scientific-sounding and neuroscientific terms to give an air of credibility, promises much and can be found in various forms in both personal-empowerment literature and management seminars. The Skeptics Dictionary has a good introduction to it, and even if you don´t decide to write a post on it I´m sure you´ll find the subject interesting, as a neurologist and skeptic.

I´d also like to secind Fifi´s suggestion re: mystic experiences, mainly as I´ve had a number of very powerful ones!

Many thanks for a fine blog.
# Fifion 29 Aug 2008 at 12:17 pm

And I’ll second anandamide’s suggestion of NLP as a subject (and check out the Skeptic’s Dictionary in the meantime).
# daedalus2uon 29 Aug 2008 at 12:39 pm

Regarding mystical experiences, it is likely that some of them are mediated though the effects of NO as a neurotransmitter. Those NO effects occur at NO levels in the range of a few nM/L, (on the order of 30 parts per trillion).

Some of the physiological states associated with mystical experiences include acute fever, hypoxia, other near death experiences, following orgasm, childbirth, and meditation. Some of these are associated with high NO levels, but that association is not well understood.

I suspect that the experience of something “mystical” is to provide a rationalization for transformative changes to ways of thinking. The physiological extreme state results in a reprogramming of neural physiology that is discontinuous with neural physiology prior to experiencing the physiologically extreme state.

I suspect that the most extreme “mystical” states will occur due to high NO following extremely low NO. I see that in terms of functional connectivity (mediated largely through NO as in the fMRI BOLD measurements). Low NO causes a relative disconnection of the long range functional connectivity, in effect “re-booting” the long range functional connectivity scheme the brain is using. High NO then restores that long range connectivity, in effect restoring the integrated functioning of multiple brain regions “in sync”, but with a somewhat different connectivity.

I think this is what happens during things like Stockholm syndrome. The extreme stress of abuse causes low NO which fragments the “mind” and allows for independent activity of different brain regions to allow for better “multi-tasking” to survive the extreme stress. (I see multiple personality disorder as a manifestation of this) When the stress is reduced, the reformation of the long range connections can lead to people attaching to those who caused the stress via abuse in the first place. A useful survival feature in “the wild” where abuse of females by alpha males is not uncommon.
# zntneoon 02 Sep 2008 at 10:54 pm

Hey Steve could you maybe go over your process of determining what the scientific consensus is on different issues?
# lladnarcon 18 Sep 2008 at 12:59 pm

Hi Steve,

My wife recently gave birth to our second daughter at the beginning of June. She’s had a series of issues that are as yet un-specifically defined but are currently being termed neurological in nature.

Specifically she has an uncoordinated swallow that leaves some liquid going up rather than down and she doesn’t seem to trakc and focus as well as her peers.

Anyway, we’ve had an ultrasound (nothing found) and have an MRI, as well appointments with a neuro-opthamologist and geneticist in the coming weeks (All at Mass general Hospital in Boston).

So, our daughter general practitioner has us reading up about everything from Cerebral Palsy to mitochondrial diseases but is also cautioning that she may just be “a little behind in the curve”.

All that to get to this: She recently asked us to consider the Rotavirus vaccine but didn’t provide a lot of information about it. Instead saying we should research it on the web and let her know if we wanted to do it. She mentioned if our daughter had a mitochondrial issue that it would be important for to have had the vaccine.

So, the only things I could find about it are that it is relatively new (only 70k children have had the new vaccine) and that there is a specific time-line for when you need to take the doses. if I recall correctly the first dose was noted for 8 weeks but our daughter is currently 14 weeks old.

So, I’m not afraid of vaccines and autism and all that silly stuff, I’m just concerned that only a small amount of children have had the new vaccine and from what i read online the prior version was proven to have some issues and was removed from the market.

Do you have any thoughts/data you could share on this vaccine? And perhaps any thoughts in general on how a parent should decide when to accept a new vaccine or treatment that is on t he market? We all know that some products come to market and are later proven to cause more harm than good, even if they have been through clinical trials, but I’m guessing that is more the exception than the rule.

Thanks for your thoughts and keep up the good work!
# echovaldon 28 Sep 2008 at 9:56 am

Regarding the topic of binaural and structural integrity of brain training. There is a company known as “Volition Thought House. inc”, this company claims to have incorporated a technology known as imagince, which incorporate a series of beats that are hidden within music (giving the music slightly choppy quality) which travel through your ears and towards your brain, where it induces certain brainwaves, such as Alpha, Beta, Delta and so on. As a result, listening to their commercial products provides ‘beneficial’ results, such as increased mental capacity and speed processing, as well as a greater feel for comprehension in terms of understanding topics. These beats apparently stimulate specific brainwaves and brain activity, once again their scientific basis and justification lies in the studies shown by the EEG studies, and a series of controlled experiments conducted involving small numbers of people. Not only do they have commercial products for brain training, with the fabricated promises of increased IQ, but they have other inducing soundtracks which can either evoke an array of frequencies, such as aiding with sleep. “iMusic”, is the term used for this specific product, although there is many reviews, I believe that most of this has been fabricated to an extent. I’ve also checked some of the acclaims, and some apparent, iconic figures are seemingly non-existent.
Advertisement:
http://www.getimusic.com/brain.php?gclid=CLzOl4zN_pUCFSAUagodNmiJEg

Imagince & iMusic overview:
http://www.getimusic.com/research/

Research:
http://www.getimusic.com/research/rb1.php#top

There are also a variety of articles.
What I would like to know if is their claims of increasing IQ and cognitive function simply by listening to their music true?
I’ve already read from your previous archives, about a similar incident regarding, “Neuro Programmer 2″, but I feel this is quite different, for one, this is an entirely different company, with different principals and so called technologies for enhancing cognitive function.
There are also so many reviews, which help reinforce and justify the belief that “iMusic”, works, is this true? Or is it merely a product of the placebo effect or the expectancy effect?
# Saorsaon 07 Oct 2008 at 6:54 pm

Dr. Novella,

Are you familiar with the claims of Suzette Foster? (http://www.suzettefoster.com/) She claims to have suffered a spinal-cord injury (she provides an MRI image as evidence) and states that she recovered through the magic of energy healing. Now, she is using her experience to recruit people suffering with SCI into “healing circles” with the promise of curing them. All for a fee, of course.

Worse, yet, she is reportedly going to receive national attention on Oprah’s radio show.

I’ve been a tetraplegic for over 14 years and have heard similar claims a thousand times before, but never suspected they might receive media attention that could provide them a modicum of legitimacy. Her claims not only dupe desperate people of their money, but also of their hope, while undermining an already ignorant public’s understanding of SCI. If she and most TV movies are to be believed, every person in a wheelchair is just too lazy, or too faithless, to cure themselves. These memes infect public perception and conceal the reality that spinal-cord injuries are devastating and, given time, fatal, because of the many respiratory, renal, and ulcer issues that occur as a result of SCI.

Could you comment on her claims, SCI, and perhaps the state of current SCI research? Thank you.

-S
# llysenwion 10 Oct 2008 at 1:40 pm

What is the responsibility of competent scientists to conduct well-designed studies on CAM? Given that money is going to be given to NCCAM and that there is loads of private funding for this research, do competent scientists have an obligation to compete for that money to do quality research on CAM, instead of letting the funds go to badly designed studies that will simply propagate misinformation? Probably best to ignore the fact that I have no idea how to ethically design an IRB protocol or informed consent for something like a homeopathy clinical trial.
# Monicaon 12 Oct 2008 at 6:34 pm

Dr. Novella and anyone else with Stroop information,

I am an honor student in the 7th grade. Last year I did a science fair project on how age affects results in the Stroop color test. I won first place in my category and was lucky enough to be selected to go to the regional science fair with my project.

This year I am working on a continuation project. I am working to find out how the test was or still is used in spy work. Unfortunately, I am having trouble finding information on this subject for my research paper. Since you mention this in your posting of August 28, I am hoping that you can help me.

If you or anyone else has any information on how the Stroop test was used to detect foreign spies, or if you are familiar with resources that I can look at please post it to this site. I hope to win my school fair again this year and participate in this year’s ISEF regional science fair.

Thank you so much!!
# superdaveon 14 Oct 2008 at 9:54 pm

could you comment on this NYTimes article, it seems to be a rebuttal of sorts of the claim that preventative medicine does not decrease the overall costs of the healthcare system.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/health/25insure.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
# ADR150on 20 Oct 2008 at 9:59 pm

Dr Novella

I was wondering if you had any insight to the benefits of Clean Coal technology. Does this significantly increase efficiency and/or reduce carbon emissions?

thanks

Andrew
# bobfobbiton 22 Oct 2008 at 8:14 pm

I didn’t see anything on the blog about nootropics. All the literature on them is pretty much couched in scientific terms, so I can’t really make an informed decision. Any help?

Piracetam is the specific drug that seems to be pushed pretty strongly.
# Claireon 24 Oct 2008 at 6:47 am

Dear Dr Novella,

I know you have posted before on NLP in the context of mental health and counselling but I would be interested in your views on its application on other health areas, such as allergy, where NLP practioners make what seem to me to be poorly evidenced claims. See e.g. this blog post and comments:

http://jdc325.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/allergy-alternatives-nlp/

The NLP practitioner in question has been brave enough to show up in the comments and talks quite a bit about psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), which he says is a field of medical immunology. I don’t know what the standing of PNI is in medicine but it does appear popular within NLP.

thanks and best wishes,

Claire
# ADR150on 24 Oct 2008 at 11:10 am

“Doctors Often Prescribe Placebo Treatments”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20081024/hl_hsn/doctorsoftenprescribeplacebotreatments;_ylt=AhY_8i5y3oru1q8Vmac0kTIDW7oF

I know you’ve talked about this a little on the podcast, but I’d be interested to hear your take on this report.

Andrew
# MBoazon 04 Nov 2008 at 2:14 am

I’d love to hear your thoughts on osteopathy. Is there any real distinction between the D.O. and the M.D. aside from training in OMT? Isn’t “osteopathic medicine” a philosophy-based medicine? I hear that osteopaths emphasize preventive medicine, and treat “the whole person.” Isn’t such rhetoric misleading? Why does osteopathy exist as a unique discipline?

I hope you or one of your colleagues at SBM can address this topic.

Best regards,

Matthew
# CrookedTimberon 11 Nov 2008 at 5:14 pm

Dr N
The History channel ran a program about the brain last night (November 10, 2008). In typical History channel fashion they provided some very good information and then proceeded to undermine the credibility of the entire program by including some shameless pseudoscience. They actually spent time speaking with a researcher who is convinced John Edwards is a “real medium”.
This made me wonder if there were other aspects of the program that were fallacious, but not as obvious to a non professional. I would love to hear your views if you happened to see the show.
I greatly enjoy your many blogs (where do you find the time) and podcast, keep up the good work!
# Dread Polackon 14 Nov 2008 at 4:50 pm

Steven,

I would like to hear you discuss the current state of understanding of Narcolepsy and “Idiopathic Hypersomnia”. I was diagnosed with the latter a couple years ago, and discontinued treatment recently due to a lack of progress. I spend some time on Narcolepsy message boards and hear a lot of rumors, speculation, and quotes from obscure studies. I’m very skeptical of what is true or not regarding these conditions. Thank you.
# jwmiller64on 17 Nov 2008 at 12:27 pm

Dr Novella,

Take a look at the wealth of information on this site for speech apraxia.

excerpt… from mailing list for apraxia…

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/childrensapraxianet/

…
My mission as a researcher, an activist and mother of 2 vaccine-injured boys is to keep you informed and that is with articles and documents that will help you see outside the box!!!

It has been proved by many scientists, and doctors that vaccines cause brain inflammation, and micro-vascular strokes… That is where you can compare our children with people who have suffered strokes and have the same language problems… Our children’s problems are originated in the brain, Motor planning, and liver: muscle tone (mitochondrial issues)… That being said each child is different and some are affected more than others… if your child only has language delay, than you are a few of the lucky ones, some are autistic, epileptic and CP… some have a combination of this and have far more difficult road ahead… but, they can all recover, as long as we can determine the cause or origin, to work in pro of building their brains and other affected organs…

By the way, not so long ago two Mexican scientists found a possible relation between the virus that causes chickenpox, chickenpox-zó ster, and cases of multiple sclerosis in active stage.
The investigation was developed by Adolfo Martinez and Julio Sotelo, who identified the presence of the virus just chickenpox-zó ster in a group of 62 patients with multiple sclerosis when it was in active stage.

The virus of chickenpox would cause in the brain a scar that would prevent the myelin production, a protein that surrounds nervous fibers and facilitates the transmission of the nervous impulses.
The investigation was published in the Annals magazine of Neurology.
“In resistance, were not viral particles in samples of patients with multiple sclerosis in phase of remission or subjects to neurological control”, indicate the conclusions of the scientists.. .
“We considered that this is the cause. Or he will see himself if it is cause or one of the causes”, indicated Julio Sotelo. “In these initial findings he can be one neither forceful nor dogmatic one”, said the scientist.
The multiple sclerosis affects the spinal marrow and the brain, causing damages in the coordination, the balance and the memory; in addition, it hits the muscular development and the visual capacity.

Now correct me if I am wrong… but MS cases are also on the rise along with Alzheimer’s and ASD, Remember that MS and ASD share same mitochondrial issues… And the most common exposure to chickenpox this days is childhood VACCINES!!! What do you think?!!!

Here it is straight from the horse’s mouth:
The following document is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and lists the inactive ingredients in vaccines along with the materials that are used to culture or grow mass quantities of vaccines.

Vaccine Excipient and Media Summary:
http://www.909shot.com/Vaccine%20Excipients%20CDC.pdf

Were you aware that vaccines have all this ingredients?!!! Do you know what all this ingredients can cause?!!!
http://www.novaccine.com/vaccine-ingredients/

Love, Gabby. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/
# bob_plotkinon 17 Nov 2008 at 2:56 pm

Steve,

Thanks for the original and follow-up info on Acupuncture.

How about “cold laser” therapy? I just found out that it is being used in rehabilitation of someone I know and find the plausibility that low-level light therapy has any beneficial effects to be negligible at best. (I will ignore the fact that the practitioner told the patient that they could do the procedure through clothes – seems to violate some basic principles of light!?)

Given that from my basic research, cold lasers are also being used as an alternative to needles for acupuncture, I would be curious to get your take on this device and its applicability to medicine.

Thanks -

Bob
# daedalus2uon 18 Nov 2008 at 2:18 pm

How about a blog on Alzheimer’s and the amyloid hypothesis?

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081112/full/456161a.html

A number of recent results have seemingly shown clearance of amyloid with seemingly no resolution of dementia.

My own feeling is that the accumulation of amyloid and tau is a side-show, the real causal factors relate to ATP status and blood flow (as controlled by NO).
# Radoslav Harmanon 20 Nov 2008 at 3:17 am

Dear Dr. Novella. I would like to know your opinion on the following topic:
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/religious_women_have_20_percent_lower_mortality_rate_study
# The skepTickon 21 Nov 2008 at 1:56 pm

Dr. N,

Roy Asim has “finally” published his controversial theory on the brain. According to him, different parts of the brain are controlled by a master controller. I gather he repudiates the power of self-organization that we see so often in nature. It sounds like this might be right up your alley so I thought you might want to make a few comments about it.

The layman’s link is here: http://www.physorg.com/news146319784.html

Best Regards,
The skepTick
# eatbolton 22 Nov 2008 at 6:27 pm

Dr. Novella,
Have you looked into the film, “The Beautiful Truth?” It appears to be a propaganda film extolling the virtues of how an organic food based diet will cure cancer. It’s getting a fare amount of press about how it “takes on the medical industrial complex.” Here’s a link to the film’s trailer and a misguided review of the film. Please shed some light on this dark, dark territory.

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/thebeautifultruth/

Review: http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/reviews/specialty-releases/e3i2dd2f2ead332946a80eca22aad7adc37?imw=Y

Thanks!
-Matt
# HCNon 22 Nov 2008 at 8:03 pm

eatbolt aka Matt have you seen this takedown of that movie by a cancer researcher?…
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/11/the_notsobeautiful_untruth.php
# eatbolton 24 Nov 2008 at 8:47 pm

HCN,
Thanks for the link. Just what I was looking for.
-EatMattBolt
# HCNon 25 Nov 2008 at 12:31 am

Glad to be of help… there is more of the same here:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=291
# Amorphous Intelligenceon 27 Nov 2008 at 6:20 am

Dr. Novella:
I have heard you say a number of times on your podcast that—as best as memory serves—“correlation is not causation.” It is a phrase which has made sense to me per your usages and I recently wanted to invoke it myself for my new blog at http://www.amorphousintelligence.wordpress.com. But I also wanted to provide a link that gave a rational justification for it. I was hoping you had written about it; alas, I was unable to find it if you had. So I checked many other science-based and skeptical blogs as well as doing a broad Google search. The closest thing I could find that was accessible to the lay reader was a Wikipedia article titled “Correlation does not imply causation,” which I at first thought was close enough. (In fact, if one types “correlation is not causation” in the search box one is directed to “Correlation does not imply causation.”) But then I heard your most recent SGU 5X5 podcast (#46 “Skepticism 101-Confusing Correlation With Causation”) in which you point out that correlation can, in fact, imply causation, so a more accurate phrasing would be “correlation is not necessarily causation.” Upon further reflection this now makes even more sense than the aforementioned phrase (which makes me wonder if all this time you had been saying “necessarily” and I just hadn’t clued in to it). Which now leads to the two points of my writing you: First, given the apparent inaccuracy of the Wikipedia article, I recommend that you try to fix that article or write a wholly different one altogether. (I would gladly do it myself but it seems you are far more qualified than I.) And second—especially if revising/rewriting the Wikipedia article is too much effort—might I recommend that you blog about this phrase? It strikes me as a highly useful phrase that the average person can find an application for its usage on a near daily basis which, in fact, I do use on a near daily basis. For us lay skeptics it would be nice to have an authoritative, easily readable article to point others to, though. (And yes, I understand authority is not science, but it does persuade.) It would be especially helpful to say something like: “What? Don’t believe me? Check it out on Wikipedia.” After all, if Wikipedia says it, it must be true.
Thank you,
Amorphous Intelligence
# taustinon 29 Nov 2008 at 4:24 pm

This is an old screed, but I don’t find anything about Ritalin with a search:

http://www.naturalnews.com/021943.html

Has all the earmarks of of quackery based in ignorance (and sounds remarkably like the anti-vaccine screeds), how ADHD doesn’t exist, it’s all a massive criminal conspiracy between “big pharma” and the government, and it can all be cured with a diet change and it’s all the fault of boring schools anyway.

And the very specific claim that Ritalin causes stunted growth in children.
# ADR150on 02 Dec 2008 at 1:07 pm

You probably already have a post ready to go up on this , but apparently researchers at Duke have found that “Acupuncture beats aspirin for chronic headache”!!!

The results? – “53 percent of patients given true acupuncture were helped, compared to 45 percent receiving sham therapy”

Doctor, what say you to that!?!
# ADR150on 02 Dec 2008 at 1:07 pm

oops – link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081202/hl_nm/us_headaches_acupuncture;_ylt=AgzwxlZV5ijhPUH2iXy00K4DW7oF
# Paradymon 05 Dec 2008 at 10:32 am

Dear Steve,

As you may or may not know, David Kirby has been posting to Huffington Post almost weekly regarding the vaccine/autism connection fallacy. I know you’ve addressed this topic many times before, and I have been attempting to be a counter, however small, to all the misinformed posters lauding Mr. Kirby’s assertions. As expected, most of those supporting him are the same dozen or so, but there is an alarmingly growing number of people claiming that because of theses articles they are now concerned about vaccinating their children. I know all that can be a ruse to feign larger support, but it still concerns me that Mr. Kirby isn’t being refuted by a knowledgeable source.

With respect, I am imploring you to please attempt a rebuttal, or at least try to get an authority in this specific field to write an article that calls out the fallacies in the anti-vaccination argument. I am troubled by Huffington Post’s continually giving Mr. Kirby an opportunity to feed this conspiracy (and his book sales). I think it could be argued as irresponsible, if not dangerous, as the ramifications are huge to the public health.

Thank you, as well as all the Skeptical Rogues, for all that you do, and as a big fan I hope to meet you all soon someday!

DJ
Chicago, IL
# PaulGon 08 Dec 2008 at 7:09 am

How about drug-related internet hoaxes?

I received a recent one from my sister, detailing the threat of receiving a business card from a stranger, that may be dosed with Burundanga (aka: Scopolamine/Datura) and will render the subject almost instantly intoxicated.

What alarms me about this sort of thing, is that there is usually a grain of truth somewhere. Yes, scopolamine can be used as a “date rape drug”, but ten minutes on the internet will reveal that it can’t be absorbed in transdermal fashion in sufficient quantities to cause intoxication and that the e-mail is an established hoax.

Looking at the e-mail itself, my sister appears to have received her copy of the message from a serving police officer (a detective no less). You really would expect the police to be a bit more critical in their thinking before sending out this sort of thing.
# Spenceron 09 Dec 2008 at 8:43 am

Could you please do an article on the contribution Henry Gustav Molaison (HM) has made to neuroscience due to his profound amnesia.

I have read the NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/us/05hm.html?_r=1) and was somewhat touched by the sad story of his life.
# Boreason 11 Dec 2008 at 7:19 am

I’d like to suggest an article (or Podcast segment) on the recent Nature paper suggesting that use of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall by people wishing to improve cognative ability should be legalised.

You can find more at -

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/456702a.html

and

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/12/brain-enhancing.html
# Bunnyon 17 Dec 2008 at 2:41 pm

Jenny McCarthy has been sharing her medical expertise via the Oprah show, Larry King, etc., and now her boyfriend, Jim Carrey, is getting in on the act. Here’s some fascinating medical advice from Jim Carry in the current issue of Us Magazine:

“At the risk of like opening up the whole Tom Cruise Prozac argument, you know, I don’t disagree in many ways,” Jim Carrey said. “I think Prozac and things like that are very valuable to people for short periods of time. But I believe if you’re on them for an extended period of time, you never get to the problem.

“You never get to see what the problem is, because everything is just kind of OK,” he said. “And so, you don’t deal. And people deal when they get desperate.”

Carrey’s solution: “Supplements,” he said.

“It is vitamins. But it’s also certain elements of the brain like Tyrosine and hydroxytryptophan that they’re treating depression with now,” he said. “It is a natural substance that’s in your brain. Instead of being a Serotonin inhibitor, which just uses the serotonin you have and Prozac and things like that — it just uses the Serotonin you have and it doesn’t allow it go back into the receptor.

“It metabolizes your serotonin after a while and you have to keep taking more and more to feel good.

“This actually creates dopamine and creates serotonin,” Carrey continued. “It’s a wonderful thing. It’s amazing. I’m going to talk a lot about it in the near future.”
# Bunnyon 19 Dec 2008 at 4:29 pm

Oh, and I would like to second the suggestion from SatansParkakeet on 8-14-08. When my mother was dying of cancer in the 1990s, she had a prescription for Marinol, which I understood to be “medical marijuana” in pill form. If this is already available legally, why are people still fighting to make marijuana legal for medical purposes? Why do they insist on the smokeable kind?
# DevilsAdvocateon 23 Dec 2008 at 1:15 pm

Topic Suggestion:

University of Tilburg (Netherlands) study of a man blinded by multiple strokes who nonetheless navigated an obstacle course without aids such a cane nor by touching and feeling his way through.

Suggests visually obtained data may be processed in another part of brain than usual, and that it can occur without the person realizing it (?).

No *apparent* outward woo or pseudoscience… but, if true, considerable implications for neuroscience and other disciplines.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222143507.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3902864/Blind-man-navigates-obstacle-course-using-blindsight.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5385633.ece
# Gary Goldwateron 26 Dec 2008 at 8:28 pm

I’d like to have a reading list for people with a scientific interest but who are not trained scientists. For example, I’m a special education teacher. I have not trained in the hard sciences nor did I take anything but 100-200 level science classes when I was in college.

If you had a list of 12 books, we could read one each month. At the end of that month, you could write a blog using the knowledge base gained from that book. Of course, I’m thinking like an old-timer. You could just as well have links listed that need to be digested before reading the target blog.

If you posted the book 6 weeks in advance, for example, we could get the book from Amazon and read it by the time the target blog comes out.

Thanks,
Gary Goldwater
# daedalus2uon 05 Jan 2009 at 10:42 pm

There is a recent death in the news, John Travolta’s son, reportedly due to a seizure secondary to Kawasaki Syndrome. It is an interesting case because the Kawasaki Syndrome was reportedly improved by a detox system based on Scientology.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090106/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_bahamas_travolta_s_son;_ylt=AkqO1DSWcnTx6B33_pFdQF6s0NUE

Tragically it was not improved enough.
# battlestarleton 06 Jan 2009 at 3:49 pm

I am an esthetician (facialist) and am constantly confronted with pseudoscience in the spa industry. I would love to hear your thoughts on:

- antioxidants
- salicylic acid versus willow bark extract (it’s my understanding that salicylic acid is derived from willow bark and that both are anti-inflammatories related to aspirin, but the true-believers say that willow bark is gentler, healthier, and just as effective because it is more.. ahem.. natural)
- lymphatic massage for normal, healthy individuals
- high frequency therapy done to eliminate acne
- colloidal silver used topically (not internally)

I also consider myself a feminist and it saddens me that the beauty industry does such a good job of convincing women (who, as a whole, are already behind their male counterparts in savings and investings) to turn over their hard-earned cash for questionable treatments. I try to do my best to bring reason to my industry, but it is a constant battle.
# son 06 Jan 2009 at 9:43 pm

Battlestarlet,
Aspirin is the brand name of a very well known salicylate-containing tablet introduced in 1899.

Aspirin is named so after Spirea ulmaria (meadowseet, today Filipendula ulmaria) that is another salicinproducing plant.

The active compound in these plants, among which the willow is probably most know, is salicin that will be metabolized to salicylic acid in the body.

Yes the extract should be milder. According to Akao et al “[salicylic acid] appeared slowly in the plasma and levels increased gradually, in contrast to the rapid appearance observed after oral administration of sodium salicylate… [salicin] did not induce gastric lesions even at a dose of 5 mmol/kg; conversely, ["aspirin/salicylic acid"] induced severe gastric lesions in a dose-dependent manner at 1, 2.5 and 5 mmol/kg. …These results indicate that [salicin] is a prodrug which is gradually transported to the lower part of the intestine, hydrolyzed to [saligenin] by intestinal bacteria, and converted to [salicicylic acid] after absorption. It thus produces an antipyretic action without causing gastric injury.”

In sum taking salicin is “milder” as it does not get metabolized into salicylic acid until in the bloodstream, while aspirin means salicylic acid is directly ingested into the stomach and can cause upset. This probably also means that salicylate poisoning is less likely as concentrations are lower.

/S

Planta Med. 2002 Aug;68(8):714-8. Evaluation of salicin as an antipyretic prodrug that does not cause gastric injury. Akao T, Yoshino T, Kobashi K, Hattori M.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/168139-overview
# AutismNewsBeaton 14 Jan 2009 at 6:21 pm

Write about the New York Time’ latest op-ed contributor, Bono. It doesn’t have to be off topic.

Bono is a terrific lyricist, as evidenced by the millions of CDs and albums he’s sold. So why was his first op-ed a muddled, incoherent, unreadable mess? Could it be that the skills we possess in one area do not necessarily translate into another, seemingly related area?

Thus we have competent chemistry department chairs pumping out muddled, incoherent papers on autism. And chiropractors sharing worthless advice on nutrition and toxicology with parents of autistic children.

The NY Times will soon enough realize its mistake, and replace Bono with an bona fide essayist. Anti-vaxers will take longer.
# FLICMOon 21 Jan 2009 at 3:51 am

I’d like to hear your thoughts on the increased use of non-invasive diagnostic medical imaging use and the movement of imaging studies out of the radiology reading room and into the practicing physician’s office.

We (FiatLux Imagine ) have used computer gaming technology, in the form of Direct X, to harness the inate capability of everyday computers to provide 2D and 3D rendering capabilities to view these medical images in any location, independent of costly specialized servers. By doing this at an affordable price, we see an ability to provide medical images anywhere, anytime, to any practicioner.

With the ever increasing ability to diagnostically peer inside the body, and with the increasing technical ability to render those images into physiologic appearing 3D volumes,an ever increasing number of specialties are now proficient at doing their own interpretations and moving ahead with treatment regimes and surgical planning.
# Dr J In Trainingon 22 Jan 2009 at 2:03 am

I have done some rudimentary digging and can’t find much in the way of reliable information regarding the “Post-Massage Malaise” that many masseurs warn against. They profess it’s due to released toxins…so a real explanation is certainly lacking. I’d love to read your thoughts on it.
# tmac57on 23 Jan 2009 at 6:32 pm

Steve,
I was recently struck by the current TV commercial war between Campbell’s Soup and Progresso Soup over inclusion of MSG. Campbell’s Soup trumpets the ‘All Natural- no MSG’ line, and Progresso goes with the ‘more people prefer their taste’ approach.
What caught my interest was what’s really wrong with MSG anyway? So I did a little research, since I had heard MSG being used as a ‘bad guy’ ingredient for many years, and I found out that, while it has been suspected as a headache and asthma trigger in the past, there doesn’t appear to be any well controlled studies to bear this out.
Is this a case of anecdotal stories and ‘common knowledge’ maligning a perfectly good flavor additive that adds the UMAMI taste to foods, or is there any really good reason for people to avoid it? FYI, I have no dog in this fight except to know the facts.
# mindmeon 30 Jan 2009 at 12:09 pm

A double blind placebo controlled homeopathy study:

http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/43/5/577?ijkey=5031e6377b59a2b87cff86ed4b9bd15ce87d7a33&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

I noticed the above paper cited by Dana Ullman (who seems to be a big name in homeopathy) on this blog:

http://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2009/01/lesson_1_homeopathy_is_not_her_1.php

The study is small (about 60 people) but from my unsophisticated reading does match the “double blind placebo controlled” goal post required by at least us lay skeptics.

What’s deal? Tell it to me straight, doc.
# HCNon 30 Jan 2009 at 12:57 pm

mindme, I do not have time to read the paper, but at a first glance it is on a condition that is not well defined and with subjective data points, as noted here:
“Tender point count and tender point pain on examination by a medical assessor uninvolved in providing care, self-rating scales on fibromyalgia-related quality of life, pain, mood and global health at baseline and 3 months, were the primary clinical outcome measures for this report.”

It is the “self-rating” scale that makes it not so good.

For a better idea read the book “Snake Oil Science” by R Barker Bausell.
# Johnshieldon 08 Feb 2009 at 10:16 pm

Good day, Dr Novella

I recently stumbled upon this add on a local billboard:

http://www.vivimind.com/information.aspx

and I found that I had a few questions like:

1) if their claims on the effects of homotaurine on brain volume and also the list of Wonders it brought about, was on the level?

2) CAN this new natural health product who was Scientifically proven, be true?

3) And finally, is this, as I found out with a little digging, really a re-ashed failed Anti-Alzheimer’s Pill,and if so, is that legal or ethical?

Thank you for your time!
# Vilrandiron 11 Feb 2009 at 8:00 pm

Dr. Novella,

In your recent discussion with a Creationist blogger, he avoided actually answering your challenge by dropping some random questions, one of which ran along the lines of “How do you explain the origin of the Universe?”.
Although it had nothing to do with the subject at hand at that time, it does represent an interesting question.
I think I remember reading something on this in Richard Dawkins “The God Delusion”, although it might have been another book I was reading at that time. I think I remember that he wrote about a couple of different possible explanations being explored on this, and I remember distinctly that they had to do with the properties of vacuum (symmetry). I’ll do my homework and look for this reference, but I did want to ask you if you have some reading material on this, or can reference me to a good source, and most importantly, blog about it or discuss it in the Skeptics Guide.
Thank you for your time and the guiding beacon you represent to all of us Skeptics out here.
# Anderson 14 Feb 2009 at 5:39 pm

Good day, Dr. Novella

Here is a cool article about a new Prosthetic Arm. Remember to watch the video. http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/22730/
# TSkidCon 16 Feb 2009 at 6:58 pm

Steve, have you ever done any research on, or are you aware of any good research on candida and “the candida diet”. A friend of mine went to a alt medicine practitioner who used a vega machine to diagnose her with candida (amongst other thing). I have been trying to find some solid information and research on this condition and the supposed diet-cure but have been unable to find anything worthwhile on the net. Thanks.
# TSkidCon 02 Mar 2009 at 6:39 pm

I have been a vegan for 7 years and a vegetarian for 13 before that. I would be interested in hearing your perspective on the science behind the John McDougall and Dean Ornish diets, as well as the research conducted by Colin T. Campbell (author of The China Study) and Neal Barnard (who is the president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine). All of these individuals advocate the importance of a vegetarian/vegan diet for optimal health. I have always been impressed at the quality of the scientific/medical research on which they draw. I’d love to hear your take on the science that these individuals use to promote their position.
# eddiecurrenton 05 Mar 2009 at 12:45 am

This post by Alone at Last Psychiatrist tweaked me:
http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2009/03/impulsivity_in_kindergarten_do.html

Now I think his stance here is a little bit too far (Alone, on the whole, seems to indulge in the Galileo Fallacy– “my ideas are unpopular and marginal, and thus must be right”), but it does make me ask:

How can a layman spot bias in a study? You’ve written a few times (as have others) on how the media spins research, but if I go to the original paper to get past that how do I tell if the writer of that paper isn’t working an agenda beyond testing a hypothesis?
# IanJNon 09 Mar 2009 at 11:32 am

Dr. Novella,

I have a friend studying Transpersonal Psychology and I was wondering what your thoughts were. While the psychology of spirituality is worthy of study, I can’t tell if TP is credible or credulous.
# glensteinon 09 Mar 2009 at 8:58 pm

There is a recent article in the New Atlantis (link) called “Why Minds Are Not Like Computers”, that I think is problematic. There are bits, such as…

… arguments for strong AI typically describe the lowest levels of the mind in order to assert its mechanical nature. The rhetoric of mechanism pervades the writing of AI believers, who claim again and again that the brain is a machine. In his 2002 book Flesh and Machines: How Robots Will Change Us, roboticist Rodney Brooks declares that “the body, this mass of biomolecules, is a machine that acts according to a set of specifiable rules,” and hence that “we, all of us, overanthropomorphize humans, who are after all mere machines.” The mind, then, must also be a machine, and thus must be describable in computational terms just as the brain supposedly is.

Both these positions fail to acknowledge that the mind may be simultaneously like and unlike a machine, depending on the level at which it is being described. That is, perhaps it is the case that the highest levels of mentation cannot be described in computational terms, but some lower level can.

I think there is something slippery going on here- if I understand it correctly, all that we mean when describing “mind as machine”, is that a scientific account of the proccesses in a mind must be mechanistic. The article suggests that at some point, the mind is becomes so complicated that it’s somehow not mechanistic any more.

This suggestion that the minds processes can be explained without reference to its underlying physical components strikes me as a not very scientific position to take, and similar in spirit to arguments against evolution, that life could be “so complicated” that it’s impossible that natural systems could describe. But it’s also a fairly well written piece, and on my readings the problem is really difficult to unpack, so I thought it might be of interest here.
# Kilgore Trouton 10 Mar 2009 at 10:49 pm

Dr. Novella,
After watching the video on the prosthetic limb posted by Anders, I was just wondering what this means when it comes to explaining phantom limb pain?
# Keldoron 13 Mar 2009 at 5:02 pm

What do you think of “Calorie Restrictive” diets and the search for and use of Resveratrol in anti-aging? Seems like bunk to me, but there are supposedly compelling studies being done on it at SMU.
# Ruthon 17 Mar 2009 at 6:20 am

Addiction?

I had a relative with a significant alcohol problem and I was shocked at how little connection there seemed to be between the academic research and the firmly held beliefs surrounding treatment.

In the uk it’s unacceptable for a medical proffessional to push religion, yet the spiritual cure for a frequently sloppily diagnosed ‘disease’ (or even worse ‘spiritual disease’) seems widespread even in the state provision of healthcare. Things are changing but slowly but over the years that have since past I have still never encountered such an odd mix of disease versus behaviour and state funded spiritual cure, often mixed with secular, medical solutions.

It’s a can of worms to be sure – but for an innate skeptic it seemed a shocking state of affairs in such a widespread and actually well researched issue.
# IanJNon 25 Mar 2009 at 5:36 pm

I’d love to see a post about theory selection and best explanation to the cause. Why, when given the same evidence, is one interpretation preferred over another?
# MWSlettenon 26 Mar 2009 at 10:13 am

This would seem to be right up your alley:

http://www.reason.com/news/show/132452.html

–Mark
# Chicago Skepticon 30 Mar 2009 at 10:53 pm

Poverty Goes Straight to the Brain
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/poordevelopment.html

The preceding article discusses a study that appears show that being raised in poverty can result in lower working memory as an adult due to stress, caused by poverty, on adolescent brains. If true, the findings have many interesting implications.

I would love to get your take on the article, the underlying study, and the potential implications of the research.

The study, as given at the end of the article is:

“Childhood poverty, chronic stress, and adult working memory.” By Gary W. Evans and Michelle A. Schamberg. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106 No. 13, March 30, 2009.
# Brownbomber3on 09 Apr 2009 at 11:40 am

I would love to see a post regarding mitochondrial disease. I had never heard it until it took our daughter’s life. Treatment is vague and a cure seems to be nowhere in site. I have read everything there is to read but I would like to know more about what is up and coming in terms of testing. UMDF has been a great resource but I need more.

Thank you!
# Suzion 10 Apr 2009 at 6:30 pm

My boyfriend had an interesting discussion regarding his theory that people who truly believe that they can see auras, may be suffering a neurological condition, specifically synesthesia. We both said “I wonder what Steve would say about that?”. Thanks!
Suzi
# kvsherryon 11 Apr 2009 at 12:27 am

Steve-

Here in San Diego a man who ran a CAM clinic and sold “drugs” to people in and out of the area is being prosecuted for, amongst other things, practicing without a license. His Name is Kurt Donsbach and he actually ran a clinic in Mexico where Coretta Scott King died from cancer while receiving his “treatments”.

Included in the comments of the article was the post that I pasted below from John Hammell, the President of the International Advocates for Health Freedom. In it, he mentions some pretty scary ways for CAM proponents to dodge prosecution…

“Mexican authorities will allow any clinic to remain open if it pays the bribe money unless they’re leaned on by US Authorities to shut a clinic down. Mexico is a totally corrupt country, but then so is the USA. You can’t judge any clinic just because the Mexican government shut it down. There are a lot of very good clinics in Mexico that aren’t operating in the USA due to major corruption in the USA that suppresses alternative treatment modes employing the use of treatments that threaten pharmaceutical profits. These suppressed treatments include bioxidative treatments such as ozone and hydrogen peroxide. Cancer is anaerobic, it can’t live in the presence of oxygen, but no money can be made off these treatments which play hob with Big Pharma’s money game. Don’t kid yourself, the pharmaceutical industry and mainstream medicine are like the mafia. They wield enormous political power, and thats NOT in our best interests. I once worked for Kurt Donsbach at his Hospital in Rosarito Beach. I witnessed the man save a lot of lives. He is not a criminal, the AMA are criminals, mainstream medicine is chock full of criminals who do everything humanly possible to maintain their monopoly at our expense.

Donsbach should have joined the Nemenhah Band of the Native American Church. He would have come under the protection of a Supreme Court Decision (Gonzalez v O Centro) that extends only to members in good standing in the Native American Church, which anyone can join, regardless of whether or not they have so much as a drop of Native Blood. In Ohio, a woman who was charged recently with “practicing medicine without a license” was apologized to by the Judge when she explained to him that she was under the protection of this Supreme Court Decision and that he had no jurisdiction over her: http://www.nemenhah.org

Any alternative practitioner reading this should join so as to avoid Donsbach’s fate. What happened to him didn’t have to happen. This Supreme Court decision allows members of the Native American Church to consider any substance to be a sacrament used for healing, including peyote and marijuana, and this extends to all substances sold in health food stores. Supplement manufacturers should join and set up Buyers Clubs that only members in the Nemenhah band could enter. This would remove them from FDA jurisdiction so they could then make medicinal claims on product labels. They would be allowed to do this because they would not have entered into interstate commerce, so FDA would have no jurisdiction. See http://www.nemenhah.org/internal/resources.html

John Hammell, President
International Advocates for Health Freedom
# JasonEllison 21 Apr 2009 at 9:27 am

Dr. Novella,

One of my ‘the truth is out there’ friends sent me a link to a film on youtube about how the universe and intention (mind power) are connected and one can physically influence the other, it’s called The Science of Miracles.

I have not watched the whole series (there are eight episodes), but in the first episode, the narrator claims one of the studies that supports this theory is a russian study that has been coined the ‘Phantom DNA’ study. The scientist, who ‘published’ the study from what I think is a russian university that specializes in ‘psychic phenomena’, is Pjotr Garjajev.

This study is being retro-fitted into some old psuedo-scientific favorites and my bologna detector is ringing like crazy.

Here is some ‘information’ on this study:

http://twm.co.nz/spiscien.htm

and here is the link to the youtube series ‘Science of Miracles’ with Greg Braden:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nKSq2tV1kE

I haven’t been able to find good information on this study or an objective discussion. I thought this would be a good topic for this blog or SGU.

Love your work – thank you!
# fisheon 22 Apr 2009 at 12:41 am

Hi,

I’ve been looking into Live blood/cell analysis recently. My first stop was a search of your blog (long time reader, first time poster, that sorta thing) but couldn’t find anything.

After coming across some investigative sites I found that the wikipedia page seems to sum up the field well with:

Live blood analysis is an unestablished diagnostic test[1] promoted by some alternative medicine practitioners, who assert that it can diagnose a range of diseases. There is no scientific evidence that live blood analysis can detect any disease state, and it has been described by medical authorities as a fraudulent means of convincing a patient that they are ill and require treatment with dietary supplements.

There’s also some good info here: http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/livecell.html

Also interesting is that in one case a practitioner was forced to stop performing it by a department of health: http://www.casewatch.org/board/chiro/martin.shtml

It seems like your kind of topic! And it would also be great to get your personal views/analysis of it.

Thanks
Simon
# tmac57on 23 Apr 2009 at 9:25 am

Just saw a post on Snopes about “an Urgent warning” about the Gardasil vaccine from the Health Sciences Institute : http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/gardasil.asp

Jenny Thompson has posted this video on Youtube :http://hsibaltimore.com/files/2009/04/hsialert.htm

Implying that the vaccine is responsible for 32 deaths and nearly 12,000 adverse reactions.

Once again, medical quacks are misusing data to try to frighten the public and promote their own fraudulent agenda.
# Annie.Eon 23 Apr 2009 at 10:38 am

Hello Steven,

As you follow anti-vaccine rhetoric more than I do, I am curious if you know anything about a particular part of it. Have any anti-vaccination campaigners ever suggested any sort of idea as to how their chosen bug-bear caused autism? As in, which chemicals had what effect on the body, and the way this caused the child to develop the traits specific to the spectrum of autism?

Or is the claim of correlation usually considered sufficient?
# switterson 27 Apr 2009 at 1:02 pm

Dr Novella

On the Autism topic,

I recently came across a book by Robert Mellilo titled ‘Disconnected Kids’.

in it he claims something called the brain balance program can eliminate something called functional disconnection syndrome.

I am all of 10 pages in and my skeptic alarm has sounded at least 3 times, particularly when he claims that he has reversed autism in a thousand patients and when he claimed that adhd autism, tourettes and ocd all have the same root cause.

just wondering if anyone has come across this. from what i gather, without reading too much farther, he is advocating various brain exersices, so i don’t know if there is any harm in it even though he appears to be Jenny McCarthy level crazy.

again, just wondering if you or anyone else here has come across this guy. ran a few web searches and couldn’t come up with any skeptic viewpoints.
# RickKon 05 May 2009 at 11:49 am

Steve,

For this blog or SGU, did you see this item about “activating” DNA to resist AIDS?

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/04/by-annalee-newitz-500-pm-on-mon-apr-27-2009-10350-views-edit-post-set-to-draft-slurpcopy-this-whole-post-to-another-s.html

I was sent this and haven’t followed up, but I’d be interested in whether this is in any way related to a reported gene or mutation found in some Northern Europeans that provides resistance to AIDS.

Regards,

RickK
# garnercxon 09 May 2009 at 1:02 am

Have a look at this.

A credulous, intellectually lazy, half page story on page 21 of the biggest selling newspaper in Melbourne Australia today…

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,25450684-662,00.html

Here is the online version

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,25450902-5001021,00.html

Here is what I wrote in the comments…

————–
“While the self-styled animal communicator from North Bondi can communicate with living animals…”

I cannot believe I am reading these words? What a credulous, lazy and demonstrably false statement to make! Never in the history of the human species has anyone ever been able to demonstrate, under proper controlled, blinded conditions that there is any reason to believe that the is such a thing as a psychic. In every single case, psychics are either calculated liars using cold reading techniques, or deluded.

The statement above asks us to accept that this person can ‘read the minds’ of animals, and that the ‘phenomena’ is real. Why havn’t they claimed James Randi’s $1M prize then?

No wonder the ‘journalist’ makes the statement “…and please be nice”. They know this intellectually lazy, clap-trap is going to get slammed for the waste of time it is. Please don’t make things worse by promoting these deceptive, morally bankrupt frauds.
—————
# Dread Polackon 09 May 2009 at 1:49 pm

Steven-

I was wondering if you’ve read this, and what your thoughts might be. Also, what experience do you have with Narcolepsy, in general?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05090503132613.htm
# Ex-droneon 13 May 2009 at 9:13 pm

Steven:

Quirks and Quarks is a science series on CBC radio. It has a good reputation for popularizing credible science, so I was surprised to hear that the title of one of the segments on 2 May was “Fever & Autism” (mp3). I feared that it was going to be about a disease-based claim for the cause for autism. However, it turned out to be an interview with Dr. Dominick Purpura about his hypothesis that, if many autistic children exhibit reduced autistic behaviours when they have fevers, then perhaps autism is caused by a developmental dysregulation related to the locus coeruleus. He admits that he has lots of testing ahead of him to see if there is any merit in his idea. Since the story was about neurology and autism, I thought you might be interested.
# mmron 14 May 2009 at 3:10 pm

Hi Steve,

I’m curious about veterinary woo– “alternative” medicine for pets. I’ve gotten into some arguments about this, and have referred people to whatstheharm.net though this only has human examples of possible harm from chiropracty, homeopapthy, acupuncture, etc. that is now being applied to pets. I haven’t been able to find studies on this, and any discussion in the media are anecdotes about how it “works.” I know this isn’t your specialty, but do you know of any studies or even real-life examples that I could use in the future? Any strategies for discussing this with folks who argue that as long as you also see a traditional vet, what could go wrong?

Medical woo is always upsetting, but it really bothers me when its applied to animals (and children) who don’t have a say!
# mmron 14 May 2009 at 3:48 pm

Sorry, I just thought of one little addition that might make the topic I suggested above more interesting to blog about:

From my scattered reading on the vet woo issue, it seems like vet medicine is often operating in a fairly evidence-poor environment, especially on issues of nutrition and pain management. How should a skeptic go about choosing vet care under these circumstances? One argument I’ve heard about some of these treatments is that though they’re not science “yet,” science changes. My alarm bells go off when it is some homeopathic remedy they are talking about, but under what circumstances would it be ok to try a treatment that hasn’t been scientifically proven, given a general lack of research?
# philstuon 16 May 2009 at 3:34 am

Hi Steven.

Perhaps you can write on the water fluoridation issue? (And other sources of fluoride/fluoridation) There is so much information it is difficult to separate the facts from the myths. What is the history of the fluoridation practice? Are there health risks? Is it a case of unethical mass medicating? what are your own ideas? how has the issue been distorted by media, special interest groups, individuals, conspiracists etc.

Thank you for reading.
# Watcheron 16 May 2009 at 3:18 pm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19444213?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

This just popped up in nature on the 14th. Pretty interesting stuff if you feel like discussing abiogenesis.
# Sebastianon 16 May 2009 at 5:08 pm

Hi,

I stumbled upon a site on CAM for Swine Flu. Among the usual homeopathy nonsense I found something new (for me at least):

Emotional Freedom Techniques.

I quote:

“There are many accounts of reduction in symptoms using EFT. Although it takes a few minutes to learn the fingertip tapping sequence, it is free to the public and always available.”

A few minutes! Woohoo!

I then googled EFT and found it’s proponents, among them Deepak Chopra, claim it can “influence gene activity”, cure “everything from the common cold to multiple sclerosis”, “fear, trauma, depression, grief and schizophrenia”.

But it doesn’t stop there. There is a series of videos you have to see over at emofree dot com / freevideos.aspx – the video with the vets suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is disturbing on so many levels.

Basically, EFT “works” by tapping “energy centers” with the fingers. It’s like accupuncture for belonophobics.

I am sure you will have a field day with this monstrous load of nonsense.

I searched through the archives and the SGU podcasts but couldn’t see if you have touched upon it already.

Warm regards from Denmark

Oh, btw: http://www.fda.gov/oci/flucontact.html – every skeptic should have this link at hand these days.
# glennd1on 17 May 2009 at 2:29 pm

Steven,

First, I want to thank you and your compatriots at NESS for the weekly podcasts and your tireless advancement of reason over irrationality. It’s a great comfort to me, someone who doesn’t work in a scientific setting and is confronted with irrational, magical thinking by people on a day to day basis.

On to my question. I stumbled across an idea being promoted by Bruce Lipton, Ph. D. that smacks of pseudo-science and I wondered what you might have to say about it. Lipton’s argument is that “mind” is a factor in epigenetics, via our subconscious thoughts mainly. He posits that we can avoid disease and heal ourselves via “mind’s” interaction with genes, with the mind commanding the use of various genes as blueprints for protein production that would be better for us versus the blind, predisposed march of genetics.

He goes on to claim that theory is supported by the concept of epigenetics and is proven by the placebo effect. My skeptical “spidey sense” tells me this is probably nonsense and that the elephantine concept he’s trying to get by me is the existence of “mind” – which I see you debate on the site. Seems to me to be typical new ager nonsense. When you boil the argument down, it’s essentially that some entity or emergent property that can’t be explained is actually in control of our physical existence and that we can control it by some equally opaque process that at it’s best is a black box or at worst a “then some magic happens” step in the theory he’s positing.

Care to comment? I’d appreciate it. Again, thanks!

Glenn Donovan
# Torgoon 21 May 2009 at 11:48 pm

Would love to hear your thoughts on this piece from NPR (see link below), especially the details of Dean Radin’s study and its findings mentioned toward the end. I know why the quantum entanglement hypothesis is bologna, but any skeptical thoughts on the following?:

“After running 36 couples through this test, the researchers found that when one person focused his thoughts on his partner, the partner’s blood flow and perspiration dramatically changed within two seconds. The odds of this happening by chance were 1 in 11,000. Three dozen double blind, randomized studies by such institutions as the University of Washington and the University of Edinburgh have reported similar results.”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104351710

Thanks for all you do.
# catherineturleyon 22 May 2009 at 4:48 pm

read your thoughts on stem cell treatment in china, and one reader’s comment that he just sat back and let his kid die rather than pursue a longshot. i’ve been trying to help a 28 year old bulgarian girl with sma type 2. her doctors tell her there’s nothing she can do, so she is fund raising for treatment at beike. she’s only set on that option because nobody has offered up any alternatives. what do you suggest to someone who doesn’t want to sit back and die? i agree that it’s unproven, maybe a total fraud, but what else is there. i thought maybe she should try to get her hands on a drug being tested for similar conditions, like iplex, but even that isn’t safe or easy to find.
# Blair Ton 09 Jun 2009 at 1:00 pm

Hi Steve,

I was wondering if you would comment on the current back and forth between Chris Money and Jerry Coyne in their blogs on compatibility and accommodation between science and religion?

It seems to me that Money is a bit muddled in the points he is trying to make, and I would appreciate hearing comments from a clear thinker such as yourself.

Cheers,

Blair
# KenKopinon 16 Jun 2009 at 7:01 pm

Tho I would imagine you are already on this, the FDA advisory about Zicam seems right up your alley.
# canadiaon 18 Jun 2009 at 12:09 pm

Hi Steven,

I’m a 22 year-old university student from canada, and I love you blog. Refreshing and intelligent writing.

I would love to see what you have to say about the persistent fear-mongering urban legend that radiation from wireless devices like cellphones and wifi routers causes every terrifying disease under the sun.

To be honest, this seems like a very damaging idea. It has already caused several towns and cities to rescind their plans to increase wifi coverage, sometimes even banning it completely. Its a global phenomenon, and unlike many pseudo-scientific conspiracy theories, these ones do use some scientific data (sufficient or not).

This idea is spreading and as a prominent scientist with a relevant specialization I think it would be useful for you to weigh in on the issue.

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2006/04/20/mobile_and_wireless_largest_biological_experiment.htm

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/09/w-is-for-wifi-woo.html
# Kitapsizon 19 Jun 2009 at 8:57 pm

I’d be interested in hearing from you on neuroplasticity, most of the information that can be found goes yea/nay … so, how do we know with any degree of certainty?

How realistic is the plasticity factor?
Age dependent?
Behavioral dependent?
Dietary dependent?

How much do we know, factually?
# bob_plotkinon 30 Jun 2009 at 11:47 am

Steve,

Sitting on the train yesterday, I saw someone reading a book from http://www.lymeinducedautism.com

I can’t help to think that this is a statistical game playing with correlation of the growth of these.

Not sure if you have seen this – but with all the blogging on vaccines and autism, I thought it might be interetsing.

Bob
# amyron 02 Jul 2009 at 11:59 pm

Hi Steve:

A topic I haven’t seen addressed on skeptical blogs yet is the efficacy of gastric bypass for long term weight loss. There’s a number of people on the internet (such as http://www.sizewise.com/docs/wls.html) who claim there is no weight loss benefit and the complications just horribly awful. I have no doubt some gastric bypass patients do suffer from serious complications. But trustworthy sources on weight loss results and complication rates are hard to come by.
# amyron 10 Jul 2009 at 9:25 am

Hey Steve:

Read this article on CNN this morning: “Unsung Heroes Work Hard To Counter Hospital Acquired Infections”

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/09/hospital.acquired.infections/index.html

Most of the interventions are undoubtedly good things, like daily bathing and thorough cleaning of patient rooms. But the yogurt and the pH balanced soap? I’d assume staph operates within the same pH range that we do.
# dszyon 17 Jul 2009 at 11:53 am

I’ve sent this to Quackwatch, SGU forums, & Respectful Insolence. I hope someone with a big following starts talking about it. This autism clinic (!) in Austin is getting sued because it told a man he had Alzheimer’s & then chelated him for 10 months.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/health/entries/2009/07/16/suit_filed_against_care_clinic.html

This spreading of the chelation market is very creepy to me. Writing this I remembered that I recently saw something at Age of Autism linking heavy metals & ALS. ( I troll there periodically to see what people are saying. I work with a number of well-off autistic kids, so I try to keep up with the fads).
# Woodyon 22 Jul 2009 at 9:09 pm

I was wondering if you or any of the other bloggers on SBM have tackled the topic of “medical foods”? It seems to me that this is just a method to get FDA approval for a product without going through the same rigorous clinical trial process that a drug must endure. It also seems to be a potential way to give CAM therapies a patina of legitimacy that is not valid. Case in point – Axona. Thanks for all the work you and the others do!
# Draalon 23 Jul 2009 at 7:10 am

Yesterday I was listening to Obama’s address to the Nation about health care reform. One point he emphasized was in order to pay for the new plan was to re-allocate money from programs that have proven not to work. A few things came to mind: abstinence education and alternative medicine. Could Obama’s new health care reform be the death blow to alternative medicine if the government refuses to cover payment for it?
# Prataon 12 Aug 2009 at 9:15 pm

Steve,

Have you done any analysis of the work being done by Laurel Mellin at the University of California San Francisco — called “The Solution”or “The Pathway”? Here is a reference to their website.

Thank you very much,
Prata
# Shiftymruzikon 20 Aug 2009 at 12:03 am

Dr. Novella,
I recently got into an argument about critical thinking and neuroscience. I tried to take the stand that critical thinking was a skill and firmly in the nurture camp. Others thought that critical thinking had (and I really hope I’m not misrepresenting their argument) a biological basis. (i.e. that some people by the virtue of their brains are better at it)
When I returned home I tried to find research on the subject, and I can’t find any. Is there any research on this question? What would your thoughts be on the subject?
Thanks for the great blog and podcast,
-Chris Mruzik
# praktikon 20 Aug 2009 at 11:29 am

Ok Steve, help me out here.

The thimerosal-autism link you’re probably even more tired of hearing about than me, but the local woo-spreader on a message board I’m on has posted the following abstract:

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a910652305~db=all~jumptype=rss?tab=references

Have you heard about this study?

I don’t have access to the full study so I can’t really gauge anything here – and it would seem to contradict a recent post on your blog linking to a study showing low-level thimerosal exposure to kids in Boston having no such effects….

Do you know anything about the journal it was published in?
# praktikon 20 Aug 2009 at 11:32 am

oops better link here: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a910652305~db=all~jumptype=rss

and woo links here:

http://dprogram.net/2009/07/10/new-study-proves-thimerosal-induces-autism-like-neurotoxicity/

http://charlieinwonderland.com/?p=1380
# praktikon 20 Aug 2009 at 12:33 pm

Ok buried in the 2nd woo-link I found out the funder of the study was CoMeD: http://mercury-freedrugs.org/

Whose URL and stated “values” raise major alarm bells for me.

But I’m still curious about the journal it got into and some of the details of the study – how did they engineer the outcome they wanted?

Cause I can’t access the full study its hard for me to say where it went wrong.
# Emily Churchon 23 Aug 2009 at 5:29 pm

Just curious our thoughts on this article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/opinion/23wright.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1. Some things about it bothered me, but I can’t put my finger on what exactly.
# fusionauton 24 Aug 2009 at 9:08 pm

Hi Steven-

A friend of mine is interested in the research of Daniel Amen (www.amenclinics.com) and Guy Berard (“auditory integration”). Both look extremely shady to me. I’d be very interested to get your expert opinion on their claims so I could respond to my friend with some specifics. There was a show on PBS recently about Amen, so I expect your comments on him would be of interest to many people besides me.

Thanks for all your hard work.
# taustinon 25 Aug 2009 at 6:26 pm

In depth look at placebos, and the research in to the placebo effect, past and present.

http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?currentPage=all

Placebos are getting more effective? Most of the references to that are related to depression drugs. One cannot help but wonder if this is because depression is over diagnosed, at least in some areas. If you’re told you have depression, you’re likely to believe it (the “nocebo effect”). Then you get drugs that you’re told will make you better, so you feel better. For those on real trial drugs, at least some of them will suffer from the very real side effects, which could well lead to making the depression symtoms (real or imagined) worse.
# NiroZon 28 Aug 2009 at 2:57 am

Hi
Recently in my philosophy class we discussed conciousness. It really urked me because they were using it as proof of a dualistic univerise, because it couldn’t be reduced to smaller parts. Has neuroscience got anything to say on the topic?
# GHcoolon 08 Sep 2009 at 2:05 am

I was given a book called In the Beginning: Biblical Creation and Science by Nathan Aviezer. Aviezer accepts evolution and seems pretty pro-science, but the book argues for a reinterpretation of the Genesis account as a metaphor for what science has discovered about the ancient past. The science in the book is pretty basic, but there’s one part I wasn’t sure about as my knowledge of biochemistry doesn’t extend very far. Aviezer writes:

“[L]iving cells need both proteins and nucleic acids … [but] neither of these complex molecules can have produced without the other. Therefore, it follows that life could not have developed from inanimate matter because inanimate matter contains neither proteins nor nucleic acids.”

Aviezer solves the paradox with a “God of the gaps” conclusion, but I’m curious about whether what was quoted about is an accurate description of the present understanding of biochemists.
# praktikon 09 Sep 2009 at 7:12 am

So someone posted this link:

http://www.vaccinationdebate.com/web1.html

which purports to show no effect from vaccines on the “end” of various diseases like polio.

I don’t know where to begin.
# neilsteron 09 Sep 2009 at 12:00 pm

Hi Steve,

So… my father is slowly recovering from a brain aneurysm and I was googling neuro rehabilitation and came across this piece of quackery:

http://www.quantumneurology.com/casestudies/chauvincasestudy.htm

As far as I can tell you shine a ($1499.00) torch at a patients head and this helps with the recovery (though you get the impression they would like to take credit for all of the recovery).

Considering your professional speciality you may have heard of this, but here it is in any case.

Best
Neil
# DevilsAdvocateon 13 Sep 2009 at 12:15 pm

Not sure it commands a whole post entry, but it might be nice to acknowledge the death this weekend of a science giant who is virtually unknown to the general public. Norman Borlaug has died, aged 95 years. Rest in peace.
# Cronanon 14 Sep 2009 at 5:05 am

Not an unusal article, given the current state of science journalism, but it’s interestign because it’s on the BBC, who are usually better than this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8246829.stm

“Depression can damage a cancer patient’s chances of survival, a review of research suggests.”
# saburaion 07 Jan 2010 at 11:39 am

Aha! This thread is working now. The reply panel wasn’t active yesterday for some reason.
# saburaion 07 Jan 2010 at 11:43 am

Now that this is working, I’ll post this suggestion here.

I read a post on Slashdot (http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/01/06/0027229/The-LHC-Black-Holes-and-the-Law) referencing an MIT news article (http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24611/) about a law review paper (http://arxiv.org/abs/0912.5480) that attempts to deal with the legal issues arising from a hypothetical lawsuit attempting to shut down the LHC, or any other large science project with possible global implications.

The Slashdot bit was fun, the article was pretty good, but the paper itself was outstanding. It’s 80 pages long and I read the entire thing in one 2 hour sitting. What struck me about the article was its sober parsing of the controversy, the science, and the relevant personalities, and the way it weighed issues rationally against each other while describing, in great detail, all of the logical fallacies and cognitive errors that could come into play.

Frankly, I thought the author sounded very much like you, Dr. Novella… except he seems to come to different conclusions than you do on the topic of the LHC (specifically, he knows he is unqualified to make a determination on the safety of LHC but makes a convincing argument that the case should be decided in court).

If you have the time and inclination, I encourage you to read it and possibly discuss it on your blog. Even if you don’t have an opportunity to read the whole thing, the MIT piece does a decent job of distilling it, but you’d be cheating yourself out of a great read.
# Shamrockon 08 Jan 2010 at 12:20 pm

Steve,

I am new to the Skeptic community and am unaware of another blogger who tackles themes of immigration/racism. Perhaps something you could have a look at if you are in need of a topic is a video currently circulating (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU).

I found some of the assertions in the video suspicious. For example a supposed quote from the German office of statistics and census (I am paraphrasing the title of the office) citing unsustainable fertility levels. I have searched the offices website and find no direct link to any such study.

An additional assertion was that France “as we know it” would be extinct in precisely 39 years.

I have no evidence yet to hold these claims in refute though I am, well, skeptical of them.
# JLoatson 11 Jan 2010 at 11:38 pm

Steve,

Fun to hear you on NPR the other day!

I was hoping to find an entry either here or in SBM about Bisphenol-A (BPA). Has that been done?

Cheers,

Jeff
# MrkBo8on 14 Jan 2010 at 12:00 am

Hi all, just joined the site as i am looking for opinion on something myself and others may have discovered that is not yes oriented.
i invite you to watch this video, the technique can be repeated anywhere in the world and is 100% succesful so what are we filming, instructions are provided if you wish to try yourself and I hope that you do.

Ignore the small white dots, I cannot prove they are not insects so will accept they may as well be.

Perhaps the objects are due to camera distortion somehow but the same objects have been filmed in different parts of the world, maybe a new species of animal? I dont know.

UFO’s over Canberra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9osNXlVCbk

UFO Flying creature
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE_zqSqU2Wc

I am convinced they are not green/grey dudes in space ships but am leaning to a kind of life that inhabits our atmosphere , they are visible in Infa Red but not clearly in visible light so are hard to see with our eyes, easy with a camera.

i have provided a quick demo on how the camera picks up IR at the end of the 1st video.

Anyone can video them, no cgi is used, try for yourself and decide what you think.

regards,

Mark

If its a new species of animal, I want one named after me.
# Hector Moraleson 18 Jan 2010 at 11:01 pm

The assassination of JFK. I noticed you and an emailer discussed it briefly. If it has been examined elsewhere on your website, I haven’t found it. I appreciate your scholarship.
Several issues trouble me.
1.) Marina’s involvement with Lee; her answers to the WC, the SS and the HSCA.
2.) The condition of the bullet after it penetrated JFK and Connally.
3.) The direction of the break in Connally’s radius and the trajectory of the missile.
4.) Statements made by Dr. Gregory and other M.D.s regarding the probability that WC Exhibit 399 caused all the wounds in JFK’s back/neck and Connally’s torso, right forearm and left thigh.
5.) Bertrand Russell’s questions, particularly on the appearance of a conflict of interest with the investigators and the government that assigned them.
# Coverdrivenon 21 Jan 2010 at 6:33 am

Hi Steven,

a presentation from David Blaine was recently posted on the TED.com website. In it, he explains how he successfully held his breath for 17 minutes on an Oprah Winfrey show. He explained his technique for pulling it off. Should one believe him? Does it defy current medical understanding? He did say that he consulted neurologists and other doctors in his preparations for this stunt.

I thought that if a magician explains the secret to his/her trick, you can usually be sure that the explanation given isn’t the actual secret at all. Rather, it is a means to propel the mystery and awe further.

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_blaine_how_i_held_my_breath_for_17_min.html

Any thoughts?

Regan
# PDCon 23 Jan 2010 at 10:47 am

Just came accross Oxytocin. Here is a brief summary that I think I know.

Our bodies can produce it. If it is given to a person as a nasal spray for example, it can increase empathy, reduce fear etc.

So I was thinking. How much is empathy something that is a chemical reaction and how much can it be learned? Is learned empathy someways different? Should it be called something else? If you increase your ability to empathize by, lets say, working in a place where you can help people out, is it somehow different if you just “take a hit from the ol’ Oxytocin bottle”?

How would “Oxytocin shots” help for example prisoners to become “better humans”?

And other ideas can arise from this. Its endless.

Would love to hear your take Steven
# khalednouimehidion 23 Jan 2010 at 11:01 pm

Hey love your blog… I’ve got a few suggestions.
1. Often psychology & psychotherapy is attacked for not being backed up by tangible proof of efficacy. However, Freud argues in his introduction to Lectures on Psycho-Analysis that this is because psycho-analysis and its use cannot be demonstrated to the public as that would be a breach of ethics–it can only be described. What do you think as a neurologist & a skeptic about psychology’s merits as a discipline or as a practice?
2. I was having trouble earlier this year because I would struggle staying awake after 10 hours of sleep a night with 30 min. naps around 3:00. I went to my neurologist (who I was originally referred to for migraine problems) and he prescribed Concerta (methylphenidate HCl). He then described to me in such non chalante tones how he often self-medicates with it when he needs to focus. What do you think about the off-label use of Alzheimer’s of ADHD drugs as so-called “brain boosters”?
3. There is a lot of crap out there as far as the dietary benefits of Ginseng, Mate Vana, herbal remedies, and antioxidants as far as their effects on overall health & longevity. Obviously these things cannot be taken seriously, but what can you, as a doctor, tell us about increasing longevity & bodily health? Do we stick to conservative, recognized pillars of good health, or can we do something more?
4. I have been reading Think Smart by Richard Restak, M.D. and Brain Rules by John Medina, and what struck me most (more from Brain Rules) was the mass of knowledge on how to teach and learn, and how little these facts are being applied. Especially in the realm of math & science, I have noticed that my teachers (11th grade) seek to assign work and get through the day as opposed to teaching fundamental concepts. For example, my anatomy & physiology teacher bases his class solely on the rote memorization of muscle names (he doesn’t even explain how they were named; this would help immensely), while half the class still does not understand how a muscle contracts. I know you already did a piece on science education, but I am curious to know what measures should be implemented to make for a more educated America in the subjects of the future.
Thanks, hope you read this
Khaled
# open4energyon 25 Jan 2010 at 12:58 pm

Dave

You posted on power factor correction in homes last year, but I would like you to take this up again.

We now have a whole family of internet scams around home energy saving, from DIY solar panels to power factor solutions costing $1,500.00 – all do nothing to save.

I am the founder of open4energy where we have a list of the more prevalent scams.

http://open4energy.com/forum/home/scam/energy_saving_scams

We are working with a site called http://scamraiders.com to raise awareness and provide a forum for sharing and finding remedy.

On power factor correction, we have a post thanks to an expert from splatco, explaining how it works – but bottom line the savings to all but a few consumers is negligible.

http://open4energy.com/forum/home/scam/power_factor_correction

We need some help to reach the growing community of energy conscientious consumers, motivated by government stimulus, who do not know much about electricity and are vulnerable to these scam people who prey on misfortune.

Many of the web sites promoting these products are in fact affiliates, out of work people, duped into buying a web business that is now the perpetuation of a scam based on a scam.
# Fifion 27 Jan 2010 at 11:03 am

I just ran across this blog and thought this might be an interesting topic to cover since it talks about why Dr. Lawrence Dubuske resigned from Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s hospital when they recently changed the rules regarding taking money from pharmaceutical companies. Also, Dr. Carlat and his efforts seem worthy of a post themselves. (Sure it’s fun to castigate the woo merchants, they’re easy targets, but it’s also good to promote those fighting the good fight and to make it clear that there are many doctors and psychiatrists doing this!)

http://carlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com/2010/01/dr-lawrence-dubuske-me-myself-and-irine.html
# isaoneon 27 Jan 2010 at 1:18 pm

I am in desperate need of someone who understands these things to tell me if this study http://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm is proof that GM corn is bad for us as stateed in The Huffington post ( http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20100112/cm_huffpost/420365 ) or no problem at all as states GM ( http://www.monsanto.com/products/techandsafety/fortherecord_science/2010/monsanto_response_de_vendomois.asp ) .

Now I am no fan of Monsanto but given that the Huff Post is completely run over with wacko’s my assumption is that whatever they say is opposite the truth. On the other hand even the National Inquirer occasionally gets it right (John Edwards love child).

So I would appreciate it if you could review the study and let me/us know. If you are aware of any rational fair minded report that could explain it in layman terms, that would also be great.

Thanks for being a voice of reason in the world of illogic

Wendell Henry
Nashville TN
# Hector Moraleson 29 Jan 2010 at 5:57 am

Testimony Of Dr. Robert Roeder Shaw

Mr. DULLES – Could you tell at all how the arm was held from that mark or that hole in the sleeve?
Dr. SHAW – Mr. Dulles, I thought I knew Just how the Governor was wounded until I saw the pictures today, and it becomes a little bit harder to explain.
I felt that the wound had been caused by the same bullet that came out through the chest with the Governor’s arm held in approximately this position.

Mr. SPECTER – Indicating the right hand held close to the body?
Dr. SHAW – Yes, and this is still a possibility. But I don’t feel that it is the only possibility.
Senator COOPER – Why do you say you don’t think it is the only possibility? What causes you now to say that it is the location—-
Dr. SHAW – This is again the testimony that I believe Dr. Gregory will be giving, too. It is a matter of whether the wrist wound could be caused by the same bullet, and we felt that it could but we had not seen the bullets until today, and we still do not know which bullet actually inflicted the wound on Governor Connally.
Mr. DULLES – Or whether it was one or two wounds?
Dr. SHAW – Yes.
Mr. DULLES – Or two bullets?
Dr. SHAW – Yes; or three.
Mr. DULLES – Why do you say three?

Mr. DULLES – Oh, yes; we haven’t. come to the wound of the thigh yet, have we?
Mr. McCLOY – You have no firm opinion that all these three wounds were caused by one bullet?
Dr. SHAW – I have no firm opinion.

Dr. SHAW – All right. As far as the wounds of the chest are concerned, I feel that this bullet could have inflicted those wounds. But the examination of the wrist both by X-ray and at the time of surgery showed some fragments of metal that make it difficult to believe that the same missile could have caused these two wounds. There seems to be more than three grains of metal missing as far as the I mean in the wrist.

Dr. SHAW – I feel that there would be some difficulty in explaining all of the wounds as being inflicted by bullet Exhibit 399 without causing more in the way of loss of substance to the bullet or deformation of the bullet.
(Discussion off the record.)

“I think it is hard to say that the first bullet hit both of these men almost simultaneously.
# Carlon 29 Jan 2010 at 6:49 pm

Dr. Novella:

You might want to review this article by Christopher Ketcham in GQ, asserting among other things that cell phone radiation is known to be “genotoxic” and that American corporations are covering this up.

http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/gear-and-gadgets/201002/warning-cell-phone-radiation
# Hector Moraleson 30 Jan 2010 at 10:28 pm

Hi Dr. Novella,
Are you familiar with the x-ray of Connally’s radius? It poses a problem for me when I look at it carefully. The angle of the break goes in the opposite direction of the path of the bullet. That is, if the bullet actually passed through the governor’s chest and his right radius and ended up penetrating his left thigh.

“Mr. SPECTER. Now looking at that bullet, Exhibit 399, Doctor Humes, could that bullet have gone through or been any part of the fragment passing through President Kennedy’s head in Exhibit No. 388?

Commander HUMES. I do not believe so, sir.

Mr. SPECTER. And could that missile have made the wound on Governor Connally’s right wrist?

Commander HUMES. I think that that is most unlikely … The reason I believe it most unlikely that this missile could have inflicted either of these wounds is that this missile is basically intact; its jacket appears to me to be intact, and I do not understand how it could possibly have left fragments in either of these locations.

Mr. SPECTER. Dr. Humes, under your opinion which you have just given us, what effect, if any, would that have on whether this bullet, 399, could have been the one to lodge in Governor Connally’s thigh?

Commander HUMES. I think that extremely unlikely. The reports, again Exhibit 392 from Parkland, tell of an entrance wound on the lower midthigh of the Governor, and X-rays taken there are described as showing metallic fragments in the bone, which apparently by this report were not removed and are still present in Governor Connally’s thigh. I can’t conceive of where they came from this missile.”

His reluctance to endorse Exhibit 399 does not jive with the Commission’s conclusions about support for their SBT position.
# Potter1000on 02 Feb 2010 at 12:28 pm

Hi, Dr. Novella. I would really appreciate your analysis and opinions about antidepressant drugs. I recently read Sharon Begley’s article in Newsweek and was very surprised to read that the evidence for their effectiveness in general seems to be pretty thin. I also found the “pro-drug” response by a psychiatrist to be unconvincing.

Here are the articles:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/232781 (Begley’s article)

http://www.newsweek.com/id/232782?obref=obinsite (Dr. Klitzman’s)

Thanks,
Rob
# jugaon 10 Feb 2010 at 4:50 pm

Ben Goldacre seems to have a somewhat different take on the placebo effect here http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/02/ben_goldacre_on_the_placebo_ef.php and PZ seems to agree.

Your post here http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=24 says “A common belief is that the placebo effect is largely a ‘mind-over-matter effect,’ but this is a misconception. There is no compelling evidence that the mind can create healing simply through will or belief.”

Ben Goldacre says “the placebo effect shows the amazing power of the mind over the body”.

Interesting.
# MWSlettenon 10 Feb 2010 at 6:11 pm

New research on how brain damage affects spirituality. More evidence that ‘mind’ resides in brain?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100210124757.htm

–Mark
# Michael Hutzleron 14 Feb 2010 at 10:43 am

Follow up testing by Dr. Laureys shows that facilitated communication could not work for Rom Houben:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,677537,00.html
# Efemralon 15 Feb 2010 at 5:54 pm

Dear DR N.,

(Apologies if already covered.)

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

This is gaining media attention in Australia and the Pacific Islands. It would be interesting to hear your take. If this interests you let me know I can provide material, sources etc.

Many things are claimed including detox, faster healing etc.

Another claim is that because the “virgin coconut oil contains mainly medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and some short-chain fatty acids, which has a different effect on the body than the typical long-chain fatty acids (in both form saturated and unsaturated), prevalent profusely in meat and vegetable oils.” (from the media release copied below.)

According to proponents the MFCAs mean cholesterol is not raised as with other saturated fats.

Proponents also use the “other oil manufacturers (such as olive oil) have waged an anti-coconut oil propaganda war on us” line.

Below is a copied media release from SPC (South Pacific Community http://www.spc.int/corp/ )

16 FEBRUARY 2010 SUVA ( SPC) —– Pacific Islanders have used coconut for centuries as a vital source of food for health and general well being and everyday “The Tree of Life” in contributes in hundreds of different ways to
towards the sustenance of life.

Abandoning recent unhealthy lifestyles adopted by many urban Pacific Islanders and reverting to wholesome natural local foods such as coconut can help reduce the incidence of several devastating non-communicable
diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

To encourage communities to re-evaluate locally available resources which have major export market potential, the European Union funded Facilitating Agricultural Commodity Trade (FACT) project is organising a
media conference to raise awareness on the health benefits and potential of virgin coconut oil.

The FACT project is implemented by the Land Resource Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) with the goal of increasing agricultural and forestry trade within the region and exports from it by ensuring
a consistent and quality supply.

According to Dr Epeli Nailatikau of Strauss Herb Company Fiji Limited, virgin coconut oil contains mainly medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and some short-chain fatty acids, which has a different effect on the body
than the typical long-chain fatty acids (in both form saturated and unsaturated), prevalent profusely in meat and vegetable oils.

“These same medium-chain fatty acids play a crucial role in cleansing the body from toxins.”

“Coconut oil is heralded as a natural health food, and a coconut oil detox simply speeds up healing results by thoroughly flushing the entire body of toxins in a short time,” said Dr Nailatikau. “Blood cholesterol levels remain
normal with the intake of virgin coconut oil and the body’s immune system is also boosted.”

Dr Nailatikau also added that the chemical composition of virgin coconut oil is very stable hence it can be kept for almost a year without losing its quality.

Apart from its eating qualities, the other medicinal benefits of VCO outweigh any disadvantage it may have. VCO can be identified by its colourless appearance and is processed with low or without any heat application
while normal coconut oil is golden in colour and produced with high heat application. For about 3960 years of the of the past 4000 years of the documented historical use of the fruits of the coconut palm as a food and a pharmaceutical, the news has all been good. It was seen as a sustainable resource providing materials that influenced every aspect of the lives of Pacific communities.

Studies have shown that virgin coconut oil has numerous health benefits. If you’re not using virgin coconut oil for your daily cooking and body care needs you’re missing out on one of nature’s most amazing health products….PNS (ENDS)
# XYZon 16 Feb 2010 at 4:55 pm

Multiple sclerosis and CCVSI. Legit or junk? I’ve read both views. Curious for your take.
# canadiaon 19 Feb 2010 at 11:16 am

Hi Stephen,

I’d appreciate it if you took a look at Dr. George B. Roth. He’s quietly building an empire based on first class pseudoscience, and charges his patients hundreds of dollars for unsubstantiated and unscientific treatments. He also runs frequent seminars for other CAM practitioners that see huge turnouts.

http://www.matrixrepatterningcenter.com/MRC-index.htm
# Caitlinon 22 Feb 2010 at 1:42 am

This might lie outside the parameters of your blog but it’d be informative nonetheless.

I’m an interior design student and often find it hard being a skeptic amongst the sustainability movement that currently categorizes architecture and design. For the most part it is solid, but when it comes to aesthetics things get a little wishy-washy for me.

Specifically, in a building systems course we were discussing HVAC systems. At one point we started talking about indoor air quality where my professor mentioned multiple chemical sensitivity which I immediately marked as bullshit and once I did a little research found out it was. I was happy to see that you even had an entry about it!

Because of the eagerness to mark MCS as a real illness I began to wonder about other “facts” design students are being told. So, I’m curious about the actual facts regarding the importance of Low or no VOC paints, the harm in offgassing (ie:carpet, textiles, certain finishes etc.) It’s my understanding that materials and paints offgas but is it “toxic” enough to cause actual physical harm? Are these concerns legitimate like the concerns once surrounding asbestos and lead paint?

If you’re not able to answer these particular questions maybe you could lead me to a source that could. I’ve found it difficult to find any information regarding my skepticism.

Thank You!!!!
-Caitlin Brown
# Daniel Schealleron 25 Feb 2010 at 5:48 pm

Worth comment – I’d appreciate your views:

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/
# szeldichon 26 Feb 2010 at 1:46 pm

A mammal Brain is a dynamic structure reflecting every moment in a body life. Not events in the environment, but life of a body. Because of that modeling of a brain is not possible, nor required to understand how a body is determine it own behavior.

Attempt to understand how a brain functioning could bring a lot of benefits in medicine. Take a look on the Russian project “Transparent brain”, as example. However. that is fruitless in attempt to design a machines capable to behave reasonably.

Best regards, Michael
# Gunshyon 27 Feb 2010 at 1:02 pm

Dr. Novella,

When I remember an activity I’ve been engaged in, my memory isn’t of myself inhabiting my body looking out through my eyes, but rather it is of an external view of myself. As if I’m looking at a movie of myself.

I’ve asked around and the people I’ve spoken with have a similar experience.

Why is that? Is this universal? What is going on neurologically. What, if anything, does this have to say about out of body experiences?

Thanks for the great blog and podcast!

Preston
# Skepterinarianon 02 Mar 2010 at 11:09 pm

There is so much wrong with the miracle fruit juice, MonaVie. It cures everything from cancer to athlete’s foot AND is a pyramid scheme. It’s almost too easy, like shooting fish in a barrel….although apparently that is kind of difficult according to Mythbusters!!! There is a so-called “study” that shows that the juice kills cancer cells.

http://www.newhealthbasics.com/MV/Documents/MonavieDoubleblindCancerstudy.pdf

I can’t remember what you call using fancy scientific terms to make your claim seem valid…but this is definitely an example!!!!
# tmac57on 04 Mar 2010 at 9:40 am

Steve, I just saw this headline in the New York Times:
“Darwin Foes Add Warming to Targets”. It talks about a new strategy by anti-evolutionist to try to teach the “controversy” of divisive subjects such as evolution, global warming, origins of life,etc. in public schools. Here is the link to the online article, if you haven’t seen it yet:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/science/earth/04climate.html?exprod=myyahoo
# PDCon 05 Mar 2010 at 6:51 am

Mexico apparently has its first H1N1 mutation

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Mexico+detects+first+mutation+H1N1+virus/2639940/story.html
# kelskenon 09 Mar 2010 at 3:31 pm

Steve:

Article from local paper about US Supreme Court taking up case regarding vaccine injury:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041241-455.stm

FYI, here is a link to the document on her vaccine court case

http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/russell-and-robalee-bruesewitz-parents-and-legal-guardians-hannah-bruesewitz-v-secretary-department-
# Rebekah Dekkeron 11 Mar 2010 at 11:48 am

Dr. Novella,

As a parent with children exhibiting sensory integration disorder and some ADD, I’m always looking for help since we’re on five waiting lists for assessment and appropriate therapy. I ran across an ad in our local once-a-week newspaper recently that touted something called “Crossinology BIT.” The website and ad are here: http://www.southwesttherapy.com/. Sounds great! No meds or invasive procedures, but will ERADICATE all kinds of problems! In as little as ten hours!

However, at this website (http://www.crossinology.com/), I found a smorgasbord of woo! Chi, acupressure, meridians, muscle testing, applied kinesiology, and more! “Research” articles from the website appear to be unpublished papers written by Ms (Dr?) McCrossin and reference tons of other woo-meisters.

As a neuroscientist, I thought you might be interested. This “technique” seems to be gaining steam in the US. The individual to whom I spoke by phone claims that Ms. McCrossin is training people in several states to perform these miracles whereas until recently, there was only one center, in Colorado. Unfortunately, my state (NM) is one of those that now has a center.

That individual also specifically told me what diagnostic codes to tell our pediatrician to use in order to help get insurance coverage for the “technique.” Is that even ethical?

At any rate, here’s some neuro-woo for you! Happy trails!

Rebekah R. Dekker
# Draalon 12 Mar 2010 at 4:59 pm

Court rules against parents claiming vaccines cause autism.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100312/us_nm/us_autism_vaccine
# CivilUnreston 12 Mar 2010 at 6:46 pm

Was just about to post the same story. Choice quotes:

“…given the present state of the science, the proven benefits of vaccinating a child to protect them against serious diseases far outweigh the hypothesized risk that vaccinations might cause autism,” Autism Speaks said in a statement.

Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation: “There is not a bottomless pit of money with which to fund autism science. We have to use our scarce resources wisely.”
# Louis Bartfieldon 14 Mar 2010 at 1:40 am

I’d sure like to learn how to navigate this blog. I can’t even find the letter I wrote to you about MS and my wife and the Zamboni and other approaches. Help! I want to get some comments, and I want to help some of you. I’m a very successful guy, but how the hell do I navigate this place. Is there anybody there that doesn’t do webspeak, not to mention checking in with those unreadable Avatar language words by someone who never learned how to write. Or is this site only for geeks and people with iq’s of 320, and not for an ordinary guy who runs a business with almost a hundred employees, not to mention two or three degrees. Oops, just lit and history, I slept through chem, doesn’t mean I don’t have common sense.

Louis Bartfield
# Louis Bartfieldon 14 Mar 2010 at 4:41 am

I’ll even go a step further. If someone has iron deposits in the brain tissue while the hell do they call it something like hemachromatosis, at least six goddamn syllables, and why do all the comments sound like Ph.D. theses. I took a master’s in journalism and wrote some bad TV scripts that were actually done on some good shows, but thank heaven for little girls, oops, I mean than god I don’t get that language. Will someone please begin to write in the English language. I’ll be glad to edit.
Oh, XYZ, CCSVI is not junk, it’s just good plumbing and electrical. I have remodeled many buildings and when the pressure in the pipe gets too high and doesn’t drain well, then you get oxidation and the pipe becomes occluded. I’ve got some sample pipe from an old building across from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk where I had to replace damn near all the plumbing because a contractor cheated in the beginning. Just like god cheats some folks early on with not enough Vitamin D, or they wear too many religious garments, short their pregnant ladies on Vitamin D, and voila, MS. More prevalent in middle east in the poor ladies than on their menfolk. Zamboni was just a damn good plumber-electrician and not a neurological genius feeding immune systems with poisons. Did I mention the study that indicated that anti-bodies stimulated by Big Pharmas steroidals stick around over four years sometimes. Not to mention my wife got pneumonia right after a four hour infusion of Solu-Medrol, another miracle drug. Come on, take me on, I’m very angy about what conventional docs have done to my wife and others. Speak up, skeptics, you may be skeptical about the wrong thing. Come to one of my three motels in Morro Bay on a sunny day and get some Vitamin D, plus relaxing anti-depressants. Phone me for a special rate. I’m not always mad, only at some of my wife’s doctors and their FDA papers. Plus, John McCain now wants us to get a letter from Congress everytime we go to buy some Vitamin D, which might improve his Alzheimer’s and not remembering he gained thirty pounds in captivity. I hope he marries Sarah Palin, and they come up with a treatment for their retarded chldren. He’ll get support from Big Pharma.
Very truly yours,

Louis Bartfield
# ChrisHon 14 Mar 2010 at 12:53 pm

John, try Google, and then put into the search box “bartfield zamboni site:www.theness.com/neurologicablog”

This is what I use when I want to find something specific on most blogs.
# EvanHarperon 18 Mar 2010 at 8:37 pm

I just read this, about a Canadian traveling to Poland to undergo a “controversial” therapy for Multiple Sclerosis. Of course, the fact that Canada’s health system doesn’t cover this treatment — and even the MS Society’s recommendation to avoid it — is being seen in conspiratorial terms (check the comments section.) Seems like your kind of issue, Dr. N.
# ChrisHon 18 Mar 2010 at 9:20 pm

I’m sorry, but we just had a horrible family incident. So I may not be coherent, and I am using this as an outlet. A family member who was big into alternative medicine, but was also dealing with serious mental illness, just committed suicide.

Just once in the last five years she seemed to be doing well, and that was after she left the county psyche ward after six weeks of real treatment. She got real medication, talk therapy and support. While she ended up in there because she had a breakdown and her mother called the police, she was the happiest and felt better after she left.

But then the support stop. Since she was unemployed, and was not a danger to anyone the system let her seek help voluntarily. So even though they do provide outpatient care, she actually had to want to go… so it was downhill from there.

Suggestions include (and they might be good for ScienceBasedMedicine) is:

1) Lack of mental health services, especially for those without insurance (she quit her job in a what could have been a manic state).

2) The issue of whether or not you can “force” a person to accept psychiatric services.

3) If it is possible or even fair to diagnose promoters of certain alternative medicine with mental illness. Like those who come back over and over again with the same “facts” even after they have been refuted. Especially with those that focus on a single issue.

4) Also because of lack of mental health services, are some alternative medicine claims seem attractive as a way to alleviate health problems that may be because of, or amplified due to the mental health issues (our relative recently became very sensitive to sound, while in the basement she could hear a tea cup being put into the microwave upstairs in the kitchen on the other side of the house).
# ChrisHon 19 Mar 2010 at 1:41 am

Sorry, it is me again.

Other ideas (and yes they are related to our relative):

A common theme from this evening was “At least she is no longer in pain.”

She suffered from chronic migraine headaches, starting from when she was 18 years old. She tried for over thirty years to get rid of the pain. And I have just been told the hypersensitive hearing was not uncommon among sufferers of migraine headaches.

So ideas of topics include: migraine headaches, sensory issues with them, and mental health issues with migraines.
# wmdkittyon 22 Mar 2010 at 12:53 am

I have Cerebral Palsy, would it be possible to address the causes of (and life with) this condition?
# geogarfieldon 23 Mar 2010 at 6:11 am

Dear Dr Novella,

First of all, congratulations for running and updating a fascinating blog.

What brings me to write today is the following: my girlfriend has recently started to carry out leaver flushes. She has been having digestive problems for years and believes that these flushes can do her some good. She hasn’t been to a doctor nor has she been diagnosed with gallstones.
The flushes do not seem to be dangerous, but they are certainly not a pleasant experience. Being a skeptic myself, and having never heard of such things, I started to investigate and found an article on Science Based Medicine (http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=93) about these flushes. I am however disappointed since this article is not providing me with strong evidence. It does debunk a few improbable facts about flushes but does not provide me with an airtight clinical trial addressing this issue, and I find the style of writing sometimes condescending and certainly not really suited for a proper scientific discussion. Would you be aware of any reference/trial on this topic that confirms these flushes are a scam or is this still an open question ?

best regards,

Cedric.
# CodeSculptoron 26 Mar 2010 at 5:31 pm

This topic isn’t skeptical, it is more science-y than magick-y (as Tim Minchin often says)…

Since it’s neurologica, and that deals with nerves… how about something like actual discussions regarding nerve cells.

My personal favourite is schwann cells or neurolemmocytes… I’d always wondered how the wrap around nerves or form near them in any case. And how they sped up propogation. Always thought that was an interesting topic…

Might put the rest of the people to sleep
# MWSlettenon 29 Mar 2010 at 8:35 am

Steve,

I just read this article which suggests overeating shares many neurological factor with drug addiction.

What’s your take?

Mark Sletten
# dwayneon 29 Mar 2010 at 12:14 pm

Hi Steve.

After listening to a recent Quackcast episode, I was hit with an idea (I’m sure it’s not original):

I wonder if it would be easier to tease out placebo effects if studies — especially those that rely on subjective reporting — included groups who were intentionally given false information about the treatment they’re receiving.

So, in addition to double-blind control for treatment and placebo, there is a single-blinded group that is told which treatment is being given, and there is a single-blinded group that is lied to about the treatment.

So this breaks down into six sets:

1. Double-blinded group receiving treatment.

2. Double-blinded group receiving placebo.

3. Single-blinded group in which patient receives treatment and is told it is the treatment.

4. Single-blinded group in which patient receives placebo and is told it is the placebo.

5. Single-blinded group in which patient receives treatment and is told it is the placebo.

6. Single-blinded group in which patient receives placebo and is told it is the treatment.

If a result differs significantly based on the patient’s assumption about the treatment, could the data be used to blunt the placebo effect and give a better picture of the efficacy of the treatment?

To reduce the effect of bias in the single-blinded groups, the researcher who actually implements the treatment also could be blind to the type of treatment; in that case, he/she would only be passing on (either true or false) information given by those who set up the study.

This approach wouldn’t be feasible (or ethical) in all cases. And my characterization of the patient being “lied to” could be softened: Some studies could tell patients up front that the information they receive about the treatment may be false (though I wonder how this would affect the placebo reaction).

I think of studies like those that use “sham acupuncture.” I could envision patients being told they were getting the real thing reporting the same results as those receiving the real thing, and patients being told falsely that they were receiving the sham reporting the same results as those who were receiving the sham. This might more clearly show the ineffectiveness of the treatment.

(And, yes, I know there still would be special pleading.)

Has this been tried? Is there any benefit?
# courtsmith16on 01 Apr 2010 at 9:33 pm

Hello Steven,

Please help my boyfriend and I settle a dispute we are having. Does the food or liquid (in particular soda) cause acne?

-Courtney
# geraldguildon 08 Apr 2010 at 12:00 pm

Dr. Novella,
I am an SGU listener, Rogues Gallery reader, skeptic blogger, licensed psychologist, and autism specialist.

Parents have been inquiring about Dr. Robert Melillo’s Brain Balance program for children on the Autistic Spectrum. He is a chiropractic neurologist. Really??? there is such a thing??? Evidently this program costs $6000. My research brings up only pseudo science indicators. Is this something you are familiar with?
Thank you,
gerald guild
# LVon 09 Apr 2010 at 7:53 pm

Another “celebrity” spokesperson for woo

Mayim Baliak (Blossom), who contrary to Jenny McCarthy is somewhat educated after earning a Ph.D in Neuroscience, is nonetheless the spokesperson for The Holistic Moms Network (http://www.holisticmoms.org/), which, among other things, “believes that parents need to make informed and educated choices about all healthcare options for their children, including vaccination, and that they deserve the freedom to make the choice that works best for their family”. One of the experts on vaccinations is Lauren Feder, M.D., “who specializes in primary care medicine, pediatrics and homeopathy”…
The network has such sponsors as the National Center of Homeopathy.
Practitioners can be looked up through The Wellness Possibilities website (http://www.wellnesspossibilities.com/), but I’m just too scared to even open the page and look what cranks might advertise themselves on there…

LV
# locutusbrgon 10 Apr 2010 at 12:45 pm

Sound therapy for autism. Did not see if you covered this before. See Katie Couric interview.
# locutusbrgon 15 Apr 2010 at 1:05 pm

Steve
Just read an internet story ” the Great Atlantic Garbage patch”, sounds fishy(HaHa). To me at best this is dramatic and lacks plausibility since UV light completley degrades plastics given my understanding.
# titmouseon 16 Apr 2010 at 10:10 pm

Steve,

Wander over to my blog where I’ve posted all 5 videos of psychiatrist Steve Wiseman, MD, kicking some L Ron Hubbard ass.

Even though the audio is kinda crappy, it is a thing of joy, courage, and inspiration.

So go see it. Now. DO EET!!!!!!!!!!
# elmer mccurdyon 18 Apr 2010 at 9:11 am

I would like to see something on low-level laser therapy or cold laser therapy for pain. I understand that it’s considered experimental now, but I’d like to see your opinion of the evidence that exists.
# ungullibleon 20 Apr 2010 at 8:03 pm

Snopes is data-mined to compare the “truthiness” of political claims that spread by email…

My blog: http://blog.ungullible.com/2010/04/ask-snopes-are-political-gullibles-more.html
# EvanHarperon 22 Apr 2010 at 4:39 am

“No more letting industry help pay for developing medical guidelines. Restrictions on consulting deals. And no more pens with drug company names or other swag at conferences.

These are part of a new ethics code that dozens of leading medical groups announced Wednesday…”

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/04/21/4185274-doctor-groups-set-new-policy-to-curb-industry-sway
# mikwonderon 24 Apr 2010 at 6:11 pm

Hi Dr. Novella,

I came across this anti-anti-depressant post by Mark Hyman on the HuffPost, which (thanks to you) I know is a hotbed for pseudo-science and demagoguery. I’m pretty sure you’ve talked about this guy Hyman before, and his diatribe against anti-depressants struck me as odd. After reading it and finding no explanations of why these drugs don’t work other than his argument that there are lots of “unpublished studies” that suggest otherwise, I am a little skeptical about his conclusions, which seem to do little more than support the alternative therapies he’s pushing.

Here’s the link to the post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/depression-medication-why_b_550098.html

As a user of anti-depressants, I know for a fact that they do have an actual effect (they are “drugs” for a reason, yes?). Whether or not they are the best treatment is a valid question, one that I have a personal stake in answering. But Hyman’s accusations that the studies are all pushed by pharmaceutical companies (a pseudo-science red flag you’ve warned us about) aren’t convincing, and they certainly don’t jive with what my doctor says. So, I was wondering what your take is on the use of anti-depressants. Patients being treated for depression need to be able to know who they should be listening to.

Thanks, and I hope to hear back from you.

-Mikwonder
# dougdbon 26 Apr 2010 at 1:24 pm

Heard a related story on This American Life a couple of weeks ago, and didn’t see it discussed here.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/health/01iht-01prof.14122951.html?_r=1

http://chrisblattman.com/2010/04/11/got-allergies-try-hookworm/

The proposed mechanism for hookworms providing an evolved symbiotic relationship, rather than a parasitic one seems sound; but what’s the medical consensus?
# Lucianon 27 Apr 2010 at 12:54 am

Dr. Novella,
A couple of topics I’d like to see discussed on your blog, I’m sorry if they’ve been aforementioned.

1. Binaural beats. I’ve done my own research and found some of the actual studies I’ve read say positive things about the claims made. I’m curious what your opinion on the matter is. It seems to good to be true. And if it does prove to have legitimate benefits for human brain function, I’m afraid that this technology has the potential to be misused greatly. Sounds paranoid, I know.

2. Lucid dreaming as a way to treat anxiety symptoms such as nightmares. I’ve even seen claims of lucid dreaming helping sufferers of PTSD.

3. What are your thoughts on the existence of advance animal life in the universe. I read a book by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee entitled Rare Earth which delves deeper into the Drake equation and gives more rigid qualifications for sentient life using Earth and it’s life as an example.

Thanks.
# Chris_Mon 28 Apr 2010 at 2:36 pm

Hi Steven
I’m a practicing veterinarian in the UK. We have a weekly news journal for the profession here called the ‘Veterinary Times,’ whose letters page can often be filled with discussion about homeopathy and other nonsense- but one letter from a vet using homepathy over here stood out last week. I’ll quote a short part of it.

“I would like to commend to you a website (www.homeopathyeurope.org) to your readers. It features reports of the effects of ‘homeopathic dilutions’ and their electromagnetic properties.

The Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier, a French virologist who discovered HIV and won the Nobel Prize in 2008, and his team, report the results of a series of vigorous experiments investigating the electromagnetic properties of highly diluted biological samples. Before any of you criticise this work and disagree, do remember Prof Montagnier has won the Nobel Prize.”

The guy who wrote the letter also describes his success treating all kinds of cattle disease with nosodes.

I just wondered if you’d come across homeopaths using Luc Montagnier’s work as ‘evidence’ before?

Best wishes

Chris
# Methodissedon 29 Apr 2010 at 5:13 pm

Here’s a topic that needs more exposure. According to City Pages News (http://tinyurl.com/29f6jlo), a tenured college professor with questionable credentials is selling junk science on the side to earn a six digit supplemental income. It’s not just nonsense – he is causing real world harm.

Part of his side business involves being a paid expert witness, representing police officers accused of using excessive force. In nearly 100 cases, he always supports the use of force and always defends police when they are accused of overstepping their bounds. He charges $475 an hour for his work as an expert witness. By his own estimate, he bills upward of $100,000 a year in expert testimony fees alone. The article says that he is often called upon to present a scientific-sounding justification and then responds with junk science.

This article reminded me of the excellent Law and Disorder chapter in the book, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) by Carol Tarvis.

Here’s the article: http://tinyurl.com/29f6jlo
# hmartineauon 30 Apr 2010 at 3:41 pm

Hello, Dr. Novella!

I’ve been reading your blog for over a year now – thank you for all the amazing work!

I stumbled upon an article in AlterNet today that I’d love your take on. It’s an interview with an author who claims that psychiatric drugs are only making us worse, not better, and is claiming itself to be the “Silent Spring” of the antidepressant world.

I’m inclined to think that the reason mental illness rates have gone up are due to the ability to better diagnose disorders, but I’d love to hear you take on an issue that’s near to my heart (and my brain).

The article is here: http://www.alternet.org/story/146659/are_prozac_and_other_psychiatric_drugs_causing_the_astonishing_rise_of_mental_illness_in_america?page=1

Thank you for your time!
# thawr098on 16 Jun 2010 at 6:45 pm

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/34336/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/34553/

The original and updated article on an Indian man who claims to have spent over 70 years without food or water.

“…Dr. Sudhir Shah, a neurophysician involved in the study, called this a “miracle in the science.”…”

I am curious as to know your thoughts on this case.
# daedalus2uon 17 Jun 2010 at 10:47 am

Sci over at Neurotopia had a post on a very interesting paper.

http://scienceblogs.com/neurotopia/2010/06/what_does_that_mri_signal_mean.php

The one where they are using optical techniques to stimulate specific populations of neurons. I haven’t gotten to the library to get the whole paper yet, but what I found very interesting in her write-up was the mention that stimulating the excitatory neurons caused an increase in the BOLD fMRI signal and stimulating the inhibitory neurons caused a decrease.

I mentioned this in a comment there, but I think what this is showing is that both excitatory and inhibitory neurons are coupling to what ever it is that regulates vasodilatation (which we know is NO).

This implies that the basal blood flow is regulated by the basal level of what ever it is that these different populations of neurons are changing to cause the acute vasodilatation and acute vasoconstriction. This also implies that disorders of reduced basal blood flow in the brain (i.e. all of the neurodegenerative disorders plus some more) are characterized by reduced basal levels of what ever it is that is regulating vasodilatation (which we know is NO) which shifts the operating point of the dilatation/constriction trade-off to less dilatation.

The reduced blood flow associated with neuroinflammation (i.e. via TNF-alpha) is then seen as a “normal” (normal as process, not necessarily normal as outcome) perturbation of the basal NO level (via superoxide). The prompt effects of Etanercept on Alzheimer’s can be rationalized via a prompt effect on local superoxide by blocking the action of TNF-alpha.

I wanted to give you a heads up on this paper and what I see are the implications of it for disorders characterized by reduced brain blood flow, and how those couple to disorders characterized by reduced functional connectivity.
# emote_controlon 17 Jun 2010 at 11:21 am

I’m a long-time reader of your blog, and I thought you might be interested in the story I’m linking here for you. This seemed like the sort of thing you might be interested in getting out to a wider audience, both because of the ethical concerns and because it happened despite the oversight process that is supposed to prevent this sort of thing happening in a place of science-based medicine.

Here’s the link: http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Bioethicsforum/Post.aspx?id=4730&blogid=140

Here’s the story: Alice Dreger and Ellen Feder have called into question the research of Dix Poppas of Cornell University. He has been performing surgery to reduce the size of the clitorises of very young girls, because he decided that they were too big. The point of this seems to be so that he can demonstrate that he can hack out the clitoral tissue to shorten the clitoris without disturbing the nerve connections to the clitoral head. His follow-up, for that reason, consists of applying a vibrator to the clitoris of each girl and asking her to rate the intensity of sensation.

Dreger and Feder point out that this is appalling, and wonder how such a thing could have been approved by the Cornell review panel. Not only do the tissues removed play an important part in normal sexual response, but the follow-ups seem practically designed to traumatize the 5- or 6-year-old patients.

What I hope you will do is offer some commentary on what the heck might have happened at Cornell to allow what is essentially female genital mutilation to occur under the auspices of clinical medicine. I work on songbirds, and I expected that the ethical standards for human experimentation to be a bit more restrictive than those covering my subjects. Certainly, Poppas talked the parents into allowing it, but I don’t think he should have been allowed to.

I discovered this story through the blog of sex-advice columnist Dan Savage, who puts together a pretty good summary of Dreger and Feder. It can be found here: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2010/06/16/female-genital-mutilation-at-cornell-university
# saburaion 21 Jun 2010 at 12:00 pm

Hey, Steve, two interesting topics on Slashdot today.

1. Commencement speaker at Stanford School of Medicine talks about the difficulty of modern diagnosis and the effect this has on health care costs.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2010/06/gawande-stanford-speech.html

Sort of related to your discussion about computer assisted diagnosis a few weeks back.

2. Stem cell tourist in Thailand dies; injections to her kidneys caused bizarre growths that probably contributed.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/06/18/danger-stem-cell-tourists-patient-in-thailand-dies-from-treatment/

I personally think the very ill should be free to pursue untested or experimental treatments, assuming they are reasonably aware of the risks. Having driven our citizens out of country by not giving them that option here, we really now have NO control over what kind of treatment they get. That’s just my read on it, of course.
# saburaion 21 Jun 2010 at 12:35 pm

Oh, PS: Watch out. Some scientists in Texas observed a reservoir lake diversion that chiseled a 7-meter deep bedrock gorge in three days of heavy flooding.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100620155748.htm

It will be no time at all before the Creationist-minded get a hold of this legitimate study and start using it for all kinds of batty things. The article practically begs them to, with its references to insta-canyons and mega-floods.

I’m going to put the over-under for that at… let’s say three days.
# Timmehon 22 Jun 2010 at 11:27 pm

A neurosurgeon sees a brain in Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel. This is published in an academic journal.

Pareidolia?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/science/22brain.html?8dpc

http://journals.lww.com/neurosurgery/Fulltext/2010/05000/Concealed_Neuroanatomy_in_Michelangelo_s.1.aspx#
# blkcaton 22 Jun 2010 at 11:29 pm

Steve,

Could you comment on Brain State Technology. It comes from a guy named Lee Gerdes. It involves some aspects of biofeedback with other ideas. I have several people I know doing it and it seems suspicious. I also can find no scientific articles on its validity, just testimonials on their website.

Thx.
# saburaion 24 Jun 2010 at 12:10 pm

Sigh, I underestimated the creationists. They cited the rapid canyon formation as proof of biblical creationism way back in 2007 when it occurred. In retrospect, I guess there was no reason for them to wait for geologists to study the phenomenon. Why does science always take so much longer than religion?

With creationists, always take the “under”.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CBgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcreation.com%2Fa-gorge-in-three-days&ei=foIjTL3VAc_fnAfo_ojBDw&usg=AFQjCNF2mpMOe9ai3-hlaL7UNAfRqqjmOg&sig2=0GmYUW2zZcpl9DokXD-V7g
# Norwegian Shooteron 28 Jun 2010 at 10:19 am

Not a topic suggestion, but a category suggestion. It seems you’ve stopped using the “autism” category label since January. Can you add it to the relevant posts since then? Thanks, great work, much appreciated.
# justincase11on 30 Jun 2010 at 3:06 pm

Dr. Novella,

I think a lot of folks would appreciate your thoughts on CTE in the wake of the findings on Chris Henry, a 26 year old active NFL player who died in a car accident.

He had a string of what we call bad behavior but his autopsy showed he was suffering from an advanced case of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).

As a lot of new evidence is coming to light about long term affects of concussions and sub-concussive hits, those of us who played football, ice hockey, wrestled or soccer in high school, college or even just weekend warrior style are concerned.

Should we allow our kids to play these rough contact sports? When does CTE start? How soon is it to stop? Pop Warner, Junior High, High school?

How many cases of irrational or violent behavior can be attributed to undisclosed cases of CTE?

Is it just professional athletes at risk or anyone whose played contact sports for a long time?

There are semi pro football leagues, fireman vs. policeman leagues, full contact flag football leagues, adult ice hockey leagues, etc…etc…

Can many cases of Alzheimer’s really be CTE misdiagnosed?

And since there is no way of diagnosing it while alive, is there anything that can be done about it?

Please consider the subject. A lot of concerned former players and parents to future players would really like your insight on this very important subject.
# Demitrovon 01 Jul 2010 at 12:30 am

I’d like your thoughts on the new MS treatment by Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni based on a theory that blocked veins lead to an iron buildup in the brain, which causes MS symptoms.

Thank you for your time.
# Draalon 01 Jul 2010 at 11:10 am

As seen on TV:
http://www.buyirenew.com/?MID=860693
Irenew bracelets.

(gag)
# jbg_byronon 11 Jul 2010 at 12:24 pm

Dr. Novella,

I also would like to hear what you have to say about the new MS treatment being touted by Dr. Zamboni.

I live in Canada, and the CBC has taken a fairly credulous slant on it, calling it “huge hope.” Other articles, like this one,

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/04/07/multiple-sclerosis-ccsvi-forum.html

have been offering more balanced coverage.

Anyone I’ve talked to about the issue seems to think that MS has been cured all of a sudden. My question is this: Is Dr. Zamboni wasting precious research time and money by hyping a pet theory, or is this a legitimate area of research that deserves the attention and funding it’s getting?

Thanks,

Josh.
# Eon 19 Jul 2010 at 4:29 pm

Here’s a portion of a Tweet I just saw from one of these BHRT doctors:

“…B/c I’m fee-4-service & don’t take insurance, I’m not “subject” to HIPAA!”

What does that mean? Aren’t all doctors, regardless, subject to HIPAA?

Makes me wonder if this person is indeed a doctor after all, let alone the extraordinary kind she continuously makes herself out to be.

Any thoughts appreciated,
# hugoon 20 Jul 2010 at 6:28 am

I realize a lot of the BS covered in the link I am about to provide has been covered on SBM, Neurologica, Quackwatch and the Quackcast, debates, and so on.

But if you want one (very) long post on just how irrational and crazy people can get about neuroscience (or ”neuroscience”), don’t hesitate to visit:

http://theosophywatch.com/2010/07/19/healing-from-inside/

It is actually so sad and strange, I wasn’t sure how to react, and ended up just waiting for my head to explode which, unfortunately, didn’t happen…
# Anarreson 21 Jul 2010 at 7:45 am

What do you think about plant neurobiology?

Cheers,
# Krongradon 23 Jul 2010 at 8:42 pm

What causes the episodic, variable, and often excruitiating pain of severe chronic prostatitis, an illness that accounts for an estimated 2 million doctor visits a year in the US?

On the one hand, there is a school of thought that suggests that the problem is neuromuscular. Supporting this thought is the observation that pelvic trigger point release can in some cases bring relief. The data are skimpy and the reported relief is short lived. I know of no data beyond a few weeks.

On the other hand are recent observations, as partly described on the Prostatitis Surgery site, that support a primary prostatic origin. This is because excisional surgery in some cases completely, immediately, and durably eliminates the pain. The videos illustrate just how severe chronic prostatitis can be. And just how badly doctors can treat their patients. Including doctor patients.
# skepdicon 24 Jul 2010 at 1:04 pm

Steven,

I’d like to see an article on coherence between the two brain hemispheres. A devotee of transcendental meditation claims “In normal waking activity for the average person there is dissonance between all parts of the brain meaning there is “incoherence”. For criminals and drug addicts the incoherence has risen to such a degree that they can’t think clearly and make mistakes.” He also says that “What I witnessed in my EEG signal during practice of TM was astonishing. The incoherence suddenly faded and the different lobes of the brain became coherent – as if the various parts of the brain were talking to each other.” It seems obvious that we don’t know whether brain waves are in sync or not while a person is writing a book or robbing a bank unless we have him hooked up to a device that can measure brain activity. Is there compelling evidence that coherence or lack of it in brain waves correlates to ability to think critically, mental disorders such as schizophrenia, or criminal (anti-social) behavior? Is there evidence that any particular set of brain waves achieved during meditation correlates with any positive set of mental or physical skills post meditation?

Thanks.

Bob Carroll
The Skeptic’s Dictionary
# pittmanstonehouseon 25 Jul 2010 at 11:56 pm

Dear Dr. Novella:

I just read an article on Huffington Post by Mark Hyman, MD. about “yeast overgrowth.” Apparently, yeast is responsible for my chronic fatigue syndrome and my digestive issues.

In his post, Dr. Hyman uses several references to seemingly back up his claims, and not all of the references are from alternative medicine journals. For instance, he cites a study from the May 2010 issue of the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility which supported the hypothesis that “intestinal microbiota may play an important role in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms.” I don’t have the scientific background to figure out if this has anything to do with yeast, but the study appears to come from a legitimate journal.

I checked your archives and I didn’t see anything on yeast overgrowth. Have you heard of this before? I think it’s scandalous that this yeast problem has overlooked by conventional medicine. I’d like to know your opinion on whether I should start taking two to three activated charcoal capsules every four to six hours (I ate a big loaf of bread earlier today).

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/yeast-infection-symptoms_b_657354.html
# elmer mccurdyon 26 Jul 2010 at 4:19 am

1st, just a followup on my earlier question about low-level laser therapy: I came across a couple of things which seem to debunk it pretty conclusively:
http://www.devicewatch.org/reports/lllt.shtml
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=timFphPOiyU&feature=related

Like others, I was initially impressed by the (apparently flawed) systematic review on this topic that was published in the Lancet.

2nd, after finding this site, I did word searches on some topics that are of interest to me: trigger points, Feldenkrais, and physical therapy. I have some objections as well as questions about what little I found, but unfortunately the comments are closed. For that reason I hope you’ll post on these topics again.
# Christopher JHon 27 Jul 2010 at 12:12 am

Lately I’ve seen a great deal of commentary over a list published by the Environmental Working Group concerning skincare products and sunscreen. They are infamous for having raised the alarm about pesticides in produce and for making the false claim that organic produce is nutritionally advantageous without a substantive platform of evidence and review.

I’ve seen some responses to this listing by mothers and other consumers worried about what products are safe for use with their infants/children due to various ingredients that have shown carcinogenic properties (oxybenzophenone, retinyl palmitate) in animal trials (though not in any in vivo study). Additionally there is some concern over persistence of nanoscale material entering the bloodstream transdermally (like zinc oxide) and other materials having teratogenic consequences. I’ve even seen comments where people have totally overhauled their entire product selection of skincare and other dermatological products in favor of super expensive or “natural” products in an attempt to purge their lives of chemicals that have shown no conclusive danger to their health.

I’ve scoured the references listing provided by EWG and read over the methods they’ve used to discern X from Y product, but I feel like I just don’t have the experience/expertise to tell what is or isn’t good about the science that supposedly supports these assertions (that sunscreens and their ingredients are somehow carcinogenic or worthy of concern).

I think this highlights a important dilemma: that somehow people feel they cannot rely on the FDA to tell them the truth or to have taken the precautions required to keep them safe regarding personal care products. As a result, in swoops an NGO with a consumer first message that may or may not be scientifically or statistically rigorous enough to be free-standing.

Although my gut feeling is that it is largely post hoc reasoning, false analogy, appeals to mistrust or failures by the FDA, or some other naturopathic gimmick against “the establishment”, I think it would help dispel myths that are everyday and important to our hyper-hygienic society if a little truth-testing were sent down upon this topic from an experienced and qualified observer in healthcare/research.

I’m posting a link to these studies below and thank you for you time. I enjoy reading your blog terribly.

Christopher

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/full-report/
# Christopher JHon 27 Jul 2010 at 12:13 am

Ooops, I mean in vivo specifically with respect to humans. The animal trials have been performed.
# Kashif Ahmedon 28 Jul 2010 at 7:27 pm

Neurologica readers might find this op-ed piece interesting on the need for regulating Natural Health Products (NHPs) in Canada.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/op-ed/Natural+health+products+should+better+controlled/3318168/story.html
# Kashif Ahmedon 29 Jul 2010 at 4:02 pm

And here is today’s eccentric op-ed response by an NHP lobbyist in Canada, stating that “science has ceased to be a tool for discovery, and instead has become a mechanism of control.”

“Natural health products safer than pharmaceuticals”
http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Natural+health+products+safer+than+pharmaceuticals/3335301/story.html

The anti-evidence misinformation campaign is alarming.
# hugoon 02 Aug 2010 at 3:46 pm

It could be interesting to discuss some of the arguments for children born without (much of) a cerebral cortex being conscious. There are almost annual reports of parents who claim that their particular anencephalic or hydranencephalic child is, in fact conscious, and there have been a few articles in the literature recently where the authors have made similar claims. I think it’s BS, and that it stems from a all-or-nothing view of consciousness, whereby a child that smiles MUST have the same emotional capacity and hence THE SAME conscious states as other humans.

This article is a good example:
Consciousness without a cerebral cortex – a challenge for neuroscience and medicine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17475053)
# ehannumon 09 Aug 2010 at 9:13 am

Hi, my name is Eric Hannum. I’m a big fan of the Skeptic’s Guide podcast and the co-founder of the Atheist’s and Skeptic’s Club at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Anyway, I was on facebook and saw my friend who is studying to become a nurse post the following:

“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibogaine

Interesting…. [Ibogaine] will never be legal in the U.S because Pharmaceutical companies cannot profit from it. But imagine, curing long term opiate addictions in less than 24 hours.”

The “big pharma suppressing miracle cure” part of it is what got my attention and made me immediately skeptical, but addiction medicine is something I’m really interested in so I decided to see for myself if there’s any science behind ibogaine. I tried going to PubMed but I couldn’t find much and what I did find was either too vague or too technical for me to understand. Everything I could find on it was just way above my head other than the facts that it made some mice cut back on cocaine (by how much and for how long, I don’t know), Dr. Drew says it doesn’t work, and someone died from using it on an episode of CSI.

I was wondering if you could offer any insight into this as a neurologist. What does the science say about ibogaine? Does it work? If so, is it safe? If so why isn’t it used? Or is this just another miracle cure from the internet?

Thanks,
Eric

PS. Have you written any books? You do a lot of writing for free on your blog but I would totally pay money to read a whole book by you.
# pr0realityon 12 Aug 2010 at 2:07 pm

Hi Steve,

I’d like to know what you think of Bruce Lipton’s (PhD) work on the biology of perception. Here’s the first of a 7 video presentation on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLZ7GqWpEqM

He’s essentially talking about completely rewriting some basic axioms of biology and genetics. He makes claims like “Our beliefs change our genetics” and he appears to be teaming up with people like Wayne Dyer and other new agey-type folks due to these “revelations.”

Some searching has shown that he has published scientific papers on his topics, I think.
# pr0realityon 12 Aug 2010 at 2:09 pm

BTW, these videos were brought to my attention by my girlfriend who said that they played this in her biology class at SF State. I believe he’s made these presentations at least at San Francisco State University and Stanford.
# ChrisHon 12 Aug 2010 at 4:48 pm

Eric:

PS. Have you written any books? You do a lot of writing for free on your blog but I would totally pay money to read a whole book by you.

Actually he has written a chapter in Science Meets Alternative Medicine.

Plus a couple of Dungeons and Dragons books with friends like Even Bernstein.
# kevinfon 13 Aug 2010 at 10:52 pm

Steve,

Peer reviewed science hits an all-time low!

http://www.virologyj.com/content/pdf/1743-422X-7-169.pdf

Ugh.

Good to meet you at TAM8…

Kevin Folta (GMO guy from U. Fla)
# micwaton 13 Aug 2010 at 11:57 pm

Is this “Epoc neuroheadset” genuine?
http://www.emotiv.com/apps/epoc/299/

It claims to allow users to:
“Use your thoughts, feeling, and emotion to dynamically create color, music, and art.”
“Life changing applications for disabled patients, such as controlling an electric wheelchair, mind-keyboard, or playing a hands-free games”
“get true insight about how people respond and feel about material presented to them. Get real-time feedback on user enjoyment and engagement. ”

“14 saline sensors offer optimal positioning for accurate spatial resolution”

It charges $299 per set.
Is it bogus or genuine?

would be interested in your answer either here or on the SGU
# bluedevilRAon 15 Aug 2010 at 9:41 am

Dr. Mercola posted in that bastion of pseudoscience known as the Huffington Post about the “cholesterol myth.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/the-cholesterol-myth-that_b_676817.html

He peddles the usual tropes: cholesterol is actually good for you because all cells need it, it is a poor indicator of heart health, inflammation is a much better indicator, he claims that doctors don’t understand the importance of inflammation with regards to heart health, cholesterol drugs have terrible side effects, and finally he gives advice on how to lower cholesterol naturally, in direct contrast to the fact that he spent several paragraphs explaining cholesterol is natural, important and does not need to be lowered.
# daedalus2uon 17 Aug 2010 at 11:32 am

Dr Novella, Interesting article on ALS.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/sports/18gehrig.html

Apparently ALS can be mimicked by traumatic brain injury. Presumably that means shared final common pathways. I suspect neuroinflammation leading to low NO and insufficient mitochondrial biogenesis leading to low ATP, chronic ischemic preconditioning and eventual neurodegeneration.
# Researcher44on 17 Aug 2010 at 2:44 pm

I want to point you to a little known problem. Forty years ago designers hired to modernize the business discovered that subliminal sight operating under “special circumstances” could cause mental breaks.

The cubicle was designed to deal with it by 1968.

There is no research about this phenomenon. No one in mental health services is aware it exists.

http://VisionAndPsychois.Net is my seven year project about it.
# jwalker1960on 18 Aug 2010 at 5:24 pm

Dr. Novella,

I’d be interesting to see what you think of this news story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7952015/Traditional-Chinese-medicine-could-boost-cancer-treatment.html .

I’m a bit skeptical, but maybe that just because of the whole “Traditional Chinese Medicine” bit in the headline.
# CivilUnreston 19 Aug 2010 at 5:05 pm

Dr. Novella,

I have a friend who has been suffering (for years now) from a condition that causes chronic inflammation in his lower GI tract (it’s unclear if it’s Crohn’s, colitis, IBS…) . The real doctor’s he’s seen have only been able to alleviate the symptoms, and only then temporarily. To make matters worse, the treatments have scary side effects like increased risk of tumors.

As you know, this sort of situation makes a person ripe for being lured by woo. Since college, he has steadily descended deep into the woo machine (even taking out huge loans to enroll at a CAM school). It’s difficult to talk about how baseless I think ALL the CAM stuff is, especially when my friend is now SO invested in it.

His latest venture is with the GAPS diet. I trawled through their site and, although the doctor who invented it (she is actually a real doctor, sad as that is) knows how to throw around medical terminology, there’s nothing there but the standard woo nonsense: toxic load, autism/ADHD and diet, chemicals from modern society, etc.

So, I have two questions/topic suggestions:
1) I’d love to see you do a take-down of the GAPS diet

2) Do you have any strategies for deprogramming a friend who has been “woo washed”?
# RonHon 21 Aug 2010 at 8:42 am

Steve,

on the radar

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/health/19taichi.html

Tai Chi Reported to Ease Fibromyalgia

Ron
# Marshallon 23 Aug 2010 at 5:26 pm

Hi Steve,

I was wondering if you could give an overview of the research surrounding Melatonin supplement and its efficacy in assisting with sleep and jet-lag. I’m under the impression that the evidence is still largely inconclusive. A very prominent neuropharmacologist at my school (Dr. Eric J. Nestler) believes that all talk of Melatonin supplements actually working to assist with sleep is basically utter crap, but I know there have been quite a few clinical studies showing some small benefit.

Thanks,
Marshall
# Brendo6084on 25 Aug 2010 at 1:07 am

Hi i recently found this book called “The Yeast Connection” among my mother’s things. It set off my skeptic sense by its one cure for all attitude. Saying that yeast is causing all these people to be sick.

It even makes you take a quiz in the beginning of it.

However i’m not a doctor and could be completely wrong, i’d love to hear your opinion of it.

Heres a link to the book on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Connection-Medical-Breakthrough/dp/0394747003
# urodovicon 25 Aug 2010 at 10:07 pm

Steve:

Do you know anything

A puertorrican physician Osvaldo Font M.D. is claiming today to have invented a method to getting rid of pain he calls it electroneuromedular therapy.

http://www.prdailysun.com/index.php?page=news.article&id=1277091221

In searching the subject it seems he is not the originator, but has modify the technique called Neural therapy.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Neural-Therapy—An-Answer-To-Chronic-Pain?&id=664958

Here is a Congress he is organizing:

http://www.caribbeanmedicalcongress.org/speakers.html

All these seem very dubious and implausible. They also say the are members of the American Academy of Neural Therapy which is a quack organization in Quackwatch.
# urodovicon 25 Aug 2010 at 10:28 pm

Sorry:

I meant to say:

Do you know anything about the so called electroneuromedulary therapy for management of pain? This guy even says he has been nominated for Nobel prize in medicine….

Dr. Font’s approach bears similarities to neural therapy, and might even be considered a variation of neural therapy. However procaine is not a primary part of treatment, nor are interference fields searched for in the usual ways. Where it resembles neural therapy is its effect of altering abnormal autonomic nervous system tone, particularly in the region of the spine.

Electroneuromedular medicine targets the spine, more specifically the dura mater. In cases of chronic pain or spinal cord injury, a long acupuncture needle is inserted into the spine until the tip touches the dura mater. The patient feels a sharp pain, often in an extremity, and the operator feels a powerful shock in his or her fingers through the needle from the dura itself. Dr. Font explained that dura mater carries a voltage of approximately 115 volts at a 60 Herz frequency, i.e. much like that in North American house wiring.

http://www.neuraltherapybook.com/newsletters/5-3.php
# CHugheson 28 Aug 2010 at 11:45 pm

Any thoughts on Nootropics? Apparently they are quite popular in Europe and gaining in popularity here in the US.
# Shaneon 30 Aug 2010 at 6:22 pm

How about a review of ADHD?
We now have two sons who are in their 20s and have been on medication since they were seven.
We took the best medical advice at the time, but have been going through 9 levels of hell for the past 15 years with failed schooling, failed apprenticeships, criminal behaviour, suicide attempts and a total inability to integrate into adult society.

I would love to know what the current thinking is as the parents of gen r struggle with their adult offspring.
Cheers from Australia
# Adamon 31 Aug 2010 at 5:48 am

Dr. Novella,

I live in Japan and am recently hearing a lot about enzyme supplements. A quick look at some sites on the web immediately sent up red flags. Although I found some skeptical pages critical of enzyme supplements for healthy people, I haven’t found a good overview of the topic. I would like to hear your views on the subject.
# Gary Goldwateron 02 Sep 2010 at 12:53 am

This PLoS 1 study just came out on OG vs. Commercial Strawberries. It’s an interesting study and appears to me [a non-scientist] to be well done. I’d love to read an analysis from a scientist. The interest to your readership would be the relationship of these findings to the Organic Fallacy.
# Gary Goldwateron 02 Sep 2010 at 12:54 am

Here’s the article:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0012346
# GCon 02 Sep 2010 at 8:12 am

Hi Steve,

Could you please blog about or talk about in your podcast (SGU) about the heritability of intelligence and its scientific merit?

Just recently Thilo Sarrazin, a German economist published a book called “Germany does away with itself” (which is, by the way, largely popular). The book is controversial because it touches on the topic of eugenics, immigration and the heredity of certain traits (such as intelligence).

Here is an exert from the economist:
“…because people at the bottom of the social pyramid are less intelligent and have more children than those at the top, and because intelligence is largely inherited, “the inherited intellectual potential of the population is being progressively diluted.”
http://economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2010/09/immigration_row_germany

Thanks, looking forward to your unadulterated thoughts.
Goran
# SDRNon 03 Sep 2010 at 1:49 am

Dr. Novella,

Is there any evidence to support a gluten-free diet/lifestyle for the general population in the absence of celiac or gluten-sensitivity symptoms? My son came home from school and announced that he wasn’t going to eat bread for a week at the suggestion of his P.E. teacher. I emailed the teacher to inquire about the rationale behind this idea, since while reaching for a cereal bar, my son obviously had little understanding about why he was participating in this no-bread experiment.

The response I received supported my hunch that he was promoting a gluten-free diet. It seems to me that most of the evidence he presented were studies of gluten-free diets on those with diagnosed autoimmune disorders such as celiac sprue and rheumatoid arthritis, not studies of why a gluten free diet is healthier for the average person without these afflictions.

Any insight is appreciated and I’m happy to forward the 34 page powerpoint presentation he sent me if you’re interested.
# Blair Ton 03 Sep 2010 at 2:11 pm

Thought you might enjoy this article below.

A University of British Columbia psychology researcher is doing experiments where subjects using a Ouija board are better able to answer trivia questions than by guessing alone.

http://www.straight.com/article-338976/vancouver/unconscious-intelligence

Might make a good science or fiction question.
# factsonlyon 03 Sep 2010 at 6:06 pm

hi dr novella,

though a little past the time of your debate with homeopaths at the University of Connecticut Health Center: A Debate: Homeopathy – Quackery Or A Key To The Future of Medicine? (2007), i’m wondering why in your response to the actual debate on your blog you respond in the comments section to a post:

“The bottom line is that homeopathy is a tangle of magical thinking, every element of which lacks a theoretical or empirical basis.”

i’m unsure how you can make this statement when Dr. Rustom Roy disproved one of your main arguments, that homeopathic medicines are merely placebos, showed evidence that the structure and thus function of water can be changed for extended periods of time. this evidence presented refutes that the remedies are merely water, the inert substance that we all think it is. your quote above entirely ignores and contradicts the evidence that was shown to you.

this would be an interesting topic of discussion.

thanks.
# OIIIIIIIOon 04 Sep 2010 at 9:04 pm

How about something about barefoot running?

Thanks!
# BaldySlapheadon 09 Sep 2010 at 3:48 am

Hi Dr Novella,

Following on from your Sept 3rd post, I was interested to see the news stories in the British press today claiming that a £0.10 daily cocktail of B vitamins may significantly reduce brain shrinkage in Alzheimer’s patients; for example this one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11232356. I note that it’s a relatively small study – 168 patients.

In looking at stories on Digg using the keywords “Alzheimer’s Vitamin B”, there seems to be a less clear picture; some of the stories there suggest the opposite; that B vitamins do *not* slow the condition. In fact, while they did demonstrate a reduction in the chemical homocysteine, they did not detect any change in cognitive outcomes. An example would be this story: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125432.php (which was based on a study of over 400 people).

Now, that last link is from 2008, and the positive story is Sept 2010. I wondered whether you might consider picking through the facts for us? I assume that cognitive outcomes are the important thing here – that there is a clear improvement whether in symptoms or in slowing the onset or progression of the disease?

It would be too wonderful to hope that we’ve had a major breakthrough in the battle against this terrible illness, but I would really appreciate your insight.

Love the blog and SGU – keep up the good work!

Yours sincerely,

Fraser Marshall
# BaldySlapheadon 09 Sep 2010 at 5:55 am

Addendum to previous post: Ben Goldacre has just tweeted a link that suggests the B vitamin and Alzheimer’s news story may be complete bullshit:

http://trusttheevidence.net/carl-heneghan/vitamin-b-and-slowing-the-rate-of-brain-atrophy-the-numbers-don%E2%80%99t-add-up/100909109

Prof. David Smith is apparently a Holford collaborator too.

Still an interesting story but for different reasons!

Regards,

Fraser Marshall
# BaldySlapheadon 09 Sep 2010 at 8:25 am

Excellent – thanks for taking that up so quickly!
# Kawarthajonon 09 Sep 2010 at 12:21 pm

Steve,

I was wondering if you’d ever heard of Dr. Bonnie Burstow? She was a professor of mine at the University of Toronto and she has some wacky ideas about trauma and the relationship between men and women. She also is an increasingly prominent spokeswoman for the anti-psychiatry movement in Canada and the U.S.. For example, she believes that any psychiatric label (i.e. Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Schizophrenia, etc.) given to a patient is a form of abuse and torture. For the past few years she has been spearheading a movement to get electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) banned. In her view it is a form of torture used by a facist society to victimize vulnerable people, especially those who have been traumatized by the male hegemony (which is inherently abusive and victimizes women). I’m not necessarily writing to you about your views about violence against women and feminism, but I’m interested in your views about mental illness denial and more specifically about ECT. Being a neurologist, I’m sure that you have interesting views on these subjects. You can hear a short interview with Dr. Burstow on the CBC show “The Current”:

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/08/august-19-2010.html

On Dr. Burstow’s webpage you can find a list of the articles she’s published on psychiatric “survivors”, as she calls them. Here’s her website:

http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/depts/aecp/main/faculty/burstow.html
# Marshallon 10 Sep 2010 at 1:43 am

Steve–I know you avoid politics, but you have never really posted your opinion much on the tough debate between religious freedom and safety; can you weigh in on the (possibly stupid) debate about whether people were legitimately criticizing Jones, and why he should have backed out, or not?
# Palladiumon 13 Sep 2010 at 7:26 pm

Dear Dr. Novella,

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook that she is starting brain reprogramming, or brainwave optimization, today to treat her migraines and chronic depression. When I looked at the websites I could not find a clear description of what the procedure involves beyond monitoring the brain frequencies and sending other frequencies back into your brain. Additionally, a simple google search did not reveal any real scientific evidence for or against this treatment despite it being one of the topics of conversation on Oprah this week. I am very skeptical about any medical treatment that is preformed by a technician who bought an online kit and does not have medical training. I would greatly appreciate your feedback/opinion on brainwave optimization.

Here is one of the websites:
http://www.brainstatetech.com

Thank you.
# bisraelon 13 Sep 2010 at 9:44 pm

Dr. Novella,

What do you think about the claim that certain food dyes can cause hyperactive behavior in children. From what I can find it seems the evidence is still inconclusive. Thanks.
# sheajon 15 Sep 2010 at 9:46 am

I have seen in passing a book on Game Theory which claims to have 90% accuracy in making predictions – sounds too good to be true. Would this be a topic worth covering?
# Kawarthajonon 15 Sep 2010 at 2:06 pm

Steve,

I was wondering if you’ve ever written anything on “Wind Turbine Syndrome”. Sounds like medical/scientific bunk to me and has all the hallmarks of a pseudoscientific movement (i.e. big industry pulling the wool over people’s eyes for profit, unspecified health effects of wind turbine noise, unscientific research, etc..). Check out this website where Dr. Nina Pierpont is promoting her new book: http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/

This is a real issue in Ontario, where there is a big fight to prevent the building of wind turbines in rural areas for electricity generation. The issue is coming to a head in my small, rural community, where a bunch of people are protesting the development of a number of wind farms.

I would really appreciate your point of view on this topic.

Jon from Millbrook, Ontario
# rumpuson 24 Sep 2010 at 2:36 am

Dear Dr. Novella,

An interesting and rather weird neurological diagnostic technique…

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s2909625.htm

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

dave, Melbourne Australia
# thawr098on 05 Jan 2011 at 11:37 pm

The recent conspiracy theories about why all the birds and fish are dying all over the world at once.

Terry
# Noophyon 17 Jan 2011 at 1:31 pm

I have a cousin who was raving about a book. “The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman”. It seems fishy to me, but I was wondering if you wanted to take a look at it.
Cheers,
Noophy
# EnderTheThirdon 19 Jan 2011 at 2:26 am

Dr. Novella,

I’ve been reading your blog and SBM for close to a year now, and I really appreciate what you do. As a 2nd year medical student, I’ve had friends and family ask me about certain medical/scientific concerns, and while now I’m getting much better and finding, dissecting, and interpreting information from PubMed, NeuroLogica and SBM have been an incredible resource!

Over the holidays, my sister-in-law asked me about “The Dirty Dozen” and the pesticides used in conventional farming practices. Supposedly these are the 12 produce items that should be purchased organic so as to limit pesticide residue exposure by 80% or some such, at least according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). I’ve had trouble locating the original study the EWG is referring to, and I can’t find much information about the EWG that isn’t directly from a pro-organic website.

Dirty Dozen link: http://www.healthyreader.com/2008/05/13/12-most-contaminated-fruits-and-vegetables/

I know that talking about reducing your exposure by 80% means very little if you go from .1% of toxic exposure to .02% of toxic exposure, but I don’t know what the absolute exposure levels are nor what is an acceptable exposure. I advised her that “organic pesticides” are still used in organic produce, and if she’s worried about pesticides to just wash all produce before preparing it, but I would love to have some actual evidence-based information for reference. And should there be any legitimacy to this claim, that would be useful to know as well.

Thanks for everything you do and keep up the great work!
# mcphadenmikeon 20 Jan 2011 at 6:33 pm

Dear Dr. Novella,

Thank you for publicizing the recent episode of Marketplace that turned a skeptical eye on Homeopathy. As a Canadian, I was proud to see homegrown skepticism go mainstream.

The CBC website garnered a lot of comments, many of them angry accusations of obvious bias – not too surprising since it’s hard to argue with the science.

However, one sciency-sounding argument cropped up again and again: homeopathy works in animals, therefore in CANNOT be attributed to the placebo effect, therefore homeopathy works.

Is it true that an effect is seen in animals, and if so, how does this square with what we know about homeopathy in humans? If I had to guess, I’d say that any results seen in animals are thanks to either improper blinding (ie. the people judging the animals’ health know which ones have been given a homeopathic preparation) or improper controls (ie. no one even bothered to have a control group).

I’d like to have a counter-argument ready the next time I hear this claim, so any help you can offer would be appreciated.

Mike
# Tyron 21 Jan 2011 at 4:29 am

Dr. Novella,

I am curious if you had ever looked at forest bathing (Shinrinyoku)? I have seen this recently and the claims that it cures cancer, boosts immunity, has research behind it, etc.

For example one of Dr. Oz’s minions claims that this is a “newly realized form of healing” and that this study http://www.springerlink.com/content/e0k86t3v4ulk078g/ proves it.
# skepdicon 21 Jan 2011 at 8:30 pm

Robert Whitaker
# lazaruson 21 Jan 2011 at 9:29 pm

Thought this might be an appropriate topic considering Dr. Penfield’s birthday is coming up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12225163

I found the idea of the brain’s hemispheres each having their own, independent consciousness interesting.

Keep fighting the good fight.
# JWWalkeron 23 Jan 2011 at 6:46 pm

Agreeing with “skepdic”, in more detail: I’m wondering whether you’ve read Robert Whitaker’s book “Anatomy of an Epidemic” (2010, Crown Publishing Group) and if so what you think of it. He’s not a mental illness denier, but argues that long-term use of psychotropic drugs may have actually increased the amount of disability from mental illness.
# emote_controlon 01 Feb 2011 at 1:09 pm

NaturalNews is publishing a pamphlet that is simply drenched in antivax poison. It’s being promoted as written by the “International Medical Council on Vaccination” and is basically just the most concentrated source of misinformation on vaccination that I have ever come across.

Thought that this would make a good topic.

http://www.naturalnews.com/031173_vaccines_science.html
# Dave McGinnon 02 Feb 2011 at 9:34 am

Hey Steve,

Just saw this news article (from 2009, seemingly written by a cancer specialist) regarding the ‘benefits’ of using tanning beds:

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/health/article-1127175/Top-cancer-doctor-says-SHOULD-sunbed-session.html

He basically says that exposure to UV rays increases vitamin D production, which has lots of benefits. He also says you can’t get sufficient vitamin D from food, and he is reluctant to recommend vitamin supplements in pill form.

Any veracity to these claims? I’m under the impression that the increased risk of skin cancer outweights the benefits.

Cheers

Dave
# baconholioon 03 Feb 2011 at 8:13 am

I found the book “The Secret of Perfect Vision: How You Can Prevent and Reverse Nearsightedness “.

Is this even possible?

Since it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Would like to hear your or the SGU crew’s opinion.
# MWSlettenon 05 Feb 2011 at 10:33 am

Steve,

NPR did a piece (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/02/04/133500606/lawmakers-demand-treatment-for-troops-with-brain-injuries) on a push by a few federal legislators to mandate the Pentagon provide “cognitive rehabilitation therapy” to troops with brain injuries.

Apparently, the Pentagon’s health insurance providers contracted a study (http://www.propublica.org/documents/item/2009-ecri-assessment-on-cognitive-rehabilitation-for-traumatic-brain-injury) which found insufficient evidence to justify the therapy.

A Dr. Wayne Gordon of Mt. Sinai’s Dept of Rehabilitation Medicine disagrees (http://www.propublica.org/documents/item/dr.-wayne-gordon-response-to-ecri-cognitive-rehabilitation-assessment).

Can you comment?
# zntneoon 10 Feb 2011 at 2:05 pm

Could you do a post on diet soda? Specfically this new study that i guess a lot of people are flipping out about.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110209121653.htm
# S.on 11 Feb 2011 at 11:32 am

Hello there,

I am a listener of SGU and a fan and I want to thank you for the good job of spreading awareness and knowledge.

However I am writing because I am quite concerned about a certain book that has been released in my home country and became a bestseller. It is this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Side-Effects-Death-Confessions-Pharma-Insider/dp/1602645167/ref=tag_tdp_sv_edpp_i

I have come across an interview with the author (unfortunately in my native Slovak language) where he states various and outrageous things- like all vaccines, even those against hepatitis or polio are useless; or that an aspirin can kill you etc. I am worried, because in my neck of the woods this man is treated like an insider hero, who knows what is going on in the world of big pharma etc.

I have searched several skeptical blogs and websites to find out something more, but came up with nothing. The anti-vaccines movement in Slovakia is young but gaining momentum- ironically even after Andrew Wakefield has been discredited and this book adds another spin to the whole issue.

I would be grateful for any info.
# Ufoon 13 Feb 2011 at 4:32 am

It seems to me that the media is overblowing this case, have a look:

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/12/chase-britton-boy-without-a-cerebellum-baffles-doctors/

The video is interesting, especially when comparing what you see in the video to the examples that the mother gives.
# lonelytylenolon 13 Feb 2011 at 3:34 pm

Hello,
Love the blog, cannot say enough. Ran into this today and I feel it could use some attention:

http://www.3rdward.com/winter2011/2010/12/9/delete-the-facts-how-zev-eisenberg-rejected-nys-top-oncologi.html

The worst part is that they’re making it sound like he’s better, when he hasn’t been tested since stopping treatment.
# hippiehunteron 14 Feb 2011 at 6:34 pm

I would love to see an article on amber teething necklaces.
http://www.amberbebe.com/
These charming trachea sized beads are said to ease teething pain. WOW what sort of lowlife promotes fake pain relief for children ? These amber choking necklaces are very popular here in hippieland, as yet I am unaware of any deaths resulting from them but it seems inevitable.

Oh well at least they are not full of toxins……OOOOOHHHH the toxins
# Ufoon 15 Feb 2011 at 10:17 am

This study is often being used as proof that vaccines cause diabetes…

http://www.vaccines.net/7TOPEDJ.pdf

“Physicians and par- ents should consider whether to administer the vaccine. While the subgroup results were often not statistically sig- nificant, except for the polio vaccine, it would be justifiable to abstain from immunization in this subgroup at present.”
# chaos4zapon 16 Feb 2011 at 5:53 pm

Not that this would qualify as a topic, but maybe. The old “living near power lines gives you cancer” debate is firing up here in Kansas city:

http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-electric-substation-planned-near-child-care-center-20110216,0,6598222.story

Also, Maybe on here or SBM you or one of the other authors could cover the Delta 32 mutation that apparently makes people immune to HIV and I beleive there were some other claims of immunity to other things as well. I recently saw in the news that a man has apparently been cured of HIV after a stem-cell transplant (whatever that means, just a few? all of them transplanted?) from a doner that had the Delta 32 mutation. If the hype is to be believed, then it seems like a promising avenue to head down, I could just use some help seperating fact from exageration.

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/66655208/
# Ufoon 24 Feb 2011 at 4:26 am

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-cell-phones-brain-20110223,0,4544944.story

“Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism”

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/8/808.short

UFO
# spudcoon 28 Feb 2011 at 10:04 pm

I would love to see an examination of John Friend’s Yoga Therapy. I have several friends who have come under John’s spell and I can’t find any credible evidence that supports his claims.

Edward
# DEG80on 04 Mar 2011 at 3:01 pm

Dr. Novella,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12634109

I’m not buying their hypothesis about chemicals being the cause of lowering sperm counts. We are undeniably safer about the way we approach exposure today than we were in the 80s, and likewise we were safer in the 80s than we were in the 50s. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

I suspect nutrition in utero is probably more important. What makes more sense is the fact that, at least in the USA, we started our unhealthy relationship with food (leading to increasing obesity) in about the mid-70s. As over-eating and weight issues took off, sperm counts lowered. Perhaps the same aspect of obesity that causes girls to start puberty earlier also negatively affects sperm counts in men? That’s my hypothesis. Now, this study was done in Finland, so it is important to note that Finalnd’s rate of obesity is not the same as the USA’s. I think they actually peaked in obesity rates in the 80s and then had their rates come back down, so my hypothesis is totally testable by seeing if sperm counts increase in children born in the 90s or if they can account for BMI of mothers during pregnancy.

Anyway, I was hoping you could weigh in on this because “chemicals” just doesn’t sit right with me. It sounds too much like “toxins,” which elicits a knee-jerk negative reaction from me.
# Ufoon 08 Mar 2011 at 6:48 am

“The Healthy Skeptic” Chris Kresser is increasingly popping up here and there:

http://thehealthyskeptic.org/about

He is an acupuncturist and has been active on the SBM comments section, for example:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=4065

Would be interesting to read your take on his approach and references. It looks like he has fallen to the “Ioannidis trap” as well.

Best,

Ufo
# SARAon 10 Mar 2011 at 11:10 pm

Steve,
I thought this was interesting and wondered if you have any other info or thoughts on this as a possible treatment/vaccine for Alzheimers.
http://www.aolhealth.com/2011/03/01/alzheimers-nasal-spray/
# AGWeirdon 14 Mar 2011 at 4:09 am

Hi.
Personally I’m a big fan of the articles where you sort of go back to the basics. You have an inspiring way of writing, which I really enjoy to read. I have showed some of your texts to other people interested in public debates (such as the debate on evolution and climate) and they are very impressed as well.

Here is an example of what I’m talking about:
http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1657

I was wondering if you could do a piece on how to refute an argument or assertion. I have heard that the only way to refute an argument is by showing that one or more of the premises are wrong, or by showing that the conclusion does not logically follow the premises.
Then compare this fact with how creationists and so called “climate sceptics” tries to refute arguments.
In my opinion they fail at doing so, because they neither attack the premises nor show that the conclusion does not follow the premises.

An example of this is:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/earths-climate-crisis-aint-necessarily-so/story-e6frg6xf-1225992476627
Or this page as a whole:
http://climatedepot.com/

Your thoughts on this matter would be very interesting. Or if you already know about an article discussing this topic, I would be interested in reading it.

Thanks!

Ps: sorry about my English. It’s not my first language.
# ghulseon 16 Mar 2011 at 3:40 pm

Hi Dr. Novella,

I know I should ignore YECists, but there’s a guy on a forum where I hang out making a lot of noise about the Hubble Constant. His conspiracy theories tend to gravitate towards the idea that evolution is a sham and that scientists are on a bandwagon in order to gain grant money (or something like that). Along these lines, this YECist is claiming that the Hubble Constant has been changed many times to accommodate the size of the universe. You see, scientists are vested in keeping the universe large to make it appear old in order to keep the theory of evolution alive. I’ve done a lot of reading about the Hubble Constant (good site here: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~dfabricant/huchra/hubble/) and I’m finding it to be a fascinating subject.

According to Wikipedia: The law is often expressed by the equation v = H0D, with H0 the constant of proportionality (the Hubble constant) between the “proper distance” D to a galaxy (which can change over time, unlike the comoving distance) and its velocity v (i.e. the derivative of proper distance with respect to cosmological time coordinate . . .

I was hoping you could put your word wizardry skills to good use and explain the Hubble Constant to a layperson such as myself. What is the significance of the Hubble Constant and why is it so difficult to get a handle on the value H0?
# Nikolaon 21 Mar 2011 at 9:36 pm

“Experiments suggest that infections could spread more rapidly in space”
http://io9.com/#!5784219/experiments-suggest-that-infections-could-spread-more-rapidly-in-space

I stumbled upon this and it seemed interesting and potentially worth getting into a bit more detail about.
If zero G can trigger an acceleration in some infections, maybe exposing patients to a higher G force (like in those giant centrifuges) may be beneficial? Or maybe even a variable G force may do something to screw up the molecular triggers….
It’s fun to speculate as a layman, not sure if it tickles your higher expertise.
Cheers!
# Daneel Olivawon 24 Mar 2011 at 1:29 am

Browsing through the PLoSONE articles I found this interesting piece of research: PLoS ONE: Pre-Exposure to 50 Hz Magnetic Fields Modifies Menadione-Induced Genotoxic Effects in Human SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells.
# lans ellionon 27 Mar 2011 at 12:37 am

I don’t know if you have done a talk on anti-expert ideas but I thought it might be an interesting topic. I did a quick search and didn’t see any articles specifically on this subject.

I just watched a TED talk by Noreena Hertz who boldly states that we need to challenge and rebel against experts. She has a bit of a point that in some cases we should ask questions of experts to make sure they aren’t making a mistake but the talk appears to go much too far and implies that non-experts should have more of a say in fields that generally require expertise.

The TED talk just made me think that we skeptics need to battle back against anti-expert ideas and try to raise awareness on why its important to trust experts rather than trying to comabt them with our own limited knowledge and also how to know when it is reasonable to question experts.

Here is a link to the TED talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/noreena_hertz_how_to_use_experts_and_when_not_to.html
# RonHon 27 Mar 2011 at 1:45 pm

How about food dyes – as someone else suggested above.
It’s in the news.
Didn’t find anything in the archives.
# rfisherphotoson 28 Mar 2011 at 12:00 am

My wife and I are discussing starting a family, and she has been researching midwives vs. hospital births. Could you shed some light on the safety of both, the effects of drugs and any other aspects of birth that we might find helpful in understanding this topic? Thanks!
# Anarreson 28 Mar 2011 at 3:27 pm

It is laughter therapy a joke?

“Laughter has shown physiological, psychological, social, spiritual, and quality-of-life benefits. Adverse effects are very limited, and laughter is practically lacking in contraindications. Therapeutic efficacy of laughter is mainly derived from spontaneous laughter (triggered by external stimuli or positive emotions) and self-induced laughter (triggered by oneself at will), both occurring with or without humor. The brain is not able to distinguish between these types; therefore, it is assumed that similar benefits may be achieved with one or the other. Although there is not enough data to demonstrate that laughter is an all-around healing agent, this review concludes that there exists sufficient evidence to suggest that laughter has some positive, quantifiable effects on certain aspects of health. In this era of evidence-based medicine, it would be appropriate for laughter to be used as a complementary/alternative medicine in the prevention and treatment of illnesses, although further well-designed research is warranted.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280463
# Scientia205on 29 Mar 2011 at 9:10 pm

There are a lot of myth and a lot of hearsay concerning the effects of using marijuana. I was wondering what the literature looks like on this particular issue.
# jwmiller64on 30 Mar 2011 at 11:11 am

My son’s speech was delayed and looking for info on the topic I came across this group which pushes supplements as the answer to delays defined as Apraxia.
The discussion group is worthwhile entertainment.

Lisa Geng
President CHERAB Foundation
Communication Help, Education, Research, Apraxia Base
http://www.cherab.org

Sincerely,

John Miller
# J-Dadon 30 Mar 2011 at 2:04 pm

Food dyes are in the news now, here’s an msnbc news item about the ‘link’ between dyes and hyperactivity: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42338423/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
Is there anything to these claims? Your thoughts? It seems to me that a diet rich in these dyes is also probably rich in crap we shouldn’t be eating a lot of anyway (salt, fat, and sugar.) Could cutting back on these foods themselves, regardless of dye use, cause ADD-like symptoms to lessen after switching to a more healthy diet?
Thanks for all you do!
# Ksjetdon 30 Mar 2011 at 2:42 pm

+1 to water fluoride and fluoridation, even if it is tangentially mentioned in:

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1746
and
http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1506

On one hand, there seems to be a lot of conspiratorial theories around that, and some statements disguised as scientifically proven and accepted facts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpFu_bYkomc

On the other hand, if this were true, it would be an historic scandal. As much as you can say as a skeptic, scientist and neurologist will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
# stichton 03 Apr 2011 at 11:59 am

It would be great to discuss in a more comprehensive way some topics like: how we can improve our mental capacity, learnig skills, memory (all kinds), and if there is any “natural” and also “medically proven” way of adding some supplements (or so) to our diet to energize brain.
Also it would be nice to comment about the claims of Amen Clinics (I mean by D.Amen in his books, blog etc.) about the correlation between using natural supplemnts (certain)(and also other lifestyle changes-but supplements are emphasized) and making the brain “better” which is seen via SPECT scans.

with regards,
# Tod Schimelpfenigon 07 Apr 2011 at 2:29 pm

Dr Novella

This is not a topic suggestion. It’s a comment. I’ve been enjoying your teaching company series, recently listening to the myths behind metals and magnets.

As an EMS provider I’m aware of another myth, that is, when a set of handcuffs is placed on certain people, they immediately develop chest pain. It must be the metal in the cuffs.

Yours in amusement

Tod
# kloxon 08 Apr 2011 at 12:24 am

I would love to hear your comments, either in blog form or a discussion on SGU, about Sam Harris’s perspectives on science and morals. You’ve often said that there is a reasonable divide between science and decision making and it’s because you need a value judgement. Science can only inform those judgments with information. I think Harris would disagree with that assessment, and instead say science can definitely tell you some values are better than others, under simple assumptions, and to me he does so pretty convincingly.

Thanks!
# jmpon 12 Apr 2011 at 6:53 pm

Hello and thanks for running a great blog and podcast!

While specific misconceptions can be very interesting, I have become especially interested in how thinking in general goes wrong. The biggest problem, as I see it, is our tendency to subconsciously twist facts and logic to fit whatever we want to be true. People often mention this problem, but I have never read a discussion about how we can avoid it in our own thought processes. How do we fight a problem when we don’t even recognize it in action? For example, I have had good, insightful conversations about cognitive biases with people who believe strange things; they can often see these issues in other people, just not in themselves.

While this topic is important for skeptics, I think it is even more important for the world at large. After all, if otherwise intelligent people can be led by their personal desires to fall for something like homeopathy, what chance does logic have with complex and subtle political issues like healthcare reform?

Thank you!
# PhoenixSkepticon 14 Apr 2011 at 1:47 am

Dr. Novella
I Just heard about this on Coast to Coast. Gotta keep an eye on the crazys!

The Free Speech about Science (FSAS) Act, HR 1364,
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.1364:
# PhoenixSkepticon 14 Apr 2011 at 8:53 pm

The above link does not pass the : in the html
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.1364:
Hope this works.
# PhoenixSkepticon 14 Apr 2011 at 8:54 pm

Last time I’m going to try this. Otherwise, add a colon : after 1364
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.1364:
# Xplodyncowon 19 Apr 2011 at 3:43 pm

A nonphysician wants to know: deep brain stimulation and depression — a plausible and practical treatment option?

Friedrich MJ. Depression relief. JAMA. 2011;305(11):1085.

Thanks!
# Gehackteon 20 Apr 2011 at 10:56 am

Hey

I recall awhile back an article, that I THINK was written by you, defending the field of psychology against claims of it being… less then adequate. If I’m mistaken, I apologize right off.

But if I remember correctly, I was wondering if you could direct me to some materials or people in that field with some good research. I have a side interest in people’s behavior, and am working my way through “The Lucifer effect” by Philip Zimbardo. He seems a bit more on the up and up(although I’m not done it yet), but as for other subjects, like schizophrenia, I’m not sure where to look. The best I found was a “how to cope with a family member with…” style books, not really anything comprehensive on the subject. I bought a book recently on sociopaths and was disappointed that it was just kind of an allegorical fear tale about how they’re everywhere and plotting against us, not really anything about what mechanisms are involved, genetic or through raising, and so forth.

But at any rate, anything I find on the shelf at my local chapters/indigo (like barnes and nobles in the states) seems like a lot more opinion then fact (especially one that was saying fundamentalism in religion was a healthy mental construct, but for all I know). So long ramble short, any suggestions?

essentially I need a good starting point, otherwise I’ll have difficulty in evaluating the information if it contradicts my viewpoint. which for some issues, I know i’ll ignore, if I’m not 100% sure the person is on the up and up.

Likewise I have an inkling that a lot of the skeptical community may be.. giving less then adequate attention that people are irrational by nature and perhaps should work within those confines.. But I won’t know until I read more~ Although I do know, the whole “don’t be a dick” conversation factors into these concerns.

Are there any blogs of note written by people higher up in the psychology field? I know some of these issues relate to your field as well, and any thoughts too on where neuroscience and psychology interweave would be helpful.

Thanks
# perscorson 20 Apr 2011 at 7:50 pm

Hi Steve,

I am a long time listener and lover of your show, it’s always the first podcast I listen to each week. As an English major I’m very interested in the ways that literature and art might interact with science. Your show has highlighted a number of artists who help to disseminate scientific ideas to the general public but I don’t recall any interviews looking at how art itself could aid more directly in the progress of science. One recent book that I’ve encountered, Angus Fletcher’s “Evolving Hamlet” (2011) takes up this subject by extending William James argument that Pragmatism could provide an ethical dimension to evolution. I would love to see a treatment of this topic either on your show or on your blog.

Thank you again for a marvelous show and for your being a leader in the fight against pseudoscience everywhere,

Don
Detroit MI
# cocoleenoon 24 Apr 2011 at 9:39 pm

I had a fried post a link to this on facebook and thought you might want to address it in a blog post or on the podcast. Supposedly sunscreen is causing cancer not preventing it, yes great work from good ‘ol Dr Mercola:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/22/new-study-shows-many-sunscreens-are-accelerating-not-preventing-cancer.aspx

Notice that part way through the article he is trying to push the sunscreen that is sold on their website. It would be great to get your thoughts on this.

Colleen
# jsacc001on 25 Apr 2011 at 12:00 pm

Dr. Novella,
I am a biology major at Florida International University who loves your blog. I read this article today, Rewrite the Textbooks: Findings challenge conventional wisdom of how neurons operate

URL:
http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2011/02/neurons-signals-axons.html

Excerpt:
Neurons are complicated, but the basic functional concept is that synapses transmit electrical signals to the dendrites and cell body (input), and axons carry signals away (output). In one of many surprise findings, Northwestern University scientists have discovered that axons can operate in reverse: they can send signals to the cell body, too.

I would love it if you could critique this article, which I think is the most exciting paper I’ve ever read in neuroscience.

- James Sacco
# Ufoon 27 Apr 2011 at 5:11 am

How about a comment about this study in BMJ:

http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d2175.full

“The true cost of pharmacological disease prevention”

“Accepted 3 February 2011

Despite widespread use of preventive drugs such as statins, antihypertensives, and bisphosphonates, there is no valid evidence that they represent value for money, argue Teppo Järvinen and colleagues”

Ufo
# Ivanon 02 May 2011 at 10:27 am

Dr. Novella,

I’d like to hear your opinion on Stefan Molyneux’s videos titled
“The Bomb in the Brain: The Effects of Child Abuse”

http://www.youtube.com/user/stefbot#grid/user/B3F2CF45EEB95C80

Especially on Part 3

- Ivan
# palliseron 07 May 2011 at 9:42 am

Steve,

I was sent a link to this anti-vax study by a friend:

“Infant mortality rates regressed
against number of vaccine doses
routinely given: Is there a
biochemical or synergistic toxicity?”

http://het.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/05/04/0960327111407644

The authors are described as an “independent researcher” and “independent computer scientist” Right away that rings warning bells….

Anyway in my amateur opinion the paper is phony as correlation does not imply causation.

But I would appreciate some help from you or the other commenter looking at the statistical part and underlying data, as my stats skills are not the best. In other words does this correlation even exist

thank you,
Palliser
# winwinon 09 May 2011 at 10:56 am

Dr. Novella, it’s ironic that you claim to be of “science-based” medicine when you in fact sherk the principles of science, and by your own admittance, by tryting to create your own new scientific paradigm: “plausibility.”

“To make matters worse, Dr. Steven Novella, the self proclaimed defender of science based medicine, (and what is that exactly?) sat on a panel discussion to defend his miopic stance on the science and plausibility medicine…I think Dr. Novella’s expertise is best used in lab, removed from humans and the conditions they suffer from.”

Lol.
# tmac57on 09 May 2011 at 9:21 pm

From a story from NPR this morning:

“Study Suggests Autism Rate May Be Underestimated”

May 9, 2011

An exhaustive study of autism in one community has found that the disorder is far more common than suggested by earlier research.

The study of 55,000 children in Goyang, South Korea, found that 2.64 percent — one in every 38 children — had an autism spectrum disorder.

“That is two-and-a-half times what the estimated prevalence is in the United States,” says Roy Richard Grinker, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University and one of the study’s authors.The South Korean study probably produced such a high figure because it screened a lot of kids who seemed to be doing OK and included in-person evaluations of any child suspected of having autism, Grinker says.

“Two-thirds of the children with autism that we ended up identifying were in mainstream schools, unrecognized, untreated,” he says.

I would really like to know more about this.
# Ufoon 13 May 2011 at 3:13 am

Sam Harris writes about meditation, the first of several forthcoming articles is here:

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-meditate/

Interesting stuff, with links to studies showing benefits from mediation, would be nice to dig deeper into these. Would also be interesting to have Sam on SGU talking about the issues raised about his new book on morality and of course about meditation, how it differs from normal relaxation, and how we can get the most out of it without deluding ourselves, or can we.

Best,

Ufo
# Ufoon 13 May 2011 at 10:37 am

This is probably more relevant for SBM but I didn’t find a “Topic Suggestions” thread anywhere:

http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/05/11/ajcn.110.010843.abstract

“Conclusions: A low-fat diet was not significantly associated with adverse glycemic effects up to 6 y after random assignment in postmenopausal women. However, diabetic women experienced adverse glycemic effects of the low-fat diet. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00000611.

Received December 21, 2010.
Accepted April 15, 2011.”
# Mark Entelon 13 May 2011 at 4:53 pm

Dr. Novella,

I just read a blog post from a poltical/policy site discussing something called the “Free to Choose Medicine Initiative.” (available at: http://www.frumforum.com/fast-tracking-the-fda ). i think this could be especially interesting as there is not a great deal of cross-talk between the political reading I do and the scientific discussions that occur on this site

The article discussed the possibility of a second approval track through the FDA, that would basically be saying, “We think this is generally safe, but we haven’t gotten through enough testing & trials to be entirely certain, but doctors & patients may choose to accept a heightened risk and utilize the medication.”

Some other details (e.g., full disclosure by pharmaceutical companies in re: 2nd-track drugs, mandatory reporting into a central database, etc.) are offered, but I am wondering if you have heard of this proposal and what you make of it? The opinion piece, if not the proposal itself, seems reasonable and well intentioned, but I am interested in a take that more explicitly addresses the ethical considerations affecting the choice to use riskier medication.

I know that you advocate for using the best available evidence to make the best decision balancing risk and benefit. It appears that this, or a modified version, could fulfill that goal, but what is your take? This would seem to be an area where a scientific-minded physician can contribute as the emotional appeal to allowing for extraordinary and experimental measures can be great

Thank you for all of your work,
# Red Thwayteson 15 May 2011 at 10:28 pm

Heeeeeee’s back.

http://www.metro.us/newyork/national/article/860958–may-21-doomsday-is-the-end-near
# tmac57on 17 May 2011 at 8:11 pm

Annie Jacobsen a contributing editor at LA Times Magazine has written a book ‘Area 51′ about …well area 51.She was interviewed today on Fresh Air by Terry Gross.Much of the early part of the interview was about various military secrets surrounding the base,but the part that caught my ear was when she went off the rails about a conspiracy theory concerning the Roswell incident.Ex:

“The Horten brothers were involved in the flying disc crash in New Mexico. And that is from a single source. … There was an unusual moment where that source became very upset and told me things that were stunning that’s almost impossible to believe at first read. And that is that a flying disc really did crash in New Mexico and it was transported to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and then in 1951 it was transferred to Area 51, which is why the base is called Area 51. And the stunning part of the reveal is that my source, who I absolutely believe and worked with for 18 months on this, was one of the engineers who received the equipment and he also received the people who were in the craft.

“The people were, according to the source, were child-sized pilots, and there’s a lot of debate about how old they were. He believes they were 13, although other people believe they may have been older. But this is a firsthand witness to this, and I made a decision to write about this in the very end of the book, after I take the traditional journalist form of telling you everything in the third person, I switch and I kind of lean into the reader and I say, ‘Look, this is not why Area 51 is classified to the point where no one in the government will admit it exists. The reason is because what one man told me.’ And then using the first person, I tell you what I was told. And there’s no doubt that people are going to be upset, alarmed and skeptical of this information, but I absolutely believe the veracity of my source, and I believe it was important that I put this information out there because it is the tip of a very big iceberg.”

To Terry Gross’s credit,when the interview entered this crazy territory,she maintained a rather skeptical tone,however,she was really not prepared to counter the allegations as effectively as she might have.
Here is the link to the story:
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/17/136356848/area-51-uncensored-was-it-ufos-or-the-ussr
# tmac57on 18 May 2011 at 9:34 am

Annie Jacobsen appeared again last night on The Daily Show.This is bound to stir up some serious nonsense.Stay tuned!
# K_Grahamon 19 May 2011 at 2:20 am

Hi Steve,
This topic isn’t quite neurology but I think it is quite interesting (and is in my area of expertise, pharmacology).

Have you thought about doing a piece on the pseudoephedrine/phenylephrine debate? With the methamphetamine problem in many Western countries, it is quite a topical discussion and with governments looking for an alternative there is a big push for phenylephrine as a replacement. Personally, I suffer from hayfever and pseudoephedrine is one of the few treatments that provide me with relief. Unfortunately, it is getting harder to find pharmacies that stock pseudoephedrine-containing products and I find that OTC oral phenylephrine is ineffective. Having had a look at some of the literature myself, there is certainly an interesting debate going on that is a small microcosm of the scientific process and the external factors that influence it.

Either way, keep up the good work!
# Ufoon 24 May 2011 at 4:41 am

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1388888/GM-food-toxins-blood-93-unborn-babies.html

“The director of GM Freeze, an umbrella group for community, consumer and environmental organisations opposed to GM farming, described the research as ‘very significant’.
Pete Riley said: ‘This research is a major surprise as it shows that the Bt proteins have survived the human digestive system and passed into the blood supply – something that regulators said could not happen.

‘Regulators need to urgently reassess their opinions, and the EU should use the safeguard clauses in the regulations to prevent any further GM Bt crops being cultivated or imported for animal feed or food until the potential health implications have been fully evaluated.’

The Agriculture Biotechnology Council, which speaks for the GM industry, questioned the reliability and value of the research.
Its chairman, Dr Julian Little, said: ‘The study is based on analysis that has been used in previous feeding studies and has been found to be unreliable.’

He said the toxins found are also used in other farming systems and gardening ‘with no harm to human health’.
Dr Little said: ‘Biotech crops are rigorously tested for safety prior to their use and over two trillion meals made with GM ingredients have been safely consumed around the world over the past 15 years without a single substantiated health issue.’”

Smells BS to me.
# Ufoon 24 May 2011 at 4:45 am

Ooops, pressed submit too early, I meant to write:

Smells BS, and at least, very misleading to me.
# tmac57on 26 May 2011 at 10:21 am

Last night my local PBS station in Dallas aired a program titled:
‘Under Our Skin: A Health Care Nightmare’
It was a very biased and manipulative documentary on Chronic Lyme Disease and how “Big Pharma” and the insurance companies and mainstream medicine are preventing CLD sufferers from getting treatment (long term antibiotics).
I know that you have written about the CLD controversy previously and wondered if you had seen this piece of propaganda,and what you made of it.I was very disappointed that my PBS station aired this,and wish that they could balance it out with better science based information.
# tmac57on 26 May 2011 at 10:24 am

I forgot to include this link to the ‘Under Our Skin’ Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/UNDEROURSKIN?sk=info
# Watcheron 26 May 2011 at 3:45 pm

I’ve seen alot about blind people that are able to “echolocate.” There’s a case study (I refuse to call it anything else) that uses fMRI to look at two people who click and listen for echoes.

Here’s the paper:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0020162

And here’s a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jshz7E9nlh0&feature=player_embedded

I keep thinking about a couple years back when a blind man was shown not to consciously see things, but he could still move around fairly well because he subconsciously saw them. The connections were still firing in his visual cortex, he just wasn’t aware of it.

Do you have any thoughts?
# kvsherryon 29 May 2011 at 3:40 pm

Dr. Novella-

An article has been circulating about the mathematical proof of the existence of God (http://blog.io9.com/5805775/proof-of-the-existence-of-god-set-down-on-paper). This is also being discussed over on the JREF site.

I understand that Gödel was just using it as an intellectual exercise, but apparently, many theists use this to support the argument of a diety.

I see many issues with proof and a few premises that require fideism to be true. It also appears to not allow for the agnostic point of view, instead relying either the theist or atheist with no in between.

I would love to read your insight into the issue.
\
# Ufoon 30 May 2011 at 4:00 am

The company that promotes earlights to combat serious depression (and has already sold them in numerous different pharmacies and stores for months) has released new information about the science behind it all:

http://www.arcticstartup.com/2011/05/30/valkee-releases-scientific-evidence-to-show-proof

Should be interesting!
# Ufoon 30 May 2011 at 4:08 am

Here’s the link to Valkee’s updated homepage:

http://www.valkee.com/uk/science.html#navigation
# DeltaZon 31 May 2011 at 7:23 pm

More Cell Phone and Cancer (NeuroGliomas?) causation nonsense proclaimed…. needing debunking???.. Now hits Medscape today

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/743673?sssdmh=dm1.691943&src=nl_newsalert

ahubbard, m.d.
ahub@aol.com
# mnkidon 07 Jun 2011 at 2:21 pm

Would you please speak about the surgical treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy? Namely I’m inquiring about the decompression of leg and foot nerves (i.e. tarsal tunnel syndrome) a.k.a. the Dellon procedure.
What is the real science behind DM neuropathy, the production of sorbitol absorbtion of nerves, compressive neuropathy in the diabetic.
This procedure has been presented to me as a treatment with an up to 80% positive results. It’s the same result quoted over and over but I cannot find the result replicated in the literature.
Thank you.
# Nuttycomputeron 08 Jun 2011 at 4:40 am

Steve, looks like Watson has been put towards a medical purpose as suggested and is doing very well:

http://singularityhub.com/2011/06/06/just-months-after-jeopardy-watson-wows-doctors-with-medical-knowledge/
# Eon 08 Jun 2011 at 10:15 am

I’m writing about the chat room section of your “Skeptics’ guide to the universe” podcast website. And I am doing so here to steer clear from any further dealings there.

Are you aware of the goings on taking place in that chat room? I made several attempts to join in and was met with what amounted to a lot of demeaning language (including silly words describing female body parts), uncalled for retorts, and basic juvenile nastiness. Some of which not only seemed out of context but also made no sense. My motive for going there in the first place was to get ideas for a skeptics’ group that is taking shape in my area. I somehow thought I was joining a place to maybe hear about similar experiences. But no, it was just a small group of mostly unruly people using that chat room for unrelated socializing – something to which they admitted. My short stay culminated in one person posting my family’s IP address so everyone present could see where I was located, and then immediately banning me from the group. Wow, that’s not only childish but also pretty low, isn’t it?

Since all this reflects on you I thought you might like to know about it. As for a suggestion: I suggest you eliminate the chat room section from the above mentioned website.

Thank you.
# mhunt3on 17 Jun 2011 at 2:47 pm

Dr. Novella,

First of all I would like to say thanks for all of the information that you have provided in your various blogs and on the SGU. I would be interested in your thoughts on physicians that follow the path DO rather than MD. I started going to a new doctor about a year and a half ago and he is a DO. I have done some of my own research, and after talking with him about some of my concerns I feel fairly comfortable with his knowledge and the care he provides. He has mentioned acupunture to me once, which made alarms go off in my already skeptical head. I would really be interested in your thoughts on the topic (DO, not acupunture. I agree with your ideas on acupuncture). Thanks again for your many contributions to society.
# chriskon 27 Jun 2011 at 6:45 am

Hi Steve,
Fan of SGU, and enjoyed meeting you at Tam Oz last year (is it last year already?)
Just watched a documentary on Stilnox – which apparently is able to give stroke victims some lucid time for an hour or so after taking it, but then patients return to their previous state.
It’s being pushed by two South African and Uk doctors who have shares in its marketing. Normally I would be skeptical, but the doco was persuasive.
This seems to be in your area of specialty – any thoughts?
# Ufoon 01 Jul 2011 at 7:47 am

This study is causing a lot of talk lately:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/29/studies-why-diet-sodas-are-no-boon-to-dieters/

“Professor Helen Hazuda, of the University of Texas’s health science centre, said diet sodas and artificial sweeteners may foster a sweet tooth, distort appetite and even damage key brain cells. As a result, treating them as healthy alternatives may be ‘ill advised’
The professor, who no longer drinks diet colas and lemonades, said: ‘They may be free of calories but not of consequences.’”

Ufo
# EmilKarlssonon 08 Jul 2011 at 9:23 am

Dr. Novella, can you critically comment on Jerry Coynes anti-psych entry: http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/is-medical-psychatry-a-scam/?

There is not that much resources for combating anti-psych online (only two posts on SMB, that is about it) and it might be very useful.
# Norwegian Shooteron 10 Jul 2011 at 12:39 am

While this article is great, I haven’t seen anything in depth on the study. Can you tackle it?

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-autism-20110705,0,2826969.story
# MWSlettenon 10 Jul 2011 at 9:37 am

Steve,

I shared some of your thoughts regarding anti-depressant medications with a friend who has been taking them long-term for diagnosed depression. She has often shared with me her frustration at having to take a medication that comes with such a social stigma.

After reading your blog posts she followed up by reading some of the actual studies for herself. Based on your comments and what she found during her research she decided to stop taking the anti-depressant.

This morning I read this in the NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/opinion/sunday/10antidepressants.html?pagewanted=1&src=recg

The author makes what appear to be very valid points about the problems with the studies involving anti-depressants, the difficulty the industry is having in dealing with the placebo effect (including some of the things that have been tried to mitigate/eliminate its impact on validity) and perhaps a bit of sensationalism on the part of the mainstream media seeking to pile on a hated industry (big pharma).

I wonder if you would care to comment?
# siodineon 12 Jul 2011 at 6:22 am

Thinking Away the Pain
Meditation as cheap, self-administered morphine

Author: Jonah Lehrer

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304760604576428151831584880.html

The journal article, from the Journal of Neuroscience, used by Lehrer to support his article: http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/14/5540.abstract

Is there any truth to the claim that meditation can be as effective in managing chronic pain as morphine?
# etatroon 13 Jul 2011 at 2:06 pm

Any thoughts on the “rapamycin bubble?”

There were some studies in mice showing rapamycin increased longevity in rodents; supposedly mimmicking at the biochem level the effects of calorie restriction (that leads to increased longevity): supposedly relating to cellular efficiency and energy use.

I see that you’ve posted on mTOR before, in the context of AD.

I was at a meeting yesterday of scientists in psychiatry (focusing on successful aging) and rapamycin got raving reviews as a silver bullet. However, I am skeptical and I see a “bubble” forming as researchers hop onto this bandwagon. I could conceivable propose to do research myself with rapamycin and healthy aging …. various cognitive & behavioral tasks in mice whose lifespans maybe were extended by rapamycin followed by neuropath assessments, but it seems like we’ve gone down this road before and it’s just a shiny object to distract us from making newer discoveries.

Rapamycin has been around for decades and decades. I have read studies showing its effects as “neuroprotective” in specific situations. It is mainly used as an immune suppressant to prevent rejection in organ transplants. But: cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, longevity, etc?
# Geoffrey Charleson 13 Jul 2011 at 2:20 pm

Dr. Novella,

I love your work, especially the podcast. Thanks so much for it.

Due to your interest in Bayes’ Theorem, I was wondering if you’d care to respond to the McGrew’s Bayesian argument for the Resurrection of Jesus.

Their paper, which appears in the Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology, can be found at the following link:

http://commonsenseatheism.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Mcgrew-McGrew-The-Argument-from-Miracles.pdf

Thanks again, and Regards,
Geoff
# locutusbrgon 20 Jul 2011 at 10:52 am

Another incident of unbelievably bad reporting.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/loch-ness-monster-alasaka-204906638.html
# mountaingoaton 21 Jul 2011 at 3:35 pm

@ EmilKarlsson:

Dr. Novella has written quite a bit on psychiatry. See the following Science-Based Medicine entry by Harriet Hall:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/psychiatry-bashing/

In the comments, Dr. Novella links to his five-part entry on mental illness denial in NeuroLogica.
# Ufoon 21 Jul 2011 at 4:46 pm

This just in:

“European Medicines Agency recommends restricting use of Pandemrix”

http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2011/07/news_detail_001312.jsp&murl=menus/news_and_events/news_and_events.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1

“In persons under 20 years of age Pandemrix to be used only in the absence of seasonal trivalent influenza vaccines, following link to very rare cases of narcolepsy in young people. Overall benefit-risk remains positive.”

UFO
# tmac57on 22 Jul 2011 at 9:38 am

Steve,this story from NPR Morning Edition: ‘Poor Peer Review Cited In Retracted DNA Study’
illustrates nicely what you have been trying to drive home about the self correcting nature of science.

Link: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/22/138585089/poor-peer-review-cited-in-retracted-dna-study
# Papageno89on 22 Jul 2011 at 11:40 am

Dr. Novella:

Andrew Nusca, an on-line columnist for CBS’ SmartPlanet site (which I find reasonably well-done), reported (“Language software promises to help children with autism” http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/language-software-promises-to-help-children-with-autism/17831) on some software Fast ForWord ® from the firm Scientific Learning that supposedly helps those with autism. He was obviously prompted to do so by a press release; I would like to think his intentions — and perhaps I will be so generous as to say the company’s as well — are good. However, the evidence that this software is helpful would seem to be weak: only one study supporting the program’s effectiveness for autism was cited in the company’s press release (Press release http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Scientific-Learnings-New-bw-592083083.html?x=0 ; Study “Improved Language Skills by Students with Developmental Delays
who used Fast ForWord® Products” http://www.scilearn.com/alldocs/rsrch/sbr/30294pddedurpt.pdf ).

I was prompted to look more deeply when the results graphic included in Mr. Nusca’s posting showed a sample size of just 29 participants, and found a review of the software in its use for the general student (as opposed to those with autism) at the U.S. Department of Education – Institute of Education Sciences (see http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/adolescent_literacy/fastfw/index.asp ). They categorized only a small sub-set of the entire published evidence (2 articles outright, 8 more with reservations; see references listing at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/adolescent_literacy/fastfw/references.asp ), and excluded the article cited to support the effectiveness of the software for autism “The study is ineligible for review because it does not use a comparison group.” The Dept of Ed – IES concluded “Fast ForWord was found to have no discernible effects on the alphabetics and general literacy achievement domains, and potentially positive effects on the reading fluency and comprehension domains for adolescent learners.”
# chaos4zapon 29 Jul 2011 at 9:55 am

Steven, one of the right wingers at the office sent this link (along with a commentary about how Al Gore invented global warming and it’s nothing more than a myth). I notice that it doesn’t say anywhere in the article that global warming is a myth, just that the alarmist are….well, alarmist. My impression is that this has always been the case and that it has been the generally accepted consensus that the alarmist were blowing things out of proportion. I’m curious rather this NASA data is all that new and changing the informed conclusions of the consesnus at all about how serious of a threat global warming really is. If you have time, maybe you can cover this.

http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-data-blow-gaping-hold-global-warming-alarmism-192334971.html
# chaos4zapon 29 Jul 2011 at 12:22 pm

Regarding my previous request, Steve, you have your hands in so much that I didn’t even notice that I posted the request to talk about global warming in an inappropriate place. Not really something to be covered on Neurologica, more SGU material. Additionally, I have already looked into this guy, Dr. Ray Spencer and found that he has a long history of questionable science and conclusions that are based far more on political ideology than science.
# titmouseon 30 Jul 2011 at 12:05 pm

Maybe a topic at some point: chiropractors calling themselves “neurologists.” Seems to be a growing trend.

Here’s one on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-David-Clark-Functional-Neurologist/92451382182
# Ufoon 07 Aug 2011 at 4:14 am

Would be very interesting to hear your thoughts about Bruce Greyson and his views about the brain, mind and NDE’s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_qBIw7qyHU&NR=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Greyson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreducible_Mind

Ufo
# Strykeon 10 Aug 2011 at 9:09 am

Dear Steve,

there is some heated online discussion about a recent viral video showing a toddler getting “scared” by a toy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dS5VPsV_uk

With many comments denouncing the parents as being unresponsible and damaging the child’s development.

Personally, I think it’s ridiculous as young children are exposed to countless stimuli, some of them scary (toaster, pets, phone) and the occasional being-shocked-and-crying is a normal part of growing up.

I would like to hear your spin on this.

Regards,
Stryke
# Ufoon 11 Aug 2011 at 3:11 pm

http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/08/10/ajcn.111.018978.abstract

“Conclusion: Our results suggest that red meat consumption, particularly processed red meat, is associated with an increased risk of T2D.”
# Ksjetdon 13 Aug 2011 at 2:13 pm

Some people argue science is becoming the new religion. With topics as cryogenics and the immortality promise I think it would be interesting for the audience in this blog to know which are the facts, what can we really expect from science and from an skeptical point of view.

I think that would help wrt skepticism, science, and neurology to clarify how much science is really in it and how much fiction, how much is sales patter and hopes with no base to be sustained. I think skepticism and good knowledge about science is specially important with those topics and facts that are claimed to be more scientific than they really are, those are the hardest to identify as trustworthy (as trustworthy as science can get) or not.

It would be also interesting to know which are the chances of resucitation, of information loss (in different scenarios, I think the normal scenario is to wait too much to undergo the procedure). But maybe that’s too much.

In any case, thank you very much for your attention.
# Glennon 15 Aug 2011 at 11:08 pm

Dear Steve,

I stumbled upon this today:

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/New_drug_may_treat_virtually_all_viral_infections

and it set off my skeptic alarm immediately. I would love to hear your opinion on this particular discovery. It feels very much like one of those situations where scientists come out with experimental results and then non-scientific people extrapolate the outcomes and make extraordinarily bold and underinformed statements about the discovery.

Just thought you’d like to see it.

Glenn
# SteveAon 21 Aug 2011 at 12:39 pm

Chronic fatigue syndrome researchers face death threats from militants

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/21/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-myalgic-encephalomyelitis
# rezistnzisfutlon 22 Aug 2011 at 1:21 am

Here’s a possible topic on ALS that was a study recently published in Nature, about the root cause of ALS; perhaps down your alley:

http://news.yahoo.com/researchers-theyve-found-common-cause-types-als-180606872.html
# Jordanon 23 Aug 2011 at 4:26 pm

Hi Steve,

A friend of mine recently purchased and installed about 50 of these “Stetzerizer Filters” (http://www.stetzerelectric.com/filter/) in her home. From what I understand, the point of these is to cleanse a household of “Dirty Electricity” – a term which I have never heard of before now. Apparantely this dirty electricity can have negative long-term health consequences, and even effect sleep. The front page of the product website seems to be a bunch of technobabble, however that could just be my lack of understanding. Right now I’m leaning towards scam – what do you think?

Thanks
-Jordan
# PharmD28on 01 Sep 2011 at 11:45 am

If this has basically been coverend Steve, then I am sorry. I have read quite a bit of your archives so far, but not came across something that addresses this directly anyway.

My question/issue is regarding debating someone about an intervention that has not been proven effective yet they clearly tell you that it is effective for them.

Take acupuncture. I was talking to a nurse practitioner colleague just today about acupuncture as one of the MD’s at my facility does it and has done it for her. She basically conceded that there is not strong evidence that it works, but she has had it done for her headache 5 times with “very good” results”. She said one of the five times it made her nautious, but this was “expected” for the first treatment and subsequently it eliminated her headache. She told me it did nothing for her back pain or for her TMJ. I have no explanation for as to why this intervention worked in this case for “headache”, but I find myself in that instance without good rebuttle for such, except to thinking to myself that yeah, placebo works too for subjective outcomes.

Similarly my colleague who is a psychologist and really a fellow skeptic reported taking glucosamine chondroitin for his chronic back pain. We discussed the data for a bit and he acknowledged the lack of data and that he too is skeptical that it would work for most any person, but at the same time he says that when he goes off of it for a few days, he has significantly worse stiffness and pain. I told him that based on the “mechanism of action” of this supplement that this timeline makes little since to me and suggests strongly a placebo effect, and that if the effect was not placebo effect, then such a robust response would surely be found within the literature to date, which it is not. But in the end, he was like, “well I do not care really, it works for me”….and It was hard to argue with that…

I just do not know how to respond to such people at times. I find myself going back to the evidence and reporting that this is just an anectdote, that this is likely a placebo effect…but am I missing something in my thinking?
# titmouseon 03 Sep 2011 at 12:26 am

Here’s a school offering a fellowship in neurology for chiropractors: the Carrick Institute.

“Next weekend (January 21-23) Dr. Brock will be giving a three day lecture and hands on workshop dedicated to needle EMG in Orlando. This is a great review of peripheral nerve and primary muscle disease. Evaluating all electromyographic waveforms will also be conducted.”

Chiros are doing EMGs now?
# sh58on 05 Sep 2011 at 3:37 pm

i would like to know how a keen wannabe skeptic can do internet detective work online. a post explaining how people can do research on their own would be fantastic.

for example, a friend of mine said he would abstain from masturbation for one month to increase his testosterone. he thought it would be him more attractive to the opposite sex, and also make his attempts to seduce the opposite sex more succesful because of the increased motivation. also he mentioned a couple of other benefits to do with general fitness.

doing a brief look on google brought in some studies, but i found it hard to reach any sort of meaningful conclusion.

so something like an internet skepticism 101 would be greatly appreciated
# SteveAon 11 Sep 2011 at 8:02 am

http://www.economist.com/node/157471

http://www.amazon.com/Honey-Maggots-Other-Medical-Marvels/dp/0395924928

Thought this might be of interest. A book on old ‘cures’ such as blood letting and how they might have worked in some cases.
# K_Grahamon 12 Sep 2011 at 6:20 am

Hi Dr Novella,
Unfortunately, due to the decreasing rate of vaccinations, my home city is seeing the outbreak of various preventable diseases, the latest being whooping cough.
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/free-vaccinations-after-whooping-cough-outbreak-in-perth-20110118-19uly.html

I don’t think there can ever be enough public awareness on this issue, and I’d like to see some publicity on this outside of the local media.
# kvsherryon 13 Sep 2011 at 1:08 am

Hello Dr. Novella-

There’s an article in today’s LA Times about IBM’s Watson being used to assist in diagnosis. My fear is if the algorithms are in error and steer the clinician down the wrong path. Far too often I notice an over-reliance on technology in medicine instead of just using it as another tool in our arsenal.

Your thoughts on the use, benefits and potential pitfalls of this tool would be very interesting.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/09/ibm-watson-wellpoint.html
# SARAon 14 Sep 2011 at 3:31 pm

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
Apparently its a syndrome where people suffer from wifi, cellphone and even TV waves. The WHO says its a non-thing.
BBC did an article about a town built in a wifi free zone because of their radio telescope. The folks with EHS are flocking to it. I’m at a loss as to why the telescope isn’t bothering these folks. But I admit my science isn’t strong.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14887428
# PharmD28on 17 Sep 2011 at 8:18 pm

I am really learning about evolution at age 28 in detail for the first time in my life…its very eye opening…I mean I knew the basic premise, but not in detail that made it concrete in my mind…

Anyway..I heard about this issue of vestigial DNA listening to dawkins on youtube….I googled it and the entire first page and all was creationists’ websites refuting evolution including any attempt to point to “junk DNA” as not proving evolution in any way shape or form…

Anyway…I find this disturbing that an issue related to science fundamentally cannot be searched on google and quickly read about and understood…..

Not sure what you would do with this….but it cannot be good for spreading accurate information about science…and it may incrementally be a reason that people on the fence would fall on the wrong side….
# Ufoon 21 Sep 2011 at 1:57 pm

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/p-nu/201103/cardio-may-cause-heart-disease-part-i
# horadric cubeon 22 Sep 2011 at 3:21 pm

Steve,

I am a regular listener to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. The show is great and Joe is a very smart guy. While mostly being skeptical he is a big fan of Graham Hancocks theories regarding ancient advanced civilisations and also holds some not entirely skeptical ideas about psychedelic drugs.

Those subjects, however, aren’t what I would like to ask you about. I would like to ask you about nootropic drugs.

Lately on the podcast Joe has been pushing a nootropic drug called Alpha Brain. He has a small stake in the company, and the company is run by a friend of his. I think Joe is a decent guy and I don’t think he is trying to con people out of their money ($34.95 for 30 pills), but I also feel like this doesn’t seem entirely legit.

So I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on both Alpha Brain and nootropics in general.

The Alpha Brain website: http://www.onnit.com/alphabrain/

Clip from the podcast in which Joe and the creator of Alpha Brain talk about the product: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDcps7PUIPA

Thanks for your time, sir.
# curlysharonon 04 Oct 2011 at 9:57 pm

Hi Dr. Novella,

I want to preface this by saying that I’m a huge fan of yours and I appreciate all your efforts to promote science and skepticism.

I specifically wanted to ask you what your thoughts were on the recent Slate article “Does Evil Exist? Neuroscientists Say No.” http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_spectator/2011/09/does_evil_exist_neuroscientists_say_no_.html

Thanks.
# martybrentwoodon 07 Oct 2011 at 3:37 pm

In his weekly newsletter, Dr Stephen Barrett wrote that Steve Jobs had been a victim of quackery. Haven’t seen that mentioned anywhere else yet.

I thought you or one of your colleagues might want to elaborate on the story. See http://www.ncahf.org/digest11/11-33.html and I’ll quote the paragraph here:

“Steve Jobs was a quackery victim. Steve Jobs, the ultrasuccessful Apple Computer CEO who died this week of pancreatic cancer, delayed recommended surgery for nine months while treating himself with a diet. Although Jobs stated publicly that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004, a Fortune Magazine reporter learned that Jobs was actually diagnosed in 2003 with a rare form of pancreatic cancer that has a high cure rate if treated early. But instead of undergoing the operation, he relied on worthless dietary treatment. [Elkind P. The trouble with Steve Jobs. Fortune Magazine, March 8, 2008 (http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/02/news/companies/elkind_jobs.fortune/index.htm)] It may be impossible to determine whether the delay decreased his survival time and quality of life. But it is clear that whatever time and energy he used in pursuing ‘alternative’ methods could have been spent doing something more useful.”
# rezistnzisfutlon 09 Oct 2011 at 9:02 pm

Hi Dr. Novella,

I’ve been hearing a lot about this guy, Chris Kresser, who is an acupuncture “therapist” who regularly blogs and consults on all manner of topics from diet to mental health. Recently, I ran across an article he wrote on how western medicine (which he bashes on regularly) is wrong about chemical imbalances in the brain causing various personality disorders and mental illnesses, that pretty much was the last straw for me:

http://bipolarblast.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/chemical-imbalance-myth/

I was wondering if you had any comment on this and his philosophy of anti-SBM as a whole. Or perhaps, if you have the time and desire, you could further address the seeming rise of anti-SBM alt-med that appears to be sweeping across the country (if you don’t think that subject has been beat to death by now).

It’s just disheartening to see so many people falling for these so-called experts who have little in the way of actual education and training, yet don lab coats and talk in tech-speak as if they are hip-deep in scientific studies.
# Ufoon 13 Oct 2011 at 7:45 am

Yep, I agree with rez, I too have seen a lot of references to Chris Kresser in Facebook and other social media hubs. He used to go by the name of “Healthy Skeptic”, but I guess this is his main website now:

http://chriskresser.com/clinic/about
# Ufoon 13 Oct 2011 at 7:58 am

Ayurveda and migraines:

http://www.ayurvednews.com/archives/1202

“Cure migraine the natural way”

“Pranayama is another solution that will give permanent results when followed with punctuality. Shitali pranayama is also known as the cooling breathing exercise. This involves rolling your tongue like a tube and breathing in air through your mouth. You will feel your saliva and your tongue cooling while you inhale. Exhaling is done from the nose. Following this breathing technique regularly not only keeps you healthy but will be a sure solution to bring your headaches down and also keep your body cool and the pitta in check.”
# Ufoon 19 Oct 2011 at 7:13 pm

http://chriskresser.com/low-cholesterol-is-associated-with-higher-risk-of-death-in-women

“Is the use of cholesterol in mortality risk algorithms in clinical guidelines valid? Ten years prospective data from the Norwegian HUNT 2 study.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21951982
# PharmD28on 21 Oct 2011 at 1:09 pm

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/technology/book-offers-new-details-of-jobs-cancer-fight.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&smid=fb-nytimes&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1319216578-iJGHZDZDfOELf+SWfTECCw

We may need an update on your complicated legacy of steve jobs piece done earlier…..??
# mhunt3on 02 Nov 2011 at 1:45 pm

My company recently made some changes to their health insurance, prompting me to look closely at the coverage options. We are able to put pre-tax dollars into a medical savings account. I was looking at the types of “medical treatments” those dollars could be used to pay for and was apalled to see Christian Science Practioners on the list. I quickly went to Neurologica and found the following post from November 2009.

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/paying-for-prayer-in-health-care/

I would love to see a follow up on this and what has happened in the past 2 years. It looks like this list (link below) comes from the IRS, and I would be interested in finding out what we could do to have Christian Science Practioners removed from the list.

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/index.html

Thanks for the great work.
# Scepticonon 03 Nov 2011 at 8:42 pm

Hi,
Thought you might want to know about the anti-science brigade at VaccineInjury.info who are running a survey geared at showing vaccinated children are less healthy than unvaccinated children. Perhaps it would be possible to inject some reality into the survey as it seems to be publicised only on anti-vax sites.

http://www.vaccineinjury.info/vaccinations-in-general/health-unvaccinated-children/health-vaccinated-children-survey.html

They have previous done a survey trying to show that unvaccinated children are more healthy that the general population.

http://www.vaccineinjury.info/vaccinations-in-general/health-unvaccinated-children/survey-results.html
# Cow_Cookieon 08 Nov 2011 at 8:32 am

Interesting story:

KSTP hit with $1 million defamation verdict
A holistic healer said she was defamed by a 2009 news story.

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/133411953.html

Based on the article, it seems like the TV station handed the naturopath community an easy victory.

“The gist of KSTP’s story was that Susan Anderson, then known as Susan Wahl, a Hudson doctor of naturopathy, had “de-prescribed” anti-anxiety medication to Cheryl Blaha. Cheryl Blaha then claimed to KSTP in interviews that she had tried to commit suicide as a result of being weaned from the medicine by Anderson. … In her suit, Anderson claimed medical records indicated that Blaha’s own medical doctor had reduced the medication and that there was no proof of the alleged suicide attempt, said Patrick Tierney, Anderson’s lawyer.”
# Ufoon 09 Nov 2011 at 4:58 am

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8877185/A-bright-word-in-the-ear-for-those-with-winter-blues.html

“However, now scientists have come up with a new way of tackling seasonal affective disorder (SAD), that they say cures it in just eight minutes a day.
The technique involves beaming light directly into the brain through the ears.
It is based on the discovery that the brain itself is just as sensitive to daylight as the eyes, with ‘photoreceptive’ parts using it to help set our biological clocks.
At least 18 brain regions contain light-sensitive opsin proteins, which are also found in eyes, discovered scientists at Oulu University in Finland, a country with high rates of SAD.”

Their collection of evidence:

http://www.valkee.com/uk/science.html#navigation

Would be nice if you looked at this more carefully, the device has been on the market for over a year now and it costs 185 euros.

Best,

Ufo from Finland
# Ufoon 09 Nov 2011 at 9:21 am

Especially these studies from the evidence page:

“Transcranial Bright Light Treatment via Ear Canals in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – a Randomized Controlled Trial”

http://www.valkee.com/uk/Transcranial_Bright_Light_Treatment-IFMAD.pdf

+

“Group-ICA Model Order Highlights Patterns of Functional Brain Connectivity”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3109774/

+

“Stimulating brain tissue with bright light – resting state fMRI analysis”

http://www.valkee.com/uk/Valkee_Poster_Presentation-Human_Brain_Photosensitiveness_May2011.pdf
# Craigon 12 Nov 2011 at 5:38 am

New study published on ASD and brain cell quantity. (I don’t have access here from home to JAMA)

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/08/new-study-suggests-autism-starts-in-the-womb/?hpt=hp_bn10
# PharmD28on 14 Nov 2011 at 11:39 am

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=311216412237332

Ok, so I have seen this flying around facebook on my local “occupy birmingham” facebook site….it seems highly apparent that this is conspiracy thinking non-sense, but I cannot seem to find a good skeptical blog post regarding this fantasy….I know in listening to your show, that wireless power is far from a reality at this point, but hearing them speak it is stowed away in some JP morgan or government drawer along with the cure for diabetes, HIV, and the plans for the car that runs on water.

Any help would be appreciated,
Ellery
# Ufoon 15 Nov 2011 at 5:16 am

Valkee Ear LED’s now in Huffington Post as well:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/11/09/light-therapy-earphones-help-sad-seasonal-affective-disorder_n_1083586.html

“Out of the 89 volunteers, 74 to 75% responded positively to the ear treatment and found that their SAD symptoms had improved. A further 62% who had the lower intensity light therapy said their seasonal depression had improved, as well as general anxiety levels.

“We have always been aware from previous research that the human brain is sensitive to light,” says Juuso Nissila, Valkee’s co-founder and chief scientist. “Our latest clinical trial, via the ear canal into the brain’s photosensitive areas is far quicker and more effective way of preventing and treating symptoms of SAD.”

Valkee and the University of Oulu have been studying brain photosensitivity and its therapeutic ability to help cure depression and sleep disorders, since 2007. Prior to the recent findings, Valkee discovered that the human brain responds to light via the ear canal and that the human brain, not just the visual system, is sensitive to light.

“These two trials show that bright light channeled into the brain via ear canal is an important future method to treat seasonal affective disorder,” says professor Timo Takala, MD, PhD, and chief physician at the University of Oulu.”
# Geoffon 18 Nov 2011 at 3:15 pm

Hi Steven

Recently my friends and I have been discussing the mind, in so far as, is it physical or electrical. It has been an interesting discussion but as an acclaimed neurologist your input would be invaluable.

The thread is here http://yayhooray.net/thread/2171/if-you-were-simultaneously-duplicated-and-destroyed/p/0

Fair warning, there may be undercover creationists at play there.

If you wish to comment let me know and I’ll organise an account.

I think this would be a great topic for the blog or SGU also.

Thanks

Geoff
# CWon 21 Nov 2011 at 9:49 pm

I thought you might find this article interesting since it involves interpreting FDA’s action on a somewhat popular drug.

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2011/11/21/avastin_coverage_amended.php
# SARAon 25 Nov 2011 at 1:47 pm

Dr. Novella,
I’ve recently seen some articles about health affects of BPA. It seems to be the new media scare for health. I’m wondering if there is any real risk or hyperbole over misunderstood studies. I don’t think you’ve done a post on this before.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/22/142672252/eating-canned-soup-makes-bpa-levels-soar?ps=cprs

http://www.webmd.com/erectile-dysfunction/news/20091111/study-high-bpa-linked-to-sex-issues-in-men

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/332291/title/Metal_water_bottles_may_leach_BPA

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/07/26/aol-exclusive-receipts-could-be-harmful-to-your-health/
# Ryanon 27 Nov 2011 at 9:27 am

Hi Dr Novella,

Arguably the greatest hockey player in the world, Sidney Crosby, missed 10 months of play due to a concussion suffered last January. A major story coming out of his return last week was how treatment he received from a neurological chiropractor was pivotal in his recovery. I know hockey is not as popular in the US so I’m not sure how aware of this situation or treatment you might be. I would love to hear your opinion on the matter. Here is a link to a story that aired last night in Canada featuring the methods used by this practitioner.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockeynightincanada/insidehockey/video/#id=2171100044

Ryan
# Nevaron 29 Nov 2011 at 2:29 am

What if academics were as dumb as quacks with statistics?

“They’ve identified one direct, stark statistical error that is so widespread it appears in about half of all the published papers surveyed from the academic neuroscience research literature.”

http://www.badscience.net/2011/10/what-if-academics-were-as-dumb-as-quacks-with-statistics/

Something fishy about that.
# rezistnzisfutlon 30 Nov 2011 at 4:01 pm

It seems that fact-checking and responsible reporting are becoming less and less common these days. Check out this article that is rehashing the already debunked issue of arsenic in apple juices:

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/arsenic-in-juice?page=2

It bandies about one unsubstantiated claim after another. Now Consumer Reports has gotten involved. I was wondering if you had any new thoughts on this…

It’s little wonder that people are so misinformed these days. The media outlets are equally misinformed and do little due diligence, a skill that was once the mainstay of most journalists. I guess it’s more important to them to receive those advertising dollars than to actually be accurate in their reporting.
# PharmD28on 04 Dec 2011 at 2:58 pm

How can we allow modern universities to teach CAM courses? And when I say “teach CAM” I mean be CAM apoogists….to teach for example pharmacy students about evidence based medicine as a core principle, but then allow some person(s) to “teach” CAM in a way that fails to point out all of the fallacies, lack of data (quality data that is), and the inherent idiocy of creating a separate non-sensical class of treatments?

I have spoke to the assistant dean at my university (pharmacy school, back in 2007 she was my advisor) and asked her if they had yet canned the crank that thought “pharmacognosy” – in which class his opening remarks were anti-evidenced based medicine…textbook CAM apologist…and the remainder of the course was NOT AT ALL about evidence, it was about dogma.

Her response included some apologizing for support via citing vaguely “well there is data for some of it”…and when I pressed her about that hollow claim, she then stated something to the degree of “that why we teach EBM as a foundation of your pharmacy training”….

It is all likely very political at this point I am sure…but I think if I were ever a rich alumnus to give money to make a new building, one string would be get the woo out of my pharmacy school.

***disclaimer, 99.99% of what we did in pharmacy school was evidence based based, and we as modern pharmacists are on the whole, very much proponents of evidence based medicine and are very skeptical of CAM, but they could stand to be as professionals more clearly skeptical….because we see people buying this garbage at the forefront…the previous pigasys awards with CVS case and point….having said that, pharmacists rarely in my experience endorse the herbals etc OTC, in fact, in my experience, patients who buy it rarely ask us because they know the answer they will get (sorry, that is only anecdote). My desire would be that every MD, PharmD, CRNP, etc…take a course that has both voices for pro-CAM folks, AND people teaching evidence based science without the CAM exception****

My question is…how do skeptics penetrate back into our schools a message that addresses this garbage…when I look back at all the money I spend getting an education….those 2-3 credits were expensive, and I am appalled that I had to take them….how do we best lobby our alma matters best Dr. Novella?
# Chason 06 Dec 2011 at 12:49 pm

Hi,

I’ve recently been in an argument about the arsenic levels in juice and I know that you have addressed this already but Consumer Reports have done their own study and they have come to the conclusion that there is need for concern. Here is the article about the report. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/12/06/consumer-reports-finds-excessive-arsenic-lead-in-apple-grape-juices/

I am still reticent about accepting this but would love to know your comments.

Thank You.
# blackswan666on 08 Dec 2011 at 10:20 pm

Sun downer? A type of Alzheimer that hits younger people. The character on SUV (yes I know dumb ass tv show) only had problems after six at night? How legit?
# Andrewon 11 Dec 2011 at 9:44 pm

Hi Steve,

I’d love to have you address this NYT article about Ambien use in patients with persistent vegetative state either in your blog or on an episode of the SGU.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/magazine/can-ambien-wake-minimally-conscious.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&smid=fb-share

Thanks,
Andrew
# tmac57on 22 Dec 2011 at 9:00 pm

Hi Dr. Novella,
Just ran across this story on Yahoo News :

‘Readied To Donate Organs, 21-Year-Old Emerges From Coma’

http://gma.yahoo.com/readied-donate-organs-21-old-emerges-coma-204904805.html

Another ‘miracle’ coma recovery. Thought you could add some perspective.
# Judy1on 24 Dec 2011 at 11:14 am

Hello Dr Novella,

I’ve just found this recent post which posed the question: why did the Whitehouse send out a ‘variation’ (see what I did there) of its 2011 Christmas card with an image of a UFO hovering above the Whitehouse?

I just thought it might bring some festive cheer to the odd skeptic out there who might be getting another Occams razor for Christmas instead of that Braun, which is what is truly required.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKduo4OdTso&feature=player_embedded

Happy Christmas to one and all!
# rezistnzisfutlon 28 Dec 2011 at 2:57 am

Hi Dr. Novella,

One subject I’ve seen coming up in interesting debates is water fluoridation, not something I’ve yet seen as a (central) topic of discussion here or SBM. The debate seems to fall into two categories: conspiracy, and personal liberty.

Water fluoridation seems to be something a lot of conspiracy theorists find easy to latch onto, which as usual is a springboard for the spread of misinformation, pseudoscience, and scientific misrepresentation.

On the other hand, the idea of personal liberties is a more interesting topic. Many countries have adopted alternate forms of mass fluoridation, such as adding fluoride to table salt instead of the water supply, in essence giving people the option to forego fluoridation if they wish. Unlike vaccines, which the avoidance of can actually effect other people (herd immunity), the only ones that fluoridation affects ARE the individuals who choose to avoid it.

So, this to me begs the question: is fluoridation ethical since it’s pretty much compulsory in nations that fluoridate the water supply, since avoidance of fluoridation poses no health risks to anyone other than the individual who avoids it?

Another question is: in developed countries, where dental care is highly available and personal hygeine is statistically high (fluoride products), is fluoridation beyond this actually necessary and worth the expense?

I tend to reject conspiracy claims for what they are, but to me the “personal liberty” question is more interesting, as is whether fluoridation is relevent anymore (some studies also seem to indicate a higher incidence of fluorosis in fluoridated areas).

Just wondering your thoughts.

Thanks!
# cordeliawrenon 30 Dec 2011 at 7:40 am

Hi Dr. Novella ,

Could you discuss this article/research on GM corn causing organ failure? It’s in the Huffington Post, which tends to make me disregard it automatically but many of my friends have been posting it on their Facebook pages… If the article is misrepresenting the facts, overvaluing a bad study, etc. I’d like to explain that to them. If not, it would be nice to no what conclusions should be drawn (their research summary comes from “Food Freedom,” which hardly sounds like an unbiased group).

I’ve read your previous posts on GM foods and am interested to see what you would make of this!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/monsantos-gmo-corn-linked_n_420365.html

Thanks for your time, and for the fantastic blog!
# Chason 05 Jan 2012 at 9:09 am

Hello Dr,

Recent news of fracking causing earthguqakes: http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2012/01/03/expert_fracking_caused_youngstown_ohio_earthquakes.html?wpisrc=twitter_socialflow stirs all kinds of skepticism within me. What are your thoughts?
# Dougon 05 Jan 2012 at 6:20 pm

Dr. Novella:

We recently watched a TED talk by Dr. Terry Wahls, a University of Iowa Med School clinical professor, on how she was able to reverse her MS symptoms through what she calls a hunter-gatherer diet. As indicated in this news release from U of I (http://www.news-releases.uiowa.edu/2011/November/111411MS_study.html), some type of clinical study on this diet (plus an unspecified electrical stimulation) is currently underway. Having trekked on Mt. Kilimanjaro with several MS patients, I know that this type of a program will attract a lot of attention. What is your assessment of diet being a means of treating neurodegenerative diseases like MS or Parkinson’s.

Thanks.
# milindkaleon 08 Jan 2012 at 9:00 pm

Please consider writing about Superbrain Yoga.

I am attaching a link to the news snippet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwhpF9iJSs
# digitalgoldfishon 10 Jan 2012 at 6:27 am

Hi Steve

We’re expecting a child in May, and have started looking for research in to Neurology and babies – There is an awful lot of pseudoscience out there and I’m struggling to find the most up to date literature on the subject (in a consolidated form at least – I can always look at pubmed).

I came across John Bruer’s “Myth of the first three years” through a skepdic links, but this was published in 1999.

Are you able to suggest some more up-to-date sources? My interest is to read around the subject, rather than looking for something specific that can give my child an advantage – Certainly from reading John Bruer’s book, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything credible one could actually do in any case, but I’d be grateful for a better understanding of the area.

Thanks
# lans ellionon 10 Jan 2012 at 7:50 pm

Dr. Novella,

I’ve been noticing friends posting this video regarding Iron filings being in breakfast cereal recently and it has all the signs of pseudoscience but I don’t have the background or knowledge to comment on this to correct my friends. I didn’t see any previous posts on this issue and wondered if the amount of Iron in cereal actually is excessive with respect to an acceptable daily dose or whether the test used in the video is just dramatic showmanship.

If you are interested, here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj3Mu2xPNXc&feature=share
# Amy(T)on 12 Jan 2012 at 1:28 pm

Dr. Novella,

a picture of mcdonald’s “cancer warning” in CA is going around on my FB friends wall. couldn’t find anything about it here, on SBM or science blogs, so anything you got would be appreciated!
# Benclimbon 15 Jan 2012 at 2:40 am

Dr. Novella,

recently I came across an interesting cognitive illusion. It goes like this:

A persons Mum and Dad give him $25 each, giving him a total of $50. He then goes out and spends $45, leaving him with a new total of $5. Next he gives his parents $1 each, leaving him with $3.

It appears that his parents are each owed $24 each now and the son comes out $1 ahead. Clearly not possible, when I work the same problem using just Mathematics and not Natural Language then the illusion disappears(i.e. 25 + 25 = 50, 50 – 45 = 5, 45 + 3 = 48, 50 – 48 = 2).

How extensively do such Cognitive Illusions effect us. I’m intrigued by how the illusion appears in English but in Mathematics the illusion disappears. Also I observed I could see how to work around the illusion with ease but my partner(who is a bit ‘mathphobic’) could not see how to work around it, even when I showed her in several differing ways. Could such illusions be a factor in some peoples tendency to believe in various Woo?
# etatroon 18 Jan 2012 at 4:52 pm

I know that you’ve already discussed acupuncture at length, but the topic seems to be rearing its head again.

I listened to NPR’s Science Friday and Ira interviewed Ted Kaptchuck on Jan 6, 2012 and he discussed his paper in NEJM. “Active Albuterol or Placebo, Sham Acupuncture, or No Intervention in Asthma,” (July 14, 2011). Dr Kaptchuck seemed to imply on the radio interview that the placebo effect observed in his study — that subjective patient-reported improvement, was no different than Albuterol, even though only Albuterol yielded object FEV improvement — somehow suggests that placebo therapies (like acupuncture) are valid recommendations to patients in certain situations.

I had a look at the NEJM article, and it seemed as though this rhetoric was toned down a bit. In discussing the study, he also repeated that the placebo and acupuncture yielded an improvement greater than nothing (sitting in the office doing nothing), in looking at the data, it seemed to me that this “improvement” was nonexistent or within statistical noise, negligible Cohen’s d (0.02), so on the radio, it was dishonest to talk about the “objective improvement due to placebo inhaler was the same as sham-acupuncture.” (because there was no objective improvement).

Regarding the subjective (patient-reported) improvements; the sham acupuncture was only single-blinded, so the interviewer recording the patients’ responses could have had an influence. I also feel that the presentation of the data is misleading. The patients rated their improvement on a scale of 0-10 (0 = nothing, 10 = complete improvement). These were somehow converted to a %Change, then they used error bars to report the standard error of the mean, which not the appropriate statistic, it grossly under representing the variance and they should have reported the standard deviation. Why didn’t they just report the average & standard deviation of the ratings? Or better yet — dots representing all the individual data points or box-and-whisker? The answer is that they were shamelessly hiding the huge variance in this outcome.

This probably is a boring topic for a blog posting since it’d just be a rehash. But maybe timely for the podcast since the panels seems willing to rehash a topic when there are new developments.

Also: I wonder if patients’ subjective responses would be influenced if they were informed of their objective test results? If you administered the placebo & the Albuterol. Performed the FEV; with one group: told them what their improvement was, another, did not tell them….. then asked for the subjective rating — would those that had been told of their objective measurement report higher improvement than those that didn’t? Would those given the placebo and told that their FEV was no-change report no improvement and those that weren’t told anything report an improvement?
# carmenczachoron 24 Jan 2012 at 12:01 pm

Whilst napping in front of the 49ers game on sunday (my team being the Green Bay packers, I was somewhat disinterested) I perked up when the announcer said that one of the players had been checked out by the team chiropractor and deemed safe to return. I am shocked that a chiropractor would be allowed to make such a judgment and also incredulous that a professional athletic team would use a chiropractor for an acute injury assessment. Did I hear wrong or are they as woo-ified as that?
# tmac57on 27 Jan 2012 at 12:52 pm

There is a new study out by the CDC about ‘Morgellons Disease’:

“CDC: Morgellons Disease May Be Psychiatric Disorder
Mysterious Morgellons Skin Fibers: Only Cotton From Clothing?”

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20120126/cdc-morgellons-disease-may-not-be-real

No big surprise,but it will probably not diminish belief in it.
# chris62116on 27 Jan 2012 at 6:35 pm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3237908/
# bluedevilRAon 31 Jan 2012 at 9:52 am

This is an interesting story about high school students being described (by news sources) as having a “contagious tourette’s”.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/12/12-high-school-students-suffering-with-tourettes-like-illness/

http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10242751-mystery-teen-illness-brokovich-team-meets-resistance

I find it interesting that Erin Brokovich is jumping in and potentially blaming a train accident from the 70′s as a possible cause.
# Gregon 31 Jan 2012 at 3:46 pm

Subject: Nutritional Pseudoscience @ TED?

Dr. Novella, I have the same topic suggestion as Doug a few weeks ago regarding Dr. Terry Wahls.

In her speech titled “Minding Your Mitochondria” she claims that she treated her MS with diet. (around 14 minutes & 45 seconds into her speech)

http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxIowaCity-Dr-Terry-Wahls-Min;search:tag:%22tedxiowacity%22

Can MS really be treated through diet?

Thanks.
# SteveFortinon 06 Feb 2012 at 9:20 am

Hi Dr. Novella,

I recently stumbled upon “Structured Water” and thought it would be a great topic of discussion.

http://www.starfirewater.com/home.html

The science section of this website is, of course, rampant with pseudoscience:

“…provide the level of energy, metabolic anti-oxidation and detoxification power and optimal hydration needed to achieve and maintain optimum nutrition, fitness and holistic health”

“…the most energizing, detoxiying, anti-oxidizing and hydrating water on the planet. Using [hydrogen fortification] vortex technology, we’ve created hexagonal water that quenches your thirst from inside out.”

Just a sampling of the garbage this website claims and promotes.

Thanks,
# Watcheron 09 Feb 2012 at 4:39 pm

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/8873/2/?single_page=true

The Atlantic has been publishing some crazy things lately, so at first I took this with a grain of salt. My first thought was that this would get washed out in independent replication, but, it seems like there might actually be something to this. With all the data coming out suggesting that there are quite a few microorganisms that can have behavior-altering effects on their host, is it really that hard to believe? I’m still a bit skeptical, but this is certainly interesting.
# Physioon 17 Feb 2012 at 1:40 pm

Hi Dr. Novella,

Our physiotherapy clinic recently purchased an “AlterG antigravity treadmill” (http://www.torontophysiotherapy.ca/AlterGTreadmill.html) which is a unique body weight supported treadmill that uses differential air pressure to allow the user to decrease their body weight in 1% increments while maintaining normal gait and stride length. Basically the user’s lower body is zipped into an air bubble! There are obviously numerous rehabilitation applications for the technology in orthopedic physiotherapy, but we are also keen to explore its utility for neurological rehabilitation populations including stroke, Parkinson’s, etc. Body weight supported treadmills have long been used as a rehab tool for these populations, but the ability to reduce weight without restricting gait and stride is unique to this device.

A recent NEJM publication (“Body-Weight–Supported Treadmill Rehabilitation after Stroke”) suggested no difference in functional level of walking at 1 year post-stroke, for stroke patients receiving physiotherapy, or physiotherapy involving a body weight supported treadmill. While the paper is well done, it compares (among other things): three intensive 90 min sessions of physiotherapy per week over 12-16 weeks, with three 90 min sessions of locomotor training involving 20-30 min on a body weight assisted treadmill for 12-16 weeks and ground walking. It’s not too surprising that there was no statistical difference in outcome given the intensity of the physiotherapy regime, the proportionately minor use of body weight supported walking in the locomotor training group, and the use of a body weight supported system that does not allow for NORMAL gait, stride and balance training in a supportive environment. I would hypothesize that true functional training with the AlterG would result in greater outcomes, in part due to the psychological lift and confidence provided by device. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks!
# Geekoidon 24 Feb 2012 at 11:48 am

I would like to see a post about Neurology and advertising. AKA neuromarketing

I know the advertising are partnering with some neurologist to create better ads, and perhaps ads that can bypass you natural impulse buying defenses.
How effective is neuromarketing? How wide spread is it’s use?
# norrisLon 24 Feb 2012 at 11:20 pm

Steven

Last year the Australian Veterinary Association annual conference had the theme “Evidence Based Medicine”. I point out to you that EBM is used in Australia like you in the US would use SBM. On this basis, I took umbrage to a lecture given by Huisheng Xie, DVM PhD MS of the Chi Institute, 9700 West Hwy 318
Reddick, Florida, USA. The first paragraph in the lecture reads as follows:

What is Acupuncture
Acupuncture may be defined as the stimulation of a specific point on the body, referred to as an
“acupoint”. Physiological changes in response to acupuncture point stimulation is the basis of
clinical treatment. Some of these changes include release of endogenous opioids, immune
system stimulation, and blood pressure regulation. Stimulation of an acupoint causes activation
of Aα and Aβ nerve fibers to conduct electrical signals through the spinothalamic tract to the
hypothamalus and cause release of β-endorphins. Acupuncture also causes activation of the
descending pain inhibitory pathway which activates the periaqueductal gray matter to release
more β-endorphins and the nucleus raphe magnus to release serotonins 1. Pain is blocked with
the release of these endogenous opioids and neurotransmitters. Acupuncture can also activate
T-cell lymphocytes and increase the number of white blood cells for the treatment of pathologies
due to immuno-deficiency.

This first paragraph contains a list of highly improbable effects of acupuncture such as little needles stimulating the immune system. The remainder of the lecture appeared to be an attempt at self justification of acupuncture…oh no, it really DOES work. And of course the lecturer failed to mention the true effects of quack treatments like acupuncture brought on by innocent dogs, cats etc receiving this useless treatment instead of genuine, scientifically proven effective treatments. THIS is the worst part of using CAM on animals, they do not get to choose!

Regards
Stuart Scanlan B.V.Sc.
# jugaon 25 Feb 2012 at 7:18 pm

I’ve just had this suggested to me as my mother in law is suffering from Alzheimer’s.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/my-husband-alzheimers-patient/252595/

I am very skeptical of such things and it seems to have all the hallmarks of anecdotal, unproved nonsense. Is there any more to it than that?
# Psmithon 26 Feb 2012 at 7:09 pm

Steve,
I have been a listener to The Skeptics Guide To the Universe since about 2006 (I’m 32), and I love reading your posts on Neurologica and Science-Based Medicine. My father is a pediatrician and started teaching me a bit about woo, though he never called it that, at an early age. So I’ve been skeptical of all the stuff that comes out about “energy fields” (and this device I’ll show you is all about the energy fields) and the rest of that sort of thing.

I am involved with a grassroots skeptical community in Colorado Springs. Recently, on the 23rd of February, the Mile Hi Skeptics posted a link (http://www.meetup.com/DenverSkeptics/boards/view/viewthread?thread=20768092) to a local news program (http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/02/23/life-vessel-popularity/) that dealt with a “totally woo device” (to paraphrase you on SGU), the Life Vessel. There is a lady selling time on these $100,000 machines (so I’m told they cost) in Colorado now and making unfounded, irresponsible claims for their effectiveness. This device is new to me and I didn’t find it in a search on your blogs or on Dr. Barrett’s Quackwatch site.

One thing incidentally: the woman in the interview mentioned ANSAR testing. I’ve been looking for information on ANSAR, and it seems to me that it’s a credible thing in itself, but I suspect it is being misused by people such as this woman.

I thought this might make a good blog post, for someone else you know if not you yourself!

Psmith (Sorry, since I mentioned my dad I don’t want to use my name.)
# Psmithon 26 Feb 2012 at 7:21 pm

Steve,
I found a paper by one of the co-founders of the Life Vessel racket: http://www.thejsho.com/pdf/BODY.pdf

All the best to you and yours,
Psmith
# Marshallon 27 Feb 2012 at 12:34 pm

Hi Steve–

I recently saw this article about sleep, and how earlier humans may have used a double 4-hour sleep period, separated by 1-2 hours of wakefulness. I haven’t seen much from you on sleep. Since everyone spends nearly 1/3 of their lives sleeping, it’s a pretty important issue!

Here’s the article I was referring to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783

Thanks,
Marshall
# herbaladderallon 29 Feb 2012 at 3:31 am

i would really like to hear you guys weigh in on nootropics. i looked for a legal adderall alternative that was also a natural alternative. i finally found something called addieup at the site http://www.addieup.com can you guys take a look at this and tell me if i’m just experiencing the placebo effect?
# Bernard Leikindon 05 Mar 2012 at 3:17 pm

Please comment on the recent research published in the BMJ about the dangers of sleeping pills.

The research was done by Scripps researchers in San Diego and received a lot of press coverage.

See, for example,

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/feb/27/sleeping-pills-linked-higher-risk-cancer-death/

Thank you,

Bernard Leikind
# zplafon 08 Mar 2012 at 7:40 pm

Please teach us about pain.

And here are two questions to get your attention:

You’ve been parachuted in the middle of the Atakama Desert with your daughter. The bad guys took all your belongings. After a few seconds, Julia, petrified, ask: “Are we going to live daddy?”. What would be your answer?

You’ve been parachuted in the middle of the Atakama Desert with your daughter. The bad guys took all your belongings. After a few seconds, Julia, petrified, ask: “Are we going to die daddy?”. What would be your answer?

A big fan
# kwilliams1on 10 Mar 2012 at 3:18 pm

Hi Dr Novella,

I’m a relative newcomer to both your Blog and SGU and love them both.

Surfing the web I recently came across a proposed name for a phenomena I have experienced since being a child, unaware that others have felt the same sensations;

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/nicholas-tufnell/asmr-orgasms-for-your-brain_b_1297552.html

and

http://www.asmr-research.org/

As I am unaware of any correct scientific name for this experience I could not search to see if you have covered it. I was wondering if you have come across anything similar in your line of work.

I think it is a very interesting area and I wonder if rather a lot of people have this feeling but as no name exists for it we feel in a minority.
Personally I feel this “ASMR” the strongest when watching video clips of pseudo-scientific things such as Chiropractic treatments, Applied Kinesiology and Acupuncture. It seems the higher the level of Woo (e.g. KST Chiropractic) the stronger the feeling. For this reason I think the proposed name is a little ill though through as it suggests this sort of pseudo-science rather than an actual scientific phenomena worthy of investigation.
I have often wondered whether the feeling is an evolutionary throwback to Ape grooming and social bonding as it is very pleasant and moreish. Further to this I wonder if it could be the driving force behind these new-age and quack practices; people chasing this elusive feeling and being willing to part with their cash to feel it.

If this were ever to be studied scientifically it would be interesting to see if a link existed between the mild euphoria it brings and such things as meditation, spirituality, placebo effect, etc.
You never know, it may prove to be the scientific explanation behind a lot of this nonsense. Or I may just be dreaming.

Thanks

Kev Williams
# tmac57on 12 Mar 2012 at 11:26 am

Just saw this story on Yahoo News:

“NASA’s JPL computer specialist alleges discrimination over his belief in intelligent design”

http://news.yahoo.com/nasas-jpl-computer-specialist-alleges-discrimination-over-belief-063729646.html

From the article:

“The question is whether the plaintiff was fired simply because he was wasting people’s time and bothering them in ways that would have led him to being fired regardless of whether it was about religion or whether he was treated worse based on the religiosity of his beliefs,” said Volokh. “If he can show that, then he’s got a good case.”
# missmayingaon 14 Mar 2012 at 11:27 am

It would be kind of neat to see you take on some of ADHD treatment woo that’s out there (eg: blaming it all on sugar, blaming it all on bad parenting, claiming it’s just “kids being kids”, focusing obsessively on Ritalin and its side effects despite there being approximately umpteen million other ADHD drugs on the market….). Not sure if that’s up your alley, but it might be fun.

Alternatively, do you know of any other neurology/skeptic blogs that do cover that stuff? There’s an outstanding amount of it out on the internet, and I’d be surprised if there wasn’t at least one person who’d thought to tackle it.

Thanks a lot.
# Nicolas Bakeron 15 Mar 2012 at 4:45 am

Hello Steve,

thanks for your blog and podcast. I have become an avid reader/listener.
Have you ever written about the active process of forgetting dreams ? It seems like the brain is wired to forget everything that happened a few moments before, right after waking up. A significant chunk of our experiences (that can often be quite interesting and worthy) are being actively destroyed. Do we know what the neural mechanism is ?

Also, you recently stated (on the SGU podcast) that the brain in the dream state was fundamentally different from the brain in the waking state. I am an avid lucid dreamer, and have come to believe that the “quality” of dream imagery matches that of the waking state. Michel Jouvet who worked extensively on dreams wrote that “wakefulness is but a dream restricted by the senses” (my translation).
So apart from disabled motor skills as well as a lack of critical thinking (which you can overcome – especially if you are a regular lucid dreamer), what are the big differences in between a dreaming brain, and a waking brain ?

Thanks for your time,

Nick Baker
# Walteron 17 Mar 2012 at 2:00 am

I enjoy your blog Stephen. It has become a life line for me in coping with the credulous beliefs I encounter daily in my work as a therapist. I strive to practice only methods proven effective and based on real scientific testing and attitudes. I hold it is unethical to practice things which have been proven ineffective, a rare stance among therapists as far as I can tell.

I regularly get patients referred to me by physicians for damage control-people who did not receive effective help from their first counselors. I have seen many weird and wonderful practices, and altogether too much harm. One new one is called ” One Eye Integration” claimed to be an effective trauma treatment. The website is http://www.sightpsych.com

This looks very suspicious, and needs a good debunking. It shows the typical pattern of little research, grand claims, being offerred as effective before real studies are done, and of course is offered for sale to therapists for a high price. It makes neurological claims without evidence, and looks like a derivative of EMDR. It was developed at Trinity Western University, a former bible college.

This idea is beginning to show up as “therapy” among some counselors in British Columbia, and could use some critical exposure and deconstruction. Every bit of resistance helps!

Here is what the website says:
“Some observers have said that OEI is like a combination of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), Educational Kinesiology (‘Brain Gym’), and Gendlin’s Focusing. Others have noted a similarity to Dual Brain Psychology (Schiffer). It is important to recognize that OEI is none of these other therapies, but in fact has developed into an entirely new and different psychotherapy.”

One of the inventors says this: “Shortly after initial training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, was using EMDR with clients and having excellent results, particularly with single incident traumas. She had never found a tool so useful for trauma and, to a lesser extent, for compulsive behaviour. She had a client who had one eye that was focused differently than the other. Because she had a background in Educational Kinesiology, she was familiar with the concept of hemispheric integration in the brain. As she experimented with those ideas, she found this integration proved very useful for many of her clients. She found that OEI techniques were gentler for those individuals, and that some of these tools could be used without a therapist present. Tapping techniques are also very helpful, and she uses EMDR, tapping, TAT, and OEI together, or separately.”

Somehow, these statements are not reassuring. I respectfully recommenr OEI as a topic for Neurologica.
# ystokaron 20 Mar 2012 at 10:51 am

how about discussing this new paper about cellphone radiation on the brain of developing mice:
http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/120315/srep00312/full/srep00312.html
# titmouseon 20 Mar 2012 at 4:53 pm

Neurologix, the company that last year reported a successful trial of a gene therapy product for Parkinson’s, just went belly up. Hey tough economy, sh*t happens. But patients have been complaining about one of the docs involved with the study not returning phone calls for a couple of weeks. Office staff say he’s “on vacation,” but are vague about when he’s going to be back. That seems like a red flag to me. Doctors aren’t supposed to vanish without arranging coverage or at least providing a good explanation to their patients.

Anyway, maybe that Parkinson’s study in the March 2011 Lancet needs a careful look by someone with a skeptical eye.
# Jaykwonon 28 Mar 2012 at 5:30 am

Hi Steve,

There are plenty of techniques for memory retention circling around the internet, and I’m curious about the science behind them, if any.

Some of the techniques are so common that I’d (almost) be surprised if there wasn’t at least some evidence behind them, such as associating the memory with a sound, a mental image or the like. Other techniques, such as “spaced repetition” sound reasonable, but again, many things that sound reasonable end up being disproven when the evidence starts rolling in.

The last one, spaced repetition, is something I’m particularly interested in because I recently started using a free flash-card program that’s built around this principle.

I was able to find scant studies about some memory techniques, but it’s hard to deduce if they are done by a neutral party or by someone deeply invested in the particular technique, be it for monetary or ideological reasons. (Your mention of the acupuncture studies all turning out positive from a certain country (Was it some cardinal direction of Korea?) comes to mind).

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for your blog (and a thousand other things), wether you decide to take me up on this or not.
# Ufoon 28 Mar 2012 at 7:30 am

This might interest you Steve, a new study about antioxidant supplements and mortality:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007176.pub2/abstract;jsessionid=F6A532828490CC934A76FA40005A35DF.d02t03

“Our systematic review has demonstrated that antioxidant supplements may increase mortality. We have now updated this review.”
# Dirk Steeleon 28 Mar 2012 at 8:08 am

@missmayinga

I would agree with this too. Maybe start with the ADHD DSM-IV definition which involves ‘climbing trees inappropriately’ or even ‘forgetting homework’ in order to show proof of a mental disfunction/disease/disorder/syndrome etc. It is complete woo isn’t it?
# locutusbrgon 28 Mar 2012 at 10:54 am

Maybe you could do a piece on blog Trolling? What are the motivations and psychiatric disorders they may be avoiding by trolling instead of dealing with the issue. Not truly science and skepticism but interesting.
# bluedevilRAon 29 Mar 2012 at 9:20 am

Missmayinga brings up a good point. There is a lot of of ADHD woo out there. Your previous posts on ADHD were excellent. This quack was invited to speak at a medical school recently by the CAM club on campus. I could not have been more disappointed. She is a mental illness denialist. She believes psychiatrists aren’t practicing medicine and are just prescribing “cocaine” to patients to mask symptoms. She thinks ADHD is a food allergy and a whole bunch of other quackery. In true quack fashion, she claims psychiatrists all have financial incentive (via ties to Big Pharma) to sell their drugs but I am pretty sure she makes a hell of a living selling her books and snake oil.

http://blockcenter.com/

My favorite part of her website where she suggests depression and headaches do not exist as we currently define them. There must be some sort of organic trigger:

http://blockcenter.com/Depression.html
# Woodyon 02 Apr 2012 at 11:30 am

I suspect you or one of the SBM bloggers is planning to tackle this, but today seems like a good day to suggest covering the recent CDC press release regarding increasing autism prevalence, since today is World Autism Awareness Day. Cheers!
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/CountingAutism/
# Woodyon 02 Apr 2012 at 11:36 am

Never mind – just saw Gorski’s post! I thought you might tackle it since it is a neurological disorder…
# Dirk Steeleon 04 Apr 2012 at 3:23 pm

Thousands have petitioned against changes to the DSM. The annual meeting of the APA in May 2012 will be subject to ‘occupy’ type protests. The DSM5 is floundering. Is this the end of ‘biological’ psychiatry?
# Dirk Steeleon 06 Apr 2012 at 8:03 pm

It is my view that the so called ‘placebo effect’ is unscientific nonsense and is purely a measure of subjectivity as opposed to any objective fact. If one examines placebo responses in different aspects of medical care there are significant differences. Can the placebo effect actually change physical or objective measures? For example, it has an obvious change to the way that we report pain. But our measurement of pain is subjective (so my wife continually reminds me). My sugar pills seem to relieve my depression so that I feel happier to take them. Especially since my psychiatrist has convinced me of their efficacy. But can a placebo reduce the size of my growing cancerous tumour, or clear my arteries from clogging? Can a placebo affect my bacterial infection, or reduce my need for insulin? (I do have a few issues…)

Does the placebo pill, whether it is blue, red or green result in an objective measurable physical change in the body? I think not. But I have been mistaken many times….

One important aspect of this – is that we should question all research studies that demonstrate a significant placebo effect – for example, in those which involve anti-depressant medication or even ECT. It is my belief that the greater the placebo effect measured, the more we should be skeptical about the objective methodology of the study. As far as I am aware this factor has not been sufficiently examined. But I am happy to be proved wrong. Even though the little white pill has been administered.
# Ufoon 09 Apr 2012 at 7:22 am

I found this pretty interesting:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/04/can-you-handle-total-silence.html

UFO
# nlk2on 10 Apr 2012 at 4:08 pm

This is an interesting one and describes some fallacies committed in the name of “drug approval”
http://www.annals.org/content/early/2012/04/09/0003-4819-157-2-201207170-00438.full?papetoc

nlk2
# tmac57on 11 Apr 2012 at 9:47 am

Here’s a story that illustrates even how NASA experts can initially misidentify an unknown object in the sky:

http://news.yahoo.com/mystery-fireball-texas-actually-jet-contrail-nasa-scientist-221004693.html

This should give people pause when they think that they know for sure that a UFO couldn’t be some common object,such as a jet,that is being observed under unusual atmospheric conditions.
# TexCapPrezJimmyon 11 Apr 2012 at 12:48 pm

Steve,

I am interested in you addressing the topic of religious freedom as applied to the birth control mandate in the new health care law. I keep getting forwarded emails from family on this topic, especially this one on the “Parable of the Kosher Deli.”

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/catholic-bishop-eviscerates-contraception-mandate-parable-kosher-deli

Care to weigh in? Thanks for everything Steve. Keep up the good work.

-Austin
# Phil Smithon 11 Apr 2012 at 6:39 pm

Steve, I would be quite interested in hearing your opinion on this recent neuroscience study on the relation of brain structures to general intelligence.

http://news.illinois.edu/news/12/0410braininjury_AronBarbey.html

The paper sounds interesting, but I was unable to find a free version online.

My primary interest is in the definition of “general intelligence”, and how one clinically tests for “general intelligence”?
# Captain Quirkon 12 Apr 2012 at 4:08 am

I’d be interested reading about narcolepsy and cataplexy without narcolepsy, and the associated disorders with the latter.

Circadian Rhythm Disorders, particularly the state of the evidence for various treatments like melatonin, light therapy, chronotherapy. (Anecdotally I take melatonin to help fall asleep, but have much more frequent sleep paralysis and a new problem of waking up ridiculously early)

Physiologic sleep architecture

Sham stem cell therapies for multiple sclerosis, autism, etc.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (a psychologist mistook my autistic sensory sensitivity to some odors as this, which looks like it’s mostly a psychological thing, maybe as a learned sensitivity to the odors by associating them to “chemicals” and this anxiety triggering symptoms, since tests show the presence or absence of the “offending” chemical has no bearing on the symptoms).

Anti-psychiatry v. legitimate criticisms/controversies in psychiatry – perhaps the ways we determine how much of psychiatric disorder is socially constructed and how much is a brain malfunction, from clear-cut cases to the grey areas of disorders that are maladaptive in some circumstances, but in different life circumstances are adaptive, which doesn’t inform treatment too much when circumstances are very difficult or virtually impossible to change, since dysfunction is dysfunction, but is an interesting exercise in understanding of what disease or disorder is. (I mean, cancer is pretty much always a negative. But then you have conditions like DSPS which is bad if you want to do college (specifically a program they don’t have night school for required classes) and lots of mainstream careers, but neutral or positive for working night shifts or are self-employed. Similarly, there are cases of ASD that are disabling everywhere, while others due to severity and specific profiles of strengths and weaknesses are at least neutral to certain niches, if not a boon).

Illusions, hallucinations – differences and similarities (while they are defined as distinct phenomena, is it really more of a spectrum, or are they sharply distinct in the mechanism?)

Evidence for/against marijuana having a causative relationship with psychosis, or is it merely correlation, or do we not know? (Personally not invested, as I avoid marijuana like I do alcohol due to effects on sleep – lots of what I’ve read is either Reefer Madness II or Natural Herbs are Happy Herbs!).

Deconstruction of AR arguments that animals aren’t needed in medical research, because scientists can just use cell lines and computer models (and if that’s not enough, then screw scientists and just use all the nice, natural herbal remedies Mother Nature so thoughtfully provided to cure all illnesses that a perfect vegan diet, exercise, and sunshine don’t cure). Oh, also the idea that humans are natural herbivores (selectively looking at molars and somewhat long gut while ignoring canines and such), which I hear a lot in vegan circles.

Fad gluten free (casein free) diets, versus Coeliac, and nutritional impact of following a gluten free diet while maintaining healthy nutritional intake.

The technology they’re working on where an implant somewhere near the brain to let people who had strokes communicate by training to associate thinking letters to a computer that would recognize the signal and type. I heard about it on some news story and wonder how far along that is, and the usefulness in practice and limitations for the near future.

The history of defining autism, from a symptom of schizophrenia (Bleuler?) through to infantile autism and the modern autism spectrum. A lot of people, even who know the diagnostic criteria expanded a lot recently, aren’t aware of the way and extent this concept has evolved. Between this history, the diagnostic substitution studies, and the exposure of Wakefield as a fraud, it’s very clear to all but the most emotionally invested that the evidence for an autism epidemic is so scant it should hardly be the default assumption.

Also, any advice on what to do when a teacher (say, at high school or college level) endorses or promotes rank quackery (I don’t mean promote as in advertising for money, but things like “There’s a real scientific controversy about whether vaccines are safe, and I didn’t vaccinate my kids because the risks are too great” or “Cell phones causing cancer is going to be a new big public health scandal like cigarettes” or “I went and got this stem cell treatment and cured my MS without drugs” when they aren’t a professor of a scientific subject)? I’ve heard these things (paraphrased) during a class I took at college, from a prof professing to teach about logical argument and critical thinking.

Worse, she’s looking into doing science journalism – yet another reason to add to why I think science journalists should all have at least a bachelor’s in a science in addition to being good communicators – it wouldn’t stop the terrible science reports, but maybe stem the tide. Unsurprisingly, she saw nothing wrong with the state of science journalism, which only strengthened my conviction that there IS something wrong, something grievously wrong (most saliently, stories being written to hype or scare according to what the media corporation and the editors whose jobs are on the line think will sell, with little regard to ethical or accurate reporting beyond the minimum, but that’s a more intractable problem than science-ignorant people getting a podium to promote their woo).

While I questioned the prof in question during class, pointing out the fallacies employed and the basic science and studies omitted from discussion, I have no idea what (if anything) can be done to address things like spreading dangerous medical myths in a classroom. My grade didn’t suffer for arguing during class about these or for writing my paper on why vaccines are safe and don’t cause autism, so I can’t file a complaint on that basis. It just rubs me the wrong way that there’s NOTHING you can do.
# Dirk Steeleon 16 Apr 2012 at 7:28 pm

The trial of Breivik commenced today. Psychiatrists, after 2 months of interviews stated he was a paranoid schizophrenic. Another lengthy evaluation by other ‘experts’ have stated he is sane. I have read little commentry about this issue that proves psychiatry is not a scientific medical field but a pseudoscience akin to astrology. Of course we are told that mental illness is a disorder just like any other medical disease such as diabetes. What rubbish. David Rosenhan in 1973 demonstrated that psychiatrists could not tell who was ‘mad’ or ‘sane’. Nearly 40 years later nothing has changed and no progress has been made. Psychiatry is a pseudoscience. You are being fooled.
# SARAon 18 Apr 2012 at 2:02 pm

A blood test for depression. The study looks small, but I wonder if you have any thoughts on its viability.
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-depression-blood-test-20120418,0,6787106.story
# PharmD28on 20 Apr 2012 at 5:07 pm

I have begun attending some meetups in my area (live in the deep south). These are meetups with atheists, evolutionists (which some are believers, a few), and generally most would call themselves “skeptics”…..

I have noticed that I am a bit of a loner (relatively) when it comes to issues of evidence based medicine…CAM…etc….I had a discussion one day and began to respond to the idea that for example glucosamine/chondroitin is really effective…started to explain that it is not and why I am asserting this…had a similar discussion about accupuncture….and have noticed that some of these health topics can really make me out to be some sort of “apparent cynic” rather than a “proper skeptic”….I try and carefully make my arguments, cite research, and respond to claims….but it would seem that to teach proper science based medicine related skepticism to broader groups of skeptics is a bit scary! In one of these examples someone got a bit testy with me….we are all still cool, I did not respond with any hostility (despite the person really being nasty at me for defending my position dispassionately).

Anyway, any advice for a pharmacist-skeptic that may take on some discussions on these matters more formally at meetups? They have some discussion nights where people sign up for a topic and discuss….I have a number of ideas that would perhaps prove “controversial” with many in the group (luckily by far not all however). Any ideas on an approach in such a scenario or advice on avoidance of land mines?
# neogardenon 22 Apr 2012 at 4:28 pm

Dr. Novella,

First, thank you so much for the time and dedication you’ve given to this blog and to the EBM blog. These discussions are invaluable to the larger discussion of science in our culture; neither is an easy thing to maintain amidst your undoubtedly busy schedule. As a longtime reader, I’ve directed many friends and associates to your posts in hopes of advancing more analog conversations.

To the point: I stumbled across a rather frustrating article yesterday on Salon, apparently excerpted from a book with an equally frustrating title. The article concerned Near Death Experiences (NDEs) and Out-of-Body Experiences by Mario Beauregard.
http://life.salon.com/2012/04/21/near_death_explained/

Succinctly, my frustrations, though many, can be summed into two points: the article is littered with logical fallacies (never the sign of a good argument) and concludes essentially endorsing the dualism that died with Descartes… without sufficient evidence to do so. What’s more, the author ignores varying examples of non-lethal NDEs (such as the NASA “centrifuge” trainees). He seems to cherry-pick his data. For myself, I tend to see consciousness as an emergent behavior of many operations in the brain, not a locally-specific one.. therefore the idea that such an NDE event (assuming one takes the anecdotes as examples, problematic at best) occurs might also be non-localized seems unsurprising. Beauregards seeming insistence that the phenomenon is either localized/singly mechanistic or supernatural seems just another false dichotomy.

Further, the author dismisses the recent Nature publication on the subject, speaks incredulously about anecdotes as evidence, etc.

Perhaps most disturbingly of all, he specifically seeks to differentiate (and even by implication villify) what he calls “materialist scientists.” As though there were any other kind.

I know you have previously discussed NDEs, but I would appreciate your view, especially if specific to any of the research Beauregard cites.

For my part, I can only confirm that Dr. Beauregard does actually have a PhD in neuroscience, and has previously been published in research that culminated in “The Spiritual Brain.”

Thanks for your time.
# rezistnzisfutlon 26 Apr 2012 at 7:49 pm

Dr. Novella,

I recently was referred to a guy named Dwight Lundell, a former cardiac surgeon who had his medical license revoked a few years ago for questionable practices and has more recently been making a pretty decent profit selling supplements, blogging on hhfound.org (Health Humans Foundation, that he created) and on various other naturalistic websites, and off his book “The Great Cholesterol Lie”. I noticed there was no reference to him on this website or SBM, and thought you may be interested in doing a review of some of his work, since he still seems to be going strong spreading around his quackery.

Thanks for your great blog!
# LMon 30 Apr 2012 at 6:04 am

Dear Dr. Novella,

First of all, thanks for your work, it’s always a pleasure to go and find the latest entry on the blog.
Here’s a link to an article you might be interested about, if you haven’t checked it yet: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-talk-huppke-obit-facts-20120419,0,809470.story

Otherwise, I would love to hear your views on an argument one could raise in support for homeopathy (if you haven’t yet addressed the question).
It often happens that pro-homeopathy advocates, when cornered during a debate, try to escape the conclusion that one should not take homeopathy by conceding homeopathy is nothing but placebo effect. Nonetheless, the argument goes, why should one take an expensive antibiotic (which one’s body would get accustomed to and hence reduce its efficiency over time when one would really need it) when one could be treated for “cheap” by the placebo effect inducing medication?
The kind of argument I have in mind is really a family of practical reasons for letting people believe in homeopathy. It’s the kind of last resort argument put forward by a cornered homeopathy advocate.
I live in Switzerland, near the french border, and homeopathy is all over the place. I often find myself arguing with relatives and friends about these issues, and I guess I’ve been able to convince them about the sientificity of the process, but I still find myself quite puzzled by this last issue. They might have a point, obviously not a very consistent and compelling one, philosophically speaking, but a practically good one.

Anyway, thanks again for your work, it’s a genuine pleasure to read you!

Best,

LM
# PharmD28on 30 Apr 2012 at 3:37 pm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423103715.htm

Here we go, this was on my darwin meetup email listerv locally sent out by a fellow skeptic who finds accupuncture an interesting alternative and refuses to hear me out that it is quackery.

Please review this concept…the whole thing is silly it:
1) presumes that accupuncture is clinically effective vs. sham accupuncture
2) that this effective accupuncture has a known and valid “molecular mechanism”
3) and even suggests that this new “PAPupuncture” therapy may be more effective when used in the accupressure points.

Oh please…review this and I am going to share it with our list-serv. Hopefully you will go over some of the high points that I have already covered and perhaps you will see some things with this PhD neurologist and the research that I missed that are interesting.
# PharmD28on 02 May 2012 at 2:47 pm

by the way, on the issue of accupuncture…in case no one did not notice this, but within that NEJM review of it for back pain

http://www.nejm.org/doi/suppl/10.1056/NEJMct0806114/suppl_file/nejmct0806114_appendix.pdf

there is this supplementary listing of the major studies that we ofen cite…notice closely that within the results column, they show multiple differences “favoring acupuncture” over sham is how they write it, but it is not statistically significant….just writing it that way shows how flawed they see this….no it could not just be a trend caused by some noise…it must favor accupuncture? Not sure if I am reading into this, but I would make sure to qualify it as “not statistically significant” or better yet, “no difference detecte”
# Dirk Steeleon 04 May 2012 at 8:36 pm

I have always felt that ‘confirmation bias’ is a deep seated human instinct, that may well have maintained an evolutionary benefit in the past, but now seems to fuel non scientific medical quackery.

‘Believing is seeing and not the other way round’

Can’t remember who said this and can’t be arsed to google now… way past my bedtime!

But I think a little article on this would be of interest to many here… then again, I may be biased in my views.
# Dirk Steeleon 04 May 2012 at 9:00 pm

So, Steven, let us cut to the chase now. What is the purpose of your blog? Do you just want to attract acolytes to pat you on the back, tell you how wonderful you are, and feed your egotistical self importance. In which your endeavours have been very successful I must say. Well done! Or is the purpose of your blog to attract the average bloke down the pub supping on a single malt? Like me. I am no scientist and my background is in anthropology, myth and language.

So, who are you trying to reach out to? Do you think you are succeeding? It seems to me that anyone attempting to question your views are drowned out by a mass of tepid water. So they do not return. Those that question you are bombarded with insult and thus retire from the debate. This I think is a self defeating strategy.

What do you think?
# elmer mccurdyon 05 May 2012 at 12:38 am

I’m halfway through The Emotional Life of Your Brain by Richard J. Davidson. I’d be curious to know what you think of it.
# elmer mccurdyon 05 May 2012 at 12:41 am

Regarding that Salon article mentioned above: Salon quickly published an article debunking it, then a response from the original author, then the debunker’s response to the response to the debunking. I think they’ve got it pretty well covered.
# Dirk Steeleon 05 May 2012 at 4:31 am

@elmer mccurdy

‘I’m halfway through The Emotional Life of Your Brain by Richard J. Davidson. I’d be curious to know what you think of it.’

Seconded. Watched the video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GMSczR7xrs

Don’t ya just love this guy’s smile and his promotional posters! A guru wannabe! I notice he hangs out at the ‘Centre for Investigating Healthy Minds. Ha! I was banned from there a little while back because I have a mental illness… a disease similar to diabetes so I am told.
# elmer mccurdyon 05 May 2012 at 10:23 am

Whatever.

Why was the link for this thread removed from the main page?
# daedalus2uon 06 May 2012 at 1:00 pm

An article suggesting that the perception of auras may actually be synesthesia.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810011002868
# Dirk Steeleon 07 May 2012 at 2:00 pm

@Steven

Any views on the DSM5 progress?

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/05/06/field-tests-for-revised-psychiatric-guide-reveal-reliability-problems-for-two-major-diagnoses/

or more stuff to be found here..

http://1boringoldman.com/
# emanresuon 08 May 2012 at 8:37 am

Discussion about launching a Dr. Novella fringe treatment to give believers hope, move believers money into the pockets of skeptics, and to further scientific inquiry by means of uncontrolled observational data collection from the customers.

Bacterial replacement therapy:
The Human Microbiome Project has the “goal of identifying and characterizing the microorganisms which are found in association with both healthy and diseased humans.” For the unhealthy believers, a product can then be marketed with the hypothetical foundations that bacterial composition may be the reason for their ill-health, and changes through bacterial replacement therapy will restore their vitality. Healthy individuals looking for greater vitality are also in luck too.

The treatment would involve removing the patient’s microbiota with various sterilizing processes (antibiotics, irradiation), then introducing new bacteria from selected healthy individuals through stool transfer.

1) The believer pays for a treatment that has roots in science.
2) Treatment is “natural”, designated with the popular CAM label.
3) Auctions where healthy spiteful skeptics can bid for the privilege of having their stool stuffed into the stomachs of believers will be joyous and fatten the bottom line of the business.
4) Customers are all case studies for scientific investigation.
5) Dr. Novella administering the therapy can always, and enthusiastically suggest to the therapy seeker that a more natural way of administration would be for them to eat the stool.
6) Set up therapy as 4 or 5 sessions/stages so variables can be controlled for science data.
7) Stool eating uploaded to Youtube celebrating natural medicine treatments, videos go viral, more devout customers who swear by the process Steve becomes a guru.
$ + happy believer + science data + believer eating fecal matter = Extremely gratifying.
# Dirk Steeleon 09 May 2012 at 5:15 pm

Dr. Steven.

I think I have uncovered a new source of CAM being ‘make up that shit’. It is called Psychiatric genetics. It is not even a proper field of study. It is a sub-field of neurobabblititus.

This is what it is about.

Psychiatric genetics, a subfield of behavioral neurogenetics, studies the role of genetics in psychological conditions such as alcoholism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism. The basic principle behind psychiatric genetics is that genetic polymorphisms, as indicated by linkage to e.g. a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), are part of the etiology of psychiatric disorders.[1]

The goal of psychiatric genetics is to better understand the etiology of psychiatric disorders, to use that knowledge to improve treatment methods, and possibly also to develop personalized treatments based on genetic profiles (see pharmacogenomics). In other words, the goal is to transform parts of psychiatry into a neuroscience-based discipline.[2]

Linkage, association, and microarray studies generate raw material for findings in psychiatric genetics.[3] Copy number variants have also been associated with psychiatric conditions. [4] [5] [6]

Is this just a big pile of woo???
# cwfongon 09 May 2012 at 5:43 pm

Nobody will care to answer your question.
# tmac57on 10 May 2012 at 9:53 am

Steve,

Knowing your interest in supercapacitors , I thought you might like this:

‘Making graphene supercapacitors with a DVD writer’

http://youtu.be/_oEFwyoWKXo
# deciuson 11 May 2012 at 10:04 am

Steve: I’ve read with attention all your blogs, including those on dieting and food faddism.
It isn’t a topic that interests me particularly (when I needed to lose some extra weight, I went by the consensus science and rapidly achieved the expected results). However, a friend of mine, who is otherwise a very rational person, has been taken in, hook line and sinker, by what I would characterise as Taubes’s conspiracy thinking and rank pseudoscience.
I tried unsuccessfully to talk her out of it, but I have no medical background and she can easily Gish-gallop circles around me, by citing all kind of factoids and cherry-picked peer-reviewed papers, which I suspect she can’t even properly understand.
She has even listened to all your medical lectures, but declared you “wrong on this one” (she is no physician either, mind you).
If it isn’t too much of a hassle, I’d really appreciate one of your wondrous dissection-and-demolition jobs over this fresh article by Taubes, which in my opinion packs even more dubious claims than customary.

In any case, thanks for all your wonderful work.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/05/06/why-the-campaign-to-stop-america-s-obesity-crisis-keeps-failing.html
# Dirk Steeleon 12 May 2012 at 9:27 am

Dr. Novella

Given that, in your words, psychiatry is a subset of neurology, I am astonished to find that you have totally ignored the massive controversies currently being debated over the field trials of the DSM 5.

I, and I suspect many others here, would very much like your opinions on this. Maybe you are still collating your thoughts and will astound us all in the very near future. I hope so.
# Dirk Steeleon 12 May 2012 at 6:46 pm

@Steven

Isn’t ‘mind reading’ a part of a long line of medical and societal quackery? Why do you think that psychiatry is given such credence ensconsed by law? It is because of the magic of technological progress as determined by lobotomy, ECT or fMRI scans? Or do you dismiss such studies as these?

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811906001248
# elmer mccurdyon 15 May 2012 at 1:40 am

Article on child psychopaths
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/magazine/can-you-call-a-9-year-old-a-psychopath.html?_r=2&src=me&ref=general&pagewanted=all
via:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/05/14/unlike_others_who_suffer_from_neurological_disorders_psychopaths_and_their_families_get_little_sympathy_.html

I’d like to know if you think this sort of disorder can be corrected.
# Ufoon 15 May 2012 at 5:50 am

Steve, I’m sure you’ll find this new interview interesting:

http://www.skeptiko.com/daryl-bem-responds-to-parapsychology-debunkers/

Ufo