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Child abuse manifests in various forms. One is the “Shaken Baby,” where rapid head shaking allegedly causes neurological injury and death. Until recently, a constellation of bodily injuries was considered adequate evidence to convict an indicted abuser. No longer. Recent cases have held that “Shaken Baby Syndrome” is not a valid diagnosis. One court just held the diagnosis should be a legal determination – not a medical one, rejecting all medical testimony and exonerating alleged abusers.

I have previously authored many articles about per- and polyfluroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” and the misinformation and lack of scientific credibility surrounding them. However, Europe has outdone the U.S. on the absurdity of their proposed regulations on these chemicals. On February 7, 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) proposed to ban all PFAS, which would affect more than 12,000 chemicals. To do this, they used a definition of PFAS so broad that it includes almost any chemical that contains fluorine [1]. What is going on?

“Last month, California lawmakers passed a bill that would decriminalize the personal possession of small amounts of a few plant-based psychedelics. This raised hopes that this could be the first of many reforms to unlock the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. Unfortunately, Governor Newsom vetoed the bill, citing reasons that can only be characterized as specious.”

Politicians are attacking a safe and important class of pesticides – neonicotinoids – with unwarranted bans and restrictions. These policies will be devastating to farmers, costly to consumers, and damaging to the environment.

Did they die from an asteroid or climate?
Fill it up or charge it, please
The untimely and unwarranted death of bees
Woke science

Why are some people fully protected by vaccination, or infection-acquired immunity to COVID, when others are not? Does the fault lie with the vaccines? Do some individuals mount a more robust immune response? A new study provides an answer that lies in between those choices and gives me a chance to write about the power and limitations of metaphors.

Regulators are supposed to abide by the “bargain” that society has made with them: Civil servants are granted lifetime tenure and are protected from political pressure and retaliation, in return for which they are supposed to make decisions based solely on the public interest. But, often, they do not. 

It's 1980 and Queen released a huge, timeless hit, "Another One Bites the Dust." Imagine if someone wrote a parody about today's "fake" opioid crisis and put it to music. Wouldn't that be entertaining? Imagine no longer. Here it is.

Another article in the ongoing war over the protective value of masks. The latest report, with senior author Vinay Prasad, effectively builds and demolishes a straw man of the authors’ creation, then does some out-of-season cherry-picking. In the end, the “study” sheds more shade than light.

Long COVID comprises a set of persistent symptoms developing weeks after COVID per se has waned. Long COVID cases have been remarkably stable; about 36% of those who had experienced COVID developed long-term symptoms. As such, long COVID deserves more attention.

Today, there is simply too much known in far too many diverse fields for any person to hold it all in their brain. This means that, no matter how smart one might be, there are times when we have to push the “I believe” button and simply accept the statements of others. The problem is that these others are too often wrong, the topic is too often very important, and the statements made are too wildly disparate. We feel we must choose, yet we don’t know how.

An infection with Clostridioides difficile (or C. diff in the trade) that occurs 72 hours after admission to the hospital is considered hospital-acquired. Medicare penalizes hospitals financially if they have more hospital-acquired C. diff. infections than the national average. A new study suggests that C. diff is not so much hospital-acquired, but that patients bring the bacterium with them, in their gut microbiome, into the hospital. That makes it more transported than acquired.

Everyone should have a primary care provider (PCP), but not everyone does. There are myriad reasons why: some choose not to go to the doctor (hello, young people); some can’t afford care; others may live in provider “deserts” such as rural areas. Whatever the reason, a growing movement exists to expand who can act as a PCP. Chiropractors have been a part of this expansion, but is that wise?

To handshake or not to handshake, that is the question. As COVID-19 has moved from a pandemic to an endemic disease, should we greet each other with a shake of hands, fist bump, or just eye contact and walk quickly away?  Handshaking has devolved into a cultural debate rather than the scientific issue of disease transmission. Is handshaking, a form of surface transmission, something to fear?

Several pro-science NGOs are trying to expand Africa's access to modern farming technologies, including biotech crops and pesticides. The Marxist busybodies at Jacobin would rather poor people across the continent go hungry.

Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conferences are routinely held by hospitals to evaluate individual patient care, discuss/dissect interesting cases, and analyze adverse outcomes. It aims to teach, learn, and modify medical/nursing behaviors where appropriate so as to improve patient care. Meetings are confidential to facilitate frank discussion. But a recent case portends evisceration of the confidentiality rule. Plaintiffs are cheering. Defendant-doctors, not. Who’s right?

Let’s play Unintended consequences
Reassessing the Luddites
Aging and Martin Scorsese
Lie, mistruth, or editing?

We are all aware of the environmental impact of the livestock consumed globally. And many suggest that a plant-based diet is more healthful for humans. But what are the environmental “paw prints” on society’s freeloaders, the dogs and cats? A new study considers the advantages of making them pursue a vegan diet.

Contrary to a poorly researched Wall Street Journal commentary, the new COVID vaccines have been tested appropriately and, like their predecessors, will likely prevent serious illness, death, and undue stress on the U.S. healthcare system.

The BS that has been put out by the anti-opioid zealots has been more than bad enough. Then Senator Joe Manchin joined the fray, taking it to a new level. Disgusting.

Are you aware of the concept of the three gates? Most simply, before you speak or – in my case, write – let your words pass through three gates. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

You all complain about drug commercials, and with good reason. They are equal parts cloying and annoying. Let's make fun of them, OK?

The New York Times devoted nearly a full page in the business section to “emissions.” Emissions of what? Presumably, CO2, which was not explicitly mentioned, nor were methane, black carbon, or other greenhouse agents. The U.S. has focused – even obsessed – on CO2, and we act as if the nation was the chief player on the planet. That makes us feel good and even self-satisfied in assuming that our diligence is helping to save the planet. But is it?

Hospitals and health systems are not immune from concerns about their environmental impact. Most studies surround the discharge of anesthetic gases or single-use plastics. A new study provides different concerns.

The British broadcaster has become part of a cynical anti-science collaboration.