Do Our Mitochondria Need Support?
The article critiques the booming market of "mitochondrial support" products, arguing that most claims rely on vague marketing rather than solid science. While mitochondria are essential for cellular energy, supplements like NAD+ precursors, CoQ10, and red‑light therapy typically demonstrate only biochemical changes in labs or blood tests. The author outlines a three‑tier evidence ladder—biochemical, functional, and clinical—and notes that few interventions progress beyond the first tier. Without robust functional or clinical data, promises of increased energy, better health, or slowed aging remain speculative.
More On Raw Milk
The current HHS secretary is championing raw, unpasteurized milk despite FDA warnings, reigniting public debate. Epidemiological data show raw milk causes roughly 840 times more illnesses and 45 times more hospitalizations than pasteurized milk, with 143 CDC‑recorded outbreaks from 2009‑2021....
Legislative Alchemy: Licensing Reflexologists and Other Practitioners of Pseudoscience
States across the U.S. are introducing bills that would license reflexologists and other alternative‑medicine practitioners, a process the author dubs “Legislative Alchemy.” The North Carolina Healing Arts Act, Massachusetts Senate Bill 261, and Iowa House File 2178 each propose new regulatory boards...
Dr. Vinay Prasad Said He Would Deliver New COVID Vaccine RCTs. He Failed and Should STFU.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced they are halting a U.S. phase‑III trial of their updated COVID‑19 vaccine aimed at adults 50‑64 because enrollment fell far short of the planned 25,000‑30,000 participants. The companies said the decision was unrelated to safety or...
Smart Drugs Are Here
A recent proof‑of‑concept study introduces DNA‑drug conjugates (DDCs) that turn “smart drugs” into programmable therapies. DDCs use split DNA strands as logic gates to release payloads only when specific biomarker combinations are present, offering higher specificity than antibody‑drug conjugates (ADCs)....
Geopolitics and Drug Shortages
The escalation of the Iran conflict has throttled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and crippled Gulf airport capacity, exposing a fragile pharmaceutical distribution network that relies on the Dubai hub. Air‑cargo rates are soaring while the region’s ability to...
Zoonotic Spillover Is A Problem
Recent analysis by Dr. Steven Novella reaffirms that SARS‑CoV‑2 most likely arose from a zoonotic spillover at Wuhan’s Huanan wet market. The article highlights how dense wildlife supply chains, inter‑species mixing, and poor hygiene create ideal conditions for viral recombination...
Vaccines Work. Here’s Why We Care About Your Unvaccinated Child.
The article underscores that measles remains deadly despite overall vaccine success, citing recent tragedies—including a child who died from subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and another who suffered severe encephalitis. It highlights how unvaccinated or under‑vaccinated children, as well as those with...
‘Start Low, Go Slow’: The Smart, Safe Approach to Drug Dosage in the Elderly
The article highlights the growing risk of drug over‑dosage in older adults as age‑related changes in metabolism make standard adult doses unsafe. It cites real‑world cases, such as an elderly man bleeding from excessive ibuprofen, and outlines FDA guidance that...
Liver Failure From Alternative Medicines
A recent Indian study of 91 patients exposed to alternative medicines found that 39.6% developed acute‑on‑chronic liver failure (ACLF), with a 38.9% mortality rate among those cases. Heavy‑metal contamination exceeded WHO limits in many products, and 27.7% contained undeclared pharmaceutical...
Death Returns From Holiday
In a candid essay, infectious‑disease specialist Dr. Mark Crislip recounts his career‑long exposure to death from infections and uses those memories to warn that recent U.S. policy cuts to USAID and vaccination programs could trigger millions of preventable fatalities. He cites...
Using Alternative Medicine to Treat Cancer, Even Alongside Conventional Therapies, Is Still a Bad Idea
A recent JAMA Network Open cohort study examined over 2 million breast‑cancer patients in the National Cancer Database and found that use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is linked to lower overall survival. Patients who combined CAM with standard therapy...
Generic GLP-1s Are Coming, but Americans Don’t Want to Wait
GLP‑1 drugs such as semaglutide have surged from diabetes treatment to a mass‑market weight‑loss solution, with roughly 12.4% of Americans now using them. Global sales are projected to climb from $50‑60 billion today to over $135 billion within a decade, driven largely...
An Unimpressive Reiki Study
Steven Novella critiques a recent U.S. randomized trial that examined Reiki, placebo Reiki (feiki), mindfulness, and a waitlist for chronic knee osteoarthritis. The study found Reiki reduced symptoms compared to waitlist but not versus feiki, rendering the primary outcome statistically...
RFK Jr. Is Definitely Coming for Your Vaccines (Part 8): “Massive Epidemic of Vaccine Injury,” ACIP, and a Prominent Oncologist
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now HHS Secretary, is intensifying his anti‑vaccine campaign by supporting a MAHA Institute roundtable titled “Massive Epidemic of Vaccine Injury.” The event, held in Washington, D.C., features oncologist Dr. Wafik El‑Deiry alongside well‑known antivax activists such...
The FDA: Promoting Quack Nostrums Based on “Incredible Stories” While Rejecting Vaccines Despite Successful RCTs
The U.S. FDA declined to review Moderna's mRNA influenza vaccine, even though two phase‑3 trials involving 43,800 participants demonstrated a 27% efficacy advantage over the standard Fluarix vaccine and a 49% reduction in hospitalizations. FDA officials cited the comparator arm...
The Peptide Craze Sweeping America Has a Fan in RFK Jr
The U.S. wellness market has been flooded with unapproved "pop" peptides such as BPC‑157, GHK‑Cu and TB‑500, prompting the FDA in 2023 to reclassify most of them as Category 2, effectively banning their compounding. Despite the ban, a gray‑market supply chain—often...
The We Want Them Infected Movement Isn’t Just for COVID Anymore
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently trimmed the routine childhood vaccine schedule, dropping three previously recommended immunizations—hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus—reducing the total from 18 to 11 vaccines. The change aligns the U.S. schedule more closely with Denmark’s...
DIY Botox: Why Self-Injecting a Neurotoxin Is a Terrible Idea
TikTok and other platforms are fueling a surge in DIY Botox, where consumers purchase unapproved botulinum toxin online and self‑inject it. In late 2025 the FDA issued warning letters to 18 websites selling counterfeit or misbranded products, citing adverse events...
Dr. Marty Makary Was Paid $130,357 By Pharma. Is His “Undue Influence” Affecting the FDA?
Dr. Marty Makary, now FDA commissioner, earned $130,357 from pharma firms before his nomination and serves on the board of an ophthalmic drug company despite pledging never to work for big‑pharma. He appointed former industry executive Dr. George Tidmarsh to...
RFK Decimates Vaccine Schedule
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as HHS secretary, has reduced the U.S. routine vaccine schedule from covering 17 illnesses to just 11, moving hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, meningococcal, influenza and COVID‑19 into a “shared clinical decision‑making” category. The change bypasses...
Well Dr. Stephanie Seneff, 2025 Is Over. Did Glyphosate Turn Half of All Children Autistic?
In 2014 MIT researcher Dr. Stephanie Seneff warned that glyphosate would make half of all children autistic by 2025, a claim that has now been disproven. The blog post uses this missed prediction to illustrate a broader pattern where disinformation...
The FDA’s Proposed “Black Box” Warning for COVID-19 Vaccines
Former FDA official Henry I. Miller warns that the agency’s draft plan to place a black‑box warning on COVID‑19 vaccines lacks scientific justification. He notes that the proposal appears driven by political appointees, particularly HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., rather than robust...
Every Accusation Is a Confession (or a Statement of Intent): MAHA’s New Tuskegee Experiment
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a $1.6 million grant to the University of Southern Denmark to conduct a five‑year randomized trial of hepatitis B vaccine timing in newborns in Guinea‑Bissau. The study, led by Christine Stabell Benn and Peter Aaby,...
Dr. Vinay Prasad “Called For” RCTs. Dr. Peter Marks Delivered Them.
Dr. Vinay Prasad claims he was among the few who called for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of COVID‑19 vaccines, yet the blog argues that it was his predecessor, Dr. Peter Marks, who actually designed and executed the pivotal trials that...
ALS and the Market for False Hope
The post outlines ALS as a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no cure and only modestly effective drugs such as riluzole and edaravone. It highlights how multidisciplinary ALS clinics deliver the greatest survival benefit, while a booming market of unproven supplements...
The FDA Under MAHA Control: Weakening the Quack Miranda Warning on Supplements
The FDA, under the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, is considering a rule change that would let supplement manufacturers place the DSHEA disclaimer on a single panel instead of every claim‑bearing panel. The proposal follows a December 11 letter...
Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation
Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation (EBOO) is marketed by the wellness industry as a high‑end anti‑aging therapy that removes, oxygenates, ozonates, and filters a patient’s blood before reinfusion. The procedure is invasive, involving two IV lines and large‑volume blood processing,...