FSM Friends’ News and Articles
To win the fight against health and wellness bunk, we must leave the post-truth era in the past: Fighting misinformation spread through social media can lead to people becoming entrenched in their views, which can lead to the view that correcting false and misleading statements is a futile task. But it turns out that leaving alternative facts unchallenged is worse, leaving the stage to those peddling misinformation. No matter how demoralising it may seem to be, we need to continue to fight the good fight. Not by attacking the purveyors of misinformation, but by correcting falsehoods and providing accurate factual information.
General
No evidence that vitamin D prevents COVID-19 say experts: Another analysis showed Vitamin D has no impact on COVID-19. However, health authorities encourage people to consider Vitamin D supplementation during lockdown as this can decrease regular sun exposure.
Great Moments in Health and Science
The modern Caesarean Section: When performed in at-risk cases, the caesarean section is one of the only operations able to save two lives.
Today’s Abused Health Concept
Acupuncture: As acupuncturists try to promote themselves and make implied claims about “immune boosts”, it is worth remembering that not a single acupuncture treatment has been able to show definitive evidence of effectiveness for ANY condition. It is also worth pointing out the risks. Acupuncturists regularly puncture lungs, or forget to remove needles (and I couldn’t think of a worse time to be risking a lung injury than 2020). A particularly terrifying phrase is “local trauma, neural injuries, aneurysms, injuries to the eyes, and broken needles … that have been reported due to the incorrect site being needled.” INJURIES TO THE EYES!!
The NHS noted: “Frustratingly, since there is no information on how many acupuncture treatments were given within the NHS during the same period, we do not know how common such harms are. Meanwhile, a systematic review published last year in the peer-reviewed Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies found that even trained and qualified acupuncturists disagreed over a basic tenet: where exactly to stick the needles.”
In short, acupuncture is neither safe nor supported by evidence of effectiveness, nor consistent, nor do its practitioners hold themselves to high standards of care. Government policies should reflect this reality.