Featured topic: coronavirus pseudoscience
On Science-Based Medicine, Jann Bellamy wrote:
“Chinese government recommends bear bile for COVID-19.”
“NewsGuard identifies social media 'super-spreaders' of COVID-19 misinformation.”
Scott Gavura wrote
“Smoking and COVID.” “There is no question that cigarette smoking causes lung damage, and it kills millions per year. Whether or not nicotine has any beneficial effects on COVID is a related but distinct question that is now under investigation, using nicotine replacement (patches) to study the question.
“An incomplete list of COVID-19 quackery.”
David Gorski posted:
“COVID-19: Out-of-control science and bypassing science-based medicine.”
“Plandemic: Judy Mikovits and the mother of all COVID-19 conspiracy theories,” and a followup, “Plandemic: Judy Mikovits and the mother of all COVID-19 conspiracy theories (some final thoughts).” Additional information was provided in his post on Respectful Insolence, “What Plandemic left out about Judy Mikovits’ wild conspiracy mongering.”
“Medical conspiracy theories and COVID-19.”
“Antivaxxers launch a preemptive disinformation war against a COVID-19 vaccine that doesn’t yet exist.”
David Weinberg wrote “Hydroxychloroquine, retinal toxicity, and COVID-19.”
On Respectful Insolence, “Orac” posted:
“Remdesivir: Gilead wins with unimpressive results announced by press release.” “If remdesivir is now the ‘standard of care’ for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, it now becomes unethical to randomize them to a placebo group testing ANY new drug for COVID-19. Trials will now have to compare remdesivir alone to remdesivir plus experimental drug. We’ll probably never know now for sure if remdesivir is truly effective against COVID-19.”
“The latest COVID-19 quackery: Intravenous bleach.”
“The cult of hydroxychloroquine versus dangerous arrhythmias.”
“Operation Warp Speed: Are we rushing COVID-19 vaccine development?”
Edzard Ernst posted:
“The power of all religions is being tested in a study with severely ill corona-virus patients.”
“Covid-Organics, the remedy that ‘can change the history of the entire world’.” The herbal tea, made from artemisia and other plants, is being promoted by the president of Madagascar.
“Is this the crown of the Corona-idiocy? Nosodes In prevention and management of COVID -19.” Nosodes (homeopathic vaccines) are being promoted in India.
“Students of chiropractic condemn the ‘unacceptable behaviour’ of some chiropractors and their professional organisations.” “An international team of students of chiropractic have published a paper protesting against those chiropractors and chiropractic organisations that claim their treatments boost the immune system and thus protect the public from the corona-virus infection” (Plener et al. Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 May 13;28(1):26 Paper). “Now that the students have realised that the immunity claim is bogus, it would be only a small step to realise that so many other claims chiropractors make on a daily basis are false as well.”
“Against the pseudoscientific claim that chiropractic care boosts immunity,” in which he commented on a statement from more than 150 members of the chiropractic research community (Côté et al. Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 May 4;28(1):21 Paper). The paper refuted claims by the International Chiropractic Association: “In their reports, the ICA provided no valid clinical scientific evidence that chiropractic care can impact the immune system.” Ernst added, “may I encourage the authors to carry on their good work and do similar assessments of the rest of the hundreds of false claims made by so many of their colleagues day-in, day-out?” Stephen Barrett posted a related article on Quackwatch, “Chiropractors sparring over immune-boosting claims.”
“COVID-19 advice from ‘Homeopathy International’.” “These people clearly violate their own code of ethics in more than one way: they do not behave morally, they do not offer the best standard of treatment, they lack the competence to advise the public about the current pandemic.”
“Vitamin D for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19?” “…it is perhaps worth reminding consumers that an excess of vitamin D will lead to a condition called hypervitaminosis D…It can lead to serious complication, including permanent kidney damage.”
May 1 – Rowland wrote “Government researchers changed metric to measure coronavirus drug remdesivir during clinical trial.” (See also Respectful Insolence item above.)
May 4 – A Statement from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa stated that WHO “welcomes innovations around the world including repurposing drugs, traditional medicines and developing new therapies in the search for potential treatments for COVID-19.” However, “caution must be taken against misinformation, especially on social media, about the effectiveness of certain remedies. Many plants and substances are being proposed without the minimum requirements and evidence of quality, safety and efficacy. The use of products to treat COVID-19, which have not been robustly investigated can put people in danger, giving a false sense of security and distracting them from hand washing and physical distancing which are cardinal in COVID-19 prevention, and may also increase self-medication and the risk to patient safety.” Edzard Ernst discussed the statement, noting that “While this message – mostly directed towards Africa – seems very clear and reasonable, it is, at the same time, prone to be misunderstood.”
May 8 – Enserink and Cohn published “Fact-checking Judy Mikovits, the controversial virologist attacking Anthony Fauci in a viral conspiracy video.”
May 12 – Sayare profiled Didier Raoult in “He was a science star. Then he promoted a questionable cure for Covid-19.” “Orac” provided additional comments on Respectful Insolence. He noted that the profile did not mention “examples of data fabrication by scientists in Raoult’s group.”
May 12 – Gusterson wrote “COVID-19 and the turn to magical thinking.”
May 13 – On the Nature site, Ball wrote “Anti-vaccine movement might undermine pandemic efforts.” “Studies of social networks show that opposition to vaccines is small but far-reaching — and growing.”
May 13 – Radford posted “COVID-19 pseudoauthorities” on the Center for Inquiry site.
May 13 – Roose wrote “Get ready for a vaccine information war.” “Social media is already filling up with misinformation about a Covid-19 vaccine, months or years before one even exists.” “Orac” discussed the article on Respectful Insolence. “One thing’s for sure. Whenever a COVID-19 vaccine is finally approved, there will be a disinformation campaign launched by antivaxxers the likes of which we’ve never seen before.”
May 14 – A paper by Li and others reported that “Over one-quarter of the most viewed YouTube videos on COVID-19 contained misleading information, reaching millions of viewers worldwide” (BMJ Global Health 2020;5:e002604 Paper). Edzard Ernst discussed the paper. “It explains not only the proliferation of conspiracy theories related to the pandemic, but also the plethora of useless SCAM [so-called alternative medicine] options that are being touted endangering the public.”
May 15 – Ecker wrote “Coronavirus, ‘Plandemic’ and the seven traits of conspiratorial thinking.” “Understanding and revealing the techniques of conspiracy theorists is key to inoculating yourself and others from being misled, especially when we are most vulnerable: in times of crises and uncertainty.”
May 16 – Margolin posted “Feds warn of attacks related to bogus COVID-19 conspiracy theory.” The idea that the 5G cellular network is linked to the pandemic is leading to attacks on the infrastructure.
Other topics
Best of the blogs, May – on Science-Based Medicine, Harriet Hall:
Discussed Neuriva, a dietary supplement containing coffee cherry extract and phosphatidylserine. It is alleged to improve brain performance. “Despite the advertising claims, Neuriva has not been properly tested in a controlled clinical study. So we have no way of knowing if it is safe and effective. My guess is probably not.”
Reviewed Edzard Ernst’s new book, “Don't Believe What You Think: Arguments for and Against SCAM” [so-called alternative medicine]. The book “provides a concise course in critical thinking as well as a wealth of good science-based information to counter the widespread misinformation about SCAM.”
Reviewed “The Magnesium Miracle,” by Carolyn Dean. “The book is not a scientific treatise; it is a poorly organized, biased screed and an infomercial for the author’s products…I do think there are things to be learned about magnesium; but we can’t hope to learn them here.”
Steven Novella:
Wrote “MMR is safe and effective.” “A recently updated Cochrane systematic review of the safety and effectiveness of the MMR vaccine is a good time, therefore, to emphasize that antivaxxers have been wrong about the MMR vaccine for over two decades.” The review (Di Pietrantonj et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Apr 20;4(4):CD004407 Paper) included data from more than 23 million participants.
Discussed “Herbal products and pregnancy.” “Herbs need to be thought of for what they are – unregulated, poorly studied drugs with largely unknown properties. Further, they are marketed with health claims that are not substantiated by research. In fact, they are often marketed with claims that have already been shows not to be true…woman who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or may be pregnant, should exercise extreme caution when it comes to any herb, supplement, extreme diet, or alleged ‘superfood.’ Taking large amounts of anything should be avoided. The risk vs benefit analysis is pretty clear – there is potential risk, and no proven benefit.”
On Respectful Insolence, “Orac”:
Posted “Brian Hooker and Neil Z. Miller publish another terrible 'vaxxed/unvaxxed' study.”
Edzard Ernst:
Noted a new study of Bach Flower Remedies for dental anxiety that gave positive results. “I find these findings most puzzling (like all BFRs, Rescue Remedies do not contain a single active molecule that could explain them) and strongly recommend that we wait until we have an independent replication before accepting these results as trustworthy.”
Asked “Why does nobody stop Boiron USA misleading the public?” (Boiron is the “world’s largest manufacturer of homeopathic remedies.”) “All of these advertisements make claims that are bogus, unethical, and potentially harmful for many consumers. How can this be legal? Should there not be some sort of consumer protection?”
Discussed a study (Söderström et al. Ups J Med Sci. 2020 May 2;1-10 Paper) concluding that “Dietary Supplements Do Not Increase Survival in Malnourished Adults.” “The findings of this trial seem perhaps counter-intuitive and they contradict the current Cochrane review on the subject. I nevertheless feel that this is an interesting, rigorous and important study.”
Wrote “Homeopathy is not effective for psychiatric disorders – a new systematic review and meta-analysis.” The review is Rotella et al. J Clin Psychopharmacol. May/Jun 2020;40(3):269-75 Abstract.
Posted “Acupuncture for chronic pain: an important up-date.” He provided the main findings related to acupuncture from a new Update from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality review of nonpharmacological treatment of chronic pain. These found little or no benefit from acupuncture for a variety of types of pain. “I find this interesting, especially if we consider that chronic pain is THE domain for acupuncture (as practised in the West). It shows that, contrary to what so many enthusiasts try to tell us, the evidence for acupuncture is very weak. It also demonstrates that, contrary to what some sceptics assume, the evidence is not totally negative.”
Provided excerpts on spinal manipulation from the same AHRQ review noted above. “…some chiropractors treating chronic pain claim they practice Evidence-based medicine. This review seems to disclose this claim as bogus. What chiropractors do practice on virtually all patients is spinal manipulation which generates more harm than it produces benefit.”
May – In her column in Skeptical Inquirer, Harriet Hall discussed “Applied Kinesiology and Other Chiropractic Delusions.” “Kinesiology is the scientific study of movement. Applied kinesiology is a bogus muscle-testing technique most commonly used by chiropractors but also by some other health care practitioners. It is neither scientific nor valid but instead based on a delusion.”
May – Two reviews dealt with acupressure. Godley and Smith looked at chronic low back pain (Complement Ther Clin Pract. 39:101146 Abstract) and concluded “Acupressure is a feasible, effective, safe, low cost nonpharmacologic method to treat CLBP.” Najafi and Xiao-Nong examined pain reduction during labor (Complement Ther Clin Pract. 39:101126 Paper). They concluded that “Acupressure can provide significant pain relief during first stage of labour. However, further clinical trials with standardized intervention procedures are required for the creation of evidence-based guidelines.”
May 5 – Villarruz-Sulit and others published an updated Cochrane review of chelation therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;5(5):CD002785 Abstract). “There is currently insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of chelation therapy in improving clinical outcomes of people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease…Overall, this review did not find any clear differences between people treated with chelation and people given the control, for the outcomes we evaluated. None of the outcomes included more than two studies, therefore it is difficult at this time to determine if these are true findings or just because there is not enough data. Further high‐quality trials that focus on clinical outcomes are necessary.”
May 10 – Askarpour and others reviewed “Effect of fenugreek supplementation on blood lipids and body weight” (J Ethnopharmacol. 2020;253:112538 Abstract). “Fenugreek supplementation improved lipid parameters in adults. However, to confirm these results, more studies, particularly among hyperlipidemic patients, are needed.”
May 13 – On Device Watch, Stephen Barrett published “A skeptical look at the Healy 'bioresonance' device.” “Healy devices are claimed to help a wide spectrum of health problems. Their use is based on notions that may sound scientific but lack real scientific support.”
May 18 – On Quackwatch, Stephen Barrett posted “Facebook should do more to combat vaccine misinformation.”
May 20 – Stuart Vyse wrote “Of eye movements and autism: the latest chapter in a continuing controversy” for Skeptical Inquirer. He critiqued a study of rapid prompting method, also known as spelling to communicate, a technique similar to the discredited facilitated communication. Vyse points out that the study did not include simple steps that would eliminate authorship by the assistant rather than by the participant.
Additions to previous months
April, 2019 – A meta-analysis by Wu and others (J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019 Apr;67(4):749-58 Abstract) concluded that “Mind‐body exercises, especially tai chi and dance mind‐body exercise, are beneficial for improving global cognition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, verbal fluency, and learning in cognitively intact or impaired older adults.”
May, 2019 – Honvo et al. published “Efficacy of Chondroitin Sulfate in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Exploring Inconsistencies in Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trials” (Adv Ther. 2019;36(5):1085‐1099 Paper). “This new meta-analysis suggests that CS provides a moderate benefit for pain and has a large effect on function in knee OA, however with large inconsistency. The risks of bias, brand and study size were the factors explaining heterogeneity among the clinical trial results.”
November 4, 2019 – Chen and others reviewed isoflavone supplements for menopausal women (Nutrients. 2019 Nov 4;11(11):2649 Paper). “We found that isoflavones reduce hot flashes even accounting for placebo effect, attenuate lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) loss, show beneficial effects on systolic blood pressure during early menopause, and improve glycemic control in vitro. There are currently no conclusive benefits of isoflavones on urogenital symptoms and cognition. Due to the lack of standardized research protocols including isoflavone component and dosage, outcomes, and trial duration, it is difficult to reach a conclusion at this point in time. Despite these limitations, the evidence thus far favors the use of isoflavones due to their safety profile and benefit to overall health.”
February, 2020 – A review of acupuncture and acupressure for cancer pain (He et al. JAMA Oncol. 2020 Feb;6(2):271-8 Paper) concluded that “acupuncture and/or acupressure was significantly associated with reduced cancer pain and decreased use of analgesics, although the evidence level was moderate.”