Skeptical Raptor

Happy Festivus, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, and Holidays to all

by Michael Simpson
2022-12-22
Website

Personally, I am celebrating Festivus on December 23 because we start with the Airing of Grievances, and I have a whole list of grievances for this year. We can start with Google hating this website to nearly losing my life to cellulitis to getting COVID-19 to lots of other things.

I know I’m alive and not begging for food, but the Airing of Grievances during Festivus will still be cathartic.

But I think there is one thing I am thankful for — all of you who support this website through reading and sharing articles, through Patreon, and through GoFundMe. I cannot thank you enough. I wouldn’t be here without your support.

3 4

Medical uses of cannabis — a scientific review

3 3

I don’t know how we got to this point, but there are so many claims about the medical uses of cannabis, you would think it was the miracle drug of all time. Smoke some cannabis and suddenly everything from pain to cancer to neurological disorders disappear.

Since I don’t take medical claims lightly, and I always want to determine if there is good, solid clinical evidence, what is called science-based medicine, supporting these claims, I decided to dig into a few of them. And what I found is that either the evidence is lacking or that the evidence shows it doesn’t work. I’m not surprised.

I personally have no issue with smoking marijuana, since other “drugs”, like alcohol, are completely legal and socially acceptable. I think that the legalization of cannabis will reduce much of drug trafficking, reduce the burden of law enforcement and penal system costs, and have other beneficial effects for society.

But if you’re going to make wild claims about the medical benefits of cannabis, which don’t stand up to real scientific evidence, then I got to say “stop.” If you want to smoke cannabis because it relaxes you, fine, but if you’re going to get into my face with fake medical information, don’t be insulted if I laugh heartily.

This article will tackle a few of the most popular claims, but it won’t cover them all. Leave a comment if you want me to look into a medical claim about cannabis that I didn’t cover.

3 3

Science-based medicine, not allopathic, Western, or conventional

by Michael Simpson
2022-12-18
Alternative medicine, Evidence based medicine, Homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine

1 3

As I’ve mentioned before, I often hang out on Quora answering questions about medicine with science-based answers. But I reached the breaking point after the 347th question that uses “allopathic,” “Western,” or “conventional” medicine as a pejorative term trying to show that it is somehow less safe and less effective than alternative “medicine” like homeopathy or Arvuyedic or traditional Chinese.

Minchin’s Law, which is quoted frequently by those of us who utilized science-based medicine in either practice or writing, makes it clear what is real medicine and what is alternative “medicine”:

“By definition”, I begin
“Alternative Medicine”, I continue
“Has either not been proved to work,
Or been proved not to work.
You know what they call “alternative medicine”
That’s been proved to work?
Medicine.”

So, let’s take a look at what is and isn’t science-based medicine. And spoiler alert, alternative medicine is not even close to being science-based.

1 3

Measles outbreak in Ohio — almost all did not get MMR vaccine

Twenty years ago we thought we had nearly eradicated measles, but now we have a fairly large outbreak in Ohio. And just in case you’re wondering, the vast majority of the infected were unvaccinated.

In 2000, the CDC stated that measles was eradicated in the USA. We were right there, so close to making measles extinct. Then the cunning fraud, Andrew Wakefield, published his hoax in The Lancet, claiming that the MMR vaccine was linked to autism — measles vaccinations dropped. As a result of fears and misinformation about the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, vaccination rates have dropped allowing measles to again attack children.

Just to remind you, the MMR vaccine is not linked to autism according to real science published by real scientists.

So let’s take a close look at that measles outbreak in Ohio. But first, let’s talk about measles itself.

“The War on Ivermectin” by Pierre Kory is coming — he’s still wrong

I thought this war was over, but apparently quack doctor, Pierre Kory is publishing a book, The War on Ivermectin: The Medicine That Saved Millions and Could Have Ended the COVID Pandemic, that should be out in February 2023. Worse yet, the book is going to be distributed by Simon & Schuster, one of the largest book publishers in the world.

The book will claim that the widely discredited drug “saved millions.” Apparently, this book will document Dr. Kory’s efforts to push for ivermectin in COVID-19 treatment protocols, and what he calls a corrupt and concerted effort from the medical establishment to deny its efficacy.

There’s so much to take apart here from ivermectin not showing any clinical value in large studies to a respected book publisher getting involved in Kory’s false claims. There was never a war on ivermectin — there was science showing that it could not and did not work in treating COVID-19.

Last push before Christmas — Skeptical Raptor and GoFundMe

by Michael Simpson
2022-12-12
Website

9 9SharesI’m going to wrap up my efforts for the Skeptical Raptor GoFundMe, Patreon, and Amazon efforts with this final posting. I really hate cyber begging, but I’m trying to get out of a hole in life. It causes severe depression,… Read More »Last push before Christmas — Skeptical Raptor and GoFundMe

Public toilets fill air with aerosols of feces and urine — mask up

I’ve got something new for you — a newly published study warns that public toilets create aerosols of feces and urine that can be detrimental to your health. If you want to protect your health, here is one more reason to wear a face mask.

I’ve always wondered about public toilets with energetic flushing mechanisms that flush the toilet more vigorously since they get more use than your home toilet. It’s cheaper to have these strong flushing mechanisms in public restrooms than to hire people to clean them more frequently.

But that flushing mechanism is so robust that it causes aerosols that contain bits of poo and pee that you inhale. I don’t really want to think about this, but we are breathing all this sewage while we’re in a public restroom.

As I always do, let’s take a look at this new peer-reviewed paper that examines what we’re inhaling while in public restrooms. It’s not going to be pleasant.

Treating cancer with alternative medicine — it’s dangerous

3 3

As I have mentioned before, I occasionally answer questions on Quora regarding alternative medicine treatments for cancer. Of course, there are few, if any, alternative “medicines” that have been shown to treat cancer effectively in large, randomized, double-blind clinical trials. If they actually worked, we’d just call it medicine.

Most of the answers are supported by scientific evidence — alternative medicine treatments for cancer have been shown to not work or have not been shown to work. Either way, it would be unethical or even immoral for anyone to recommend these unscientific treatments.

Of course, a lot of people want to push the claim that cannabis cures cancer. It doesn’t (see Note 1).

A paper was published a few years ago that examined the survivability of individuals with curable cancers that refused conventional cancer treatments (usually surgery plus adjuvant therapies like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or immunotherapy) and chose alternative medicine. We will get to that article, but spoiler alert — alternative medicine doesn’t work for cancer and may be dangerous.

3 3

Study shows that a placebo is better than marijuana for pain relief

1 3

A new systematic review and meta-analysis published in a respected journal show that marijuana is no different than a placebo in treating pain. I consistently read anecdotal claims that somehow cannabis and its derivatives are useful. in treating pain, but when I looked at the evidence, it appeared that there really wasn’t anything there.

Pain management is one of the most common reasons people report using medical cannabis. According to a US national survey, 17% of respondents who had reported using cannabis in the past year had been prescribed medical cannabis. When it comes to self-medication, the numbers are even higher – with estimates that between 17-30% of adults in North America, Europe, and Australia report they use it to manage pain. But does this mean that there is evidence that it actually works for reducing pain?

Real scientists decided to look at the same claims about marijuana and pain and have come to the same conclusion — there’s not much supporting evidence. Now I know the comments section will be filled with people that want to tell me how cannabis is a miracle drug for pain and should replace opioids. But I am one who only follows the evidence, and it’s seriously lacking.

Like I always do, we’re going to take a look at this study and see what it tells us about marijuana and pain.

1 3

« Previous
1
2
3
4
5
…
213
Next »