NOVEMBER 2024 NEWS

Featured topic: presidential appointments

On Science-Based Medicine,

David Gorski posted:

“Donald Trump won. Now what for science-based federal health policy?” “The next four years will be a disaster for science-based health policy and programs. The only question is: How bad?”
“RFK Jr. vs. the NIH: Say goodbye to the greatest engine of biomedical research ever created.”
“Antivaxxers, grifters, and quacks: RFK Jr.’s MAHA takes over federal health agencies.” Mehmet Oz, Dave Weldon, Marty Makary, and Janette Nesheiwat are discussed.

Jonathan Howard posted:

“If RFK Jr. turns the CDC Into an anti-vaxx propaganda outfit, I don’t want to hear a peep from some ‘respectable’ doctors.” “Any doctor who is unabashedly pro-vaccine has already spoken up about the normalization of anti-vaxx quackery within our ranks.”
“Robert Kennedy Jr. & his doctor friends may just be getting started.” “Doctors who are concerned about members of our profession enabling powerful anti-vaxx disinformation agents should speak up before it’s too late. But its probably too late already.”
“If you sanewashed RFK Jr., or if you sanewashed doctors who did, you own the next 4 years.” “When RFK Jr. does to the U.S. what he did to Samoa, doctors will say they are horrified, that they love vaccines, blah blah blah. But it will be too late.”
“What does it mean to own the next 4 years?” “It means pertussis and measles outbreaks will be happening under your watch and you’ll be held responsible while your boss is an anti-vaxx crank.”
“Any doctor who enabled RFK Jr. in any way is anti-vaccine no matter how they describe themselves.”
“ZDoggMD on RFK Jr.’s rise: ‘I’m talking about like these Science Based Medicine guys.” “Dr. Zubin Damania praised and promoted RFK Jr.-loving doctors. We criticized these doctors and corrected their factual errors.”

Allison Neitzel posted:

“Bhattacharya for the CDC?” “The Stanford health economist turned right-wing pandemic star could help take down academia and scientific institutions in a second Trump administration.”

Steven Novella posted:

“Some data on fluoride” “RFK Jr.’s recommendations are not based on the best science available. They are based on conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, and fearmongering. I guess that is what we can expect from the next four years. Buckle up.”

On Respectful Insolence, “Orac” posted:

“RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary will be a catastrophe for public health and medical research.” “President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated antivax activist, conspiracy theorist, and all around crank Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services… The next four years will be a disaster for science-based health policy and programs. The only question is: How bad? Again, my thought is: Plenty bad, man, and I haven’t even talked about RFK Jr.’s plans for the NIH yet.”
“A self-proclaimed EBM expert rushes to kiss RFK Jr.’s conspiracy-spewing posterior.” “He claims to be a ‘not antivax’ expert in evidence-based medicine, but COVID-19 contrarian Dr. Vinay Prasad sure seems eager to kiss antivax conspiracy monger Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s posterior—and embrace his MAHA agenda.”

Edzard Ernst posted:

“The 'The International Chiropractors Association' congratulated Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on his selection as ‘Secretary of Health and Human Services’.” “Perhaps I am permitted to contrast this with some health-related truths about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr…”
“Donald Trump nominated SCAM [so-called alternative medicine] promoter, Mehmet Oz, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).”
“Is Janette Nesheiwat, Donald Trump’s new Surgeon General, a snake-oil sales-woman?” “Dr. Nesheiwat might have forgotten one or two not-so-unimportant details: If you eat a healthy diet, you don’t need vitamins. If you do need vitamins, you can buy them cheaper elsewhere. These vitamins do not boost your immune system. Boosting the immune system could actually do a lot of harm to the many people suffering from auto-immune diseases. But never mind, we can nevertheless be confident that Dr. Nesheiwat will bring great joy to the US supplement industry. I am less confident, however, that she did public health a great service when, in her role as a regular ‘Fox News’ commentator, she warned that wearing face masks during the pandemic exposed consumers to toxic substances linked to seizures and cancer.”

On McGill Office for Science and Society:

Jonathan Jarry posted:

“Kennedy's coalition of quacks wants to feed America a diet of lies.” “In Washington, wellness influencers and contrarians are auditioning to institutionalize pseudoscience in Trump’s White House…Most of the people in this room, who are poised to influence American politics in the next year, have books to sell, companies to benefit from, and sponsorship deals to negotiate for their podcasts.”
“Bhattacharya to decide the fate of medical research.” “With Trump’s nomination of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to head the NIH, health research’s purse strings will be in the hands of a pandemic denier.”

Joe Schwarcz posted:

“The fluoride controversy.” “Coming to a conclusion about the risks and benefits of water fluoridation can be challenging. The key is to follow the science.”
“The reincarnation of the Dr. Oz Show and other ‘miracles’.” “Not being a psychic, I can’t predict what kind of job Oz will do, but anyone with such an impressive history as a cardiac surgeon has to have pretty good mental machinery. I hope it hasn’t become too clogged up with his subsequent dallying with folly on the Dr. Oz Show, which required him to be more of an entertainer at the expense of sacrificing critical thinking.”

November 11 - NewsGuard “has identified 96 different provably false narratives, dating to 2016, that have been advanced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the anti-vaccine nonprofit he founded, Children’s Health Defense.”

November 12 - Christina Jewett wrote “Kennedy’s F.D.A. wish list: raw milk, stem cells, heavy metals.” The article also discussed hydroxychloroquine and chelation therapy.

November 14 – Andrea Love posted “RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary will be catastrophic for science & public health.

If this man who has spent forty years eroding trust in science and public health is installed in this role, there may truly be no turning back.” In another article, she wrote “RFK JR. can’t champion healthy food while spreading agriculture myths he fabricated.”

November 14 – Arthur Allen wrote “Scientists fear what’s next for public health if RFK Jr. is allowed to ‘go wild’.” “Should Kennedy win Senate confirmation, his critics say a radical antiestablishment medical movement with roots in past centuries would take power, threatening the achievements of a science-based public health order painstakingly built since World War II.”

November 15 – Jocelyn Kaiser and Meredith Wadman published “Prospect of RFK Jr. as head of HHS panics many in medical science community.” “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vowed radical change including scrutinizing long-standing vaccines and slashing staff at research and regulatory agencies.”

November 15 – Josh Bloom wrote “12 questions for RFK Jr.” “The announcement that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was chosen to possibly be the next head of HHS raises many questions about his suitability for the job, especially given some of his controversial beliefs.”

November 18 – A Statement from American Public Health Association Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin was entitled “America deserves better than RFK Jr.” “To effectively lead our nation’s top health agency, a candidate should have the proper training, management skills, temperament and the trust of the public. Unfortunately, Mr. Kennedy fails on all fronts…Kennedy’s past statements and views on vaccines alone should disqualify him from consideration.”

November 20 – Fenit Neurappil wrote “RFK Jr. wants fluoride out of drinking water. Oregon shows what’s coming.”

November 20 - Dani Blum, Emily Schmall and Nina Agrawal wrote “Dr. Oz, tapped to run Medicare, has a record of promoting health misinformation.” “The heart surgeon turned TV star has championed healthy lifestyle habits. But he’s also promoted sham diet pills and ineffective Covid-19 treatments.”

November 24 – Lena Sun and others wrote “Trump health picks largely untested in fighting disease outbreaks.” “They have questioned vaccines and other interventions overseen by the health agencies they have been tapped to lead.”

November 27 – Miles Klee wrote “Dr. Oz spends Thanksgiving shilling supplements from company he invests in.” “Nominated by Trump to oversee Medicare and Medicaid, the celebrity doctor continues to peddle dubious health products.”

November 30 - Selam Gebrekidan and others wrote “How Kennedy has worked abroad to weaken global public health policy.” “The health secretary pick and his organization have worked around the world to undermine longstanding policies on measles, AIDS and more.”

Other topics

On Science-Based Medicine,

Mark Crislip:

Posted “A new D.C. degree. What the world needs now.” The University of Pittsburgh plans to train chiropractors beginning in 2025. “There are 60,000 unneeded chiropractors in the US, with 2500 added to the workforce every year. Three years from now, they will add 40 more. Are they going to have jobs, since they can only legitimately care for acute low back pain. Income? They will start out at $50,000 a year and reach a top pay of $90,000 a year…Can you actually reach those numbers as a rigorous, evidence-based ie chiropractic-free DC? Or will the graduates go down the rat holes of subluxations, spinal maintenance, anti-vaccination, and other SCAMs that permeate the profession today?”

Scott Gavura:

Wrote “#Oatzempic – the viral oat-based alternative to Ozempic?” “Bottom line? Oatzempic isn’t the worst dietary trend to emerge from TikTok. But trendy meal replacements and fasting may not support long-term weight loss goals. Oats are a healthy food that can be incorporated into a nutritious diet. But you don’t need to blend them with lime juice into a slurry to reap the benefits. Porridge is delicious. Combine that with some fibre-rich fruit, and maybe some protein, and you’ve got a much more appetizing (and potentially sustainable) breakfast habit.”

Steven Novella:

Discussed “Physician misinformation.” “When physicians spread medical misinformation, the potential harm to health is far greater than their direct patient care. And yet, in a recent study, medical boards rarely discipline physicians for spreading misinformation.” The Paper is: Saver RS. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(11):e2443893.

Edzard Ernst:

Posted “Homeopathy for rheumatological diseases: complete nonsense masquerading as a systematic review.” “This paper amounts to an insult of its readership! Not only is it badly written but also [and more importantly] it is missing almost everything that makes a systematic review. Despite this the authors claim that it ‘adhered to PRISMA standards.’ This is certainly not true. Amongst the missing items, the most important ones are probably the evaluation of the methodological quality of the included primary studies as well as a critical assessment of the evidence…In my view, the authors (from Brasil and Israel) and peer-reviewers of this paper should be ashamed of such shoddy work and the editors of the journal publishing this nonsense should withdraw the paper asap.”
Discussed “Politically correct bullshit about Rongoa Maori, the Indigenous healing practices of New Zealand’s Māori.” “A ‘healing system’ – no matter what its origin or tradition might be – does not need to be adopted into current healthcare because it is ‘holistic’ or because it ‘acknowledges the complex interplay of cultural values’. It must be considered for integration once it has been shown to be effective and safe, i.e. if it demonstrably generates more good than harm. And has Rongoā Māori been shown to fulfill these criteria? No! In this case, please do the research.”
Posted “The anti-depressive effects of warm footbaths versus those of reflexology.” “What I am trying to explain is this: the placebo effect associated with a footbath is bound to be smaller than that of reflexology. And the minimal difference in outcomes (9.5 versus 8.9 on a scale ranging from 0 to 63) observed in this study are likely to be unrelated to reflexology itself – most probably, they are due to placebo responses. So, what would you prefer, a footbath that is straight forwardly agreeable, or a treatment like reflexology that generates slightly better effects due to placebo and expectation but indoctrinates you with all sorts of pseudoscientific nonsense that undermines rational thinking about your health?”
Wrote “The efficacy of homeopathic medicines in acute pharyngitis… more homeopathic BS from India.” “This study cannot possibly assess the ‘efficacy of homeopathic medicines’. Its design does simply not allow this. The results are to be expected due to the natural history of the condition and say nothing about the ‘efficacy’ of the interventions.”
Discussed his own review which asked “Are osteopathic manipulations superior to sham or placebo for neck-pain or low-back pain?” “…it is fair to say, I think, that OMT [osteopathic manipulative treatment] is not nearly as solidly supported by reliable evidence as most osteopaths try to make us believe. In essence, this means that, if you suffer from NP or LBP, you best consult a proper doctor or physiotherapist.”
Posted “Another dodgy SCAM [so-called alternative medicine] paper has been retracted - here is some advice on how to avoid such calamities.” The paper dealt with acupuncture for low back and/or pelvic pain during pregnancy. “I am delighted that this misleading paper is now officially discredited. Yet, I do have some concerns: why does it take 2 years to identify something as fraudulent rubbish, when it took me all of ~30 minutes?”
Wrote “The 'Bavarian homeopathy study' has been aborted.” “The notion that a definitive test of homeopathy is needed seems to beset German governments from time to time…Perhaps, one day, even politicians will understand that, on the scientific level, the discussion about homeopathy is now well and truly over, and that no more money needs to be wasted on it?”
Discussed his own review of dry needling for orofacial pain. “We concluded that DN cannot be considered as an effective treatment option for OFP.” The paper is Kuzdzal et al. Pain Rep. 2024 Nov 20;9(6):e1208 Paper.
Wrote “King Charles's doctor: If homeopathy helps patients, what’s the problem?” “A physician’s duty is not primarily to please the patient. His/her duty foremost is to behave responsibly and to treat patients in the most effective way. And this includes, in a case where the patient feels to have benefitted from a useless or dangerous treatment, to inform the patient about the current best evidence.”

On McGill Office for Science and Society:

Jonathan Jarry:

Posted “Linoleic acid is neither villain nor superhero.” “Take-home message: Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid found in nuts and in vegetable oils, and our consumption has increased dramatically in the last 100 years in the West. There is good evidence that linoleic acid does not cause chronic inflammation and that it is good for the health of our heart and blood vessels. The full impact of linoleic acid on our health is not yet known, and while scientists can’t agree on what the optimal amount should be in our diet, a common recommendation is 100 to 200 calories from linoleic acid in a 2,000-calorie diet, which is in keeping with the average consumption in the United States.”

Daniela Padres:

Wrote “Nutrafol: a holy grail for hair loss or an overpriced supplement?” “So while the preliminary results suggest Nutrafol may be able to help with hair loss, there is still a lot of testing and verification that is required before it can be considered a holy grail for hair growth.”

November – In Skeptical Inquirer, Edzard Ernst discussed “The harm of so-called alternative medicine.” Harms can be caused by: the therapy, diagnostic techniques, the practitioner, the SCAM [so-called alternative medicine] industry, poor research, and ideology. “The value of any treatment is not determined by either the harm or the benefit it generates; it depends crucially on the balance between the harms and the benefits it can produce. As the benefits of SCAM are often only marginal or entirely absent, even relatively minor risks count heavily. It follows that the risk-benefit balance of much of SCAM fails to be positive.”

November 1 – An increase in reactive oxygen species may be helpful for adaptation of muscles during athletic training, but have negative effects for performance. Larsen (Free Radic Biol Med. 2024 Nov 1;224:301-309 Paper) reviewed effects of acute antioxidant supplements on performance and recovery. “In conclusion, it seems as if the different antioxidants review in this paper, does not have a major effect on performance or recovery, when oral supplemented acutely to highly trained participants. When looking into less trained participants there seems to be an effect of both recovery as well as performance, when using some of the antioxidant mentioned.”

November 7 – As noted in Consumer Health Digest, “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sending more than $536,000 in refunds to 56,686 consumers who bought Sobrenix, a supplement marketed by Rejuvica using unsupported claims it could reduce and even eliminate alcohol cravings and consumption” Press release.

November 12 – Emily Schmall wrote “Many kids’ melatonin supplements don’t contain the doses they claim.” “A new study by F.D.A. scientists found that some products contained more than six times the amount on the label.” The paper is: Pawar et al. Drug Test Anal. 2024 Oct 31. Epub ahead of print Abstract.

November 25 – Beth Mole wrote “Raw milk recalled for containing bird flu virus, California reports.” “One more reason drinking raw milk is a bad idea.”

Addition to previous month

October 19 – Alyce Collins wrote “Surgeon who beat cancer 3 times debunks alternative therapies – ‘No evidence’.” Juice cleanse, vegan diet, supplements, carnivore diet, cannabis oil, and fasting or low-calorie diets were discussed.

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