NEW: "Responding to a burst of Reiki from Turkey." In 2024 thirteen clinical studies of Reiki by Turkish researchers were published. Here is how seven journals dealt with critiques of the studies.
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MARCH 2026 NEWS FEBRUARY 2026 NEWS JANUARY 2026 NEWS
APRIL, 2026
Featured topic: measles
AP: “Too young for the MMR shot, babies become ‘sitting ducks’ in measles outbreak.”
New York Times: “Measles took my daughter. This is what I want everyone to know.”
Bloomberg: “As measles takes toll on kids, anti-vaxxers have change of heart.”
New York Times: “Measles surge in South Carolina ends after sickening nearly 1,000.”
Featured topic: COVID vaccines
Edzard Ernst: “US officials are suppressing science in favour of anti-vaccine ideology.”
Washington Post: “CDC delays publishing report showing covid vaccine benefits.”
Washington Post: “CDC won’t publish report showing that covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits.”
Helio: “Physician publishes COVID vaccine study nixed by US official.
Featured topic: vaccines (other)
David Gorski (Science-Based Medicine): “Antivax tech bro Steve Kirsch uses AI to rediscover the Jock Doubleday challenge.”
Jonathan Howard (Science-Based Medicine: “The MAHA amnesia project.”
Paul Offit (Beyond the Noise): “How to be an effective anti-vaccine activist,” “The death of public health,” and “Collateral damage.”
New York Times: “H.H.S. takes a first step toward restoring vaccine advisory committee.”
Ars Technica: “After court loss, RFK Jr. gives himself more power over CDC vaccine panel.”
West Virginia Watch: “Federal appeals court upholds WV school vaccine law.” “Judges find law doesn’t violate First Amendment religious freedom.”
Ms.: “The White House’s medical misinformation is harming American children.”
Politico: “More Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it, POLITICO Poll finds.”
New York Times: “Kennedy shifts tone on vaccines in Congressional hearing.” Other stories were on NPR, NBC News, and The Guardian.
New York Times: “Trump to name doctor who has supported vaccines as C.D.C. director.”
Ars Technica: “Trump picks qualified, normal health leader to head CDC; experts still cautious.”
Gambit: “In surprise display of common sense, Louisiana Republicans kill anti-vaxx bill.”
Council on Foreign Relations: “Vaccine skepticism has risen in the U.S. – and in many other countries.”
Washington Post: “Annual flu vaccine no longer required for U.S. military, Hegseth says.”
Ars Technica: “RFK Jr.’s rejection of germ theory debunked in Senate hearing.”
New York Times: “Measles is back. What comes next will be worse.”
Washington Post: “CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show.”
FactCheck: “The persistent misleading claim that vaccines aren’t properly tested for safety.”
Ars Technica: “RFK Jr. appeals ruling that wiped out his vaccine advisory panel.”
CBS: “Florida house again rejects Gov. Ron DeSantis' AI, vaccine measures during special session.” The proposal would expand vaccine exemptions.
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy: “The state of U.S. vaccine policy – Apr 28, 2026.”
Featured topic: raw milk
Steven Novella (Science-Based Medicine): “More on raw milk.”
New York Times: “Drinking raw milk is risky. Should people be able to buy it anyway?” “Several states are considering bills that would expand access to unpasteurized milk.”
Washington Post: “This is a tale of two outbreaks. The difference is RFK Jr.” “These raw dairy E. coli outbreaks are exposing something troubling.”
Associated Press: “Takeaways from AP’s report on the push for raw milk intensifying.”
Featured topic: peptides
Edzard Ernst: “A new level of recklessness: RFK Jr.’s peptide crusade.”
ProPublica: “RFK Jr. may reverse a peptide ban he calls ‘illegal.’ Former FDA officials say he mischaracterized their work.”
Paul Knoepfler (The Niche): “Landmark federal indictment for pop peptides alleged ‘scheme’ even as RFK Jr. may soon un-ban some.”
AP: “FDA to weigh easing limits on unproven peptides favored by RFK Jr. and other MAHA figures.”
Health News Review: “Kennedy’s perplexing peptide passion.”
Featured topic: other political developments
David Gorski (Science-Based Medicine): “MAHA and science-based public health: can’t we all just get along?” and “KevinMD platforms criticism of MAHA by a 'functional medicine' practitioner.”
Edzard Ernst: “The damage Trump is inflicting on science and medicine is immeasurable” and “Want to stay healthy? Then, please, ignore the advice from Trump and his allies!”
New York Times: “CDC pauses testing for rabies and pox viruses.”
Paul Offit (Beyond the Noise): “RFK Jr.’s latest disservice to children with autism.”
AP: RFK Jr is launching a podcast to expose ‘lies’ that have made Americans sick.”
Health News Review: “RFK Jr. & Oz – ‘political theater’ on hospital food mandate.”
Los Angeles Times: “Trump administration promised 'gold standard science.' Scientists say they got fool’s gold.”
Science News: “Fluoride in U.S. drinking water does not reduce IQ, a new study finds.” The paper is Warren et al., PNAS 2026. 123(16):e2536005123.
New York Times: “The 'Make America Healthy Again' movement is cooling on Trump and Republicans.”
Jessica Knurick: “RFK Jr. asked for 'one piece of misinformation' he’s ever said. Here are 21.”
Genetic Literacy Project: “Doctors need nutrition classes? A physician unmasks another MAHA myth.”
Washington Post: “Trump drops embattled surgeon general pick Casey Means, announces new nominee.”
New York Times: “Trump withdraws nomination of Casey Means for surgeon general.”
Daily Kos: “Trump names Fox News quack to be nation’s top doctor.” [Nicole Saphier]
Featured topic: homeopathy
Edzard Ernst:
Richard Rasker: “A salty tale: homeopathic nanoparticles revisited once again.” “…Homeopathic nanoparticles are just nonsensical, pseudo-scientific nanobabble. They certainly don’t ‘explain’ homeopathy. If 30C or 200C or whatever diluted homeopathic preparations still contain traces of the original substances, then that is likely due to a flawed dilution process. This is infinitely more plausible than those hypothetical musings about elusive nanoparticles, highly variable (read: unreliable) transfer mechanisms and completely unexplained (and so far unobserved) effects on living organisms.”
“How accurate are Dana Ullman's articles?” The AI platform Gemini was used to analyze Ullman’s pro-homeopathy article concerning the 1918 flu epidemic. “I know, this is just one of his many nonsensical papers. But it nevertheless suggests that Dana puts in quite a lot of effort into misleading the public.”
“’Homeopathy and Homeopathic Products: Evaluation of Evidence on Their Efficacy and Safety’ by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Products.” The report “categorically concludes that there is no scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of homeopathy as a therapeutic tool. After a systematic review of scientific literature and evaluations by state agencies internationally, the report states that the observed effects are comparable to placebo… as the quality and rigor of clinical trials increase, the supposed effect of homeopathy diminishes until it disappears entirely. From a scientific standpoint, the principles of homeopathy clash with the laws of physics and current pharmacology…the AEMPS classifies theories like ‘water memory’—the belief that the liquid retains the properties of a substance even without its molecules—as empirically baseless postulates that challenge scientific and rational thinking…The conclusion of the report is firm: Given the lack of evidence of efficacy, homeopathy cannot be considered a valid therapeutic alternative, and its use must not lead to delaying or abandoning treatments proven to be effective.”
“Treatment of hemorrhoids with individualized homeopathy.” “Are we to believe that the authors were able to pull off 2 large almost identical studies within just 2 years?
“Homeopathy for tonsillitis?” “If I had to advise them on how to improve their review substantially, I would have suggested they re-phrase their conclusion. I am sure that something like this would have been much more adequate: Most of the included trials were positive yet, because of substantial heterogeneity and methodological limitations of the primary studies, the evidence collectively fails to show that individualised or non-individualised homeopathy are effective treatments for tonsillitis.”
Other topics
On Science-Based Medicine,
Jann Bellamy:
“Legislative alchemy: Licensing reflexologists and other practitioners of pseudoscience.” “State legislatures are considering bills that would legitimize pseudoscience like reflexology and reiki by recognizing their practitioners as health care professionals.”
Scott Gavura:
“Do our mitochondria need support?” “The question isn’t whether mitochondria are important. It’s whether they need any distinct ‘support.’ Until objective evidence for mitochondria support treatments demonstrate meaningful clinical benefits, ‘supporting your mitochondria’ will remains a marketing term, not a medical one.”
“Not mine.” A review of literature on chiropractic from last year.
David Gorski: ‘
“The myth of the magically powerful placebo returns.”
Steven Novella:
“PNAS publishes rank pseudoscience.” “The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published an article on acupuncture. It’s a highly credulous take that tries to convince the reader that acupuncture is more than just a highly theatrical placebo. Quackademic medicine continues apace.” Edzard Ernst also discussed the article. “In summary, the paper reads, I fear, only marginally better than a Chinese government promotional text – most disappointing for an article published in a journal of high standing. It attempts to preserve the cultural prestige of TCM [traditional Chinese medicine] while stripping it of its internal logic in order to make it compatible with science. For acupuncture to gain a true ‘scientific footing,’ research must, in my view, move beyond finding ‘tantalizing’ correlations. It should address fundamental problems, e.g.: As long as we have no convincing proof that acupuncture works beyond placebo, discussions about its mechanisms are futile. If qi, acupoints and meridians are illusions and irrelevant for the clinical outcome, then the science is not validating acupuncture but merely re-discovering a well-known non-specific form of peripheral nerve stimulation.”
Edzard Ernst:
“'Influencers' who make false health claims should get heavily fined.” “The recurring issues are usually: false or unsubstantiated health claims, disguised advertising, and promotion of products, targeting vulnerable audiences such as people with serious illnesses or parents of children.”
“A critical analysis of the Indian Ministry of AYUSH.” The acronym refers to Ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and homeopathy. “The Ministry of AYUSH has become the institutional vehicle for a ‘pluralistic’ health model that, in practice, functions as a state‑funded rejection of the scientific method. This constitutes a regression in public‑health governance rather than a progressive pluralism. Until the Ministry subjects its therapies to the same scrutiny as any other medicine, and until it accepts transparent, independent evaluations without recourse to political or cultural vindication, it will remain less a health body and more a department of cultural preservation and doctrine.”
“Pediatric vertebral artery dissection and ischemic stroke following chiropractic manipulation.” “The key messages about CCM for kids might be summarised in the following simple three facts: CCM has no true benefit for children. Thus the risk/benefit balance fails to be positive. Therefore we should discourage parents from taking their kids to see chiropractors.”
“The use of so-called alternative medicine in the management of breast cancer.” “The full text of this study is worth reading. It shows clearly that patients who use SCAM – even as an additional therapy – tend to skip some live-saving treatments. Why? Possibly because SCAM therapists persuade them that this is a good idea. I have personally seen this happening several times. It means that the SCAM might well be harmless, but the SCAM therapist is not! The list of investigations showing that SCAM is a risk factor for cancer patients undergoing oncological treatments is growing. The message for patients is important and clear: stay away from SCAM while receiving curative treatment. Later on, during the supportive or palliative phase of care, some forms of SCAM might be helpful for improving cancer patients’ quality of life.”
“When peer review took a holiday: The eCAM retraction scandal.” Hundreds of papers have been retracted by Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM). “Investigations had uncovered widespread manipulation of the publication process. A big part of the story involves ‘paper mills.’ These are businesses that will, for a fee, produce a scientific paper with your name on it. No inconvenient need for actual experiments or real data or the nuisance of writing. Using a mix of recycled material, fabricated results, and increasingly AI-generated texts, these outfits can churn out papers that look perfectly respectable, at least until someone reads them closely.”
“Who are the world’s greatest charlatans?” Ernst asked AI (Gemini) for the 10 biggest charlatans in alternative medicine. The results: Kevin Trudeau, “Dr. Sebi,” Andrew Wakefield, Belle Gibson, Joseph Mercola, Stanislaw Burzynski, Robert O. Young, Hulda Clark, Matthias Rath, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
“Reiki for cancer? No!” “On closer scrutiny, none of the RCTs was sufficiently rigorous to allow firm, positive conclusions. In other words, there is no good evidence and the conclusion that Reiki is beneficial for cancer patients is nonsense.”
“Integrating anthroposophical medicine (or other SCAM [so-called alternative medicine]) into healthcare?” “Anthroposophical treatments lack biological plausibility. Their perceived benefits are largely indistinguishable from context effects (such as placebo). Anthroposophical medicine might provide more time, empathy, and personal attention – factors that undoubtedly improve a patient’s well-being but do not validate the effectiveness of the specific remedies used.”
On McGill Office for Science and Society:
Jonathan Jarry:
“Can you warm up your body with your mind?” “Tummo meditation, which typically involves forceful breathing and imagining a flame rising to your head, can raise body temperature a little bit, according to limited scientific research. The large, often-quoted increase in temperature due to tummo meditation involves fingers and toes, and we know the practitioners will flex their hands and bury them in the crease of their pants, which explains the rise in temperature. Biofeedback has been tried to help people who regularly experience bad blood circulation in their fingers, but the evidence for its benefit is mixed. Wim Hof’s breathing method is alleged to help you withstand the cold, but its reliance on hyperventilating can make you pass out and drown.”
Joe Schwarcz:
“Berberine: Not exactly ‘Nature's Ozempic’ but not useless either” (video with transcript). “It certainly is not that, but it may be of some use as an adjuvant in the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer… There are generally no side effects with berberine but the compound in poorly absorbed so determining dosages is difficult.”
April - Wilson et al. “The efficacy and safety of cannabinoids for the treatment of mental disorders and substance use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis” Lancet Psychiatry. 2026 Apr;13(4):304-315. “There was some evidence that cannabinoids can reduce symptoms of cannabis use disorder, insomnia, tic or Tourette's syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder, but the quality of this evidence was generally low. Cannabinoids were associated with a greater risk of any adverse events but not of serious adverse events. Overall, there is a crucial need for more high-quality research. Given the scarcity of evidence, the routine use of cannabinoids for the treatment of mental disorders and SUDs is currently rarely justified.”
April – Gallagher et al. “NAD+ supplementation for anti-aging and wellness: A PRISMA-guided systematic review of preclinical and clinical evidence” (Ageing Res Rev. 2026 Apr;116:103057). “Overall, NAD⁺ augmentation shows clear biological activity, but clinical effectiveness for anti-aging or wellness outcomes remains inconclusive.” A related article by Katie Suleta (American Council on Science and Health) was entitled “ACSH explains: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD).” “While precursors like NR and NMN may raise blood NAD levels, the central question remains: does that translate into changes that improve human health? Until clinical trials demonstrate clear benefits and address concerns about cancer risk and long-term metabolic effects, enthusiasm should be tempered with restraint. For now, the case for supplementation remains suggestive, not settled. For those looking to optimize their health today, the most prudent path is to stick to the fundamentals (e.g., diet, exercise, sleep) and let clinical trials provide the answers before turning yourself into a human experiment.”
April 7 – Food and Drug Administration: “Hyaluronic acid products containing undeclared ingredients.” “FDA is advising consumers not to purchase or use certain products labeled to contain hyaluronic acid that are promoted and sold for pain relief on various websites and possibly in some retail stores. FDA laboratory testing confirmed these products contain hidden drug ingredients not listed on the product label. Using these products pose a serious risk to your health.”
April 13 – Federal Trade Commission: “FTC takes action against TruHeight for deceptive and unsubstantiated advertising of supposed height-enhancing supplements for kids and teens.” “Nevada-based Vanilla Chip LLC, which does business as TruHeight, and its two principals, Eden Stelmach and Justin Rapoport, have agreed to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s charges that they deceptively advertised the effectiveness of a range of supplements touted as supporting height growth in children and teenagers, and relied on reviews that were written by their own employees and vendors, or by consumers who were offered a free product or discount in return for writing a 5-star review.”
April 16 – Jerry Coyne (Why Evolution is True): “NBC and the NYT appear to be duped by a discredited technique: facilitated communication.” Reviews of the novel Upward Bound, purportedly written by a man with severe autism, failed to consider the evidence that facilitated communication is a scientifically discredited technique. A related story was “The scandal of Woody Brown’s Upward Bound,” by Stuart Vyse (Skeptical Inquirer). “The greatest insult of this story has been perpetrated on Woody Brown himself. This young man was brought on the Today Show to mark Autism Acceptance Month, and yet, in a cruel irony, everything about this case suggests that his true nature was not acceptable to his parents. He has been required to perform a pantomime in service of an appealing fantasy. Worse yet, like all victims of facilitated communication, he has endured years of useless tapping on letter boards that could have been spent in more appropriate instruction. Rather than learning to live as independently as possible, Woody remains dependent on his mother.”
April 20 – Andrea Javor (New York Times): “Does dry needling really relieve pain?” “At the end of the day, dry needling is relatively safe and effective at loosening muscles and easing pain in the short term. Some patients swear by the therapy, though it’s probably no more effective than other treatments, and it may not address the underlying causes of pain.”
April 20 – Dani Blum (New York Times): “Influencers are spinning nicotine as a ‘natural health’ hack.” Nicotine, sold as patches, gums, lozenges, and pouches, is being promoted for cognitive function, longevity, prevention of Parkinson’s, productivity, and “male function.” Evidence for these claims is lacking. While it can increase alertness, “over time, users can also build up a tolerance to nicotine and become addicted…Nicotine can also increase blood pressure and heart rate, which could, over time, raise the risk of heart disease; the compound may also harden the walls of the arteries in the heart, which can lead to heart attacks.”
April 23 – John Gregory (NewsGuard): “A healthcare company promotes a questionable study to sell an unproven cancer treatment - Possibly getting around advertising restrictions.” “The Wellness Company is running ads on conservative websites and influential X accounts promoting a study that concluded that one of the company’s products, a pill combining ivermectin and mebendazole, has been shown to be an effective treatment for cancer. What is not said in those sponsored posts is that the study is far from a peer-reviewed scientific study. Instead, it is an online survey of Wellness Company customers self-reporting the supposed benefits of the drugs, a method that experts say cannot prove the treatment actually works against cancer.”
April 27 – Teddy Rosenbluth (New York Times): “Facebook has a health scam problem.” “A new report found hundreds of thousands of scam ads for medical products, some of which were illegal or had been deemed dangerous.”
April 29 – Gretchen Reynolds (Washington Post): “A cheap drug used by longevity enthusiasts may have a surprising impact on exercise.” A new study found that rapamycin may reduce the benefits of exercise.
Additions to previous months
March 26 – Sarah Kliff and Azeen Ghorayshi (New York Times): “Two states sue cord blood banks over false advertisements.” “The company, Cord Blood Registry, houses more than a million samples of umbilical cords in Tucson, Ariz., charging families thousands of dollars in fees. CBR claims on its website that keeping those cells on ice is a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ because they have the ‘potential to treat 80+ conditions.’ That claim and others are false, according to a lawsuit filed by the attorney general of Texas last month and a similar one out of Arizona last year. Modern medicine has little use for privately banked cord blood…Doctors rarely use cord blood anymore, thanks to advances that have made it easier to transplant adult stem cells.”
March 26 – Towers et al., “Increases in kratom-related reports to poison centers — National Poison Data System, United States, 2015–2025” (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2026 Mar 26;75(11):139-145). “Analysis of 2015–2025 National Poison Data System data found an increase of approximately 1,200% in kratom-related exposure reports (from 258 to 3,434), including a marked surge in 2025.” As noted in Consumer Health Digest, “In the U.S., kratom has shifted from traditional preparations to a rapidly expanding commercial market of kratom powders, tablets, gummies, and concentrated energy shots. Products marketed as kratom in the U.S. include high-potency preparations enriched with isolated kratom alkaloids, particularly 7-OH (also known as 7-hydroxymitragynine).”