FSM was launched on the 20 December 2011 – Happy 10th Anniversary!
FSM News and Articles
Omicron is fuelled by our failure to mount a coordinated global response: “While we struggle with the moment we do not have the luxury of not worrying about the future. The likelihood of further pandemics with viruses that have colonised animals and, when given the opportunity, jumped into humans (the zoonoses) is so likely that the establishment in Australia of a Centre for Disease Control, an initiative that we have sought for 30 years, is an absolute imperative. Being better prepared for the next pandemic is absolutely essential.”
FSM Friends’ News and Articles
Laser therapy for vaginal rejuvenation: Laser therapy for postmenopausal vaginal atrophy is no better than placebo, is much more expensive than topical estrogen, and may have serious side effects. Topical estrogen is proven to work, and in my opinion it is a much better choice.
Researcher Timothy Caulfield debunks COVID misinformation: Caulfield’s advice for helping those who are hesitant to get the vaccine is: “it’s important to listen to why a particular student or staff member has a degree of hesitancy. Not everyone is a hardcore denier even now.” He says there are still individuals out there who have questions that can be answered. “It’s also important to be empathetic.” The researcher also says, “I would try to give that individual a path to credible information. People don’t change their minds right in front of you.” Finally, the researcher says you can “help them get the vaccine, help them make the appointment, make it as easy as possible to help that individual get the vaccine.”
Hidden camera reveals some pharmacists recommend homeopathic products to treat kids’ cold and flu: Some pharmacists working in Canada’s top drugstores are recommending homeopathic products to consumers, even though, experts say, these products are essentially sugar water or sugar pills with no scientific evidence they can do what they claim, a CBC Marketplace investigation has found.
General
The source of a chemical does not change its properties: (The Unbiased Science Podcast – hosted by Dr. Jessica Steier and Dr. Andrea Love). Remember: EVERYTHING is chemicals. Your body is a sack of chemicals; everything you breathe, eat, interact with – all chemicals. But more importantly, it does not matter where a given chemical comes from – its properties are THE SAME. Here, we use vitamin C, aka ascorbic acid, aka (5R)-5-[(1S)-1,2-dihydroxyethyl]-3,4-dihydroxy-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-one, as an example. It does not matter whether the vitamin C was derived from a source in nature (such as a citrus fruit) or synthesized in a lab. That vitamin C is the same. The molecule is the same. The chemical structure and properties are the same. That’s true for any chemical – no matter what it is. As a society, there is so much fear-based marketing using this concept as the appeal to nature fallacy. Naturally-derived compounds are not inherently better. Many things derived from nature can be dangerous, even at extremely low levels. We often synthesize things in the lab now that we have the technology to do so because we can do it more efficiently, at a lower cost, and with a higher yield than isolating those same things from other sources. That does not mean its inferior – and in some instances, it can actually be superior.
Today’s Abused Health Concept
Self regulation for alternative medicine practitioners. B.C.’s Health Minister expressed ‘extreme displeasure’ about chiropractors: Even the proper regulation of quackery will merely result in quackery! “Chiropractors are not trained in treating or preventing infectious disease and are prohibited from offering advice on vaccinations in B.C.” Yet there is a history of chiropractors offering advice and misinformation regarding covid vaccinations. Even the Vice Chair of BCCA had to step down after posting anti-vaccination videos. “On Dec. 1, the College of Chiropractors of B.C. (BCCA) held its AGM and registrants voted … to “take a stand” against an expected vaccine mandate for health professionals. [Health] Minister Dix indicated it was an embarrassment that a health profession would in such resounding numbers … support such unfounded and false claims while people are dying from COVID-19,” … “He also stated that it made him question the validity of self-regulation.”