Best of the blogs, January – on Science-Based Medicine, Jann Bellamy:
Discussed a report prepared for AARP concluding that “there is no convincing evidence to recommend dietary supplements for ‘brain health’ in adults 50 and over who do not have identified nutrient deficiencies.” Among the supplements getting negative reviews are apoaequorin (found in Prevagen), “coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), curcumin/turmeric, ginkgo biloba, coconut oil, and fish oil.”
Provided updates on state legislative efforts to expand the licensure and scope of alternative medicine: “Naturopaths gain licensure in two states, try for authority to grant vaccination medical exemptions”; “Chiropractors seek scope of practice expansion, including authority to prescribe drugs.”
Scott Gavura:
Discussed the concept of detox.
Harriet Hall:
Wrote that “The claims for an essential oil mixture, Vibrant Blue Parasympathetic, are devoid of science. They are a mixture of pseudoscience, misrepresentation, lies, and imagination.”
Discussed The Neil Riordan Center for Regenerative Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences. “I’m all for donating money, for rigorous medical research, and for finding non-opioid ways of treating pain; but I am not optimistic that this new clinic will contribute anything of value. There are a lot of red flags here; the two that particularly got my attention were ‘naturopathic medicine’ and ‘Neil Riordan’.”
Reviewed the BioCharger, “a ‘subtle energy’ device that promises to improve performance, recovery, energy, flexibility, sleep, and focus…The BioCharger is just another in a long list of quack energy medicine devices for diagnosis and treatment.”
Reported on a manifesto issued by the Spanish anti-pseudoscience organization APETP.
Steven Novella:
Wrote “The harm of antivaccine misinformation.”
Posted “Black cumin – be skeptical.” Black cumin, “also referred to as black seed, black caraway, black sesame, and other common names,” is “the seeds of the Nigella sativa plant, a traditional medicinal herb common in the Middle East and parts of Asia.” It “is alleged to treat or cure an implausibly wide range of unrelated conditions. It’s almost as if it works for everything, which is a very good reason to suspect that it more likely works for nothing…The clinical research is mostly preliminary, and again focusing on dozens of unrelated claims. Every single study I found was favorable, but was also not convincing due to methodological limitations. This is also a common feature of fringe treatments…For now, there is no evidence to support black cumin as an herbal product for any indication, and there are good reasons to be skeptical.”
On Respectful Insolence, “Orac”:
Had four posts concerning antivaccine efforts. The Jan. 15 post was “No, WHO scientists did not ‘question the safety of vaccines’ at the Global Vaccine Safety Summit.” On Jan. 24 he wrote “The annals of ‘I’m not antivaccine,’ part 29: ‘Vacciphilia’ and child grooming.” Two posts dealt with antivaccinationists blaming the coronavirus outbreak on flu vaccine or a failed coronavirus vaccine.
Wrote “the goop lab on Netflix: Selling quackery under the guise of female empowerment’.” Edzard Ernst also commented, in his post “Netflix, Goop, and quacks in our post-truth society.”
Complained of pseudoscientific claims about acupuncture promoted by the University of Colorado.
Published “doTERRA Center for Integrative Oncology: St. Elizabeth Healthcare sells out to an MLM company hawking essential oils.” “It is not a company that any reputable hospital, medical school, or medical center should ever affiliate with for anything, much less name a center after…whatever clinical trials and basic science studies dōTERRA might fund at St. Elizabeth, the Huntsman Cancer Center, and Roseman University are not really about the science. They’re about marketing, and medical centers, be they academic or private, that accept the funding are complicit in helping a dubious MLM company market its unproven products.”
Edzard Ernst:
Had four posts on homeopathy. The Jan. 9 post was “Homeopathy for chronic peridontitis? I have my doubts!” Jan. 13 was “Homeopathy: it’s time to stop the double standards.” On Jan. 17 he discussed a favorable review of homeopathy in a naturopathic magazine: “Homeopathy has greater effects than placebo – BUT ONLY IF YOU CHEAT QUITE HEAVILY.” The Jan. 22 post was “Homeopathics can replace antibiotics! Yes, some deluded homeopaths believe this, but that does not make it true.”
Reviewed alternative hangover cures.
Discussed neurolinguistic programming, a pseudoscientific technique being promoted by Prince Charles’ College of Medicine and Integrative Health.
Posted concerning Nasayam (nasal instillation) for “detox.”
Criticized a review supportive of acupuncture and acupressure for cancer pain. “Personally, I find the JAMA paper unimpressive to the point of being suspect. The more I study the details of the JAMA Oncology paper, the more I feel it might be worth a complaint to the editor with a view of initiating a thorough investigation and a possible retraction.”
Wrote “Craniosacral therapy is effective for treating chronic pain…but only if one completely ‘forgets’ to think critically.”
Posted “Are essential oils a con?” “As ancient and traditional as their use may be in certain cultures, the scientific reality is it’s too early to tell how effective essential oils are in treating the wide range of conditions they are theorized (and now, commonly advertised) to treat. But that’s not to say you shouldn’t use them, according to recommendations from your doctor. When considering the efficacy of essential oils, bear in mind that the act of self-care can be therapeutic in and of itself.”
January – In the January/February issue of Skeptical Inquirer, Harriet Hall’s column (pp. 19-21) dealt with smart pills, including Prevagen, Procera AVH, and piracetam. An article “Dubious Claims in Psychotherapy for Youth. Part I: Neurodevelopmental Issues” (Hupp et al., pp. 36-41) included discussions of craniosacral therapy, dolphin therapy, brain balancing, and dental devices for controlling tics.
January – Neunez, Goldman, and Ghezzi published “Online Information on Probiotics: Does It Match Scientific Evidence?” (Front Med (Lausanne). 2020 Jan 15;6:296 Paper). They noted that “significant numbers of claimed benefits of probiotics are not supported by scientific evidence.” Steven Novella discussed the paper on Science-Based Medicine. “Our understanding of the microbiome and the potential role of trying to alter it as a health intervention is still relatively early. We are in what I like to call the early hype phase of the science. We are discovering a lot of interesting information, with intriguing implications. But leveraging this information to improve health is proving to be horrifically complicated, and most of the early clinical trials are disappointing…Meanwhile, the concept of probiotics is now firmly established as a marketing tool. Just like routine vitamins, superfoods, herbal products, and organics – the industry has successfully created a health halo around the term. Regardless of how the science evolves, we are likely to see probiotic products as a permanent fixture in the supplement industry.”
January – Hawrelak and others reviewed “Western herbal medicines in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome” (Complement Ther Med. 2020 Jan;48:102233 Paper). They found that “A number of Western herbal medicines show promise in the treatment of IBS. With the exception of peppermint essential oil, Aloe vera, and asafoetida, however, none of the positive trials have been replicated. This lack of replication limits the capacity to make definitive statements of efficacy for these herbal medicines.”
January – Aziz and others reviewed “Effects of pomegranate on lipid profiles” (Complement Ther Med. 2020 Jan;48:102236 Paper). They concluded “Current evidence does not show pomegranate has significant effects on serum lipid levels.”
January – A review by Abdelhakim et al. (Complement Ther Med. 2020 Jan;48:102256 Paper) concluded that “Inhalation aromatherapy administration especially with lavender can significantly reduce anxiety, pain, and heart rate in patients performed cardiac surgery. However, it is not associated with significant differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.”
January – Jalali and others reviewed “The effects of curcumin supplementation on liver function, metabolic profile and body composition in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” (Complement Ther Med. 2020 Jan;48:102283 Paper). The concluded that “The current study revealed that curcumin supplementation has favorable effect on metabolic markers and anthropometric parameters in patients with NAFLD.”
January – Trofa and others published a two-part series on “The Evidence for Common Nonsurgical Modalities in Sports Medicine. “ Part 1 concerned “Kinesio Tape, Sports Massage Therapy, and Acupuncture” (J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2020 Jan 3;4(1). pii: e19.00104 Abstract). They concluded that “There is some low level evidence to suggest the use of Kinesio tape for athletes with acute shoulder symptoms and acupuncture for carpal tunnel syndrome and as an adjunct treatment for low back pain.” Further comments regarding kinesio taping were: “Although KT has been recently popularized and is widely used, there is a lack of convincing and well-designed evidence to support its use for musculoskeletal conditions.” Part 2 dealt with “Cupping and Blood Flow Restriction” (J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2020 Jan 3;4(1). pii: e19.00105 Abstract). It was concluded that “Cupping may be an effective option with low risk in treating nonspecific, musculoskeletal pain. However, “there is a paucity of research,” and “trials in the literature are not of high quality.”
January 6, 24, 28, 30 – Four articles criticized Gwyneth Paltrow’s Netflix series, “The Goop Lab,” and her goop company: Beth Mole of Ars Technica wrote “Goop’s Netflix trailer: Paltrow sinks into a vagina, spews pseudoscience.” Meghan Collie of Global News wrote “Experts fact-check health claims in Netflix’s ‘The Goop Lab’.” A story by truthinadvertising.org found that goop was violating a California court order by making unsubstantiated health claims. A story on BBC News was “Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop series on Netflix slammed by NHS chief.”
January 7 – Kelsey Osgood wrote “Chemotherapy truthers are the new anti-vaxxers.” They say “cancer is a naturally occurring phenomenon that people shouldn’t fear. They argue the disease can be treated with natural, ‘nontoxic’ methods that are suppressed by Western medicine.”
January 13 – Lesley McClurg reported on the kratom debate. While some users find it useful for pain relief, scientific evidence of effectiveness is lacking, and the FDA warns of danger of dependency or addiction.
January 16 – Truth in Advertising published “How Amazon promotes, profits from deceptively marketed brain supplements.”
January 28 – According to a review by Demortier and Leboeuf-Yde (Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 Jan 28;28(1):9 Paper), “Functional Neurology (FN), founded by FR Carrick, is an approach used by some chiropractors to treat a multitude of conditions via the nervous system including the brain…We found no acceptable evidence in favour of effect/benefit of the FN approach. We therefore do not recommend its promotion as an evidence-based method.”
January 30 – A Commentary by Hartvigsen and French (Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 Jan 30;28(1):4 Paper) summarized a series of papers on the theme “What is Chiropractic?” “Several papers in the series highlighted deeply rooted disagreements within chiropractic about fundamental issues pertaining to ideology, acceptance of scientific evidence as the basis for clinical practice and the future of chiropractic. If the chiropractic profession is to remain relevant in today’s evidence-based healthcare environment, there is an urgent for the profession to undertake further research to describe what chiropractic is, what chiropractors do, and provide evidence for the value of these activities to patients and healthcare decision makers.” Edzard Ernst commented: “So, what do we make of chiropractic in view of the fact that chiropractors seem to be unsure what it is? I let you decide.”
Best of the blogs, February – on Science-Based Medicine, Jann Bellamy:
Wrote “Legislative Alchemy 2019: Acupuncturists score Medicare coverage and scope of practice expansion.”
Posted “Quackademic medicine update: UC Irvine reneges on promise of scientific rigor.” “In 2017, UC Irvine promised that the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute would be ‘rigorously evidence-based.’ A recent review discovers plenty of pseudoscience.” “Orac” also wrote on Respectful Insolence. “Sadly, this appears to be the way healthcare is going: ‘integrating’ rank quackery with science-based medicine until patients (and even many doctors) won’t be able to tell the difference, and UC-Irvine is leading the way.”
Scott Gavura:
Wrote “’DNA-based’ personalized nutrition advice: Not ready for prime time.” “There is no robust evidence to date to show that personalized, ‘DNA-based’ or ‘microbiome-based’ nutritional recommendations give useful, actionable nutrition advice that actually improve health outcomes.”
David Gorski:
Refuted claims by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his antivaccine group Children’s Health Defense that vaccines and glyphosate are responsible for the obesity epidemic.
Harriet Hall:
Posted “Alternative medicine exploits coronavirus fears.”
Sam Homola:
Discussed the chiropractic Webster Technique. It is “one of the most nonsensical chiropractic techniques based on the scientifically indefensible chiropractic vertebral subluxation theory…a method of adjusting alleged sacral subluxations in order to prevent breech birth and to assure a normal delivery by facilitating ‘neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis’.”
Braden MacBeth
Posted on Chapman points, a pseudoscientific concept taught in osteopathic schools.
Steven Novella:
Wrote “New York Times Goop fail.” “A NYT opinion piece repeats all the common alternative medicine tropes in service to the further exploitation of women…Women are not empowered to take control of their health by misinforming them about the evidence, by denigrating science, or by selling them snake oil…” “Orac” also discussed the piece on Respectful Insolence. “Block and Albert are basically saying that if you don’t lay off the pseudoscience promoted by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, you’re treating women and their concerns about their bodies, emotional landscapes, and physiology with disrespect and a lack of humility. Sorry, I don’t buy that.”
On Respectful Insolence, “Orac”:
Had three posts concerning antivaccine efforts. On Feb. 13 he answered 35 questions posed by the Circle of Mamas website. The Feb. 19 post was “The latest attempt by the antivaccine movement to use religion to oppose school vaccine mandates.” Feb 27’s post was “No, eliminating religious exemptions to school vaccine mandates will not endanger immunosuppressed children.”
Edzard Ernst:
Had three posts related to coronavirus. The Feb. 14 post asked whether the virus could have spread from pangolins, used in traditional Chinese medicine. On Feb. 16 he discussed “useless and potentially dangerous propaganda for TCM from Chinese officials. The Feb. 19 post dealt with “Colloidal silver for coronavirus – as promoted by the televangelist Jim Bakker.”
Posted twice on chiropractic. The Feb. 5 post concerned a device called the Neurocalometer. The Feb. 20 post was “Manipulation-induced hypoalgesia: another chiro-myth busted.” This refers to a supposed reduction in pain sensitivity following spinal manipulation.
Discussed Thought Field Therapy, “a New Age psychotherapy dressed up in the garb of traditional Chinese medicine.” “I am not aware of a single trial that proves TFT to have effects beyond placebo…”
Wrote about Natalie Grams, a former German homeopath who has become a critic of homeopathy.
February – Floris and others wrote “Direct-to-Consumer Nutrigenetics Testing: An Overview” (Nutrients. 2020 Feb 21;12(2). pii: E566 Paper). The authors point out that “A nutritional genomic approach is reliable only for some conditions such as monogenic diseases—e.g., phenylketonuria and galactosemia (and many other similar diseases) - caused by alterations of a single gene product that can be specifically tested [19]. However, this is typically not the case for complex traits (i.e., obesity, vitamin levels) and diseases (i.e., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease), which result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors…when traits and diseases are only partially influenced by genetic factors and the heritability is low, the predictive ability of tests that consider only a single genetic variant will never be very accurate.” Furthermore, “for most companies it is difficult to understand exactly which genetic variants have been used to make predictions, and as a consequence it is very hard to interpret the reports and evaluate their scientific reliability.”
February – A review by Kuchakulla and others (Urology. 2020 Feb;136:133-141 Abstract) concluded that “Many male fertility supplements claim to improve fertility; however, their products are rarely backed by evidence and their efficacy remains unproven. Few ingredients used in popular fertility supplements have positive evidence in randomized clinical trials and should therefore be used cautiously.”
February – von Trott and others reviewed “Acupuncture for Breathlessness in Advanced Diseases” (J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020 Feb;59(2):327-338.e3 Abstract). They concluded that acupuncture did improve breathlessness severity. However, “The high level of heterogeneity of the included studies and the limited amount of studies did not provide rigorous evidence to allow recommendations on the use of acupuncture in this field.”
February – A review of tai chi for breast cancer patients was published by Liu and others (Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020 Feb;38:101078 Paper). They found that “Tai chi shows no improvement in fatigue compared with conventional supportive interventions, but it significantly relieves fatigue symptom for breast cancer patients when used with conventional supportive care interventions. Tai chi versus conventional supportive care interventions, and as an adjunct to conventional therapy is effective in improving QoL [quality of life] for breast cancer patients.”
February – Ziaei et al. reviewed “The efficacy of ginseng supplementation on plasma lipid concentration in adults” (Complement Ther Med. 2020 Jan;48:102239 Paper). Their finding was that “consumption of ginseng did not significantly change the concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). However, subgroup analyses showed a significant lowering effect in high dose ginseng supplementation on TC, LDL-C and TG. Also, the impact of ginseng on TC and TG was significant in long-term interventions.”
February – Zhang and others reviewed acupuncture for migraine prevention (Headache. 2020 Feb;60(2):309-317 Abstract). They concluded that “There is growing evidence that acupuncture is just as effective and has fewer side effects than many of the standard pharmaceutical agents that are currently used. However, the heterogeneity of the existing studies limits the effective comparison and analysis.”
February – Tabrizi et al. reviewed “The effects of resveratrol intake on weight loss” (Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2020;60(3):375-390 Abstract). “Overall, the current meta-analysis demonstrated that resveratrol intake significantly reduced weight, BMI [body mass index], WC [waist circumference] and fat mass, and significantly increased lean mass, but did not affect leptin and adiponectin levels.”
February 5 – The FDA issued a Public Health Alert concerning dietary supplements containing cesium salts “due to significant safety risks, including heart toxicity and potential death…Cesium salts, such as cesium chloride, are sometimes promoted as alternative treatments for cancer. Cesium salts have never been proven to be safe and effective to treat cancer or for any other use.”
February 5 – The FTC took action against ReJuvenation, an amino acid and herbal product that supposedly increases HGH levels and adds stem cells, counteracting the effects of aging.
February 7 – A Cochrane review examined “Acupuncture or acupressure for pain management during labour” (Smith et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Feb 7;2:CD009232 Paper). “Acupuncture may increase satisfaction with pain relief and reduce use of pharmacological pain relief. Acupressure may help relieve pain during labour, although the pain reduction may not be large. However, for other comparisons of acupuncture and acupressure, we are uncertain about the effects on pain intensity and satisfaction with pain relief due to very low‐certainty evidence. Acupuncture or acupressure may have little to no effect on assisted vaginal birth, but women having acupressure maybe less likely to need a caesarean section.”
February 7 – Another Cochrane review on acupuncture concerned glaucoma (Law, Wang, and Li. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Feb 7;2:CD006030 Paper). “Acupuncture may have a very small effect in reducing eye pressure, but the certainty of evidence is very low…At this time, it is impossible to draw reliable conclusions from available data to support the use of acupuncture for treatment of patients with glaucoma. Because of ethical considerations, RCTs [randomized controlled trials] comparing acupuncture alone with standard glaucoma treatment or placebo are unlikely to be justified in countries where the standard of care has already been established.”
February 11 – “The Federal Trade Commission sued two companies to stop them from continuing to deceive consumers with false claims that their pills are scientifically proven to alleviate joint pain by growing new bone and cartilage. The FTC filed a complaint against ZyCal Bioceuticals, that has marketed a line of joint pain relief products under the brand name Ostinol. The same complaint includes allegations against another company Excellent Marketing Results, Inc. (EMR), which marketed a pill called StimTein through infomercials and online. According to the FTC, the pills sold by both companies use the same active ingredient, Cyplexinol, and both companies claimed that their pills grow bone and cartilage, thereby providing relief from joint pain.” Cyplexinol appears to be partially hydrolyzed collagen complex.
February 15 – Oketch-Rabah and others published “United States Pharmacopeia (USP) comprehensive review of the hepatotoxicity of green tea extracts” (Toxicol Rep. 2020 Feb 15;7:386-402 Paper). “GTEs may contain hepatotoxic solvent residues, pesticide residues, pyrrolizidine alkaloids and elemental impurities, but no evidence of their involvement in GTE-induced liver injury was found during this review…Published adverse event case reports associate hepatotoxicity with EGCG intake amounts from 140 mg to ∼1000 mg/day and substantial inter-individual variability in susceptibility, possibly due to genetic factors. Based on these findings, USP included a cautionary labeling requirement in its Powdered Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract monograph that reads as follows: ‘Do not take on an empty stomach. Take with food. Do not use if you have a liver problem and discontinue use and consult a healthcare practitioner if you develop symptoms of liver trouble, such as abdominal pain, dark urine, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)’.”
February 26 – Quackwatch, Dr. Stephen Barrett’s collection of sites and articles, has joined the Center for Inquiry Press Release.
Additions to earlier pages
June 18, 2019 – Scott and others reviewed “Probiotics for preventing acute otitis media in children” (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Jun 18;6:CD012941 Paper). “Probiotics may prevent AOM in children not prone to AOM, but the inconsistency of the subgroup analyses suggests caution in interpreting these results.”
July 2019 – “Prebiotics and probiotics for depression and anxiety” were reviewed by Liu, Walsh, and Sheehan (Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019 Jul;102:13-23 Abstract). Prebiotics did not produce effects beyond placebo. “There is general support for antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of probiotics, but the pooled effects were reduced by the paucity of trials with clinical samples.”
August 2019 – Barbarawi and other published “Vitamin D Supplementation and Cardiovascular Disease Risks in More Than 83 000 Individuals in 21 Randomized Clinical Trials: A Meta-analysis” (JAMA Cardiol. 2019;4(8):765–76 Abstract). “…vitamin D supplementation was not associated with reduced major adverse cardiovascular events, individual CVD end points (myocardial infarction, stroke, CVD mortality), or all-cause mortality. The findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation does not confer cardiovascular protection and is not indicated for this purpose.” A commentary by Quyyumi and Mheid (JAMA Cardiol. 2019;4(8):776-7 First paragraph) noted that “Widespread fascination with vitamin D as a panacea for most illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), is responsible for nearly a 100-fold increase in vitamin D testing and oral supplementation over the last decade, largely in populations at low risk for vitamin D deficiency…The report by Barbarawi et al in this issue of JAMA Cardiology supports efforts aimed at curbing wasteful spending on vitamin D testing and treatment in populations not at risk for deficiency and/or for the purpose of preventing CVD morbidity and mortality.”
December 2019 – Abid and Koh wrote “Probiotics in health and disease: fooling Mother Nature?” (Infection. 2019 Dec;47(6):911-917 Abstract). “…evolving evidence suggests a potentially ‘harmful’ impact of many commercially available probiotics…We propose that caution be exercised prior to endorsements of their illness-directed consumption and rampant general usage…Gut microbiome, akin to fingerprints, is indigenous to an individual and ‘one size fits all’ prescription strategy should be discouraged until a more universally acceptable ‘favorable taxa’ or a ‘personalized probiotic,’ to complement an individual’s native microbiota, gets fashioned.”