“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”
— William Wilberforce
Story Highlights Addiction to and death from prescription painkillers is now a public health crisis in the United States. In the early 1990s, medical “experts” and “thought leaders” made claims convincing the medical community and the public that prescription painkillers were non-addictive when used in the long-term. Financial conflict of interest between opioid manufacturers and […]
Story Highlights A recent survey released by Merritt Hawkins reveals that not only are American hospitals and clinics facing a shortage of primary care physicians but also a shortage of medical specialists. The survey attributes this to an aging population. However, the report also reveals that there is a shortage of pediatric subspecialties indicating a […]
Story Highlights The United Kingdom’s Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has moved to stop accepting any funds from manufacturers of infant formula. The formula companies have a long history of questionable marketing ploys, particularly targeting poor and uneducated women in developing countries. The benefits of exclusively feeding babies with breast milk for […]
A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that expenditures on medical marketing in the United States significantly increased between 1997 and 2016. The study showed that spending on medical marketing rose from $17.7 billion in 1997 to $29.9 billion in 2016.1 Health care spending in the U.S. is […]
Story Highlights Physician scientists are failing to disclose their financial ties to drug and health care companies in medical journals that publish scientific research widely considered to be reputable, and journals are failing to enforce disclosure requirements. The collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry and medical journals compromises public trust. These financial relationships between medical journals and the pharmaceutical industry […]
Story Highlights New gene therapies offer unprecedented hope for permanent cures of serious diseases and hold the promise of an invaluable societal impact. In a report to their biotech clients, investment giant Goldman Sachs questions whether curative therapies are a viable business model. Using Gilead Science’s hepatitis C drug as an example, the report noted […]
Think about the last time you visited a medical office. The nurse ushers you into the examination room. He or she then proceeds to ask you questions from a checklist on a laptop while simultaneously typing in your responses. The nurse barely makes eye contact with you. After the checklist is completed, an algorithm…
The terms “medicine” and “health” are often used interchangeably. However, these concepts are based on very different philosophies. Conventional medicine (also known as modern medicine or allopathic medicine) is a system whereby medical doctors and other healthcare professionals treat symptoms…
Many doctors will recommend the analgesic drug acetaminophen (most commonly known by the brand name Tylenol) if your child comes down with a fever after being vaccinated. All you have to do is take a quick glance at the websites of medical practices to get a sense of how common…
The word “anecdotal” is defined as something that is based on “personal observation, case study reports, or random investigations rather than systematic scientific evaluation.” Anecdotal evidence relies on personal accounts, stories shared by people about what happened to them or what they observed.