FSM Friends’ News and Articles
How safe is CBD oil? “CBD also has a relatively high potential for drug-drug interactions… Consumers are taking CBD products over the counter without any supervision, and under the false impression that CBD is natural and therefore perfectly safe. To be clear, I am not against CBD itself. My criticism is of the current regulatory framework that creates a false dichotomy between drugs and supplements. CBD should be studied and regulated like any other drug, because that’s what it is.”
Was the delta variant for children? “Maybe this year, sheltered doctors will realize that variants with the potential to hospitalize and kill children can’t just be brushed away with … Most tragically, over 1,000 children have died of COVID since my critic guffawed at COVID variants, many of them old enough to be vaccinated. I encourage you to read about some of them to remind yourself these children are more than just statistics on a government website.”
“New school” COVID-19 anti-vaxxers are becoming less and less distinguishable from “old school” anti-vaxxers: “As I’ve discussed many times over the last two years, to demonize COVID-19 vaccines, they have recycled and repurposed every anti-vaccine trope under the sun. In the two weeks since I wrote my last post, a couple of stories have occurred that emphasized to me that these “new school” anti-vaxxers are increasingly indistinguishable from old school anti-vaxxers. “
Gun violence as a public health issue: “What Congress did was reduce the CDC budget by the exact amount spent on gun violence research. This was clearly intended to intimidate the CDC by directly threatening their funding… Some have argued that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has no business researching gun violence because being shot is not a “disease.” This argument does not hold water, however, and seems deliberately concrete. The CDC researches all threats to the health of Americans, and being shot dead is a significant risk to health. The CDC also researches deaths from car crashes, and how to mitigate those deaths, for example… A recent national survey finds that 55% of Americans support research into gun violence. While it is good that a majority supports research, it is a disconcerting that 45% of Americans do not support researching gun violence.”
Naked Emperors and laptop class doctors: “I’m not one of those people who thinks COVID is a 5G hoax by Bill Gates and the lizard people” they signal to their audience. This may be true, but they’re not that different either.”
Swearing to treat pain – helpful approach or just another distraction? “All of this is consistent with simple distraction, which the authors admit is the most likely mechanism behind any apparent reduction in pain associated with swearing.”
At last, COVID-19 shots for little kids – 5 essential reads: For many parents of kids under age 5, a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine could not come soon enough. A full year and a half after shots first became available for adults, their wait is nearly over.
General
Millionaire cosmetic surgeons don’t need a leg up with patient testimonials: Proposed new legislation will allow medical practitioners (including cosmetic surgeons) to advertise using patient testimonials, which is sure to complicate the already difficult-to-regulate social media landscape of cosmetic surgeries. “The Australian Medical Association (AMA) …. has lodged a submission warning that testimonials are easily faked or taken out of context and are ‘likely to be relied upon by patients, even if their condition is not comparable.'”
Great Moments in Health and Science
The Back-to-Sleep Campaign – Why back to sleep is the safest position for your baby: Since the recommendation of putting babies on their back to sleep there has been a rapid 85% decline in SIDS mortality which has provided overwhelming evidence of the strong association between prone/front sleeping and sudden infant death.