November – A Column in Scientific American (November, 2015, pp. 28-29) by Shell was entitled “Overreaction: Many Children are Wrongly Diagnosed with Food Allergies Because of Inaccurate Tests.” “Common skin-prick tests…produce signs of irritation 50 to 60 percent of the time even when the person is not actually allergic...And you end up with a lot of people scared to eat foods that would do them no harm.”
November 2 – A review by Lee, Chan, and Fan entitled “Stimulation of the Wrist Acupuncture Point PC6 for Preventing Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting” (Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., CD003281 (2015) Abstract). Acupuncture appeared to be beneficial compared to sham treatment, but was not superior to medication.
November 8 – As noted in Consumer Health Digest, the Hormone Health Network “has issued five fact sheets intended to counter hormone-related myths.” “ʻAdrenal fatigue’ is not a real medical condition.” “Male menopause” is a myth. Two hormones (human growth hormone and DHEA) are marketed as “fountain of youth” hormones. The former must be injected to have effects, so dietary supplements are useless. Benefits of DHEA “have not been proven,” and its use presents significant risks. The hCG Diet is based on human chorionic gonadotropin. As with growth hormone, hCG must be injected to have effects. There is no evidence that these two hormones are beneficial in weight loss, and there are important risks. “Wilson’s temperature syndrome” “— a supposed thyroid hormone deficiency that is not supported by science —describes common symptoms that many people experience.” (This should not be confused with Wilson’s disease, a real medical condition.)
November 9 – William London provided a Report on the convention of the Cancer Control Society. The focus of the article was on the continuing education credits that could be earned by nurses and dentists for unscientific approaches. “It’s disgraceful that the pernicious nonsense promoted by the Cancer Control Society, especially from its most dubiously qualified speakers, could be allowed to count for continuing education units for any type of health professional.”
November 9 – A revised article by P. Heilbroner, entitled “Why ‘Sensory Integration Disorder’ is a Dubious Diagnosis,” was posted on Quackwatch. “…the prevailing medical opinion is that SID does not meet the usual standards required to qualify as a diagnosis.” For children, “’sensory symptoms’ are a nonspecific indicator of neurodevelopmental immaturity rather than a distinct disorder.” Treatments offered for SID are not supported by evidence of effectiveness.
November 12 – A review of the use of acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation gave only a weak recommendation, due to the poor quality of the evidence (Xin et al., Sci. Rep. 5, 16582 (2015) Paper).
November 17 – As described in an Article by Flynn, “Seven federal agencies, led by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), have announced joint civil and criminal actions against more than 100 makers and marketers of potentially dangerous dietary supplements, which one official compared to modern-day versions of ‘“snake oil salesman and medical quacks.’” Many of the products were claimed to be “natural,” but in fact contained synthetic chemicals. Some ingredients were also unsafe. In addition, the product OxyElite Pro, thought to cause liver damage, continued to be sold even after its producer promised to stop distribution. A Post by Novella also discussed the developments.
November 26 – The James Randi Foundation has posted a free Course, with YouTube videos and a companion course guide, entitled “Science Based Medicine,” by Harriet Hall, M.D. The ten lectures are entitled: Science-Based Medicine vs. Evidence-Based Medicine; What Is CAM?; Chiropractic; Acupuncture; Homeopathy; Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine; Energy Medicine; Miscellaneous “Alternatives”; Pitfalls in Research; and Science-Based Medicine in the Media and Politics.
December – Forbes and others published a review and meta-analysis on the effects of nutrients, dietary supplements, and vitamins on cognition (Can. Geriatr. J. 18, 231-245 (2015) Paper). The authors concluded that “Omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and vitamin E supplementation did not affect cognition in non-demented middle-aged and older adults.”
December – A review by Sin and Chow concluded that “music therapy, in general, was effective in reducing pain intensity, fatigue, anxiety, and analgesic consumption in gynecological patients during the postoperative period” (Pain Manag. Nurs. 16, 978-987 (2015) Abstract).
December – Leach and Page reviewed the use of herbal medicine for insomnia (Sleep Med. Rev. 24, 1-12 (2015) Abstract). The concluded that “There was no statistically significant difference between any herbal medicine and placebo, or any herbal medicine and active control, for any of the thirteen measures of clinical efficacy.”
December 1 – McIver and others reported that the “Risk of Type 2 Diabetes is Lower in US Adults Taking Chromium-Containing Supplements” (J. Nutr. 145, 2675-2682 (2015) Abstract).
December 2 – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted "Picamilon in Dietary Supplements." “Picamilon is used as a prescription drug in Russia for a variety of neurological conditions. It is not approved as a drug in the U.S.” The FDA issued warning letters to five companies, noting that products containing picamilon “are misbranded because picamilon does not meet the statutory definition of a dietary supplement.”
December 7 – Shilton and others addressed the proposal that cervical lordosis (curvature of the spine in the neck region) was related to non-specific neck pain and can be treated by spinal manipulation (Chiropr. Man. Ther. 23, 33 (2015) Paper). The authors found no difference in lordosis in patients with neck pain compared to controls, and no difference in lordosis after four weeks of manipulation.
December 8 – The Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) has been discussed several times in these news pages. H. Hall provided a summary of some of the critiques in her article in Science-Based Medicine, “Misinterpreting TACT: No, Chelation Does Not Outperform Statins for Heart Disease.”
December 13 – S. Barrett published “A Skeptical View of RealTime Laboratories and Its President, Dennis Hooper, M.D.” on Quackwatch [revised June 6, 2016]. The laboratory’s “flagship test is a Mycotoxin Panel which reports the levels of three mold-produced substances in urine specimens…However, the prevailing medical opinion is that urine mycotoxin testing has no valid medical use.”
December 16 – Chung and others reviewed “Effectiveness of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Cancer Palliative Care” (Sci. Rep. 5, 18111 (2015) Paper). The authors concluded that “Evidence indicated that CHM could be considered as an option for improving quality of life among patients receiving palliative care. It is unclear if CHM may increase survival, or reduce therapy related toxicities.”
December 18 – A. Fasano published "Five Myths About Gluten." While people with celiac disease and some other allergic conditions should avoid gluten, grains containing gluten “are safe for most people…a gluten-free diet is not a naturally healthier diet.”
December 19 – Goldenberg and others reviewed “Probiotics for the Prevention of Pediatric Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea” (Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., CD004827 (2015) Abstract). Two particular strains were found to be of value in preventing diarrhea. However, it was cautioned that the use of probiotics should be avoided for children with certain risk factors.
December 31 – S. Gavura critiqued the concept of "Detoxing." There is no need for such alleged products and services, since the body normally removes harmful chemicals; when this is insufficient, “real detoxification is provided in hospitals under life-threatening circumstances…Detox kits and treatments never name the toxins that they remove, because they’ve never been shown to remove toxins.” Some “detox” treatments can cause serious side effects.
Addition to Earlier Months
June, 2015 – Nutrition in Clinical Practice (30, 446-449 (2015) Extract) presented “Supplements for Weight Loss: Hype of Help for Obesity? Part III.” Ephedra is illegal in the U.S. and dangerous; “Avoid it at all costs.” Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (green tea extract) can cause liver damage and is not recommended as a supplement. Fenugreek may help in blood sugar control but there is little evidence that it is useful for weight loss. There is some evidence in support of psyillium, and also for glucomannan (derived from konjac root), but here the evidence is weaker. Fish oil also has some evidence, but “not enough for a strong recommendation.” There is some evidence in support of the use of hydroxycitrate, found in Garcinia cambogia. Results with ginseng were inconclusive and it is not recommended. Guar gum was found not to produce weight loss.
July, 2015 – Boe and Vangsness reviewed the use of fish oil for osteoarthritis (Am. J. Orthop. 44, 302-305 (2015) Paper). They concluded that “there appears to be insufficient clinical evidence to justify use of fish oils in the treatment or prevention of OA.”
July, 2015 – A study of more than 34,000 postmenopausal women followed for nearly six years found that supplementation with calcium plus vitamin D “does not influence menopause-related symptoms” (LeBlanc et al., Maturitas 81, 377-383 (2015) Paper).
July, 2015 – A review of probiotics for weight loss indicated no significant benefits, though the poor quality of the studies to date indicated that more rigorous trials are needed (Park and Bae, Nutr. Res. 35, 566-576 (2015) Abstract).
July 10, 2015 – Another review of probiotics dealt with glycemic control (Ruan et al., PLoS One 10, 0132121 (2015) Paper). The authors concluded that “probiotic consumption may improve glycemic control modestly.”