Quicklink: Epilepsy’s Big, Fat Miracle
Fred Vogelstein, parent of a child with epilepsy that’s been unable to be effectively controlled pharmaceutically, describes his family’s positive experience with a ketogenic diet as a treatment regime: a diet that involves a whole lot of fat in a restricted calorie regime that requires measuring food in fractions of grams. The whole story behind this increasingly accepted but horrendously complicated to manage treatment is a fascinating read.
Australian boys to get Gardasil vaccine
The Therapeutic Goods Administration last week approved Gardasil for use on males up to the age of 26.
Quicklink: Dietary Supplements in Pregnancy
Research generally shows some important health benefits related to fetal uptake of maternal dietary DHA, but increased IQ no longer appears to be one of them. At least increasing one’s intake of fish oil has few if any downsides for either mother or fetus.
Sex Bias in BioMedicine
Women remain vastly underrepresented in biomedical research despite significant differences in the way they experience many diseases, medications and therapies compared to men. Despite federal mandates to include women in studies, there is much that still needs to be done, says Teresa Woodruff, a leading women’s health scientist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a June 9 commentary in the journal Nature.
A little bump in the road
Anti-immunisation doctor banned in the UK. As he is now in the US this will do little to slow him down. Appearing on NBC’s Today Show, Wakefield described the decision as “a little bump on the road.” He claimed the US government has been settling cases of vaccine-induced autism since 1991. SMH 25/5/10 The US [...]
Reconciling abortion with my motherhood
At some point during my own pregnancy I knew I would confront my pro-choice politics, not because I had had an abortion in the past but because I could have, and because I believe so strongly in my right to do so. Because I dedicated some years of my career to the pro-choice movement; because [...]
Contraception in the media
Media articles on contraception surveys and how silly teh wimminz are pretty much always bother me. For a whole variety of reasons. Here’s one of them. There is so much elided, left out, glossed over, ignored, probably not even known by the author. So many opportunities lost to examine the actual issues. So many assumptions [...]
X-ray casts
Castoo is a business that offers “tattoos” for plaster casts. You can get dragons, fairies, flames, sharks, old skool tattoos, flowers, or a variety of other designs. My favourite? Send ‘em your X-ray, and you’ll get back a cast decoration that looks like your fracture. (Though all I can do is look at that photo, [...]
Quickhit: Stop funding homeopathy, say British MPs
We conclude that placebos should not be routinely prescribed on the National Health Service
And still they defend him
The doctor who first claimed that the MMR vaccine could cause autism has been found guilty of a series of misconduct charges, that include putting children through painful and unnecessary tests, a disciplinary hearing has ruled today.
That Homebirth Study in South Australia
Planned home and hospital births in South Australia, 1991-2006: differences in outcomes Robyn Kennare, Marc Keirse, Graeme Tucker and Annabelle Chan, MJA 192(2), 18 January 2009 You’re going to be hearing a lot from the Australian Medical Association about That Homebirth Study In South Australia, so here are a few actual facts to be getting [...]
In which I clarify a few things about resuscitation of pregnant folk
Yeah, I get cranky at stories like this one: Tracy Hermanstorfer: Christmas Miracle Mom and Baby Die, Revive I’m thrilled for the family that they both survived this event. I hope they go on to a happy, loving, long life together. It’s hard to imagine how terrifying an experience this must have been. What’s cheesing [...]
“Quantum medicine” and “nanopharmacology” – mmm, scientitious!
Grab a cushion for your desk (the bit in front of your head) before reading this defence of homeopathy on HuffPo, Home of Woo. Thing is, this theory is perfectly testable – I foresee the need for 4 test groups of people with the same medical complaint – Group 1 will receive the homeopathically appropriate [...]
Pinch me
Fairfax has a piece on myths about obesity that is sensible and properly science-based, and which they are promoting in the banner area of the front page? Maybe there’s something to all this approaching-2012-apocalypso after all.
Recent Comments
The Kittehs' Unpaid Help, The Kittehs' Unpaid Help, Chally, Mindy, Aphie, tigtog [...]
The Kittehs' Unpaid Help, angharad, tigtog, YetAnotherMatt, The Kittehs' Unpaid Help, Mindy [...]
Mindy, Holly
The Kittehs' Unpaid Help, AMM, Chris, The Kittehs' Unpaid Help, QoT, David [...]
tigtog, Xanthë, tigtog, Ali, tigtog, Lauredhel [...]
David, Lad Litter, Megpie71, David
Chris, Mindy, Chris, Mindy, Chris, tigtog [...]
Aphie
Mindy, Mindy, David, tigtog, fmark
angharad, David, Mindy, David, tigtog, Mindy [...]
Megpie71, Megpie71, Sharon M, Chris, Helen, Chris [...]
tigtog, Aqua, of the Questioners, tigtog, David, Mindy, tigtog [...]