Simon Singh Wins Appeal in Libel Suit

Yes! Sometimes common sense shines through: From Casewatch.

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Serious new acupuncture infection risks described

From the always awesome Consumer Health Digest

Microbiologists at the University of Hong Kong are concerned that the threat of infections associated with acupuncture may be much greater than previously thought. In a British Medical Journal editorial, the researchers warned that bacterial infections, hepatitis B and C viruses, and possibly even HIV may be transmitted through the use of contaminated equipment and lack of adequate skin disinfection. They expressed particular concern about mycobacteria that can grow rapidly where needles are inserted and lead to large pustules, abscesses, and ulcers after several weeks to months. Two outbreaks involving more than 70 patients were reported in 2006, and a case of methicillin resistant Staph aureus (MRSA)was reported last year. [Acupuncture transmitted infections. British Medical Journal 340:c1268, 2010]

"Autism Specialists" Sued

From Quackwatch's Consumer Health Digest:

A couple of seriously harmful quacks are being sued by the parent of a client for damages related to negligence, lack of informed consent, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, battery, and civil conspiracy.

Hey, it was true 150 years ago, too!

My favorite thing that Scientific American does is reprint articles from their earlier issues. Given how long they've been in publication, this means they can go back 150 years. Here's my favorite one so far:

Gas [for interior illumination], it is supposed, is a powerful disinfectant, and hence there is no contagion within the circle of its influence.’ We copy the above sentence for the purpose of disputing the inference that gas will protect people from the small-pox. Small-pox is doubtless uncommon among that class of people who burn gas for light in our cities, because they generally have sufficient intelligence and forethought to attend to the vaccination of their families, and its ravages are almost wholly confined to that improvident class who make no provision against the small-pox, or anything else in the future, and who live by the light of burning fluid.

Here's the rest.

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Andrew Wakefield Censured by GMC

The UK's General Medical Council finds that Andrew Wakefield failed to act in interests of children and a whole raft of other things.

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Why you should be reading Dubito Ergo Sum

Because he takes apart Mike Adams uninformed screed against skeptics piece by piece in This is the worst Ranger since Turbo.

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Chiropractic is Dead!

Or, at least, that's what Harriet Hall and I would like for newspapers to say. Check out her article about a study by four chiropractors which finds no connection between subluxations and disease.

Of any kind.

At all.

Did I mention that the study was published by chiropractors?


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The Institute for Science in Medicine

The Institute for Science in Medicine is a new organization which...you know what? I'll just reprint their mission statement:

The ISM is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting high standards of science in all areas of medicine and public health. We are a watchdog group of medical professionals who believe the best science available should be used to determine health policy and establish a standard of care that protects and promotes the public health. We oppose legislation that seeks to erode the science-based standard of care and expose the public to potentially fraudulent, worthless, or harmful medical practices or products.

And there you go. It turns out that some mission statements actually rock.

Another precinct heard from on autism "cures"

The always-awesome Mind Hacks has a post on on a paper written by Dr. Carlos Pardo and his colleagues which they prefaced by asking people not to use their findings as the basis for treatments.

Guess what people did. Yep.


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Orac on the Biomed Movement

The autism “biomed” movement: Uncontrolled and unethical experimentation on autistic children.


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Cracked.com continues to be awesome

This time, they're ripping into Jenny McCarthy and Suzanne Somers: Go get 'em, guys!


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Guess what? Vaccines STILL don't cause autism.

Yet another study debunks vaccination-autism link.

New findings from the CHildhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study have found no difference in the blood levels of mercury among children ages 2-5 with autism spectrum disorders and children who were developing normally. [Hertz-Picciotto I and others. Blood mercury concentrations in CHARGE Study: Children with and without autism. Environmental Health Perspectives, Oct 19, 2009] The complete report is available as a .pdf at this link.

From the latest Consumer Health Digest. Please check out the full issue. There's some great stuff about pop psychology and Paul Offit in there. It never fails to floor me how the people with facts on their side stick to those while their logic-challenged opponents just launch personal attacks.

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Homologous Links

Rolando G. Arafiles, Jr., M.D is a jerkhole. He has brought criminal charges against two nurses who blew the whistle on him for selling herbal treatments to his patients. This move has pissed off the American Nurses Association and the Texas Nurses Association along with the Texas Medical Board. Dr. Arafiles has been disciplined by the Texas board before. Just sayin'.

Happy 3rd blogiversary to The Action Skeptics! They presented the first-ever skeptical-thinking panel at GenCon this year. That is officially awesome.

Please read this kickass post from Rational Moms about the H1N1 vaccine. It's full of excellent resources and information.

Andrew Wakefield sucks. I Speak of Dreams posts an exhaustive index of articles by Michael Fitzpatrick that gives a nice timeline of the enormity of the suckitude.

Remaining Omnibus decisions upheld.

The latest Consumer Health Digest has some great news about the Autism Omnibus. I'm just gonna quote the whole thing:

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has affirmed the Special Master's decisions that the families of Colten Snyder and Michelle Cedillo had presented no credible evidence that vaccination had caused him to develop autism. The decision is part of the Autism Omnibus Proceeding in which more than 5,000 families who claim that vaccines caused their children to become autistic are seeking compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). In February 2009, Special Masters ruled in these cases and one other selected to test how similar cases should be handled. The decisions completely debunked the alleged vaccine/autism connection and implied that the doctors who promote them are acting unethically. Autism-Watch has posted key findings at
http://www.autism-watch.org/omnibus/overview.shtml

and links to the hearing transcripts and decisions at
http://www.autism-watch.org/omnibus/document_index.shtml

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Science-Based Medicine 101

Val Jones from the always-excellent Science-Based Medicine blog posts about how to judge the credibility of a medical study. This is good information for everyone, especially for parents of autistic children. There's a lot of garbage out there. Dr. Jones will help you weed it out.

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Oh, hey! I have a blog.

Looks like I'll start posting here again. Health update to follow. Until then, enjoy this report from The Onion:

Studies Show Alternative Medicine Ineffective


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More studies of religion and the brain

Not as entertaining as "Pinky and the Brain" but more peer-reviewed, comes an article publised in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about the things in our brains that are active during religous thought. Scientific American's excellent "60-Second Psych" podcast has a bit about it, too.


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From The Onion: Genetic Experiment Goes Horribly Right

Genetic Experiment Goes Horribly Right

More bad news for anti-vaccinationists

Chances are, you've already heard about the study that drives yet another nail into the coffin of the idea that thimerosal causes autism. There's nothing I can say about it that the two doctors below haven't said better, so I'll let them do the talking:

Orac

Dr. Steve Novella

Also from the Mounting Evidence desk, here's yet another report that shows how much detoxification doesn't work.

Good Health News

A few months ago, I posted about my health. I talked about how much I like my new doctor and then about how much my new doctor scared me by checking my blood-triglyceride levels.

Back in mid-October, I weighed 224 lbs. (I'm 6 feet tall) and my triglycerides were at 310. Thanks to the 'guy sheet' that my doctor gave me and to the fact that I actually followed the suggestions I now weigh 194 lbs. and my triglyceride level is 130.

Here's how I did it:

• I cut out almost all sweets. I indulged slightly during the holidays but even then I held myself to a bite of something here and there or a single pastry after a meal. I used to eat a lot of ice cream.
  
• I replaced my two butter-covered bagels per day with two pieces of fruit. Most days, only a single apple.
  
• I cut fried food completely out of my diet. I may have some fried fish again at some point but after several weeks of being on that wagon I find I don't crave it anymore.
  
• I severely reduced the number of eggs I eat per week even though I'm not convinced that they are bad for me. There's a lot of conflicting information on that.
  
• I'm eating a lot more salmon and other fatty fish along with turkey and chicken instead of beef or pork. Good news: I really like salmon. I haven't cut the other meats out of my diet but I have seriously reduced the amounts I eat.
  
• I avoid avacadoes and olives. Who knew?
  
• I cut the amount of food I eat in a day by one-half to two-thirds. This means almost no snacking and smaller portion sizes at meals. That's been the hardest part. I have had to redefine the word 'hungry'. Usually, when I think I need food, I'm just bored.
  
• I have stopped putting sugar in my coffee and, for the most part, don't even use milk or cream.
  
• I walk 30 minutes a day at a pretty fast clip. The wicked-awesome pedometer that Perky gave me for Christmas makes it even more fun.
  

All this has led to a loss of 30 pounds and triglycerides in the normal range. I look better, I have more energy, I sleep better, and I'm generally happier. If that's not incentive to keep up with this, I don't know what is. Those are some pretty radical changes but I think that merely being aware of what I'm putting into my body has been the biggest factor. I have a better idea of what to look for on nutrition labels.

The encouragement I've gotten from everyone I've told is a strong motivator, too. One of my co-workers noticed that I'm thinner and my doctor was exceptionally pleased even before my new numbers were in. Not to mention my mother and wife. Thanks!

My plan is to lose around ten more pounds but, really, I'm more concerned with my cholesterol levels than I am with how I look.

I also have the timing of these results to thank for my uncharacteristic determination to become healthier. My wife and son have been going to the incredible community center across from B's school for several months. Once I realized I needed to exercize, I began joining them there. It removes the bad-weather excuse from my arsenal of reasons why I can't get out and walk. Also, the sense of community I get from the other people who are working out pushes me to do better.

The one drawback is that I now have to get new pants. I look like MC Hammer.
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