Best of the blogs, November – on Science-Based Medicine, Jann Bellamy:
wrote “Goop and the Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Mark Hyman join forces for some functional medicine heavy metal fear mongering featuring bogus diagnostic testing and discredited treatments.”
Scott Gavura:
posted “Billions on herbal remedies – and for what?” “With herbal remedies, it’s all about the marketing, and the evidence is usually weak and occasionally nonexistent.”
published “IgG food intolerance tests continue to mislead consumers into unnecessary dietary restrictions.”
discussed whether DNA testing can predict your response to drugs. “DTC [direct-to-consumer] genetic testing is promising but, like many new medical technologies, the hype is outpacing the actual science, as the relevance of these tests, even when they are accurate, is often unclear.”
David Gorski:
wrote about a $105 million settlement for a patient whose “breast cancer progressed to incurable while being treated” by naturopath Robert O. Young, “who promotes what he calls ‘pH Miracle Living’.”
critiqued a New York Times article “asking if placebo effects are genetically determined.” “The evidence supporting this hypothesis, thus far at least, is underwhelming... this is new, interesting science. Unfortunately, it is being used for an ideological message in promotion of what can only be called quackery.”
in response to a challenge by a naturopathic oncologist, examined the work of his mentors. “Even ‘naturopathic oncologists,’ who seem to think of themselves as the most scientific and evidence-based of naturopaths, embrace rank quackery.”
Harriet Hall:
wrote “Jennifer Daniels says turpentine is the Fountain of Youth, able to cure many ailments, both real and imaginary. It isn’t; it’s a poison with no recognized benefits for human health.”
explained that “Neither leaky gut syndrome nor leaky brain syndrome are recognized by mainstream medicine. They are fantasies from alternative, complementary, integrative, and functional medicine.”
Joel Harrison:
wrote “Suzanne Humphries and Roman Bystrianyk’s book Dissolving Illusions make numerous egregious errors or deceptive statements about Polio.”
Clay Jones:
asked, “Does the color of kinesiology tape effect athletic performance or neuromuscular function?... The answer is pretty much what you would expect. No, it doesn’t.”
Braden MacBeth
discussed Afflicted, “a documentary following the lives and treatments of people ‘diagnosed’ with illnesses not recognized by science. Conversely, it could also be seen as a documentary illustrating the risks and harms of alternative medicine.”
Steven Novella:
wrote “Another outbreak, this time chicken pox, can be blamed on antivaxxers.”
On Respectful Insolence, “Orac”:
wrote “Belief in alternative cancer cures: We have a lot of work to do to combat quackery.”
posted “The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center shows us how to write a press release on integrative oncology.” “The first element is nearly always, a patient anecdote…Next up comes the argument from popularity…claim that the therapies being ‘integrated’ into medicine are rigorously science-based…there’s also the appeal to antiquity, as though just because a treatment is ancient there must be something to it…we finally get to the pitch for this integrative oncology program, what supposedly makes this program better than all the other programs out there integrating quackery with medicine…No such invocation of uniqueness is complete without citing an example of the institution’s own research…Then of course, there’s the part about ‘separating snake oil from science’…bring it on home with—of course!—another appeal to popularity…”
wrote five posts concerning antivaccination efforts. The Nov. 9 post was entitled “The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 was caused by an experimental vaccine? A conspiracy theory I hadn’t heard of before…” “How a dubious sheep study is being spun by antivaxers was the subject on Nov. 14. The Nov. 15 post dealt with harassment of Dr. Paul Offit and plans to disrupt a CDC Advisory Committee meeting. On Nov. 16 he discussed issues arising during well-baby visits. His Nov. 20 post concerned a chickenpox outbreak at a Waldorf school.
Edzard Ernst:
posted “Chiropractic = the area of (bogus) healthcare where pseudo-research keeps on coming.”
dealt with homeopathy in two posts. On Nov. 3 he criticized a homeopath for advertising treatment of asthma, which “risks the unnecessary, premature death of many patients.” The Nov. 26 post concerned a review showing once again that “homeopathy = placebo therapy.”
wrote “ Herbal medicines for the induction of labor? No, definitely not!”
discussed acupuncture in three posts. On Nov. 6, he complained of yet another useless study of acupuncture for dysmenorrhea, after there were already 42 poor quality trials. “It is high time to stop such redundant, foolish, wasteful and unethical pseudo-science.” The post on Nov. 12 concerned another useless study, comparing acupuncture to massage for back pain. His Nov. 24 post explained why claims for treatment of migraine are unconvincing.
posted a column by a British osteopath explaining flaws in his profession.
wrote “Integrative oncology is based on wishful thinking and lies.”
proposed a “slightly altered and much improved version” of integrative medicine.
discussed a review of traditional Chinese medicine for cancer. “The often-shown fact is that TCM studies from China are not reliable. They are almost invariably positive, their methodological quality is low, and they are frequently based on fabricated data.”
noted a study on dance therapy for fibromyalgia. “I don’t doubt that physical activity can ease pain, particularly, if combined with the often positive social interactions of dance. What is unclear to me is whether dance therapy generates results that are better than other forms of physical activity.”
November – Writing in Skeptical Inquirer, Harriet Hall discussed “Fake news about vaccine injuries.” “The antivaxxers are trying to create a ‘manufactroversy’ based on dumpster diving for data in VAERS [Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System] and other sources of misleading information.”
November – Shan and others reviewed herbal medicine for Parkinson’s Disease (Front Aging Neurosci. 2018 Nov 8;10:349 Paper). They wrote: “The findings of present study supported the complementary use of HM paratherapy for PD patients, whereas the question on the efficacy of HM monotherapy in alleviating PD symptoms is still open.”
November – Petersson and others reviewed the Mediterranean diet and fish oil supplements for rheumatoid arthritis (Autoimmun Rev. 2018 Nov;17(11):1105-14 Abstract). The authors noted that “Dietary interventions such as the MD and fish oil supplementation are important in RA but we advocate that they are used in conjunction (and not as a replacement) with other non-dietary interventions including appropriate pharmacotherapy where indicated. There remains considerable uncertainty around the therapeutic benefits of specific dietary manipulations and food supplementation…”
November – A review of milk thistle for liver disease (Abenavoli et al. Phytother Res. 2018 Nov;32(11):2202-13 Abstract) concluded “Overall, literature data suggest that, despite encouraging preclinical data, further well‐designed randomized clinical trials are needed to fully substantiate the real value of MT preparations in liver diseases.”
November – A review of acupuncture for weight loss (Kim et al. Obes Rev. 2018 Nov;19(11):1585-96 Paper) concluded that “Acupuncture plus lifestyle modification (LM) was more effective than LM alone…and sham acupuncture plus LM…, whereas acupuncture alone was not more effective than sham acupuncture alone and no treatment.” These results indicate that effects of acupuncture were largely or entirely placebo.
November – Cherniack and Govorushko reported on “The potential efficacy and safety of bee venom acupuncture in humans” (Toxicon. 2018 Nov;154:74-8 Abstract). They noted that “Thus far, bee venom acupuncture demonstrates greatest promise in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and Parkinson’s disease, but rigorously designed scientific trials remain to be performed.” “An important concern is the safety of bee venom. Bee venom can cause anaphylaxis, and several deaths have been reported in patients who successfully received the therapy prior to the adverse event.”
November – Dixit and others reported positive results for an herbal formulation for weight loss, LI85008F (Diabetes Obes Metab. 2018 Nov;20(11):2633-41 Abstract).
November – A review of complementary and alternative therapies for psoriasis (JAMA Dermatol. 2018 Nov 1;154(11):1330-7 Abstract) concluded that “The CAM therapies with the most robust evidence of efficacy for treatment of psoriasis are indigo naturalis, curcumin, dietary modification, fish oil, meditation, and acupuncture.”
November 1 – Schwarze and others reviewed acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer (JBRA Assist Reprod. 2018 Nov 1;22(4):363-8 Paper). They found that acupuncture actually decreased the rate of pregnancy.
November 1 – Benedetti and Macphail published “Chiropractors at a crossroads: The fight for evidence-based treatment and a profession’s reputation” in the Toronto Globe and Mail. “For more than a decade, Ontario’s regulator has been steered by 'vitalists’ who promote unscientific treatments for virtually any disease. Now a growing faction is urging change.”
November 2 – Agro and Grundig reported “'There is no validity': Unproven blood tests for food sensitivity widely offered in Canada.” “Dr. Douglas Mack, a pediatric allergy, asthma and immunology specialist, argues the results of an IgG test are an indication that you had exposure to the foods — not an intolerance of them…More than 25 leading health organizations from around the world have warned about the misinterpretation of IgG tests…”
November 7 – Knoepfler wrote “To report a sketchy stem cell clinic, a list of simple, concrete things to do.” “We can make a difference by pushing back on the worst clinics.”
November 7 – Offit wrote “What a vaccine scientist facing angry anti-vaxxers wishes he had said.”
November 9 – A review of “Herbs and spices in the treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders” (Fifi et al. Nutrients. 2018 Nov 9;10(11). pii: E1715 Paper) reported “We found little evidence for most of the commonly used herbs and spices… There is evidence to suggest the benefit of peppermint oil and STW 5 [a German combination of five herbs] for the treatment of FAPDs [functional abdominal pain disorders] in children.”
November 10 – Lee and others reviewed “Aromatherapy for managing pain in primary dysmenorrhea” (J Clin Med. 2018 Nov 10;7(11). pii: E434 Paper). They concluded “our systemic review provides a moderate level of evidence on the superiority of aromatherapy (inhalational, massage, or oral use) for pain reduction over placebo in primary dysmenorrhea.”
November 13 – The FDA warned StemGenex Biological Laboratories of illegally marketing an unapproved stem cell product Press release. “StemGenex illegally markets the SVF product to treat a variety of serious diseases and life-threatening conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease, Type I and Type II diabetes, fibromyalgia, spinal cord injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy and rheumatoid arthritis.”
November 13 – Lin and others reviewed “Moxibustion for alleviating side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy in people with cancer” (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Nov 13;11:CD010559 Abstract). They concluded “There is presently no good evidence to support or oppose the use of moxibustion in people receiving treatments for cancer.”
November 14 – Another Cochrane review concerned acupuncture for hypertension (Yang et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Nov 14;11:CD008821 Abstract). The review found “At present, there is no evidence for the sustained BP lowering effect of acupuncture that is required for the management of chronically elevated BP. The short‐term effects of acupuncture are uncertain due to the very low quality of evidence.”
November 19 – Homeopathic vaccines, or nosodes, cannot be useful because they contain little or no molecules of the original substances. Loeb and other demonstrated this in a test in which healthy volunteers received homeopathic vaccines, placebo, or conventional vaccines (Vaccine. 2018 Nov 19;36(48):7423-7429 Paper). The homeopathic vaccines and placebo did not produce an antibody response. Scott Gavura discussed the study on Science-Based Medicine.
November 20 – An article in The Niche was entitled “Several new investigations expose ‘snake oil’ stem cell clinics.” It noted four articles:
"‘Snake Oil’ Stem Cell Clinics Peddle False Hope for High Prices"
"Stem cell business booms, but state fails to regulate unproven, potentially harmful treatments. Hidden camera uncovers stem cell sales pitches.”
"Ads For Stem Cell Therapies Promise Relief that Patients Say They Didn’t Get"
"Goldstein Investigation: Is A Local Stem Cells ‘Expert’ Selling People False Hope?"
November 20 – “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today posted warning letters issued to two companies for the illegal marketing of products labeled as dietary supplements that contain tianeptine, a chemical compound that companies are illegally claiming treats opioid use disorder (OUD), pain and anxiety, and other unlawful and unproven claims. These actions follow reports to the FDA of serious adverse events associated with the use of products containing tianeptine.” Press release
November 27 – The Ninth Circuit affirmed a jury verdict in favor of homeopathic manufacturer Boiron in a class-action suit. The jury ignored scientific evidence that the remedy Oscillococcinum is merely a sugar pill with no active ingredients. “Orac” discussed the case on Respectful Insolence. The ruling is “a prime example of why scientists and doctors take a dim view of court rulings on science and medicine and why science and medicine are not decided by laws, courts, judges, or juries.”
November 27 – “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to purchase or use Rhino male enhancement products, due to a recent rise in reported health issues.” Press release The products “contain undeclared ingredients that are the same as or structurally similar to active ingredients found in FDA-approved prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction…they may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.”
November 30 – According to the American Heart Association, “Energy drinks, cramming for final exams could be unhealthy mix.” “Recent research shows just one energy drink can affect blood vessel function. And other studies have shown these caffeine-and-herbal concoctions can increase stress hormones and are linked to changes in blood pressure and the heart's electrical activity.”
Best of the blogs, December – on Science-Based Medicine, Jann Bellamy:
posted “Legislative Alchemy 2018: naturopathic licensing and practice expansion shutout?” and “Legislative Alchemy 2018: chiropractors rebranding as primary care physicians continues.”
Scott Gavura:
reported that a judge in New Brunswick has ruled that “naturopaths cannot claim that they are ‘medically trained’ or that they offer ‘family practice’.”
David Gorski:
discussed “Addressing the epidemic of antivaccine misinformation.”
reported that “The Medical Board of California is forming a task force to determine how to regulate physicians offering stem cell therapies.”
addressed functional medicine, which he said “preaches the ‘biochemical individuality’ of each patient, which is why one of its key features is that its practitioners order reams of useless lab tests and then try to correct every abnormal level without considering (or even knowing) what these abnormalities mean, if anything. So they make up fake diagnoses and profit.”
Harriet Hall:
wrote “Reader’s Digest is advertising a memory aid, Prevagen, that has been tested and shown not to work. Shame on them!”
reported that “A newspaper ad for BladderMax is disguised as a news story reporting ‘the end of bladder leakages.’ The information is inaccurate and the headlines are preposterous.” “If they are going to print these ads, the least they could do is not disguise them as fake news stories by fake reporters from fake news services.”
Clay Jones:
posted “ Lotus birth: No benefit, plenty of risk.” “The practice of refusing to cut the umbilical cord after delivery of a newborn has no benefit and risks serious infection.”
On Respectful Insolence, “Orac”:
dissected antivaccine claims of Brian Hooker.
posted “Rep.-Elect Mark Green: A new antivaccine crank goes to Congress.”
Edzard Ernst:
wrote “The common assumptions of alternative medicine are unmitigated nonsense.” He refuted these common claims: the treatments have a long history and have thus stood the ‘test of time,’ the treatments enjoy a lot of support, the treatments are natural and therefore safe, the treatments are holistic, the treatments tackle the root causes of the problem, the treatments are being suppressed by the establishment, the treatments are inexpensive and therefore value for money.
posted five articles concerning chiropractic: “The benefits of chiropractic X-rays do not outweigh the risks”; “Another serious complication after chiropractic manipulation; best to avoid neck manipulations altogether, I think”; “Chiropractors worry about the Spanish ‘Health Protection Plan against Pseudotherapies’”; “Royal College of Chiropractors: please allow me to revise your statement on safety?”; “Chiropractic manipulation and primary prevention. It’s time that chiropractors stop misleading the public in order to fill their pockets.”
discussed a paper on shiatsu for sleep after concussion: “more rubbish research from a rubbish journal [Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine] and an increasingly suspect publisher [Elsevier].”
proposed that a review of ginkgo biloba, suggesting that it could be useful for angina pectoris, could be dangerous. The reviewed papers are of poor quality and all originate from China, where “trials are highly unreliable.” Similarly, he was wary of a paper suggesting that acupressure could be used to treat diabetes.
commented favorably on a study indicating “Sauna bathing reduces cardiovascular disease mortality.”
posted three items concerning homeopathy: he critiqued articles claiming that homeopathy is “as effective as Ibuprofen for pain control” and could be useful for polycystic ovary syndrome and urticaria.
reported on a death after acupuncture due to pneumothorax.
wrote that “there is no evidence that deer antler has any health effects whatsoever.”
concluded that Laser Lipo is not likely to be “a solution for the obesity epidemic.”
posted “What is osteopathy?”
discussed a trial comparing yoga or low FODMAP diet [FODMAP = fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols] for irritable bowel syndrome. “Such trials only make sense, if one of the two treatments have been proven to be effective. This is, however, not the case.”
December – Cohen, Wen, and Gerona published “Prohibited Stimulants in Dietary Supplements After Enforcement Action by the US Food and Drug Administration” (JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Dec 1;178(12):1721-3 1st paragraph). They examined supplements three years after they had been charged by the FDA with containing prohibited stimulants. Most of them still contained one or more prohibited stimulant. The “study provides further evidence that a regulatory system that relies on postmarket enforcement activities is insufficient to ensure the safety of dietary supplements.”
December – An editorial by Cohen was entitled “Probiotic safety – no guarantees” (JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Dec 1;178(12):1577-8 1st paragraph). In addition to risks of infection, probiotics include “the potential to introduce new genes into consumers’ microbiomes. Of particular concern are genes that may confer antibiotic resistance…Until more data are available regarding the transfer of probiotic genes in humans, modern manufacturing techniques should be used to ensure that mobile resistance genes are not contained in the probiotics consumed by millions of people in the United States.”
December – Krajczy and others reported promising results using Kinesio taping in children with urinary incontinence (J Pediatr Urol. 2018 Dec;14(6):550.e1-e6 Abstract).
December – Effects of silymarin (milk thistle) supplementation on patients with type 2 diabetes were reviewed by Hadi et al. (Complement Ther Med. 2018 Dec;41:311-9 Abstract). “Our data suggest that silymarin supplements have beneficial effects on metabolic status and oxidative stress among patients with T2DM. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to make firm conclusions about the full efficacy of supplementation.”
December 2 – Chen and others reviewed acupuncture of treating opioid use disorder (Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Dec 2;2018:3724708 Paper). They concluded “Acupuncture could be effective in treating OUD. Moreover, EA [electroacupuncture] could effectively alleviate symptoms of craving for opioid and depression, and TEAS could be beneficial in improving symptoms of insomnia and anxiety. Nevertheless, the conclusions were limited due to the low-quality and small number of included studies.”
December 2 – Another acupuncture review concerned carpal tunnel syndrome (Choi et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Dec 2;12:CD011215 Abstract). The conclusion was that “Acupuncture and laser acupuncture may have little or no effect in the short term on symptoms of CTS in comparison with placebo or sham acupuncture.” For the long term, it is uncertain whether acupuncture is more or less effective than other treatments.
December 4 – A Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information Article reports that “The FTC has sued the sellers of ‘Nobetes’ about their advertising claims for a pill that would supposedly treat diabetes — and maybe even replace the need for prescription diabetes medication, like insulin. According to the FTC, these claims were false or misleading, and the sellers had no reliable, scientific evidence to back them up.”
December 5 – Stephen Barrett wrote “No Benefit Found for Chiropractic 'Preventive Maintenance'.”
December 6 – Chan and others reviewed “Traditional Chinese herbal medicine for vascular dementia” (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Dec 6;12:CD010284 Abstract). The authors concluded, “We found moderate‐ to very low‐quality evidence of benefit and harm of TCHMs for VaD…we are uncertain, and often very uncertain, about the accuracy of the results.”
December 11 – Another article by Dr. Barrett was entitled “A Skeptical Look at the Photon-Genius
and Its Marketing.” The item is “an infrared sauna device that has been claimed to be effective against the gamut of disease,” supposedly by affecting “vibrational frequencies and harmonic energy states” of cells. Other than possible temporary effects due to heating, the claims have no scientific backing.
December 16 – Warraich wrote “Dr. Google is a liar. Fake news threatens our democracy. Fake medical news threatens our lives.” “As is true with fake news in general, medical lies tend to spread further than truths on the internet — and they have very real repercussions.”
December 17 – A Cochrane review was entitled “Vitamin and mineral supplementation for maintaining cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in mid and late life” (Rutjes et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Dec 17;12:CD011906 Abstract). “We did not find evidence that any vitamin or mineral supplementation strategy for cognitively healthy adults in mid or late life has a meaningful effect on cognitive decline or dementia, although the evidence does not permit definitive conclusions…The only positive signals of effect came from studies of long‐term supplementation with antioxidant vitamins. These may be the most promising for further research.”
December 18 – Another Cochrane review dealt with acupuncture for symptomatic gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying) (Kim et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Dec 18;12:CD009676 Abstract). “Despite there being a small reported effect, we are uncertain about any benefit…due to the evidence being of very low certainty.”
December 26 – Stephen Barrett’s Quackwatch was discussed in an Article on DatingNews by Matthews.
December 28 – Hemsley and others reported “Systematic review of facilitated communication 2014–2018 finds no new evidence that messages delivered using facilitated communication are authored by the person with disability” (Autism & Developmental Language. 2018;3:1-8 Paper).
December 31 – Pruden wrote “Has Tim Caulfield become the Canadian nemesis of pseudoscience?” “Through the books and show, his own considerable social-media profile, and his academic work, Prof. Caulfield has become one of North America’s most high-profile skeptics, taking on the rising tide of pseudoscience and misinformation, particularly in regard to health and wellness as promoted by celebrity culture.”