Is a diet comprised solely of meat good for you? I think you know the answer. I have been watching the National Geographic series of documentaries Life Below Zero, which features individuals who live (often alone) in harsh conditions in the Alaskan wilderness. They are self-sufficient, providing their own water, heat, shelter, and food. They harvest
Balm of Gilead was mentioned in the Bible, but we don’t know what was in it. It is supposed to relieve pain, but we don’t know if it is effective; there are no controlled studies. I have been watching the National Geographic series Life Below Zero which profiles people who live off the grid in Alaska, often
There are lots of testimonials from people who say they lost weight with GOLO, but its effectiveness is not supported by any scientific evidence. Advertisements for GOLO seem to be everywhere. They feature people who were unable to lose weight until they tried GOLO. The testimonials are enthusiastic and feature before-and-after pictures of people who
The advice to breathe “in through the nose, out through the mouth” appears to be based on superstition rather than science. Nose breathing is preferable. Breathing is automatic. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide without having to think about it. But many people tell us we should think about it. Breathwork includes many different
Medicare is paying for nonsense. I recently wrote about the free preventive medicine appointments offered by Medicare. Those are worthwhile and are based on good science, but I was surprised to see that Medicare sometimes departs from rigorously science-based standards. They also cover alternative medicine treatments based on fantasy. Chiropractic According to Medicare.gov: Medicare Part B (Medical
Medicare offers free preventive medicine visits for those over 65: the Welcome to Medicare visit and the Annual Wellness Visit. Increased awareness of these benefits would improve health care, save taxpayer money, and reduce inequities of preventive medicine care for underserved populations. Welcome to Medicare The Welcome to Medicare visit was established in 2005. It
Are you one of the 10 percent of Americans who report being allergic to penicillin? Did you know that less than 1 percent of the population are truly allergic? Did you know that 80 percent of people with true IgE-mediated penicillin allergy lose their sensitivity after ten years? Did you realize that “the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics
Tomasz Witkowski has written another book filled with skepticism and critical thinking. Tomasz Witkowski is a Polish psychologist and skeptic (founder of the Polish Skeptics Club) who is well known for pointing out the lack of scientific evidence behind most of what psychologists do. I have reviewed three of his previous books Psychology Gone Wrong: The
Most of what Steven Gundry says in his book The Plant Paradox is demonstrably wrong. There is no science-based reason to avoid lectins. A correspondent asked me to review a book by Steven Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in “Healthy” Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain. I intended to reserve judgment and just look into
The Bobath approach, also known as Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) is widely used for cerebral palsy and stroke rehabilitation, but it’s not supported by good evidence. In the US, the Bobath Concept is known as Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT). Patients with cerebral palsy, stroke, and other central nervous system pathology have dysfunction in posture and movement resulting
