FSM News & Articles
Forum calls for greater protection on claims from complementary medicines: “Imagine that you have been having sleeping problems, and so you head to your local chemist in the hopes of some quick relief. You see a few options, but one stands out. Melatonin… Unknown to you, the 6X on the label is homeopathic code for a dilution of 106, 1 part in 1,000,000. Thus, in each 400mg tablet, there is only 0.0004mg of melatonin, an amount that will have no therapeutic effect.”
Friend’s News & Articles
Ebola: science is making progress: After significant effort, science has developed both a safe and effective vaccine for Ebola, and two drugs that give Ebola victims a 90% survival rate. Yet another disease that is no longer a death sentence. And what has ‘natural’ or alternative medicine achieved? Advocates claimed that their modalities could help with outbreaks but were only successful in propagating the disease. The CDC has even had to issue this warning: “Since the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa, … (FDA) has seen and received consumer complaints about a variety of products claiming to either prevent the Ebola virus or treat the infection. … There are currently no FDA-approved vaccines or drugs to prevent or treat Ebola, and there are no known herbal treatments or other “natural” or “alternative” therapies that prevent or cure this disease.”
Chiropractors cracking backs of babies as young as four days old – top spinal surgeon warns parents of dangers: Videos have surfaced across the internet of chiropractors treating infants as young as four days old. Some chiropractors claim they can help cure asthma, ADHD, colic, bed-wetting, and even ear infections in children. It’s started an all-out war between trained medical practitioners and so-called cowboy chiropractors with controversial and dangerous views.
General
The ‘alternative cancer treatment’ used to prey on vulnerable Aussies: The word ‘cytoluminator’ seems like nonsense to me (or maybe an alternate term for a flow cytometer) but the ordinary person cannot distinguish medical fact from fiction and is vulnerable to such scams. If you aren’t sure if a treatment is a scam, ask your doctor or trusted medical professional.
Study of fluoride during pregnancy and children’s IQ raises questions but draws criticism: Just an Anomaly? What to Make of New Study on Fluoride and IQ. I find this a most disappointing study and happily toss it into the “axe to grind” pile of junk science. The investigators had obvious concerns about possible toxicity of fluoride and, hey, they found an effect! The article covers the problems with the design of this study but have not mentioned one of my objections, namely that IQ testing is highly problematic. I would like to see the stats showing the significance of a 4.5 difference in IQ based on the sample size. And why only boys? And yes, unfortunately, this will be jumped on by the alt-med crazies as proof positive there is a government plot to dumb us down; although why any government would do that to its citizens, I have no idea. I will just wait for the conspiricist backlash that will inevitably come in the comments.
Police visited clinic of ‘brain balancing’ B.C. chiropractor, court documents show: A “Functional neurology” chiropractor has been suspended. The College of Chiropractors of British Columbia has suspended Daniel Sullins pending completion of three investigations into his “brain balancing” chiropractic practice of “board certified functional neurology.” The College expressed concern that Sullins’ practice poses a real risk to the public. Sullins has advertised that he’s helped patients with conditions such as ADHD and childhood speech disorders that chiropractors in British Columbia are specifically banned from claiming to treat. [Lindsay B. ‘Brain balancing’ B.C. chiropractor suspended amid 3 investigations. CBC News. Jun 20, 2019] Sullins has filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court challenging the suspension. [Lindsay B. Police visited clinic of ‘brain balancing’ B.C. chiropractor, court documents show. CBC News. July 30, 2019].
Thanks to Science
Precision Medicine – Huge US government study to offer genetic counselling: Precision medicine is the use of personalised molecular or biological information to optimise treatment, and often requires vast amounts of genetic information. However, genetic tests can reveal unexpected or negative results that can impact participants and their families. In one of the largest studies of it’s kind, researchers are sequencing the genomes of and collecting data from 1 million individuals to help identify therapeutic targets and correlate genes to health. In a first for a study this large, participants will be provided with genetic counselling services that will help patient make sense of their results. Any genetic test carries ethical issues which can impact people’s lives – providing genetic counselling should be a standard of care for all genomic research studies and is the standard for medical genetics testing. Let’s hope this becomes the benchmark for how all genomics studies are conducted.
Today’s Abused Health Concept
Miracle cures – The FDA is literally warning people not to drink bleach now: Apparently people need to be warned that even if they tell you ‘It’s Natural’, drinking bleach is a really bad idea. Agencies like the FDA and the TGA exist to protect the public from the harm of incompetent scams like this.