Companies come and go, but the claims remain the same, that you can (insert claim) with (insert product) without any evidence. A new company offering magical footpads are just putting new wine in old bottles. In an ideal world, rational people would stop believing false claims that had been conclusively debunked. Ours is not a
Navage is a machine that uses salt water to rinse out the sinuses, allegedly alleviating the causes of congestion, allergies, colds, and more. The evidence for their claims is lacking. Navage airs its TV commercials with annoying frequency. They say: Pandemics remind us that germs invade through your nose, the body’s natural air filter for
Does a toothpaste provide “next level” fluoride technology that you need to use every day? You know the answer. The commercial keeps airing on TV with annoying frequency. She’s a dentist, she wears a white coat, and viewers are expected to assume she is offering good advice. I find her voice irritating, but that would be
On November 16, 2021 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had authorized marketing of EaseVRx, which they described as “a prescription-use immersive virtual reality (VR) system that uses cognitive behavioral therapy and other behavioral methods to help with pain reduction in patients 18 years of age and older with diagnosed chronic lower
Joe Namath is promoting Medicare Advantage Plans on TV. Some of what he says is misleading. Here’s the rest of the story. You’ve probably seen those Medicare Advantage commercials on TV featuring Joe Namath. I had been annoyed by them for a long time and assumed there was more to the story than what he was
The AMA urges us to promote health equity by adding progressive political language to what were once simple statements of fact. The American Medical Association has just released Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts. Jesse Singal has been tweeting about it, calling it “a strange document that calls for doctors to insert
This book is a handy reference that explains what happens when you visit the Emergency Department and provides tips on how you can handle some problems at home. I was asked to review this new book: Your Inside Guide to the Emergency Department and How to Prevent Having to Go, by Fred Voon, MD, a Canadian
The Blue Zones where people live longer may be a myth. The Blue Zone Diet is based on speculation, not solid science. The so-called Blue Zones are geographical locations where people are said to live longer than elsewhere. These include Sardinia, Okinawa, Loma Linda (California), the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, and Icaria, Greece. They
Some doctors are offering laser therapy for “vaginal rejuvenation”. It is no more effective than placebo, can cause harm, and is very expensive. After menopause, the absence of estrogen may cause a number of symptoms. About half of women develop vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA). The lack of estrogen causes thinning and fragility of the vulvar and
Craig Good’s new book explains that all food is good and urges us to relax and enjoy rather than worrying and feeling guilty. Good advice, indeed! And solidly based on science. Craig Good has written a Good book, published by Very Good Books, with Good advice about eating. The title is Relax and Enjoy Your Food:
