QuackCast 28. Vitamin C, the common cold
and the Peter Principle.
QuackCast 27. Update on Acupuncture and
Chiropractic.
QuackCast 24. Yeast Dis Connection.
QuackCast 23. Trust No One. But me
QuackCast 22. Boost your immune system And
die
QuackCast 21. Acupuncture update
QuackCast 20. Influenza myths
QuackCast 19. Iridology
QuackCast 18. Update 2 Echinacea Meta Anal
Ysis
QuackCast 17. Update 1 NUCCA and
Hypertension
QuackCast 16. Probiotics
QuackCast 15. Magnet ‘Therapy’
QuackCast 14. Naturopathy Quacks of all
trades, masters of none
QuackCast 13. Herbal "Remedies". Like "Fresh"
Fish.
QuackCast 12. How to Identify Quackery and
Homeopathic Horrors
QuackCast 11. Evidence to Support Efficacy
and Complications of Chiropractic
QuackCast 10. History and Theory of
Chiropractic
QuackCast 9. Lies, Damn Lies and the use of
alt med
QuackCast 8. Acupuncture's Efficacy
QuackCast 7. Theory of Acupuncture
QuackCast 6. Prayer
QuackCast 5. Placebo Effect
QuackCast 4. Homeopathy Clinical Trials
QuackCast 3. Homeopathic Theory
QuackCast 2. Echinacea
QuackCast 1. Opening Salvo
QuackCast 28. Vitamin C, the common cold and the Peter Principle.
There are just a ton and a half of references for this
podcasts.
Two central references will lead you to all the others.
Do vitamins C and E affect respiratory infections ?
Harri Hemilä
http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/laa/kansa/vk/hemila/
He seems help bent on proving that Vitamin C has a modest effect on the treatment of colds and other infections. Never have I seen so much efffoct to prove such a monor result. There is a nice summary of the hodgepodge of the animal studies in the appendix.
And
Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold
(Review)
Douglas RM, Hemilä H, Chalker E, Treacy B
The Cochrane Collaboration.
Adam and Eve, Vitamin C, and Pseudogenes Daniel Criswell,
http://www.icr.org/article/3271/
QuackCast 27. Update on Acupuncture and Chiropractic.
Sham device v inert pill: randomized controlled trial of
two placebo treatments 2006;332;391-397;BMJ
Acupuncture for Treatment of Persistent Arm Pain Due to
Repetitive Use A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
(Clin J Pain 2008;24:211–218)
Acupuncture induced necrotizing aortitis with infected
pseudoaneurysm formation. Yonsei Med J. 2008
Apr;49(2):322-4.
Acupuncture-associated Listeria monocytogenes arthritis in
a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. Joint Bone Spine. 2008
May 1.
Risk of Vertebrobasilar Stroke and Chiropractic Care
Results of a Population-Based Case-Control and
Case-Crossover Study SPINE Volume 33, Number 4S, pp S176
–S183
A good jumping off place is a nice review from the 2003
Clin Microbiol Rev. 2003 January; 16(1): 144–172.
Indoor Mold, Toxigenic Fungi, and Stachybotrys chartarum:
Infectious Disease Perspective.
I used this article to find all the important paper from
before 2003; it has 465 references.
Allergy and "toxic mold syndrome".
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2005 Feb;94(2):234-9.
PMID: 15765738
Antibodies against molds and mycotoxins following exposure
to toxigenic fungi in a water-damaged building.
Arch Environ Health. 2003 Jun;58(6):324-36.
PMID: 14992307
Baseline prevalence of symptoms related to indoor
environment.
Scand J Public Health. 2006;34(4):387-96.
PMID: 16861189
Characterization of a population presenting with suspected
mold-related health effects.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2005 Jan;94(1):39-44.
PMID: 15702814
Culturability and toxicity of sick building
syndrome-related fungi over time.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2004 Aug;1(8):500-4.
PMID: 15238302
Double blind placebo controlled exposure to molds: exposure
system and clinical results.
Indoor Air. 2005;15 Suppl 10:73-80.
PMID: 15926947
Effects of toxic exposure to molds and mycotoxins in
building-related illnesses.
Arch Environ Health. 2003 Jul;58(7):399-405.
PMID: 15143852
Inhalational mold toxicity: fact or fiction? A clinical
review of 50 cases.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2005 Sep;95(3):239-46.
PMID: 16200814
Mixed mold mycotoxicosis: immunological changes in humans
following exposure in water-damaged buildings.
Arch Environ Health. 2003 Jul;58(7):410-20.
PMID: 15143854
Mycotoxins, fungus and 'electrohypersensitivity'.
Med Hypotheses. 2000 Sep;55(3):208-14.
PMID: 10985910
Toxicological and neuropsychological findings in patients
presenting to an environmental toxicology service.
J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1995;33(6):625-9.
PMID: 8523483
Fungus Shui - The Balance of Design, Construction and
Maintenance http://www.aepronet.org/ge/es13.html
QuackCast 24. Yeast Dis Connection.
Dubious "Yeast Allergies" www.quackwatch.com
Effectiveness of nystatin in polysymptomatic patients. A randomized, double-blind trial with nystatin versus placebo in general practice.Fam Pract. 2001 Jun;18(3):258-65.
http://fampra.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/18/3/258#T3
Elevation of Candida IgG antibodies in patients with medically unexplained symptoms. J Altern Complement Med. 2007 Dec;13(10):1129-33.
NEJM Volume 323:1717-1723 December 20, 1990 Number 25 Next A randomized, double-blind trial of nystatin therapy for the candidiasis hypersensitivity syndrome.
Yeast connection among 100 patients with chronic fatigue. American Journal of Medicine 86:165-168, 1989.
QuackCast 23. Trust No One. But me
December 1 Lancet, Near-death experience in survivors of
cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands. It
is on-line at
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673601071008/fulltext.
Skeptic
Electrocerebral accompaniments of syncope associated with malignant ventricular
arrhythmias.
Ann Intern Med. 1988 Jun;108(6):791-6.
Electroencephalographic changes during brief cardiac arrest in humans. Anesthesiology1990;73:821–25.
QuackCast 22. Boost your immune system And
die
Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2007;143(3):237-44. Epub 2007 Feb 9.
Probiotics have a different immunomodulatory potential
in vitro versus ex vivo upon oral administration in
children with food allergy.
Inflammation and Atherosclerosis (Circulation.
2002;105:1135-1143.)
Treatment of Periodontitis and Endothelial Function
NEJM 2007
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2007; 45:158–65
Lancet 2006;367:1075-1079.
Clayton TC, Thompson M, Meade TW. Recent respiratory infection and risk of cardiovascular
disease: case-control study through a general practice database. Eur Heart J.
2007:doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehm516.
QuackCast 21. Acupuncture update
Stop Hypertension With the Acupuncture Research Program
(SHARP): Results
of a Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial
2006;48;838-845Hypertension
Randomized Trial of Acupuncture to Lower Blood Pressure
2007;115;3121-3129 Circulation Werner G. Daniel
Meta-analysis: Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:868-877.
Acupuncture in the treatment of Rhematoid Arthritis a controlled pilot study.
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2007 Nov 3;7(1):35
ECCO-the European CanCer Conference
Acupuncture does not reduce radiotherapy-induced nausea,
but patients believe it does
A pilot study of acupuncture as adjunctive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Clin Rheumatol. 2007 Nov 8; [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) for chronic low back pain: randomized, multicenter, blinded, parallel-group trial with 3 groups.
Arch Intern Med. 2007 Sep 24;167(17):1892-8. Erratum in: Arch Intern Med. 2007 Oct 22;167(19):2072.
PMID: 17893311
a german analysis:
http://aerzteblatt.de/v4/archiv/artikel.asp?id=54179
This is a huge topic. Go to pubmed and search using
influenza and vaccine you get almost 10,000 references,
more than even I, with my superhuman abilities, can read.
A good summary is at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ where
the party line for the medical-industrial complex is
avaiable.
If you want the vaccine liars at their best (worst) go
to www.ratbags.com and search for influenza or vaccine. It
is a website that should be in your bookmarks.
The list of them what should get the flu vaccine is:
* all persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others
* all children aged 6–59 months (i.e., 6 months–4 years);
* all persons aged >50 years;
* children and adolescents (aged 6 months–18 years) receiving long-term aspirin therapy who therefore might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection;
* women who will be pregnant during the influenza season;
* adults and children who have chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
* adults and children who have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus;
* adults and children who have any condition (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other neuromuscular disorders) that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions or that can increase the risk for aspiration;
* residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities;
* health-care personnel;
* healthy household contacts (including children) and caregivers of children aged <5 years and adults aged >50 years, with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children aged <6 months; and
1.
*healthy household contacts (including children) and
caregivers of persons with medical conditions that put them
at higher risk for severe complications from influenza.
-from the CDC site.
Stay well.
Thorsons Introductory Guide to Iridology by James and
Sheelah Colton. This book is filled with incoherent
concepts, but was worth the read just to see the Medical
librarians face when I asked for a book on iridology.
An evaluation of iridology.
JAMA. 1979 Sep 28;242(13):1385-9.
Can iridology detect susceptibility to cancer? A prospective case-controlled study.
J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Jun;11(3):515-9.
Iridology Not Useful and Potentially Harmful
Arch Ophthalmol. 2000;118:120-121
Iridology Is Nonsense
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Iridology: A systematic review.
Forsch Komplementarmed. 1999 Feb;6(1):7-9.
Looking for gall bladder disease in the patient's iris.
BMJ. 1988 Dec 17;297(6663):1578-81.
The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 33, No. 3, 501–505
Novel Approach of Molecular Genetic Understanding of
Iridology: Relationship Between Iris Constitution and
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Gene Polymorphism
Relationship between Iris Constitution Analysis and TNF-Alpha Gene Polymorphism
in Hypertensives The American Journal of Chinese
Medicine, Vol. 35, No. 4, 621–629
Association between iris constitution and apolipoprotein e gene polymorphism in
hypertensives.
Altern Complement Med. 2004 Dec;10(6):1101-5.
http://www.wellpark.co.nz/crs_foundation_Naturopathy.asp
QuackCast 18. Update 2 Echinacea Meta Anal
Ysis
Lancet Infect Dis. 2007 Jul;7(7):473-80.
Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment
of the common cold: a meta-analysis.
Treatment of the Common Cold with Echinacea: A Structured Review
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2005; 40:807–10
Treatment of the Common Cold with Unrefined Echinacea
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:939-946. www.annals.org
NEJM
Volume 337:536-542 August 21, 1997 Number 8
Discrepancies between Meta-Analyses and Subsequent Large Randomized, Controlled Trials=
Epidemiology and Reporting Characteristics of Systematic Reviews
PLoS Medicine | www.plosmedicine.org March 2007 | Volume
4 | Issue 3 | e780447
How Quickly Do Systematic Reviews Go Out of Date? A Survival Analysis
Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:224-233. www.annals.org
Outcome reporting bias in randomized trials funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
CMAJ • SEPT. 28, 2004; 171 (7) 735
JAMA Vol. 291 No. 20, May 26, 2004
Empirical Evidence for Selective Reporting of Outcomes
in Randomized Trials Comparison of Protocols to Published
Article
review meta-asupported meta-analyses and other Cochrane reviews compared with industry
2006;333;782-; originally published online 6 Oct 2006;
BMJ
Bräunig B, Knick E. Therapeutische Erfahrungen mit Echinaceae pallidae bei
grippalen Infekten. Ergebnisse einer plazebokontrollierten Doppelblindstudie.
Naturheilpraxis, 1993, 46:72–75.
That I cant find and I can’t read german anyway.
The WHO document. I prefer Tommy.
www.whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/1999/9241545178.pdf
QuackCast 17. Update 1 NUCCA and
Hypertension
J Hum Hypertens. 2007 May;21(5):347-52. Epub 2007 Mar 2.
Atlas vertebra realignment and achievement of arterial
pressure goal in hypertensive patients: a pilot study.
Bakris G, Dickholtz M, Meyer PM, Kravitz G, Avery E,
Miller M, Brown J, Woodfield C, Bell B.
Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush University
Hypertension Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
Anatomical abnormalities of the cervical spine at the level of the Atlas vertebra are associated with relative ischaemia of the brainstem circulation and increased blood pressure (BP). Manual correction of this mal-alignment has been associated with reduced arterial pressure. This pilot study tests the hypothesis that correcting mal-alignment of the Atlas vertebra reduces and maintains a lower BP. Using a double blind, placebo-controlled design at a single center, 50 drug naïve (n=26) or washed out (n=24) patients with Stage 1 hypertension were randomized to receive a National Upper Cervical Chiropractic (NUCCA) procedure or a sham procedure. Patients received no antihypertensive meds during the 8-week study duration. The primary end point was changed in systolic and diastolic BP comparing baseline and week 8, with a 90% power to detect an 8/5 mm Hg difference at week 8 over the placebo group. The study cohort had a mean age 52.7+/-9.6 years, consisted of 70% males. At week 8, there were differences in systolic BP (-17+/-9 mm Hg, NUCCA versus -3+/-11 mm Hg, placebo; P<0.0001) and diastolic BP (-10+/-11 mm Hg, NUCCA versus -2+/-7 mm Hg; P=0.002). Lateral displacement of Atlas vertebra (1.0, baseline versus 0.04 degrees week 8, NUCCA versus 0.6, baseline versus 0.5 degrees , placebo; P=0.002). Heart rate was not reduced in the NUCCA group (-0.3 beats per minute, NUCCA, versus 0.5 beats per minute, placebo). No adverse effects were recorded. We conclude that restoration of Atlas alignment is associated with marked and sustained reductions in BP similar to the use of two-drug combination therapy.
National Upper Cervical Chiropractic (NUCCA) www.nucca.org
and
A video of NUCCA in action (or inaction, they don’t appear to do much)
http://www.nucca.com/video/nucca/NUCCA_S.wmv
Stroke. 2001 Dec 1;32(12):2950-5.
Long-term results after microvascular decompression in essential hypertension.
Frank H, Schobel HP, Heusser K, Geiger H, Fahlbusch R,
Naraghi R.
Medical Department IV/Nephrology, Clinic of
Neurosurgery, University Erlangen, and Medical Department
IV/Nephrology, University Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In 1998, 8 patients with severe,
intractable arterial hypertension and MR
tomography-demonstrated neurovascular contact of a looping
artery at the root entry zone of cranial nerves IX and X,
causing neurovascular compression, underwent neurosurgical
decompression. The short-term results showed a
normalization of blood pressure with a markedly reduced
antihypertensive drug regimen in 7 patients. To determine
the longer-term outcome concerning blood pressure and
secondary organ damage after neurovascular decompression,
we studied these 8 operated patients prospectively for a
mean follow-up of 3.5 years after surgical intervention.
METHODS: Eight hypertensive patients who had undergone
microsurgical decompression were monitored every 6 months
after surgery to assess blood pressure (by 24-hour
ambulatory pressure readings) and the need for
antihypertensive medication. To evaluate secondary organ
damage, echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular
hypertrophy, fundoscopic assessment of hypertensive
lesions, and analysis of renal function and proteinuria
were done. RESULTS: Three of the 8 operated patients
remained normotensive in the long-term period with
decreased antihypertensive medication. Two patients
required gradual increases of antihypertensive medication
after the first postoperative year, after which arterial
blood pressure levels were 10% to 15% lower than
preoperative levels. Three patients suffered serious
cardiovascular and renal complications, with the incidence
of lethal intracerebral hemorrhage in 1 patient and
end-stage renal disease in 2 patients, of whom 1
experienced sudden cardiac death. CONCLUSIONS: The
long-term results verify that microsurgical decompression
is a successful alternative therapy in a certain subgroup
of patients with arterial hypertension due to neurovascular
compression. However, the relevance of the looping artery
in the other cases, who did not improve, is not clear.
Prospective studies to elucidate the pathophysiological
role of neurovascular abnormalities and arterial
hypertension are needed.
Surg Neurol. 2001 Jan;55(1):2-10;
Microvascular decompression in the treatment of hypertension: review and update.
Levy EI, Scarrow AM, Jannetta PJ.
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine, UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, 200 Lothrop
Street, Suite B-400, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582, USA.
BACKGROUND: Neurogenic hypertension in association with
vascular compression of the left rostral ventrolateral
medulla has been documented. A recent group of these
clinical reports has raised great interest in decompression
of this area of the brainstem as a definitive therapy for
essential hypertension. METHODS: To further clarify the
mechanism by which decompression of the left rostral
ventrolateral medulla relieves neurogenic hypertension, we
describe in detail the basic science, animal models, human
studies, and most recent clinical trials regarding surgical
decompression of this area. CONCLUSION: Multi-disciplinary
evidence supports the hypothesis that a sub-population of
hypertensive patients achieve significant relief of their
hypertension after microvascular decompression. A
multi-institutional, prospective, randomized study is
necessary to determine the efficacy of microvascular
decompression for neurogenic hypertension.
Lancet. 1998 Aug 8;352(9126):446-9.
Decrease of blood pressure by ventrolateral medullary decompression in essential hypertension.
Geiger H, Naraghi R, Schobel HP, Frank H, Sterzel RB,
Fahlbusch R.
Department of Internal Medicine IV, Johann Wolfgang
Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
BACKGROUND: About 20% of adults worldwide will develop
hypertension. Studies and clinical observations suggest an
association between hypertension and pulsatile compression
of the ventrolateral medulla oblongata by a looping artery.
We investigated whether neurosurgical microvascular
decompression substantially decreases blood pressure
long-term in patients with severe essential hypertension.
METHODS: We included eight patients who had received three
or more antihypertensive drugs without adequate control of
blood pressure, intolerable side-effects, or both. All
patients underwent microvascular decompression at the
root-entry zone of cranial nerves IX and X after
neurovascular compression of the ventrolateral medulla
oblongata was seen on magnetic-resonance angiography.
FINDINGS: 3 months after surgery, blood pressure and
antihypertensive regimens had decreased substantially in
three patients. Four patients who were followed up for more
than 1 year became normotensive, but their antihypertensive
regimens remained the same as those at 3 months. One
patient did not improve. No complications associated with
decompression occurred. One patient experienced a transient
vocal-cord paresis after the laryngeal part of the vagus
nerve was manoeuvered during surgery. INTERPRETATION: We
showed a direct causal relation between raised blood
pressure and irritation of cranial nerves IX and X. A
subgroup of patients with essential hypertension may exist
who have secondary forms of hypertension related to
neurovascular compression at the ventrolateral medulla and
who may be successfully treated with decompression.
Ann Surg. 1985 Mar;201(3):391-8. Neurogenic hypertension: etiology and surgical treatment. I. Observations in 53 patients.
Jannetta PJ, Segal R, Wolfson SK.
Although an extensive literature exists concerning
essential arterial hypertension, the primary etiology has
been unclear. Arterial compression of the left lateral
medulla oblongata by looping arteries of the base of the
brain was seen incidently in 51 of 53 hypertensive patients
who underwent left retromastoid craniectomy and
microvascular decompression for unrelated cranial nerve
dysfunctions. Such compression was not noted in
normotensive patients. Treatment by vascular decompression
of the medulla was performed in 42 of the 53 patients.
Relief in the hypertension was seen in 32 of the patients
and improvement in four. Arteriosclerosis and arterial
ectasia contribute to arterial elongation and looping. If
pulsatile compression of the left lateral medulla occurs,
hypertension may develop as a consequence of an imbalance
in the neural control systems that normally regulate blood
pressure. The hypertension may further contribute to
arterial elongation, providing a vicious circle of
pathophysiologic changes.
Neuroradiology. 2000 Feb;42(2):99-103.
The role of MRI in screening for neurogenic hypertension.
Johnson D, Coley SC, Brown J, Moseley IF.
Lysholm Department of Neuroradiology, National Hospital
for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, WC1N
3BG, UK. declanl@skynow.net
Neurovascular compression (NVC) of the left ventrolateral medulla (VLM) has been implicated as a cause of essential hypertension. We investigated whether high-resolution MRI of the posterior cranial fossa could identify patients with essential hypertension who may benefit from surgery. A retrospective analysis of imaging and clinical records from 162 patients was performed. There were 38 patients with essential hypertension and 124 who were normotensive. Contact or compression of the VLM was present in 42.1 % (16/38) of the hypertensive group on the left and 47.3 % (18/38) on the right. In the normotensive group it was seen in 32.2 % (40/124) on the left and 26.6 % (33/124) on the right. There was no significant difference between the hypertensive and control groups with regard to contact or compression of the left VLM. The results support the contention that neurovascular compression (NVC) of the left or right VLM is a common finding on MRI in normotensive individuals. We therefore believe that high-resolution MRI cannot be used as a screening tool to identify patients who may benefit from surgery.
If you put the title into pubmed or google you can often
get the complete reference.
There are over 3000 probiotic references on promed.
To be honest, I am just too damn lazy today to do the
cutting and pasting for the references.
I will do it during some Scrubs marathon on a rainy day
here in Portland, but the sun is shining and the golf
course is calling me and my sons.
If you want a specific reference, email me at
knowitall@quackcast.com
QuackCast 15. Magnet ‘Therapy’
For more of Dr. Duarf Ekaf, listen to the Tank, the
podcast of the Austrialian Skeptics at http://www.skeptics.com.au/tank/tank.htm.
I think they are laugh out loud funny.
N Rays: the importance of unconscious bias in good
scientists. http://skepdic.com/blondlot.html
http://www.peloop.com/
Everything you want to know about magnets and none of it is
true.
Magnetic and Electromagnetic Therapy. David Ramey. The
Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine. Vol 2, No1. Page
13. 1998.
Franz bread the good bread, flavor beyond compare.
Welcome to PDX. http://www.usbakery.com/
Propositions Concerning Animal Magnetism http://web.archive.org/web/20040710162753/http://www.unbf.ca/psychology/likely/readings/mesmer.htm
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
ANTON MESMER AND SAMUEL HAHNEMANN http://www.acampbell.ukfsn.org/essays/altmed/mesmer.html
Magnet Therapy A Billion-dollar Boondoggle http://www.csicop.org/si/2006-04/magnet-therapy.html
See how rapidly magnetic fields drop off with distance
http://www.magnetapplications.com/UK/faq.htm
The effectiveness of magnet therapy for treatment of
wrist pain attributed to carpal tunnel syndrome. : J Fam
Pract. 2002 Jan;51(1):38-40. Didn’t work.
Static magnetic field therapy for symptomatic diabetic neuropathy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2003 May;84(5):736-46.
Effect of magnetic vs sham-magnetic insoles on nonspecific foot pain in the workplace: a
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Mayo
Clin Proc. 2005 Sep;80(9):1138-45.
Effect of magnetic vs sham-magnetic insoles on plantar heel pain: a randomized controlled trial.
JAMA. 2003 Sep 17;290(11):1474-8.
A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot
study to investigate the effectiveness of a static magnet
to relieve dysmenorrhea. J Altern Complement Med. 2005
Aug;11(4):681-7.
Static magnetic fields neither prevent nor diminish symptoms and signs of delayed onset muscle soreness. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Mar;86(3):565-70.
A critical review of randomized controlled trials of static magnets for pain relief.
J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Jun;11(3):495-509.
Randomised controlled trial of magnetic bracelets for
relieving pain in osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. BMJ.
2004 Dec 18;329(7480):1450-4.
Altern Ther Health Med. 2004 Mar-Apr;10(2):36-43.
Double-blind placebo-controlled trial of static magnets
for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: results of
a pilot study.
The effect of flexible magnets on hand muscle strength: a randomized, double-blind study.
J Strength Cond Res. 2002 Feb;16(1):33-7.
Treatment of myofascial shoulder pain in the spinal cord
injured population using static magnetic fields: a case
series. J Spinal Cord Med. 2004;27(2):138-42.
The influence of permanent magnetic field therapy on wound healing in suction lipectomy patients: a double-blind study. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999 Dec;104(7):2261-6;
Questions and Answers About Using Magnets To Treat Pain http://nccam.nih.gov/health/magnet/magnet.htm
QuackCast 14. Naturopathy Quacks of all
trades, masters of none
If you put the title into pubmed or google you can often get the complete reference.
Home page the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
The ANMA, or the other guys
Deaths Associated with Hypocalcemia from Chelation Therapy --- Texas, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, 2003--2005
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5508a3.htm
J Clin Microbiol. 2003 Aug;41(8):3986-8.
Severe Serratia liquefaciens sepsis following vitamin C
infusion treatment by a naturopathic practitioner.
Characteristics of pediatric and adolescent patients attending a naturopathic college clinic in Canada.
Pediatrics. 2005 Mar;115(3):e338-43.
Characteristics of pediatric and adolescent patients attending a naturopathic college clinic in Canada.
Pediatrics. 2005 Mar;115(3):e338-43.
Rogue Scientist Has Own Scientific Method
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/49180
Bastyr University
The Flexner Report and the Standardization of American Medical Education
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/291/17/2139
http://www.naturalhealth.org/tradnaturo/
And I thought surgeons bickered.
APPLIED EVIDENCE
Naturopathic medicine: What can patients expect?
VOL 54, NO 12 / DECEMBER 2005
QuackCast 13. Herbal "Remedies". Like
"Fresh" Fish.
If you put the title into pubmed or google you can often
get the complete reference.
HERBAL REMEDIES
N Engl J Med, Vol. 347, No. 25 December 19, 2002
A good overview of the whole topic.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of two doses of Ginkgo biloba extract in dementia of the Alzheimer's type.
Curr Alzheimer Res. 2005 Dec;2(5):541-51.
Eur J Neurol. 2006 Sep;13(9):981-5.
Ginkgo biloba and donepezil: a comparison in the treatment of Alzheimer's Pharmacological studies supporting the therapeutic use of Ginkgo biloba extract forAlzheimer's disease.
Pharmacopsychiatry. 2003 Jun;36 Suppl 1:S8-14.
Ginkgo for memory enhancement: a randomized controlled trial.
JAMA. 2002 Aug 21;288(7):835-40.
The New England Journal of Medicine
February 23, 2006 vol. 354 no. 8
Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, and the Two in Combination for Painful Knee Osteoarthritis
NEJM -- Echinacea angustifolia in Rhinovirus Infections http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/353/18/1971
Volume 353:1971-1972 November 3, 2005 Number 18
Echinacea angustifolia in Rhinovirus Infections
NEJM February 9, 2006 vol. 354 no. 6
Saw Palmetto for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
St John's Wort for depression
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006 Issue 4
JAMA. 2002 Apr 10;287(14):1807-14. Related Articles, Links
Effect of Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) in major
depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
Treatment of Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause with Black Cohosh, Multibotanicals, Soy, Hormone Therapy, or Placebo
Ann Intern Med. 2006;145:869-879.
Mechanism Of Black Cohosh Versus Hot Flashes Revealed
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-12/uoia-mob122106.php
Genetic Polymorphism of the Binding Domain of Surfactant
Protein–A2 Increases Susceptibility to Meningococcal
Disease
CID 1 December 2006Volume 43 Number 11
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CID/journal/contents/v43n11.html
QuackCast 12. How to Identify Quackery and Homeopathic Horrors
The Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science
By ROBERT L. PARK
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is
investing close to a million dollars in an obscure Russian
scientist's antigravity machine, although it has failed
every test and would violate the most fundamental laws of
nature. The Patent and Trademark Office recently issued
Patent 6,362,718 for a physically impossible motionless
electromagnetic generator, which is supposed to snatch free
energy from a vacuum. And major power companies have sunk
tens of millions of dollars into a scheme to produce energy
by putting hydrogen atoms into a state below their ground
state, a feat equivalent to mounting an expedition to
explore the region south of the South Pole.
There is, alas, no scientific claim so preposterous that
a scientist cannot be found to vouch for it. And many such
claims end up in a court of law after they have cost some
gullible person or corporation a lot of money. How are
juries to evaluate them?
Before 1993, court cases that hinged on the validity of
scientific claims were usually decided simply by which
expert witness the jury found more credible. Expert
testimony often consisted of tortured theoretical
speculation with little or no supporting evidence. Jurors
were bamboozled by technical gibberish they could not hope
to follow, delivered by experts whose credentials they
could not evaluate.
In 1993, however, with the Supreme Court's landmark
decision in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
the situation began to change. The case involved Bendectin,
the only morning-sickness medication ever approved by the
Food and Drug Administration. It had been used by millions
of women, and more than 30 published studies had found no
evidence that it caused birth defects. Yet eight so-called
experts were willing to testify, in exchange for a fee from
the Daubert family, that Bendectin might indeed cause birth
defects.
In ruling that such testimony was not credible because
of lack of supporting evidence, the court instructed
federal judges to serve as "gatekeepers," screening juries
from testimony based on scientific nonsense. Recognizing
that judges are not scientists, the court invited judges to
experiment with ways to fulfill their gatekeeper
responsibility.
Justice Stephen G. Breyer encouraged trial judges to
appoint independent experts to help them. He noted that
courts can turn to scientific organizations, like the
National Academy of Sciences and the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, to identify neutral experts
who could preview questionable scientific testimony and
advise a judge on whether a jury should be exposed to it.
Judges are still concerned about meeting their
responsibilities under the Daubert decision, and a group of
them asked me how to recognize questionable scientific
claims. What are the warning signs?
I have identified seven indicators that a scientific
claim lies well outside the bounds of rational scientific
discourse. Of course, they are only warning signs -- even a
claim with several of the signs could be legitimate.
1. The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the
media. The integrity of science rests on the willingness of
scientists to expose new ideas and findings to the scrutiny
of other scientists. Thus, scientists expect their
colleagues to reveal new findings to them initially. An
attempt to bypass peer review by taking a new result
directly to the media, and thence to the public, suggests
that the work is unlikely to stand up to close examination
by other scientists.
One notorious example is the claim made in 1989 by two
chemists from the University of Utah, B. Stanley Pons and
Martin Fleischmann, that they had discovered cold fusion --
a way to produce nuclear fusion without expensive
equipment. Scientists did not learn of the claim until they
read reports of a news conference. Moreover, the
announcement dealt largely with the economic potential of
the discovery and was devoid of the sort of details that
might have enabled other scientists to judge the strength
of the claim or to repeat the experiment. (Ian Wilmut's
announcement that he had successfully cloned a sheep was
just as public as Pons and Fleischmann's claim, but in the
case of cloning, abundant scientific details allowed
scientists to judge the work's validity.)
Some scientific claims avoid even the scrutiny of
reporters by appearing in paid commercial advertisements. A
health-food company marketed a dietary supplement called
Vitamin O in full-page newspaper ads. Vitamin O turned out
to be ordinary saltwater.
2. The discoverer says that a powerful establishment is
trying to suppress his or her work. The idea is that the
establishment will presumably stop at nothing to suppress
discoveries that might shift the balance of wealth and
power in society. Often, the discoverer describes
mainstream science as part of a larger conspiracy that
includes industry and government. Claims that the oil
companies are frustrating the invention of an automobile
that runs on water, for instance, are a sure sign that the
idea of such a car is baloney. In the case of cold fusion,
Pons and Fleischmann blamed their cold reception on
physicists who were protecting their own research in hot
fusion.
3. The scientific effect involved is always at the very
limit of detection. Alas, there is never a clear photograph
of a flying saucer, or the Loch Ness monster. All
scientific measurements must contend with some level of
background noise or statistical fluctuation. But if the
signal-to-noise ratio cannot be improved, even in
principle, the effect is probably not real and the work is
not science.
Thousands of published papers in para-psychology, for
example, claim to report verified instances of telepathy,
psychokinesis, or precognition. But those effects show up
only in tortured analyses of statistics. The researchers
can find no way to boost the signal, which suggests that it
isn't really there.
4. Evidence for a discovery is anecdotal. If modern
science has learned anything in the past century, it is to
distrust anecdotal evidence. Because anecdotes have a very
strong emotional impact, they serve to keep superstitious
beliefs alive in an age of science. The most important
discovery of modern medicine is not vaccines or
antibiotics, it is the randomized double-blind test, by
means of which we know what works and what doesn't.
Contrary to the saying, "data" is not the plural of
"anecdote."
5. The discoverer says a belief is credible because it
has endured for centuries. There is a persistent myth that
hundreds or even thousands of years ago, long before anyone
knew that blood circulates throughout the body, or that
germs cause disease, our ancestors possessed miraculous
remedies that modern science cannot understand. Much of
what is termed "alternative medicine" is part of that myth.
Ancient folk wisdom, rediscovered or repackaged, is
unlikely to match the output of modern scientific
laboratories.
6. The discoverer has worked in isolation. The image of
a lone genius who struggles in secrecy in an attic
laboratory and ends up making a revolutionary breakthrough
is a staple of Hollywood's science-fiction films, but it is
hard to find examples in real life. Scientific
breakthroughs nowadays are almost always syntheses of the
work of many scientists.
7. The discoverer must propose new laws of nature to
explain an observation. A new law of nature, invoked to
explain some extraordinary result, must not conflict with
what is already known. If we must change existing laws of
nature or propose new laws to account for an observation,
it is almost certainly wrong.
I began this list of warning signs to help federal
judges detect scientific nonsense. But as I finished the
list, I realized that in our increasingly technological
society, spotting voodoo science is a skill that every
citizen should develop.
Robert L. Park is a professor of physics at the
University of Maryland at College Park and the director of
public information for the American Physical Society. He is
the author of Voodoo Science: The Road From Foolishness to
Fraud (Oxford University Press, 2002).
Section: The Chronicle Review
Volume 49, Issue 21, Page B20
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Homeopathic Combination Remedy in the Treatment of Acute Childhood Diarrhea in Honduras
Oct 2006, Vol. 12, No. 8 : 723 -732
Don't rely on homeopathy to beat malaria, doctors warn
by FIONA MACRAE, Daily Mail Last updated at 09:22am on 14th July 2006
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=395568&in_page_id=1770
QuackCast 11. Evidence to Support Efficacy
and Complications of Chiropractic
There are a lot of good web sites about chiropractic:
Chiropractic: Flagship of the Alternative Medicine Fleet
by Steven Novella, MD
Dr. Novella is part of the Skeptics Guide to the
Universe, and excellent podcast available on iTunes.
Quackwatch The best source for information on alt.med.
Chirobase An off shoot of Quackwatch with an emphasis on chiropractic. Their mission statement says
“Chirobase is a joint project of Quackwatch, the National Council Against Health Fraud, and Victims of Chiropractic. Its aims are:
•To provide comprehensive information about chiropractic history, theories, and current practices.
•To encourage and support the use of science-based practices by chiropractors.
•To identify and oppose the use of unscientific practices by chiropractors.
•To warn the public about inappropriate chiropractic care.
•To help people seeking appropriate chiropractic care to locate it.
•To pinpoint the risks involved in pursuing a
chiropractic career.”
For some reason, the AMA isn’t involved.
A COMPARISON OF OSTEOPATHIC SPINAL MANIPULATION WITH STANDARD
CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN
N Engl J Med 1999;341:1426-31.
Spinal Manipulative Therapy for Low Back Pain
A Meta-Analysis of Effectiveness Relative to Other Therapies
Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:871-881. www.annals.org
A COMPARISON OF ACTIVE AND SIMULATED CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION
AS ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
N Engl J Med 1998;339:1013-20.
Spinal manipulation in the treatment of episodic tension-type headache: a
randomized controlled trial.
JAMA. 1998 Nov 11;280(18):1576-9.
Chiropractic: A Profession at the Crossroads of Mainstream and
Alternative Medicine
Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:216-227. www.annals.org
Chiropractic Admission Standands Lowest among Health Professionals
http://www.chirobase.org/03Edu/adm.html
Attitudes on immunization: a survey of American chiropractors.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1994 Nov-Dec;17(9):584-90.
Complications following vertebral manipulation-a survey of a French region physicians
Ann Readapt Med Phys. 2003 Feb;46(1):33-40.
Clinical perceptions of the risk of vertebral artery dissection after cervical manipulation: a survey of California neurologists.
Neurology. 1995 Jun;45(6):1213-5.
The role of chiropractic adjusting tables as reservoirs for microbial diseases.
Am J Infect Control. 2006 Apr;34(3):155-7.
An outbreak of amebiasis spread by colonic irrigation at a chiropractic clinic.
Volume 307:339-342 August 5, 1982 Number 6
QuackCast 10. History and Theory of
Chiropractic
There are a lot of good web sites about chiropractic:
Chiropractic: Flagship of the Alternative Medicine Fleet
by Steven Novella, MD
Dr. Novella is part of the Skeptics Guide to the
Universe, and excellent podcast available on iTunes.
Quackwatch The best source for information on alt.med.
Chirobase An off shoot of Quackwatch with an emphasis on chiropractic. Their mission statement says
“Chirobase is a joint project of Quackwatch, the National Council Against Health Fraud, and Victims of Chiropractic. Its aims are:
•To provide comprehensive information about chiropractic history, theories, and current practices.
•To encourage and support the use of science-based practices by chiropractors.
•To identify and oppose the use of unscientific practices by chiropractors.
•To warn the public about inappropriate chiropractic care.
•To help people seeking appropriate chiropractic care to locate it.
•To pinpoint the risks involved in pursuing a
chiropractic career.”
For some reason, the AMA isn’t involved.
Wikipedia entry on chiropractic.
AMA vrs Chiropracters. AMA loses.
National Council Against Health Care Fraud position paper
QuackCast 9. Lies, Damn Lies and the use of
alt med
It was Lincoln who said: “You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all the time” see http://www.bartleby.com/73/609.html.
He obviously did not live in a time of good advertising.
I said it wast was PT Barnum who said: No one ever went
broke underestimating the gullibility of the American
people. It was HL Menken who said “No one ever went broke
underestimating the intelligence of the American people.”
http://www.bartleby.com/59/3/nooneeverwen.html.
Benjamin Disraeli. Quoted by Mark Twain in his
Autobiography. “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned
lies and statistics.” http://www.bartleby.com/66/99/16799.html
People use 10% of the their brains. see http://www.theness.com/articles.asp?id=12.
Eskimos have 38 words for snow. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskimo_words_for_snow.
Unconventional Medicine in the United States -- Prevalence, Costs, and Patterns of Use
NEJM 328:246-252 January 28, 1993 Number 4
David M. Eisenberg, Ronald C. Kessler, Cindy Foster, Frances E. NorlCalkins, and Thomas L. Delbanco
Full text available on line at www.nejm.org.
Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA. 1998;280:1569-75.
Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, et al.
The Eisenberg Data: Flawed and Deceptive
Timothy N. Gorski, MD, FACOG
www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/eisenberg.html.
QuackCast 8. Acupuncture's Efficacy
http://www.cochrane.org.
Enter the search word ‘acupuncture’
http://www.acuwatch.org/general/nihcritique.shtml.
A review of the NIH position paper on accupuncture.
www.pubmed.com. Enter the search words acupuncture and either complications or infection to see what harm can be done with quackery.
Acupuncture and Knee Osteoarthritis A Three-Armed Randomized Trial
Hanns-Peter Scharf, MD; Ulrich Mansmann, PhD; Konrad Streitberger, MD; Steffen Witte, PhD; Ju ̈ rgen Kra ̈ mer, MD; Christoph Maier, MD;
Hans-Joachim Trampisch, PhD; and Norbert Victor, PhD
Ann Intern Med. 2006;145:12-20. www.annals.org. Never letting data get in the way of conclusions.
Meta-Analysis: Acupuncture for Low Back Pain Eric Manheimer, MS; Adrian White, MD, BM, BCh; Brian Berman, MD; Kelly Forys, MA; and Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD Intern Med. 2005;142:651-663. www.annals.org. More intellectual dishonesty from what was once a trusted source of medical information.
QuackCast 7. Theory of Acupuncture
www.skepdic.com.
The Skeptics Dictionary: good definitions and links on
acupuncture, chi, vitalism etc.
Acupuncture, Magic, and Make-Believe (Skeptical Inquirer
March 2003) http://www.csicop.org/si/2003-03/acupuncture.html.
Acupuncture: Theory, Efficacy, and Practice
Ted J. Kaptchuk, OMD
Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:374-383. www.annals.org.
The most dishonest, apologist review of quackery in a
‘reputable’ medical journal ever written. It was with this
article I lost all respect for the intellectual integrity
of the Annals. Just sayin’.
Be Wary of Acupuncture, Qigong, and "Chinese Medicine"http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/acu.html.
You cant beat the Quackwatch.
NCAHF Position Paper on Acupuncture http://www.ncahf.org/pp/acu.html.
A Skeptic Looks at Christian Science http://www.skepticreport.com/health/christianscience.htm
Comparative Mortality of Two College Groups, 1945 - 1983
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00015022.htm
Child Fatalities From Religion-motivated Medical Neglect
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/101/4/625
Pediatrics 1998;101:625– 629;
Journal of Reproductive Medicine Volume 46, Number 9
September 2001
Does Prayer Influence the Success of in Vitro Fertilization–Embryo Transfer? Report of a Masked, Randomized Trial. The original with skeptical commentary. http://www.uic.edu/classes/psych/Health/Readings/Prayer%20-%20in-vitro%20fertilization,%20JrRepMed-Skeptical%20Inquirer.doc.
Am Heart J. 2006 Apr;151(4):934-42. Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: a multicenter randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer.
More Questions on Healing Prayer A medical journal
responds to its critics
http://www.time.com/time/columnist/jaroff/article/0,9565,982245,00.html
Prayer & Healing The Verdict is in and the Results are Null
by Michael Shermer http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/06-04-05.html
The Deity in the Data What the latest prayer study tells us about God. Searching in the Darkness: About Prayer and Medical Cures
By William Saletan
http://www.slate.com/id/2139373/
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006 Issue 2
Intercessory prayer for the alleviation of ill health
http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab000368.html
Searching in the Darkness: About Prayer and Medical Cures
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/498576
Episode 5: Placebo IS THE PLACEBO POWERLESS? An randomized
of Clinical Trials Comparing Placebo with No Treatment N
Engl J Med, Vol. 344, No. 21 · May 24, 2001 Deconstructing
the Placebo Effect and Finding the Meaning Response. Ann
Intern Med. 2002;136:471-476. A review of regression to the
mean: http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~mb55/talks/regmean.htm
Medical Examples of regression to the mead:
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/309/6957/780shapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1
IS THE PLACEBO POWERLESS? An randomized of Clinical Trials Comparing Placebo with No Treatment N Engl J Med, Vol. 344, No. 21 · May 24, 2001
Deconstructing the Placebo Effect and Finding the Meaning Response. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:471-476.
A review of regression to the mean: http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~mb55/talks/regmean.htm
Medical Examples of regression to the mead: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/309/6957/780
QuackCast 4. Homeopathy Clinical Trials
I know: meta analysis, schemta analysis. Lancet Lancet 2005; 366: 726–32 \
Are the clinical effects of Comparative study of placebo-controlled trials of homoeopathy and allopathy.
http://www.bag.admin.ch/kv/forschung/d/2005/shang_huwiler.pdf
QuackCast 3. Homeopathic Theory
The ever helpful www.quackwatch.org
The best essay on the topic was in the 1840’s by http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/holmes.html
Phone it in: http://www.digibio.com/cgi-bin/node.pl?lg=us&nd=n4_3 homeopathy over the phone lines.
Treatment of the Common Cold with Unrefined Echinacea A
Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Ann
Intern Med. 2002;137:939-946.
Treatment of the Common Cold with Echinacea: A
Structured Review Clinical Infectious Diseases 2005;
40:807–10.
An Evaluation of Echinacea angustifolia in Experimental
Rhinovirus Infections NEJM July 28 , 2005 vol.353 no 4.
Studying Herbal Remedies Wallace Sampson, M.D. NEJM Volume 353:337-339 July 28, 2005.
Echinacea Treatment for the Common Cold Clinical
Infectious Diseases 2005; 40:811–2
Echinacea purpurea for Prevention of Experimental
Rhinovirus Colds. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2004;
38:1367–71.
Echinacea for the Common Cold: Can Alternative Medicine Be Evidence-Based Medicine? 17 December 2002 Annals of Internal Medicine Volume 137 Number 12.
What happens when you review Alternative Medicine without benefit of critical thinking? See any of the Annals of Internal Medicine articles on the topic. Weep to see what happens when a good journal goes bad. http://www.annals.org.