Science-based Medicine Feed

Modern medicine is facing many challenges. As the science of medicine advances, it gets harder and harder. We have, in a way, picked all the low hanging fruit. People are living longer, and their medical conditions are getting more challenging to understand and to treat. In order to continue making medical progress we need more advanced technology. This technology – like stem […]

An invaluable resource is being starved to death with no scientific or ethical justification

Trofim Lysenko was a Soviet scientist whose dogmatic science denialism led to mass famine when his ideas were applied to agriculture. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a lot like Lysenko in his science denial. Will his results be as disastrous?

We Told You So: Vaccines Cause Autism And So Many Other Really Bad Things

A new review suggests that cranberries may in fact be effective at preventing urinary tract infections.

If you are already tired of hearing about RFK Jr. being the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), buckle in. I get it – it can be exhausting. Don’t we already know everything we need to about what a medical crank he is? While SBM will not neglect the many topics that we cover, we certainly consider it a high priority […]

The authors of the Great Barrington Declaration prevented fair and honest discussion by constantly spreading fake information. The authors of a new book don't care at all.

Dr. Joe Mercola embraced "alternative health" in the late 1990s, including quackery and antivax, and has since become very wealthy. Lately, he's fallen under the spell of a psychic grifter and declared himself to be the "new Jesus." What will happen to his business empire?

Fortunately, there is a better way. Millions of parents have embraced a holistic approach, one that boosts the immune system by harnessing children's innate, natural ability to prevent illness.

Why the value of placebo controls is not an affirmation of a powerful placebo effect

We have to face the fact that social media is now the primary way that many people get their information. More than half of people in the US get their “news” from social media at least some of the time. But I don’t think asking people where they get “news” captures the full phenomenon. People who watch TikTok videos might not consider […]

I have always had a bias towards the Appeal to Nature Fallacy: An Appeal to Nature Fallacy happens when someone argues that something is good, better, or more authentic simply because it’s natural, while brushing aside anything man-made as inferior or harmful. Or last my version of it. I have always thought of the human body as more or less tuned by […]

Even as quacks and antivaxxers take over our federal government's health apparatus, let's not forget why we need stronger, not laxer, regulation of "unconventional" medical practices.

I only feel comfortable suggesting an RCT of routine vaccines because I am confident it wouldn't get off the ground.

When Islamic Medicine Kills the Ayatollah!

It didn’t take long for concerns about RFKs unscientific ideological approach to healthcare to manifest. We are in the middle of a measles outbreak – the exact kind of situation for which we need a strong federal response. The person in charge of that response, RFK Jr., is a notorious anti-vaccine crank who is not a scientist or healthcare expert, even though […]

Stored blood quickly loses its effectiveness, so how can we improve the situation?

Our new Secretary of Health and Human Services wants to change CDC messaging about vaccines to emphasize "informed consent." What he really means is misinformed refusal.

Will new studies cause large numbers of anti-vaxxers to say "Wow. It turns our vaccines don't cause autism after all. I've been wrong the whole time."?

Myths spread by contrarian doctors to minimize COVID are being recycled to minimize measles. The anti-vaccine circle is complete.