Denialism

Category: Medicine

  • I don’t have cancer

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    MarkH
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    Last week I went to the dermatologist. I have a few moles, and some of them were looking a little funny. The dermatologist did a full skin exam, and agreed that some of my moles looked funny, and she removed them. About a week later a pathology report confirmed that I have dysplastic nevi, and…

  • I wish we’d talked about this earlier…

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    MarkH
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    Dr. Signout, over at, well, Signout, wrote an interesting piece the other day. It’s a piece that everyone should read and think about while they can, because you never know when you may need to think about this. One of the most dramatic procedures in any hospital is the CPR, also known as a “code…

  • Get ready—flu season is closer than you think

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    MarkH
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    Last year’s flu season was bad. Hopefully this year’s will be better (for us, not for the virus). The CDC is changing the recommendations a bit to improve the population’s coverage, and I’m hoping I won’t be quite as busy this winter. Last year, I provided you with weekly flu activity updates. I’ll probably do…

  • Mercola—still lying after all these years

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    MarkH
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    It’s no secret that I have no respect for Joe Mercola. Every time I read one of his promotional emails or make a visit to his website, I see more fantastic claims. Usually, I don’t see blatant lies…until now…

  • Mike Leavitt to patients: “F*** you”

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    MarkH
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    A number of us in the blogosphere have been outraged by Bush’s Department of Health and Human Services’ desire to put the arbitrary wants of doctors before the needs of patients. At first it was just a draft proposal, but now Mike Leavitt is pushing to implement the changes. Soon, it may be legally acceptable…

  • Some days it’s harder

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    MarkH
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    I’m a little down today. I’ve told you before that I take care of my own patients in hospice. I’ve also told you about watching patients and friends lose their battles with disease. This week I had serious talks with several people about end-of-life issues (the details of which I can’t really share at the…

  • Autism and Mitochondria

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    MarkH
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    Prometheus brings us the best article I’ve seen to date on why the new push for a mitochondrial basis for autism is total nonsense. Once I saw this push from denialists like David Kirby towards a link between mitochondria and autism I knew we were in for a world of trouble. If only because mitochondrial…

  • Doctors aren’t preachers (or at least they shouldn’t be)

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    MarkH
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    I’ve written a number of times about how a physician must be careful not impose his or her personal beliefs on patients. Another interesting case has hit the news. The decision of the California Supreme Court hinged on interpretation of state non-discrimination law. I’m not a lawyer, but I do know a bit about medicine…

  • Seeding trials—no relation to Seed Media Group, LLC

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    MarkH
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    I’ve been having an internal debate about whether to write on this issue, not because it isn’t interesting, not because it isn’t important, but because it’s getting so much coverage and I’m not sure how much I can add to the conversation. But it so infuriated me that I must blog. Science-based medicine relies on…

  • How we know what we know

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    MarkH
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    Over the last few decades, the nature of medical knowledge has changed significantly. Before the revolution in evidence-based medicine, clinical medicine was practiced as more of an art (in the “artisan” sense). Individuals were treated empirically with a strong knowledge of medical biology, and the guidance of “The Giants”, or particularly skilled and respected practitioners.…